Personalized Production Solved with UV Direct Printing
Sassy Squirrel Ink | Gold River, California
Simon and Kelly Holland never expected to leave New York City. After all, he’s a professional musician and she is a professional singer/dancer. For their anniversary, Simon bought Kelly a slate plaque with a photo of the couple in Venice. That got them brainstorming about what else would look good on slate – and later sparked a move and a new, entrepreneurial career path.
Better Technology = Better Results
Simon and Kelly started Sassy Squirrel Ink in Gold River, Calif., initially using dye-sublimation to personalize small slates, but discovered that sun cooked the dye-sublimation inks away. After extensive research, they invested in a Roland DG VersaUV LEF-300 benchtop flatbed UV printer. “The LEF-300 lays down UV inks with bi-directional printing, doubling the speed,” said Simon. “The print quality is great, and it fit well in our budget.”
Expanding the Product Line
Sassy Squirrel Ink produces slate plaques personalized with home address numbers, as well as slates with customized messages and photos. They sell slates personalized for weddings and anniversaries that feature printed poems, the couples’ wedding vows, or the lyrics of the couple’s first dance song.
Simon notes that the LEF’s precision printing has been critical to their success. “We are able to clearly print lyrics to entire songs on the slates at 15-20 point size.”
To guarantee consistent, high-quality output, Sassy Squirrel Ink relies exclusively on Roland DG’s Eco-UV inks. “Matching colors is never a problem and the UV inks maintain their vibrancy over time,” noted Simon.
“There’s just so much versatility with the LEF,” said Simon. “It’s fun to come up with new ideas we can make into printed treasures.”
Better Technology = Better Results
Simon and Kelly started Sassy Squirrel Ink in Gold River, Calif., initially using dye-sublimation to personalize small slates, but discovered that sun cooked the dye-sublimation inks away. After extensive research, they invested in a Roland DG VersaUV LEF-300 benchtop flatbed UV printer. “The LEF-300 lays down UV inks with bi-directional printing, doubling the speed,” said Simon. “The print quality is great, and it fit well in our budget.”
“We are able to clearly print lyrics to entire songs on the slates at 15-20 point size”
In addition, because the LEF can print on materials up to 3.94” thick, Sassy Squirrel Ink was able to reduce its material costs. “Instead of buying pre-surfaced slates, we can buy material with some variation in its surface which is more authentic, interesting, and less expensive,” said Simon.Expanding the Product Line
Sassy Squirrel Ink produces slate plaques personalized with home address numbers, as well as slates with customized messages and photos. They sell slates personalized for weddings and anniversaries that feature printed poems, the couples’ wedding vows, or the lyrics of the couple’s first dance song.
Simon notes that the LEF’s precision printing has been critical to their success. “We are able to clearly print lyrics to entire songs on the slates at 15-20 point size.”
To guarantee consistent, high-quality output, Sassy Squirrel Ink relies exclusively on Roland DG’s Eco-UV inks. “Matching colors is never a problem and the UV inks maintain their vibrancy over time,” noted Simon.
“There’s just so much versatility with the LEF,” said Simon. “It’s fun to come up with new ideas we can make into printed treasures.”