Reel Appeal installs first Domino N600i

Trade printer Reel Appeal, based in Oldham near Manchester, has installed the UK’s first Domino N600i UV inkjet press, which it hopes will be the platform to triple the company’s turnover over the next three years.

Managing director Barry Lewis has been involved with labels since the age of 11, working school holidays at his father’s label company, learning how to operate the company’s Edale-supplied Sanjo letterpress. Lewis learned his craft at two local label converters in nearby Todmordon and Burnley before setting up Reel Appeal with financial help from his family and three other shareholders Xten years ago.

Reel Appeal started out with a Sanjo letterpress and Arpeco slitter, before adding a 5-color stack flexo press from Chinese company Zonten, plus a flatbed hot foil press. Recently they added a rotary die-cutting unit from Wenzhou Rhyguan. They are now the UK agent for both Chinese manufacturers.

Reel Appeal quickly developed a specialty in booklet and leaflet labels for the agro chemicals and chemical markets after modifying the Sanjo press into a dedicated booklet converting line. Most final end users are UK-based multinationals who send their products all over Europe. Because this is a seasonal market, Reel Appeal soon diversified into prime label work. Seven years ago the company moved to its current premises, and with its continued expansion took an option on the neighboring business unit – which now houses the Domino digital press in a temperature-controlled clean room.

‘When it came to the next investment decision, we decided not to go flexo, but, looking at our customer base, decided on UV inkjet as the best step,’ recalls Lewis. ‘The Domino N600i, we felt, was the best machine and with the best support in the UK market. It’s a comfort that in three hours I can be face to face with Domino technicians.’

In fact Reel Appeal had already ventured into digital printing with a desktop Memjet press supplied by Magnum Materials. But without lamination this did not offer the print fastness required for the harsh outdoor environment typical of the agricultural and chemical sectors.

‘We did look at the toner technologies, and in fact we did farm some work out to printers with Xeikon and HP presses,’ says Barry Lewis. ‘But there were always caveats for our market – particularly with color fastness and robustness for outdoor labels.’