Founded 40 years ago, Inprint Colour splits its services 50/50 between more traditional commercial print work and large-format print, with the latter having proved particularly popular with customers since being introduced as an option six years ago.

While Heidelberg equipment is used to produce commercial work, Ricoh now takes centre stage in large-format, with the new Ricoh Pro L5160e, which was installed in October 2021, running alongside a Ricoh Pro TF2650 that has been in place for over two years.

Lee Coulson, who will soon take over from dad Paul as managing director of the family-run business, said the company was keen to bring large-format print production in-house.

“Having successfully run the Ricoh flatbed device for a number of years, when it came to replacing our existing large-format printer, we were keen to try a Ricoh roll-to-roll machine,” Lee said. “The Ricoh Pro L5160e fit the bill perfectly and has become a vital tool in our setup.

“What stood out for us on the Ricoh Pro L5160e was its high speed, ink coverage and cost per square metre, as well as the fact the print it produces is extremely high quality. It can produce all the large-format applications we offer to customers.

“We offer signage and posters, reflecting the fact that we are solely a print business and know exactly what we are doing with print. The Ricoh Pro L5160e reinforces what we already offer and allows us to take on even more work.”

The Ricoh Pro L5160e has already helped Inprint win new business. Lee explained the addition of the machine supports both areas of the business in that commercial print customers now have the option to add large-format work to their orders, while existing large-format print clients can order more print.

“Since the machine was installed, work is definitely increasing on the large-format printing side of the business,” Lee said. “It is such an important part of our offering and is working hard every day to produce work for customers.

“We see it as an important part of our future growth strategy. We are a company that simply does not stand still, and we are already considering adding another Ricoh digital printer to our set-up to support our long-term expansion plans.

On working with Ricoh, Lee concludes: “We see our relationship with Ricoh as more of a partnership and that is very important to us.”