As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread around the world, a mythical Japanese spirit called “Amabie” has become a popular character in Japan. Reputed to ward off sickness and viruses, images of Amabie have been shared widely on Twitter and other social media platforms — you may have already seen them! According to legend, Amabie comes from Kumamoto in southern Japan which is also where a Roland DG customer became one of the first to launch a service for creating custom Amabie-themed key chains using UV printers, making it a great way to boost the #AMABIEchallenge.

Colegio Hogar, a vocational school located in Vigo, Spain, has produced more than 40,000 adults face masks, 1,500 children’s face masks and 15,500 protective face shields in record time thanks to the initiative of its graphic arts department and the latest Roland DG digital technology.

Family business Elite Signs, an inkjet printer user from the UK, responded to an urgent call for easily readable name badges for National Health Service (NHS) staff treating COVID-19 patients. In addition, the Bridgend, Wales-located graphics specialist is helping children and their parents with a colorful challenge.

The COVID-19 virus is impacting all our lives and will undoubtedly continue to change the way we work for years to come. With that in mind, it’s important for sign and graphics shops to pivot their businesses to adjust to this new reality. In this blog, Roland DGA, Roland DG’s sales and marketing subsidiary for the Americas spoke with our inkjet printer user from Canada who is helping their local community by producing COVID-19 related signs.

Roland DG's custom COTOVAN vehicle equipped with UV printer made a special appearance during a Christmas event held at Ibaraki Airport in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. COTOVAN provided a hands-on workshop for making key rings designed with participants photos as pilots and other travel-related characters.

Roland DG's custom vehicle COTOVAN recently visited the official store of the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters Japanese baseball team near the team's home field at Sapporo Dome in Hokkaido, Japan. Equipped with digital tools including direct-to-garment printers, COTOVAN helped visitors create one-of-a-kind tote bags and t-shirts printed with player uniform numbers, names and other design features.