Hardware - Industrial Print

 

Stefan Sagmeister Turns to HP Graphic Arts Technology to Create the Revolutionary - and Evolutionary - Darwin Chair

 

Challenge

• World-renowned graphic designer Stefan Sagmeister needed to find a high-quality, durable printing solution that would allow him to realise his vision for the Darwin Chair.

 

Solution

• The HP Designjet L65500 Printer, HP Latex Ink and HP DuPont™ Tyvek® Banner enabled Sagmeister to create 230 high-quality prints for his design.

 

Results

• The innovative Darwin Chair is an example of Sagmeister's groundbreaking work and redefines what is possible in the world of furniture design.

 

Rethinking seating

The work: album covers, posters, books. The clients: Lou Reed, The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith. The reputation: maverick, icon, rock star. The name: Stefan Sagmeister. After more than 30 years in the graphic design industry, Sagmeister has made headlines for numerous reasons, but it all boils down to one thing: groundbreaking graphic design.

With a knack for transforming stale thinking, Austrian-born Sagmeister often pulls inspiration from the ordinary. Take the recent renovation of his studio in New York City. Unable to find furniture he liked and unwilling to settle, Sagmeister decided to design the pieces himself.

"I knew that I needed a few different pieces, including a couple of lounge chairs," Sagmeister says. "I also knew that coming from graphic design, I didn't want to design purely form-based chairs. I wanted to make them quite graphic."

Sagmeister's solution? A chair that can change with you. "The idea developed of designing a chair that has hundreds of sheets of paper as a cushion. Just rip off a sheet of paper, and you have a chair with a new colour, pattern and texture," Sagmeister says.

 

 

The evolution of a chair

As his vision of what became known as the Darwin Chair took shape, Sagmeister began to focus on a new question-how to make it happen. "There was just a question of how to make the paper the star and have the structure underneath it recede as much as possible," he explains.

Sagmeister began by examining the structure that the paper cushion was attached to. "Initially, the base was made out of wood, but we changed it to stainless steel. This allowed it to become skinnier and free swinging, so it really became all about the paper."

And just what was it about the paper that deserved the spotlight? "Each of the 230 sheets is printed with a different design," Sagmeister says. The intricate patterns represent the creation of the universe and the creation of the world, from the beginning of plant, animal and human life all the way to the digital revolution.

"Because we wanted the design to have intricate patterns, we needed a high-quality printing technique that could depict very fine lines and many colours. We also wanted something that would reduce the environmental impact of printing. With those parameters, the HP Designjet L65500 Printer was chosen."

 

The design is in the details

To complete the production of the Darwin Chair, Sagmeister needed to select the paper that would make up the cushion-one of the largest elements of the piece. Having already found a way to offer hundreds of different styles in one piece of furniture, Sagmeister used his choice of paper to extend the life of the chair even further.

"The chair is a piece that will probably have a shelf life of 30, 40 or even 50 years, so we were very careful when we designed these sheets," he notes, acknowledging that the prints could even be given a second life by becoming framed pieces of art. To achieve this level of durability and versatility, Sagmeister decided to print on HP DuPont™ Tyvek® Banner.

Along with rethinking the way the prints could be used, Sagmeister rethought the way they were produced. He reduced the environmental impact of the Darwin Chair's prints by working with the HP Designjet L65500. "It used to be that if you used a printing technique that was more environmentally aware, you always lost something else, like print quality or durability. Now, you're able to have it all," he says.

 

Design remix

With the creation of the Darwin Chair, Sagmeister went well beyond simply creating new furniture for his studio. His remix of the traditional chair redefines what is possible in the world of furniture design.

And it exemplifies the benefits that anyone can achieve when they push boundaries and rethink the ordinary. Just as Sagmeister was able to break design barriers, commercial printers can also break business barriers and capture new opportunities.

"A lot of things that I do, printers tell me are not possible at first. I like to constantly push the edge there," Sagmeister says. The Darwin Chair is a testament to Sagmeister's ability to rethink the ordinary and to the groundbreaking results.

 

You can also find more information on the above project by watching this YouTube Video

 

HP today announced that Diagonal 80, a company which has recently built a modern centre of production in San Agustín del Guadalix (Madrid), has installed an HP Designjet L65500 Printer and is using it to help companies demonstrate their commitments to the environment.

A company that clearly saw the digital future, in 1996, Diagonal 80 installed its first HP Designjet wide format printer, followed by regular investments in new digital technologies that continue today.

Among is current broad range of HP printers, Diagonal 80 has an HP Designjet Z6100 Printer (1.52m); an HP Scitex FB6100 Printer (3 x 2m flatbed); an HP Scitex XP5100 Printer (5m) and its new HP Designjet L65500 Printer.

The HP Designjet L65500 Printer, that uses HP Latex Inks, was the first new printer to be installed when the company moved from its 350m2 premises in central Madrid, to a new purpose-built 2400m2 facility just outside the city.

"We chose the HP Designjet L65500 Printer for several reasons," explained Alejandro Licitra, owner, Diagonal 80. "We had a gap in quality between our production capability with solvent technology and aqueous inks, which UV-curable inks filled perfectly. We also noticed that latex inks had a far better adhesion than UV curable inks on many substrates. There were also the advantages of using inks which are more environmentally responsible, have a high colour gamut, and a create a better working environment."

Diagonal 80 also found that the HP Latex Inks offered the advantage of not being susceptible to cracking on applications that are subject to folding or repeated rolling. As Diagonal 80 supplies a large number of graphics for exhibitions including pop up displays, roller and tension banner displays and other display systems where the graphics receive repeated use and handling, this is an important characteristic.

"The number one advantage of the L65500 Printer and the latex inks is that we can meet our customers' desire for printing with the environment in mind," Licitra continued. "Often, they want to include environmental awareness in their marketing campaigns."

Diagonal 80's new building, designed by a well-known innovative architect in Madrid, AMID (cero 9), is a manifestation of the way the company wants to present its image. Part of that image is the concept of a "spotless environment," a theme that is the subject of a public competition to find the best design to decorate the whole building.

Diagonal 80 has initiated its own "spotless printing" campaign, which for them means printing with quality and with respect to the environment. With high profile end-users of its print, including international conservation and environmental groups, as well as commercial organisations that wish to promote their environmental efforts, Diagonal 80 finds the HP Designjet L65500 Printer a valuable marketing tool as well as a high quality printer.

 

Grapo Technologies, a manufacturer of UV large format roll-to-roll and flatbed UV printers based in the Czech Republic, today announced that the market response to its Manta wide format UV flatbed printer with a white ink option, introduced at FESPA, has exceeded expectations.  Adding a white ink option to UV printing generates higher quality print on colored backgrounds and opens up new possibilities for unusual applications.

“We have been extremely pleased with the results we have achieved with the Manta White,” said Sales Director Branislav Oravec.  “With seven units already sold since FESPA, we are looking forward to ongoing success with this new option. To make it simpler and risk-free for our customers, the White option can be removed within 24 hours in favor of a full-speed CMYK platform if they find they do not have the expected requirement for white ink applications.  Vice-versa, four-color Manta printers in the field can easily be upgraded to include the white ink option.”

Quality & optimal price/performance

“We installed our Manta White in November 2009,” said Stefan Heilemeier, Managing Director, HeLa Werbung in Germany. “The installation and training was very smooth and within two days we were up and running.  We believe this printer has the best price/performance ratio on the market and will differentiate our business.  Already, we have been able to print projects on wood, acrylic, aluminum molds, stretched canvas and more.”

Double P in Slovakia installed two Manta White systems to complement five solvent roll-to-roll printers. “We were interested in the Manta because of the substrate limitations we found with our solvent printers,” said Jana Partlova, Managing Director. “With the Manta White, there are virtually no limits, and we can offer our clients printing on unusual surfaces.  It is really amazing how many substrates you can print on with the Manta.” Double P will be using its Manta White printers to produce interior decorations, posters and signage as well as projects using wood, doors, glass and more.

Manta prints it all!

The Manta is a cost-effective, flatbed system that uses UV-curable inks.  It can print directly on rigid, heavy and odd-shaped materials, as well as materials with a structural surface such as wood, metal, cartons, cardboard, glass, ceramic, carpet and more, generally without any need for pretreatment of any kind.

“Since the designers of the Manta come from a printing heritage,” added Oravec, “we understand exactly how these systems are used in a real production environment.  Quality is critical, of course, but so is overall production throughput.  Only 40% of the entire production time in most operations is consumed with actual printing, with the rest being preparation time.  We have designed Manta to require minimal preparation time for maximum printing uptime in order to ensure unmatched production throughput using this printer.” Oravec notes that the Manta printer had an extremely fast time to market, with product availability just five months after development began.

The Manta’s vacuum system holds materials firmly in place for perfect registration, even with multiple and bidirectional printing.  It has no minimal print area, allowing smaller items to be placed on the desk without the need to cover up empty areas as with other flatbed printers. Its unique twin mode function allows operators to use one-third of the print area for smaller pieces, while using the other two-thirds independently for even more productivity.

Manta Benefits Conventional Screen Printers

“Manta White was developed in response to customer demand,” commented Oravec. “These clients were looking for the ability to affordably produce unique, eye-catching applications, many of which require white ink.  Early installations have proven that printers that have white ink capability can set themselves apart from their competitors by producing more unusual applications. In today’s competitive marketplace, Manta White is a win/win solution for our clients as they work to better serve their clients.”

 

 

Challenge:

Rouse the interest of the Spanish public in Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by launching an attractive anniversary exhibition that would tour Spain

Solutions:

• HP Designjet L65500 Printer using HP Latex Inks-media rolls up to 2.64 m (104 in.) wide
• HP Designjet L25500 Printer using HP Latex Inks-media rolls up to 1.52 m (60 in.) wide3
• HP Backlit Scrim Banner
• Three HP TouchSmart PCs
  
  

Results:

• High-quality, large, colourful displays attracted more visitors than foreseen, approx. 28,000 between the first two venues alone
• Durable printing materials withstand disassembling and reassembling from one town to the next
• More pleasant experience for visitors thanks to odourless2 prints
• Public's fascination with new touchscreen technology harnessed for educational purposes
• Showcasing evolution

 

150 years ago, on November 24th, 1859, Charles Darwin published his theories "On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life." By the sixth edition the name had shed its verbosity and evolved into the abbreviated (and somewhat catchier) title, "The Origin of Species." Not only is 2009 the anniversary of the publication of this monumental work, it also marks 200 years since Darwin's birth, and to celebrate, the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution (Tarragona, Spain) has launched two educational exhibitions, one in Spanish and one in Catalan, featuring attractive graphical displays that invite visitors to trace the English naturalist's life and learn more about the theory of evolution.

The Institute outsourced production of the displays - 16 back-lit panels, each measuring 2.45 x 3 m (8 x 10 ft, approx.) - which were printed on an HP Designjet L65500 Printer. The shows welcome banners were done on the brand new HP Designjet L25500 Printer, while three HP TouchSmart PCs in the exhibition halls complemented the printed displays with an online presentation.

 

Photographers impressed with print quality

Luís Batista, Educational Director at the Institute, oversees public education programmes supporting the Institute's research and excavations - those for example at Atapuerca in the north of Spain, where fossilized remnants of the earliest known hominoid in western Europe have been found. "The photographers at the Institute are very demanding and critical," said Batista, "yet they were amazed at the fine detail and high colour definition of the exhibitions' displays. They didn't know that a printer outputting such large prints could give this high a level of image quality. The colours are alive. We print exactly the colours we've put in the designs. Before, [using a non-HP, low-solvent printer] we would have to go back and print again until we got the colours right. With the HP Designjet L65500 Printer, the colours were perfect right from the first print."

 

Large, durable prints for travelling shows

The HP Designjet L65500 Printer accepts media rolls up to 2.64 m (8.66 ft) wide. "Before, we would always produce 1 m [3.28 ft] -wide posters," continued Batista, "and then have to fit them together. Now, each panel is just one huge print, which saved us much post-production work when preparing the Darwin exhibitions."

The first show, with text in the Catalan language, took place in Lerida in north-eastern Spain, while the replica displays in Spanish were set up in Orce in the south of the country. Both exhibitions will tour for a number of years before they find more permanent homes in a museum or the hall of a new research institute. "Since they are travelling shows," said Batista, "we had to choose strong materials that wouldn't be damaged in transit. We used a metal framework and printed on HP Backlit Scrim Banner, which is very durable and which we are able to take down and put back up easily without tearing, staining or marking the prints."

The welcome banners outside the exhibition halls were printed on the HP Designjet L25500 Printer. "These vertical, front-lit banners are 1 m [3.28 ft] in width," said Batista, "and the print quality is outstanding."

The HP Designjet L25500 Printer is a new model from HP that is already increasing business opportunities for print-service providers with its unrivalled versatility for outdoor and indoor applications1 and the attention it attracts from environmentally conscious customers.

 

A more comfortable experience for visitors

The HP Designjet L65500 and L25500 printers use innovative, water-based HP Latex Inks, producing print quality comparable to that of low-solvent or eco-solvent printers while reducing the impact of printing on the environment - a good, modern-day message that parallels the Institute's interest in the natural surroundings of prehistoric times. What's more, prints created with HP Latex Inks are odourless.2 "Using a low-solvent printer," said Batista, "our previous exhibitions used to smell of ink. Visitors would comment on the strong printing odours. With the HP printers however, we couldn't even smell the ink when we went to collect the prints and we were standing in front of the machines while they were printing."

 

Drawing the crowds

The large, colourful displays are pulling in the crowds, contributing to the Institute's objective of interesting a wider public in the study of natural science. Visitors to the shows have also been lining up to use HP's next-generation touchscreen technology: by touching and tracing their fingertips over the screens of the HP TouchSmart PCs, they are able to navigate, easily and quickly, the Institute's Website and the supporting online presentation on Darwin.

News of the exhibitions has spread, and Batista estimates that the Lerida edition received about 18,000 visitors, while the version in Orce, a much smaller town, was seen by approximately 10,000 people, surpassing all expectations. For 2010, the Institution is planning an even bigger exhibition on prehistory, based on the work at its many excavation sites and predicted to attract over one million visitors during the course of a six-year national tour.

 

At a glance

Name:  Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution

Activities: Research, training, and education in human evolution and social history

Founded: 2006

Number of employees: ~60

Business address: Plaça de la Imperial Tàrraco, 1 43005 Tarragona Catalonia, Spain

Telephone: +(34) 977-55-87-03

Web sites: - prehistoria.urv.cat - www.evoluciona.org

E-mail: ipasto@iphes.cat

 

 

EFI today introduced a new member of its award-winning VUTEk QS family of industry-leading superwide format UV printers, the 3.2-metre UV roll-to-roll QS3250r, which uses new technology to expand applications, enhance media handling and simplify workflows. The new QS3250r packs dozens of innovations that customers will immediately recognise as keys to making their print businesses more profitable with a wider range of materials and applications.

Expanded Applications

The QS3250r 3.2-metre UV roll-to-roll printer expands applications with new features that include automated laser-aligned double-sided printing and platen temperature control. The automated laser system simplifies the process of printing double sided images, enabling enhanced registration for double-sided banners, while reducing production time and minimising waste. The new platen control unit accommodates printing on low-cost and heat-sensitive materials, giving customers the ability to improve profits by reducing costs and expand their print capabilities. Providing near-perfect panel matching, the QS3250r enables worry-free printing on a wide range of flexible media up to .125 inches (3.2 mm) thick at speeds up to 1,850 square feet (172 sq.m) per hour. Plus, with resolution up to 1080 dpi, this printer is ideal for producing superior quality Point-of-Purchase displays, indoor and outdoor posters and signage, fleet graphics and high-margin wallpaper applications.

Advanced Media Handling and Impressive Workflows

Although the QS3250r takes advantage of many advancements, its media-handling equipment is truly ahead of the curve. A temperature control system eliminates stress on the media to ensure smooth travel through the print area, which is especially important for thin, unsupported media, and a new encoder design increases accuracy without media distortion. Workflows are also more sophisticated with the inclusion of interior lights, a media alignment scale and a platen vacuum gauge, all of which contribute to the incredible usability of the machine and reduce set-up time.

"Aside from constantly growing, the superwide printing market is also evolving, and the QS3250r is the latest generation of VUTEk printers to address this changing market," said EFI VUTEk senior vice president/general manager Dick Wissenbach. "Leading the industry in resolution and speed, the QS3250r has expanded the number of capable applications for UV roll-to-roll printing at a very cost-effective price.   EFI customers expect to be on the cutting edge of printing technology, and the next-generation advancements we've made in the QS3250r give our customers a clear advantage over their competition."

EFI customer Georgia Printco, LLC in Lakeland, Georgia (USA) was among the first to experience the QS3250r in action. "A national print brokerage firm asked us to print 500,000 square feet (45,000 sm.m) of banner material in a very short amount of time. EFI delivered and installed our VUTEk QS3250r and had us printing in 48 hours," says Drew Barry, director of marketing for Georgia Printco. "The printer has been printing around the clock for almost a month, and EFI's tech support has been responsive and helpful. So far we have produced over 295,000 square feet (27,000 sq.m), and we're still going strong. The quality and reliability from VUTEk have both been superb."

All EFI VUTEk superwide printers are optimised for use with Fiery® XF, EFI's production RIP solution for superwide and wide-format printers. The fast RIP achieves the best performance and speed and its automated workflow increases production and improves output quality for the most accurate, vibrant colours.

"The new VUTEk QS3250r will be shipping in first quarter 2010," added Wissenbach.  "EFI has a long history of product innovation, and the VUTEk QS3250r is another strong example of that innovation at work."

For more information about the VUTEk QS3250r, visit www.efi.com/vutek

 

 

Océ has received two 2009 BERTL's Best designations.

The Océ Arizona 350 XT UV flatbed printer was named "Best Innovative Technology for Wide-Format" and the Océ PlotWave 300 system was named "Best Eco-Friendly Wide Format Printer" by BERTL. These awards acknowledge the worldwide success of Océ's innovative power in product and technology development.

BERTL analysts review current product lines and new product introductions to identify the select group of devices and software that are superior to others. BERTL analysts look not only at how well a product performs in various real-world settings, but also what specific aspects of the device and under what circumstances make analysts stand up and take notice. BERTL's Best award covers the entire digital imaging and document management arena.