A good wide-format printer, much like a swiss army knife, can be used for a wide range of applications. This is great news for your sign shop—especially if you are looking for new ways to get the most out of your wide-format equipment. One of the keys to getting the most out of your investment is having enough jobs in the hopper to keep your printer arsenal constantly working for you. It’s all about “feeding the beast”.
一个好的宽幅打印机就好比瑞士军刀，有很多广泛的应用。这对你的标识商店来说是个好消息，尤其是如果你正在寻找新的方式来充分利用你的宽幅设备。从你的投资中获得最大收益的关键之一是有足够的工作机会来保证你的打印机能够充分利用。
To feed the beast, you need to implement strategies to keep your printers printing, but how? Do you simply squeeze in lots of small jobs between large ones? What are the value and drawbacks of running double shifts? Keeping the printers well maintained with the least possible downtime is another key issue. How do you keep them maintained and running in tip-top form?
为了满足这种需求，您需要实现一些策略来维护打印机，但是如何维护呢?你是否只是简单地在大型作业之间挤出时间进行大量的小作业？实行双班制的优点和缺点是什么？另一个关键问题是如何在尽可能短的停机时间内维护好打印机，您如何保持它们以最佳的状态进行维护和运行？
Boning up on all the types of applications your printers are capable of so you can offer more print options from your clients is another benefit. What kinds of “high-value” things you can offer with your printer, special applications such as double-sided prints, backlits, layered printing and printing onto unusual substrates? To answer some of these questions, we spoke with a number of the leading suppliers and polled them about some of the most important points to consider to help maximize the profitability of your printer. Whether you’re looking for some helpful tips or just want to add a few new print options for your business, you’re sure to find something beneficial from this primer.
熟悉打印机能够让它打印最多的打印产品类型，因此也能为客户提供更多的打印选择，您的打印机能为顾客提供什么有价值的东西，或能够为顾客带来哪些特殊的应用？如双面打印，分层打印和打印到特殊材质的材料上等。为了解决其中的一些问题，我们与一些前沿的供应商进行了交谈，并询问了他们一些相关的问题，以帮助最大限度地提高打印机的盈利能力。无论您正在寻找一些有用的信息或只是想为您的业务添加一些新的打印选择，您一定会从这篇文章中发现一些有益的东西。
Keeping your printers printing
保持打印的工作状态
Kitt Jones, applications specialist at Roland DGA, Irvine, California, says the single best way to feed your machine is to sell, sell, sell!
位于加利福尼亚州欧文市Roland DGA的应用专家凯特·琼斯（Kitt Jones）说：“为您的机器提供最好的单一销售方式就是使劲卖产品！”
“It’s important to understand what type of projects will yield the highest profits and keep your printer busy," he says. "One of the most undersold applications is interior wall graphics. Such jobs are highly profitable and, because they involve flat surfaces, and they are much easier to install than vehicle wraps. In addition, they have the potential to involve significant square footage when it comes to material. Most sign shops today focus on vehicle wraps and, while this is a great application, these types of jobs can be difficult for a young sign shop to handle,” he explains.
凯特·琼斯说：“了解什么类型的项目能产生最高的利润，让你的打印机保持‘忙碌’是很重要的。最不受欢迎的应用之一是平面图形，这类工作成本很高，但又因为它们涉及到平面，而且比车辆包装更容易安装，在很多顾客看来没有什么技术性，所以在市场上价位较低，而且有时候会涉及到相当大面积的材料，处理起来非常麻烦。如今大多数标识店都专注于车辆包装，虽然这是一个很好的打印类型，但对于一刚刚起步的标识店来说，这类工作可能很难处理。”
Jones adds that it really comes down to the installation, which can either make or break the quality of any kind of wrap. “To find clients for wall wraps, a shop should first look at its current clientele, as these clients will be the easiest to ‘harvest.’ Interior decorators, architects, contractors are great prospects, as are museums and activity centers. Be sure to wrap your own lobby, too, as this will make for a great conversation starter and help you promote your services.”
琼斯补充说：“打印实际上取决于安装，它决定任何类型的包装质量。要想为产品寻找客户，您应该首先查看当前的客户，因为这些客户是最容易收获的，像室内设计师、建筑师、承包商，以及博物馆和活动中心都是很有前途的职业。一定要把你自己的大厅也包起来，因为它是您与客户交流时的谈资，能帮助您推广打印服务。”
Dan Johansen, senior manager, Wide Format, Commercial & Industrial Printing Business Group, Ricoh USA, West Caldwell, New Jersey, says that there are many schools of thought regarding how best to keep a printer printing. He points out that many shops prioritize the jobs that they do throughout the production day based on the timeline and the due date of the work, triaging around making deadlines as the top priority. “This can be less productive, however, because it requires a print operator to change substrates frequently for different jobs. Some printers choose to knock out multiple jobs that use the same substrate all at once or back-to-back, so they don’t have to change the same substrate out and then back in again. In fast-turn shops where that level of planning can be a luxury, printers can reduce waste by holding on to unused portions of substrate that can be used for smaller jobs to be run between larger jobs.”
丹·约翰森（Dan Johansen）是位于美国新泽西州西考德威尔理光工业印刷商业集团的高级经理。丹·约翰森说：“有很多人的想法都是如何最大限度的保持打印机打印。许多商店根据工作的时间表和截止日期优先考虑他们在整个生产日所做的工作，并将截止日期作为首要任务进行分类。然而，这可能会降低生产效率，因为它需要印刷操作员经常更换基板以用于不同的工作。一些打印机选择同时淘汰多个使用相同基板的工作，因此他们不必更换相同的基板然后再次进入打印状态，在快速转变的工作中，这种级别的规划可能是一种奢侈，打印机可以通过保留未使用的基板部分来减少浪费，这些基板可以用于较小的作业。”
Johansen says that if a shop has enough job volume to justify more than a single shift, obviously a second shift can be more cost effective than new equipment in many cases, but not all. “Before deciding between adding a shift or adding equipment to keep up with demand, work out the cost of the labor you’re considering versus the total cost of ownership (TCO) of the equipment you’re considering. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer.”
约翰森说：“如果一个商店有足够的业务量来证明以上的作业规划是合理的，那么很明显，在许多情况下，第二次轮班显然比新设备更具成本效益，，但并非所有情况都是如此。在决定是增加轮班次数还是增加设备以满足需求之前，先计算出你正在考虑的劳动力成本与你正在考虑的设备的总拥有成本(TCO)，当然没有放之四海而皆准的答案。”
Michael Maxwell, senior manager at Mimaki USA, Suwanee, Georgia, adds that proper planning at the beginning of the production week is a must. “Looking at the different media to be printed on and the delivery times will help minimize downtime. As an example, queuing up all jobs for vinyl that will be laminated and potentially cut allows operators to load the printer and start sending files. Most production bottlenecks are manual processes, such as loading and unloading media, setting head heights, and adjusting settings. By grouping jobs together, operators are able to focus on other tasks.”
佐治亚州萨沃尼市美国Mimaki 的高级经理迈克尔·马克斯韦尔（Michael Maxwell）补充说：“在生产周开始时进行适当的规划是必须的，查看要打印的不同材料信息，将有助于最大限度地减少停机时间。例如，所有将被层压并可能切割的乙烯基排队作业时，允许操作员加载打印机并开始发送文件。大多数生产的手动过程，例如装载和卸载要打印的材料，设置打印头高度以及调整设置。 通过将工作分组在一起，操作员也有精力专注于其他任务。”
Mark Rugen, director of product marketing and education at Mutoh America, Phoenix, Arizona, says that between paid jobs, it’s time to do some giveaways and kits. “By ‘giveaways’ we mean samples that can be used to market your services; creating small items that show off your printer’s capabilities. This might include a luggage tag or iPhone cover for a desktop UV-LED printer like the Mutoh VJ626. By ‘kits’ I mean, items that you make ahead of time for sale for walk-in customers. They may be waiting for a job they brought in, but while you are packaging it, why not create a stand loaded with some cool ‘for sale’ kits like an iPhone cover or maybe a vehicle window item. You can make these with equipment such as Mutoh VJ1638x printer and contour cut it with a Mutoh VC1300 vinyl cutter.”
亚利桑那州凤凰城美国Mutoh公司产品营销和教育主管马克•鲁根(Mark Rugen)表示：“在工作之余，可以做一些赠品和礼物包。我们所说的赠品是指可以用来推销你方服务的样品，制作一些能够彰显打印机功能的小产品。这可以是一个行李标识或手机壳，可以用桌面打印机Mutoh VJ626。我说的礼物包，是指你提前为顾客准备的产品，他们可能正在等待需要的打印厂家，但当你在包装它的时候，还可以弄一个架子，装上一些很酷的销售工具，比如iPhone的手机壳，或者汽车窗户上的贴纸。您可以用Mutoh VJ1638x打印机等设备来制作这些，并使用Mutoh VC1300乙烯基切割机进行轮廓切割。”
Learning about applications
探索多样化的可制作产品
“Using your imagination is great, but sometimes you might just need some application ideas,” says Rugen. “We recommend checking out Pinterest or other online services where other shops love to post their ideas. Mutoh has even started a new website called www.thinkmutoh.com where we post ‘How-To’ videos to help users learn how to use Mutoh printers to get jobs done For example, we have a full video on creating a jig and then using white and varnish inks in our VJ626 UV-LED printer,” he adds.
“要调动你的想象力，利用你的打印机去制造一些不可思议的产品。”鲁根说，“我们建议你去查看Pinterest（网站名称）或其他商店喜欢发布其想法的其他在线服务。Mutoh甚至已经开设了一个名为www.thinkmutoh.com的新网站，我们发布了打印机操作方法的视频，以帮助用户学习如何使用Mutoh打印机完成工作。比如关于VJ626 UV-LED打印机采用白色和清漆墨水的知识，在我们的网站中可以看到完整的视频。”
Maxwell notes that applications are mostly tied to the ink technology and not the printer itself. “It is always good practice to do research on ink and media compatibility prior to producing a job. Many media manufacturers will offer multi-use media and some will even offer more specialized substrates. Inks, such as solvent and UV-LED, are more prevalent in the market and therefore offer more options and information. Other inks, such as latex, may be more limited in media compatibility and require additional testing and verification.”
马克斯韦尔说：“有些时候打印出来的产品主要与墨水技术有关，而与打印机本身无关。在生产产品之前，先对油墨和介质的兼容性进行研究，这是一种很好的做法。许多制造商能提供多用途原料，因此能为我们提供更多选择和信息。有些甚至会提供非常专业的制造原料。一般溶剂和UV-LED等油墨在市场上比较普遍，其他油墨，如乳胶，可能在介质兼容性方面受到更多限制，这也需要额外的测试和验证。”
He adds that ultimately, the manufacturer of the media and the distributor that sells it should be the first place to explore other application options based on the ink and platform of the printer, i.e. flatbed versus roll to roll.”
他补充说：“最终，打印机制造商和销售它的经销商应该首先探索基于打印机墨水和平台的其他用途，即平板打印机与卷对卷打印机。”
“If you want to know how far you can push boundaries in your print environment, I cannot recommend highly enough having regular meetings with your substrate providers,” says Johansen. “These people tend to be on the cutting edge of new substrates and applications available in the wide format market. Substrate providers are always eager to highlight new revenue opportunities or new products you could offer your customers, because that means selling those substrates to you. They’d love to establish themselves as a trusted partner you can come back to, so they’re even further incentivized to enhance your portfolio and help you succeed.”
约翰森说:“如果你想知道在你的印刷环境中，你能在多大程度上突破界限，我强烈建议你与基材供应商定期举行会议。这些人往往处于新基板和应用程序的最前沿，可在广泛的格式市场。基板供应商总是渴望突出您可以为您的客户提供的新收入机会或新产品，因为这意味着向您销售这些基材。 他们喜欢将自己打造成值得信赖的合作伙伴，因此他们甚至可以进一步激励您提升自己的投资组合并帮助您取得成功。”
Jones agrees that a good place to start is your inkjet dealer or media vendor. “If you’re a Roland owner, and you’re not currently working with an authorized dealer, you can get a referral by contacting a Roland representative.”
琼斯认为与你的喷墨打印机经销商或材料供应商保持联系是一个好的开始。如果你有Roland的产品，而你目前又没有与授权经销商合作，你可以通过联系Roland的代表来获得推荐。
He says that dealers have extensive knowledge of the various trends/markets, what’s selling well, and what’s happening in the industry, so whether the job is a wall wrap, vehicle wrap, backlit, or a UV application, the reseller should be able provide valuable insights. “Roland DGA also offers a wealth of application ideas and expert tips in the free webinars, workflow videos, blogs, and other resources available at the www.rolanddga.com website.”
琼斯说：“经销商对各种市场趋势有着广泛的了解，知道什么东西卖得好，以及这个行业正在发生什么变革，因此，无论这份工作是墙壁包装、汽车包装还是UV应用，经销商都应该能够提供有价值的见解。Roland DGA还在www.rolanddga.com网站有免费的网络研讨会、工作视频、博客，这为我们提供了丰富的应用程序知识和专家提示。”
Jones adds if you are looking to add new applications and business opportunities to your current product offerings, the UV market is a great place to start. “Roland’s innovative VersaUV series printers, such as those within the LEF, LEJ and LEC series, offer incredible potential for growth and profits. All of our VersaUV models allow users to incorporate unique textural and dimensional effects into their prints with gloss and white inks.”
琼斯补充说：“如果你想在现有产品中添加新的应用和商业机会，UV市场是一个很好的起点。Roland创新的VersaUV系列打印机，如那些LEF, LEJ和LEC系列，提供了惊人的增长潜力和利润。我们所有的VersaUV系列打印机都能够将白色油墨印刷出独特的光泽纹理和尺寸。”
“High-value” options
“高价值”选项
Maxwell says that the most high-value products typically come from UV-cure printer technologies, given the expansiveness of its capabilities. “With this technology, virtually any surface is printable. This opens up a world of creative customized products that are easy to produce and very profitable. Additionally, newer developments in how the ink can be layered allows for higher value applications, such as backlits, front/back signage, P.O.P. displays, and transformative images. With Mimaki UV-LED printers, any print service providers looking to expand beyond the usual applications without losing those capabilities can do so easily and offer diversification.”
马克斯韦尔说：“鉴于其功能的广泛性，最高价值的产品通常来自UV固化打印机技术。借助这项技术，几乎任何表面都是可打印的。这开辟了一个创意定制产品的世界，这些产品易于生产且非常有利可图。此外，墨水如何分层的新发展允许更高价值的应用，例如背板，标识，旗帜和墙壁图形等。使用Mimaki UV-LED打印机，任何希望在不失去这些功能的情况下扩展到通常应用程序以外的打印服务提供商都可以轻松实现这一目标并实现多样化。”
“I think the biggest value that Roland provides to its customers are solutions,” says Jones. “This starts with VersaWorks and VersaWorks Dual software, these RIPs incorporate a host of great tools for maximizing efficiency, convenience and productivity, including automation and hot folders, variable data control, and other great features. For UV-cure and eco-solvent white ink users, the ability to generate gloss or white plate on the fly makes adding either to your file for print a one-click operation.
“我认为Roland为客户提供的最大价值就是解决方案。”琼斯说，“这也多亏了VersaWorks和VersaWorks Dual软件，它们包含许多出色的工具，可以最大限度地提高效率，方便性和生产率，包括自动化，可变数据控制和其他强大功能。 对于使用紫外线固化和环保溶剂的用户，即时生成光泽或白色印版的功能可以将您的文件添加到文件中进行单击操作。”
“The UV market is growing rapidly," continues Jones. "Our ADA Braille solutions, along with the ability of our printers to add multiple layered textures, are opening up lucrative new revenue streams for users. Being able to print on leather, acrylic, metal, stone—virtually any type of media or objects—opens the doorway for inspired entrepreneurs to excel, enter different markets, and cultivate new business opportunities.”
琼斯继续说道：“UV市场正在迅速增长。我们的ADA盲文标识解决方案以及我们的打印机添加多层纹理的能力，正在为用户开辟利润丰厚的新收入来源。能够在皮革、亚克力、金属、石材等几乎任何类型的材料或物品上进行打印，为有创造力的企业家打开了一扇大门，让他们脱颖而出，进入不同的市场，并创造新的商机。”
Johansen says whether you’re printing roll to roll or on rigid material, diversity of substrates opens up opportunities for unique applications that not only create very compelling graphics for the print buyer, but they also create an opportunity for the printer to sell higher-value—and subsequently higher-margin—products.
约翰森说：“无论你是在织物还是在刚性材料上印刷，打印材料的多样性为独特的产品制造了机会，这些产品不仅为印刷购买者创造了非常引人注目的图形，而且也为打印机创造了销售更高价值的机会，甚至是更高利润的产品。”
“For example, effect-based printing, utilizing multiple layers of ink, or unique substrates, such as aluminum panels or acrylics, can create high-impact, high-margin graphics," Johansen says. "Health clubs often love the look of direct print onto brushed aluminum panels, because stark letters against aluminum projects strength, a perfect fit for this industry segment. Retailers, meanwhile, might look to enhance their messaging with other stand-out applications, such as day/night backlits, where the image changes based on light conditions, allowing signage to transform right in front of your audience’s eyes,” he concludes.
约翰森说：“以效果为基础的印刷，利用多层墨水，或独特的基材，如铝板或丙烯酸树脂，可以创造出精致耐用的打印产品，像保健俱乐部喜欢直接的外观，标识商家一般直接印刷在拉丝铝板上，因为对铝合金的鲜明字母突出了强度，非常适合这个行业领域。与此同时，零售商可能希望通过其他突出的打印效果来增强他们的信息，例如日夜渐变标识，它能根据光线条件而变化，能够在观众眼前变换成不同的颜色。”
