Visitors to Stand C40 at this year’s Sign & Digital UK will see Shropshire-based equipment supplier Signmaster Systems demonstrating the very latest grand format ColorPainter from Japanese manufacturer, OKI. Signmaster’s MD, Phil George, enthuses: “The OKI ColorPainter range already has a well-earned reputation for quality, reliability and the extreme stability of its print heads. The brand new H3-104s matches its predecessors in every respect and then adds grand format 2.6m print capabilities and an 8-colour gamut −including grey and light grey – using the latest eco-solvent inks. The machine offers fast, high production values, is designed to need minimal maintenance and is incredibly easy to use.”
The H3-104s is based on the H2 chassis and retains many of the advanced features of the award-winning ColorPainter M64s. Its Nordic Swan certified SX ink is a low odour, eco-solvent product that provides the durability, UV stability and fast drying properties of high-solvent inks.
Phil explains: “SX ink is manufactured with high levels of pigment which has two principal benefits. It not only prints vivid and rich colours but also, thanks to its density, helps keep costs down because it only needs use the minimum amount of ink.”
Originally devised for the M64s, the ColorPainter H3-104s provides an automatic adjustment feature. Thanks to smart technology and an optical sensor the printer can automatically perform both feed and bi-direction adjustments. Combined with 20 customisable media presets, this process precludes any need for the operator to carry out complicated manual adjustments.
Phil adds: “Simplicity of use is key to the H3-104s’ design. The user just loads the media, tells the machine what media has been loaded using the presets, presses auto calibration and the job starts printing. The machine is ready to print in a few minutes, which is unheard of in a high production grand format printer. The H3-104s also sports an ‘SSS’ (Safe Scanning System). This means the print head is able to detect wrinkles in the media that might spoil the job and even damage the head, wasting precious time, media and money. The machine pauses to allow the operator to correct the media before printing resumes. The H3 can also perform double-sided printing, print roll-up banners in a landscape format, includes a mesh kit for printing media without a liner and offers high capacity, 1.5ltr ink sacks which can be changed on-the-fly. Design touches like these have already made OKI printers popular workhorses in the sign and graphical sphere, and the ColorPainter H3-104s is ideal for graphics providers looking to take their existing set-up to the next level.”
