Prague Zoo achieves complete flexibility with Epson

When Prague Zoo began looking for a printing solution for digital proofs, large-format professional-quality prints and fine art material prints, Epson's printing solutions came out on top. Since then, the zoo has managed to print all of its materials in house, which has had a positive effect on the organisation's budget.

Epson's large-format ink printers have been in use at Prague Zoo since 2010. "We chose Epson printers based on our research and comparison with similar solutions from several brands. In the end, we decided in favour of Epson because of its excellent colours," explains manager Marek Václavík, the zoo's graphic designer and specialist in colour management, print and production technologies.

The latest addition to the zoo's collection is the SureColor SC-P7000 STD, a versatile printer for professional photographic prints and digital proofs. The deciding factors in selecting this solution were the wide colour gamut and the fineness and sharpness of print detail.

"With the SureColor SC-P7000, we primarily print standardised CMYK print data, but we also print spot colours. We therefore need colour stability and accurate colour matching.  When it comes to photo printing, its other advantages include its fine resolution and excellent colour register, both in unidirectional and bidirectional printing. This is due in part to the small ink droplet size," Václavík explains.

Media handling is yet another aspect Václavík appreciates about the SureColor SC-P7000, as the lock levers on the machine make handling media considerably faster and easier. "With this printer, we produce marketing and PR materials: vouchers, souvenirs, certificates, presentation photos and also large-format photo panels for exhibitions," he adds.

Thanks to Epson's solutions, Prague Zoo has become an independent, highly flexible printing operation. The zoo is able to handle all sorts of requirements, from colour management, calibration, creating customised print profiles, ensuring compliance with ISO norms to the printing itself, all in house.

Before purchasing the SureColor SC-P7000, the zoo was using the Epson Stylus Pro 7900 model. This printer is still used by the organisation at least once a week for specific purposes. "The Epson Stylus Pro 7900 is a maintenance-free printer – a kind of 'pet', as I like to call it. It's a high-quality and reliable machine," Václavík says.

"With this printer, we print on paper made from elephant dung, which is specially produced for us in the paper mill at Velké Losiny according to a unique formula. The paper is uncoated – a coating is necessary for most printers using aqueous inks – and rather 'hairy'. Despite these properties, the printer can handle this paper just fine, and the pigment inks, the matt black colour selected and the unidirectional printing all contribute to the colourful and sharp output." The zoo also uses this printer to print photo images for its sponsors, the adoptive 'parents' who support their selected animals through their donations.

In addition to the two models above, Prague Zoo operates the Epson Discproducer PP-100 duplication system, which delivers fully automated reproduction of CD/DVDs as well as realistic photo-quality prints on CD.

The zoo also uses the Perfection V750 Pro scanner, which is appreciated for its high optical resolution and colour stability, and last but not least, the EB-450W projector for its elephant simulator. The simulator is designed to simulate riding a live elephant, using a film that the projector displays on a screen in front of the simulator, in sync with the movement of the machine.