Solent Design Studio Uses Duplo’s Smart Finishing to Increase Production & Strengthen its Trade Work.

Solent Design Studio, a Hampshire-based commercial printer, has installed a Duplo DBM-700 Booklet System to automate booklet production, reduce finishing time and expand its trusted trade print services. The investment has significantly increased productivity while enabling the company to produce premium square spine booklets faster and more efficiently.

Commercial printer, Solent Design Studio takes a huge step forward by installing a new Duplo DBM-700 booklet system with square spine unit, unlocking the potential for an increase in production and curated trade work.

For over 40 years, Solent Design has built a reputation of being flexible, reliable, easy to work with, and for producing high quality print and finishing work.

It is these strengths that have created a growing and loyal client base, locally and nationally. The Hampshire based company is guilty of not shouting the loudest about its services, but behind the scenes it is developing a highly capable operation, combining design, digital print, litho, packaging, wide format and specialist finishing to support a broad range of clients.

The DBM-700 Booklet System includes three towers, square spine and DKTS-200 trimmer, this is a significant upgrade from their previous booklet maker, giving them more capacity, and opening the door for an increase of more trade work.

“We rarely wave a flag about our services,” said Russell Pay, Group Project Coordinator at Solent Design. “Like most businesses, we get very busy and then our Marketing is put to one side, but what we have here is quite unique, and all the processes we have here certainly deserve talking about more.” 

With the investment of the Duplo DBM-700 in place, Solent Design sees an opportunity to grow that side of the business further, particularly for booklet work where speed, quality and reliability are so critical.

“We already manage quite a bit of various trade work,” said Russell. “We have built a very strong reputation of trust with other printers, and although we would not want to run only trade work on the machine, we do have more capacity that would certainly be beneficial to a wider trade client base.”

Solent Design’s continued investment has also been supported by a strong partnership with Canon UK, with both businesses working very closely to optimise production and create a seamless bridge between print and finishing. For Canon, Solent Design represents a client that fully embraces new investments and has now created an efficient print production which is critical for today’s clients and trade demands.    `

“Solent Design are a great example of a business that understands how to get the most out of their technology,” said Dougal Cardigan, Canon UK’s Account Manager. “It’s not just about installing equipment, it’s about how everything works together – from print through to finishing. What they’ve built here is an efficient, flexible environment that allows them to react quickly, produce high-quality work and take on a wide variety of jobs with confidence.”

That close partnership, of combining Canon’s digital print capability with Duplo’s finishing power, has enabled Solent Design to deliver faster turnaround times, greater consistency and more opportunities to expand into other areas. 

Solent Design’s Managing Director, Martin Reynolds explained that the latest investment was driven by a familiar challenge for many UK printers: how to maintain quality, increase productivity and reduce pressure on production, without losing the flexibility clients now expect. “The 700 replaced the old booklet maker purely down to speed and set-up,” he said. “If the DBM-700 had been available when we needed the last machine, we would never have entertained anything else. We would have gone straight to Duplo. That performance uplift has been immediate.”

“Before, our investment, we had occasions where we had over 37 hours of finishing for booklet work,” said Martin. “Now, with the new booklet maker, it’s about a quarter of that time. We have far more capacity now.”

Solent Design knows there are plenty of printers facing the same pressures they had: with shorter runs, tighter deadlines, more versions, less labour, and older finishing equipment that has made it far more difficult to get through production or be profitable.   

“I think by working very closely together, will be very beneficial to all,” said Russell. “We won’t be chasing trade work aggressively. We just want to offer the extra production capacity we now have, to some more printers, who would benefit from this service.”

Martin agrees. “Our business has a good reputation,” he said. “We’ve never knowingly trodden on anybody’s toes; we have even been entrusted to work on certain projects directly with another printer’s clients.”

The DBM-700 sits at the heart of that strategy. Designed as a highly automated booklet making system, it enables fast setup, consistent output and the flexibility to handle work from both offset and digital presses. Jobs can be set up in under 60 seconds without tools, while stored settings allow repeat work to be produced quickly and accurately.

With the addition of the square spine module, Solent can now produce thicker, flatter booklets with a premium, perfect-bound appearance, ideal for applications such as catalogues, reports, manuals and books. Combined with the DKTS-200 trimmer, the system delivers a clean, professional finish while supporting higher productivity, including 2-up production for increased output.

“For us, it’s not just about the machine speed. It is about the value.” Said Martin. “The way I see it, is that the extra monthly investment only needs a small increase in new business to justify it, I can see that the opportunities it creates are huge.”

From Duplo’s perspective, Solent Design represents exactly the kind of forward-thinking, grounded print business that is thriving in today’s market.

“Solent have always taken a very measured approach to investment,” said Adam Drummond, Regional Sales Manager for Duplo. “They don’t invest for the sake of it – they invest where it genuinely improves their business. What’s been great to see with the DBM-700 is how quickly they’ve unlocked capacity and started thinking about how to use it, particularly with trade work. They’ve got the reputation, the quality and now the capability to support other printers in a positive way.”

For Solent, the DBM-700 is more than a finishing upgrade. It is a platform for growth, a way to strengthen relationships and an opportunity to become more visible within the wider print community.

“We see the potential for what we can now achieve and look forward to extending this to our existing and new clients.” said Martin. 

Russell added: “We’re in a very strong position, now it’s about using that investment to grow.”

And that is exactly what Solent Design is doing. Not by changing direction, but by building on what has always set it apart: trust, capability and a genuine desire to help clients, and fellow print companies, succeed.

How much has the Duplo DBM-700 reduced booklet finishing time?

According to Solent Design Studio, booklet finishing work that previously took over 37 hours can now be completed in around a quarter of that time with the new Duplo DBM-700 system.

Can Solent Design Studio support trade print work?

Yes. Solent Design Studio already supports trusted trade print partners and is looking to grow this area by using the additional bookletmaking capacity created by the Duplo DBM-700.

What type of booklet work is the Duplo DBM-700 suited for?

The Duplo DBM-700 is suited to a wide range of booklet applications, including catalogues, reports, manuals, lookbooks, presentation documents and premium square spine booklets.

What is square spine booklet finishing?

Square spine booklet finishing creates a flatter, more premium-looking stitched booklet with the appearance of a perfect-bound book, helping printed products look more professional and easier to handle.