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AUTOTYPE'S SIGMAGRAF FILM CATCHES MICE'S ATTENTION
Its recent transition from traditional production processes to reverse ink jet printing, using Autotype’s SIGMAGraF films, has bolstered productivity and increased customer satisfaction. Mark Terrett, Studio Manager at MTG, says the company changed to SIGMAGraF about 12 months ago. 'SIGMAGraF is a very reliable and resilient material which can be used on a range of graphic solutions, such as pop-up media and banner stands. It means that an entire display can be matched so that the colour and the finish is consistent.' Autotype’s ink jet imageable range of substrates provides exceptional clarity, colour and image protection by using a hard-coated polyester surface. The ink jet image is reverse printed onto the receptive side (the underside) of the SIGMAGraF film to provide optimum visual impact; ideal for pop-up displays which are used over and over again. MTG’s order books are full of traditional 4m x 2.5m pop-up graphics, which not only form a sizeable chunk of the company’s throughput, but also act as a great introduction to the company’s design capabilities. 'Pop-ups are extremely good leaders into further business,' Mark explains. 'Clients will order additional banners and graphics on the strength of the original pop-up.' Before adopting SIGMAGraF, MTG used another film to solve the problem of delamination. Unfortunately, this added a grey hue, which was particularly evident on large blocks of colour. 'Vibrant colours were coming out a bit dead,' Mark recalls. 'Occasionally, the client would ask for more brightness which we were unable to give them. We were concerned that companies printing on other materials would be able to get brighter effects and steal business from us.' Another problem Mark noticed was that he was receiving an increasing number of returned jobs that were either kinked or damaged. 'We weren’t sure what was causing the damage, but in many cases we had to reprint the job as an act of good faith – which was expensive.' Since MTG often reprinted every drop from a damaged system so to retain colour consistency, reprinting could take up another full day’s work. 'Over a 12-month period, that works out at a lot of money.' It was obvious to Mark that something had to be done. 'We needed a material that would be more durable, less likely to damage and would give us more vibrancy without the risk of delamination.' MTG considered and tested a number of alternative materials eventually settling on SIGMAGraF. 'When we compared SIGMAGraF’s colour presentation to our previous material, it was clear that it had more life.' Since adopting SIGMAGraF, Mark says the feedback from MTG’s customers has been very positive and he hasn’t had one damaged drop returned. This not only saves expenditure on reprints and additional materials; it also means greater customer satisfaction. 'With SIGMAGraF, we get a much closer match on certain colours and achieve the vibrancy that customers are looking for in spot colours.' MTG’s main pop-up material is now, without doubt, the SIGMAGraF family of ink jet media, which Mark estimates will be used to produce over 300 pop-ups in the coming 12 months. The high standards and volume of work has earned Autotype MTG’s preferred material supplier accreditation, the benefits of which seem to be mutual. 'Having Autotype as a preferred supplier has a certain amount of kudos attached to it'” Mark concludes.
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