The Art of Nails in the Digital World

Last year at Professional Beauty London 2015, Genevieve Pratt, owner of Genevieve’s Beauty and Massage Salon in Fleet, Hampshire, took the plunge and put down a deposit for an ArtPro V6.1 PRO printer, which uses inkjet technology to print ANY image, logo, photo, pattern or design on to her clients nails. A year on, we asked her about her experience and she answered:

  

Q. What was your first reaction to the ArtPro printers at Pro Beauty? Has that changed since?

When I first saw the ArtPro Nail stand at Pro Beauty and then the printer I was, simply put, amazed. It was the first time I had seen anything like it.

After receiving all the information about the product I spent the rest of the event thinking about whether the printer would be a good fit for my salon. Nothing else stood out to me at the show like the printer did so I bit the bullet and put a deposit down for my own.

To this day I am still glad I invested in it and love the endless possibilities of nail art I can offer my clients.

 

Q. What made you choose the V6.1 PRO model over the V7+ SMART model? 

I chose the V6.1 PRO model over the other printer because it had more to offer.

There's not a great jump between the two in price, but my printer can print on full sets of stick-on nails, which is an added product that I can stock for clients.

The printer size definitely draws my client’s attention; if they haven't heard about the printer before coming, they definitely know about it when leaving without me even having to make them aware of it.

 

Q. Has your existing client base embraced the new technology or have they been wary of it?

My existing client base has fully embraced the technology.

They love that they can have anything on their nails and I've found that my clients are more willing to have nail art now that they can see exactly what it will look like before going on the nail.

My clients also enjoy showing off their nails to friends and family who don't even know it's possible to print nail art onto the nail ... After all, we all love feeling like we're ahead of the game!

Q. Do you think ownership of the ArtPro printer has helped to increase your client base?

Owning the ArtPro nail printer has really increased my client base!

Not only do I provide this service to my clients as an added service to the gel manicure; I also offer it to those that prefer other gel or acrylic brands. They can have their nails done how they prefer and then come to me for the nail art. So far, all of these clients have come to me for other treatments too, so it boosts sales all round. 

Q. Aside from the initial investment purchase, how do the consumables and running costs relate? Would you say introducing the printer into your salon has been cost-effective?

I've had the printer for almost a year now. So far I have only needed to replenish the ink cartridge. I still have plenty of stock for all other consumables originally purchased with the printer and I have only bought new products as they have become available to the distributor so I would say it has been cost effective to the salon to have this.

 

Q. The printer has so many features including the inbuilt camera for selfies! Which is your favourite, or most used, feature?

My favourite and most used feature would have to the NAD software, which enables me to design my own nail art.

The software allows you to choose any jpeg file, crop it to fit the nail template, and then once saved to a USB stick, to upload it straight to and save to the printer. This feature gives you flexibility to make the nail art unique to the client and also means you can constantly be on-trend with designs.

It's so easy and simple to do; my only problem is I get carried away and could spend all day on it if I wanted.

 

Q. Is there a favourite design or style amongst your clients?

I would say the most popular design / images I've printed and those that get the most attention are the Disney princess images, especially Elsa from Frozen for the younger girls.

Other than that, each set I've done has used a different design - mostly soft flower designs or intricate patterns. 

One of my personal favourites was the Banksy nail art designs I created; they came out so clearly!

 

Q. Have you had much contact with the distributor, ArtPro Nail UK? Do you feel they have been supportive? 

I have probably had the most contact with ArtPro Nail UK over any other distributor I've bought from.

At first it was to double check I was using it properly and now it's mostly just to keep up to date with the Company.

I feel like no question is too insignificant for them, and I've always had a quick response. They offer great support, not just technically but also to help share your work with the beauty community on social media. I love seeing who their 'Nails Of The Week' are done by and seeing other salons work when competitions are running leading up to certain holidays.

It's nice to know what you do is appreciated!

 

Q. Has the ArtPro printer been a worthwhile investment?

I do believe that purchasing the ArtPro nail printer was a worthwhile investment and, honestly, it's just a fun and refreshing tool to have in the salon!

It helps me to get creative and keeps me inspired to keep producing great sets of nails for my clients.

 

Q. What advice would you give to a salon or technician considering purchasing a printer?

My advice to someone looking to buy this would be to firstly work out what time you have for the machine.

The V7+ SMART model will be a great portable printer for a technician on the go or a smaller salon and the V6.1 PRO will need adequate space in the salon and is great if you can assign someone to produce sets of stick on nails as an added product to stock. 

Once you have the printer, practice on each other before clients to ensure you’re comfortable and confident using it.

If you follow the steps provided and ensure you align the nail and image up then it will print perfectly first time!

 

ArtPro Nail UK Limited will be exhibiting on Stand H29 at Professional Beauty London. Register for your FREE ticket here.  

For more information about the ArtPro Nail printers and the upcoming show offers, please visit www.art-pronail.co.uk or call 01622 693633