TG Print, which offers a full range of design, commercial litho and digital print, needed a new laminator at short notice after its existing machine broke down. The company then approached Encore Machinery.

“Mike [Biggs, Encore Machinery managing director] has been trying to sell me a laminator for years and he jumped at the chance. He said, he’d be down with one in an hour, although I think it was more like three hours in the end,” said TG managing director Dave Duhig.

The company’s existing laminator, a 10-year-old Autobond, needed a roller recovered, a process that was going to take around five weeks.

“It’s just one of those things,” said Duhig. “That Autobond has done around 30m-40m impressions and renewing a roller takes as long as it takes.”

TG initially rented a single-sided D&K laminator from Encore while its new machine was being built. Because the company wanted the extra long sheet option, the company had to wait around 10-12 weeks.

“Our MGIs output a sheet that’s more than a metre long and we needed a laminator that could cover that. We do a lot of property brochures in landscape formats that other laminators can’t handle,” explained Duhig.

The new Europa PB, which cost around £38,000, was installed early in the new year. It can operate at 20m/min and laminates sheets of up to 540x1,050mm.

“The Europa is a really robust machine. My guys are fairly hard on machinery and this looks like it could go through a couple of world wars,” added Duhig.

Alongside its two large-format MGI 8700s and three Konica Minolta 6000s, TG Print also operates a Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 75 and a LumeJet S200.

TG Print & Design, which was established in 2000, has 12 staff and is on target to achieve a £3m turnover in its current financial year.

The business produces items including security foil tickets, banners, flyers, stationery, booklets, posters, roller banners, and canvas prints for a range of customers including galleries, banks and end-users.