Machines that have made a difference
Have you a large-format printer that has made a significant impact on how you do business? These companies have - what about you?
Logobugs is a Christchurch-based producer of low cost motivational marketing products, from fluffy bugs to fridge magnets. In March Graphic Printing Technologies (GPT) provided Logobugs with a complete solvent ink-based printing solution comprising a Mimaki JV33-130 printer, a Mimaki CG-130FX cutter and a Hybrid Titan 1064 laminator.
Tim Grace, director of Logobugs, says: "The Mimaki printer and cutter have completely changed the sticker side of our business. We are now able to offer customers a much more flexible range of stickers including vinyl in clear, white, self-cling, reflective and glow in the dark, in any shape or size of label that is required. We are also able to deliver these in very short runs, making them a much more cost-effective solution for the customer."
He continues: "The system itself is very easy to use. It took no more than a couple of days to be up and running with the printer and producing excellent quality labels, in precisely the size, shape and volume the customer wants. The Titan laminator has also allowed us to develop a broader range of printed products such as fridge magnets and all together, the systems is a very powerful solution.
"In the short time we have had the Mimaki, we have picked up a whole new type of business and I can honestly say it is a machine that has changed our working life."
On a roll with the Durst Rho 320r
McKenzie Clark specialise in premium quality large-format graphics for the retail, cosmetic, event and exhibition sectors. Coming from the professional photo-processing market it focuses on offering customers the highest quality reproduction quality that is colour matched and consistent across a wide range of media and processes.
In the late '90's McKenzie Clark invested in Durst Lambda technology, becoming one of the few UK businesses to have two installed on a single site. After 12 years both Lambdas are working around the clock producing more than 60,000m2 of backlit Fuji Tran per year. The reliability, engineering quality and service back-up provided by Durst has encouraged McKenzie Clark to stick with the manufacturer when moving into UV direct printing technology. Owning a Rho 160, 205, 350 and 800 presto, the company has just taken delivery of a Rho 320R roll-to roll device. Replacing the Rho 350 this new printer offers a significant improvement in quality printing at 600dpi in six colours with white as a useful addition for window manifestation work and special effects. This new machine is 30 - 40% faster than the Rho 350 even at the highest quality and a dual roll facility allows two 160cm rolls to be simultaneously printed doubling the production capability.
McKenzie Clark MD, Graham Clark says: "The quality of the output is amazing - getting very close to Lambda print quality on backlit material and also close to dye sublimation printing on fabrics. We are being pushed by our clients for a more environmentally friendly alternative to Fuji Trans and printing with UV inks to 100% polyester provides a great solution". Durst UV inks are the only UV inks to be certified free of volatile organic compounds (VOC's) and hold Nordic Swan accreditation.
Clark adds: "The advantage of printing in gloss mode without loss of speed creates a visually stunning result on a wide range of specialist fabrics and we are now fulfilling our customers growing requirement for easy to ship and install fabric graphics".
The combination of the Rho 800 and the Rho 320R create an ultimate overall solution for high quality graphics on rigid and flexible substrates and a sophisticated colour profiling and management system allows consistency of colour across the full range of media without the need for lots of wasteful and time consuming testing.
Diversity and dividends with Roland print-and-cut solution
Before investing in its SolJet Pro III XC-540, an integrated printer and cutter, London-based Woodrow Press had a solid portfolio of clients whose typical requests included lithographic and digital production. It was the desire to evolve its services into a one-stop offering turned its attention towards the Roland system.
"The Roland SolJet Pro III XC-540 is an excellent extra source of revenue and has turned out to be a very successful investment," says Paul Ramsay, sales and marketing for Woodrow Press. "The majority of the work we produce on the SolJet is for point-of-sale purposes and this is where the cut function really comes into its own. Profile cutting graphics adds a lot of value in the eyes of the customer and it will cut to almost any shape.
"The output quality is exceptional and the machine has been able to do everything that's been asked of it, with absolutely no hint of any downtime yet," adds Ramsay, whose machine was supplied with Roland's standard one-year silver warranty. "Simply put," he concludes, "the XC-540 has allowed us to offer more to our existing clients and thus resulted in a significant boost in revenue. "