Longbottom Digital Papers, which responded in the mid 1980s to the new wave of digital printing machines with a then unique offering of specialty papers and other substrates, is having to move to new 1500 sq m premises at Padstow, near Sydney’s M5 motorway to cope with increased demand from the rapidly growing segment. Managing director, Colin Longbottom, says that the new purpose-built facility is in response to the support he and his company have received from the digital market. “We specialise in answering the questions of digital printers and meeting their needs for specific substrates for their applications – something that the bigger merchants are unable or unwilling to do,” says Longbottom.
From its humble beginnings as a family business in the 1980s, Longbottom Digital Papers looks set to grow as the company takes on additional experienced staff to meet the specialised needs of printers using particular technologies such as equipment supplied by HP Indigo or Xeikon.
Longbottom has employed branding techniques which have given it recognition in the market far beyond what might be expected for its size. Innovative marketing has helped to grow the business and one distinctly original and generous idea – the provision of costly Product Selector Guides containing large format media samples – earns $50 for aid organisation, Medecins sans Frontiers (Doctors without Borders) every time one is sold.
