38 At the heart of creativity Laura Turner, Senior Marketing Executive at Brother UK talks to Craft Focus about evolving to meet the needs of today’s makers. Tell us a little bit about the company. Where are you based? When did the company start? Brother UK is part of Brother Industries, originally founded in Japan, and we’ve called Greater Manchester home since 1968. From our base in Audenshaw, our team of 127 people supports partners and customers across the UK with reliable print, scan and labelling solutions designed to make everyday projects that little bit easier – be that running a small business or getting creative at home. Our story began back in 1908, when brothers Masayoshi and Jitsuichi Yasui started a sewing machine repair business. So, creativity really is in the bones of the business. We’ve since grown into a global technology brand, but that same hands-on, roll-up-your-sleeves spirit is still in the heart of everything we do. Over the past 50 years, that mindset has driven us to be pioneers of innovation, from creating the world’s first speed dot matrix printer in 1971 to developing the first desktop scanner with built-in wireless connectivity. And beyond the milestones and innovations, our focus has always been to create tools that empower people to make, personalise and bring their ideas to life. What do you specialise in? When it comes to crafters, we specialise in label and ribbon printers that are perfect for personalisation. Our devices are designed to make creativity simple, whether that’s adding finishing touches to handmade gifts, organising supplies or bringing a unique, professional finish to creative projects. Our range of small and home office printers are also ideal for paper crafts, from printing invitations and scrapbook pages to planners, art prints and party décor. You can access a host of printable templates, designs and craft projects through the Brother Creative Centre, making it even easier to bring ideas to life. Our products are easy to use, reliable and flexible because we know that when you’re in the flow of a project, you want something that just works. Talk us through the current products you’re particularly excited about. Do you have a favourite? Two products I absolutely love for the craft community are our PT-H200 label and ribbon printer and the VC-500W full colour label printer. The PT-H200 is a handheld device that makes it easy to create personalised ribbons and labels in a wide range of colours, so it’s perfect for gift wrapping, party favours or adding finishing touches to handmade products. The VC-500W is a game changer as it’s app-based and prints everything from panoramic photos to vibrant full-colour stickers and labels, with built-in frames, emojis and symbols to spark ideas instantly. It’s hard to pick a favourite, but if I had to, the VC-500W wins for crafters that want sheer creative freedom. Hobby & crafts have boomed over the last two years! Have you noticed any new trends? We work closely with a lot of crafting influencers, and I’ve noticed that vision boards are back in a big way, as is journalling and scrapbooking. There’s something really refreshing about people taking time away from screens and creating something tangible with their hands again. I’ve noticed people are also increasingly adding their own DIY elements when wedding planning. You can use a label printer to get creative throughout the process, from making engagement party invites and putting together bridesmaids’ proposal boxes, through to organising and designing
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