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Central London-based 24-hour print and graphics provider First Colour has installed the UK’s first Canon Arizona 135 GT flatbed printer as a key part of its ambitious wide-format print growth strategy.

Based in a 418m2 production space just off London’s Oxford Street, First Colour has traditionally focused on small-format print but entered the wide-format space four years ago.
“We were aware of the stagnation in recent years within the small-format market and identified wide-format print as having positive growth – and in Central London, 24-hour operators like us providing a fast turnaround wide-format service just didn’t exist,” said Cliff Finn, owner and managing director of First Colour. “We love wide-format print as a creative process and the fact that it must be based on a real human customer relationship that involves trust and working together. This isn’t something that’s ever going to be on the internet.”
This change in approach proved to be a shrewd move for the company. But during the pandemic, plans to invest further were put on hold. Those plans are now being actioned and the new printer – installed early October – follows consultation with supplier Adapt.
Finn said the company already has plenty of work scheduled in for the new machine, which boasts print speeds up to 34.2m2/hr.
“We have our bread-and-butter work to properly establish first, but there are lots of other markets we can look at with the new Canon that we couldn’t previously access. For example, we plan on recruiting additional sales personnel later this year to help us move into hard signage and develop that side of the business,” said Finn.
He singled out the low-cost, environmentally-friendly inks used on the Canon Arizona 135 GT, and added: “The original dream of bringing a sustainable high-quality 24-hour print service to our retail POS customers has finally become reality.”

Published 10th Nov 2021

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