Roland SolJet Printer/Cutter Makes Movie Magic for Miami Vice

When Martin Charles went on location to create the on-screen graphics for “MIAMI VICE,” his Roland went with him... producing everything from boat graphics, graffiti covered walls and billboards to contour-cut beer labels. “In Hollywood, it’s always ‘I needed it yesterday,’” says Martin. “If there was a one-and-only/must-have printer for a designer, the Roland SOLJET printer/cutter is it.”

An R-World Exclusive by Martin T. Charles, SagaBoy Productions, for Miami Vice Productions

Santa Monica, CA - After 12 years of living in New York where I acquired a BA in communication design from Pratt Institute, I moved to Los Angeles in 1990 where I began my film career as a graphic designer in Hollywood. It was the perfect move because the inception of digital graphic design in film had just started, and I was there to begin the journey. To date I have done over 40 films, and graphic design has moved to the forefront of film making. I now bridge the gap between the old school of film making and the computerized generation.

Shot on location in Miami, the go-fast boats featured graphics printed on a Roland SOLJET Printer/Cutter using ECO-SOL MAX ink and Roland's Premium Cast Vinyl Media.

To me, I have the best job in Hollywood because I have a great passion for my work, and I am always searching for new ways to communicate visual graphic design. The research and imagination that goes into a film is hinged, I believe, on the visual communication of the past and present – and also the future as in “AI” and “MINORITY REPORT,” two of my recent films.

This past year, I had the opportunity to work on the “MIAMI VICE” movie as the film’s graphic designer. Graphic design is ultra important to Michael Mann, the film’s producer/director. The challenges of replicating today’s visual communications are greater than ever before. And this film presented unique challenges because of the breadth of graphics required – roland

including vehicle graphics, tiles, floor graphics, wallpaper, illuminated signs and billboards. These and other items all needed to be produced and applied almost immediately, under extremely tight deadlines. So I needed a printer to assist me with that challenge.

Designer Martin Charles with his SOLJET.

If there was a “one-and-only/must-have” printer for a designer, the Roland SOLJET 54" printer/cutter is that printer. It is far superior to the competition in its ability to print beautiful images on almost any material quickly, and the cutting technology is unmatched.

The types of signage I produced for “MIAMI VICE” ranged from simple police car vinyl to wallpaper, winner’s circle banners and restaurant café signs. The most unusual graphic I produced was not really a graphic, but a near identical match to an exotic wood veneer. We needed a precision match because we were replacing a panel in a very expensive condo set. The largest application was a 15-foot giant mural for the set.

In terms of media, the adhesive-backed vinyl products are among my favorites, in particular a matte adhesive-backed vinyl I learned about from Roland.

Perhaps the most important thing for me is the stability of the printed image on the media. ECO-SOL MAX inks provided that stability, creating images that did not need any special treatment such as lamination or sealant. In addition, I have found Roland VersaWorks™ to be very intuitive and user-friendly.

These and other features make the SOLJET the ultimate high-performance production printer. Roland SOLJET technology delivered the exceptional quality graphics required by some of the most prominent film makers in Hollywood, and working with it greatly enhanced the film making experience for me.

In summary, the Roland SOLJET is right at home in the fast-pace world of film-making. I look forward to my next project.