Textile Printing

Roland DG zones in on success at FESPA 2015

Monday 15. June 2015 - FESPA 2015 has lived up to its reputation as one of the most important events on the exhibitions calendar for the wide format digital, textile and screen-printing industry. Roland DG's booth was packed with an exciting range of innovative profit-making solutions and creative samples, making it a must-see destination for the 23.157 unique visitors who attended this year's show in Cologne.

Visitors to the Roland DG booth were invited to get into the five technology zones, which showcased a wealth of print solutions and profitable applications.
In the Print & Cut Zone, visitors were impressed with the return on investment offered by Roland’s versatile and reliable integrated print & cut technology and discovered why the VersaCAMM series is the highest selling print & cut series in the world*. Those looking for a compelling alternative to latex were also excited by the Lightbar solvent-UV ink system, which was featured on the VS-640i. Lightbar technology offers the significant benefits of immediate usability. With no additional drying or degassing time required, print is instantly available for laminating or applying. Lightbar offers the flexibility to produce vibrant and durable products on a wide range of media, and at a significantly lower operating cost when compared to latex. Lightbar is a Partner Solution product collaboration.
Devices in the UV and Print Zones were powered by Rolandprintstudio, a feature-packed new RIP and print management software for Mac OS X users. Launched just days before the show, Rolandprintstudio is available for use with Roland devices and offers a whole host of time-saving and efficiency-creating features, at a highly affordable price. Product Specialist Nadia Plomp demonstrated Rolandprintstudio at the show: “Many of our customers are Mac users and they were thrilled to see this new RIP in action at FESPA. The feedback was extremely positive with lots of enthusiasm for its functionality, user-friendliness and value for money.”
Entrepreneurs looking to diversify into profitable new markets headed straight for the Customisation Zone, which was full of eye-popping samples and live demonstrations of exciting new applications. Known as ‘the magic box’, the VersaUV LEF-20 desktop flatbed printer drew the crowds, printing directly onto a vast range of items; from mobile phone covers to golf balls and gift boxes, transforming these ordinary objects into highly profitable personalised items. T-shirt customisation demonstrations on the BN-20 desktop printer/cutter and the recently launched GS-24 vinyl cutter also highlighted how simple it is to create stunning, unique garments.
Taking pride of place in the Sublimation Zone were the recently launched Texart RT-640 dye sublimation printer and Texart CS-64 calender unit. In combination, these machines offer a simple and affordable print to finish dye sublimation solution. Demonstrating how easy it is to integrate sublimation into existing workflows, a sewing machinist finished cushions on the booth using fabric printed and pressed in ‘real time’ by the Texart range.
Karel Sannen, Marketing Coordinator, Roland DG comments: “Our aim was to inspire, excite and engage visitors. Dividing our booth into zones enabled us to do this, helping visitors to quickly zone in on the solution best suited to their business needs. The range of samples and demonstrations brought the technology to life and customers could see for themselves the commercial benefits offered by Roland solutions.”
As if the latest Roland DG technology and variety of unique samples weren’t enough to attract the attention of FESPA delegates, Roland user and magician James Anthony astounded visitors with amazing magic tricks using Roland DG branded props. James also explained how Roland technology has been key in helping him to develop his successful business, Print By Magic.
Also generating a great deal of excitement on the booth was the Virtual Reality Zone, where visitors were instantly transported to Roland DG’s Creative Centers across Europe. Using cutting edge virtual reality headsets, visitors witnessed first-hand the hundreds of inspiring applications on display in Roland’s Creative Centers, dubbed ‘inspiration factories’.
Jerry Davies, Roland DG President EMEA region, concludes: “FESPA 2015 has been a real success for Roland DG. It presented a superb opportunity for us to engage with our international customers and it was wonderful to see the booth attracting so many visitors over the five days of the show. We set out to inspire creativity, promote new applications and introduce our technologies to new customers and I’m confident we achieved our goals for FESPA.”