Computershare Communication Services

Still don’t take digital printing seriously? A 25-metre-long line of high-tech hardware in the print room of Computershare Communication Services’ Port Melbourne plant should be enough to change the mind of even the staunchest litho stick-in-the-mud.

The multimillion-dollar line, which incorporates three InfoPrint 5000 engines feeding a web of work into a top-shelf array of inline finishing gear, is one of two in the country. Both are owned by a local success story that started out in Melbourne in 1978 and is now a 10,000-staff global corporation offering a diverse range of investor and communication services from offices in 24 countries. Just as digital has become a force in printing, so too has Computershare staked its claim as a serious player in the production market.

The arrival of InfoPrint machines in Australia has been a long time coming. While the vendor did find some success early on, such as the machines installed at US on-demand books giant Lightning Source, it is fair to say that IBM wasn’t always the most exalted manufacturer in the digital arena. But it was pushing the barrow for inkjet when people were still saying ‘digital will never catch on’.