Roland DGA Corporation

A History of Innovation Worldwide

Roland DGA Corporation is the U.S.-based marketing, distribution and sales arm of Roland DG Corporation of Hamamatsu, Japan, a worldwide leader in the sign, graphic arts, fine art, photography, engraving and 3D modeling industries. Founded in 1981 and listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Roland DG is the world’s number one provider of wide-format inkjet printers for the durable graphics market. Roland DG is also affiliated with Roland Corporation, renowned in the music world for developing MIDI technology and for producing sophisticated digital music equipment including keyboard synthesizers, recording equipment and other related technologies.

Roland DG finds its technology roots in the music industry as well; the company’s advanced plotting technology was originally used to record the sound waves for Roland Corporation’s line of music synthesizers. This precision plotting technology quickly garnered widespread acceptance during the CAD/CAM revolution of the 1980s and provided the basis for new generations of digital input and output technologies to follow.

Within a few short years, Roland DG began introducing a wide variety of groundbreaking products including vinyl cutters, thermal transfer printer/cutters, wide-format inkjet printers and printer/cutters, 3D scanners and milling devices, and engravers. The products blazed new trails for entire industries and earned Roland DG a reputation for innovation, quality and reliability.

Roland DGA - A Customer-Driven Organization

In 1990, the company established Roland DGA Corporation in Irvine, California, to provide complete sales, marketing and customer support services throughout the Americas. Roland DGA today markets its products through an extensive dealer network serving the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and all countries of Central and South America except Brazil.

As a company, Roland remains dedicated to its customers’ requirements for training and support as well as for innovative quality products that perform reliably. Roland DGA has earned ISO 9001:2000 certification which, in combination with parent company Roland DG’s ISO 9001:2000 and 14001 certifications, promotes consistent quality in manufacturing, distribution and customer service.

Market-Focused Strategic Business Units

Roland DGA serves its customers through a network of strategic business units (SBUs) focused on the company’s core markets. While maintaining integration at the highest levels, these dedicated business units operate with the autonomy and resources required to meet the demands of their respective market segments. This structure, along with continued aggressive product development across all product lines, position the company well for the future. Roland SBUs include:

Color Products Division – providing sales, marketing and product management for the company’s line of wide-format inkjet printers and integrated printer/cutters.

Supplies & Accessories Division, Color Products – marketing the company’s line of tested and certified inkjet media and inks.

Technical & Customer Services Division, Color Products – providing a full range of service and support programs for the company’s inkjet product line.

Advanced Solutions Division (ASD) – developing solutions for the sign making, engraving, jewelry design and CAD/CAM industries.

Award-Winning Color Products Line

Focused on the professional sign, printing and broader graphic arts markets, Roland DGA’s Color Products Division and supporting SBUs remain committed to delivering strategic technologies that meet the industry’s highest standards for quality and precision.

The company’s wide-format inkjet technology has won numerous industry awards including multiple Andre Schellenberg Awards, and repeated victories at the DIMA Digital Printer Shootout and DPI Product of the Year competitions. Roland technology has also received the Seybold Hot Pick Award, PEI Cool2 Award, 3D Design Magazine’s Editor’s Choice Award, Wide-Format Imaging’s Top Products of the Year Awards and Digital Output Readers' Choice Awards, and has been included in the Graphic Design “Fall Forty.” As a company, Roland has been recognized for its service to the industry including receiving the United States Sign Council’s (USSC) Distinguished Service Award.

In an effort to provide customers with complete, full-featured solutions, Roland bundles each of its inkjet printers and printer/cutters with powerful RIP software. This advantage combined with the addition of Roland certified inks and media ensure optimum performance across the product line. Roland further ensures the performance of its products by backing its best-selling inkjets with a standard Two-Year Trouble-Free Warranty, the industry’s longest and most extensive bundled service and support contract.

Print/Cut Solutions

In the sign and graphic arts industries, Roland is widely recognized as the leader in the development of integrated print/cut technology. This integrated technology is unique in that it facilitates a one-step seamless production cycle for both the high-resolution printing and contour cutting required to produce sophisticated sign graphics as well as custom labels, decals and vehicle graphics. By contrast, competing print/cut products require users to complete each of these tasks separately, a process that is more time consuming, more labor intensive, and less precise.

This groundbreaking technology is the basis for the company’s wide-format printer/cutters including the best-selling VersaCAMM, available in 30-inch and 54-inch models. To address the high end of this market, Roland offers its top-of-the-line 54-inch SOLJET PRO III XC-540, based on technology that has won numerous industry awards and is used by many of the industry’s top sign artists and vehicle graphics professionals.

Wide-Format Printing Solutions

Roland’s wide-format printing technology is designed to meet the highest standards in digital print quality. Wide-format printing solutions include the company’s Hi-Fi JET Pro, SOLJET, AdvancedJET and Hi-Fi Express high-end wide-format printers, ranging in size from 54 inches to 104 inches in width.

The 6-color Hi-Fi JET Pro is used by premiere artists and photographers for fine art giclees and reproductions that are showcased in prominent galleries and public venues worldwide. SOLJET 6-color inkjets are widely used to produce fleet graphics, banners, exhibits and signage.

Introduced in 2006, the 104-inch AdvancedJET AJ-1000 is the company’s fastest grand-format inkjet to date, with a maximum print-speed of 968 sqft./hr. It is also the company’s first industrial-strength printer, featuring Eco-Xtreme solvent ink in 6 colors and several features that make it well suited for high-volume production environments. In 2006, Roland launched the 74-inch Hi-Fi Express FP-740 4-color sublimation printer, ideal for flags, banners, textiles and other soft signage.

Technological Leadership

Over the years, Roland has established a reputation for pioneering new technologies and in particular for its introduction of advanced ink sets. In 1995, Roland introduced the industry’s first integrated printer/cutters. In 1998, Roland became the first inkjet printer manufacturer to launch a 6-color, wide-format printer using pigment ink. That groundbreaking event was followed by the introduction of Eco-SOL INK, the industry’s first environmentally-friendly solvent ink in 2003.

In 2004, Roland entered the sublimation market with the introduction of HeatWave, the industry’s first complete wide-format inkjet sublimation system to be offered by an OEM. In 2005, Roland introduced two new ink innovations: the industry’s first white eco-solvent ink, and ECO-SOL MAX ink. ECO-SOL MAX represents a significant step forward for ink technology, featuring faster drying time, higher ink density, wider color gamut, improved scratch resistance and expanded media support.

Roland continues to expand its ink offering to address evolving market demands and in 2006 introduced Eco-Xtreme solvent ink for the AdvancedJET AJ-1000. Eco-Xtreme ink is formulated to produce vibrant color and provide industrial-level scratch, water, UV and alcohol resistance for optimum outdoor durability. Roland’s FP-740, introduced in 2006, features custom sublimation inks to facilitate durable, high-quality printing of textiles and other soft signage.

Roland Advanced Solutions Division

This division is dedicated to some of the company’s most sophisticated and specialized technologies and focuses on furthering the development and market reach for these products.

Roland’s subtractive rapid prototyping (SRP™) products include 3D laser scanners and CNC milling machines that together serve as complete design-to-finish prototype solutions. Like all Roland products, these SRP solutions come bundled with powerful software packages and are supported by a complete selection of supplies and accessories. Targeted for animators, engineers, CAD/CAM professionals, educators and other professionals involved in product design applications, Roland SRP products offer high levels of precision at affordable price points. This makes them well suited for in-house use, enabling professionals to bypass the costly and time-consuming outsourcing process.

Roland’s revolutionary MPX photo impact printers permanently imprint photos, illustrations, logos and text into metal and acrylic surfaces for detailed, customized specialty products.

In addition, Roland’s Advanced Solutions Division offers a full range of professional precision engraving and vinyl cutting products. Loaded with high-speed and high-precision technologies, Roland engravers produce everything from custom awards to ADA signage and personalized jewelry. These innovative devices combine remarkable versatility and ease of use with unsurpassed value. Each one is backed by the best support in the industry and comes bundled with a complete suite of powerful software.

Worldwide, Roland enjoys a market-leading installed base of vinyl cutters. CAMM-1 vinyl cutters produce crisp, eye-catching graphics with speed and precision, and are well known for their reliability. They represent the most reliable and cost-effective way to produce banners, vehicle art, store displays, informational signs, backlit displays and almost any other type of durable custom graphics. In 2005, Roland introduced the CAMM-1 Servo GX-24, the company’s fastest and most precise desktop vinyl cutter to date. In 2006, Roland advanced its CAMM-1 line with the introduction of the GX PRO Series of professional vinyl cutters.

Roland Innovations

• In 1987, Roland introduced the world's first desktop CNC mill with the PNC-3000.
• In 1988, Roland introduced the world's first dual-purpose vinyl cutter and pen plotter with the CAMM-1.
• In 1993, Roland broke the $3,000 price barrier for vinyl cutters with the PNC-900.
• In 1995, Roland introduced the world's first print/cut device for vinyl with the ColorCAMM PNC-5000.
• In 1996, Roland introduced the world's first wide-format inkjet printer/cutter with the CAMMJET and the world's first plotter to offer engraving, pen plotting and vinyl cutting with the CS-20.
• In 1997, Roland introduced the ColorCAMM PRO family of wide-format thermal transfer printer/cutters and the world's first touch probe 3D scanner with the PIX-3.
• In 1998, Roland introduced the Hi-Fi JET - the world's first six-color, wide-format inkjet printer and the first to use pigment ink.
• In 1999, Roland won the DPI "Product of the Year" award for having made a major impact on digital printing with the Hi-Fi JET.
• In 2000, Roland introduced three groundbreaking new products. They include the world's first photo-impact printer with the MPX-50; the world's first eight-color, wide-format inkjet printer with variable droplet technology with the Hi-Fi JET PRO; and MDX Series desktop and benchtop milling machines for in-house rapid prototyping.
• In 2001, Roland introduced five innovative products. They include the world's first solvent printer/cutter under $25,000 with the SOLJET; the world's first roll-fed desktop printer/cutter with the ColorCAMM PC-12; the world's first laser scanner to offer plane and rotary scanning for less than $10,000 with the LPX-250; state-of-the-art CX PRO vinyl cutters; and the most cost-effective computerized engravers available with EGX Series desktop and benchtop models.
• In 2002, Roland introduced the PRO II Series - an entirely new family of five high-performance inkjet printers and printer/cutters.
• In 2003, Roland introduced the VersaCAMM SP-300, the industry’s first integrated printer/cutter priced under $14,000. The VersaCAMM™ quickly became the company’s best-selling product line – a distinction it continues to enjoy today. Also in 2003, Roland introduced Eco-SOL INK - a revolutionary mild solvent ink that enables VersaCAMM and SOLJET EX inkjets to print directly onto both uncoated and coated media. Continuing the tradition of excellence, The SOLJET EX won a pair of DPI “Product of the year” awards. Roland also swept the DIMA wide format printing awards.
• In 2004, Roland entered the grand format printing market with the SOLJET SJ-1000EX. The 104-inch inkjet uses Eco-SOL INK to print durable graphics onto uncoated media.
• Also in 2004, Roland introduced HeatWave, the industry’s first complete wide-format inkjet sublimation solution to be offered by an OEM. A new 54” VersaCAMM, the SP-540V, was introduced as well in 2004, featuring VersaWorks, a powerful RIP software package developed by Roland engineers for the company’s inkjet printers
• In 2005, Roland introduced V Technology with a new line of high-performance SOLJETS featuring VersaWorks: the SC-545EX printer/cutter, the SJ-645EX and SJ-745EX printers, and the SJ-1045 grand format printer. A new 30-inch VersaCAMM featuring VersaWorks was released as well. Roland’s GX-24 Servo vinyl cutter entered the market as the company’s fastest, most precise desktop vinyl cutter to date, and the company also introduced the high-precision MPX-70 Metaza Photo Impact Printer.
• In 2005, Roland introduced the industry’s first white eco-solvent ink, as well as ECO-SOL MAX, a new generation of its advanced eco-solvent ink. The company entered into a strategic alliance with 3M and was named an authorized reseller for select 3M Ink Jet media. Additionally, Roland’s Hi-Fi JET Pro II FJ-540 won two 2005 DIMA Printer Shootout Awards, adding to its list of accolades.
• 2006 marked several major company milestones including Roland DG’s 25th anniversary and the company’s emergence as the number one worldwide provider of wide-format inkjet printers for the durable graphics market. Roland’s Hi-Fi JET Pro won the 2006 DIMA Printer Shootout Award, and the company’s SOLJET and ECO-SOL MAX ink took “Top Product of the Year” honors with Wide-Format Imaging Magazine.
• Roland also introduced several new products in 2006 including its fastest grand-format printer to date, the 104” AdvancedJET AJ-1000 featuring Eco-Xtreme solvent ink; its most advanced integrated printer/cutter, the 54” SOLJET PRO III XC-540; the new GX Pro series of professional-grade vinyl cutters; the MDX-540 subtractive rapid prototyping system; and a new innovation for the wide-format sublimation market, the 74” Hi-Fi Express FP-740.
• In 2007, Roland introduced mesh printing capabilities for the AdvancedJET AJ-1000 and added two new high-performance models to its VersaCAMM line, the VersaCAMM VP series. The company also expanded its line of scanning devices with the new LPX-60 reverse engineering solution. The company’s SOLJET product line and ECO-SOL MAX ink were once again named Wide-Format Imaging “Top Products of the Year.”
• In April 2007, Roland introduced a new standard “Two-Year Trouble-Free Warranty” covering inkjet products*, the industry’s longest and most extensive service and support contract.

• * VersaCAMM SP Series is covered by a one-year warranty.