Ms Printing Solutions And Caldera Create A Success Story For Westamerica—As It Does Business In Unpredictable Times

Image Courtesy of MS Printing Solutions

Westamerica chose MS Printing Solutions and Caldera to form the backbone of their new large format division, a division which has helped them weather the storm of the covid pandemic.

Starting out as The Printing Company in Orange County in 1975, Westamerica Communications is a family-owned business that has built up more than 45 years of print and communications experience.

In that time, the company’s expanded to become one of Southern California’s leading print providers, thanks to a team that puts a premium on innovation and finding the best solution for each individual client.

As the business expanded, the management group decided it was time to diversify their sources of revenue rather than having all their eggs in one basket.

Dan Plomin was experienced in wide format graphics and came on board to help them set up and equip the new division.

It’s been a tough year for nearly everyone in the printing industry, so it’s reassuring that Dan Plomin of Westamerica Communications’ wide format division answers our first question on an optimistic note: “We’re actually not doing too badly – we’ve been fortunate. We suspect it’s not so much to do with luck as with the fact that, over the years, Westamerica has proved itself to be a smart and forward thinking business.”

Before coming to Westamerica, Dan had plenty of experience of the different printers available on the market – valuable first-hand knowledge that meant he knew just what he wanted for the new division.

“I’d already done a comparison of all the machines I’d worked with prior to coming to Westamerica and arriving here, I started looking at alternatives. The MS Impres 4320 came out on top. It’s a very robust machine and it has a great support network through the Dover system. Additionally, I really liked the integration with the Caldera RIP. But the thing that sold me was its ease of use over its competitors.”

 Obviously, price was a factor, but it wasn’t the only thing. “We could have stepped down to some cheaper printers,” explains Dan, “but we wanted something that was not only going to work great for us consistently, day in, day out, but would be something we could rely on in the long term. You know, we were putting a heavy investment into dye sublimation when we had zero work, so we wanted to make sure we were laying a really solid foundation for that part of our business.”

 Now, a couple of years on, Dan’s still happy with the decision he made.

“The MS has been great – it’s relatively maintenance free. Our operator keeps on top of weekly maintenance and can change printheads if necessary, and it looks as good as the day we bought it. It’s solid – the color’s great and people rave about it. For example, we’re working right now with Kawasaki Motor Corporation, and they have a huge atrium in their office, which they use to showcase historical bikes and new products. We’d hung huge vinyl banners in the atrium some time back, but now I’ve showed them the work we’ve started doing on fabric. They looked at the two side by side and they were blown away by how great the fabric looks. So now we’re going through the process of creating new banners for the atrium, switching the vinyl ones for fabric.”

Like Westamerica, MS Printing Solutions has a long and proud family history – in this case, spanning four generations.

Another feature the two companies share is a strong belief in the power of innovation.

MS has built its reputation by developing the most advanced products in a fast-moving market.

Digital textile printing creates unique challenges and MS printers, steamers and driers are leading the way into a new generation of print technology.

 Dan uses Caldera RIP software to drive the MS, along with two of his other printers. We asked him if he was happy with the Caldera MS combo.

“Yeah, the color we’re getting off the MS using Caldera is fantastic, and we have no RIP-crashing issues, despite using it to run three machines.

Both Caldera and MS are part of Dover Digital Printing group, along with ink manufacturers Kiian Digital and J-Teck.

Together, they offer a comprehensive digital printing solution that incorporates printers, software and inks perfectly synchronized to work together – and as Dan’s comments show, it’s a strategy that clients appreciate.

The group works closely with customers to provide added value through innovation.

According to Dover Digital Printing President Abhi Agrawal, “We have gone out of our way to create a strong portfolio in the digital imaging space. Customer success is the focus for every new development we bring to the digital inkjet market – we’re solving their problems to help them become more profitable.”