Consumables

Following extensive evaluation, MACtac Graphic Products has received certification for several products within its IMAGin line of wide-format digital media on the HP Designjet L25500 and L65500 with HP Latex inks.

MACtac Graphic Products’ newly certified products include bubble-free media IMAGin B-free JT5529BFD designed for vehicle wraps and IMAGin B-free JT5798MBF for long-term outdoor signage; StreetRAP STR328 vinyl for sealed concrete or asphalt pedestrian walkways; wallNOODLE WN628 repositionable vinyl for wall graphics and P.O.P displays; and RoughRAP WW100 wall wrapping film for moderately textured exterior and interior brick or block walls. To date, more than 20 profiles have been created with more in development.

An HP Registered Latex Developer since 2009, MACtac continues to test and profile its media with the new HP Latex inks, allowing the company to provide printers with options in media that offer excellent compatibility and impressive results on film and the environment.

“As an HP Registered Latex Developer, MACtac has made a commitment to continuously improve our IMAGin line of digital media, ensuring we are addressing customers’ environmental concerns through solutions designed to work flawlessly with HP’s environmental technology,” said Rick Moore, director of marketing, MACtac Graphic Products. “Through rigorous testing, we have certified a new series of products that offer proven performance with these progressive printers and ink systems. As these technologies continue to advance, so will our media.”

Other certified products include several of MACtac’s high-performance, intermediate, promotional and specialty IMAGin media, such as JT5829P, designed for indoor and outdoor signage and point-of-purchase (P.O.P) displays; JT828P and JT829P, designed for short-term indoor and outdoor signage and P.O.P. displays; JT5828HTO, designed for carpet graphics, signage and tri-vision billboards; and, JT5826P, designed for low-surface energy substrates and banners.

 

 

Hove-based TJ’s Visual Solutions has made significant savings by switching from OEM inks to Colorific’s range of inks.  Supported by Granthams, a business with over 100 years experience in the graphics industry, the transition to Colorific inks was seamless.  With ink cost savings of 50%, TJ’s Visual Solutions now wishes it had swapped over ages ago and would thoroughly recommend Colorific inks to other sign shops and printers.

TJ’s Visual Solutions (TJ’s), founded in 1992, is a dynamic company that creates bespoke visual branding solutions across a wide variety of media.  It has in-depth experience in all forms of signage, graphics and printing and is a specialist in vehicle livery – ranging from one off projects to entire fleets.

By the end of 2010, TJ’s became disillusioned with the inks supplied by OEMs for its 64” rebadged Mutoh ValueJet – upon which much of its output is printed.  The costs of OEM inks were continually rising and TJ’s was no longer able to rely on the next day delivery service from their supplier - despite putting the order in well before the cut-off time.

They had started to consider alternatives when they received a timely call from Sean Taylor, Consumables Specialist at Granthams.  Steve Irwin, Print Manager, at TJ’s comments, “We got chatting about various materials Grathams could supply us with, but became really interested when Sean said he could cut our ink costs by 50%.  We had heard all the horror stories regarding third party inks, but Sean assured us that there would be no problems with the changeover to Colorific.”

Granthams, established over 100 years ago, is a leading dealer in sign and display products.  It is one of Colorific’s resale partners.  Colorific offers one of the most comprehensive ranges of high quality mix and match, bio, eco- and full-solvent and UV inks, specifically developed for current wide format digital printers.  Colorific’s philosophy is simple:  for any given printer and application, it sources – from a channel of respected international ink manufacturers – ink solutions that are fully tested and proven in the field, with a track record of reliable and trouble-free performance.  Sold through its reliable network of resellers, including Granthams, Colorific-branded inks deliver uncompromised quality combined with outstanding customer service – all at an affordable price.

Granthams recommended that TJ’s switched to Colorific Pro VJ ink – a product specifically developed for the ValueJet line.  As Steve Irwin explains, “The Colorific Pro VJ inks were literally ‘plug and play’.  They intermixed with the OEM inks and didn’t require any flushing or special measures to get them working – the changeover was painless.”

The ink changeover was TJ’s Visual Solutions first experience of working with Granthams.  Steve comments, “They haven’t disappointed us.  We really value dealing with a company which has knowledgeable people at the other end of the phone.  They want to build a long-term working relationship with us rather than just focus on the quick sale.”

Steve Irwin summarises, “We would definitely recommend the transition to Colorific ink to other organisations.  We always thought that the OEM inks we purchased were expensive, and although we were initially hesitant to make the transition, we’re really glad we have.  The cost savings are great and we can rely on next day delivery.  There are probably plenty of similar sized sign shops and printers who are nervous to make the switch from OEM inks to alternate brands, but there’s now really no need to keep paying the over-the-top prices.  We’d read all the horror stories of changeovers gone wrong - days or weeks of downtime, costs of replacement printheads etc – but our transition to Colorific ink has been without a single hitch.  We now believe we are paying a bargain price for a high quality ink and wish we had swapped over ages ago.”

Further information on Colorific inks is available at www.colorificink.com

 

InteliCoat Technologies has announced the Magic UV Cure Product Line. Featuring superior, reliable output in sizes and put-ups ideal for high production, grand format printers, the new Magic brand UV cure-specific products include Magic PB10-UV Polyethylene Banner, BPC12-UV Polycarbonate Rigid Matte Film, PPM7-UV Polypropylene Banner and VSF-UV Valéron Banner.

"InteliCoat is excited to take the next step into grand format production printing with the introduction of our UV cure product line," said Jennifer Chagnon, Senior Marketing Manager at InteliCoat Technologies. "Whether creating POP displays for retail or signage for concerts, we are confident that the new line will provide customers with the high level of performance and satisfaction they've come to expect from the award-winning Magic brand portfolio of digital imaging media throughout our long history."

The following Magic UV cure products are now available in three roll bulk / pyramid stacked on a pallet:

• Magic PB10-UV Polyethylene Banner is ideal for short-term indoor and outdoor promotional banners where a smooth, uniform base material is required. Its polyethylene base gives PB10-UV a high level of water resistance, good drape characteristics and excellent light blocking opacity. The light blocking opacity allows this product to be two-side imageable.
• Magic BPC12-UV Polycarbonate Rigid Matte Film is a backprint polycarbonate film that is designed to offer exceptional print performance on UV cure printing systems using flexible ink sets. By reverse imaging on the matte surface, the polycarbonate surface protects the image while its texture naturally diffuses light and cuts glare.
• Magic PPM7-UV Polypropylene Banner is an economical 7 mil polypropylene durable banner material that resists water and UV damage. PPM7-UV produces high quality images on a matte finish. The matte surface minimises glare from indoor lighting.
• Magic VSF-UV Valéron Banner is a joint venture product that was developed with Valéron Strength Films. This strong 9 mil recyclable material is plasticizer-free, vinyl-free, and is an extremely tear-resistant banner material.

 

With a focus on present day challenges involving the printing industry and an eye to the future, INX Digital International Co. is launching its new Prodigy brand. Having created a separate business unit for Prodigy, company officials will formally introduce the brand in their booth (#1323) at the Graphics of the Americas/FESPA Americas show this week in Orlando, FL.

INX Digital International manufactures and distributes inkjet inks and toners for a variety of industrial markets. Well known for its Graphic Arts products used for billboards, banners, vehicle and building wraps and other large format output, the company is supported by the Research & Development capabilities globally of its parent company, Sakata INX of Japan.

In the last year INX Digital has introduced several new product lines of dry and liquid toner, and a variety of customised industrial inkjet inks including textile products and UV curable technologies. The Prodigy business division has a twofold plan that will continue its focus on Graphic Arts for the immediate future and directly serve the OEMs, Integrators and print head companies within the digital market. Willis Reese, INX Digital's Global Director of Business Development who heads the Prodigy team, sees plenty of long term potential on the Industrial side of the business.

"Graphic Arts customers remain very important and instrumental to our Prodigy business, both short and long term," explained Reese. "However, we expect to be in a position to grow the new Industrial side substantially. We are targeting markets such as textile, tile, glass, metal and wood grain, and feel we have a well-balanced portfolio of chemistries including UV, water and solvent-based products that will be attractive to the marketplace soon. I see Prodigy having immediate success this year in specific markets like packaging and labels."

Reese said Prodigy will expand its portfolio with a variety of Dye Textile products, such as acid, reactive and dispersed Dye Textile, as well as pigment and Dye Sublimation Textiles. While the wood grain market is limited to wood laminate, Reese would not rule out direct-to-wood products in the future. To support this expansion, INX Digital has hired additional senior level chemists with a specific focus on the markets the company has strategically aligned itself with.

"We are currently involved in joint development projects with key print head companies that will allow us to market our products with proven and certified chemistries," Reese said. "On the equipment side, Prodigy is actively working with many integrators who are developing print machines to fill niche needs in the Industrial market. INX Digital and Prodigy are globally partnered with key influential technical and commercial entities; we have personnel and/or facilities covering essential areas of the world in the United States, Japan, China, Europe, India and South America. For 2011 and beyond, we are all in and fully committed to significant growth."

Bordeaux Digital PrintInk, a developer and provider of  inkjet inks for the graphic arts industry, today announced that it has added LFDP,  one of Italy's largest suppliers of wide-format digital printing solutions, as its newest distribution partner in Italy.

Under the agreement, LFDP will distribute Bordeaux's Mild-solvent and Eco-solvent inks compatible with Mimaki™ and Roland™  printers as well as, UV and UV-LED inks for wide and super-wide inkjet printers. All Bordeaux ink solutions are fully compatible with the print heads and ink delivery systems. The products are available in cartridges, bottles and Bordeaux bulk ink system bags, depending on the printer for simple ink changeover. LFDP will also provide customer and technical support for Bordeaux's solutions.

LFDP will introduce Bordeaux's latest ink solutions in March at the Medprint 2011 exhibition in Rome, 23 – 26 March (stand no. F19). The key focus will be on Bordeaux's highly successful Mix & Match solutions; developed to minimise waste and save money by eliminating the need to dispose of remaining OEM inks or create new ICC Profiles.  Bordeaux offers these inks in an extra wide colour gamut, having outstanding fade resistance.

"The Italian market is very promising and LFDP's connections and presence will help us expand our business in this market," said Dror Mualem, Bordeaux's VP Sales and Business Development. "While many of our customers initially converted to Bordeaux for the purpose of cost savings, many of them have quickly realised that our leading product lines like the PRMS family, the Mild Solvent inks and UV LED inks are very good alternatives, often preferred over OEM inks because of their outstanding quality and performance."

"Recognising the acute need expressed by printers worldwide to cut costs, Bordeaux has developed a wide range of innovative solutions for wide-format printers that successfully match original ink brands. This makes Bordeaux a natural fit to our existing range of affordable printing products and solutions," said Gianluca Pizzotti, Marketing Manager of LFDP.

Ink Technologies (UK) Ltd (ITL), the popular British manufacturer of after-market ink-jet inks, has announced that it has started the year with an overhaul of its brand and management team. The company name is now Digitl Ink Ltd, with former sales and marketing director Peter Williams moving into the role of managing director.
 
Digitl Ink says that its range of quality-matched alternative inks for small-, wide- and large-format printing applications remains the same, meaning that users will continue to benefit from significant performance advantages and cost savings compared with other solutions. The customer service initiative launched in 2010 will be central to the new company's operation.
 
"Digitl Ink was already the mainstay of our brand identity, so it was a logical transition to make it our name when we decided to reinitiate the company," explains Peter Williams, managing director. "We remain committed to providing consistent, high-quality alternative inks for all leading printer brands, to continuing production in Great Britain, and to offering the best customer service available in this sector."
 
The company's core products remain affordable, quality-matched inks for printers from Roland, Mimaki, Mutoh, Agfa, HP, Seiko and other manufacturers. Solvent, UV-curable and aqueous machine users can all gain from switching to Digitl Ink's consumables, many of which are available in both cartridge and bulk formats. The manufacturer is dedicated to leading innovation in ink technology, as exemplified by its release last year of its Versatile Textile and Vinyl (VTV) product, which enables production onto both fabric and film substrates without ink changeover.
 
All staff have kept their roles since the changeover to the new name, and Digitl Ink will continue to operate from the same premises in Cheadle Hulme, Manchester, UK.  Robin Titterington, formerly managing director of ITL, has left the company to pursue other ventures. "We wish Robin all the best as he moves on from ITL after a decade of commitment to the company, its team and our customers," continues Williams.
 
This year will also see Digitl Ink renovate its presence online, including an expansion into social media for both support and sales purposes.
 
Manufacturer and supplier of alternative small-, wide- and large-format digital ink-jet inks, Digitl Ink is headquartered in Cheshire, in the north of England. All manufacturing and product development takes place in the UK only. Its products span a multitude of applications, including eco- and full-solvent, water-based, UV-curable and coding inks.