Konica Minolta Business Solutions (UK) Ltd has supplied the University of Leeds with a number of production print solutions, enabling faster set-up time of print jobs (with a 90% time saving) and the management of four print engines through a single, centralised workflow queue. The new production print solution has enabled the university to expand its offering to a broader range of print products, to remain competitive and to facilitate the needs of its internal and external customers.
The University of Leeds chose a range of print solutions from Konica Minolta to address its needs via the CCS RM6174 Framework. These included an AccurioPress C12000 Production Colour Engine (in its first installation in the UK Education Sector), along with an AccurioPress 7100 Production Colour Engine, Konica Minolta’s industry-leading IQ-501 Intelligent Quality Care unit, and two AccurioPress 6120 Mono Production Engines. These are all powered by Konica Minolta’s RIP with the Accurio Flux Ultimate Workflow. Additionally, Konica Minolta also supplied a Duplo iSaddle and a Duplo DC-648i Multi-Finisher (both firsts in the UK Education Sector), a Duplo PFI Blade B2 Digital Die Cutter, a Duplo Perfect Binder, a Matrix MX-530DP Laminator, and an Epson F2100 Direct to Garment Printer.
The University of Leeds had reached the end of its previous production print lease agreement and wanted to explore the options as to what it could offer in respect to its range of services. Although it had generally been happy with its previous print solution, there were areas where improvement was required as Oliver Renshaw, Business Systems Manager at the University of Leeds explained, “Areas we identified for improvement included calibration and consistency, support for heavier stocks and an awkward banner sheet feed. Manual calibration took time and effort whilst banner sheets were a challenge to produce, and simply could not offer the option of heavy stocks.”
The team at the University of Leeds is enjoying many benefits from its new print solution. The IQ-501 Intelligent Quality Care unit means staff no longer need to undertake time-consuming manual calibrations (saving at least an hour a day) and can now use a broader range of stocks including heavier stock options. The TU-510 with its full bleed slitting facility can now produce a full bleed poster in less than a minute, and Accurio Pro Flux enables the university’s users to manage the print work through a single, centralised workflow queue using pre-set templates through just two or three mouse clicks - which is 90% quicker than before.
Oliver Renshaw added, “By using the AccurioPress C12000, AccurioPress C7100 and two AccurioPress 6120s, all powered by Konica Minolta’s print controllers and AccurioPro Flux Ultimate workflow, we have a setup that gives us flexibility as well as the capacity to keep up with extremely heavy periods of work.”
Looking to the future, the university Print Services department has a 10-year plan and future investment may include areas such as B2 printing, digital varnishing, and 3D tactile printing to further enhance the student and staff experience. With its enhanced print capabilities, the university also aims to become the go-to external print provider for schools in the Yorkshire region.
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