• To improve efficiency and productivity of print workflows
• To improve existing print technology

• Unproductive workflows
• Low printing efficiencies
• Outdated print technology

• To update existing print environment with the latest FUJIFILM Business Innovation solutions

• PrimeLink™ C9065 Printer
• ApeosPort-VII C5573
• ApeosPort-VII C2273

Established as a commercial photographic printing lab with 10 employees in 1998, Profoto Digital Services has since expanded to 120 employees with offices across two levels to support both local and regional needs. Its expertise in large format printing and project management has helped customers in the fashion, lifestyle and beauty industries bring exciting creative ideas to life. Besides digital and outdoor printing, Profoto also specialises in event management and design and build services, which include the fabrication of props, window displays and event set-ups.

Profoto is guided by a philosophy to constantly improve and adapt in order to maximise work productivity. For more effective short-run production, especially for niche market prints, Profoto sought to invest in the right print engine that would complement its current fleet of large format printers. This new device would support the production of customisable small production jobs such as the printing of cards, product tags, wobbles, tent cards and other Point of Sale materials, without compromising on print quality.

As the business grew, the Multi-Function Devices (MFDs) used by employees for administrative purposes could not cope with increasing tasks from multiple people. Besides inadequate print, scan and copy options, the MFDs were not capable of network use. This meant that Profoto’s employees, despite being increasingly mobile, remained constrained to the use of designated printers instead of being able to print remotely when collaborating with colleagues in different departments.

As part of its expansion plans, Profoto pursued new state-of-the-art technology, in particular a high-speed digital printer that would deliver superb colour quality and support short-run jobs. The PrimeLink™ C9065 machine, a high-performance commercial printer designed to deliver dynamic solutions with speed, quality and reliability, was onboarded to expand Profoto’s business capabilities. It offers vibrant colours and incredible detail, thereby producing rich images with well-defined texts for short-run and one-off print jobs in small quantities.

Because the PrimeLink™ C9065 runs in conjunction with the GX-i Print Server, the benefits are multi-fold. The GX-i print server is developed by FUJIFILM Business Innovation to avoid the overloading of busy print devices by efficiently managing files in the print queue. As it reduces the PrimeLink™ C9065’s raster image processor (RIP) load and comes equipped with a RIP Accelerator Board to maintain image quality, Profoto is able to process and print a variety of large files simultaneously. Besides accommodating faster, high-quality printing, the print server enables the quick amendment of layouts and output on a simple user interface and provides automatic colour correction. This functionality value added to Profoto’s short run production.

To enhance Profoto’s current print environment with more robustness, convenience and efficiency, FUJIFILM Business Innovation Singapore replaced Profoto’s old fleet of machines with the latest models: ApeosPort-VII C5573 and C2273. As the ApeosPort-VII series supports mobile, Airdrop and desktop printing, employees no longer needed to send big files via a box app to the printer; they could simply send files to the nearest printer available via their mobile phones. This added convenience is enabled by the cloud on-demand print feature, allowing employees to print remotely, even when away from the office. 

When remote printing is enabled, however, confidential prints may be left uncollected. Thanks to the ApeosPort-VII series’ authentication procedures, it automatically shares user authentication information across linked devices without requiring an authentication server. This makes it easy for employees to use any MFD, and reduces costs as no dedicated server is required for the storage of user information. In addition, the ApeosPort-VII series enables server-less on-demand printing: If a MFD selected appears overloaded, print jobs will be automatically redirected to the next available device.

Where Profoto’s previous machine printed just 14 sheets per minute, often resulting in print bottlenecks, employees are now able to print up to 65 and 70 pages per minute in colour and black-and-white respectively on the PrimeLink™ C9065. The productive print speeds have resulted in faster service delivery and higher customer satisfaction for the business. Besides coated and uncoated stocks of up to 350 gsm, the PrimeLink™ C9065 also supports a variety of paper sizes of up to 660 mm in length. These varied file types and file sizes can now be processed at a go with the help of the GX-i print server, thereby improving print production and efficiency. Print quality is also ensured as employees could manage print jobs and view and edit their final artwork before printing. As a result, customers of Profoto have benefitted from both high colour consistency and media versatility.

The new fleet of ApeosPort-VII series printers has brought about unprecedented work efficiencies at Profoto. Featuring an all-new touch panel and improved menu navigation, the ApeosPort-VII series allows employees to tap, swipe and select when customising their workflows, as they would on their smartphones. In addition, employees are now able to print with just a tap of their iOS or Android devices on the printers. This creates an intuitive and familiar user experience for Profoto employees, putting mobile on-demand printing and scanning convenience at their fingertips. Employees also benefitted from improved document security as they can now check the settings and status of print jobs on the touch panel before printing. Besides enabling employees to easily change settings such as the number of copies, colour mode and one or two-side printing, this reduces printing wastages for the business.