Riot Photo Book tells stories in pictures with Epson photo printers

Riot Photo Book started as a studio in the UAE in 2007 and specialised in family portraits. To provide good quality print products along with the service, the company purchased a large format printer. This was followed by a professional colour profiling system to get accurate colour and a substantial range of media and a canvas-stretching system for the prints. The product line-up soon expanded and soon Riot Photo Book invested not only in machines but professional training for better results.

It was not long before the print quality got noticed and requests came in from photographers, artists and showrooms for prints. The needs of the company grew.

With the number of photographers growing in the market, it felt sensible to change focus from being a great studio to being an excellent print services provider instead. Riot’s journey into the world of printing began with a photographers view point - a passion for accurate colour, contrast, tonal range and beautifully finish.

Riot relies on Epson photo printers to produce various products including photo albums and wedding albums.

According to Keith Riot, Managing Director, Riot Photobook, “We started with Epson large format printers and we still use them for canvas, large prints and metal prints. They help us print long lasting products that are very durable and unique.”

The only way to create a photobook was through a chemical lab and for a company like Riot Photo Book, that is located in the heart of the city, it was impossible to run a chemical lab. They could not bring it to their location, because of its size and the maintenance and the whole process needs a different kind of environment which they were not geared up for.

The Epson team met with Riot Photo Book to understand their printing usage and concerns and suggested a move to the new Epson Labs

Keith says, “With the launch of Epson dry labs, it became feasible for Riot Photobook to produce amazing quality that is almost untouchable in the market in terms of colour, toner range and in terms of how a simple image looks so vibrant, which we couldn’t get unless Epson provided me with that platform. Then we took it further by bringing technologies together to make a new kind of book. We are going to launch this book very soon. In the past we did not have the capacity for producing this kind of books.”

Riot Photo Book now uses the following EPSON products

Epson SP-9900

Epson SP-4900

Epson SL-D3000

Epson SC-F6200

Epson Products at Riot Photo Book

According to Keith: “We are now pioneers in the flat books technology in the region. We are the only Epson lab that is producing this type of quality of photo books in the region.

People have the lab, but they don’t have the platform to generate our kind of products. A lot of these products wouldn’t have existed without Epson.”

Keith says, “Previously we had the capacity to produce wedding books in a different format, but the labour and process cost was too much, but with our new Epson printers we can do that within minutes, so we are in a position to make the product cost within the reach of everyone. The objective is to encourage everybody to print and leave the photos in the cloud, then not have a history of what they did and how they looked like.”

As reasons for choosing Epson as a supplier, he says, “We looked for a trusted supplier. Once we started using Epson products and it worked, we did not look for another partner. Today I have a trustworthy partner in Epson, so there is no point in looking for another partner. I have a very strong relationship with Epson. The local team is very supportive. I can call the Epson office directly and have a chat with Epson engineers if there is an issue, find out what is the next development and where we are going with the technology and products; and to me these things matter as a business person.”

He states further, “The relationship with the product managers at Epson is very strong that I could not look at another product, because I would not get the same level of service and it takes a long time to build that kind of relationship. I never met a sales person from Epson, I meet technical people in Epson, so that is a big difference for me. Normally when you meet sales people, they tell you that the machine can do everything, but when you meet the technical team, they tell you where the machine can be used and how far you can push the technology and that is a key reason for us to buy Epson and stay with Epson.”

We have very good support from Epson. We only need service for the printers once a year, which is very good compared to other printers

The colours are consistent. We have to keep the quality of our products up to the standards, because we are producing photographs and we are dealing with photographers, so we make sure that the benchmark is really high. At the end of the day those photographers are using what they get from us to increase their sales. Our products showcase what they do. If they get something that is substandard, then their business will get affected and so would ours. That’s why our maintenance, papers, and ink should be the best of the market and Epson gives us that

Epson printers are very durable. With the previous supplier, we used to spend a lot of time cleaning the heads. And the machines jammed a lot, we do not have such issues with Epson

Summary

•             Epson has made a huge contribution to the growth of Riot Photo Book by ensuring photographic print quality is their greatest competitive advantage

•             The partnership between Riot Phot Book and Epson has lasted for more than 10 years

•             The colour and quality of Epson products and the enaged team at Epson has convinced Riot Photo Book to continue the relationship with Epson

•             The company is in talks with Epson to buy more Epson Lab products to meet increasing demand