Blackburn, UK-based MaD Chair has invested in a dedicated 44-inch-wide dye sublimation roll-to-roll Epson SureColor SC-F6300 from CMYUK, to replace an older Epson printer.

MaD Chair was founded two years ago, when designer and producer Tracy Reed went into business with her daughter Remy-Mae. Tracy has a background in digital print design and prior to MaD Chair had been producing personalised items such as canvas prints and throws. Remy-Mae has a law degree as well as a talent for design and marketing. Teaching herself design software, she also built the company’s website.

MaD Chair was as much about timing as commercial-savvy design talent. Tracy was becoming bored with the intense demands of her own on-demand bespoke print service and her daughter was not sure about whether to continue to pursue a legal career.

 “We wanted something a little bit different,” says Tracy. “We’re a little bit loud and nobody stocked what we liked, so we started producing our own designs on our old Epson printer. We realised that other people liked what we were doing. We began designing and printing fabrics for upcycle pieces, which went well, so we started producing new furniture. We’re in the process of opening an interiors shop where our products will take pride of place.

“Our older Epson model that we’d had for about eight years was a real workhorse and still working, but the blacks weren’t deep enough for us and we were changing the maintenance tank every couple of months. The new model doesn’t have these so should save us quite a substantial amount of money over the year, while the speed of the new one will make a real difference. “

The SureColor SC-F6300 is designed to produce high quality printed textiles and promotional goods. The four-colour printer has a minimum droplet size of 4 pl and prints at 720 x 1400 dpi. Easy user access and printhead maintenance minimise the need to call an engineer. Once delivered, businesses can be up and running very quickly as the printer doesn’t require any specialist tools or knowledge.

The installation of the new Epson printer coincides with the new store opening in Blackburn, both of which will further drive the business into developing new products. With a real store window to dress, collections will become more structured and co-ordinated rather than the ad-hoc inspirations of the last two years. In the near future, MaD Chair will be exploring new production techniques such as thermoforming acrylic for tables.

 “It’s an exciting time for us and our business is going from strength to strength,” says Tracy. We’re both committed to pushing the brand into new creative avenues and it’ll be interesting to see where we land in another two years.”

www.cmyuk.com

www.madchair.co