Hardware - Wide Format Print

Inca Digital Printers has announced productivity enhancements to the Inca Onset S20, its 310 m2/hr (3,340 ft2/hr) wide-format UV flatbed inkjet printer. A new 20-pass print mode has been added and the speed of the existing 25-pass mode has been increased, giving Onset S20 customers increased options in matching production time to the quality demands of each job. The Inca Onset S20 now supports four print pass modes: 12, 16, 20 and 25 pass.

“Inca continually looks for ways to improve its technology in order to give customers the best value and performance,” says Dr Linda Bell, Inca Digital CEO. “Different jobs require different levels of image quality, depending on their content and the viewing distance, which translates into different numbers of printhead passes during printing."

She continues, “For busy graphics viewed at a distance, such as large hoardings or in-store graphics placed at some height from the floor, 12 passes may well suffice, while for high-impact, closely-viewed POS or posters with challenging solid colours such as reds and purples, 25 passes will yield the best quality results. The new options give Inca Onset S20 users higher productivity and more flexibility to choose the optimum print mode for each job.”

The new 20-pass mode sits between the existing 16- and 25-pass modes and gives a productivity increase of 26% compared to the latter. This mode combines quality and speed and is ideal for graphics that include large areas of solid colour.

The new 25-pass mode is 24% faster than before but still produces the same quality results, so increasing productivity for the most demanding applications.

The new modes are available as a free software upgrade for existing Inca Onset S20 customers and will be included as standard on new machines. They are fully compatible with the Wasatch SoftRIP, Colorgate Production Server 6 RIP and Caldera GrandRIP+.

Supplied by Fujifilm, Inca’s exclusive global distribution partner, the Inca Onset S20 offers all the features associated with the market-leading Onset range, including wide colour gamut, satin and controllable gloss levels, variable job management and the option of automation, making it ideal for the production of single and double-sided display POS, exhibition graphics, backlit/frontlit displays, outdoor signage printing and cosmetic/fashion graphics.

For more information, please visit www.incadigital.com

On stand E40 at FESPA 2012, Xaar is using augmented reality (AR) to show how its innovations have led the way in transforming the wide-format graphics, labels, packaging, ceramics, décor and coding & marking industries.

To enjoy the full Xaar AR experience, visit the Xaar stand at Fespa.  Alternatively, download the Xaar ‘Xapp’ app onto your Apple device from the Apple App Store, and use the AR function to view the animations triggered by images on the stand. Those not attending FESPA can still experience Xaar AR by downloading Xapp and printing the trigger images to explore Xaar technology.

Xaar’s AR will enable visitors to explore inside the Xaar Proton and Xaar 1001 printheads in an interactive way. The magnified view of Xaar’s printheads and technology gives a unique insight into what takes place at high speed and at a microscopic level inside ink channels that are less than the width of a human hair. This approach will help users of Xaar’s printheads fully understand how the technology delivers outstanding print quality, high productivity, reliability and easy integration.

For example, see Xaar’s unique TF Technology combined with Hybrid Side Shooter architecture in 3D inside the Xaar 1001. Fluids are shown flowing directly past the back of the nozzles which ensures the nozzles are continuously primed to deliver maximum production uptime. Visualise XaarDOT Drop Optimisation Technology and understand at first-hand how ink drops form in binary and greyscale modes.

A close up view of the Xaar “chevron” piezo actuator used in the Xaar Proton and Xaar 1001 demonstrates the features that produce efficient and consistent drop formation to deliver outstanding print quality.

Big Bucks café customers can also have some fun with Xaar’s AR by following instructions on the drinks coasters.

Xaar will be showing off its AR at the FESPA Explore Conference in one of the sessions dedicated to “Integrating Print into other Media Channels”.  Mark Alexander, Director of Marketing, will talk about why and how Xaar implemented this new sales and marketing tool in his “Putting the ‘AR’ into Xaar” presentation.

Finally, Xaar will be using FESPA’s Narrow Format Zone to demonstrate why many leading label printer manufacturers select the Xaar 1001 as the printhead of choice. When choosing an inkjet label printer, companies want the ability to handle short-run jobs from a few hundred labels up to many thousands, economically, reliably and efficiently. They also need a digital printer with printheads that can handle higher pigment loading white ink and varnish easily to produce high-quality labels on a range of standard and custom label stock. The performance of the Xaar 1001 meets all these needs, allowing unprofitable short-run jobs on conventional presses to be turned into profitable print jobs on a Xaar-based label press.

With the announcement of the new Mimaki JV400LX Series of latex ink based printers, Graphic Printing Technologies expects to be a key reseller of this product.  A demonstration system will be installed at its Reading showroom as soon as available, and plans are afoot for the system to be on GPT's stand (D30 Hall 3) at Sign and Digital UK.

General Manager of GPT, Stuart Cole, says, “This is a very important printer for the market. The strength of the new Mimaki latex is in its environmental credentials, lower running costs and the range of substrates available to print on it. Coupled with the quality of Mimaki, we fully expect this to be a very popular, market leading product.”

He continues, “GPT plans to support this product very heavily. Mimaki’s Latex has some significant advantages over its direct competitors, and we intend to maximise our efforts.   We will have a system available for prospective customers to see and review at our showrooms in Reading, Berks as soon as available. We also plan to have the new Mimaki Latex printer on our stand D30 - Hall 3 at the forthcoming Sign and Digital 2012 exhibition at the NEC. We encourage anyone interested in this printer to contact GPT as soon as possible to talk about its capabilities, benefits, USPs and applications.”

For more information on the new printer, please visit www.g-p-t.co.uk/solvent-printers-outdoor-print/mimaki-jv400-130lx-and-jv400-160lx-detail_189.asp

Six months after its first investment in a digital flatbed — an Inca Onset S20 printer supplied by Fujifilm — Odessa Offset reports that the inkjet machine is already handling 15% of production at the outdoor media and retail POS specialist. The Inca Onset S20 forms part of a £1 million investment by Odessa in digital wide-format capacity, designed to complete the company’s full-service, design-to-print solution and help drive turnover above the £10 million mark by the end of 2012.

Founded in 1983, Odessa specialises in providing leading UK agencies and their clients with complex national campaigns to tight deadlines. The company designs, produces and distributes billboards, posters, building wraps, retail POS displays, and floor and window graphics.

Managing director Laurence Matthews says the Inca Onset S20 complements Odessa’s KBA 205 offset press, matching it for quality and providing digital short-run capabilities. It has also enabled the company to bring in work that was previously outsourced, and offer its agency clients totally new products.

He comments, “A good recent example is a range of showroom banners for a car manufacturer’s pan-European campaign, printed on 220-micron PVC. We printed three designs using litho, and eight on the Onset S20, with no difference in quality. The Onset S20 also gives us greater flexibility on substrates and run-lengths — from one sheet up to 200. The mix of work going through the printer includes flat-sheet POS materials, short-run posters, semi-rigid PVC banners, Correx propylene and Foamboard.”

Odessa researched a number of digital flatbed printers before deciding on the Inca Onset S20, by talking to users and running a variety of test jobs. Says Laurence Matthews: “Whatever machine we chose had to be able to match the quality output we get from our KBA. The Onset S20 not only did this, it also scored highest on speed and versatility.”

The Inca Onset S20 prints edge-to-edge over a 3.14m x 1.6m area on a moving bed on substrates as thick as 50mm. The vacuum table’s accurate pin positioning allows users to print single or double-sided on a variety of sheet sizes. Where extra performance is required, a semi-automated material handling system is available as an option.

The full-print-width colour bar features printheads with a 28-picolitre drop size, which deliver precise ink drop placement and excellent print quality. The capability to control pulse width and voltage on each individual printhead enables ultra-precise control. A unique feature of the Inca Onset S20 is the operator’s ability to replace individual printheads quickly and easily, further reducing maintenance costs.

In addition to the standard Fujifilm Uvijet four-colour process CMYK colour set, users can also specify Fujifilm Ultratone inks —in lights or white. These, as well as a choice of satin, semi-gloss and gloss finishes, give the Inca Onset S20 enormous versatility in the range of products it can print — display POS, exhibition graphics, backlit/frontlit displays and outdoor signage.

 

Bridgeshire Packaging Ltd, of Somercotes, Derbyshire, UK, has installed the world's first HP Scitex FB7600 Industrial Press to increase productivity of POP/POS display units.

Launched in October 2011, the HP Scitex FB7600 Industrial Press is a high-volume production printer that delivers high-quality print on a wide range of substrates in thicknesses up to 25mm (1in). Using UV-curable ink, the press operates in eight print modes with a maximum output of 95 full-size sheets per hour (500m2/hr, 5380ft2/hr). The press, which can be used for printing films, papers and synthetics, is being used by Bridgeshire Packaging for the production of high-quality POP/POS displays, primarily on corrugated board.

"Investing in the FB7600 press was a big step and we followed a careful decision-making process," said Andrew Whittle, director, Bridgeshire Packaging. "Our objective was to improve our production efficiency and reduce turnaround times."

With national and international brand retail and industrial customers demanding display and packaging products within 48 and 24 hours, the company was looking for a production press that could meet the challenge.  "Already we are asking ourselves how we managed without the FB7600," Whittle said. "With the increased production capabilities, we are able to expand our capacity. We're in the process of building a sales team dedicated to the digital market and plan to increase the number of shifts we operate."

Bridgeshire Packaging was established in 1989 as a conventional corrugated manufacturer and has evolved into a one-stop print service provider offering design, conventional and digital print, die-cutting, collating, assembly and distribution services. Apart from POP/POS displays, the company designs and produces CDUs (counter display units), FSUs (free standing units) and pallet displays.

Bridgeshire Packaging's press was installed in mid-November last year and the press was in full operation by the second week of December.  "At present about 95 per cent of the output on the FB7600 press is on corrugated board, but we also run Foamex as well as vinyls and correx for outdoor banners," said Whittle.

Bridgeshire Packaging has strong environmental interests as well and recycles waste corrugated into products including fuel, animal bedding and its patented Pal-foot, a transit packaging solution for rigid bodied products (like white goods) and POS displays.

"I'm very impressed with the production and efficiency of our HP Scitex FB7600 Industrial Press," Whittle concludes. "It is meeting our objectives of improved quality and cost-effectiveness, and is reducing turnaround times, enabling us to satisfy customer demands and our business goals."

More information is available at www.hp.com/go/scitex or www.youtube.com/hpgraphicarts, or follow HP on www.twitter.com/hpgraphicarts.

[photo shows Robert Booth (left) managing director and Andrew Whittle (right) director, Bridgeshire Packaging]

Stolz Architects, located in Rosenheim, Germany, has received a new full-colour, web-connected HP Designjet T790 large format ePrinter to replace its existing 13 year old single-colour HP Designjet Printer, which won a competition to find the oldest HP Designjet still in service in Germany.

Discovering that the HP Designjet from Stolz Architects had been in use for so long without ever having any damage or major repairs, HP recognised the company's faith with a brand new printer.

With the new HP Designjet T790 ePrinter, the studio for architecture and design is now able to create high quality colour materials in-house, whereas previously all colour work such as drawings, presentations and posters had to be outsourced.

[photo shows Walter Stolz, managing director, Stolz Architects and Doreen Weisser, HP, with the new HP Designjet T790 Large Format ePrinter]