It is becoming an uphill battle for businesses to stand out from the crowd, especially when it comes to providing goods and services in an era of hyper-consumerism, which is certainly true for the web-to-print-self-adhesive label and sticker industry. However, Stickershop has continued to move far ahead of its competition.
Established in 2017, Stickershop is a small label and sticker printing company that has fast grown in the last 5 years, providing waterproof stickers, paper stickers, die-cut stickers, foil stickers, and laminated vinyl.
The reasons for Stickershop's success lie in the pedigree of the team of so-called print ‘nerds’ that are available around the clock to discuss custom orders or even general business enquiries. But that is not the only factor contributing to Stickershop's rapid growth. With an increasing contingent of 9 Roland DG machines at their disposal for rapid printing and cutting, 95% of the company's orders can be sent out in less than 48 hours.
Stickershop’s Director, Shane Pritchard, explained that “as a growing business, all that Stickershop needed was reliable machines that provided premium printing and cutting services which were economical. But with Roland DG machines, and particularly the VG-640, we have much more than this - with rigorously tested, industry-certified TR2 inks and Roland DG Connect software giving us premium prints at competitive prices. Prices which can be monitored and controlled.”
Care and support
Roland DG’s TrueVIS VG-640 was the ideal choice for Shane given the exponential growth that Stickershop was experiencing. The growth meant that Stickershop needed a printer that could cut, print, and size stickers and vinyl sheets all from the same device - but offered an edge.
“We have used many other printers, with similar functions - but what really sets Roland apart is the relationship that they build with their partners. Even though Roland DG machines have been very reliable from the get-go, sometimes one has to call upon experts for advice - and whenever we have, the service was quick and accurate. Roland understands our business priorities and fits them like a glove.”
What the Future Holds
As the economic crisis deepens, print shops need to focus on scaling back costs wherever possible. This is an area in which Stickershop has utilised Roland DG technology to the fullest, using the Roland DG ‘take-up system’, which allows users to wind up printed material automatically and manage unmanned production with maximum efficiency. The system includes a convenient front-mounted take-up roller and an advanced tension-controlled take-up unit for optimum media feeding and tracking. This tool has given Stickershop the ability to save on labour and people hours whilst running longer monitored runs.
In these worsening economic conditions business output is also a major concern. This is where Roland DG Connect comes into play - a machine-monitoring app that helps print shops gain a detailed understanding of their entire print operation while keeping their devices running at optimum print performance to reduce downtime and improve work efficiency. Businesses can utilise the business dashboard to quickly calculate job costs and profits by entering the per-unit selling price and the cost for ink and media.
Speaking on the cost-saving tools provided by Roland DG, Shane added: “These tools enable businesses like ours to not only survive, but thrive, during times of economic depression. In these times we need to be able to have oversight over our printing operations whilst being able to control spending and focus on waste management - so it's no surprise that we use Roland DG machines which enable us to do so seamlessly.”
As Stickershop grows and scales its work from cottage clients to large corporations, they will continue to count on Roland DG to partner with them through their business growth journey.
