One-off print jobs and point-of-sale

Q I am a student in London and want to produce a single, gloss-finished map to be printed double-sided for a project. It should be around A1-sized and of decent quality, are there any print firms you can think of that would be able to help?

A Unfortunately the specifications that you have given, if matched exactly, would require litho printing. According to Middlesex-based Victoria Litho, this process would cost a minimum of £1,000 once you account for the company’s minimum print run and the cost of using two separate printing plates. Judging by the average student income, this may be a little above your price range. Your best bet is to get the work digitally printed at a copy shop. The best budget version of your specification that I could find was through Kall Kwik (www.kallkwik.co.uk), which has branches in your local area. Your local branch can provide a double-mounted A0 sized version laminated in semi-gloss for around £60 using its in-store machinery. However, this would entail mounting together two separate A0 sheets. To meet your A1 specification without resorting to double-mounting, Kall Kwik recommended a company called Printvision 0116 266 6226. The Leicester-based company houses a Xeikon digital press which can meet your needs. It was unable to give an exact price, but it would be able to send the project to your London address. It should be able to produce the job within 24 hours.

Q I want a list of UK-based point-of-sale (PoS) manufacturers that I can send out to my clients, do you know where I might get one?
Chris Neal, director, Red Kite Promotions

A In-Store magazine (www.instorenews.co.uk), a retail industry business-to-business title, has a list of the Top 20 PoS companies in the UK, with Wakefield-based Bezier topping the order for the fourth year running. The list can be accessed through the title’s website and is useful in getting a scale of the printers you are reviewing. Another good source for large-format printers is Point of Purchase Advertising International (POPAI) (www.popai.co.uk) a not-for-profit trade association exclusively serving those involved in retail marketing. Its website contains an A-Z of all its members and includes the contact details of most of the major PoS companies in the UK. To get an insight into the type of work these firms produce, why not search printweek.com for back stories?

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