Customer Success Story: The School Photographer
The School Photographer has been operating in Sydney for more than 32 years, providing professional photography and print services to schools along the east coast, ACT and South Australia. Its services include school photos, fundraising, event photography, promotional products, sports photography and corporate photography.
Summary
“Having machines that are much more reliable, and knowing that even if there is a problem we will be up and running quickly, usually within hours, gives us the confidence that we will be able to deliver on our promise to our customers every time without placing additional pressure on the printing team.”
Alistair Turnbull, Production Manager, The School Photographer
The Challenge
- Ageing print systems
- Support issues with break downs and repair times
The School Photographer’s equipment was ageing and constantly breaking down, highlighting it was time to upgrade. The organisation was experiencing frustrating downtime, poor service and repair response times, which impacted its supply of printed material and put additional pressure on the team to meet customer deadlines. The School Photographer therefore decided to explore other options in the market.
The Solution
- 2x Konica Minolta AccurioPress C6085 with IQ-501*
- SD-513 advanced booklet system
During the search for a new solution, Konica Minolta service engineers approached The School Photographer and showed what Konica Minolta could offer.
Alistair Turnbull, Production Manager, The School Photographer, said, “After the visit we decided to have a demonstration in the Konica Minolta showroom. We were impressed at not only the price but also the capabilities and speed compared to others on the market. Konica Minolta was ahead on all fronts.
“What really impressed us was Konica Minolta’s Intelligent Quality Optimiser (IQ-501). As soon as we saw what was possible with the IQ-501, my colleague and I looked at each other and said yes, this is what we want.”
The School Photographer chose two AccurioPress C6085 highspeed colour systems, which provide a high level of print output capabilities, colour quality and cost-efficiency. The machines included the new IQ-501*. The IQ-501 offers a high level of automation for image position and registration and colour control, via a close loop control system that checks and corrects printed output. The automation extends to colour calibrations and profiling.
The School Photographer additionally chose the SD-513 advanced booklet system, which has edge trim for the production of a high quality saddle stitch booklet. The booklet can also be square-folded on the binder edge.
Another great benefit is the smaller footprint of these digital print systems, freeing up valuable space at The School Photographer while maintaining production output levels.
Customer Benefits
- Reduced stress
- Reduced waste and cost
- Brilliant quality every time resulting in happy customers
The Konica Minolta machines have delivered improved reliability, productivity and service.
Alistair Turnbull said, “The Konica Minolta machines are brilliant. Coupled with the service provided by Konica Minolta they have taken a lot of stress out of the business. Having machines that are much more reliable, and knowing that even if there is a problem we will be up and running quickly, gives us confidence that we can deliver on our promise to customers every time, without placing additional pressure on the printing team.
“In the past we could have had machines down for a week, or even two. We can’t miss customer deadlines, so any setbacks would mean additional costs and working late nights to catch up. Since we’ve installed the Konica Minolta machines we haven’t had to do this once.”
The School Photographer has also experienced consistent quality and reduced waste with the IQ-501.
Alistair Turnbull said, “With the IQ-501, we turn the machines on in the morning and just start printing; there are no calibration or registration tests required. The IQ-501 automatically runs colour tests on every sheet and calibrates every sheet, which blows our minds. It provides consistent, brilliant quality every time and reduces waste by avoiding reprints caused by colour shifting half way through the run. Another benefit is that with just a couple of hours training, anyone can use the machines.”
The SD-513 advanced booklet system has been efficient and reliable as well.
Alistair Turnbull said, “We were initially dubious of this machine as it is quite compact and our previous one was massive and strong. However, it has been working great.”
When it comes to service, The School Photographer can’t speak highly enough. “All of the service engineers are well-trained; we know that we will always get a quick response, and that repairs will be quick as well.” The School Photographer has been very satisfied with its new equipment implementation and has recently added more machines to its fleet, purchasing two AccurioPress C3070 systems to produce envelopes.
*Optional
“In the past we could have had machines down for a week, or even two. We can’t miss customer deadlines, so any setbacks would mean additional costs and working late nights to catch up. Since we’ve installed the Konica Minolta machines we haven’t had to do this once.”
– Alistair Turnbull, Production Manager, The School Photographer
