LFP - Large-Format-Printing

Cubic Digital adds a Roland wide format dimension to its commercial print business

Monday 05. January 2015 - Southampton-based print shop, Cubic Digital, has been in operation for 15 years. The business is headed up by owner, Stuart Joseph, and has built up a very successful reputation for providing high quality promotional products, such as posters, flyers and booklets to bars, beauty salons and churches around the country.

Cubic Digital started off its life as a traditional commercial printer, integrating cut-sheet digital printing to its portfolio eight years’ ago. Just over a year ago, Cubic Digital beefed up its armoury again, installing a Roland wide format VersaCAMM VS-540 printer/cutter alongside a Heidelberg B3 litho press and Konica Minolta digital press. This has enabled it to further expand its product offering, and move confidently into new markets and reduce its dependence on outsourcing wide format work.
Says Stuart Joseph: “The investment in the Roland was to ensure we had a more robust and versatile printer that would reduce outsourcing, which would in turn help the company increase profitability as well as provide us with a versatile machine that would help expand the business. The VersaCAMM is a great complement to our litho and cut sheet digital presses and means we can offer our customers a complete portfolio of printed products under one roof.”
The VersaCAMM replaced an Epson inkjet printer, which was not giving Cubic Digital the freedom and flexibility they needed from a wide format machine. Continues Stuart: “With the old machine, the types of graphics and applications we could print were fairly limited, as were the materials we could print on. To maintain the viability of the business, we needed a more productive, long-term solution. We researched the market when we looked to purchase a new wide format machine and the Roland brand and its technology stood above the rest.”
Cubic Digital purchased its Roland from large format print solutions dealer, Perfect Colours, and has been more than impressed with the VS-540’s performance since the day it was installed. A combination of the Roland’s ability to handle a wide range of substrates, including adhesive vinyl, and Roland’s Eco-Sol Max inks which come with a metallic and white option made it the perfect choice. And, thanks to the VS-540’s flexibility and high-performance, the machine has already paid for itself and enabled the company to grow and offer more products to new and existing customers.
Stuart continues: “The Roland ticked a whole bunch of boxes. The print & cut feature was completely new to us and it has made life so much easier!” Stuart and his team now produce banners, point of sale displays, vehicle graphics, window graphics and signage for shop counters, all of which are 100 per cent new offerings to customers which they were previously unable to do. The white ink has been a particularly valuable asset for Stuart, allowing him to create opaque accents on signage and posters.
Roland’s award-winning VS series printer/cutter is the fastest and most versatile VersaCAMM to date. Available in four different sizes – 30, 42, 54 and 64 inches wide – and with a choice of four ink configurations, it’s suitable for a range of businesses and budgets of all sizes. The VS series is an easy to use unit perfect for creating creative and visually stunning applications. The VS series also benefits from additional features such as unattended printing which gives users the option of carrying on with other duties safe in the knowledge the Roland will send an alert to their computer or smart phone once it has completed the print job or if ink is low.
Also included with the VS series printer/cutter is Roland’s VersaWorks RIP software, an Intermediate Digital Print course at the Roland Academy and 1 year Silver RolandCare Warranty. VersaWorks is specially designed by Roland to get the best production out of its units. The intuitive and friendly user interface makes it easy to manage print jobs and includes features such as colour management, variable data printing and ink usage calculations and production timings.
Stuart concludes: “The VS-540 has been a great addition to our business. Overall, I’ve been really happy with the product and level of service I’ve received from Roland. The estimated ink use feature in the VersaWorks software is great as it means I can make more accurate quotes to customers. I also renewed the Silver RolandCare warranty after the first year. The unit has been very reliable so I haven’t had to use it that much but it’s a brilliant safety net to have and on the one occasion I had to call out an engineer he was very helpful and got us back on track straight away.”