Direct Color Systems is getting ready exhibit our Direct Jet UV printer line at Drupa 2012, the largest printing equipment exhibition in the world, held every four years in Düsseldorf, Germany. DCS will be at Hall 3 / E16 with ESC Europa.

Drupa is the premier venue to discover print industry developments. Drupa 2008 drew 391,000 visitors from 138 countries, spanning the entire print media industry and its markets, clients and suppliers. Drupa's scope includes both traditional and pioneering technologies for pre-press and pre-media, printing, book binding and print finishing as well as paper converting services.

Clearly, these industries have changed a great deal since 2008. So what can we expect from the industry's leading event this May? We fully expect inkjet and digital technologies to continue to take center stage. Drupa 2008 showcased first-generation high-speed inkjet web presses, and we will likely see the evolution of that technology from concept to production at this year's event. We will also see an expanding range of applications where inkjet has become the fastest-growing print technology.

We hope you'll join us at Drupa 2012, where you'll be sure to witness the latest and greatest innovations in our industry.

Learn more about Drupa 2012 at www.drupa.com.

Each month, Direct Color Systems features a different TSS (Technical Sales Specialist) based in the USA and Canada. These regional associates are your local link to sales, installation and technical support for all DCS products. Our featured TSS for the month of April is Ed James, based in Houston, Texas.

Ed has been involved in the graphics arts, printing, newspaper production and digital printing industries for 38 years. During this time, he has accumulated a wealth of knowledge in offset, rotary, web, flexographic and digital printing technologies. Ed has held additional roles in pre-press/front-end systems and post-press equipment sales, as well as street sales, sales management and regional management positions. Ed now runs his own graphics arts/digital equipment business, ELJames Technologies. 

After hearing about DCS through his good friend and DCS Charlotte associate Brian Roberts, Ed decided that a partnership between his company and DCS would make perfect sense. Ed has now been associated with DCS for 4 months in the marketing of Direct Jet Solvent and UV Printers and supplies.

"I market products to a growing digital community, and the Direct Jet UV line really did help finish out my offering to that market base. I'm finding that my customers are pushing the Direct Jet UV system to ever-greater limits, and our application engineers are finding new ways to meet these needs," Ed says. "The sky is the limit with what we can try to print on. I believe we have a stronger and more durable product offering than the competition, and we have several feature sets that they don't offer in this format size. Being made in the USA also is a big plus.

"One of the biggest benefits to selling the DCS line is the feeling of partnership between my company and DCS. We are both on the same page, working together to grow sales and make smart marketing decisions. Blair, Bill, Dave and the rest of the DCS Connecticut team all work toward making the very highest quality digital printing systems, making it easy able to fill our customers' needs and budgets."

We thank Ed for sharing his story, and look forward to working with him in the future. If you are located in Texas or its surrounding states, Ed will be happy to further discuss DCS printing equipment with you. You can contact Ed at eljtechnologies@gmail.com.

For the month of April, Direct Color Systems is pleased to feature a long-standing customer of ours, John Mancini at J & G Enterprises.

John became a DCS customer 14 years ago, when he purchased a 590 model used to print products for police departments. He eventually replaced this with a Millennium 770 Badge & Plate Printer, which provided several more years of faithful service. John recently visited the DCS facility to purchase another 770, when he learned about the Direct Jet 1024UV and its capabilities.

"I was floored by what it could do," John says. "I went back to my office and brainstormed to see what new items I could bring into my business with that machine. I came up with an idea that would replace one of our existing products that we currently laser-etch. After about 2 months of the new product being available, my sales doubled – and it looks like it's just the start."

John now manufactures items on the Millennium 770 and Direct Jet 1024UV. "The fit is absolutely perfect," he says. "Plus the 1024 gives me so much more flexibility there isn't a day that goes by that I'm not trying something new on it."

When asked why he has continued to stick with DCS products, John replied "I definitely think it's the service and the quality of the machine. Let's face it: there are plenty of manufacturers out there, but what good is it if the machines do not perform the way they are expected, or if you get the run-around when you have a problem? I have numerous machines in my shop, and every machine manufacturer promises the world. The 1024UV was the first machine I ever bought that does everything it's suppose to and more. The fact that I have dealt with DCS for so long made it very easy to purchase another machine from them."

"Everything is expensive in today's economy, and if you don't have a company that will back its product up, you are just throwing money away. If you're investing in a machine, you're also investing in the company that manufactures the machine – you had better make sure that you trust that company, because your business depends on it. Every machine will break eventually; the question is, 'how fast can I get it back working?' I guarantee I'm not the easiest person to deal with when things are not running smoothly. DCS understands that, and provides me with the service I need."

Click here to visit J & G Enterprises online.

This month's featured DCS distributor is Thermoflan, based in Le Vigan, France. For more than 50 years, Thermoflan has specialized in the manufacture and sale of marking equipment. Jean Luc Moureau, General Manager recently spoke with us about their business.

"When addressing our customers' marking needs, we must account for considerations such as substrate, print size, quantity, number of colors and output resolution. Based on these requirements, we determine the best technique and recommend appropriate equipment. In the past, our offerings have included laser engravers, pad printing machines, doming equipment and sign making equipment. UV printers recently emerged as a logical addition to our product range. UV printers are typically used in customizing items such as gifts and USB keys, in addition to industrial applications such as labels, panel fronts and nameplates.

"We already knew DCS as a leading company in the digital flatbed printer business, and we decided to investigate their new line of Direct Jet UV printers four months ago. After contacting them, we became convinced of their product availability and reliability.

"We now sell the Direct Jet 1014 and 1024 UV printers, as well as the Flex33. These printers have become a natural complement to our offerings. They produce high-quality images with sharp details, and white ink widens the range of possible applications. Thanks to their reliability, we confidently offer these machines to our customers. We have the opportunity to resell other brands, but continue to stick by the DCS UV line for its ink flexibility, industry-leading Z-axis and printer dimensions. We are proud to distribute DCS machines in our country."

Direct Color Systems is thrilled to partner with this well-established and highly respected marking business. You can visit Thermoflan's website at www.thermoflan.com.