Dance by Design opts for Mutoh ValueJet 1304 printer and Summa cutter from Stanford Marsh

Founded in 2009, Scarborough, UK-based Dance by Design is a supplier of bespoke costumes and theatre backdrops for a variety of businesses including television companies, theatres and dance schools.

Mid last year, the lease on the company’s Summa D60 cutter was coming up for renewal, so managing director Dave Smith started to review the options available in the marketplace.

He explains, “I needed to replace the cutter quickly and, whilst searching around on the Internet for suitable suppliers, came across Stanford Marsh Group Graphics division.  We started to talk about the various solutions and ultimately settled upon the Summa D120 cutter.”

John Hatton, Account Manager, at Stanford Marsh Group Graphics division (SMGG) â€" the commercial graphics division of Stanford Marsh Group â€" adds, “The original contact came through to me via the website as an enquiry about a cutter.  The conversation continued and we started to talk about printing in general.  It quickly became apparent that the customer had an interest in separate printing and cutting devices.”

Whilst talking with Dave Smith from Dance by Design, John Hatton mentioned a special offer that the company was currently running.  SMGG was offering five Mutoh ValueJet 1304 printers on a first come, first served basis, with a package of free extras â€" worth around £2500 â€" including a take-up roller, a full set of original inks and RIPCentre software. 

Dave says, “Previously, we had outsourced some of our work to a specialist printer who used another brand of machine.  Initially I was keen to stick with that manufacturer.  However, once John sent me samples produced on the Mutoh from our own files, I was blown away with the quality, simplicity and value for money.  The special offer made the decision a bit of a ‘no-brainer.’”

The Mutoh printer was installed in September 2012 and is covered by a standard Mutoh warranty.  It is running using original Mutoh inks as Dave says he has heard too many horror stories about alternatives.  “For the sake of a couple of quid, it’s not worth the risk,” he states.

When Dance by Design is not using the printer for its core business, it takes in more traditional work - such as signage and vehicle wraps â€" so the flexibility of the Mutoh machine was a key selling point.

In terms of the future, Dave Smith says he will be considering upgrading to the wider Summa cutter and will perhaps invest in a laminator further down the line.   He explains, “We currently outsource our lamination to another print shop, so that would be a logical next step.”

In the meantime, Dave is very happy with the Mutoh Valuejet 1304.  Its versatility more than meets the challenge of Dance by Design’s varied applications and the special offer made it a great value purchase for the business.

Mutoh printers are distributed in the UK by Colourgen.  SMGG is an authorised Colourgen reseller.

For more information on Dance by Design, please visit www.dancebydesign.co.uk

For more information on SMGG, please visit www.smgg.co.uk

For more information on Colourgen, please visit www.colourgen.com