Images Magazine Digital Edition July 2018

PRODUCT PROFILE www.images-magazine.com 76 images JULY 2018 Blue ribbon opportunity F or the past year, Mike Kelly has been at the Newtech roadshows demonstrating the Brother TapeCreator Pro (TP-M5000N), a nifty machine capable of printing both adhesive tape and fabric ribbon in a choice of different widths. It’s the ribbon printing that particularly appeals to the garment decoration business, especially those who print for retail where the gift-wrapping of personalised packages – wedding, birthday and baby gift sets, one-off T-shirts and promotional goods – with bespoke ribbon is an easy upsell. Whole The TapeCreator Pro adds a personalised finish to customised products and you have the chance to win one in our exclusive competition WIN a Brother TapeCreator Pro One lucky Images reader can win a TapeCreator Pro starter package worth £1,743 + VAT from Brother, which includes the TapeCreator Pro, a set of 38mm and 15mm fabric ribbon starter 50m reels in white, red and dark blue, plus six ink film cassettes (three for 15mm and three for 38mm) in black, gold and silver, and a carton of 15mm and 38mm cores. All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning is answer the following question: What is the name of the roadshows at which Mike Kelly has been showing the Brother TapeCreator Pro? The winner will be randomly selected from those correctly answering the question. Entries can submitted via email [editorial@images-magazine.com ] or by post [Images Magazine, 360 Communications Ltd, 58a Livingstone Road, Lioncare House, Brighton, BN3 3WL]. Please mark your entry ‘Brother Competition’ and include your answer and your full name, address and phone number. There is no cash alternative. The competition is only open to those resident in the UK and over the age of 18 years. The closing date for the competition is 31 August 2018. The winner will be notified within 30 days of the closing date of the competition and their details will be given to Brother to arrange collection of the prize. No responsibility can be accepted for entries lost, damaged or delayed in the post, or due to computer error in transit. rolls can also be sold to customers, and bespoke adhesive tape for packaging up white label goods is another potential sales avenue. The machine is simple to use. Two widths of ribbon are available – 15mm and 38mm – in a choice of white, light pink, light blue, deep red and dark blue, and a choice of gold, silver, red, royal blue and black inks. The selection is based on the most requested colours, with new black, purple and dark green ribbon colours currently in the pipeline. The adhesive tape widths are 38mm and 50mm. The user slots the ribbon cassette in the machine, sticks the ribbon end to the cardboard core at the front, closes the lid and it’s ready to go. The TapeCreator Pro uses thermal transfer to ensure the end result is durable, clear and vibrant. Each machine has P-Touch Editor software included as standard, which has more than 200 templates as well as the ability to quickly and simply create custom designs with customers’ logos etc. The built-in LCD screen shows how much ink and ribbon is currently in the machine, and users can select what length ribbon they would like printed; possible lengths range from 1m to 25m, with it taking two minutes to print 25m at 300dpi. A 38mm ribbon will cost the user 90p + VAT in materials for the first metre, then 60p + VAT per metre thereafter. The first metre is more expensive as the initial 50cm of each job is wasted due to the way the printing process works. For the 15mm tape, the figures work out at 60p + VAT for the first metre and 40p + VAT for every metre thereafter. Mike Kelly, who is head of the business unit for the TapeCreator, reports that most customers sell customised ribbon for around £5 per metre. www.brother.co.uk The TapeCreator Pro can print 25m of ribbon in two minutes Mike Kelly of Brother has been showing the printer at the Newtech shows