Surrey's FM-Tags went for an impulse buy at the Trophex show in January when it purchased a Digi-Foil system from i-Sub Digital – having attended the show 'purely to see what's new out there'.

Nicola Funnell, Owner of FM-Tags, signed on the dotted line at i-Sub Digital's stand after seeing the Digi-Foil system in action. Digi-Foil uses a combination of a Mimaki UJF-3042FX desktop printer, foil material and a heated applicator to produce foiling effects identical to those produced by traditional methods, but with significant reductions in time and wastage. The system also enables the creation of colour-accurate packaging mock-ups – output of a quality usually impossible to achieve using non-digital methods.

FM-Tags had already been using a Mimaki UJF-3042FX for around three years and saw the potential for running a second machine with the Digi-Foil system alongside it. 

"I immediately saw how Digi-Foil can make the products we sell just a little bit more special," explains Funnell. "Having the two UJFs means we get the best of both worlds: we have the depth that foiling creates on one machine before moving over to the second one and using the varnish for decoration and embossing, and colour for bespoke products."

A family-run business specialising in personalisation, FM-Tags aims to help customers who have an idea of what they want to achieve the ideal bespoke product. It provides signage, tags and engraving and had previously offered hot foil effects. However, with traditional methods there was always a risk of overheating and damaging the product, Funnell explains. "With Digi-Foil you don't have that worry so it's opened the option up for us again," she says.

"We demonstrated Digi-Foil at Trophex knowing it would draw a crowd and we were obviously delighted to make the sale to FM-Tags there and then," comments Andy Spreag, Director, i-Sub Digital.

"Nicola and her team already had a Mimaki UJF-3042FX that they purchased a couple of years ago and had used this to move their business forward. The Digi-Foil system made possible with the new purchase has now opened up further opportunities for them."

Funnell admits the spontaneous purchase was unusual. "I would normally be nervous about buying something on the spot but because we already had a Mimaki and knew what it could do, it didn't faze me at all," she says. 

"Digi-Foil just adds an extra step to a process we're already familiar with and since its installation it's working really well. I like to do things that people would think couldn't necessarily be achieved – and Digi-Foil does that."

The Digi-Foil system – available exclusively from i-Sub Digital – will also be on show at Sign and Digital UK (April 29th to May 1st 2014, NEC, Birmingham). To book an appointment with i-Sub Digital at the show or at its demonstration facility in Kettering, please email info@i-subdigital.com