There are now 800 Uniform units (Grenadier / Soljet conversion and CADET / VersaCAMM conversion) installed, mostly in the UK, also good numbers sold abroad through dealers such as Tecnohard (Spain), Midcomp (South Africa) etc etc.

Why are Uniform dominating the UK market - reliability. The Roland donor chassis is superbly engineered, the only thing that lets it down is the ink. Following Uniform conversion and use of Uniform ink, output is very durable, with many users applying vehicle livery, for short term use obviously, without lamination.

Uniform was launched in 2003 in the UK, won Product of the Year in 2003 from Image Reports magazine, and through extensive dealer advertising and a high profile, won Brand of the Year from Image Reports in 2004.

That's all the bullsh*t. The bottom line is the products work on a very wide range of uncoated vinyls, banners etc. They are well priced. And users are making a lot of money from the high quality, low cost output they can produce.

Sure the Seiko is a great fast vinyl printer, but the Uniform range is much more versatile and can produce output onto many substrates, for both indoor and outdoor applications - you could describe it as a utility machine to the Seikos specialist machine.

Another big factor in the sales of Uniform is the Print & Cut all in one unit. This has been a big selling point.

For the signmaker Uniform printers deliver exactly what they want. The CADET in particular has been a great business builder, both for the end-user who can make the transition from cut vinyl, to print and cut digital with minimal cost, and for the dealers, who with the CADET are cultivating a whole bunch of brand new digital users, many of whom will develop and buy Uniform product further up the speed/performance scale as their business grows.

Uniform dealers have described the CADET as being like planting seeds that generate new digital customers. Uniform have helped on this score by allowing end-users to upgrade from the CADET to a Grenadier for zero cost penalty if the upgrade is done within 6 months. Again this particular promotion has been very successful.

In the past we sold Mimaki and Seiko printers to users of Encad and HP machines, customers that are wise to the market and often buy ink and media from a range of sources, and also buy the hardware from the dealer with the lowest price.

Uniform printers have allowed us to generate new 'untarnished ' customers who are more loyal, we then often supply them with material and ink and build good trusting relationships with them that will last over many years.

So in conclusion, Uniform dominates in the UK because it gives both the dealer and the end-user a good solution.

If I had a choice of a Grenadier or a Seiko 64s ( HP9000s ) I would choose the Seiko without a doubt.

Plus the fact that HP Carepack is amazingly competitive and knocks most Post warranty prices into touch for total piece of mind. ( Covers Printheads as well ) !!!!!!

I Personally have has 0 clients say they are unhappy with the Seiko and have often bought a second..and will go on to purchasing the HP9000s.