Images_Digital_Edition_April_2020

www.images-magazine.com 88 images APRIL 2020 DIGITAL PRINTING Brian Johnson, CEO Tell us a bit about your business We are garment printing and embroidery specialists with over 15 years of experience. We cater for the workwear industry, social media entrepreneurs, marketing agencies, sports academies, and the general public, and have printed for many well-known brands. We pride ourselves on our service of top quality, durable prints. We are not only passionate about what we do, but we run a very professional and reliable service. We have been told by our many happy customers that we have excellent service. What is the latest digital printing system you’ve bought? Initially, we started out on vinyl and heat transfer and then bought our first DTG printer from Resolute. At the start, we were using Resolute’s R-Jet 5i, but our demand for DTG printing grew, so with careful consideration and help from Colin [Marsh] at Resolute we got the Ricoh Ri 1000 as it was a more industrial machine with low maintenance that would also fit into our limited-space shop. What other systems did you look at before purchasing the Ricoh? We looked at many other solutions, including the Epson F2100. I must admit it was a close decision. We East London Printers: Ricoh Ri 1000 fromResolute DTG The print looked vibrant on a white T-shirt without pretreatment [L-R] Brian with his team Nate, Andre and Alberto, and the Ricoh Ri 1000 have a Ricoh sublimation printer that never seems to get clogged when sitting unused for weeks, so I have always preferred Ricoh. However, I do understand that the Epson F2100 was made specifically for DTG and I don’t doubt that it is a great DTG printer. The main decision-maker for us was the print looked most vibrant on a white T-shirt without pretreatment, which is a big timesaver when printing basic white T-shirts. What are the Ricoh’s main advantages? In comparison to our previous DTG printer, it has a cheaper cost per print due to less ink waste, less prep time than vinyl jobs, and multiple platens for different size shirts. So far, changing and servicing parts are also pretty modular – we were able, with little knowledge, to clean the encoder strip, align the table laser and change the air filter, thanks to Resolute’s phone assistance. Is there anything you’d like to see in an upgrade? I would like to see more ink capacity in the cartridges that Ricoh supplies. And perhaps a direct USB connection to the computer using Resolute’s RIP as the network connection can be a challenge to set up initially. What’s it like to use? The print quality is really good in low- and high-resolution modes so you can decide on the print speed depending on the graphic, and the prints are also very consistent. It’s also much faster than our previous machine, and it can store previous jobs on the machine, which is handy. You can also adjust the cleaning frequency cycle to save on ink when using it heavily. It’s also very user- friendly and once you have a good nozzle check, you’re good to go! What work is it used for? It varies, but it can start from a one- off to over a hundred pieces. So far we have used it to print onto T-shirts, hoodies and tote bags, and even over seams and zips. What would be your advice to others thinking of buying a DTG printer? Make sure the company you are buying from provides good support, because if you are new to DTG there is quite a learning curve and things can go wrong. Resolute has great training and after-sales/customer support on and off-site. Also, prepare yourself for a little learning curve as there are a few processes to master, but it’s worth it in the end. www.eastlondonprinters.com