One of the first things that colour print specialist Lance Britnell ensured when he joined his brother, Darren, in his innovative print and design business was to invest in a Roland VersaUV LEC-540 wide-format UV-curable print-and-cut solution. The idea formed by the duo was to set up a new arm at High Wycombe-based print services’ specialist, Resource Print, and provide a broader range of print applications using unusual finishes and substrates to print with an added interesting twist.
Lance Britnell was formerly with specialist photographic, pre-press and ink-jet printer distributor Image2Output which, earlier this year, was appointed as an authorised dealer for Roland DG for the VersaUV LEC UV-curable and VersaCAMM solvent-based families of printers. When he decided to accept the opportunity of going into business with his brother, they decided to create a separate company called Resource Digital Graphics.
Complementing Resource Print, this new company gives Lance Britnell the opportunity to continue working with very high quality colour and output, with the intention of moving into more diverse and vertical markets. With accuracy being key to his operation, the decision was made to invest in the Roland VersaUV LEC-540 1.37m UV-curable solution which features 1440 x 1440dpi for the most exacting of jobs, with the added benefits of white ink and clear varnish. The combination of these versatile elements and its LED-cured UV-curable ink means that this print-and-cut solution is able to work with a broad range of unusual substrates and finishes for a variety of end applications.
“My brother and I have amassed 50 years of experience between us in print, and the opportunity to combine our skills was too good an opportunity to pass up,” says Lance Britnell on the formation of Resource Digital Graphics. “Having being involved in depth with the Roland VersaUV LEC-540 at Image2Output I knew it was an essential machine for my purposes and for the services offered by the new company.
“The learning curve for me was non-existent,” continues Lance. “I already knew the machine from its original introduction to the market and my extensive knowledge enables me to generate and produce output using industry-standard colour management and RIP products to gain excellent results every time.”
In addition to applying his skills to the production of proofing and prototyping, Lance is also using his Roland VersaUV LEC-540 to create banners and displays which benefit from additional effects. Both white ink and clear varnish have played a major role in the design and finishing of unusual jobs which cannot be produced using any other ink-jet process.
“This is a great example of the ‘man and machine’ interface with the VersaUV LEC-540 giving Lance Britnell the perfect, yet low cost, route to producing perfect colour output across a range of short-run displays and signs, stickers, window clings and point of sale items” adds Steve Chappell, Business Manager – Packaging, Proofing and Industrial Labelling at Roland DG (UK). “It’s the perfect one-stop solution for Resource Digital Graphics as its versatility and flexibility means it can be used to print, crease and cut countless different applications on a variety of materials.”
The LEC-540 is the larger of the two machines in the Roland VersaUV duo, with its versatile 1.37m width accommodated in a compact foot-print. As well as its high quality print and precision contour cutting, it utilises LED-curing long-life lamps which enable even the most sensitive of materials to be used. Incorporating Roland’s own flexible yet extremely durable Eco-UV inks, the system is rapidly gaining popularity with display producers, proofing specialists and prototyping specialists.