Spotlight on… the Elements Atom range of environmentally-friendly, plug-and-play, printing solutions.
Three years ago, Nick Wintle, Managing Director at IGS UK Ltd, started toying with the possibility of creating an affordable, environmentally-friendly, plug-and-play printing solution that offered exceptional print quality and speed. From this initial idea came the Elements Print Science concept. It has been a long process from concept to completion, involving numerous different steps.
Last May, IGS took the Elements Print Science concept to the public and announced its intentions at FESPA 2010. Potential customers loved the concept of an environmentally-friendly solution and demand was extensive. Indeed, the Elements solution has already won industry-recognition in the form of an Image Reports’ Angel Award for Product Innovation. These awards are given to products considered most likely to have a significant impact in the wide format sector.
However, following in-depth consultation with customers, IGS responded to feedback and embarked on a series of further modifications. Sign-makers had made it clear that – whilst moving to greener media – they still wanted to be able to use the printers for existing PVC applications.
As a result, IGS has been busy re-engineering the Elements Print Science solution and has announced that it will formally launch the Elements Atom printers at Sign & Digital UK 2011 with product available for shipment from that time onwards.
According to Nick Wintle, “This is a true environmentally-friendly, plug-and-play solution. It will be shipped as standard with unique pre-installed, Elements Chromium RIP software, along with an integrated post-heating system and a take-up roll. We’ve worked really hard to develop an affordable, green printing solution and are really proud of what we have achieved.”
At the heart of the Elements concept is the company’s H2O ink. This is a unique water-based – yet outdoor-durable – ink that is completely odourless and free of VOCs and harmful chemicals. As such, it is ideally suited for use in home and office environments as there is no need for extraction.
Nick Wintle adds, “The real skill involved in developing our solution was not restricted to ink. Getting a printer, inks and heat curing system to work individually is relatively simple. However, getting them to work together as a complete, plug and play solution is a genuine challenge and in succeeding, we believe we have developed a unique product. All credit goes to those involved in the R&D process at IGS.”
The Elements Print Science range will only be available through selected partners. Nick Wintle explains, “We’ve made this decision so we can ensure that our Elements customers are properly educated on the system’s unique qualities and can be supported correctly. As with all new technology, training is crucial to ensure users achieve the best possible results.”
The team behind Elements have many plans ahead. Nick continues, “This is just the start. We already have further developments in the pipeline aimed at different applications and by Q4 this year we will be bringing a selection of ‘green’ media to the market to complement the range.”
He concludes, “Sustainability is key to the growth of our industry and whilst the Elements printers make a massive leap in achieving this, the media range also plays a big part. There are already some great products on the market and our aim is to bring many of them under the Elements banner – thereby ensuring that Elements Print Science customers have seamless access to media with genuine green credentials, at competitive prices.”
For more information on the Elements range, visit IGS on stand number H2 at Sign & Digital UK 2011. Interested parties are also invited to pre-book an appointment and specific time slots can be reserved by sending an email to signuk@elementsps.net
The guys at Elements are also in the process of creating an animated ‘Introduction to Elements’, it is ‘work in progress’, but the current version is available to view on Youtube
