Agfa says that while the entry level flatbed market continues to grow in the region, machine options have been minimal, however due to the launch of the Agfa A-Jet printer, signage, screen, commercial and exhibition printers now have a choice.
A-Jet is a six-colour with optional white LED flatbed, and is available in two bed sizes; 2500 x 1300mm and 3200 x 2000mm.
Using the latest Ricoh Generation 5 printheads the device can achieve speeds up to 26sqm per hour. Firing a seven picolitre dot Agfa says the printer can deliver photorealistic quality when incorporating the light cyan and light magenta colour channels.
A-Jet is equipped with the latest LED technology, which says Agfa has multiple advantages, such as improved adhesion to multiple heat sensitive materials, drastically reduced power consumption, instant start up and a curing system that lasts up to 10,000 hours.
The device has a 100mm head clearance and comes standard with crash sensors and a static system. This means that the device can print to a number of stocks like Coreflute, Forex, acrylics, display board, woods.
New Agfa Anuvia LED inks are supplied in one litre bottles and can be poured directly into the Bulk Feed system. There are four vacuum zones on the 2513, while the 3220 has six zones, which Agfa says means there is minimal set up times.
An A-Jet six-colour + white can be purchased for $89,950 ex gst which makes the platform affordable for many businesses.
The launch of Canon’s new 64” roll-to-roll printer at this year’s PacPrint – the Océ Colorado with disruptive Océ Uvgel ink technology – is designed says Canon to give printers unprecedented productivity.
Delivering high quality graphics at new speed levels, Canon says it can easily handle peak periods with fully automated media loading and multiple media rolls, taking unattended printing to the next level, with on the fly quality assurance and easy-to-use job scheduling and alerts. It produces instant dry prints on a wide variety of coated and uncoated media. Canon says printers can cut their costs with the segment leading TCO of this new production printer.
Canon says the Océ Colorado 1640 sets new standards for breakthrough productivity, never seen before automation, superior image quality, a broad application range and lowest operational cost in its class.
The Océ Colorado 1640 printer is designed for both indoor and outdoor applications. It delivers a large colour gamut, similar to solvent inks, but combines this with the environmental benefits and safety profile of latex systems.
COLORJET VULCAN UV LED GRAND FORMAT
Supplier Jetmark says the new grand format Colorjet Vulcan UV LED enables print on an array of media types at high resolution while being more environmental and ecologically friendly. Featuring new multi-layer technology that allows pre-white, post-white or sandwich white options, the company says Vulcan also opens up new production opportunities.
Installed with top of the range Kyocera print heads the Vulcan is capable of printing at up to 1800dpi in 3.2m form and up to 2400dpi in five metre format. Jetmark says the Vulcan harnesses productivity advantages by combining smart memory, thermal design and print quality technologies with advanced multi-tasking and multi-threading capabilities. The Vulcan’s fast firing industrial heads are designed for UV ink, using anti-blocking and automatic bubble cleaning technology, which reduces nozzle blockages to maintain high quality continuous printing.
The advanced long-life LED lamps ensure less down-time and lower running costs with the added environmental benefits derived from the removal of mercury and ozone gases used in conventional lamps. Jetmark says it comes with realistic ink prices and servicing arrangements
The company says the purchase price is almost half that of similar machines and running costs are low. Power for instance is from a single-phase 15amp power supply.
Canon says the Océ Colorado 1640 sets new standards for breakthrough productivity, never seen before automation, superior image quality, a broad application range and lowest operational cost in its class.
The Océ Colorado 1640 printer is designed for both indoor and outdoor applications. It delivers a large colour gamut, similar to solvent inks, but combines this with the environmental benefits and safety profile of latex systems.
Durst says the Rho 1312 hybrid UV printer has proven its profitability and convinced users to trust and invest in one or even multiple units. It says its R&D team’s determination to excel itself has led to a new development in strategic components of Durst’s proprietary hardware and software.
The outcome is Smart4, which boosts the Rho 1312 productivity further, with output exceeding 1,000 sqm per hour (330 boards an hour) in Two Pass (production mode) that equates to a doubling of the speed of the Rho 1312. Matt Ashman, sales manager at Durst’s Australian supplier PES says, “It makes the Rho 1312 faster and more profitable than ever.”
Durst says versatility is the watchword, with printing at 1,000dpi across 2.5 m width, with both roll to roll and flat sheet hybrid configuration. It also has the option to have double sided on both sheet and roll, as well as white ink option.
Ashman says that, as with any business, consumable costs and cost of production are a key part of the day to day running, that’s why Durst has worked hard developing algorithms to empower its users to save ink, with the new ink saver function. He says, “This enables ink savings from five per cent to as much as thirty five per cent depending on the job, and it is totally configurable, placing you in charge. Furthermore, this machine can be run by one operator, using three quarters automation of feed and stack. This all adds up to a healthy ROI for a print business, and a quality of print second to none.”
The new Rho 1312 Plus will be added to the PES range as of September, and existing customers will be able to upgrade their existing Rho 1312.
Ashman says, “We have another two Plus’s to add to our range and to further enhance our customers profitability and quality.
“The new Durst Rho 512R Plus is again a further enhancement of the already popular Rho 512R (5m roll to roll UV printer). Adding a faster Boost speed to the Rho 512R was not an easy job, as the printer already delivers 350sqm per hour, this has been boosted to nearly 400sqm per hour ,after many hours in the lab the technicians achieved their goal. Adding another resolution to the already high 800dpi was a must, and the result is a Fine Art mode of 1,200dpi – pin sharp across a five metre print.”
EFI says the new Vutek 3R is for high volume printers looking to maximize their performance, efficiency and quality.
The company says it is the most technically advanced three-metre LED roll-to-roll printer on the market, describing it as a maxed-out platform that offers the highest image quality at the highest rated throughput speeds along with the highest range of options to give printers the lowest total cost of ownership.
It prints at up to 380 sqm per hour, with EFI’s seven picoliter UltraDrop Technology, for high-definition image quality, with transitions, vignettes, skin tones, and shadows in a resolution up to 1200 dpi, with say the company precise and sharp four-point text.
It uses LED curing technology with all its cost saving and environmental benefits. It has white printing with a variety of white printing modes, up to five layers, inline finishing system for all-in-one printing, slitting, and collecting, vacuum plate for printing on thin sheets and rigid media in a selection of sizes, automatic backlit printing, automatic blockout printing, and an ID backprint for printing customer information on the back side of the media. The jumbo roll handling system is designed to cater for large rolls up to 750 kg.
It has versatile media handling capabilities to support a variety of flexible and rigid media, carriage height adjustment and wrinkle analyser to avoid head strikes, mobile operator station with touch screen for maximum convenience, and an iPhone application for remote printer tracking.
EFI offers a 3M MCS warranty when printing with co-branded EFI and 3M UV inks on 3M flexible media. It also has a new roll loader for what EFI says is up to 300 per cent better media usage – there is only 40 cm of wasted material on every roll loading, while the media saving wizard indicates remaining media length on each roll, for media stock management.
The Epson SureColor T-Series is designed to maximise performance in business and production environments. It is aimed at users who need to produce large-format colour and black-and-white images economically and at high speed. These printers produce exceptional technical prints such as signs, plans and maps. They are also ideally suited to indoor posters, POS material production, copy shops, in-house corporate printing, and education and government applications.
Boasting the lowest ink cost in its class, the Epson SureColor T-Series also employs permanent Epson PrecisionCore TFP print heads which, unlike some competitor heads, are not an expensive consumable that needs regular replacement. The combination of Epson’s PrecisionCore TFP printheads and UltraChrome XD pigment ink delivers industry-leading output quality and precise, repeatable performance. UltraChrome XD pigment ink is smudge and water resistant and delivers deep blacks and crisp, dense lines which is ideal for technical graphics and the vibrant colours necessary for high-quality prints. Various single and dual roll configurations are offered from 24” to 44” and they are compatible with a wide range of media from thin specialist stocks, to basic bond paper and thick board. Optional Postscript processing is available for design work and a wide format scanner can be added for a full MFP solution with scan, copy and share functionality.
The Epson T-Series also features full job costing and remote management facilities and will produce an A1 print in as little as 28 seconds.
Developed for business use, the Epson SureColor T-Series is fast and flexible with ultra-low running costs. Moreover, the barrier to entry is much lower than many people think so if you are a business looking to add additional revenue streams from point-of-sale, indoor signage, or poster printing, the Epson SureColor T-Series is definitely worth a closer look.
The Fujifilm Acuity LED 3200R has eight ink channels including white and a clear coat (available later in 2017). Its top speed is 110sqm an hour per hour in CMYK 2-pass only mode and in 4-colour mode, standard production is produced at six-pass 40sqm an hour. Using all colours (CMYK + Lc,Lm, W) draft mode is 60sqm an hour per hour at four-pass and standard production is at 20sqm an hour per hour with twelve passes.
With the 3200R Backlit panel production is a particularly strong feature of the LED 3200R and there is even an on-board backlit display so actual viewing results can be proof-assessed during production. In this mode, sixteen passes are deployed so colours remain saturated and vibrant, with a production speed of 7.5 metre square per hour.
Fujifilm first introduced LED curing in the Acuity 1600 LED; approximately 900 units of the LED 1600 have been sold worldwide. Because LED UV uses lower energy and a different bandwidth of UV light, the inks used need to be matched to the spectrum. Fujifilm created the inkset for the 1600 and a new, more flexible Uvijet LF inkset for the 3200R.
The addition of LF flexible inks opens up the soft signage sector for printing onto fabrics used for backlit panels, exhibition displays, teardrop outdoor banners and pull-up portable displays.
Another feature is the ability to print two rolls simultaneously. Two rolls of media, each variable up to 1.52 metres in width, can be loaded to print either the same or two different jobs, effectively creating three printers in one to increase the versatility of the LED 3200R.
This dual roll capability is a production advantage when 1.52 metre production is at its peak and switching back to full 3200mm width is fast and easy. Two rip variations are available:- ColorGate Production Suite 9, or Caldera’s V10.
The HP Latex 570 is a 1626mm wide printer, using HP 871 Latex inks in 3-litre bulk ink cartridges. Prints are cured inside the printer and come out dry without the need for out-gassing, so they ready for finishing, dispatch or immediate application. According to HP instant-ready prints and indoor high-quality speeds of 23sqm an hour, means the HP Latex 570 enables printers to deliver fast results.
HP’s third generation Latex inks provide hard-solvent like scratch resistance on SAV and PVC banner, with the benefit of being water-based with a low environmental impact. Achieving Greenguard Gold indoor air quality certification – even for full room wallcoverings – odourless inks, low VOC’s and no hazardous air pollutants, both operators and end customers appreciate the environmental appeal of HP Latex.
The new media loading and take-up system accepts heavy rolls up to 55kg – and operate on an easy to use pivot mechanism which is also spindle-less. Making loading a breeze, the electronic pinch rollers correct skew automatically, and can enable roll loads in under a minute.
Predictive supplies alerts allow greater levels of unattended operation, ensuring there is enough ink and media loaded to print the job. The free HP Latex Mobile app provides alerts via a mobile phone or tablet that inks or media are running low – and printers can even check that their job is printed and the current printer status – from anywhere in the world.
With the HP Applications Centre – incorporating HP WallArt Suite and HP Signage Suite – printers can tap into the lucrative custom printed décor market, or add simple online design and ordering of common signage applications. HP Applications Centre can be integrated into an existing website, allowing end customers to create wallcoverings, canvas, decals, pull-up displays, banners and posters – optionally linking with e-commerce solutions for online payment. HP Applications Centre is free for customers with HP Latex printers, as well as selected HP Scitex and HP Designjet printers
Finance options for the HP Latex 570 are available, making productive HP Latex printing more affordable.
MIMAKI UCJV SERIES LED UV CUT-AND-PRINT
Mimaki has just launched what it says is the world’s first 1.6m wide LED UV printer/cutter series, and is offering models featuring four-layer printing and white ink.
The UCJV Series is available in two models: the four-colour UCJV150-160, and the UCJV300-160 that can accommodate up to seven ink colours. Each can produce a wide variety of print-and-cut applications offered by many signage, commercial and packaging print service providers. UV-LED curing technology enables printers to use an expanded range of media, including says Mimaki many thin film substrates that may be too sensitive for latex or solvent high heat fixation systems.
Brad Creighton, national marketing manager for Mimaki Australia says. “Once again Mimaki Engineering is showing the world new and innovative solutions. Constantly evolving the wide format inkjet industry so the consumer can create new applications, Mimaki brings new options to their market which enables growth and opportunity. I visited Japan to see first-hand the technology and benefits of this new UCJV platform, and was impressed with what is a world first LED UV Printer / Cutter 1.6m wide solution.”
Four-layer up to 5 layer printing, for example – colour, white, black, white, colour – available on the UCJV300-160 model offers an enhanced print capability that allows designers to build layered, transformative graphics for window and backlit applications. The integrated cut functionality enables volume production of labels, decals, window clings, floor graphics, POP displays, vehicle markings, packaging and prototypes, and more in a single unit. UCJV Series prints are instantly-cured at even the highest production speeds meaning users can quickly print and immediately move to finished product. The combination of white and colour inks available on the UCJV300-160 model adds value to applications using transparent or semi-opaque films.
Mutoh Australia has announced the new ValueJet 1638UH, a 64” (1625mm) LED-UV roll printer able to print flat sheets to 15mm thick. Featuring Mutoh’s Intelligent Interweave print technique that virtually eliminates banding, the VJ-1638UH debuts with dual staggered print heads and two LED-UV curing lamps, with production speeds up to 22.7sqm per hour.
With the release of the VJ-1638UH, Mutoh Australia now offers two LED-UV ink types, including its new flexible ink. Aimed at the Sign and Graphics markets, the VJ-1638UH is also perfect for studios making packaging prototypes and engineering samples. The printer can be configured as either double-CMYK or CMYK plus white and varnish. Use white ink for creating backlit prints on clear media or print white under colour when using dark coloured media. The varnish makes for a glossy effect or to add texture and embossed spot effects. Mutoh’s LED-UV ink is HAP and VOC free and continues to offer class-leading ink adhesion on Corflute, aluminium composite panel, acrylic and flexible films, outdoor banner and pull-up banner.
The roll-to-roll take-up unit and push-away tables for flat sheets are optional, meaning customers don’t have to buy what they don’t need. At the press of a button the printer can be swapped between roll and flat sheet printing modes. Tables are easily folded vertically and pushed up against a wall to free up more space.
Mutoh does not enforce a proprietary rip on the customer when they buy a new machine. Like its siblings, the VJ-1638UH works with all major rips, including Onyx and SAi Flexi, allowing the customer to add to their existing stable without the need to run a second or alternate rip.
ROLAND DG VERSAUV LEF SERIES BENCHTOP UV PRINTERS
Roland DG says that for print businesses looking to diversify their offering, the VersaUV LEF Series benchtop UV printers offer countless product customisation possibilities, allowing users to tap into the growing personalisation and custom printing market.
The LEF Series prints photorealistic graphics, lettering and images on virtually any substrate or three-dimensional object up to 100mm thick, Roland DG says it is more a question of what can’t you print on, than what can you print on?
The VersaUV LEF Series incorporates Roland DG’s proprietary CMYK, white and clear Eco-UV inks for premium quality printing.
Clear ink can be printed for spot gloss or matte finishes, as well as embossing effects, while white ink can be printed as a spot colour or as a flood behind CMYK on dark backgrounds or clear materials.
The company says UV printing technology is now easily accessible for sign shops and printer service providers and is becoming more affordable and versatile than ever – presenting an opportunity to quickly realise a return on investment and ultimately achieve significant profits.
Starting at just $20,000, Roland DG’s VersaUV LEF Series benchtop printers are the solution for those looking to tap into the growing personalisation market. The company says that depending on your budget, production requirements, or office/ workshop space, there is a VersaUV LEF Series model to suit your business needs.
Built by Screen subsidiary company Inca Digital in the UK, the W3200UV has proved its worth in the Australia- New Zealand market, with 14 installations to date – the latest being dynamic Melbourne sign and display shop Mezographic.
Capable of up to 230 sqm an hour in Billboard mode, where images are viewed from distances of five metres or more; for sellable close-inspection commercial work, 150 sqm an hour is achievable. The 3200UV Mk II’s finest resolution is a 22-pass Superfine Photo mode for photo-realistic results, with what the company describes as ultra-smooth skin tones at 15 sqm an hour.
The seven-colour inkset is CMYK,Lc,Lm plus white and, by controlling the UV ink curing speed with the use of a shuttered system, matte, silk and gloss surface effects can be achieved from the same inkset. Standard bed size is 3200mm x 1600mm, but a new option is a larger bed skin that boosts maximum size up to 3200 x 2000mm.
The bed of the W3200UV is ultra-flat and features retractable register pins with six-zoned vacuum areas for what Screen says is perfect registration of printed boards. Vacuum levels can be controlled to ensure lay-flat of lightweight materials and even boards that may be distorted and require heavier vacuum to hold down.
Made by Screen subsidiary Inca Digital in Cambridge, UK and with advanced Fujifilm Dimatix printheads, it benefits from 20 years of continuous R&D by the company that first introduced flatbed UV printing to the world, at Ipex 1998.
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