Case Studies

We don't just manage print

At Ink we get involved in all types of projects. Whenever a client calls and says "I've got an impossible one here" we know we are in for some fun! We say to our clients there is only one number you need in your phone! For many of them we are their first port of call, especially when the going gets tough. Here are a few examples of 'off piste' requests we get.

Friends of the Earth biodegradable globe

We get asked to do a variety of things at Ink. For instance, our client was looking for a give away for Friends of the Earth Face to Face sign ups in the street. We were asked to source a biodegradable inflatable globe. We spent a week on the trial but reported back that there was not one available off the shelf. Although the plastics used in inflatable globes contained a percentage of recycled plastic, the charity, rightly, wanted something that would decompose when buried in the ground within the space of a month.

After a lot of research we sourced the rolls of biodegradable plastic (made from corn starch) from a company in Holland. We screen printed the globe image on to the material. We tried to find a company to make up the globes in a production environment but nobody would take up the challenge as the material was an unknown and had not been tested on their machinery. In the end we had to take apart an existing plastic globe, produce our very own globe die-cutting, forming and heat sealing machine!  After a lot of late nights, tears, broken marriages and hair loss, we produced our first truly biodegradable globe... but, as the material was not totally gas impermeable, it stayed inflated for 6 hours before slowly deflating and needing a top up!

The agency and the charity were very impressed but in the end decided to go with another give away item. We learnt a lot and got paid for the privilege so we were happy, we love challenges like that at Ink Print Management.

Post Office Time Plates

We were approached by a client and asked to quote on producing the entire United Kingdom's post box time plates due to a change in the design and content, also as a cost saving exercise.

These had been produced in house for years but the costs for outsourcing them to us saved the client a considerable amount of money. We purchased a purpose built unit in which to base the plate making operation. We invested in equipment, computer programming to process the data and automatically produce artwork files and a high resolution inkjet printer. We tested papers, glues, inks and acrylic in order to create a durable, high quality product which ticked all the relevant boxes. The research and development on this project was immense, but this shows to what extent we get involved and commit time and resource to a project once we have been assigned.

We employed several full time people to manage the unit and then took on casual workers who we trained to produce the plates. The first order for 117,500 plates, covering the whole country from Lands End to John O' Groats including Northern Ireland took approx 8 weeks to produce.

We are now contracted to produce the plates on a weekly basis for the foreseeable future.