Optimum Signs has installed a Canon Colorado 1650 from CMYUK at its premises in Preston, UK, which has gained immediate star status within the company.  “It’s phenomenal,” says MD, Matthew Austin. “I spoke with production manager James Garity who generally runs most of our print work, and his words were: ‘I don’t know how the hell we coped without it. Seriously, it’s just the best thing in the world.”

Prior to the installation of the Canon Colorado 1650, Optimum Signs was running six older Mimaki printers, three of which (2 x solvent and 1 x UV) have been replaced by the Colorado, with the remaining three retained for small volume output. Other equipment in the company’s plant list includes a Kongsberg digital cutting table, Mimaki JFX 500 flatbed and Mimaki UJV 55-320. 

The ability to deliver a possible huge campaign for a new national media client was what ultimately pushed the company towards investment in a new printer. Matt looked at several machines from different manufacturers, but after putting the Colorado through its paces at CMYUK, knew that he’d found the right solution.

“I said I’d buy the Colorado if we won the job, but we didn’t,” said Matt. “But we were still suffering with the same production issues. I soon came to realise that we couldn’t afford not to have one.”

Once the Colorado was installed, it hit the ground running outputting over 800 square metres in the first four weeks alone, something that could not have been achieved with the old production line-up. 

“The ability to switch between matt and gloss is a fantastic feature,” says Matt. “The colour consistency – the fact that we can get it to match Pantones easily is impressive. We work for a national retailer that uses a particular type of blue, and the Colorado reproduces this colour the same every single time. The UV-gel inks seem to go further too.”

Optimum’s prime focus for the Colorado is to output high quality print onto good quality materials fast. A recent favour for a sign-maker to produce fifty 2m x 1.2m banners saw the Colorado output two rolls of material at 68 square metres per hour. “Both rolls were printed in less than three hours. Literally, the guy that dropped off the media was shocked when we called to say the job was ready for collection. It was a quick turnaround but still with impeccable colour and print quality. It’s a great machine,” says Matt.

www.optimumsigns.co.uk