DIS Group has taken delivery of a 1.6m Canon Colorado 1650 roll-to-roll printer from CMYUK. The Wolverhampton-based wide-format specialist says that its new machine will handle high-end retail work and complement its existing EFI Vutek h3 hybrid printer.
‘Our work volumes are increasing and while switching between rolls to sheets on a flatbed is what a hybrid model is for, I could see where a second printer would enable us to maintain the increasing volumes of roll-to-roll work,’ explained managing director Mark Bradley. ‘The Colorado 1650 is perfect for high-end Duratrans, posters, PoS, vinyl wraps that we do for retail hoardings, and the occasional vehicle wrap. It fits comfortably alongside the quality and speed of the Vutek.’
The company decided to invest in the Colorado 1650 after being impressed with the way it handled peak volume production as well as its speed and quality. ‘The Colorado investment enhances what we usually do and drives our retail work forward, which is a fast-growing area for us,’ added sales director, Dave Purcell. ‘It’s very easy to use and delivers on ever increasing turnaround times, we needed this level of capability and reliability to bring it into our current plant line-up.’
Another key selling point for the Colorado was its UVgel ink, which doesn’t contain any water and thereby doesn’t impact the dimensional stability of media. ‘These inks really excited us,’ continued Mr Purcell. ‘They are very durable and offer high levels of UV lightfastness, (they are also) scratch resistant and can be washed. They can be used with a wide variety of substrates including thin and heat sensitive material.’
The environmental benefits of the Colorado and its inkjet also appealed to DIS, as Mr Bradley explains, ‘Sustainable printing, the use of co responsible products, the ability to offer customers new materials that can be used in place of traditional polluting products has become part and parcel of our way of thinking. Customers have sustainability targets to meet, and frankly the busier we are, the more important green alternatives become. We’re already finding our PVC-free alternatives are gaining a great deal of traction. The tide has turned. You can’t be involved in graphics, wide format printing and display without factoring in the environmental impact.’
