Hardware - Industrial Print

Contact Photographic Services Ltd (CPS), which specialises in high quality digital display printing, has become the 2000th company throughout the world to invest in Océ’s multi award-winning Arizona print production system. 

Exceptional print quality and speed, plus the ability to print white ink for the first time digitally, is already opening new expansion opportunities for CPS, which was founded more than 20 years ago and employs 15 people from its Manchester-based headquarters. This is the third Océ Arizona for the large format specialist, which first purchased an Océ Arizona 250 GT in 2007 before taking an Océ Arizona 350 GT two years later and now upgrading to the super-fast Océ Arizona 550GT.

Océ’s Arizona is the world’s biggest-selling flatbed print production system and outsells all its competitors put together.  Central to the global success has been exceptional print quality, which now means it can be used for silk-screen printing preparatory work.

“People know our reputation for fine art finished products, said Andrew Bruce, head of printing at CPS Ltd. “We do a lot of museum work, which stipulates extremely high quality printing, and now more and more of our work is being printed on the Océ Arizona, which has a fantastic print quality and is super-fast. Really fine detail is achieved and 6pt text can be read easily. One of the additional benefits is that we now can do white ink on the machine. The registration between the colour and the white is exceptional, which was the case when we did full-size colour proofs for Dulux on the Arizona.”

CPS, which has been an Océ customer for 15 years, was using the latest Arizona within 24 hours of it arriving in Manchester. “We needed to print 42 8ft by 4ft panels, which was done on the same day,” said Andrew Bruce. “The same job on the Arizona 250 would have taken four days and about two and a half days on the Arizona 350. Production speed has rocketed and the quality is just as good.”

Steve Phythian, Managing Director of CPS, said: “Business has been steadily increasing and things are looking extremely positive for 2011, which is why we took the positive decision to invest in another Océ Arizona production system. The digital side, in particular, is progressing really well. This is an extremely important future for the industry.”

Dominic Fahy, Océ UK’s Imaging Supplies and Display Graphics Business Group Director, said: “CPS has been a loyal Océ customer, realising the outstanding quality and productivity of the Océ Arizona that is adding real value to their business as they continue to expand. The Arizona range is excellent and provides near-photographic quality output. This in combination with the best direct service support organisation in the industry helps enable our valued customers like CPS to invest again and again in confidence because they know Océ is a professional and capable solution provider.”

Owing to a relatively strong national economy and astute business planning, commercial imagers and digital print providers across Canada made sizable investments in capital equipment—specifically, wide-format digital imaging platforms—over the last 12-15 months, evidenced by the significant number of Durst Rho UV production inkjet printers installed during that period, Durst Image Technology US LLC said.

This development suggests that production digital imaging has become a primary—if not the primary—printing technology for Canada's vibrant signage and display industries. The newest Rho printers equipped with the most advanced imaging and workflow technologies are at work in imaging businesses located in Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, and a variety of communities in between, Durst said.

"You'll find our Durst printers at Canadian ICON Digital in Richmond Hill, Holland & Crosby in Toronto, SCL Imaging in Scarborough, Sherine Industries in Surry, British Columbia, and Airos Studio outside Vancouver—along with a number of other Canadian print providers from coast to coast," said Christopher Howard, senior vice president, North American Sales & Marketing.

"These are just the most recent additions to a growing list of Canadian print providers choosing Durst over production digital printing platforms from other manufacturers," Howard added. "And we are being joined by more in the near future, such as Impact Imaging in Mississauga and Cowan Graphics in Edmonton. Our customers in Canada demonstrate a great deal of initiative and creativity in selecting our most innovative platforms to take on brand new applications that their clients are asking for, and growing their businesses in the process."

Durst has been instrumental in bringing advanced digital printing technologies to market—improving image quality, media handling, workflow productivity, ink options and the ability to print on a wide variety of surfaces. These technologies are "standard equipment" on the Rhotex 320 for textile, fabric and "soft signage" printing; Rho 500R and 320R roll printers; Rho 1000 and Rho 900 flatbed / hybrid printers, and the Rho 161 TS for producing reflective traffic signs.

 

Fujifilm North America Corporation, Graphic Systems Division has announced that King International Corporation (KIC) of King, NC has installed an Inca Onset S20 UV flatbed press to increase capacity and respond faster to customer demands for high quality point-of-purchase display graphics. KIC has been in business since 1977 and specialises in screen printing, but in 2006 began integrating digital technology into its workflow.

"By 2007, 20 percent of our business was digital and with the integration of the Onset S20, 40 percent of the work we are producing today is digitally printed," said Chris Smith, CEO, King International Corporation. "Since its installation in November, we have been very happy with the speed, quality and the increased capacity the S20 has provided to my business overall. One of the outstanding reasons I chose the Onset S20 is because it offers the best quality-to-speed ratio on the market."

At the 50,000 square foot facility, KIC specialises in decals, stickers, magnets, overlays, POP signage and other printed plastics, in addition to promotional items and custom services and applications including anything from printed ceiling tiles to floor graphics. With the ability to produce 40 percent of the shop's work digitally, KIC is realising the economic benefits that the Onset S20 presents. Using the Onset S20 instead of screen printing has reduced man hours and the manual labour typically associated with operating a screen press. Furthermore, the increased capacity is allowing KIC to acquire more work. The Inca Onset is one of two flatbed printers at the plant.

"Prior to installing the Onset S20, if a customer asked us to produce 100 large POP display posters in two days I couldn't have done it," explained Smith. "Now I can accommodate these last minute, fast turnaround orders offering my current customers additional service that I previously wasn't able to supply. At KIC it's very important that we provide personalised service with unmatched quality and value for on-time production and delivery. The Inca Onset S20 is helping us stand by this promise."

With a full bed print array across the 5x10-foot print bed, the Inca Onset S20 has print speeds of over 3,600 square feet or 68 beds per hour of high quality point-of-purchase display graphics with substrates as thick as two inches. In addition to the CMYK configuration, the S20 offers a choice of white or light cyan and light magenta. The S20 also gives printers flexibility to set the desired gloss level on a per job basis directly from the operator console.

"A major factor in choosing the Inca Onset S20 was the attentive service I knew I would receive from Fujifilm and Inca," Smith continued. "I am a long-time Fujifilm ink customer and this is my first digital printer purchase from them. I am very satisfied with the results."

Smith also believes the Inca Onset S20 distinguishes KIC from other printers and shows that they are on the cutting-edge of digital print technology allowing them to offer their customers the highest degree of top quality service possible. "We expect that the Inca Onset S20 is going to help us secure new, larger accounts," Smith said.

"Fujifilm is more than just a leader in inkjet printing technology; we are a service organisation dedicated to helping our print partners identify the solutions that will help grow their business and compete more aggressively in an evolving market," said Mitch Bode, general manager, Graphic Systems Division, Fujifilm North America Corporation. "The Onset S20 will provide KIC the capability to win more business."

 

When furniture company Funkids wanted to update its traditional range of children's bedroom furniture to make it more attractive and appealing, Extrema Publicidad in Mexico turned to its Inca Eagle H printer for the solution. Extrema printed directly onto MDF and HDF to produce the range of colourful, themed designs.

Several processes were involved from digitally cutting the individual pieces—more than 150 different pieces were registered - to the substrate treatment and primer preparation before the pieces could be printed, then UV varnished.

With its Eagle H printer Extrema Publicidad was able to produce consistently high-quality, richly-coloured graphics which were ideal for children's bedrooms.

This project was an innovation for the Mexican furniture market as other companies were using decals or vinyl for decoration, which produced an inconsistent quality.

 

Sherine Industries of Surrey, British Columbia, Canada has helped usher in a new era of reflective sign making with its recent installation of the first Durst Rho 161 TS Roll-to-Roll UV Inkjet Printer in North America.

The company will host B.C. Ministry of Transportation officials, the BC Minister of Public Safety, the Mayor of Surrey, the news media and others on March 2 at its Surrey facility outside Vancouver, for a "demo" of its new ability to produce vibrant, durable reflective signs that meet stringent traffic safety and "green" government standards in a fraction of the time and a fraction of the cost.

"We constantly strive to provide the best-quality signs available, and our Rho 161 TS helps us achieve even better results," Sherine Industries President Steve Hocaluk said. "This state-of-the-art printer allows us to fill orders at a faster rate—we can output 700 square feet an hour. And by printing directly onto media, we're able to eliminate steps, which improves our cost-effectiveness and operational efficiency. The Rho 161 TS employs an environmentally friendly printing process. It's also very versatile and very flexible, with the ability to make fast media changes, so we can do more with multiple media types and satisfy every customer request."

The Durst Rho 161 TS, developed primarily for traffic sign manufacturers and already in use in other parts of the world, is a large-format (157.5 cm / 62 inches wide) "direct-to-print" digital inkjet printer designed to produce eye-catching, long-lasting public and private signs for traffic, informational and other uses. It represents an entirely new, environmentally friendly approach to the creation of signs for a variety of official, institutional and other applications that require, or would benefit from, rich and durable reflective properties.

"Sherine Industries is an industry leader because Steve Hocaluk and his team are constantly working to raise the bar in terms of their performance, innovation and the products they deliver," said Christopher Howard, Senior Vice President, North American Sales & Marketing for Durst US. "Their Rho 161 TS helps them minimise the time, materials, waste and dollars required to produce better output for their clients faster and more efficiently, with a reduced impact on the environment. We're pleased to have Sherine Industries as part of the Durst community."

 

Mimaki’s exclusive distributor, Hybrid Services Ltd, is pleased to announce the newest addition to its award-winning portfolio of large format printers; the JV34-260. Based on the award winning JV33 series, the new model features a print width of 2.6m and achieves significantly faster speeds resulting in higher productivity while at the same time appealing to cost-conscious print service providers. The JV34-260 is available from April 2011.

Mimaki’s new JV34-260 is not only one of the most productive wide format printers in its class, it also comes at a very competitive price. The JV34-260’s high throughput of up to 30 m2/h alongside a host of further standard features allow print service providers to cost-effectively produce outstanding graphics and images using Mimaki’s proven RIP software that is included in the package.

Suitable for all sign and graphics printing requirements, including banners and flags

The sign and graphics market is characterised by different requirements for indoor-outdoor applications. Mimaki’s new JV34 series covers all of these and more. Be it banners, flags or other substrates, the new super wide inkjet machine enables printers to produce outstanding results with outdoor durable or sublimation inks on a wide variety of materials including polyester – while at the same time streamlining workflows.

The Mimaki JV34-260 incorporates two newly developed print heads in a staggered arrangement, resulting in a print speed of around 30 m2/h (at 540 x 720 dpi). Further productivity improvements are gained through the implementation of a range of Mimaki functionalities that enable largely unattended production, freeing personnel and workload for other tasks. Mimaki’s Automatic Media Feeder provides continuous web tension over the whole width of the substrate enabling impressive image quality, even on long jobs. As standard, the Mimaki AMF supports a maximum roll weight of 100 kg.

The JV34-260 features Mimaki’s UISS (Uninterrupted Ink Supply System) which delivers continuous ink supply for long print jobs. As soon as one ink cartridge is empty, the system automatically detects this and will start supplying ink from another cartridge of the same colour. In combination with the optional MBIS (Mimaki Bulk Ink System), comprising of ink contained within two litre sacks; significant cost savings and environmental benefits can be achieved.

High print quality makes for a sound investment

Three variable dot sizes enable accurate and high quality images with smooth gradations even when printing in four-colour-mode. A three stage intelligent heater before, during and after printing ensures fast drying times, as the pre-heater warms the substrate before printing while the automatic drying fan dries the ink even at high speeds so that the media can be taken up directly after printing. A print head height of 2 to 3 mm can be adjusted easily according to substrate and for prints with sublimation inks, print head height can be adjusted according to the thickness of transfer paper between 3 and 4 mm.

This combination of a feature rich printer at a competitive price is something that Hybrid’s national sales manager, John de la Roche is confident will appeal to print providers looking to increase their capacity. “The Mimaki JV34-260 makes a sound investment,” he says. “The proven platform coupled with Mimaki’s production printing know-how ensures print providers will benefit from the increase in capacity and quality that the JV34 can deliver.”