INGENHOVEN ARCHITECTS chooses EPSON large format inkjets

Christoph Ingenhoven founded the ingenhoven architects architectural practice in 1985. The company works on the design and construction of offices, high-rise buildings, residential buildings, institutional and educational buildings, industrial and commercial buildings, urban planning, renovation and interior design.

Professional print solutions for international offices

Ingenhoven architects has a wide scope of international experience in the general planning and execution of major, challenging projects in Germany, Europe, East Asia, North America and Australia. Ingenhoven architects has already taken part successfully in numerous national and international competitions and has been awarded many first prizes for the architectural design of its projects.

In many projects, ingenhoven architects work alongside an on-site partner team consisting of local architects and recognised experts and advisors and, in addition, it has a presence on-site for all projects. Offices in Switzerland, Australia, Singapore and the USA provide quality assurance for international projects. Ingenhoven architects was the first German office to be awarded the International Highrise Award for the office at 1 Bligh Street in Sydney that was designed together with the Australian architect, Ray Brown.

The headquarters of the Ingenhoven architects office in Düsseldorf employs around 80 architects, interior designers, designers, draughtsmen and model builders from around the world.

High quality at high speed

Of paramount importance in Christoph Ingenhoven's work are an ecological approach, the well-being of the user, technical innovation, flexibility and efficiency, plausible construction and a precise finish. To achieve these goals, every opportunity is taken in the design and execution that enables the use of the most modern methods and materials. Because of the complexity and size of many of the architect's projects, the quality and durability of the presentations and test plans produced for each building project plays a major role. That's why the Ingenhoven office relies on Epson's print technology.

"Depending on the print job, various requirements are important for us," explains Ben Dieckmann, a director at Ingenhoven architects. "Speed is always a key factor, particularly when it comes to the printing of drawings and test plans that have to be produced in a hurry on high-quality paper. Clearly, quality must not be affected. When printing rendering and presentation plans, it is important to provide the client with the best possible model of the construction that is as close to reality as possible. Here, a lot depends on colour quality, as the effect of colour depends on the size of the surface and greatly influences the impression of a building or space. A large-scale plan of a façade, for example, must convey the impression as closely as possible."

In order to handle every task that arises, the architectural office has been equipped with large format printers. For printing plans and drawings, they use Epson's SureColor SC-T5000. For high-quality reproductive printing, such as renderings, an Epson Stylus Pro 11880 is used that, thanks to its UltraChrome K3 Vivid Magenta ink, produces prints with true-to-life, natural colour. The machines are controlled by Bentley Systems' MicroStation CAD software.

"When submission deadlines are creeping ever closer, overnight jobs are not uncommon," Dieckmann continues. "Some plans need to be viewed in large format to detect any errors in their details. Here, you need to be able to rely on your equipment. In such situations, we can't use IT equipment that fails to work at critical moments. So far, we have had a very good experience with Epson in this respect and we would opt for Epson again at any time."

Advantages of Epson Stylus Pro 11880

• Epson UltraChrome K3 Vivid Magenta ink for first-class results, highly-saturated magentas and blues
• Reproducible, rapid printing with Epson's PrecisionCore TFP printhead technology
• Flexible paper management for rolls or single sheet media from DIN A3 up to 64-inch roll width; border-free roll printing from 10-64 inches wide
• Handles media up to 1.5mm thick, thanks to its straight paper path

Advantages of Epson’s SureColor SC-T5000

• 36-inch (914mm) print width
• Supports HP-GL print speed: DIN A1 page in only 28 seconds (draft)
• Prints lines to a minimum width of 0.02mm so ideal for drawings, plans, boxes, placards, posters and interior signage
• Automatic ink change between photo and matt black
• Front basket collects prints, barcodes on the media indicate amount of paper remaining