Total Graphics began as a pre-press company in the mid-1980s before evolving into small format digital. About nine years ago, they acquired a small wide-format company that was going out of business. “We quickly saw how many selling opportunities there were in digital printing,” says Murray Todd, president of Total Graphics, now a print and marketing visual solutions provider based in Burnaby, B.C.
The only problem: their newly inherited flatbed printer was breaking down. Their research for a replacement led them to Canon. After touring the manufacturing factory in nearby Vancouver, they were sold on the Arizona 350GT. Three years later, they bought a second flatbed, the Arizona 480GT.
Three years ago the expansion of their business also led to the purchase of a ProCut to automate the cutting of their high volume of roll-media prints. In April 2018, they traded in their Arizona 350GT for the Arizona 2260. “The 350 was still running very well,” says Todd. “We had over one million square feet on it. We just wanted more speed. We knew we could take advantage of the speed gains the Arizona 2260 could give us.”
Total Graphics produces point-of-sale displays and backlits for medium- and large-size retailers and fast-food companies, as well as a wide variety of POS displays, banners and signage for the real estate market and other industries. Since buying their first Canon machine, their business has grown tremendously, says Todd. “We started from virtually zero in wide format. We got the Arizona 350GT with the Roll Media Option and never looked back. We ran it as much as 24 hours a day seven days a week for a month trying to keep up with the workload. We got the second machine just to take some of the pressure off. It’s taken our business to places that we never dreamed.”
Versatility
The Arizona Series provides true flatbed architecture for rigid materials and objects; the optional Roll Media Option offers exceptional print quality on flexible materials. The series can print on odd-shaped, smooth or pre-cut media; unusual media or objects; and media or objects of any size up to 49 x 98 inches (the GT models, like what Total Graphics has) or 98 x 121 inches (XT models). The ProCut matches this versatility nearly material for material. Employing the two in tandem helped Total Graphics move into new business areas.
Expanding into three-dimensional products – such as stands and boxes, and window display boxes – for example, had long been on their radar. That became a possibility with their Canon equipment. The company has seen great results printing on lined fabric, as well. For other applications, they used the ProCut’s drag knife to cut thinner plexiglass into interesting shapes. “The ProCut has allowed us to test the waters with those types of products and with dimensional products,” says Todd. “I can see a day where we would want to [expand even more].”
The ProCut provides consistently high-quality, error-free cutting of any display graphic job. That reliability has offered an unexpected use for Total Graphics: printing custom-size packing cartons. “You waste so much time fabricating shipping containers for custom-size materials,” says Todd. One of their employees developed a program for making boxes; customization ensures they don’t use more packaging than necessary. “We just make it to size and products arrive at our clients’ in better condition. It’s very professional looking as well.”
Productivity
Todd noticed right away the speed he gained with the Arizona 2260. “We’re putting down a stripe [of ink] that’s twice the size of the Arizona 350GT, if not a little more,” he says. “To me, that’s faster.” The machine is also faster for printing white ink, which the company often needs for clear or adhesive substrates.
Total Graphics has always added the Roll Media Option to their Canon equipment. This optional feature extends application versatility to support media from 35.5 to 86.6 inches up to 110 pounds.
“One of the things I love about the Roll Media Option is that you can let it run all night when no one’s here,” says Todd. The afternoon shift queues up jobs before they leave at midnight, and the morning shift arrives to work ready for cutting. “It’s very reliable, and you can run it unattended, which is a beautiful thing.” Even during staffed hours, the fact that the RMO requires little supervision frees up employees to work on other projects.
After looking at cutters for years at various trade shows, Total Graphics finally committed to the ProCut. The finishing equipment allows them to automate their cutting, which till then they’d been doing by hand. “It’s been a huge productivity gain for us,” says Todd. “We can even kit on the fly while the machine is still cutting. We used to have at least one operator cutting and somebody else kitting, and now we have one operator running the ProCut and kitting things off the end at the same time.”
Tables are operated by the integrated ProCut workflow software package, which streamlines the complete digital workflow from pre-press to finishing. The ProCut reduces turnaround times as jobs are completed in minutes rather than hours compared with manual cutting.
“Timelines are getting tighter all the time, and our competition is able to do things quickly,” says Todd. “We have to get things in and out that much quicker. [The ProCut has] definitely allowed us to do that.” Jobs are now out the door like clockwork; in the past, there’d be rolls of material lined up to be hand-cut. “There would always be a delay of an extra day or so. It’s definitely saved us time.”
Quality of Prints
Many of the company’s retail clients continually need new and fresh signage. Those visuals need to be brand consistent. With backlits, they’re often swapping out one panel for another and must match the one that’s being replaced. Todd admits his team is very demanding, a byproduct of their pre-press background. “[With these machines], the colour is very repeatable and very consistent,” says Todd. “We have good operators to make that happen, but the equipment is very reliable and we’re very pleased with the results.” The machines also meet the colour intensity demands of their POS materials and backlits.
Ease of Use
The ProCut has made employees’ day-to-day lives easier, in part because of how easy it is to use. “It’s very intuitive,” says Todd. The British Columbia Institute of Technology is also based in Burnaby, and students from their graphics program come to Total Graphics for a six-week practicum. “They step right up to the ProCut and do productive work for us,” says Todd.
Service and Support
Their support started pre-sale when a sales representative arranged a tour of Canon's Vancouver factory. And it’s this local support that’s kept the company loyal through the years. “The service is the reason we got the second and third machines,” says Todd. “We enjoy great representation from the service manager, and our main service technician is very dedicated.” His team, he says, is fairly self-sufficient, but when the need for service arises, he appreciates that support always arrives within an hour or two.