A new Epson SureColor SC-T7200 wide format printer has helped to lift business at long-standing Melbourne printer Dinkums Print & Design by 30% in just six months.
“We had two wide format printers but both of them were getting on and becoming expensive to run, especially for the ink and toner pearls, so we worked closely with Fuji Xerox before deciding on the Epson T7200,” says owner John Wilson. “It’s been very good. We’re now getting faster output and improved quality than we were getting from our two older machines and it’s opened up space on the floor, which is obviously another benefit.”
The Epson T7200, designed for producing high resolution large format colour and black and white prints, is ideal for maps, plans, drawings, schematics, geological survey diagrams, sales presentations, posters and displays. The T7200 also provides 600dpi scanning to 914mm in width and copying.
Wilson, who bought the business last year after leaving the corporate world, says getting the best equipment was always one of his priorities. “In printing, you’re only as good as your product and I wanted to make sure we had the best machinery. We installed the Epson about six months ago and it’s much quicker and has been popular with staff and customers.
“We’re now doing a lot of architectural plans and we have a lot of creative design students with graphic design and creative design work. When those students graduate and get into their own business they tend to come back and continue as customers. We’re also doing a lot of posters. As we speak, there’s a poster for RMIT coming off the machine.
"We’ve been working closely with our account manager at Fuji Xerox but we really haven’t had to do much in terms of maintenance and servicing.”
Wilson says he ‘stumbled’ into printing 18 months ago after deciding to leave his corporate career and he has no regrets.
“I’d been in the corporate world for 30 years at international companies like Honda, Bayer and Ansell but I just got tired of all of the politics and bureaucratic games with budgets and sales pushes and pressure from above. I wanted to get out and buy my own business. I didn’t necessarily look for a printing business but I’d had some contact with printers and I could relate to the whole print industry. You didn’t necessarily need a whole lot of experience, it’s not overly complex and it was relatively easily to slip into. I sort of stumbled into this business and I don’t regret it at all. I’m really enjoying the industry.
“Things are going very well. Business is up about 30% in the past six months and we’re certainly growing. We have a new website that’s bringing in more business and we’re positive about the future.”
Dinkums Print & Design is an independent printing and design services business that was established in 1993. It’s located at 460 Swanston Street, Carlton, on the fringe of the Melbourne CBD.