LFP - Large-Format-Printing
Image Options Takes Print Making to New Heights with Epson Stylus Pro GS6000
Wednesday 30. June 2010 - Epson Solvent Printer Provides Speed, Accuracy and Quality for Leading Large Format Print Company
Image Options, Inc. is an innovative large format printer company that pushes the limits of creativity for its clients on a daily basis for a vast array of signage needs – from posters and banners, to enormous building wraps and one-of-a-kind vehicle graphics, to murals, backlit displays and floor graphics. But the company took innovation one step further when it integrated the Epson Stylus Pro GS6000 into its workflow, enabling them to turn around high-quality, high-volume jobs even faster than before and for less money.
“The GS6000 has become a crucial part of our workflow at Image Options, where speed, accuracy and quality are critical to what we do,” said Tim Bennett, CEO, Image Options. “With ever increasing turnaround times, it’s paramount that a printer produces the best possible quality so we can produce jobs on schedule and take in more work to increase our bottom line.”
The GS6000 64-inch wide roll-to-roll printer delivers high color gamut, photographic image quality, and rock-solid reliability with commercial speeds, all while using a solvent-based ink technology that’s less harmful on the environment. The printer’s Dual-Array MicroPiezo AMC(TM) print head is uniquely engineered for the demands of high-production solvent printing and produces fine detail with a maximum resolution of 1440×1440 dpi and variable-sized droplet technology as small as 3.7 picoliters.
From design to pre-press to final output, Image Options focuses on providing consistent and repeatable end-to-end color. Since precise color matches are an essential part of branding, the company has been especially pleased with the GS6000 printer’s solvent-based Epson UltraChrome GS ink that achieves an extremely wide color gamut, resulting in signs that feature entirely new degrees of color fidelity and accuracy that are otherwise unattainable with any other solvent technologies.
“Our largest client requires very specific PMS matches,” said Bennett. “With the GS6000, we can reproduce those PMS colors time and time again with a minimal amount of effort. Using the ColorBurst RIP that ships with the printer, our operators are able to layout, RIP, tile and panel every job quickly and accurately. Our color department finds the profiles easy to use for precise spot color matching.”
Whether printing banners or vehicle wraps, the GS6000 is reliable and simple to use and maintain. The running cost of the GS6000 has also improved Image Options’ bottom line – with fewer printing issues and reprints, the company has reduced overall labor costs and media waste. In addition, Image Options breathes easier using Epson’s solvent-based ink technology with less harmful impact on both the environment and worker health. Unlike other solvent technologies, the ink is virtually odorless, so there’s no need for special ventilation or air purification systems. And the ink does not contain nickel (Ni) compounds, reducing the harmful impact on the environment and employees.
“The GS6000 is a unique machine in that it’s able to cross over many different disciplines of large format printing,” said Bennett. “The printer has opened our doors to markets beyond the large-format display business, such as photographic and fine art reproduction. We’re known for being able to get an image on just about any kind of surface, so when the GS6000 came out with its solvent based inks, we found we were looking at a wider range of products we could sell.”