Print On Demand takes a shine to Xerox Iridesse

Left: Tertius van Eeden, Managing Director at Print On Demand (POD). Right: Shaun Prinsloo, Commercial Print and Business Development Specialist at Altron Document Solutions.

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One of South Africa’s largest independent full-service self-publishing digital printing companies, Print On Demand (www.printondemand.co.za), has upgraded its high-volume Xerox production press fleet with two new Xerox Iridesse Production Presses from Altron Document Solutions.

The company believes demand for self-publishing services in South Africa is booming as publishers look to reduce inventories and keep stock of only the most profitable and fast-moving titles. At the same time, authors need a way to reduce the cost of shorter-run projects, while increasing quality to meet customer expectations for high-impact printed material.

Tertius van Eeden, Managing Director for Print On Demand, says the new Xerox Iridesse continues the company’s technology investment drive, giving its customers an advantage in the highly competitive self-print market.

“I expect the Iridesse will help us unlock new markets and further increase our printing and finishing options,” says Van Eeden. “The Iridesse is a big step up from the previous Xerox Colour 1000 presses we had in service, giving us more colour flexibility, a larger sheet size and higher grammage capacity.”

Print On Demand began as a basic copy shop in 2015 with one second-hand black-and-white printer and four staff. Today the company has grown into a market leader with more than 3 000 square metres of production space, 45 staff and the latest digital technology in Africa.

“Our core focus is book production and distribution,” says Van Eeden. “The way we do business has forever changed; we are now in the era of the on-demand economy. We’ve made it our mission to help publishers, self-publishers, authors and brands transform the way they do business in this new world.

“For them to survive and thrive, they will need technology-driven, digitally minded and online-focused partners providing the very best quality at the most affordable prices, and that’s where we come in.”

The Xerox Iridesse delivers industry-leading CMYK print quality for a full array of digital jobs. It’s best suited to short run, quick turnaround work with technologies that dramatically improve image quality, including Xerox’s market-leading 2 400x2 400 dpi Ultra HD Resolution engine combined with a new, low-gloss small particle toner formulation and xerographic enhancements.

New High-Definition Emulsion Aggregate (HD EA) toner creates smooth prints with lower gloss and excellent shadow detail, even in challenging images, while internal process controls ensure consistency between pages, compensating for any registration or density issues in real-time and eliminating the potential for colour drift.

“Companies like Print On Demand are constantly looking for a more stable solution that gives them better control and consistency,” says Altron Document Solutions' Commercial Print and Business Development Specialist, Shaun Prinsloo.

“Coupled with the ability to further expand the Iridesse with fluorescent pink, metallic silver, metallic gold, clear and white finishing inks and effects opens up a whole new catalogue of printing options using six-colour single pass embellishments, adding even more value and differentiation to the printed products they offer.”

Van Eeden says as a business, they realised that run lengths have come down and customers were looking for more personalised applications with a faster turnaround time.

“We see ourselves as industry disrupters, so if we can invest in equipment that positions us strategically and gives our customers more variety, options and differentiators, then we don’t hesitate,” he says.

“The Iridesse was a major investment decision and undertaking, but we have full confidence in the advice and service we get from Altron. From the start they were the first company to support us when no one else shared our vision, and they gave us the opportunity to expand into the digital market, helping us become the market leaders we are today. Every successful business needs successful partnerships, and that’s what we have with Altron Document Solutions and Xerox.”