The track is not the only place where things have to go fast for the Alstare-Ducati Superbike team*. Speed is also crucial in the production of the promotional material and teamwear. That is why Alstare chose the PRO4 series from Roland DG.
The prints that Alstare's graphics department makes are used for the stickers on the competition motorcycles and transportation lorries, as well as for posters, banners and displays that decorate the hospitality unit, trade fair booths, etc. The Roland PRO4 series matches the needs of the Ducati Superbike team. "For us, it's all about speed," says Werner Speeckaert, Alstare Creative Director. "Our aim, of course, is to achieve good results on the track. Things often have to go quickly off the track, too, though. The motorcycles, the clothing, and the promotional material have to be perfect for every occasion and we often work against tight deadlines. So we need printers with high printing speeds and outstanding quality. The Roland PRO4 series fits perfectly in that picture."
Alstare uses two Roland PRO4 units, The XF-640 and the XR-640. The SOLJET PRO4 XF-640 is primarily used to print posters and banners. The XF-640 is Roland DG's fastest printer ever. It has the latest generation printing heads, a new roll-up system and improved medium transport. In combination with a series of other developments, this results in outstanding printing quality at high speeds. The maximum speed can reach 102 m²/hr.
The XR-640 is used to print and cut stickers. For Speeckaert, the combination of printing and cutting with a single piece of equipment is ideal: "We use an enormous amount of stickers every year," he says. "If a sponsor joins us or leaves us, we make a completely new design and the stickers on the bikes are redone completely. Not only do we need a lot of stickers, but we often need them very quickly. But that speed must not come at the expense of quality. Our Roland is terrific in meeting both those needs."
According to Werner Speeckaert, digital technology is a blessing for Alstare. "I have been working for Alstare for more than 15 years. A lot has changed in that time. In the past, the bikes were painted and we would then stick text and images on that we had cut with our plotter. We then tried to get relief in the stickers by putting several layers on top of each other. We later discovered the possibilities of digital printing in our sector. Originally, we outsourced everything. That quickly became too expensive, however. We then decided that we needed to buy our own digital printer. We tested various brands, and Roland proved to be the best match, in terms of price and quality as well as in ease of use."
