Why Signage Longevity Matters to the Signmaker Too
In this guest article, Roly Ward, head of business development at MEDITE SMARTPLY, speaks about the importance of longevity and durability when choosing signmaking materials
UK signage company, Whiteghyll, has reported improvements to speed, output, turnaround times, and ink usage following the purchase of an Agfa Anapurna Ciervo H3200 press
UK signage and graphics company, Whiteghyll, has reported that it is outputting two or three times more jobs per day, following the installation of an Anapurna Ciervo H3200 wide-format printer.
Founded in 1990, Whiteghyll delivers signage and graphics with a focus on retail display, with clients including Three, M&S, Wagamama, and Morrisons.
As well as print, Whiteghyll offers end-to-end services spanning in-house design, bespoke joinery, vinyl application, and on-site installation.
With a growing customer base and rising demand, Whiteghyll were looking for a wide-format press that could offer agility and performance as well as dual-roll capabilities.
To meet this need, the company installed the 3.2m hybrid inkjet Anapurna Ciervo press in early 2025, after seeing it in action at The Print Show.
Speaking of the purchase, Kevin Green, print and graphics manager at Whiteghyll, says: “Our older kit wasn’t achieving what we wanted it to, and we needed some new technology in the business.
“When I saw the Anapurna Ciervo H3200 at The Print Show, out of the machines I saw, the people I saw, along with the software, it was the clear choice for us; it ticks every single box."
The company has declared that warmup, changeovers, and the need for operator intervention have all improved since the installation of the Anapurna.
Whiteghyll uses the Anapurna Ciervo H3200 to run jobs on a wide range of substrates including Correx for estate agent boards, Foamex PVC for point-of-sale (POS) displays, vinyl window graphics, and premium Dibond signage.
Explaining how the press has been used in more detail, Green continues: “We’ve got the Anapurna Ciervo H3200 running rigids and rolls almost all day, every day, and it doesn’t disappoint.
“It’s consistent, faster, and quicker – generally it’s just a better machine. We have confidence in the result. With our previous printers, the sheets could only be fed vertically. Now we can feed sheets landscape and utilise the full width of the press to maximise print efficiency.”
Talking about how the press has increased output, Green adds: “It’s halved the printing time of jobs for us. Furthermore, there is a choice of print bands, so we can choose the print speed and quality we need.”
To complement its new press, Whiteghyll integrated Agfa’s Asanti RIP software into its production studio, which is designed to create a seamless link between design, print, and finishing.
Asanti has been developed to handle pre-flighting, nesting, and layout tasks while maintaining colour consistency across substrates. According to Green, the integration has not only saved time in pre-press and streamlined ink usage but cuts the risk of errors downstream, with setup now “all automated at the click of a button.”
Green concludes: “What’s more, the machine width and the Asanti nesting and tiling feature means we can typically print 50% more on a single sheet, so we’re creating less material waste without making any compromises.
“Printers live and die by the quality of production, so that’s a big win, especially with the volume we’re running.”
