When my colleagues asked me if I would like to showcase the potential of digital printing on unusual objects with our VersaUV LEF-200 UV plotter at FESPA 2018 in Berlin, I just couldn’t resist. It was like giving a chef the finest tools and ingredients to create delicious dishes for the most discerning pallets.
Recipe for success
First, we needed to finesse the recipe to ensure the best results. To do that I went to several stores to buy the most interesting but also everyday things I could think of. I searched for low-value objects such as stones and cork that have surfaces that are typically not decorated, let alone with digital printing.
To create my signature dish I also wanted to use a round object like a golf ball to showcase the ability to deliver high quality print on curved surfaces. It was definitely a magnificently printed show stopper – something visitors did not expect to see and it captured their imagination.
The right method
Prior to the show, I discussed our "What will you print?" theme with various colleagues. We wanted to create a fun and informal demonstration of the versatility and immediacy of the Roland LEF-200. In addition, we wanted to present a broad range of possibilities with a desk filled with pre-printed items. These were chosen to instantly whet the appetite of the audience that was keen to see how Roland DG can help their business.
A monitor behind the desk then detailed, step by step, the process that visitors could replicate for themselves. It demonstrated how they too could turn an array of objects into any digital printed delicacy they like. The printer’s own webcam presented live footage of what was being produced and highlighted the fast, flexible and consistent production that is easy to implement.
Adoption and adaption
Faced with a wealth of creative potential, we asked visitors to FESPA "What will you print?” This question lead to many different and interesting answers.
Some chose materials such as leather from their bag and even a Velcro sample case. A Russian visitor picked a matryoshka doll, some students sent a group WhatsApp photo to be printed on a €1 coin and three Spanish girls chose wooden clothespins that, as well as a photo, featured their names. Their names were added using variable data capabilities. We also had requests to print on lenses, glasses, candles, shoes, phone covers, nails and lots of personalised bow ties – the latter was surely prompted by the ones expertly modelled by myself.
I had my own special ingredients at the ready too, including candles, a corkscrew and brush as well as other surfaces that we could transform with UV printing.
Selling like hot cakes
Our highly adaptable recipe resulted in hundreds of prints being made quickly and easily on the spot, without any basic preparation. A flexible plotter like the VersaUV LEF-200 is a tool that can transverse different creative fields.
It can transform an ordinary object into something extraordinary. It can help anyone create their own signature dishes. The only limit is your own imagination.
So that just leaves the question “What will you print?”
