A Canon star is born at North Ryde RSL

Using large format technology makes it just so much easier for North Ryde RSL Community Club to help its stars to shine.

Whether it's a cabaret act, touring rock band or some other form of quality entertainment, patrons of North Ryde RSL Community Club learn about it from posters designed and printed in-house

"I believe we invested in this Canon equipment at the right time and that the investment has already been justified. I know our GM is very excited by it and thinks it's one of the best things we've ever bought, “ said Michael Borg, Marketing Manager, North Ryde RSL Community Club (pictured above)

Situated only 15 minutes from the Sydney CBD, North Ryde RSL Community Club is not only one of Sydney's premier clubs, but also a club that endeavours to be on the cutting edge of technology for its members whenever possible.

An example of this philosophy saw the introduction of a personal Smart Card in 1998, which doubles as a membership card for patrons. This revolutionary system was among the first of its kind in Australia. It allows club members to not only earn North Ryde Reward points, but also to add money directly to the card, enabling a 'cash-free' experience when at the club.


Opportunity knocks
When Michael Borg began employment as the marketing manager at the North Ryde RSL Community Club 12 months ago, one of the first areas of the business that caught his attention was the expense of getting posters and other marketing materials created for upcoming events or promotions that the club was involved in.

"We were sourcing our posters from the outside and it was costing anywhere from between $70 and $150 per poster, depending on the size and the amount of design work that had to go into it," said Borg. "So I could immediately see an area where we could significantly cut costs. Having an ability in design myself, I reasoned that if our team could design in-house and if we had the right printer for the output, it would be much quicker and more cost-effective."

Borg spoke to DES Digital Imaging, a reseller of many leading printing manufacturers, which evaluated the needs of the RSL. These included their specific desire to produce high-quality poster-sized prints in-house more cheaply than outside the business.

Between DES Digital Imaging and Borg and his team, the decision came down to two possible solutions - the Canon W7200 Wide Format printer and a similar device from a competitor. Upon closer inspection of both machines, Mr Borg chose the Canon device.

The 36-inch W7200 Wide Format printer is a professional graphic printer designed for high-quality and high-speed output. It boasts a revolutionary new high-density one-inch print head that Canon designed for providing incredibly fast speed with brilliant photographic output. Printing with an astonishing quantity of 7680 nozzles, the six-colour W7200 is the superior wide-format printer in the 36-inch market.

"We went with the Canon as its output was fantastic and, after doing our sums, realised that we'd be saving quite a lot of money by using it," said Mr Borg.

Turnaround times slashed

Saving money was not the only reason for adopting wide-format printing in-house at the RSL. Another key reason for bringing in the technology rests in the turnaround times that can now be achieved, compared to the prior printing arrangement.

"Essentially, we're able to design on demand in here," said Borg. "Rather than sending our brief to a designer or graphic artist, then getting that back for approval, then sending it out to a print house, then waiting for it to get printed and delivered back to us - we can now have an idea and print the poster as soon as we're happy with our own design work. It's so much easier - and the turnaround drops from a couple of days, minimum, to a couple of hours in most cases."

He jokes that designing in-house is a much more pleasurable and rewarding experience due to the fact that the output is exactly what he and his team want. Too many times in the past, he explains, he would provide a detailed design brief, only to receive output that didn't meet the requirements of his brief - by which time it would generally be too late to request new artwork as it would be time to go to print. In this way, Mr Borg considers the new situation 'artist proof'.

Savings are the winner
While the number of posters created on the W7200 per month can vary greatly, Mr Borg says the unit will pay for itself in less than a year, a result he describes as "unbelievable". According to Mr Borg, the estimated savings range from $60 to $135 per poster.

"Although it's not a steady flow of work that goes through the W7200, we've sometimes got the machine pumping - to the point where it will pay for itself within 12 months, easily," said Borg. Although the machine has only been installed for six months Mr Borg but has been clearly pointing out its merits since day one, enabling him to make the Return On Investment (ROI) measurement.

News of the RSL's purchase has travelled far and wide, and he has shown the Canon solution to a number of representatives from similarly sized clubs. They are impressed when they see how it's saving North Ryde RSL Community Club significant amounts of both time and money.

"We're happy to show the Canon to people in the same situation because we aren't necessarily competing with each other, so we like to help them out by showcasing what we're doing and how we're doing it," he said. "I believe we invested in this Canon equipment at the right time and that the investment has already been justified. I know our GM is very excited by it and thinks it's one of the best things we've ever bought!"