Jet520 press enhances bingo ticket production

Edward Thompson in Sunderland, UK, has invested GBP2m in a high-speed, full-colour Screen Truepress Jet520 inkjet web press and near-line Hunkeler finishing system.

The equipment has been installed to launch a new generation of bingo ticket books in the UK.

Edward Thompson has the capacity to produce 200 million bingo tickets a week.

There are 450 bingo clubs in the UK that, until now, have been restricted to using standard-format generic ticket books with limited colours and variability.

Using the digital capabilities and flexibility of Screen's Truepress Jet520 press and Hunkeler finishing, the company has launched Third Generation Bingo (3GB), which has introduced full-colour, fully personalised bingo ticket books to the industry.

The Screen Truepress Jet520 is a continuous feed, single-pass, inkjet printer.

More than 200 of the presses have been installed worldwide, including 21 in the UK.

Featuring Epson's latest multi-tone Piezo inkjet greyscale drop-on-demand printheads and water-based inks, the press produces colour results on an expanding range of paper stocks, which now includes gloss- and matt-coated materials.

The roll-fed paper-feeding system is claimed to give users the flexibility to handle high-speed and high-volume print runs at 840 colour pages or 128m/min.

There is a 520mm web width with a single-sided machine, or 1,680 colour pages and 256m/min with a duplex device.

The technology allows Edward Thompson to print complete full-colour bingo books sequentially, including trim and glue.

This process allows higher levels of security and book identification, which is not possible with a hybrid production approach, said Screen.

The Screen project teams in the UK and at its Print on Demand centre in Amsterdam worked closely with the client to prove the process to its customer and then worked to a tight deadline to fulfil a national contract.

Screen added that the digital print process opens the opportunity to devise many new added-value bingo games, which can include images as well as numbers, enabling Edward Thompson to design a bespoke bingo book to exact requirements and with almost limitless options in full colour.

Clubs can tailor books for each hall with local advertising, seasonal themes, coupons, information, images and sponsorship to boost commercial opportunities.

In addition, job turnaround times have been cut and books can be designed and delivered in a matter of days if required.

Paddy Cronin, managing director of Edward Thompson, said: 'Like many other leisure industries the UK, bingo market is going through challenging times and we have responded by investing in innovation and innovative technology to re-energise the market.

'We carefully researched the market and found the Screen and Hunkeler combination to offer the best all-round, consistent service from the technology on offer, backed by the expertise to implement a complicated project for us.

'Combining the expertise of our game designers and the capabilities of the Screen press we can create new colourful games for paper-based bingo.

'We can now add games and new ways to win with more depth that would just not have been possible before,' he added.

In addition to its bingo specialisation, Edward Thompson provides design, production and implementation for a range of marketing print services backed by litho, digital and wide-format print technology, finishing and fulfilment.

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