INDUSTRY NEWS Roland cuts it on the cobbles C
oronation Street is one of the nationʼs most loved television programmes. The lives of the residents of the cobbled street are discussed on television gossip pages and in living rooms up and down the country. Much effort goes into making sure the set looks as realistic as possible – from billboards and flyers posted on walls to packaging labels on items for sale in the Corner Shop. Lynsey Shepard is the programmeʼs principle graphic designer and is responsible for creating all these applications as authentically as possible, and her Roland VersaCAMM SP-300i printer/cutter has been crucial to ensuring the setʼs printed materials are ready whenever the showʼs demanding and fluid filming schedules require them. The Roland was purchased and installed two years ago following a recommendation from another graphic designer who was familiar with Rolandʼs products. It is the first machine to be used by Coronation Streetʼs design team and Lynsey has been very impressed with the performance of the VersaCAMM and after-sales support received through the RolandCare service and support package. “Iʼve been really impressed with our Roland machine. The majority of the material we print is on vinyl, as itʼs far more practical to have waterproof labels and signage given the nature of this business. The print and cut function is excellent and saves so much time, and itʼs very precise – even when cutting circles.”
Keeping overall production costs down was another decisive factor in Lynseyʼs decision to stop outsourcing and purchase the SP-300i, and the machine has already paid for itself many times over.
Continues Lynsey: “We used to outsource our print jobs to a local printing company. While the quality was good, it was more expensive and really restricted our flexibility on set as if we needed something last minute we would either have to wait or reschedule filming around this. Having the Roland on site means we are now able to quickly re-print material for extra takes and ensure we can always keep up with the schedule.” The VersaCAMM is a very versatile machine and is used to print a wide range of set graphics including those that are iconic to the soap from beer labels for the Rovers Returnʼs house ale, Newton and Ridley, or posters on the wall of the pub, to stickers on the door of the Corner Shop, signage for the taxis or a vehicle
And cut! Roland’s VersaCAMM SP-300i printer/cutter reduces costs and saves time on the set of much-loved TV soap, Coronation Street
wrap for a courier van if someone on the street is due to receive a package, for example. The VersaCAMM SP-i series comprises two models – the 30inch SP-300i and the 54inch SP-540i. One of Rolandʼs most popular printer/cutters, the machine delivers reliability and performance for a low initial investment.
Long print runs Available with a four-colour printing system, the SP-i series can be left unattended for long print runs leaving the user free to perform other jobs safe in the knowledge the Roland is managing the task in hand. Concludes Lynsey: “Iʼve been a graphic designer for nearly ten years and Iʼve witnessed a great number of changes in the industry over this time, many as a result of the technological advances companies such as Roland have made in the development of printers and ink. Print quality is certainly one of the biggest improvements Iʼve seen.
“The vibrancy of the print finish from todayʼs printers is astonishing and the quality of the Eco-Sol Max inks with the Roland is brilliant. Whatʼs very impressive is there is really no compromise to bringing a machine in house. With the Roland we have a print and cut device on-site that is of the highest production quality and flexible enough to handle whatever is required of it.”
Rob Goleniowski, business manager, Sign and Graphics at Roland DG UK commented: “We are delighted Roland has a role in the production of Coronation Street! The SP-300i is an all-rounder
TOP: Signs, graphics and labels produced on the Roland VersaCamm SP-300i for The Kabin shop in Coronation Street.
ABOVE: Mark Jones, Roland DG Technical Operations Manager, on Coronation Street for one of his regular service visits.
ideal for these kinds of jobs – offering the user a fantastic, cost-effective, high quality finish and the space-saving benefit of having the printer and cutter in one machine.”
n For information about Rolandʼs VersaCAMM SP-300i, please call 0845 230 90 60 or visit the website at
www.rolanddg.co.uk/VersaCAMMSP
| 14 | March 2013
www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80