Roland UV printer takes the pain out of personalisation

Marco Natale grew up in a business-minded family but, when he started his own company, he admits he made some mistakes. Fortunately, discovering a Roland LEF-20 has made the path to success much smoother.

Based in Grosseto in Italy, Marco founded his first business, Centro Riparazioni – a device repair specialist – when he was 27.

"It wasn't a smooth experience and I made some impressive mistakes, but today I can see that these were fundamental for my personal and professional development," he says.

"I have understood that to progress, you need to meet the needs and the tastes of your clients. In a world where everyone has everything, our challenge is to be better than our competitors."

This drive to succeed, and an existing knowledge of sublimation processes, led to the development of a personalisation service, Coveropoli. Unfortunately, the company's initial work was both difficult and dangerous.

Marco recalls the early days: "Imagine processing a giant bulk order with a little A4 printer and a gigantic, but slow, kiln, which somehow manages to absorb 4kW and turn the laboratory into the entrance lobby to Hell. Imagine the burns!"

“With the LEF orders flow easily, we reduce costs and increase margins without any problems.”

Describing himself as 'a living research machine', Marco looked for alternatives and discovered Roland DG's UV technology. Realising quickly that a Roland VersaUV LEF-200 benchtop UV flatbed printer was perfect for creating unique items such as mobile phone cases, pens and mirrors, he and graphic designer Riccardo Ponticelli got to work.

"With the LEF orders flow easily, we reduce costs and increase margins without any problems – and without the infernal temperatures," says Marco. "For example, today we printed 130 pens in just a few minutes, using a made-to-measure template.

"Thanks to the gloss inks and the possibility of printing in relief, we can create unique graphics and can renew our collections as often as once a month."

He adds: "Every job we receive is a pleasure for our eyes and for our hearts, but when a client is fascinated by the texture and is overwhelmed by the print quality and colour brilliance, we feel genuinely fulfilled."

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The Roland VersaUV LEF UV benchtop printer takes the pain out of personalisation. Discover what else this fantastic system can do. Download our UV direct print guide and discover dozens of money-making ideas and lucrative markets.