The introduction of a Xerox Color C70 printer into Cape Branding Services (CBS) has assisted in expanding the company’s business model to a large extent.
Introduced through Cape Office Machines and Bytes Document Solutions, the new printer marks a natural progression in CBS’s wholesale printing services for the promotional gifting industry, opening up a range of new digital printing services the company can offer its established customer base.
CBS Manager Anthony Innes said that, while digital printing is not the company’s core business, it has the potential to grow into one.
‘When we started the business we saw a gap in the market for bulk printing on imported pens, and at its peak that business produced from 1000 to 20,000 pens printed a day for a variety of clients,’ said Innes.
‘That level of business naturally brought with it demand for other printing work, mainly from our clients. Initially, it was only about helping them with ‘crisis’ jobs that other printers could not handle. That opened the door for a dedicated digital printing service, and we chose the industry standard in digital printing equipment, Xerox, to fill that role.
Innes and CBS business owner Sonja Cornelissen were introduced to Cape Office Machines through a mutual client ‘I Am Green’, who had also purchased a Xerox C70 for very similar reasons.
‘What impressed us at first about Cape Office Machines was their willingness to take the time to understand our business before entering into any discussions about equipment,’ said Cornelissen.
Innes added that while the digital printing business started off with a standard range of products such as business cards, flyers, booklets and entry level catalogues, he now plans to expand into more specialised products like digital transfers and foiling.
‘This is where the Xerox C70 really shines with its versatility and colour fastness,’ he said. ‘We have clients coming to us for pens, T-shirts and caps, and leaving us with custom-printed labels and boxes full of colour-matched stationery. Most of these clients have been using other printers for these jobs before, and now they have a one-stop shop for all their printing needs, which is what we’re wanting to create.’
Cornelissen agreed, adding that there’s now a big emphasis on communication and customer service as the digital printing business is much more customer-facing. ‘Not only are we dealing with the end user and manufacturer, but in this industry we also have to deal with the middleman, print brokers, so it is vital that we’re cost-efficient, highly responsive and on the ball when it comes to marketing and communications,’ she said.
‘There was a time when we were overwhelmed by all the new options, especially with regards to consumables, but Cape Office Machines and Sheena Oosthuizen (Cape Office’s consumables manager) in particular put us at ease, talked us through the process, and is still by our side whenever we need advice and information. The goal now is to find customers that are like-minded when it comes to service and quality but still respond to our pricing model, after which the sky is the limit,’ Cornelissen concluded.
Cape Office Machine’s Digital Press Specialist Bryn Whithair said, ‘As a service provider, we want to give our clients more than products, but rather a platform on which they can build and diversify their business. The Xerox C70 is an ideal foundation on which to build that platform, but it’s only part of a much larger solution that includes business planning, product finishing and consumables.’
The Xerox Color C70 is an all-in-one versatile printing, scanning and photocopying station that delivers print quality and speed at an affordable price point. With a high-resolution 2400 x 2400dpi engine rated at up to 70 pages per minute (colour) and 75 pages per minute (black and white), the C70 offers offset-quality output using Xerox Emulsion Aggregation (EA) Low Melt Toner technology on a broad range of printable media.
The Xerox C70 offers licensed Pantone matching for spot colours to the Pantone Matching System, Pantone GOETM and Pantone PLUS. It is also Fogra Certified for matching offset colour presses and IDEAlliance Digital Press Certified to GRACoL specifications. These features would be of particular interest and benefit to the corporate gifting industry.
