TG Graphics is now divided into four solutions, each providing a mix of equipment and material to make it a turnkey solution: printing, dye sublimation, engraving, and computer numerical control (CNC).
SMC: Does the technology centre showcase more than just Epson printers?
AP: Our partnership with Epson has allowed us to showcase a wide range of Epson printing equipment that caters
to various market segments such as the sign industry (S Series), the dye sublimation industry (F Series), the promotional industry (DTG Series), the photo reproduction and proofing industry (P Series), and the technical industry (T Series). Although we cannot carry the entire Epson line, we currently have seven Epson demo printers and potentially more to come.
Although TG Graphics’ core business has always been the wide-format printing industry, our partnership with Epson will expose our traditional clients to new printing applications and, in turn, it will expose TG Graphics to new customers, too.
That said, the technology centre features much more equipment. As mentioned before, in addition to selling other brands of printers, we also want to educate customers on the importance of finishing equipment to the overall success of their business. After all, depending on the type of print jobs, finishing can be labour intensive and human error can be very costly. With the increase in wages and the difficulty in finding qualified staff, finishing equipment is the best way for owners to start increasing margins again.
SMC: How can a print or sign shop make good use of this technology centre?
AP: First of all, everyone is welcome to visit us anytime. However, to maximize the experience of our demo centre, it is recommended that customers schedule a demo. One of our reps will follow up to make sure they understand the customer’s expectations. This will allow us to be better prepared and tailor the demo based on the individual needs of each customer.
Some customers will only want to see a generic demo, which basically means they just want to see the printer operate before making a purchasing decision. This simple demo can be very efficient and will typically take between 20 and 30 minutes.
Other customers want to see how the raster image processor (RIP) software works; they want to see runs on different printer platforms to compare colour gamut and production output before making a final decision. We also offer customers the possibility of running their own files and print media if they want. This type of demo will typically last a few hours.
We also have customers who want to see a full production environment. Basically, they want to see a file printed, laminated, cut, and mounted. Our demo centre is designed to accommodate these requests. This is particularly useful for people who are fairly new to the industry and want to get a better understanding of the full process of delivering a job. This type of demo will also typically last a few hours.
Finally, we allow more experienced print and/or sign shops that are looking for industrial finishing equipment to perform tests or even run a small-to-medium size job using our equipment. We know running a job will allow shops to better understand the true return on investment (ROI) of the finishing equipment. It is not uncommon for TG Graphics to spend half a day with customers who need this type of demo experience.
The important thing to know is our sales and technical support team is there to help educate customers. Whether it translates into a sale or not, we are confident that transferring as much knowledge to the customer as possible is always a good thing. Clients who are better informed are more confident and are better prepared to convert challenges into opportunities.
