Installed in early October, the UV engine has replaced an older HP DesignJet Z6200, taking over the printing of pop-up stands.
“We had a look around at the marketplace, saw different ink technologies from a few different manufacturers, and decided UV was for us. We’re pretty pleased with it – it’s good quality, has pretty vibrant colours, and seems to print on almost anything,” Giles Fletcher, general manager at Discount Displays, told Printweek.
“Traditionally, we printed with water-based inks with a laminate over the top. Now, we’ll be able to offer laminated or unlaminated pop-ups, which means we can pass the savings on to customers.”
The Roland has joined Discount Displays' lineup of HP Latex R2000 and Latex 800 printers, handled by the company’s team of 17 employees.
The two HP machines, between them, handle Foamex and Correx boards and roll-to-roll media like adhesives, wallpapers and backlit displays, with the new Roland offering the opportunity to get into fabric printing like small lightboxes, freestanding lightboxes, front-lit and back-lit, Fletcher said.
“Rather than sending out that work, as we do at the moment, we’ll be able to bring a certain amount of it in-house.
“It will also work well with our current output, as the square metre price for the ink was considerably lower than the competitors we looked at – so it has brought our operating costs down,” he added.
Discount Displays will also add a new Zünd G3 flatbed cutter with routing blade to its plant in January, opening up its potential product list even further.
“We’re replacing our current machine [a Zünd PN-series] which we’ve had since 2007, and it’s going to be really interesting getting the new capabilities,” Fletcher said.
The investment comes off the back of a turbulent year, where the company has managed to keep itself in good shape despite an unpredictable market.
“When it’s been busy, it’s been really busy – and when it’s been quiet, it’s been really quiet,” Fletcher said.
“With these new machines, we’ll be one step ahead. It’s been very up and down [in the market] but we definitely can’t complain – we’ve gone from strength to strength.”
