While a number of printers are struggling in the volatile financial climate, Melbourne-based commercial printer Venus Press is not only riding out the storm but is investing in new equipment, recently purchasing a Ryobi 755 five colour press to enhance its production capabilities
The Richmond-based print-shop was purchased by Dennis Kostopoulos in 1979, which at the time consisted of a single letterpress and has since grown to include full design and CTP facilities, a four colour offset press and full in house finishing services, including folding, forme cutting and bookbinding. Now the company has invested in a new Ryobi 755.Justin Burns, production manager at Venus Press says the company purchased the new press in order to achieve faster set up times and reduce cost and to establish better colour control. The press includes a PDSE feature, which measures and regulates colour during a run, the new machine is also able to receive information from the company’s prepress area in order to position the ink settings automatically.
Burns says the press has increased the company’s capabilities and he expects it will increase its client base as well as enabling the better service of existing customers. He says, “The two main reasons why we went with the Ryobi were space and price, the other machines we looked at wouldn’t fit the area we had available on our premises, and the Ryobi machine was a similar price as the competition but it included all the extras.”
Burns continues, “The press allows us to print faster, better and in a more controlled way. The five colour machine includes an extra printing unit than we have previously had, which is currently being used as a sealer. It also has an extended delivery with infrared drying that means we are drying, cutting and stacking work quicker.”
The Ryobi 755 features temperature controlled inking, which keeps the machine at a set temperature enabling quicker start ups. The press also includes a semi-automatic plate changer, various automatic cleaning devices and a plate register remote control device.
Ryobi outlines that the 750 Series further boosts productivity with advanced automation, from paper size setting to ink volume adjustment.
Other features include a printing control system, which lets operators remotely control subtle ink and water balance adjustments; programme inking, which automatically supplies ink to the ink rollers to match the image from the very start of printing, and an aqua automatic control system, which further enhances the performance of the Ryobi continuous dampening system.
Ryobi says, “Thanks to these automated features, the 750 Series presses provide faster make-ready times and greater labour savings, while maintaining high print quality.”
Dennis Kostopoulos, director of Venus Press says while the financial climate has affected business to a certain degree, people still have a need for print and as long as a printer provides a reliable and quality service, there will still be opportunities.
He says, “One of the most important things for a printer to remember is to respect their clients, simply talk to your customers and deliver what you promise and they will keep coming back. Many of our customers have been with us for years because they know we are reliable and print high quality work.”
Kostopoulos adds that his business, which prints a wide range of commercial work from invoice books to business cards, says the purchase of the new press will enable Venus Press to obtain new customers.
He says, “Now with the new press we will try to get more customers and we are confident that we can offer better quality and faster turn-around than most of our competitors.”
Kostopoulos continues, “Our success comes from dealing direct with the customer. We don’t put their work on the end of another run, we print their job for them, and so our customers know they are going to get what they ask for.”
