Groep 7 Drukkers recently secured a Xerox Colour C75 to print high-quality, graphically enhanced book covers for self-publishing clients. This purchase was made from Xerox platinum business partner Compleo and Altron Bytes Document Solutions (BDS).
Launched in 1996 by Jaco and Ilette Strydom, Groep 7 Drukkers was initially established as a general printing business. Since 2008, it has progressively evolved into a one-stop self-publishing digital printing service, delivering quality books, textbooks and training material, and run by a highly-trained, all-female production team.
‘According to industry experts, the self-publishing trend is not going away anytime soon and the number of self-published books is predicted to increase even more,’ said Groep 7 Drukkers’ Ilette Strydom. ‘We have built a solid reputation for excellence and passion in this industry, and to increase our capacity, we opted for the C75. It’s a big production press with a small footprint, which is important, as we run a niche business with a small workforce. The press has enabled us produce the most demanding print jobs, but is simple and cost-effective to run.’
Digital printing technology is revolutionising the entire book publishing supply chain, and self-publishing is thriving as a result. According to Nielsen BookData, (the respected source of comprehensive international records for books), in 2017 the market share for self-published and indie-published books surpassed the market share of big publishers, making the shift a world first.
Research has shown that more and more authors are finding the courage to self-publish with print companies dedicated to building niche markets. Groep 7 Drukkers is one of those forward-looking facilities creating a unique opportunity for independent writers to cater to speciality markets and target audiences.
The Xerox Colour C75 is a high-performance printer best suited for graphic arts, pay-for-print, and commercial print environments. ‘It prints with incredible colour control up to 2400 x 2400dpi resolution,’ said Chris Stoltz, sales director at Compleo. ‘This makes it the ideal press for a business that is producing impactful products like book covers. The company also uses a Xerox D125 for printing and collating book pages, and a Perfect Binder to create professionally-bound and trimmed books from 20 to 400 pages. Along with the D125, it has provided Groep 7 Drukkers with the quality, speed, flexibility and affordability required to run a top-notch book publishing business.’
The C75 provides accurate alignment, registration and high definition image resolution. Its Simple Image Quality Adjustment toolset allows these automated controls, assuring the most exacting standards. ‘The maintenance and support services provided by Compleo are outstanding,’ said Strydom. ‘We have a personalised, consistent relationship with the company and that, in turn, enables us to deliver on our brand promise to our customers.’
