Fujifilm Acuity confirms its first class image at Cameo Photography
Cameo Photography in St Ives, Cambridgeshire, is planning to expand its wide-format digital imaging service following the installation of an Acuity HD 2504 from Fujifilm. The flatbed, UV printer is specifically designed for print applications that require fine detail, high resolution images on rigid or flexible substrates.
"We specialise in commercial and industrial photography but an important part of our business is providing high-quality, wide-format printing to a wide range of local companies," says director John Moffett. "Most of this is repeat work rather than people coming in off the street for a one-off job. Previously, we had been using two roll-fed solvent printers, but the new Acuity HD 2504 is already handling around 80 per cent of all our wide format work even though it was commissioned only in January."
Cameo has purchased its new printer complete with the roll-to-roll option and a ColorGate RIP. "Previously, if a thick substrate was required for the job, we had to print on to vinyl and stick this to another material," says John Moffett. "The Acuity HD 2504 has eliminated a process by allowing us to print directly on to the substrate, more quickly and with better quality.
"It's still early days but we've used the Fujifilm machine to print on to a range of materials including PVC, card, paper and vinyl, and we've been carrying out trials on different substrates such as stainless steel," says Mr Moffett. "The results have all been superb. With clients that include jewellery makers, we have to be able to offer a quality that cannot be faulted in any way, a quality that's guaranteed with the Acuity.
"We've had excellent service from Fujifilm going back to the days when we were producing conventional photography that needed processing chemicals. This level of first class after-sales care has certainly continued following the installation of the Acuity HD 2504, with Fujifilm quick to help whenever we've had a query," he concludes.
The print heads on the Acuity HD 2504 can produce variable size dots, with droplets as fine as six picolitres, ensuring sharp, precise images with smooth transition and quarter tones. When jetting larger droplets, the Acuity delivers dense, uniform solid image areas. With the potential for resolutions higher than 1,200 dpi the Acuity HD 2504 delivers clean, legible type as small as 6 pt, plus exceptionally smooth skin tones and the best solid colour coverage of any other printer in its class.
Fujifilm's variable drop technology uses up to 35 per cent less ink than fixed droplet six-colour printers, resulting in cost effective productivity throughout the life of the printer. The zoned vacuum table ensures that irregular shaped materials or those with uneven surfaces are held securely during printing, so that registration is accurate even during multiple passes. The Acuity HD 2504 prints edge-to-edge at speeds of up to 174 sq ft an hour.
