Roland Inkjets Propel Sign Shop to New Heights

Dublin, Ireland – Inc Design was formed two and a half years ago by directors Paul Byrne and Paul Hogan. They're proud to count among their clients Dublin's musical instrument mega-store, Xmusic, and the remainder of their portfolio ranges from banner production to fascias. One recent job was producing a large number of vinyl banners for the high profile Taste of Dublin food festival.

Byrne and Hogan knew that growing the company rapidly could only come from strategic investment in machines that offered productivity and excellent turnaround time. "We wanted to be able to compete with the best in terms of speed and quality right from the start," explains Hogan as he remembers the first machine purchased at Inc Design – the Roland SOLJET Pro II.

The successor to the Pro II, the Pro III XC-540, handles smaller-format print-and-cut jobs at the Dublin site. Inc Design is particularly impressed with the print-and-cut machine's handling of contour cutting, making vehicle wrap production significantly easier, and with the eco-solvent inks which allow them to produce interior signs on the Pro III that are odorless.

After only a few months, Inc Design realized it needed to accommodate larger-format work at a greater capacity to win bigger contracts. The business partners performed extensive research, deciding finally to add an AdvancedJET AJ-1000i because it offered the best throughput possible with its 8.5' (2.6m) width complemented by durable, high quality results.

Roland AdvancedJET AJ-1000i

"We looked at flatbed technology before the purchase of the Pro III, and again when investigating the AJ-1000i, but decided that roll-to-roll was the better choice, offering more in terms of output quality and the range of compatible substrates. Additionally, this machine had a much smaller footprint and a more reasonable capital outlay," says Byrne.

Among the first jobs that Inc Design completed with its new printer was Ireland's largest billboard, located at Dublin's Belmayne housing development. A massive 9,842 feet (3 km) of vinyl film was mounted on to 8 ft. x 4 ft. composite Dibond panels with an anti-graffiti laminate, printed in batches of up to 600 at a time. The Belmayne job was completed in stages over a number of months in line with the development's progress.

"There is no doubt that without the AJ-1000i we wouldn't have been able to take this job on," Byrne recalls. "The combination of the AJ-1000i's speed and the durability of its EcoXtreme solvent-based ink is spectacular and its color accuracy is superb, with easy color matching when required. My favorite aspect of the machine is that it can operate unattended. We've left it printing overnight on occasion - we load up a 328' (100 m) roll of paper and come back in the morning to find the job completed, no problem."

The main thing, Hogan concludes, is to remain versatile: "There is a wealth of opportunity out there and part of our job is to keep on top of changes in the market. With its productive and diverse technology, Roland has certainly earned our trust in this respect."