A design, print and signage specialist has invested £60,000 into next generation print technology – the first in Staffordshire to install the machine.
Engage Creative, which is based in Baddeley Green, Stoke-on-Trent, has begun its third year in business by purchasing the RICOH Pro7500 production digital print press, a new model only launched in November last year.
Creative Director Stephen Bishop says the investment will help to future-proof the firm’s print room and support its growth plans.
He said: “This has been a significant investment at this stage in our journey, but with the premium quality, speed, and enriched paper handling and heavier weight card capability, this power house of a print press opens up many exciting collaborations for us, particularly in the packaging sector and direct marketing.
“This machine increases our print volume and throughput without compromising on quality, enabling us to react quickly for fast turnaround print orders.”
Engage Creative began as a home-based business in early 2022, predominantly with plans to focus on website design, digital marketing, with print management as an add on. But Stephen’s deep-rooted background followed him and the business model was quickly changed and an investment was made into a lightweight production print press and the necessary print finishing equipment.
In January last year, the business took on another graphic designer and moved into its first premises, creating a purpose-built print facility and setting up a design studio.
The company, which now employs five people, has invested in various technology, totalling £50,000 before the latest purchase, and has an expanding client base of both local and national companies.
Speaking about Engage’s journey, Stephen said: “Having been in the design and print industry since the age of 16 as an apprentice I’d had experience of many print sectors and applications and seen a lot of change. I’d become stuck in a rut as a pre-press manager for a commercial printers, and I wanted to be more creative, and more client focussed and facing.
“Approaching 50, I felt it was time to take the plunge and go it alone before it was too late. I wanted to bring all my years of experience together to offer my clients ‘complete brand management’ all under one roof.”
He added: “Despite it being said that ‘print is dead’, we are finding that a blended approach of digital and printed marketing works very well for our clients.
“We are also finding whilst ‘web to print’ online works for many, some of our customers have been less than impressed with the quality of print delivered, so the fact that we can offer advice and talk through print options, and they can come in and feel thickness and quality of chosen paper stocks is a huge positive.
“We’ve also complemented on our in-house design team who provide the wow factor, with design and print solutions that Engage. Offering all of these services under one roof, as a one stop shop sets us apart from just being a printer. I’m immensely proud of our team and what we have achieved in a relatively short period of time.”
