Vehicle Livery Services (VLS) recently took delivery of its second Epson SureColor SC-S80600 printer; a testament to the results it has achieved with the first Epson SureColor that the Papergraphics large-format print support services team supplied and installed 18 months previously.
“In our opinion, the Epson SureColor SC-S80600 printer is the most advanced machine in its class to date,” says Greg Saunderson, managing director of VLS. “The printer is very user-friendly, easy to clean, prints instantly, with no head issues such as banding or head misfiring. The inks are so dynamic it can almost print on any material we test. And the cure/drying rate is super quick for a solvent ink which has many advantages”.
"The 'Installation & Training' support services team at Papergraphics is outstanding; ensuring the machine is used correctly and to its full potential".
VLS was set up 11 years ago to provide police and emergency service livery.
VLS design produce and apply ‘Battenburg’ livery kits to over a quarter of the UK’s police force, including crash repair panels. Other sectors are Chapter 8 Livery (UK Department for Transport/Highways Agency Chapter 8 of traffic signs manual), plant machinery, patient transport and fleet.
Talking about the features of the Epson 80600, Greg says “The 1,440dpi print quality is superb and consistent. We can match almost any Pantone [the printer covers 98.2% of Pantone colours] or RAL colour [the European colour matching standard which defines colours for paint, coatings and plastics] and the legibility of small text or fine detail in prints is excellent. It is essential for us to have the confidence of consistent output as VLS endeavours to maintain quality in all aspects of our business and to have a reliable printer helps us to achieve that”.
A stand-out advantage over competitors.
For its main applications, VLS doesn’t use the white or silver inks much, but the red, orange and light grey in addition to the standard CMYK LC-LM ink sets, allows it to print very vibrant reds and oranges on specific reflective materials that gives the company a stand-out advantage over competitors.
The Epson is easy to navigate in terms of usability and maintenance. The print head technology used means issues with the heads dropping out or banding of prints are very rare, and the inks are available for next day delivery.
Papergraphics installed an Onyx RIP upgrade for additional workflow improvements.
The papergraphics colour management team supplied VLS’ first SureColor SC-S80600 with an Onyx RIP, but with this second machine, we upgraded it to the latest software version, Onyx 18.5, for additional processing speed and production workflow improvements.
The VLS team describe Papergraphics as “brilliant” and respect the advice given on purchasing equipment and software and repairs, but on training, Papergraphics is "outstanding; ensuring the machine is used correctly and to its full potential".
VLS is always looking to the future and evolving its services. Today a genuinely professional car wrap might take two or three days. VLS will shortly launch a new branding system that will reduce the time by a third yet still maintain the durability and quality that its customers expect.
For more information about the Epson SureColor range of printers, inks or guidance and support Papergraphics can offer on your hardware needs, contact us now: you can do more with Papergraphics.