“I need a small print run, on a high end luxury feel paper stock, my budget is tight and I need it now!”

This is a common phrase found in the estimating department at Design Inc, but not one that causes much alarm anymore. Not every client needs 10,000 printed, nor do they have the budget to print 250 lithographically, they may not have money to burn or a two week lead time for delivery, but these issues are no longer a problem with the advancement in digital print technology and digitally printable paper stocks.

For a long while the 7 colour HP Indigo 5500 digital print machine has been a firm favourite of the Design Inc production team with its exceptional print quality and reasonable cost. At the start of the 5500’s life the range of papers that could be printed was limited, however, over the years the variety of paper stocks able to be printed on this digital machine has slowly increased. One of the pioneering suppliers of HP Indigo 5500 compatible paper stocks has been UK based paper mill GF Smith with over 50 different finishes of digital paper available (spanning 175 colours and 80 weights)…and that doesn’t include the thousands of available print colours the 5500 is capable of.

Typically, small-run high-quality items such as invitations and greetings cards would be printed lithographically meaning a high cost-per-item and at least a 7-10 working day lead time. By using the fantastic new range of GF Smith digital papers we are able to turn around small print quantities, at modest costs, on beautiful papers and within a few days.

Design Inc is able to supply paper samples for any of the ranges, in any colour and printed proofs within the cost of any accepted job for free. So should your next printed item need something a little special in terms of paper stock let us know and we can advise of the best route for you your design and budget.