FotoFirst Brits is a busy consumer print shop, servicing customers seeking high quality prints that are produced quickly and accurately. The outlet has just upped its value proposition by installing an Epson SureLab D3000 Professional Dry Lab, a complete photo printing solution that sees top notch photo production at fast speeds – absolute essentials in the high-pressure retail photo printing environment.
“We chose the Epson SureLab D3000 on the advice of George Rosa of ImageMed, with whom we have a longstanding relationship,” says Deon Venter, the shop’s owner.
“Our trust in his recommendations was built on his faith in the Epson brand after many years in the printing and imaging business, and we are really happy with the results that we are seeing, just two months after installation.”
Vernon Mellors, business development manager, Large Format Printers at Epson South Africa says: “We’ve incorporated years of printing technology experience featured in Epson’s professional line of imaging printers, and scaled it to bring the SureLab D3000 to the market.
“This new solution is capable of delivering high volumes of prints with the photo quality Epson is known for, in a compact unit designed to fit the needs of a range of photo labs.”
“Designed for easy use, the Epson SureLab D3000 includes Epson’s UltraChrome D6 dry lab ink technology which produces images of a far greater quality than traditional chemical lab printers. Furthermore, the ink penetrates the surface of the paper used in printing, producing water-resistant prints that will last for generations,” he says.
The Epson SureLab D3000 includes Epson’s high performance Epson MicroPiezo Variable Size Droplets (VSD) print head which produces up to four different sized ink droplets during production, with droplets as small as 1,5 picoliters producing crystal clear, high resolution images of up to 1 440 x 1 440dpi.
This ink technology is also much kinder to the environment and to photo lab operators than chemical labs, because there are no harmful chemicals – or the smells associated with them – in the printing process.
“Epson’s dry lab printers use less electricity than chemical labs, and they have a smaller footprint too – an important consideration in the retail environment, where rental rates are at a premium,” says Mellors.
In a professional printing environment, it’s not just quality that’s top of mind – the speed at which that quality can be produced is also crucial. The Epson SureLab D3000 can produce:
* Up to 260 8×10 inch prints at 720dpi;
* Up to 70 per hour at 1 440dpi, or 650 4×6 prints per hour at 720dpi (one every five seconds); or
* Up to 200 per hour (one every 20 seconds) at 1 440 dpi.
The Epson SureLab D3000 cleans itself automatically, identifying and fixing possible nozzle clogs before each print is processed.
“I’m comfortable in the knowledge that the SureLab D3000 will take care of its own maintenance, and I’ve yet to experience any of the inconvenient downtime I endured with my previous printer,” says Venter.
Venter adds: “ImageMed is also an Epson Authorised Service Provider, and George is able to respond quickly and effectively to fix anything that may go wrong. I’m also reassured by the Standard Epson Preferred Limited Warranty that accompanies the Epson SureLab D3000, which includes one year on-site service, parts and labour.
“Quick turnarounds on repairs are essential in this business – we simply cannot afford to have our photo printer not fully operational 100% of the time.”
The Epson SureLab D3000 is compatible with any third-party workflow software, and it accepts gloss, lustre and matte paper. This means that FotoFirst Brits can offer its clients the ability to print greeting cards and calendars that can be written on, and even folded – something not always possible with conventional photo paper.
“Epson has a good name in the printing world, and is trusted by consumers and photographers worldwide. I believe that my customers should know that their images are being printed on an Epson printer, so that they can rest assured that their images will be top quality, produced on time, with minimum impact on the environment,” Venter concludes.