While there are still some months to 25 December, a print shop in Pinetown, KwaZulu-Natal, has been working long hours to faithfully deliver colourful boxes for Christmas pudding to a charity organisation that will raise funds. 

Veron Gounden, owner of Colortone Digital Design & Print, said the order for hundreds of cake boxes was processed in good time to another satisfied customer, thanks to the speed and versatility of a new state-of-the-art high technology Konica Minolta print machine that he recently purchased.

Gounden, who is a qualified graphic designer, bought Colortone almost three years ago. He replaced the existing old machines with new ones and operated six days a week. He also moved to digital printing well ahead of his competitors.

However, before long he realised he was still in need of a truly versatile machine that could do two-sided banner printing and professional inline finishing; perform with highest productivity; make real-time automated quality adjustments; and still produce excellent print quality.

When Gounden was shown the AccurioPress C4080 series from Konica Minolta, with features that would enable him to expand his business into new markets and develop new revenue streams, he immediately signed on the dotted line.

And no sooner was the AccurioPress C4080 delivered and commissioned, then orders for print jobs began coming thick and fast through the door.

“There was a time when my customers were mainly from the Lower Highway area – Westville and Pinetown.

“Through word of mouth about the quality of printing and shortest turnaround time offered by the Konica Minolta AccurioPress C4080 in our print shop, we began also drawing customers from the Upper Highway Area, which includes Kloof, Hillcrest, Assagay, Botha's Hill, Forest Hills, Gillitts, Waterfall and Winston Park.

“I am also getting business from Durban as well as Pietermaritzburg, which is 80 kilometres away. The new machine has done wonders for my business and I am already seriously contemplating getting a second one.

“Also, Konica Minolta has a fine reputation for after-sales service. When I was still getting to grips with the AccurioPress C4080 and could not fathom something out, I was able to get advice even late at night,” said Gounden.

The AccurioPress C4080 offers the biggest media variety in the market, from thin to thick paper, embossed paper, envelopes and much, much more.

The machine can also be used for 50-sheet booklet-making with front trimming and optional creasing, slitting and spine corner forming. Other features of the AccurioPress C4080 include:

Colour quality issues are a thing of the past as the AccurioPress C4080 includes numerous auto control and adjustment features. What’s more, an inspection system can make sure only impeccable prints leave the print shop.

The innovative Intelligent Quality Optimizer IQ-501 (an add-on) takes consistency and registration accuracy to a new level. The IQ-501 provides extensive automation for image position and registration as well as colour control. This is made possible with Konica Minolta’s proprietary closed-loop quality control system that checks and corrects printed output. Automation provided by the IQ-501 also extends to colour calibration and profiling – all designed to reduce operator time and print wastage while increasing productivity.

Mohammed Vachiat, Head of Sales and Innovation at Konica Minolta South Africa, added: “Our new generation of true production systems has been designed to increase the uptime of your press and print more in less time. Their range of new features lets you produce more higher-value print products faster. With the Intelligent Quality Care Unit, you achieve the desired print quality every time, job by job. And their high productivity and versatile automation help you meet today’s demands of short-run production and fast turnaround most efficiently.

“As a division of Bidvest Branded Products, we have more than 70 points of presence across the sub-continent, enabling us to implement our technology-powered, service-focused approach across southern Africa. We are continuing to drive innovation in the printing industry and to creating value for our customers by proposing advanced insights and solutions to their business challenges.”