Wizardz creates magic with new Epson large-format printer

SureColor SC-S30610.

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Wizardz Design & Print, an on-demand consumer print shop in Cape Town, has expanded its service offering by installing South Africa's first Epson SureColor SC-S30610 large-format printer in its flagship store, in the Gardens Shopping Centre.

"We wanted to expand the range of services we currently offer to Cape Town's very competitive print market," says Wizards owner, Andrew Pittaway. "Our existing printer has been a solid workhorse for many years, but it was limited in the different types of paper media we could print on, while turnaround times was relatively slow due to the speed of throughput and the time it took for the ink to dry. The expectation of extremely fast turnarounds by our customers is now the norm."

The 64-inch Epson SureColor can produce posters, signs, banners, backlit panels and POS collateral, as well as vehicle wraps, interior decorations and exhibition displays. It can print images on vinyl, canvas, clear film, photographic paper and a range of popular banner substrates at a speed of up to 29.4m2 per hour, depending on the mode chosen.

John Panton from Digital Distributors, an established Epson reseller in Cape Town, and supplier of the Epson SureColor to Wizardz, explained that, since the two companies have worked together for many years, they were asked to suggest a new printer that could accept a greater range of media, that could print quickly, and that would be environmentally friendly.

"We suggested two devices; however, the Wizardz team chose this particular Epson unit because of its exceptional print quality, low cost of ownership in spite of the wide range of media it accepts, and the quick turnaround it offers. The printer is also easy to maintain, which is a particularly important consideration for a busy print shop such as theirs."

"Margins are tight in our business, so we keep a close eye on costs; this printer will save us over the long-term," says Pittaway. "We also live and work in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, so it was important for us to consider the potential environmental impact of the device we chose. Epson's inks don't contain any volatile organic compounds, which makes them friendly to both the environment and to our staff as our operators don't have to suffer through any fumes during the printing process.

"The final printed products also don't emit any odours - something that is important to our decor clients, who commission us to print wallpapers and other interior decor items," he says.

Pittaway adds that the Epson SureColor has particularly low energy consumption when compared to other printers in its range - an appealing factor given the high cost of electricity in South Africa.

Justin de Beer, graphic designer at Wizards and the manager of the company's large-format business, says he and his customers have been impressed by the high print resolution, no matter what media is being processed through the printer.

"For example, in our trials ahead of buying this printer, the other device in our sights couldn't process reversed out text at all. The Epson SureColor easily manages this without any compromise on quality," he says. "I also love that the Epson inks dry more quickly than the inks we've used before. This means we can offer our customers quick turnaround on jobs, something that gives us an edge over our competitors. The inks are also more cost-effective compared to other printers we've used in the past, which means we've been able to pass the cost savings we've enjoyed since purchasing the Epson SureColor on to our customers, who are smiling almost as much as we are!"

De Beer also points out that the printer requires very little maintenance - and that he can do any cleaning required himself. "It's also very easy for one person to change media, because it has a built-in jack at the rear. I can control media tensioning easily from the front or the back of the printer, which means I spend less time fiddling with settings, and more time completing projects for our clients," he says.

Panton also supplied the profiling software required to achieve the best possible results from the printer. "I'm comfortable to represent the Epson brand because, in my experience, its devices have a much lower failure rate than other printers on the market," he says. "It costs very little to maintain and repair them, and my customers are still getting great performance from Epson printers after five years and beyond - an exceptional result in a sector that sees technology changing frequently."

The Epson SureColor SC-S30610 is part of Epson's new range of large-format printers, which also includes the Epson SureColor SC-S50610 and the SC-S70610. All three models are available in South Africa through certified Epson resellers.

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