High-speed and superior output quality will increase competitive edge says French sign and display company
Gandy Digital, a manufacturer of market leading digital inkjet large format printers, has announced that France-based sign and display business, Signs Print Shop, is the first customer to install the company’s recently-launched Fascin8tor large format digital inkjet printer.
A specialist in the production and installation of super-wide format printed projects, Signs Print Shop, based near Grenoble and also Paris, selected the new high-resolution, five metre roll-to-roll printer to enhance its overall production efficiency and increase its capability to respond to customer requests.
As the newest addition to Gandy Digital’s growing portfolio, the Fascin8tor delivers super-wide format prints with very low ink consumption and prints at exceptional quality regardless of speed. The printer’s arrival will, according to Signs Print Shop managing director, Bernard-Philippe Mariaz, significantly enhance the company’s competitive edge.
“Thanks to the Fascin8tor’s high print speed, we’re assured of remaining ahead of overseas competition, who focus predominantly on price,” he explains. In our experience, the ability to ensure high quality printed output delivered within what are typically very short deadlines, is what counts when it comes to retaining and also winning – new business.
“In fact the Fascin8tor is so fast that we have had to re-think our overall end-to-end workflow configuration to keep up with it, which is a nice problem to have!” he adds.
Bridging the gap with a super-wide format capability
The Fascin8tor complements Signs Print Shop’s existing haul of seven large format latex printers, and crucially bridges the gap to offer super-wide format capabilities to its growing client base. This portfolio includes a number of large retail chains, for whom the company undertakes interior POS/POP sign and display projects via agencies and interior designers.
“The ability to print to five metres in width in one piece is extremely important to us,” adds Mariaz. “It means we can produce higher quality output more quickly for the indoor retail-oriented work that is the mainstay of our business. We are operating the printer in four colour plus white configuration, which also means that we can produce high quality backlits.”
According to Mariaz, although the Fascin8tor’s print size and speed prior were key prerequisites for his company, other factors did play a role in the decision process.
Feature-rich functionality strengthens appeal
“We have direct experience of Gandy Digital’s quality and reliability so as a prospective partner they were always a frontrunner,” he says. “In truth, although we researched other options at drupa, nothing else really came close to offering the wide array of attributes we enjoy with the Fascin8tor.”
Of these features, Mariaz cites the printer’s automatic head height adjustment and automatic head cleaning function as standout advantages that further enhance the company’s overall production throughput.
“The automatic head height adjustment is really useful and allows us to rapidly change material thickness,” he explains. “Another tool that is particularly practical is the automatic head cleaner, which enables us to switch between print jobs without the need to manually clean the heads with a cloth during the purging process. The whole cycle can be done in just two or three minutes, so our operators love it.”
Looking ahead, Mariaz believes that the latest addition to Signs Print Shop’s hardware arsenal is well equipped to ensure retention of current business, while also adding extra impetus to its growth objectives. Next year, the company will extend its current facility as it finalises completion of second building. Importantly, this building is being constructed in accordance with Sign Print Shop’s keen environmental ethos and as such will generate two-and-a-half times more electricity than it will use.
“The Fascin8tor allows us to fulfil client requests much more quickly and at a higher level of quality than we could previously,” he explains. “Those are box-tickers for us and are a foremost among the main requirements of most potential customers, so I’ve no doubt that the printer will add to or bottom line in due course.”
www.gandydigital.com
