ImagesMagUK-July-2020

www.images-magazine.com 60 images JULY 2020 WIDE FORMAT DIGITAL PRINTING Kate Bartlett, owner Tell us a bit about your business What started as a hobby a few years ago soon became an upholstery business that I’m now totally passionate about. I specialise in reupholstering chairs, settees, chaise longues and other furniture, particularly those with a history. Many old chairs have wonderful hidden stories behind them. Most of my commissions are for much-loved furniture that have been in families for many years and are now in need of restoration. What is the latest wide format printer you’ve bought and when did you buy it? We purchased the new Epson SureColor F500 24” printer from Your Print Specialists (YPS) earlier this year. Did you buy it to replace an older machine or some other reason? My husband, Tim, and I have been students at the Ministry of Upholstery in Manchester. I have learnt an awful lot about the art and skills of upholstery from the owner, Anthony Devine, while Tim did a fabric design course using the latest software and technology. As a result, we had the idea of complementing our business by creating a range of personalised items and also wall art products to sell Kate Bartlett Upholstery: Epson SC-F500 fromYour Print Specialists alongside our upholstery work. Our customers were very interested by this idea and so we looked to add a digital printer to our business. Having spent a lot of time at the Ministry of Upholstery, which uses a range of printers from YPS, it made a lot of sense for us to look at the new Epson desktop printer. We were given lots of advice by Anthony Devine and also Peter from YPS was very helpful. How much did it cost? I purchased the Epson as part of the YPS ‘Business in a Box’ bundle, which includes a heat press and a selection of media and inks. The tier 1 bundle, which includes a sewing machine, is available from YPS for £2,250 plus VAT. What sort of work is it used for? The Epson produces spectacular quality image output and can be applied to a huge range of fabrics and substrates. It is so exciting to see all the possibilities this printer offers. We have been turning even more creative ideas into reality in a way that our customers love. It’s early days with the printer, but we are looking forward to seeing how we can fulfil our ambition to grow our business through increased personalisation and complementary wall art. What are its main advantages? The F500 is a great size in that it is big enough to produce large format output, but small enough to fit within our working environment. It is also amazingly easy to use – very much plug and play. Most importantly, the quality of the output is very high and this is essential in the premium business we work in. Is there anything you’d like to see in an upgrade or don’t particularly like about it? I am currently using Adobe Photoshop with the printer, but I understand there is dedicated software for this machine coming soon and I would be very interested to see what that can offer. What’s it like to use? It really is an amazingly easy printer to use. Most of my working life has been with horses so I have had no experience whatsoever with design and printing. Even so, I have picked it up really quickly and am producing some really good quality products. I think if it is this easy for me, then anyone could pick it up. Do you use any other equipment in combination with your printer? I purchased the printer with a 50cm x 50cm PixMax heat press. This is also very easy to use and I have followed the lead from YPS and Anthony Devine in terms of how best to use this machine. They have helped with providing the temperatures it needs to operate at for different fabrics. What would be your advice to others thinking of buying a similar printer? Go ahead and do it! It’s simple to use and the world is your oyster in terms of what you can use it for. You can take any design that’s in your head and make it into reality. Personally, I am really looking forward to spending more time with it. www.katebupholstery.co.uk Kate Bartlett bought the Epson as part of the YPS ‘Business in a Box’ bundle