As independent paper merchant Longbottom celebrates its silver jubilee it has plenty to look forward to as it seeks new digital paper products for Australian printers.
With an unbroken 25 year track record in supplying printers, which is a fair achievement in the ultra-competitive world of paper merchanting, Longbottom Digital Paper is clearly meeting the needs of printers. Longbottom Digital Papers commenced business in 1983, under the flag of Longbottom Paper, initially supplying printers and offices with basic offset and copy paper grades.
However in the early 1990s, as digital appeared on the horizon, Longbottom saw the way the future was unfolding, and went on to make its name as a premier supplier of paper for all forms of digital printing including colour printing, wide format inkjet, HP Indigo presses, solvent and UV printers, Xeikon and dye sublimation printers.
Now enjoying its 25th anniversary of paper sales and service to the printing marketplace, Longbottom’s commitment to the supply of quality digital paper has seen consistently steady growth in sales and service to digital printers, as it has built its expertise, its sources, and its product range over recent years.
Managing director, Colin Longbottom says, “In fact Longbottom is always keen to trial and prove new products in the digital environment. The recent drupa exhibition showed more than ever that print, and in particular digital print, is developing increasingly rapidly. Our mission to is to ensure that Australian printers using digital technology have access to the best possible paper stocks for all their applications. The never ending search for new products to add to our range is always top of mind.”
Obtaining products that meet client needs and, most importantly, perform on a wide variety of printing devices have always been one of Longbottom’s core business goals. But looking forward to the years ahead is always the Longbottom Paper way. The reason for the company’s success in this field is based on service and product knowledge gained at the coalface.
Longbottom commenced in the colour copy market in the early 1990s supplying Neusiedler Color Copy which had just been launched by the Austrian mill to specifically deal with this market. The Neusiedler mill is part of the Mondi paper group.
The product was first tested by the major OEMs and then accredited with being the best high quality paper of its type, giving excellent reproduction, with high whiteness and superior smooth finish.
Once tested by customers, it was a winner because of its dust free surface, reliabity and superior runability, translating in the print shop into less machine downtime. Its smooth surface also meant less toner needed to be laid across the paper, saving on toner.
Having been accepted, the paper opened doors to the few specialist colour copy centres of the 1990s, leading the company into supplying papers for other forms of digital printing which were in their infancy, including of course wide format inkjet printing.
Digital presses such as the HP Indigo and Xeikon are at the cutting edge of the digital-come-offset print world, allowing versatility that only digital presses can achieve with short run variable data for specific printing. Longbottom supplies a wide range of proven and tested stock for these presses, and all digital printing solutions.
At drupa, the sheer number of high quality digital colour and monochrome printing devices was astounding, as was the promise of high speed inkjet presses to come. All these presses will need paper expertise in the years ahead, and Longbottom is aiming to provide that it.
When asked if there is time for a 25 year celebration, Colin Longbottom says, “Yes, our team of dedicated staff help make Longbottom Digital Paper a successful company. We can all enjoy a look back at the growth in the business and the expansion of technologies in our industry.”
