Epson SureColor set in Motion and building business

Epson SureColor SC-S80600

After 18 years as an HP user, Motion in Leicester has traded in an HP 360 Latex model for its first Epson printer, a SureColor SC-S80600. “The accuracy is bang on, the quality is outstanding and it has not only allowed us to supply existing customers with almost photographic quality print results but it has won us new business in the backlit and stickers markets,” says managing director Phil Highton.

He turned to Darren Walker at Perfect Colours, a company that supplies large format print solutions, for advice when Motion was finding issues with substrate and image distortion using heat-based latex technology. Perfect Colours invited him to view the Epson SC-S80600.

“I had never seen such quality on a roll to roll machine, irrespective of whether it was printing on to paper or vinyl,” says Mr Highton. “It is an eco solvent printer so there was no stretch or distortion issue and its ability to print in nine or ten colours and achieve 98% of the Pantone range means we achieve a depth of colour that is exceptional and has given us a stand out advantage with duratrans/backlit work and stickers as well as our core business, POS.”

Motion is a Leicester based POS and production company which offers large format, digital print, vinyls, booklet-making and cutting services. The company’s business is 90% from the Midlands but can be from as far away as Leeds, Cornwall, Suffolk and Wales. It handles POS work for customers with high expectations, such as make up and perfume suppliers where lifestyle images are viewed close up, so printed results have to be 100% accurate and eye-catching.  

Now it has the use of white on roll fed technology to match that capability on its Jetrix flatbeds and the addition of light cyan, light magenta, light black and orange and red alongside standard CMYK for that very top quality look.

The SC-S80600 uses Dual PrecisionCore TFP printheads and Ultrachrome GS3 inks, which give brilliance to images and durability (print can be displayed out of doors for three years without fading). This signage printer operates at up to 95.1m²/hour.

“There are faster machines and it is true that sheets take a couple of hours to fully cure but the big advantages are that the quality of the eco solvent SC-S range is great and there is no substrate distortion (and the poor quality results and waste that go with that). That makes it absolutely the right model for our business. It was a good buying decision and we would definitely look at Epson equipment again for future investment,” says Mr Highton.

Motion finds Perfect Colours excellent for its advice on equipment and applications but also responsive when it comes to machine service and support.