About Drago
Drago Print Solutions was established in 2017 by Phillip Welman, who, has over 30 years experience in the printing industry and a technical aptitude. We've made it our mission to understand all printing processes i.e. Flexo, Litho, Silkscreen, Gravure, Dry Offset, Large Format Digital Printing, 3D Printing as well as Signage.
Beginning in 1987 to date, Phillip has qualified through PNPITB (Printing, Newspaper and Packaging Industries Training Board) as a Photolithography, continuing his studies and qualifying in DTP (Desktop Publishing, Electronic Originator) as well as becoming a Training officer for the industry.
Starting in the Litho Industry he soon learned the inner workings of Litho Printing Presses, thus improving the photolithography work he processed. As technology evolved and computers were introduced, Phillip found the new changes challenging and he faced it head on when in 1994 the first 286 Computer was introduced to the working environment. This unleashed the Designing flare hidden within him, pushing his boundaries from what was being done to what could be done. This enabled the industry to move away from negs and posies to more complex methods of working.
Shortly therafter the opportunity presented itself enabling him to work on programmes such as Cilicon Graphics PC, Citex Dedicated Page Makeup, AGFA Avantra and Aquaset Image Setters. The bug had bitten and he was eagerly wanting to learn more and he was not disappointed as new technology started being launched such as Corel, Freehand, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Indesign, Pagemaker, Quarke, Esko Art Pro, PFD, Pitstop PDF Workflow, Harlequin Rip, Screen Rip, Impostrip, Fiery EFI Colour Management, Mellow, Exrite ICC Profiling, First Proof Screen Proofs and Artcut).
Photography suddenly took on a whole new meaning when digital photography became available. Portraits and Pacshots etc. enabled retouching, deep etching, modifying of photos as well as printing the photos without leaving the office.
Gravure printing on the other hand was a completely different form of printing and widely used in the Magazine industry, this gave him a better understanding of how Impositions (the steps on a sheet when folded and cut to create a book or magazine) worked and how it differed from other printing processes using PDF workflow and Pitstop.
The Flexo Packaging Industry, being a specialized process requires a technical understanding that is paramount to understanding Distortion, Bar Width Reduction, Plate Thickness as well as understanding that different plates are required for different applications. The understanding of presses, Inks, Viscosity, Dot Gain, Pullback, Finger Printing, Anilox Rollers, cylinder calculations as well as distortions and Plate Mounting are essential to successfully executing a job. Every job presents a new challenge to be resolved and without the abovementioned knowledge would prove impossible.
Dry Offsetting which is also a very specialized process required a full understanding of Colour and the printing process relating to dry on dry ink transfer. This process is used for printing on Tubs (Yoghurt tubs etc.) as well as extruded tubes eg. Face Creams, this obtruded our scope of printing processes.
By this time all the processes had been covered together with other processes such as silkscreening, foil printing, vinyl cutting as well as large format printing and how these processes work. Understanding how crucial ICC (International Color Consortium) Profiling is in all these processes is vital for a better understanding of how to execute wor successfully. Many years later he added 3D printing and 3D Design to his profile. With all the knowledge, understanding and experience he established what is now known as Drago Print Solutions. Drago is now able to offer its clients complete peace of mind printing solution across the board. This makes Drago one of the very few suppliers capable of such diversity. Additionally colour passes as well as technical support is available to its clients.
Knowing that you are with the right company, is crucial to you having the peace of mind that your job is in the right hands. Our small but efficient team that will ensure that all work is done with the best care and understand of your requirements.
© 2017 Drago Print Solutions
FOR ALL YOUR DESIGN & PRINTING