Tag | Roland

Less Taxing Times Ahead

05 April 2011 Patrick Kersey Inspiration charlie sheen , taxes , tsunami

As everyone would agree, this time of year can be especially taxing (pun intended). This year, however, we have the added worries of war in the mid-east and leaking radiation in Japan. Meanwhile, governments everywhere are wrestling with how to pay for their growing debt.

ABC: Always Be Closing

31 March 2011 Rick Scrimger Inspiration 100 ways to print & profit with a roland , @gerrylayo , @rolanddga , @skipgrant , glengarry glen ross , inc. magazine , isa expo 2011 , sales training

Glengarry Glen Ross, the 1992 movie, featured an all-star cast: Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Alec Baldwin, Alan Arkin, Ed Harris, Kevin Spacey and Jonathan Pryce. During a memorable scene, Alec Balwin says the famous phrase: “ABC. Always Be Closing.”

Stickers-on-the-Go… Everybody’s Doing It

28 March 2011 Dede Sabey Inkjet Printers & Printers/Cutters , Tips & Tricks art caddy's , mooring balls , paint mask , personalization , portable vinyl cutter , stencils , stika , vinyl cutter , vinyl plotter

Stickers. Decals. Lettering. It’s not something that an average person ponders on a regular basis, but if we had a means, I bet we’d all use custom stickers quite regularly. This thought occurred to me as I was looking through our list of owners for the STIKA portable vinyl cutters. What an assortment of small businesses, large businesses, schools and just regular people. The STIKA is being used for custom decals, t-shirt deco, personalized gifts, bakeries, realty signage and so much more.

You Printed What?

18 March 2011 Patrick Kersey Inspiration aj-1000 , creative center , fabric , fp-740 , heatsoft , inkjet , interior design , lec , textile , versauv

Wide-format inkjet printers are now producing some amazing things with fabric. You have probably seen many examples of sublimation, like these sublimated jerseys produced on a Roland DG FP-740. I especially enjoy the printed fabric wings on the replica of an 1895 Lillienthal glider that hangs in our lobby and were printed on a Roland DG AJ-1000.

The Sun will rise again

15 March 2011 Dave Goward Inspiration earthquake , japan , manufacturing , red cross , roland dg , roland dga , tsunami

This can't be happening I thought when I first heard the news that a major earthquake had struck northern Japan. I had the same feeling when I heard that a devastating tsunami followed the earthquake. And again when I heard that the nuclear energy plant had lost power and was out of control. Can this really be happening all at the same time? Sadly, the answer turned out to be yes.

Domo Arigato Mr. Roboto

09 March 2011 Dede Sabey Inspiration avon high school , benchtop milling machine , connecticut , desktop milling machine , educators , first , functional parts , high school , mdx-40a , rapid manufacturing , rapid prototyping , robots , stem , students , uberbots

For all the negative news we hear in regard to the American school system – budget cuts, teacher strikes, drop-out rates, graduates that can’t write – it is certainly nice to hear about some smart kids that are excited and motivated about learning and about school programs that teach students real-world skills and experience. Here’s one such example.

The Virtues of Being Nimble

01 March 2011 Patrick Kersey Engraving , Inspiration

On my way to work this morning, I endured the typical frustrations of driving in Southern California traffic. The cement, garbage, 18-wheelers and other commercial trucks were lined up four abreast. In addition, there were the usual assortment of cars and pickups traveling at a rate 10 to 15 miles under the speed limit and leaving huge gaps, sometimes a quarter mile — between them and the next vehicle.

Secrets Revealed

24 February 2011 Rick Scrimger Inspiration inkjet , lec-330 , rapid package prototyping

No, this isn't a follow-up from my last post where I actually "reveal secrets" from my recent trip to Japan. It's a reference to an event here at Roland DGA that we've had after the last 2 Pacific Design & Engineering/West Pack shows.

Meanwhile in Japan: New Product R&D

08 February 2011 Rick Scrimger Marketing Expertise , Inspiration

Roland DG is a Japanese company. While the name doesn't sound like it, it actually is. Our counterparts in Japan come over to Roland DGA's territory for shows and meetings with us fairly often, but a once or twice a year I head over to Hamamatsu Japan for meetings and to get the latest on new products in our pipeline. This time, we sent our sales, product management and field engineering teams over to have them see, first-hand, what R&D is working on and what we have coming. There's no way for me to translate every product detail or the excitement the engineers have for our products when I visit, so it's important for them to see it for themselves.

Realistic Packaging Prototypes - Without an Arts & Crafts Session

01 February 2011 Dede Sabey Inkjet Printers & Printers/Cutters box prototype , inkjet , lec , lec-330 , mock-ups , package design , packaging , proofs , prototyping , rapid package prototyping , versauv , westpack

How much easier would it be to sell your package concept to your client or your superiors if you could make new mock-ups every day as your design evolves?