Andrew Owen with the Roland S-series – bigger is better
The first installation of a Roland S-series hybrid UV printer in Wales, at Genesis Marketing, is set to “open new doors” for the Cardiff-based company.
From its roots as a specialist in event management, Genesis Marketing expanded into branding and signage for the likes of the Volvo Ocean Race and 2017 UEFA Champions League Final as well as local historical buildings such as Cardiff Market, the National Museum of Wales and Cardiff Castle.
Owner Andrew Owen had been considering the Roland LEJ-640 UV hybrid printer for direct-to-substrate printing with CMYK plus white and clear inks but saw the S-series, introduced at Fespa, at an open day at Roland’s Creative Centre in Clevedon, Somerset.
‘It does everything the LEJ does but its size means you can print larger pieces. You can actually put a door through it,’ he said, adding, ‘and it’s really going to open doors for us. We’ve experimented with different substrates including wood, glass, plastic, canvas, MDF, leather and ceramic tiles.’
As well as speeding production of signage boards by making printing to self-adhesive vinyl unnecessary, the S-series printer will allow the company to bring more work in-house that was previously being outsourced, such as printing Braille on signage, which can now be done by building up layers of clear ink to achieve the required textures. Another benefit is anticipated through the use of white ink to print window graphics, which will help to fill in for the winter lull in exhibition and events work.
