PCL Digital has expanded its lamination and added inhouse foiling with investment in a Foliant Vega 400A Laminator and a Foliant Multi-functional Inprinting Unit from Intelligent Finishing Systems

The newest addition is the Birmingham digital commercial printer’s third Foliant laminator in ten years. The HP Indigo printer signed the deal for the system at IPEX as part of a wider plan to grow the business

PCL strives to offer a wide variety of products to its broad customer base and with the new Foliant Vega it can meet increased demand for lamination while adding value with inhouse foiling

Nick Westley-Smith, managing director explains: “The latest spend is part of our five year plan to double our current capacity, adding new jobs as a result of the increased work. It will enable us to have more creative conversations with customers. We like to work collaboratively, and this allows us to offer something different.

He continues: “We regularly produce menus and the runs are getting shorter and shorter, as are the turnaround times. In 2014 for example we would print one day, laminate the next, trim the following day and then dispatch the print. Now we are looking to get the work out the next day if not on the same day. With this faster system we can be more responsive. The Foliant can also flexibly handle longer runs when the need arises.

The Foliant Vega 400A (B3+) is a compact industrial laminating machine, designed for a heavy duty digital outputs. It can automatically laminate at speeds of 2,100 B3 sheets per hour and with many grades of laminate available from standard gloss and matt to soft touch and textured films.

The Foliant Multi-functional Inprinting Unit makes foiling and spot varnish fast and affordable for short run and personalised print and will complete work from PCL Digital’s HP Indigo presses. It runs a wide range of colours including gold, silver, red and green and a clear gloss for spot varnish. It suits a broad range of end uses from corporate stationery to POS and book covers

As for the foiler Nick says: “We were sending all our foiling out and this will allow is to keep the majority of it in-house, saving time and additional costs.

The foiler will support new work as well: “We have invested in a case binder and with the foiling capabilities we can now offer variable data foiling, so each copy could be personalised. A further investment in 2018 for short run die-cutting and kiss-cutting for labels, will enable PCL Digital to offer short run packaging & prototyping.

He adds: “We have had brilliant support from IFS and Foliant over the past ten years and are confident in the equipment.”