Gandy Digital has appointed Atech Limited as exclusive UK and Ireland distributor for its super-wide format industrial flatbed UV printer, the Pred8tor.
Launched at FESPA Digital 2011 Hamburg, the Gandy Digital Pred8tor is a true UV flatbed and will print a 1.22m (4ft) x 2.44m (8ft) sheet of rigid material (up to 50mm (2 inches) thick) in under 90 seconds. Roll-to-roll printing is also achieved with the optional rewind unit which will print at speed and high quality on all flexible materials with a roll width of up to 2.44m (8ft) and up to 40cm (16 inches) diameter, including heavy vinyls and mesh. The Pred8tor can also accommodate rigid materials larger than the bed size with the print extension table option, which enables prints up to 2.44m (8ft) wide by virtually any length. The Pred8tor achieves the same print quality on all roll materials without compromising its true flatbed capability. With a high resolution of 900 dpi photographic quality with inline white or clear ink, the Pred8tor is the first commercially available high speed UV true flatbed grayscale printer. The Pred8tor will soon be available with a larger size bed so you can print a 2m (6ft 8 inch) x 3m (10ft) rigid material. Details and pricing will be available early September 2011
Atech is one of the leading grand format printer suppliers in the UK. With over 30 years supplying the trade with high quality print and imaging products from well-known brands such as Efi, Jetrix, Roland, Seal and ATP Color, the Gandy Digital Pred8tor is a great addition to its wide format print offering.
“The Pred8tor is a really well engineered product,” Allan Ashman, MD of Atech comments, “We all know that Gandy produces some of the best grand format printers in the market and this machine is no exception. We first saw it working at FESPA Digital and we were excited at the prospect of distributing the product in the UK and Ireland. This new flatbed printer from Gandy with white ink and varnish is a real alternative to what’s out there at the moment, but it’s streets ahead of the competition in terms of technological advances and innovation. We’re delighted to be able to offer this to the UK market and have had interest already in two or three machines just by word of mouth.”
Operation of the Pred8tor is made simple with the use of Gandy Digital’s own touch and drag GUI running on the iPad making it a truly mobile workflow; using the iPad you can step and repeat, rotate, delete ripped images, create jobs and many more. The iPad also comes loaded with video tutorials and a live diagnostic system making maintenance schedules part of the routine. Also available on the GUI is a materials inventory control ordering system ‘iMediaMarket’ which is linked directly to all major manufacturers and suppliers of Grand Format materials and consumables. This system lets you keep track of your own media inventory and advises if the stock for the next print job is available or running low. Profiles and software updates are also updated with the online system, eliminating the need for CD or DVD updates. Gandy Digitals’ Pred8tor is the most advanced and ground-breaking grand format digital printer in the industry today.
Natalie Gandy, marketing director for Gandy Digital said, “When we launched the Pred8tor at FESPA earlier this year we did it with the aim of firstly showing the machine to the general trade but also to look for new distributors for the product. Atech Limited stood out from the rest as the only reseller in the UK that could actually supply our machine to the standards we expect. Atech are very used to installing and moving very high-end print and finishing equipment, having done this successfully for over 30 years and is the only company in the UK that has the full breadth of finishing equipment that complement our machine including flatbed digital cutting equipment, UV laminators and industrial eyelet and sewing equipment. Gandy is delighted to appoint Atech as exclusive distributor for our products in the UK and Ireland we are looking forward to meeting prospective Pred8tor owners over the coming weeks and months.”
