Printer Review: Scitex Vision GOjet
By Denise M. Gustavson
For
Damaso Diaz, president of Hialeah, FL-based Printer’s Cove, when
it came time to start his wide-format business, the opportunity to become
the North American beta site for Scitex’s GOjet was one he couldn’t
pass up.
“We could have chosen a number of other printers, but we knew the mechanics of the Scitex machines and we’ve known Scitex Vision for years,” says Diaz. “We wouldn’t have to start from scratch.”
Incorporated in March of 2004, Printer’s Cove was founded by Diaz and Fernando Garces, vice president, two former employees of another wide-format printer in the Miami area. The two had pioneered the digital department at their previous employer and after much deliberation decided to go out on their own. “We bounced the idea around about starting our own business for about three years. We didn’t want to jump into it. We also had to build up capital,” says Diaz.
Diaz and Garces, already familiar with Scitex Vision equipment, saw the new GOjet on display at the ISA Show in Florida in April 2004. The GOjet, a three meter-wide four-color press, has proven to be a perfect fit for Printer’s Cove’s operations, product mix, and customer base.
“We didn’t want to become a billboard company, so size was a factor. The GOjet was perfect for us, allowing us to do banners,” says Diaz. And, with the ability to print in panels, Printer’s Cove can still offer billboards as a service to any client that requests it. According to Diaz, their initial product mix was about 80 percent billboards and 20 percent banners, but they have since moved to a product mix that is about 10 percent billboards and 80 percent wall murals, vehicle wraps, and banners.
“We
are very pleased to have been selected as the beta site,” says
Diaz. The printer, installed May 8, 2004, was up and running by May
10. “Scitex Vision has helped us a lot and the GOjet has worked
like a dream for us since the day it was installed. We’ve had no
problems with it—it is a great, great machine. For us, as a start-up
shop, it has proven very simple to operate and maintain because the
new design eliminates unnecessary complexities. It is a compact machine
that feeds and delivers from the same side which meant we could save
on the size of the facility we needed to acquire in order to have adequate
operating and storage space.”
The new ink system also played a part in the decision to get this printer. “The new ink technology makes the ink much more vibrant than other printers,” says Diaz. “At high speed I can get the same density as other printers with a slower speed.”
As
the machine’s beta site, Printer’s Cove has worked closely
with the manufacturer offering product improvement suggestions. “The
things we’ve seen were minor—some tension problems and some
problems with loading—but they were quickly resolved. We received
our final upgrade to the printer in November.”
The company has produced vehicle graphics for Hard Rock Café, Miami’s Telemundo Spanish language television outlet and local radio stations, and billboards for customers that include Walt Disney World and the Miami Zoo.
“I’d definitely recommend the printer for anyone. It’s a real entry-level machine that can compete with any other on the market,” says Diaz.
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