Degree art chooses WorkForce Pro WP-4525 DNF

Founded in 2003, DegreeArt gives young, aspiring art graduates the best chance to break into the industry and profit from their work. The graduate founders, Isobel Beauchamp and Elinor Olisa, dismayed at their fellow students leaving university with fantastic art but without the means of selling it, created an online gallery to promote and distribute this work.

DegreeArt: Supply and Demand

What started as a part time business run out of their homes between other full-time jobs, has since flourished, seen a permanent gallery open on Vyner Street in the heart of East London, and enjoyed substantial growth over the past nine years. It now employs seven full-time staff and a host of part time workers and volunteers, showcasing work from over 300 artists.

Innovating their Way to Credibility

Isobel and Elinor left university with entrepreneurial ambitions, but little money. They couldn’t afford much capital expenditure, but recognised the potential of the online space. At the time, eBay was hugely popular and they realised that, sooner or later, the Internet would permanently change the art world.

However, it proved very difficult for two young graduates to establish credibility in the business world. This was particularly true in an environment like the art industry, and especially when the proposition challenges convention in the way DegreeArt’s does.
 

Underpinning Success

Keeping a firm grip on overheads is important to every aspect of DegreeArt. From maximising social media for promotional benefits, to outsourcing bulk administrative tasks and employing a combination of full-time, part-time staff and volunteers, every aspect of expenditure is closely managed.

Inevitably, there are certain expenses which are integral to the business. Printing is one such area. DegreeArt prints hundreds of invoices on a daily basis, as well as artwork proposals and certificates of authenticity that accompany each purchase. All this means that DegreeArt regularly gets through vast quantities of colour promotional prints – up to 200 copies the day before a major event.

Until recently, DegreeArt used a large, cumbersome laser printer, which took up valuable space in their small office. It was also highly unreliable and slow to start up, leaving them waiting for several painful minutes before printing a document and after switching the machine on. Faced with the constant possibility of the printer breaking ahead of a show or on a busy orders day, DegreeArt realised it was high time it looked for a replacement.

After investigating the options, DegreeArt selected the Epson WorkForce Pro WP-4525DNF, a compact high-performance business inkjet printer with integrated fax and double-sided printing capability. Since the move, DegreeArt has experienced much faster, more efficient, better quality printing, as well as freeing up valuable office space.
 

Authenticity

For any business operating in the art world, the visual quality of collateral can be the difference between success and failure and good quality print-outs are vital. One example of this is the certificate of authenticity that is sent with each piece of art.

This includes a miniature picture of the artwork, and so demands the very best in colour quality and accuracy. The quality of output from Epson’s Micro Piezo print head technology¹ means that these printouts are now done to the highest standard. Furthermore, the printer was designed to be hard-wearing and cost-effective for printing high volumes.

It has a higher cartridge yield than a comparable laser printer and offers a lower cost per page – this means its total cost of ownership is up to 50 percent lower than competitive colour lasers². In fact, compared to DegreeArt’s previous laser printer, it is estimated that the printer will save the company 66 percent of their printing spend (£1,756) over a three year period. It also allows for an 80 percent reduction in energy consumption, compared with the colour laser³ they had previously.

Looking Ahead

DegreeArt has fought against convention to bring affordable art to the public, without the constraints of traditional practices. It’s this innovation, supported by a savvy approach to office expenses and equipment, that will progress the company’s growth and success.