Case study from Roland

Wallpaper Ink has installed a second Roland VersaExpress RF-640 printer, running it 'around the clock' to cater for the ever-increasing demand for bespoke wall murals.

"The buzz around murals has been growing for over six years," explains Scott Evans, Managing Director of specialist wall mural manufacturer Wallpaper Ink. "There's a kick-on effect; when people see one they want one of their own. "Wallpaper is back in fashion generally and that combined with a demand for personalisation means a thriving market. People want their homes and businesses to be unique." Based in Pontypridd but serving customers entirely online, Wallpaper Ink runs its Roland VersaExpress RF-640 inkjet printers and Roland cutting systems 24 hours a day to produce made-to-measure wall graphics. Customers – around 30 per cent commercial and 70 per cent private – can choose their perfect mural image from an extraordinary choice of over 40 million options from Wallpaper Ink's website, plus their preferred material and dimensions. The mural specialist can turn around an order in just hours, offering next-day shipping for orders placed before 3 pm. This has been reduced from 1 pm since the installation of the first Roland printer, which Scott Evans says ticks all the boxes for his business. "We now have two VersaExpress RF-640 printers. We went with the same printer as we were so happy with the previous one and the return on investment we made from the machine was extremely good for us. The new Rip software is also good, improving print times and increasing our margins further. We have new printer running around the clock to keep up with our increased demand for wall murals." Scott adds that his favourite feature of the RF-640 is the take-up unit. He comments: "The accuracy on running roll-to-roll is great. This is good for us as it means less chance of error when moving the wallpaper onto the cutting machines. "Also the print speed is really good – an average mural is 3m wide by 2.2m high, and that can be completed in three hours. We really are running 24 hours a day." While Wallpaper Ink sounds busy enough already, the company has plenty of plans for the future. As well as introducing two new wall covering products – pre-pasted wallpaper and self-adhesive wallpaper – Scott says the next step is to grow further into the European market. The Managing Director – who has a dozen years' experience in the sign and graphics industry – describes the Roland aftercare service as 'the best' and is looking to book a place on a Roland Academy course soon.