Greenshires moves into drum wrap printing with HP FB7500 flatbed

Greenshires has broadened its client base and expanded its service offering after producing 500 sets of Iron Maiden, special edition drum wraps for Premier Music International.

The Leicester-based marketing business printed the wraps, which comprised 11 different parts, on its HP Scitex FB7500 flatbed press.

Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain has been using the same 'Ed Til I’m Dead' wraps – a reference to the band's zombie-like mascot, Eddie – on his band's world tours.

Totalling 1000sqm of printed PETG substrate, Greenshires opted for the machine's POP34 printing mode, which is designed for close-up applications, over a five-day timeframe.

According to Greenshires sales manager Marc Wolfe, the use of the press, coupled with HP's FB225 Scitex Inks, enabled the company to take on the project.

He said: "With our previous machine, we could not get the ink to adhere; but with the HP Scitex FB7500 and the new inks, we had the confidence to try again.

"Through R&D, we came up with the idea of ’reverse printing’ on the back of the media. This prevents the drum wraps from getting scratched with extensive or rough use."

Premier marketing manager Colin Tennant said the company was "most impressed" with the consistency of the print run.

"The turnaround time is exceptionally fast, but the quality does not suffer for it. And, the fact Premier can order wraps based upon actual orders rather than forecasting is also a benefit in itself," he said.

In addition to PETG printing, Greenshires can also output on to substrates such as EB Flute corrugated cardboard for free-standing display units as well as PVC for pop-up banners and Foamex for exhibition graphics.

"The HP Scitex FB7500 Industrial Press opens doors for us. We can now print on almost any media while confidently offering better quality, quicker turnaround and more competitive prices, even with the most challenging of projects." Wolfe added.