The in-house printing department at UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) has installed a Ricoh Pro L5130 latex printer and Summa cutter so it can extend its on-site graphics production.
The next several months are expected to be busy for the UKAEA's print team - based at the Culham Science Centre in Abingdon - as the government agency's recruitment drive will expand its workforce post-pandemic.
"It will be an ongoing refurbishment as more people come back to work and new starters arrive on-site," said print manager Stuart Moriis. "As well as signage relating to Covid-19 we'll be producing floor and wall graphics to make sure the centre is up to date and more welcoming for various VIPs and businesses that visit."
The UKAEA's print team produces all the marketing and graphics materials for the government department and, as a cost recovery unit, for a range of external customers. Its Ricoh Pro C7210 is used to print stationery such as letterhead paper and brochures up to A3 in size, while the new Ricoh Pro L5130 latex printer has replaced an older large-format system from another brand for the production of floor and wall graphics, banners and more.
Morris said the L5130 “will expand our horizons. We had printed floor graphics before but nothing like the output this year for Covid-19. We spent a month and a half printing them, along with thousands of signs. We started the project on the older printer then switched to the new Ricoh halfway through, so we had to tackle the learning curve quickly."
Previously most finishing work was outsourced, but the addition of the Summa cutter will bring more work on flexible media in-house. As well as reducing costs and turnaround times, the new print workflow will help the print department to reach new customers. "We're going to really push what we can do in our department," said Morris.