Issue link: https://nbm.uberflip.com/i/1482193
G R A P H I C S - P R O. C O M N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 2 • G R A P H I C S P R O 1 3 Another advantage is the ability to add gloss and textures, and to simulate embossing. We had a client who wanted all the text embossed on an award for a tactile effect. We were able to print 20 passes on our LEF benchtop UV printer to achieve a 1.5mm height on the text. is effect made our client very happy and was much easier than laser cutting and affixing individual letters would have been. Using our UV printer saved us a great deal of time and expense. Investing in a UV printer has been one of the best decisions we've ever made for this business. We bought our first Roland DG LEF UV printer in 2015, and I wish we'd done it sooner. We now have four LEF2-200 printers in the studio. We just replaced our original LEF inkjet after seven years of heavy daily use, and it was still going strong. What substrates are you printing on these days? We print mostly to wood, acrylic, and anodized aluminum. We have also printed on cork, karate belts, resin, and grip tape (the sandpaper y layer on skateboard decks), as well as to 3 D prints. What are some of the main consid- erations that go into a successful award design? We like to think of awards as "physi- cal branding." We feel like the awards are an extension of the client's brand, so they should adhere to the brand's guide- lines and be visually complementary. One trend we are noticing lately is that there are more companies getting creative with award design, which is great to see. ere are far too many badly designed awards out there! Why do you think your clients choose Andrew Watson Design? I think our clients choose us because our designs are unique, and because we pro- vide personalized service. In addition, we design and manufacture everything our- selves, which is a competitive advantage in this industry. What lies ahead for Andrew Watson Design? We want to continue to discover new materials and manufacturing processes. We have a lot of fun exploring and experimenting with design ideas, printing techniques and material options, and adapting those into our award designs. GP Ginny Mumm is a freelance consultant for Roland DGA. Choose from 18-, 30-, 54- and 78-inch wide models. Quickly add one or multiple heating chambers and extend the conveyor belt to multiply capacity in direct proportion to each module added. Vastex LittleRed XD-Series dryers rocket ink temps up to 320°F in the first several inches of conveyor travel and hold at-cure temps longer for the highest possible rates. Cure 185+ garments/hr DTG printed with white ink, 555+ with pretreatment or screen printed water-based ink or discharge, or 1080+ screen printed with plastisols. ALL DTG INKS & PRETREATMENT & ALL SCREEN PRINTED INKS & DISCHARGE —WAY FASTER, USING LESS ENERGY +1-610-625-2702 SALES@VASTEX.COM VASTEX.COM KK-0301 Lo-E uses 20% less energy! NEW! NEW!