Kirkby Signs has switched to after-market inks for its Roland SolJet Pro 4 XR-640 and SolJet Pro 2 engines. It will now use Nazdar 202 and 2000 series inks respectively for the machines, supplied by Quality Print Services (QPS), which will also maintain the Pro 2.

The main driver for the changeover is to become more competitive in its new business area of printing and managing advertising vans. Smaller companies are able to rent space on the moving billboards; while Kirkby currently runs a fleet of four, it is now converting two more. A lower-cost ink option is helping the company to keep prices down for its local clients.

"We're bridging a gap with the new ad vans," comments Terry Furlong, who owns Kirkby Signs. "It's a low-cost option that enables small companies to try mobile advertising, which they could never have dreamt of trying before."

Addressing the fear factor of moving away from original inks, Furlong explains that QPS's support was vital. "Initially I wouldn't risk anything other than OEM inks on the first Roland because of the cost of the printer, but Chris Bailey from QPS gave really good advice. I tried Nazdar and found no difference at all – and I'm saving money.

"I'm not as frightened to try full-colour jobs now because the ink costs so much less," he reveals. "I'm printing more elaborate and better designs."