Management at FASTSIGNS® of San Francisco, one of the franchise’s highest sales volume stores in the United States, made a key decision in early 2014 that set the tone for a very successful year. Attending the annual franchise convention last January, owner Jason Moline learned of a new alternative inkset that could eliminate the limited color choices and fading issues he was experiencing, and reduce costs. Switching to INX Digital’s TRIANGLE® ESC inks has resulted in a wider color gamut and life expectancy lasting two to three times longer than the inks it replaced.
The dual-capability alternative eco-solvent ESC inks work with the Epson Stylus® GS6000 commercial outdoor printer and Epson SureColor® series printers to produce outdoor banners, posters and tradeshow graphics. They speak to the heart of visual communications solutions FASTSIGNS of San Francisco offers to a bustling downtown business community. With sales of $1.5 million, the store ranks in the Top 10, quite an achievement considering the franchise has more than 450 locations in the U.S. and Canada.
“Many of the FASTSIGNS franchises are using ESC today, but we were among the first. We are very happy with the product and cost savings we have experienced,” said Operations Manager Alphonzo Solorzano. “The ESC inks are two to three times better than what we used previously. The color accuracy is very good and we have a much wide color gamut to work with for both indoor and outdoor work.”
That kind of flexibility is necessary given their customer base, says Solorzano. The store is located on bustling Harrison Street at the south end of San Francisco’s financial district. Two blocks to the west is the Moscone Convention Center and three blocks east is AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants and baseball’s World Series champions three times in the last five years.
“We do a lot of trade show work for the various events taking place at the Moscone Center. A good portion is run on our vinyl printers—MBO signs, indoor graphics—and we also do vehicle vinyls. The ESC ink colors are more vibrant and longer lasting, in some cases three times longer.”
ESC is designed to provide excellent outdoor durability. It offers improved Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA) resistance, and custom ICC printer profiles help with smoother transitions and improved shadowing and highlighting details.
“Many of our clients have work that needs to be turned around in a tight time frame. Most of our sign work is small in size up to 4-by-10 feet, but it can be challenging at times with the various trade shows. That’s where ESC has made things easier for us to get the work done. One of the ways we have reduced costs is by using the 2-liter size bags. Compared to cartridges, we get every drop of ink out of these bags.
“We also are very satisfied with the level of service being provided by INX Digital and Fellers. They are quick and responsive to our needs and when we switched to the ESC inks, the technician quickly trained our staff in less than one hour.”
For more information, visit www.inxinternational.com and www.inxdigital.com.
