A continual increase in demand for print on rigid materials has led OTW Imaging to invest in a Durst Rho 205/16 wide-format digital printer to enable a step-up in production and output quality. This latest installation coincides with the company's decision to augment the size of its premises by acquiring an additional unit adjacent to the two it already occupies. Now in its ninth year of trading, OTW is based in Norwich and has grown steadily to become the leading provider of wide-format digital print within the East Anglian region, as well as working with clients on a nation-wide basis. Having investigated the UV-curable flat-bed options available to suit its throughput requirements, the company opted for the modular Rho as it felt this was the most suitable printer for its needs, both now and in the future. The new machine joins a superwide-format NUR Fresco which is used extensively for outputting banners and vehicle liveries, along with a host of other display related applications. For interior and short-run jobs, OTW has a Kodak Encad 1000i aqueous-based machine but, up until now, flat-bed output has been produced on its Zund 215C. Complementing these printers is a Uniform Grenadier solvent-based unit which handles durable applications up to 1370 mm wide. The Rho 205/16 is a well-established machine from the Durst portfolio of UV-curable wide-format ink-jet printers and is ideally suited to companies such as OTW who want a cost-effective flat-bed system which produces quality output at respectable speeds. The model now installed at the company's Norwich premises also features Durst's SmartSpeed option, which ups production rates by some 30 percent, plus a roll-feed unit to enable jobs to be produced onto flexible materials. OTW Imaging's Darren Marsh comments: "We looked at several different machines before deciding on the Rho 205/16 and our end choice was based on many considerations. This is an extremely cost-effective printer which will give us a good ROI in a short period of time, and it gives us the output speed and quality which we need. "Additionally, the fact that this is a modular printer means that we are able to upgrade and add further options, such as white ink or spot varnish, in the future if demand requires it," he continues. "A further benefit with Durst is that the company has a UK office which simplifies communication between us." The Rho 205/16 utilises Durst's own UV-curable ink technology and is capable of printing at up to 60 square m/hour. Specifically aimed at businesses in the screen-printing and general display sectors, the model purchased by OTW has 16 print-heads and can output direct to rigid substrates up to 2.05 m in width and 40 mm in thickness. Because of its straight-through media feed, it is possible to print onto virtually any length of material OTW's growth has been consistent and steady since the company was formed, with investment in machinery, premises and staff being complemented by the company's awareness of the growth in digital wide-format output and new market opportunities becoming available. Originally its main area lay in the production of multi-sheet posters but, since investing in wider format printers, the types of work on offer have become more diverse and includes banners, vehicle liveries, point-of-sale and exhibition graphics, along with general displays. Currently producing a wide range of applications for trade and direct clients, Marsh and his business partner, Mark Richardson, timed their investment of the Durst Rho so that it could be installed in OTW's newly extended premises. Originally operating from a single unit on Norwich's Sweet Briar Industrial Estate, it wasn't long before the company outgrew its work-space and, thus, acquired­­­­ the unit next door. However, continued expansion led to the need for further accommodation and the company has now been able to purchase a third building in the same row. Marsh concludes: "The addition of the Durst Rho means that we're now positioned very strongly to extend our range of print services to existing and new clients, and we expect 2006 to be a busy year for OTW Imaging."