LifeArt has installed an HP Scitex FB500 Industrial Printer to produce bespoke printed coffins.
The company has been making personalised coffins since 2004, but the old printer it was using had pretty much expired and was causing bottlenecks in the cutting room.
Craig Morrison, the company’s operations manager, talks about why he bought the HP Scitex system and the unique service LifeArt offers.
“Our service enables funeral homes to provide their customers with a customised option. The funeral director places the order with us and then uploads the artwork. Our graphic designer captures the images and puts the layout together and we get the family to sign off on the proof before the coffin goes into production. We offer this service to funeral homes in Australia and New Zealand.”
More than 90 percent of the coffins are printed on the HP Scitex FB500 Industrial Printer comprising custom designs and LifeArt’s templates. Since installing the HP Scitex FB500, the company’s printed coffin business has grown by 33 percent.
Morrison says the quality of the final product has driven a surge in requests for customised images to be printed onto coffins. “We have standard images that are available, but a growing number of people are choosing to customise the imagery. Some choose to use photos of family members where others might select an iconic Australian landscape image, such as the Outback or a coastal view. The Australian flag is also popular,” he explains.
LifeArt prints only on 10 mm Xanita board, a material used for coffins that is recycled and free from formaldehyde.
“The Xanita board is a beautiful surface to print on. When we were testing the different printers, we ran three designs on the board. We were looking for banding, issues with gloss and cracking because we have to bend the material to fit the shape of the coffin,” says Morrison.
With images printed directly onto the board, accuracy in registration is essential. “It’s extremely important that the images line up perfectly across all the sections of the coffin,” Morrison adds.
“The LifeArt product is a product of the future. It is slowly being accepted by the industry and we are starting to make headway as more people discover the opportunity to customise coffins,” he concludes.
LifeArt
www.lifeart.com.au
