Finishing equipment is all too often thought of as an additional expense or an avoidable outlay by small and medium-sized printers. That’s understandable, but SEDO Director Andy McGuinness feels it’s time they were viewed from another angle. Investing in the right finishing equipment can not only add significantly to your profit margins, but by keeping production in-house, you can offer a more comprehensive service to your clients. The benefits are too good to ignore.

Offer more, profit more
When you start to look at the figures, finishing equipment begins to make sense. For example, if you’re producing self-adhesive stickers for your clients at £15 or £20 a metre, being able to cut them into shapes could allow you to charge an additional £5 to £7.50 a metre. That’s a mark-up of approximately 30% for you with a value-added service for you client – and at that rate, it won’t take very long for the cutter to pay for itself.

Laminators are another good example. Invest in one and you’ll have the ability to offer single-sided lamination as well as wide format encapsulating, with a mark-up that can be anything up to 50%. For even higher margins, invest in a flatbed cutter such as the Agfa Acorta. This range of automatic cutting plotters will boost productivity and increase your margins by 60% to 70%. If you’re producing soft signage and banners, eyelet machines and automatic hemmers make an essential contribution to the process and quickly pay for themselves.

The finishing options
SEDO stocks an extensive range of finishing equipment, from XY cutters to trimmers, from folders and stitchers to mounters and racks. We can also source any specialist finishing requirements you might have.

Cutters – Mutoh, Kala, Agfa
Cutting bars and benches – Keen Cut, Trimfast
Laminators – Easymount, Kala
Folders – KIP

“Investing in finishing equipment makes perfect sense,” says Andy McGuinness. “Keeping all of your production processes in-house saves time and money, and the margins on finishing can boost your bottom line significantly. Don’t ask how much a certain piece of finishing equipment is going to cost you. Ask, instead, how quickly it will pay for itself and how much value it offers to your clients. It’ll make you wonder why you haven’t invested already.”