Wide Format Imaging

When Keith McBride was looking for a flatbed printer to help him expand his services at his small mom and pop operation, he chose a brand that he has been working with since he first opened his shop—Gerber Scientific Products.

"I've been buying Gerber equipment for more than 25 years. When Gerber's Signmaker IVA came out, I immediately bought it in and it changed the landscape of the sign making industry and my business. My shop was also the first one in the state of Florida to purchase the S-48 Router, and I've been buying Gerber equipment ever since," says McBride, owner of Mac1 Signs in Homosassa, FL.

Run by McBride and his wife Colleen, Mac1 Signs for is well known for quality sign making in Citrus County. He knows just about every business in the area, a community about 70 miles North of Tampa Bay, and the quality of his work has earned him lots of repeat business. He's been designing and printing graphics for the Sheriff's department for 20 years. "I've been printing jobs for a veritable who's who of whose here," laughs McBride.

McBride was looking at purchasing a flatbed printer for some time but didn't see anything out there that fit his criteria. "I wanted a true wide-format flatbed that printed durable high quality output at an economical price point," he says. His search ended while attending SGIA in Orlando last fall when the Gerber team demoed the Solara ion for him. "Not only was it the true flatbed wide-format printer I was looking for but they also tested the printer's output durability with print sample with alcohol; there was no trace of color on the paper towel. The Solara ion's GerberCAT cationic UV ink is extremely durable and vibrant. I was amazed how strong the ink is. It's like nothing I've ever seen before," declares McBride.

GerberCAT inks are an exclusive, four color (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) cationic ink set that UV cures at approximately room temperature. "This drastically expands the range of materials that we can print on Gerber Solara ion. Heat sensitive plastic, vinyl, fabric, and paper-based materials can be printed using Gerber's Cold Fire Cure and GerberCAT inks without concern over ink adhesion or material damage."

Like the S-48 Router, McBride had the distinction of having the first Solara ion in the state of Florida when it was installed this summer. "I've been very happy with the results so far. I've sort of repositioned everything in my shop around the ion."

McBride was surprised at how well and quickly the installation went. "Our Gerber technician worked out the few small kinks that came up in no time and it was very easy to assemble." And, because of his 25-year relationship with Gerber, he knows Gerber's commitment to service means that Gerber Service will make sure his machine is running smoothly.