Roland DG launched a collaboration with Moleskin Japan for customising notebooks using Roland’s LEF2-200 benchtop UV printer; a second project will reproduce work by artist Yukimasa Ida using a large-format Roland VersaOBJECT CO-series UV printer.
“Roland DG is collaborating with MOLESKINE Japan on two projects,” said Roland, a leading manufacturer of wide-format inkjet printers and printer/cutters. “The first is a customisation service at MOLESKINE's directly managed store which opened on September 27 in the Kobe Hankyu Department Store. The LEF2-200 benchtop UV printer will be used for in-store printing.
“The second is the production of premium notebooks to be sold at the ‘Panta Rhei – For as long as the world turns,’ a museum exhibition of Yukimasa Ida to be held at the Kyocera Museum of Art in Kyoto from September 30. The uniquely energetic artwork by Mr. Ida will be reproduced with our large-format VersaOBJECT CO-series UV printer.”
Toru Kimeda, GM Moleskine Japan, said, "The Moleskine Store in Kobe will be the first directly managed store in the Kansai region of Japan. We decided to run the in-store customisation service in order to provide our customers with an experience of unparalleled excitement. Customers will be able to freely design and combine multiple motifs taken from artworks by Yukimasa Ida, one of Japan's leading up-and-coming artists today, and have their notebooks printed right in front of them. In addition, at the Kyocera Museum of Art exhibition, End of today - 2/21/2023 Mask – (2023) and End of today - 1/16/2022 African Mask - (2022), the End of Today series will be printed on notebooks and sold in limited quantities.
“This project required a printer that could meet various requirements, such as a wide colour gamut, highly detailed expression, direct printing on thick notebooks, and ease of operation in stores. We felt that a partnership with Roland DG was the perfect fit." 
Artist Yukimasa Ida [above] said, "When I first saw the printed samples, I was impressed by the vividness that exceeded my imagination. I’m very happy that more people can enjoy my work by using this kind of digital technology.”
Tony Miller, GM Roland DG Global Sales and Marketing Division: "MOLESKINE offers tools and services that help people be more creative, and we feel this collaboration has special significance because we have so much in common with a company that values people's creativity in the same way we do. It is also a great honour for us to work with an artist who is leading the Japanese contemporary art scene with his unique artwork. We are proud that our UV printers have been chosen by people who have a strict eye for expression. We hope that many people will visit the MOLESKINE shop and art exhibition to experience the excitement.”
MOLESKINE was created as a brand in 1997, bringing back to life the nameless black notebooks used by writers and artists like Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway, and Bruce Chatwin that had long gone out of print. Today, the Moleskine brand encompasses a family of objects that enhance productivity and creativity including notebooks, diaries, and planners, journals, bags, writing instruments, reading accessories, publishing, and digital tools.
