An Adelaide sign printer has halved turnaround times and dramatically boosted profitability since buying three new Roland DG PRO4 XF-640 wide format printers late last year.
Smartposts managing director Stephen Banwell says because the printers track so well they can run non-stop overnight unattended, cutting down on staff costs and boosting productivity by 20 per cent.
“If we leave all three running overnight they can finish a 150 metre job in 3.5 hours, while we’d need another three or four hours with our older machines and have to do it during the day,” he says.
“No matter how much work we have coming through in a week we can always make up for it at night, meaning we can finish big, short deadline jobs in one night while a lot of other companies cannot.”
[Related: More wide format news]
Banwell says the production speed and fast-drying eco-solvent ink are what allows jobs to be completed so quickly. The XF-640 is Roland DG’s fastest ever wide format printer, with speeds of up to 102sqm an hour.
“The main reason I chose the XF-640 was the speed in which it operates and the way in which the ink dries, allowing for the laminating and trimming process to occur almost immediately. This is of great benefit for the fast pace production I require to operate my business,” he says.
“The ink’s durability and compatibility with different media types is exceptional, and I can’t fault the cost or drying time. There is no comparison when it comes to these inks, they are exceptional.
“I found these printers to have exceptional drying time, clarity of print and the range of vivid colours that can be achieved is fantastic.”
Banwell says the inks are also much more cost effective than on previous models, and when combined with lower labour costs, increased capacity and speed has dramatically improved profitability everywhere in the business.
[Related: More Roland DG news]
This has been further aided by flatbed wide format printers he bought in 2012.
“Unlike other printers we have invested during hard times so when the industry recovers we will be well placed to capitalise,” he says.
“We utilise these machines to their full capacity, running around 8 to 12 hours a day, and using a wide array of media types,” he says.
“We run a lot of real estate signage, banners and SAV for billboards all over Adelaide, wallpaper graphics, car graphics, window signage or whatever our clients need.”
Comment below to have your say on this story.
If you have a news story or tip-off, get in touch at editorial@sprinter.com.au.
Sign up to the Sprinter newsletter
