Standing out from the Crowd

At this year’s Sign and Digital UK Roland is taking its talents in a new direction by demonstrating how it is far more than a manufacturer of high quality wide-format printing equipment and sign-making systems. Showing visitors exactly why the company stands out from the crowd, a fully featured Creative Centre is complementing the full range of production equipment being shown in action. And, in conjunction with this innovative approach, CorelDraw is running a special theatre on the Roland stand to show businesses how to work with, and optimise, metallic inks and automated cutting options.

Roland is using its innovative and unusual theme to show users how easy it is to extend their production capabilities, efficiently and cost-effectively. These days everyone knows how wide-format inkjet printers work, and what they do; but not so many people realise the breadth of untapped creativity which can be obtained by using a Roland solution.
Businesses currently printing displays, posters and banners and other typical applications popular in the wide-format community are constantly on the look-out for value added applications they can add to their production portfolios. With Roland’s help, and by visiting its stand at Sign and Digital UK, everyone can learn how to complement existing jobs by using familiar inkjet technology and production techniques to create a wealth of more unusual applications.
Roland’s presence at Sign and Digital UK will certainly be an area with a difference. Not only will the stand feature the latest printing and sign-making solutions, but it’s also a showcase of exactly what can be produced using its versatile systems. Emulating its innovative Creative Centre at its Clevedon headquarters, Roland is bringing this concept to the NEC so that visitors can see and experience a representative selection of the many ideas which can be generated using its solutions.
Arranged in quadrants, Roland’s special Creative Centre is being designed to display the vast range of ideas which can be produced on the company’s systems. These innovative areas will also engender new creative options for visitors, showing them how easy it is to use existing inkjet technologies to generate new applications, design them and output them.

As a major attraction at the exhibition, Roland’s specially designed segments will cover different environments, all applicable to wide-format printer users. The first segment, always popular at events, is a section concentrating on vehicle graphics and wrapping, plus other applications ideal for the automotive and related worlds.

Next, there’s a special area concentrating on industrial environments, including rapid prototyping and specialist printing options for products such as three-dimensional models, membrane switch panels, labels and decals.
The third sector in the Sign and Digital UK Creative Centre is designed to incorporate typical retail environments, including options for print-and-cut, metallic and white inks. This area demonstrates how Roland technology can be used to produce innovative graphics across different materials and on a range of surfaces to generate results which go beyond everyday display parameters.
Finally, the fourth area in the Creative Centre represents a child’s bedroom with a wealth of printed products including furnishings, decorations and toys. This segment looks at how Roland’s solutions and its choice of ink formulations can be used to create innovative output onto textiles and wall coverings, as well as for brightly coloured pictures and furniture.
This unusual and inspiring Creative Centre is, of course, complemented by demonstrations of Roland’s comprehensive families of wide-format printers and sign-making solutions. As a hugely popular addition to the company’s print-and-cut systems, metallic ink is to be featured in both the VersaCAMM VS series and the SolJet Pro III XC-540MT, whilst the unusual capabilities of the VersaUV with its white ink and clear varnish will be put through their paces on the LEC-330.
Users preferring separate options for their printing and cutting capabilities can see the Roland VersaArt RS-640 in action alongside the company’s high production GX-640 cutter. Those who want to be able to produce high quality applications in a powerful wide-format printer will find what they’re looking for in the workhorse SolJet Pro III XJ-740 which targets the market needing maximum productivity and low running costs.
Finally, for entry-level users and for companies wanting to add a modestly priced print-and-cut device to their wide-format capabilities, the VersaCAMM SP-300i and SP-540i are both on show. Currently these options are available with Roland’s special double-double offer that includes double-sized 440ml cartridges and two years of Roland DG Care Service Agreement with every purchase.
This year’s Sign and Digital UK is the perfect opportunity for Roland to show visitors why it’s a company with a difference in the way it interacts with its customers. Every exhibition is filled with new machines and materials, but Roland’s intention is to go one step further by displaying a vast range of application possibilities and by inviting CorelDraw to run special seminars showing how to integrate special inks and finishes into the production of graphics.
Brett Newman, technical director of Roland DG (UK) emphasises: “Today’s wide-format world is alive with machines and technologies but making an initial investment in a system should only be the start of a customer’s relationship with its supplier. At Roland we’ve consistently followed through by increasing the awareness and practicalities of what can be achieve using our solutions. Sign and Digital UK is the ideal platform for us to bring fresh and innovative ideas to display producers and sign-makers in a showcase setting.”
“Our Creative Centre in Clevedon, which is being emulated at Sign and Digital UK, is complemented by the extensive range of courses we run at The Roland Academy,” comments Marc Jenkin, Academy and Creative Centre manager at Roland DG. “These special sessions are designed to introduce newcomers to the industry as well as to add to the skills of established display producers, and we’re confident of attracting large numbers of visitors to Sign and Digital who will learn how easy it is to benefit from the training we offer.”
Overall, proof of the Roland difference lies in the way it brings untapped potential to its growing user base, and these are companies from all walks of life which, ultimately lead them to invest in its products. Sign-makers moving into colour for the first time have turned to print-and-cut systems, display producers are using Roland products to open new and innovative doors to creativity and the commercial print sector increasingly is finding new opportunities in wide-format production.
Any user wanting to produce applications that stand out from crowd will find the answer on Roland’s stand at Sign and Digital UK. Inspiration leads to innovation and that, in itself, is the core to producing profitable output both now and in the future.


Become a creative winner and join the celebrations

As part of its 30th anniversary celebrations, Roland has launched its Creative Awards, designed to recognise and reward its loyal users.

The Creative Awards are open to display producers, graphic designers, photographers, sign-makers and anyone who owns a Roland machine that is registered in the UK, Republic of Ireland or Gibraltar. To enter, all users need to do is submit photographs of their creative masterpiece, unique application or something they’re just simply proud to have created on their Roland.

The competition launches soon, so get your artwork at the ready. You could be in with a chance of winning laptops, digital cameras and a whole lot more! Keep visiting the Roland website www.rolandcreativeawards.com