Hardware - Industrial Print

FUJIFILM Dimatix, Inc. the world’s leading provider of inkjet printheads for industrial applications, today announced it has launched its new Emerald series piezoelectric drop-on-demand printheads for high-performance graphics applications.

Designated the Emerald QE-256/30 AAA and QE-256/80 AAA, the new 30-picoliter and 80-picoliter printhead models combine precise, high-speed multi-pulse binary jetting and versatile grayscale operation with a durable, field-proven metal nozzle plate that supports aqueous, UV-curable and solvent ink formulations. This construction was specifically chosen to accommodate broad variations in fluid jetting characteristics to facilitate development of new printer designs ideally suited to scanning architectures.

Based on the highly versatile Dimatix Q-Class platform, the new Emerald models feature 256 individually addressable channels arranged in a single row at 100 dots-per-inch spacing. The FUJIFILM Dimatix printhead design allows every jet to operate concurrently with low crosstalk and excellent channel-to-channel uniformity. This enables the printhead to achieve a high throughput rate without trading off drop placement accuracy and deliver precision jetting at full production speed.

This high-accuracy design coupled with a thin profile allows Q-Class printheads to be stacked in close proximity to each other, a feature enhanced with precision registration points that allow developers to nest multiple printheads and achieve high printing densities, while facilitating drop-in replacement.

These shared physical features and identical interfaces as other Q-Class products allow Emerald printheads to be intermingled with the same or complementary printhead models to provide developers with a multitude of configuration possibilities with unequal flexibility and functionality. Further, it allows systems designers to easily migrate their designs across many different printer models, price points and applications.

The Emerald QE-256/30 is designed to eject adjustable 30 to 80 picoliter drops in binary mode or a 30-picoliter fundamental drop in grayscale mode. The Emerald QE-256/80 is designed to eject adjustable 80 to 200 picoliter drops in binary mode or an 80-picoliter fundamental drop in grayscale mode. Operating at a nominal 8-meter/second drop velocity when jetting fluids in the 10 to 14 centipoise range, the new Emerald QE-256/30 operates at firing frequencies to 33 kHz while the Emerald QE-256/80 has a maximum operating frequency to 20 kHz. Both deliver drops with unparalleled jetting straightness.

Grayscale operation is made possible with Dimatix’ breakthrough VersaDrop™ jetting technology that enables uniquely flexible modes of operation including adjustable binary drop size and grayscale capability without impact to productivity.

The new Emerald printheads take their place next to the previously introduced Q-Class Sapphire and Polaris models. Sapphire printheads feature Dimatix’ advanced carbon-silicon hybrid construction that produces best-in-class jetting accuracy and are ideal for the aggressive fluids typically used in materials deposition applications. Sapphire, like Emerald printheads share multi-mode binary and grayscale operation. Polaris are general purpose, easy to use printheads with binary only operation. Taken in total, this extensive range of products provides solid evidence of the power and flexibility of the Q-Class platform.

HP today announced that specialist display graphics company, Print24, of Tallinn, Estonia, has purchased an HP Scitex XP2750 Printer to develop its flatbed capabilities and to undertake new market applications.

Designed for high-quality and fast turnaround jobs, the XP2750 printer can deliver image quality up to 635 x 800dpi and production speeds up to 110m2 per hour(1).

Before investing in its new equipment, Print24 investigated the printers available on the market. Print24 opted for the XP2750 because of its high application versatility; its use of UV-curable ink and its ability to alternate between flexible and rigid substrates, including foam and rigid PVC and acrylic sheets, up to 2.5m wide and 6.35cm thick.

Print24 was established in 2008, it specialises in producing high-quality signage for retailers and outdoor graphics companies. The HP Scitex XP2750 Printer is the company's first HP printer.

Velvo Metusalet, sales manager, Print24 said, "We believe that the HP Scitex XP2750, will make our business stand out in the market place as most of our competitors use solvent machines and the advantages of  printing with UV ink have not been fully explored in Estonia.

"Utilising the high media versatility of the XP2750 will ensure our customers benefit from a wider range of cost-effective applications - making us more competitive. We plan to use our XP2750 Printer to produce more interior signage, as well as applications using rigid substrates, such as point-of-sale and point-of-purchase items."

More information is available at www.youtube.com/hpgraphicarts or follow HP on www.twitter.com/hpgraphicarts.

PSPs can find local printers offering similar innovative applications by visiting www.hp.com/go/pspnetwork.

(1) Print speeds are for roll-to-roll printing at full width (3.2m/10.5 ft).

Agfa Graphics today announced that Signs By Tomorrow (SBT) of Royal Oak, Michigan, recently purchased Agfa's :Anapurna M4f . With the installation of the system, SBT Royal Oak is now able to offer new products and services to its customers thanks to the large variety of substrates that the :Anapurna M4f can handle. The company specialises in producing props, signage, period pieces and banners for various TV and film projects. So far this year, SBT Royal Oak has produced props for 26 films and has more than 50 films overall to its credit.

The :Anapurna M4f is an industrial UV inkjet printer that provides photorealistic quality and can produce POP, displays, posters, exhibition panels, stage graphics, ad panels and more. It features a print resolution of 720 x 1440 dpi and a maximum printing width of 62 inches.

":Anapurna's excellent quality and outstanding output drew us to the system at the 2009 SGIA Expo. I looked at a lot of competitive systems, but the :Anapurna M4f is a solid machine. It's like the Mercedes of flatbeds!" said Jack Hemp, Owner, Signs By Tomorrow, Royal Oak. "Because the :Anapurna can handle a variety of substrates, we can offer our customers extended flexibility. For movie and TV projects, film set designers and art directors don't have to build walls. Now I print a prop that looks like a wall with the :Anapurna. This helps my customers reduce costs and provides more flexibility for their creativity."

In the Detroit area, SBT Royal Oak are the "go-to-guys" for the film industry. When it's 3AM and the props need to be on set at 8AM, SBT Royal Oak gets the job done.

"We went with the :Anapurna because we wanted to expand our offerings. We aren't focusing solely on the film/TV work. We want to get into more markets, including POP and wholesale work. Resale work is a key area for us and because of the :Anapurna we have booked jobs with a local design school and high-end automotive dealers. We are swamped and it's great!" Hemp added.

The :Anapurna M4f as well as Agfa's full line of inkjet systems were on hand and running live at SGIA 2010, which was held at the Las Vegas Convention Center from October 13th through the 15th.

SGIA 2010 Expo attendees will be the first to see the new :Jeti 3020 Titan. The latest from the :Jeti family of products, the :Jeti 3020 Titan range starts with a 16 head unit delivering an impressive 1,216 ft²/hr(113 m²/hr) and up to a massive 48 heads, at 2,430 ft²/hr(226 m²/hr). In total, the :Jeti 3020 Titan offers ten different levels of speed and capability can be utilized to fit exact business needs.

"Agfa is aggressively developing inkjet systems that will help printers be more competitive. And now with the addition of the Pitman Company's product offerings, we have the inkjet media, finishing solutions and additional printers to offer customers. Print is evolving and we are working collectively to help printers stay ahead of market constraints. New high margin printed and high demand applications like retail signage, tradeshow graphics, fleet graphics are the future," said Deborah Hutcheson, Director of Marketing, Agfa Graphics, North America.

In addition to the new :Jeti 3020 Titan, SGIA attendees will see:

New! :Anapurna 2050 - UV-curable inkjet printer designed to give users a cost-effective solution for speed and 1440 dpi display printing

:Anapurna Mw - produces single-pass pre-white and multi-pass post-white for printing on transparent material, backlit applications, or printing white as a spot color

:Anapurna M4f -- a four-color, flatbed, wide format industrial inkjet printer designed for printing high quality POP, displays, posters, exhibition panels, stage graphics, ad panels and more. With a print resolution of 720x1440 dpi, the M4f prints on a large variety of media up to 63 inches wide. The optional roll-to-roll unit adds additional versatility

New! :Jeti 1224 HDC FTR (flat to roll), a high-productivity UV inkjet printer featuring High Definition Color capabilities will also be running live during the show. This system offers the best true flatbed combined with true roll to roll capability on the market. The 96" wide flatbed architecture of the :Jeti 1224 HDC allows for printing on virtually anything that is reasonably flat up to five cm thick. It is ideally suited for high resolution trade show graphics, POS (Point-of-Sale) displays, real estate signs, backlit signs, lenticular displays, high resolution banners, ceramic tiles, wood and many more flatbed applications

:Jeti 3324 Aquajet -- the #1 fabric printer on the market, prints up to 10.5 feet wide with production speeds of more than 400 ft²/hr. It's a cost-effective and environmentally-friendly alternative to solvent-based fabric technologies

Applications produced on Agfa's :M-Press TIGER a high-speed UV flatbed inkjet press, and :Dotrix high-speed UV web inkjet printing press will also be on hand during the SGIA Expo.

Agfa Graphics and Pitman have also invited several vendor partners into their SGIA booth. The goal of this effort is to provide SGIA 2010 attendees with a complete array of solutions to fit their total business needs. These include inkjet media products from Neschen, Duratex, Avery, 3M, InteliCoat Technologies and 3PTextiles. Agfa Graphics and Pitman vendor partners also include Inkjet Hardware providers, showing products ideal for entry level market:

Epson GS 6000 Low Solvent Printer - 64" Roll-to-Roll printer that delivers unparalleled color gamut, image quality, reliability and print speeds with new safer solvent-based ink technology.

HP L25500 Printer - Users can produce outdoor signage with durability comparable to eco-solvent inks and achieve high-quality results-that meet clients' branding requirements-for all your indoor signage applications, from exhibition graphics to interior decorations. Print on a wide range of media, including coated media or polyester fabric and low-cost papers without treatments.

EFI  today introduced two new entry-level production wide-format digital inkjet UV printers, the Rastek H652 UV hybrid and the Rastek T1000 UV flatbed, aimed at production print shop environments where fast service, superior image quality and printing on the widest range of substrates are the keys to customer satisfaction and increasing profits. The new printers will be on display in EFI's booths at Graph Expo (Booth #2000, 3-6 October in Chicago) and SGIA (Booth #413, 13-15 October in Las Vegas).

"The Rastek H652 and T1000, the newest wide-format printers from EFI, offer stunning greyscale print quality up to 1200 dpi along with white ink capabilities, all at production speeds.  This provides print shops the opportunity to expand their offerings into new, unique applications to both grow and differentiate their businesses", said Scott Schinlever, vice president and general manager of EFI Rastek and EFI ink business. "Bringing these printers to market is yet another example of EFI's dedication to providing customer-focused solutions that provide superior profits to our customers".

EFI's Rastek H652 UV hybrid builds on the success of the popular H650, adding nearly twice the speed without sacrificing image quality. Reaching speeds of up to 42 sq metres per hour in greyscale print quality with resolution up to 1200 dpi, the new Rastek H652 handles a wide range of rigid and flexible materials up to 4.5 cm thick and 162.5 cm wide, making it the perfect, affordable entry-level production UV hybrid solution for businesses that want to offer wide-format applications ranging from banners and billboards to posters and point-of-purchase graphics. With white ink capabilities and greyscale high resolution print quality, the H652 delivers saturated colours and smooth gradients.

EFI's Rastek T1000 flatbed has a three-zone, 132 x 249 cm vacuum table with the versatility to quickly and easily handle materials up five cm thick, including difficult-to-handle substrates that require superior hold-down.  With speeds up to 43 sq metres per hour and greyscale print quality with resolution up to 1200 dpi, the T1000 is ideal for creating head-turning posters, point-of-purchase advertisements including lenticular, along with speciality industrial applications such as membrane switches and packaging applications.  The T1000 offers white ink capabilities with no compromise in print speeds, with the ability to print in white at the same speed as CMYK.

Both the Rastek H652 and the Rastek T1000 expand the range of unique, high-margin applications that will differentiate businesses from their competition and help fuel profits for sustainable growth. For more information on the EFI Rastek H652 and T1000 wide-format digital printers, visit EFI at Graph Expo (Booth #2000) in Chicago from 3-6 October or at SGIA (Booth #413) in Las Vegas from 13-15 October.

DPC Signs prides itself on using the latest technology to create and manufacture a wide range of signage and it was with this in mind that the company purchased an HP Designjet L65500 Latex Printer (now the Scitex LX600) and a RollsRoller Flatbed Applicator from William Smith.

“They were purchased to replace three older machines, which they have easily done, and to ensure that we are ready for the upturn in the economy,” says DPC director Dave Taylor. “They have given us already the potential to quote on larger volume work.”

The Latex printer, which was chosen for its increased production opportunities and environmental impact, is used mainly to produce large format graphics and multiple panels, e.g. for large advertising hoardings.

The HP latex inkjet range of printers, for both indoor and outdoor applications, use water based inks that are non-hazardous and free of VOCs. The images are produced odourless and cure instantly, therefore can be used straight away, giving vast improvements in turnaround. Furthermore, a wider range of print media can be used.

“The quality of the print is amazing and the latex ink doesn’t alter the texture of vinyls, as solvent printing does.”

Speed, consistency and fast drying have also proven to be significant benefits.

“Although we run the machine slightly slower than full capacity to ensure quality, because the ink dries immediately when we’re producing an 80m print in 5m panels we can complete a panel in six minutes.”

The RollsRoller was purchased to facilitate increased throughput of work without the need for additional staff, and is mainly used for applying large panels onto Foamex.

The RollsRoller is a simple and accurate way to apply self-adhesive films or application tapes to many flat and dry substrates. It is suitable for use on flexible face skins and banners, large format digital prints and other self-adhesive materials, as well as rigid sign panels up to 70mm thick. It is easy to install, space saving, time saving, offers increased productivity and efficiency, and provides a safer working environment.

“We only had two men who could confidently applicate large panels; now all staff can do it. Our capacity for throughput has more than doubled with the same number of staff.”

“It’s considerably faster than we could achieve previously and we get no restrictions or bottle-necks on the laminating process. All the staff like using it, in fact one member of staff commented ‘Every time I use it, I’ve got a big smile on my face!’.”

“The service from William Smith is amazing, with excellent follow-up. They are a nice company to deal with - very helpful and friendly, and our few teething problems were resolved very quickly,” concludes Mr. Taylor.