Roland DG is entering the digital signage market with a slate of LCD screens and software, all designed to provide another revenue stream to sign printers.
The inkjet manufacturer says its DisplayStudio digital sign system is a complete, affordable solution that allows traditional print shops to increase profits by adding digital signage to their product mix.
“The system transforms a wide variety of graphics into eye-catching digital presentations that can be changed on demand and even be managed remotely,” the company says.
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Roland DG Australia director John Wall says the new product line is a supplement to its existing offering and does not mark a move away from inkjet printer manufacturing.
“We see it as a value-add for our signage clients that allows them to diversify into a growth market and provide their business with another revenue stream,” he says.
“It is an auxiliary product that will not take away from our print business.”
Wall says DisplayStudio is good for any sign printer that does its own design work and could be installed anywhere from banks to airports and shopping centres.
Roland DG’s push into digital capitalises on burgeoning growth of the technology that is fuelling huge gains in revenue and market share for the outdoor industry.
Latest results from the Outdoor Media Association show industry revenue jumped 10.4 per cent year on year for the month of October, and is up a record almost eight per cent overall this year, with digital now making up 16 per cent of revenue, more than double its 7.5 per cent share in 2012.
The OMA says the industry has seen unprecedented digital expansion in 2014 with the launch of more than 150 new billboard sized digital screens across Australia.
Sales manager Greg Stone says the system includes everything sign shops need to design, implement and manage digital signage displays for their customers.
“Dynamic digital signage is in high demand, and it is a natural complement to wide-format printed graphics,” he says.
“Print providers that embrace this business opportunity can increase their revenues while better serving their customers.”
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Roland says the DisplayStudio includes content management software, a powerful, compact digital media player, and mounting hardware.
The screens available include commercial-grade Samsung LCD displays ranging from 32 to 55 inches for up to 16 hour a day applications, and 32 to 65 inches for up to 24 hour a day.
It is also available in a package that includes just the software, media player and mounting hardware for printers that already have screens.
Wall says the technology opens a new market for Roland DG and has been successful in the US where it was rolled out a while ago.
“Technology trends in Australia follow the US more closely than Asia so are hoping for significant sales here, but it is too early to make predictions,” he says.
“We have had a fair bit of interest from our signage clients here and it is competitively priced.”
Roland DG says DisplayStudio is ideal for point-of-sale displays, event graphics, restaurant menu boards, retail signage, corporate news broadcasts and presentations can be produced and managed virtually from any Windows-based or Mac computer.
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