Cotswold Printing Company makes 30,000 PPE masks for local hospitals

Print Solutions: Positive About Print

Cotswold Printing Company, a family owned business specialising in wide format printing, is using Canon’s Clear Display Film to produce disposable PPE face masks for local NHS staff, with 25 volunteers working to produce the equipment.

When the Covid-19 outbreak began, Cotswold Printing Company moved quickly to use its Zünd digital flatbed cutter to produce critical PPE equipment for local NHS staff, utilising the support of 25 local residents who volunteered to help assemble the visors. As it already owned two Canon devices, a Colorado 1640 and an Arizona 1360 XT, Cotswold contacted Canon to supply the stocks of clear film suitable for making the visors.

After exploring various materials, Canon supplied Cotswold Printing Company with an optically clear film know as ‘Clear Display Film’. Originally designed as an optically clear print media, it had the right thickness, weight and rigidity to produce the PPE equipment.

Cotswold Printing Company’s response to the crisis has also seen the business pivot to printing safety signs and floor graphics for businesses to support social distancing rules and protect the general public.

Managing director Adam Soble said, ‘This is a crisis that impacts all of us, and as a business, we wanted to play our part, so we decided early on that we wanted to produce PPE equipment for local hospitals. Having already worked with Canon in the past, it seemed like the perfect place for us to explore how we could make this happen.

‘Thanks to its supply of Clear Display Film, we have now made approximately 30,000 visors and are continuing to supply hospitals with this vitally needed equipment. We now hold enough stocks to deliver a further 15,000 visors if required in the future.”

Duncan Smith, country director, Production Printing Products, Canon UK, said: ‘At times like these, we want to support our customers and communities in any way we can. It is great to see our materials being used as a force for good with Cotswold Printing Company pivoting to supply the materials for PPE equipment. Throughout the pandemic, we are continuing to explore other ways we can help customers and partners during this time.’