IMPROVING QUALITY AND MAKING SAVINGS WITH EPSON

In some industries, quality of the work greatly depends on the tools used. Companies that make use of cutting-edge technology can take the lead. This is ambidied by Eliofototecnicabarbieri, that has replaced the old plotters with large-scale Epson printers and improved quality to such a degree that they have been able to take on new challenges.

Founded in 1978 in Parma, Eliofototecnicabarbieri, works with companies, public and private bodies, with an offer that ranges from digital prints and communication products to database management and compiling geographical and environmental GIS data for cartography.

No matter the output, the company manages the whole process from printing to distribution with speed, efficiency and professionalism; supplying quality goods and wide-ranging assistance.

As Valentina Tegoni, retail manager for Eliofototecnicabarbieri, says, "our company has always been defined by our diverse skill set that comes together and allows us to manage different activities while always working to meet demands with innovative solutions and advanced tools, taking care of every little detail."

Seeking to transform themselves, over the course of the year the company decided to replace most of its obsolete plotters, with more modern high-performance printers from Epson.

"We needed to replace the old plotters," explains Andrea Nicoli, head of Marketing and IT at Eliofototecnicabarbieri, "because they no longer guaranteed the quality that customers now expect. Epson's new solutions mean that we can get high-quality printing that saves time and reduces costs."

It was a change supported by tests conducted before purchase that showed how Epson's solutions were clearly better in terms of performance and consumption compared to the models previously in use.

As a result of this, the company has also been able to expand its offer: opening up markets for fine art, a rapidly expanding industry in which it can provide a complete service that is not limited solely to printing but includes post-production on images and can also incorporate a consulting phase aimed directly at photographers.

Eliofototecnicabarbieri can meet all its customers' needs from photographic rendering to thematic and geographical maps. Across its two locations in Parma, the company has installed one SureColor SC-S40600, one SureColor SC-P20000, one SureColor SC-P9000 and four SureColor SC-T7200s.

A large-scale, high-speed, four-colour printer, the SC-T7200 delivers optimised performance for graphic design programmes, CAD designs and GIS maps in a dynamic production environment. Thanks to its image processing power and high print speed, it can meet Eliofototecnicabarbieri's productivity and flexibility requirements.

For signage work, the company uses the SureColor SC-S40600, a high-performance machine that supports a wide range of substrates and has specific features to ensure high levels of productivity, such as automated printhead maintenance and an ink mist collection system.

Professional prints and colour proofs requiring the highest quality are produced by the SureColor SC-P20000 and SC-P9000V depending on the size required; these two photographic printers use Epson's PrecisionCore MicroTFP printheads to deliver exceptional results with a resolution of up to 2400 x 1200 dpi. The SC-P20000 can support media up to 162.6 cm wide and uses Epson UltraChrome Pro 10-colour inks for consistent prints of exceptional quality, with deep and rich blacks thanks to the high-density Photo and Matte Black inks. The SC-P9000V can support media of up to 112.8 cm and uses UltraChrome HDX 10-colour pigment ink with a violet ink that can reproduce 99% of Pantone-certified colours*, even those most difficult to spot.

"With our new set of machines," continues Nicoli, "we are now able to produce the required volumes, at high quality and in a short time: this is because of the integration of high-speed, efficient and high-performance printers into our production system. The investment has definitely brought us a leap forward in quality."