PDS Print invests in two machines from SOS

Supplied by SOS, PDS Print has installed two new machines: a Xenons X-180 hybrid flatbed/roll-fed wide-format printer and an Almedia B8-2513 digital cutter.

With roots in litho production, PDS Print director Gordon Bryan says the investment represents a move into the wide-format sector.

The company first entered the wide-format sphere by investing in a solvent-based Roland roll-to-roll machine from SOS five years ago which it used to produce posters and banners. This was a success with the machine running 24 hours a day.

In need of extra capacity, PDS decided it needed a hybrid machine to enable it to produce direct to materials such as correx, but also to meet demand for roll-fed work.

“SOS offered us the Xenons machine and the Almeida cutter for less than the price of a standalone hybrid machine from their rivals – it’s literally two machines for less than the price of one,” Bryan says. “At first, this put me off a little – you wonder how it’s possible – but we were reassured that the Xenons uses the latest Ricoh printheads, which is the key component. Other users gave us good reports and the test prints we did looked great.”

Whilst the cost was low, Bryan goes on to explain that the quality has remained high with the machine performing “perfectly since day one, no matter what we have thrown at it”. Colour accuracy was a main concern of PDS and the machine has been calibrated to match the output of its other devices. Also, due to being an LED UV machine, drying is instant which has enabled the company to achieve high productivity levels.

“Because we opted for a rolling bed on the Almeida cutter, we have automated poster cutting which saves us upwards of four hours a day and frees up our operator,” Bryan continues.

Founded by Bryan’s father Ron Bryan in the mid-1970s, PDS Print is thought to be the longest-surviving print company in Plymouth.

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