Mimaki JFX200-EX from Josero is a Prize Purchase for Award Banners

Leeds-based print and signage business Award Banners has been supplying a wide range of large format print products to well-known businesses of all sizes for almost three decades. The team have a long-standing relationship with Josero’s new partner, Soyang, spanning more than 20 years, so they knew they’d be looked after by the integrated business when making the decision to take all their printing in-house.

Award Banners serve an exciting array of customers including breweries, charities and supermarkets. Having previously outsourced all of their board work to printers, they found they were losing a number of jobs as they were tied on turnaround and pricing from their suppliers, causing them to lose their competitive edge. Michael Page, General Manager at Award Banners, explains: “It was always in our plans to purchase a flatbed printer, but there never seemed to be a right time to do it. After looking at how much we were spending on outsourcing work, we decided it was time to make the investment.”

There was only one thing for it – taking on a Mimaki JFX200-EX. The team explored their options and explored a range of flatbed printers from a number of brands, but Page says: “We settled on this machine as we knew we could trust the build quality, and we already knew how to use the RIP software. The machine also came with a 2-year warranty.”

Acquiring the JFX200-EX was simple for Award Banners. “It was a speedy process,” says Page. “We met with Sarah and Mark for a demo on the machine, and it was installed 2 weeks later. The communication was great, we were kept updated throughout. The installation was smooth and Martin, the engineer, was thorough during the training process.”

Now the team have had a chance to reap the benefits of the Mimaki JFX200-EX, they’re thrilled that they’re finally able to achieve their goal of producing all their own work in-house, delivering more control over costs and turnaround times. The speed of the machine is just what the business was after, and “the option for printing white ink and spot UV means we are able to produce some creative bespoke jobs, which we get asked for quite often,” adds Page.

With the machine up and running, the team have been using their new kit mainly for printing foamex and correx boards for their festival and event work. There are more exciting things on the horizon for Award Banners; the team are in talks with suppliers to find more sustainable products that they can produce, so they are able to fulfil this increasingly popular request.

Page concludes that the team are looking forward to working with Josero again, saying: “Sarah and the team have been great. I’ve had to call a couple of times for tech advice since the installation and been able to speak to a technician quickly!”

To find out more about the full Mimaki range from Josero Ltd, 
01954 232564
info@josero.com