The ability to print on demand is essential to a number of businesses. There is no doubt that creative-based organizations feel a strong need to print a variety of applications, on demand, and in high quality.
Organizations that rely on computer-aided design—such as architectural, engineering, and construction, as well as geographic information system firms—also rely on larger-than-average output to drive it.
EMBT is an architectural office based in Barcelona, Spain. Founded in 1993 by Enric Miralles and Benedetta Tagliabue, the family firm employs a 20-person staff and relies on the latest technology to help create and operate worldwide. “It’s a small office but at the same time, it’s also international, with people from all over the world feeling like part of one big family while working together to produce something new. In a way we like to be artisans, coming not only from the tradition of architects but also from other traditions, like tailoring,” says Tagliabue.
Technology is important to EMBT’s ability to manage visual communications, such as sending drawings and information. “It is important to have devices which are easy to use because we often need to use them in the middle of the night when we are tired and when maybe the person who knows how to use the device is not there. So it’s very important to have something we are all familiar with and can use easily,” says Tagliabue.
The firm utilizes the latest technology from Hewlett-Packard (HP), a Designjet T2300 eMultifunction Printer. The large format, Web-connected printing system with multifunction benefits makes communication between global teams easy and instantaneous. With the device, EMBT collaborates and instantly shares large format files regardless of the size or format. The company prints drawings wherever the job is located—such as in the office, with the client, or on site—and collaborates with partners and contractors with simplified sharing, while focusing more on clients and drawings and less on printing with a device that is incredibly intuitive and simple to maintain.
Joan Callis, project director, EMBT, finds the printer essential to the firm’s success. “The ePrint and Share solution is very simple. We can use it not only to print the final process but also to share,” says Callis. “It’s important for us that we communicate quickly and directly with others. Having a client in Shanghai, for example, being involved in the discussions really helps us improve a project.”
EMBT provides one example where the ability to print and share was particularly important. The company was working on the Spanish Pavilion at the Shanghai Expo in 2010, which presented its own challenges. Originally, EMBT’s client considered producing the entire structure in Spain and shipping it to China. HP’s ePrint & Share capabilities alleviated these challenges. In China, the client took EMBT’s drawings and produced them.
Architectural firms, such as EMBT, are tasked with sharing their vision. The help of large format scan and print technologies enable the future of design, where people can connect and collaborate worldwide on a single project. For EMBT, advanced technology enables the company to take a more manageable approach to what once was a complex situation.
Click here to read part 1 of this exclusive online series, Small Format Printers.
