From large format banners and photoboards to vehicle livery and exterior and interior signage, Signpost Signs has been fulfilling the signage requirements of its customers for over 15 years. Company owner, Steve Hems, and his team of seven produce its wide range of applications for a variety of customers including local government, schools and colleges, designers and end-users. In December 2012, Signpost Signs purchased a Roland DG SOLJET PRO4 XR-640 printer/cutter through printMAX and the new machine has already had a major impact on the company. It has enabled the team to increase its operational efficiency and produce large format prints quicker than ever before, as well as confidently look to a future where they can offer their customers an even wider range of services.

Signpost Signs has been a loyal Roland user and printMAX customer for over five years. When the company moved to its current base in Sidcup, Kent, it purchased its first wide format machine, a Roland XJ-640 printer. The XJ-640 was purchased as it could be used without having to install an extraction unit, and the machine has been a loyal workhouse, producing all its large format work ever since. However, when the SOLJET PRO4 XR-640 was launched late last year, Steve decided it was time to upgrade his kit.

On purchasing the SOLJET PRO4 XR-640 through Roland Authorised dealer printMAX, Steve commented: “Over the five years we used the XJ-640 we never had any major issues and we have always been happy with the print quality and user experience. However, to stay ahead in a very competitive digital print market I believe it is important to invest in the newest technology to ensure you are able to continually perform at the optimum level. It was a no-brainer for us to stick with Roland products because we’ve had such a good experience and when we heard about the launch of the SOLJET PRO4 XR-640, our minds were made up immediately because it is everything we wanted in a machine.”

Particularly appealing to Steve was Roland’s print and cut technology which streamlines production by automatically printing and contour kiss/die cutting printed graphics. Steve continued: “The integrated print and cut facility on the PRO4 XR-640 has really simplified our work and significantly reduced our production times. Within two weeks of having the machine, we took on our largest print and cut job to date – rebranding a fleet of 21 coaches for one of the largest coach companies in the South East. It’s a job we definitely would not have been able to fulfil if we didn’t have the new Roland.” 

Steve also praised the new colours available with Roland’s new ECO-SOL MAX2 inks and the ability to print at full speed without sacrificing the print quality: “Another brilliant feature of the PRO4 XR-640 is the fact there is no compromise to the quality of output when printing at full speed. We still get a top notch finish, just quicker, so we can turn jobs around faster than we could before. I’ve also noticed the improvement the light black ink has to the final finish of prints. The gradients are smoother, as are the flood coatings. These improvements are really appreciated by our customers. Our old Roland did a brilliant job but there are visible benefits to switching to the PRO4.” 

The SOLJET PRO4 XR-640 is Roland’s flagship model. The versatile, high-performance unit is Roland’s widest, fastest and most powerful printer/cutter to date featuring a revolutionary print head design. The inline formation of the print heads and unique design produces ink droplets of seven different sizes which results in a high density finish and flawless photographic reproduction. The SOLJET PRO4 XR-640 is compatible with Roland’s innovative ECO-SOL MAX2 ink which is available in a configuration of up to eight colours including CMYK, light magenta, light cyan, white, metallic silver and light black. These durable inks are suitable for outdoor and indoor use and boast fast drying times and a wide colour gamut to suit any creative project.

Steve concluded: “Now we have the PRO 4 XR-640 we are able to target more markets and offer our customers more services. We will be printing and installing larger contour cut wraps for vehicles on a regular basis and we are also looking to produce bespoke digital print wallpapers for the commercial and domestic market. Our new Roland has really boosted our future prospects.”