Hardware - Wide Format Print

Cornwall-based Warrens Bakery has installed an Epson Stylus Pro 7700 inkjet printer to save costs, improve both quality and impact and to increase speed to market by producing A1 and A2 promotional posters in-house.

Founded in 1860, Warrens Bakery has expanded steadily from its Penzance, Cornwall site and today has 60 shops in the South-West, as far afield as Barnstaple and Exeter. The vast majority are branded as Warrens Bakery and sell a range of baked goods from traditional pasties and saffron cakes to hampers and Christmas puddings. Two stores carry the recently-launched Simply Cornish brand, which also supports an online shop at www.simplycornish.com, and sells an extended range of up market, locally produced fine foods.

Warrens runs regular promotions throughout its stores, often timed to coincide with saints’ days or local village events, but producing posters and other point-of-sale materials to support these was difficult and expensive, with quality restrictions on externally-sourced digital print.

Graphic and web designer Martin Sanders was tasked with finding a suitable large-format printer that would provide the productivity, flexibility and quality to bring poster production in-house. He selected an Epson Stylus Pro 7700 from specialist supplier Digital Photo Solutions.

“We had an older printer that had come to the end of its life, so we had stopped producing anything larger than A3,” explains Sanders, adding, ”we were outsourcing A3 posters but it was costing too much to produce the A1 and A2 posters in the short runs and with the fast turnaround we needed. Time is very much of the essence for us and the Stylus Pro 7700 provided the right mix of speed and quality for us. We were all happy with the previous Epson printer so were confident that this would be suitable.”

Sanders also considered the Stylus Pro 7900 but felt that because the SP7700 is faster it was more suited to point-of-sale work. With its 1440 x 1440 dpi resolution, image and text quality are more than sufficient for large format display production, and Epson’s UltraChrome ink set with Vivid Magenta technology gives a wide gamut suitable for reproducing both photographic product images and brand colours.

“We had been using an office-type printer for smaller jobs and external digital print services for larger items, handing off jobs as PDFs, but the spot colours weren’t coming out right either way,” says Sanders. Printing to the Stylus Pro 7700 using the Epson driver and standard settings we’re seeing much better colour accuracy already.”

The Stylus Pro 7700 has already demonstrated its production speed too; Sanders reports that in four hours he was able to print 30 A1 [841 x 594 mm] sheets, ready to be cut down into A2 posters, enough to equip all 60 retail stores. “It’s quick and quiet in operation, too,” he adds.

Now that it’s practical and cost-effective to produce the large format posters in-house, Warrens Bakery will be able to respond more quickly to localised market opportunities and changing consumer trends and preferences, with high quality eye-catching point-of-sale materials. The implementation of a Shiraz RIP is also expected to boost productivity further by maximising economical usage of stock when printing multiple sizes in mixed-job batches.

HP has unveiled the latest additions to its latex printing technologies portfolio to boost productivity and expand application versatility for print service providers, while delivering high image quality and lowering the impact of printing on the environment.

The new offerings will be showcased at FESPA Digital (Hamburg, Germany, May 24th – 27th) in Hall A4/Stand C40-C41, and include:

• The HP Scitex LX850 Printer, a 3.2 m (126-inch) latex ink printer that delivers maximum versatility and productivity with multiple workflow features, including dual-roll, roll-to-free fall and roll-to-collector handling and an ink collector.
• The HP Scitex LX820 Printer, a 3.2 m (126-inch) latex ink printer that offers high productivity at a lower price in a roll-to-roll configuration.
• HP LX610 Latex Scitex Inks, which produce rich blacks and glossy results on banners and self-adhesive vinyl, plus improved water resistance on fabrics.(1,2)
• HP PVC-free Wall Paper, available June 1, is now made with FSC®-certified(3) paper from well-managed forests and is GREENGUARD Children & Schools Certified, allowing customers to offer bold, colourful indoor murals without distracting odours.(4, 5)
• HP also announced new software to help streamline workflows, including HP SmartStream Designer Version 5.1 for creating, preparing and collating personalised campaigns from HP Scitex printers and the GMG ColorServer Suite, a colour management software from HP Solutions Business Partner GMG for HP Scitex large format printers.

“Today’s announcement marks the next development in what has proven to be a revolutionary technology platform for the sign and display market,” said Yariv Avisar, vice president and general manager, Scitex Large format Solutions, HP. “With more than 5,000 HP Latex Ink systems installed worldwide, HP is offering customers the competitive advantages needed to differentiate their businesses and capture new growth opportunities.”

HP Scitex LX850 and LX820 Printers boost productivity

Delivering high image quality at production speeds, the HP Scitex LX850 Printer allows customers to accelerate their large format workflows. The device also enables customers to expand their application versatility with a built-in ink collector for direct-to-fabric printing(2) on flag fabrics. A scaled-down version of the HP Scitex LX850 Printer, the new HP Scitex LX820 Printer, is available with an optional dual-roll kit upgrade.

“We print approximately 4,000 to 5,000 square metres a month, and while we didn’t lack output capacity, competition remains fierce and profit margins have been squeezed,” said Jose Año, general manager at Marc Marti, a Valencia, Spain-based print service provider. “The HP Scitex LX850 Printer’s versatility gives us extraordinary image quality on a range of economical, uncoated media and substrates, while differentiating our products from those using solvent-based inks.”

Both the HP Scitex LX850 and LX820 Printers work together with the new HP LX610 Latex Scitex Inks. Alternatively, customers can install HP 3M LX600 Specialty Latex Inks(6) to offer graphics backed by the 3M™ MCS™ Warranty, one of the most comprehensive warranties in the industry. The warranted durability period for vehicle graphics made with the HP 3M LX600 Specialty Latex Inks and 3M media has been extended from four years to five years by 3M, and 3M Panagraphics™ III Wide Width Flexible Substrate has been added.

The HP Scitex LX850 Printer and the HP Scitex LX820 Printer are expected to be available on May 1 and June 1, respectively.(7) 

HP LX610 Latex Scitex Inks offer proven quality, durability

Capable of producing eye-catching images with rich blacks and glossy results on banners and self-adhesive vinyl, the new HP LX610 Latex Scitex Inks continue to set the standard for high-quality sign and display output. The inks produce prints with display permanence and scratch, smudge and water resistance comparable to low-solvent inks.(8) Plus, the new formulation offers improved water resistance(1) on fabrics,(2) further expanding high-value soft signage application capabilities.

“The advantage of being able to print on textiles with the HP LX610 Latex Scitex Inks is that, unlike dye sublimation, it’s just print and go,” said León Gateño, owner, Target Graphics, a Mexico City-based print service provider. “The upgrade process was very easy and we were printing right after the HP technician finished.”

Customers with HP Scitex LX600 or LX800 Printers(9) can benefit from the new inks – as well as double-sided printing capabilities(10) for blockout banners – by purchasing the HP Scitex LX610 Inks Upgrade Kit.

The HP Scitex LX610 Inks Upgrade Kit is expected to be available May 1 and can be installed by an HP technician in one day.

Workflow solutions from HP and GMG facilitate VDP, colour management

HP SmartStream Designer is an easy-to-use application that generates variable data elements for marketing campaigns, such as images, text and colours, and is also a simple imposition tool for HP Scitex printers. The new HP SmartStream Designer Version 5.1 includes key improvements, such as HP Photo Enhancement to automatically improve variable images and the best fit feature, which optimises paper usage.

Designed for customers with complex requirements like multipress uniformity and colour standards, the GMG ColorServer Suite simplifies colour conversions between colour spaces using predefined HP Scitex printer settings for the HP Scitex FB7500, TJ8300 and TJ8500 Printers. GMG SmartProfiler software calibrates the output device and creates colour profiles for wide format printers. The GMG ColorServer Suite for HP Scitex printers is now available through GMG distributors and resellers.

More information about HP’s sign and display printing solutions is available at www.hp.com/go/gsb, through the HP Graphic Arts Twitter feed and on YouTube at www.youtube.com/hpgraphicarts.

(1) Water resistance testing by HP Image Permanence Lab on a wide range of media using the ISO 18935 method. Results may vary based on specific media performance.
(2) For best results, textile applications should be printed on fabric that does not stretch. Performance may vary depending on media. Compatibility details are available from media suppliers.
(3) Trademark license code FSC-C017543.
(4) HP PVC-free Wall Paper printed with HP Latex Inks is GREENGUARD Children & Schools Certified. Additional information is available at www.greenguard.org.
(5) Some substrates may have inherent odor.
(6) With HP 3M LX600 Specialty Latex Inks installed, the printer will no longer be compatible with HP LX610 Latex Scitex Inks and double-sided printing capability is no longer available.
(7) Availability date may vary by region and is subject to change.
(8) HP image permanence and scratch, smudge and water resistance estimates by HP Image Permanence Lab on a range of media including HP printing materials. Additional information is available at www.hp.com/go/supplies/printpermanence.
(9) Compatibility with HP Scitex LX600 and LX800 and HP Designjet L65500 Printers requires service installation of the HP Scitex LX610 Inks Upgrade Kit. With the upgrade, the printer will no longer be compatible with HP 3M LX600 Specialty Latex Inks.
(10) For best results use blockout banner media intended for double-sided printing.
 

Pazazz, the Canadian-based forward thinking printing company and leader in customer-focused printing innovation, recently unveiled its newest acquisition, the Epson Stylus Pro GS6000, the most advanced 64-inch wide large format solvent based printer purchased from Fuji Graphics.
 
"The demand for large format signage and banners has been growing," explains Warren Werbitt Founder and CEO of Pazazz. "The Epson GS6000 was the obvious solution for us. It has enabled us to react faster to our customers' needs and turn around high-quality, high-volume wide format jobs."

The Epson is one of the fastest and high-quality 8-colour solvent based printers on the market. The 64-inch wide roll-to-roll printer delivers a vast colour range, photographic image quality, and rock-solid reliability, all while using a solvent-based ink technology that's less harmful on the environment. The printer is uniquely engineered for the demands of high-production solvent printing and produces fine detail with a maximum resolution of 1440x1440 dpi.
 
According to Tony Karg, Sr. Director of Business Development & Marketing, Fujifilm Canada Inc., Graphic Systems Division, "The Epson GS6000 is a flexible printing platform to help Pazazz print on a broad range of substrates needed to satisfy their customer's varied printing requirements. It is a perfect compliment to their existing printing technologies to broaden their offering to their customers."

From design to pre-press to final output, Pazazz focuses on providing consistent and repeatable end-to-end colour. Since precise colour matches are an essential part of branding, we have been especially pleased with the solvent-based Epson UltraChrome® GS ink that achieves an extremely wide colour gamut, resulting in signs that feature entirely new degrees of colour fidelity and accuracy that are otherwise unattainable with any other solvent technologies.
 
"The Epson is yet another example of our commitment to offer our clients the highest standards in print to ensure the best quality available for our clients," explains Werbitt. "We can confidently deliver outstanding image quality; utilize maximum speed, advanced colour options and unsurpassed reliability with the Epson Stylus Pro GS6000."

Océ, an international leader in digital document management and printing for professionals, today announced the new Océ Arizona 360 GT and Océ Arizona 360 XT flatbed printer models with enhancements over previous models that increase productivity and application versatility, and open doors to technical and industrial applications.

The Océ Arizona 360 GT model features the standard table size of 1.25 metres by 2.5 metres while the Océ Arizona 360 XT model features an extra large table size of 2.5 metres by 3.05 metres. Both offer an Express Mode print speed of up to 35 square metres (377 square feet) per hour, which is ideal for banner and outdoor work. A new High Definition print mode delivers incredibly fine feature reproduction including the ability to print text as small as two-point size, enabling print providers to offer higher-margin technical and industrial applications such as printing on lenticular lenses and membrane panels.

These new models include a UV curing system designed by Océ that provides more UV energy to support difficult-to-cure media while reducing heat at the media surface by 50%. This improves support for heat-sensitive media such as thin polystyrene or polyester films.

Both models also feature a new-style tabletop that allows very thin media to be printed directly on the table without mechanical distortion of the media into the vacuum holes. This enables users to print very thin, flexible materials on the flatbed table, if they do not have the Roll Media Option installed.

Océ VariaDot imaging technology for high quality, productivity and cost savings

The new Océ Arizona 360 GT and new Océ Arizona 360 XT printers use UV curable inks and Océ VariaDot imaging technology to deliver near-photographic image quality for nearly any application. Printers equipped with Océ VariaDot imaging technology can simultaneously jet smaller 6, 12, and 18 picoliter droplets for the production of sharp images with smooth gradients and quartertones. This technology also provides the ability to jet larger 30, 36 and 42 picoliter droplets for the production of dense, uniform solid colours. The result is near-photographic image quality with sharpness only before seen at resolutions of 1,440 dpi or higher. Print providers will never have to refuse a job because of their clients' expectations for high quality output, when using an Océ Arizona 360 GT or Océ Arizona 360 XT printer.

In addition to superior image quality, Océ VariaDot imaging technology requires only four-colour inks to achieve the best image quality in the industry. The clever use of only four colours, jetted in variable-sized droplets, results in significantly lower ink consumption than printers that use fixed droplet inkjet technology or require six colours to achieve sufficient print quality. On average, all Océ Arizona Series printers consume less than 8 ml of ink per square metre, including all maintenance; less than any other flatbed printer Océ has tested to date.

Select the table size that fits the job

Designed as true flatbed systems, the Océ Arizona 360 GT and Océ Arizona 360 XT printers can print on a wide variety of rigid substrates up to 48 mm thick. Each uses a vacuum system to hold media stationary on a flat surface, assuring accurate registration even on multiple imaging passes. Full bleeds can be printed, saving time and labour costs in finishing.

The standard size table on the Océ Arizona 360 GT printer can accommodate a 125 x 250 cm (49.2 x 98.4 inch) rigid board, and is designed to handle the vast majority of display graphics jobs.

The extra large size of the Océ Arizona 360 XT printer enables printing of oversized sheets and objects up to 250 x 305 cm (98.4 x 120 inch) in size. Two independent vacuum systems in the Océ Arizona 360 XT model also enable the printer to be used in a continuous imaging mode for rigid media up to 125 x 250 cm  (49.2 x 98.4 inch). Two rigid boards can be placed on different areas of the flatbed table. While one board is being printed, the operator can change the other. Since the system never has to stop printing for a media change, no time is lost between prints and significantly higher net productivity can be achieved.

Available options for both models

A Roll Media Option is available, giving print providers the ability to print onto flexible media including vinyl, self-adhesive vinyl, scrim banner, paper and blue backed paper without compromising the rigid printing workflow.

A White Ink Option is also available that enables under-printing for non-white media or objects, over-printing for backlit applications on transparent media and/or printing white as a spot colour. Since 2008, more than 90% of Océ Arizona printer purchasers have selected this important option for their printer, for the high-value, high-margin applications it provides.

The most honoured flatbed printer series in the world

All Océ Arizona Series printers – including the new Océ Arizona 360 GT and Océ Arizona 360 XT models – share the same award-winning image quality and robust architecture, offering the Océ values of quality, reliability, productivity and user-friendliness. In all, Océ Arizona Series UV flatbed printers have earned 25 industry awards to date from organisations throughout the world. These awards validate the quality and innovation built into every Océ Arizona Series printer. With more than 2,500 systems sold to date, it is the best selling series of UV flatbed printers in history.

EFI introduces the EFI VUTEk® GS3250LX UV-curing digital inkjet printer as an addition to its growing GS Series family of printers. Engineered to dramatically lower the total cost of ownership over the lifetime of the printer, the VUTEk GS3250LX incorporates "cool cure" LED technology and increased productivity to facilitate faster and more efficient job production than ever before. With no VOCs, less consumables and waste, low energy consumption, and the ability to print on recycled and other materials without introducing warping or head strikes, users can more easily satisfy customer requests for a greener printing solution. The VUTEk GS3250LX is being shown for the first time at Connect, EFI's 12th annual users' conference taking place at the Wynn in Las Vegas through April 29th.
 
"This is a true breakthrough in high-speed superwide inkjet printing technology," states Scott Schinlever, senior vice president and general manager of EFI VUTEk and Rastek. "Not only does this printer expand what is possible in terms of substrates and applications, but it also delivers a significantly lower cost of ownership. That translates into greater profit-earning potential for owners. The VUTEk GS3250LX builds on the success of our previously released GS3200 printer. To date, we have shipped 135 GS3200 printers which have produced over 100 million square feet of output for our customers. We expect the GS3250LX to be even more productive."
           
The combination of innovative GS Series image quality and LED technology enables the VUTEk GS3250LX to produce high-definition point-of-purchase graphics with true 1000 dpi and advanced three-layer white ink printing. The LED system features instant on/off and requires less maintenance, increasing the uptime to produce more profitable jobs. Since there is no warm up time required and the LED bulbs last the lifetime of the printer, owners will consume less energy and lower hard costs to help reduce overall operating costs. The VUTEk GS3250LX expands the range of substrates that can be printed to include, for instance, poly banner materials and some cardboard/corrugated materials by eliminating 100 percent of the infrared heat associated with a mercury bulb curing process. In addition, the innovative ink curing technology delivers high adhesion so you can reduce your material costs with less expensive substrates like thinner styrene and other rolled materials.
 
Nick Olson, owner of PVS In-Store Graphics, is already seeing the benefits of his new VUTEk GS3250LX. "We've been able to print on a much wider gamut of materials than ever before which is opening up new opportunities we couldn't pursue previously. Equally important has been the benefits of the new cool cure technology. For example, with a much lower UV cure temperature, we have been able to use thinner styrene sheets at half the cost of what we previously had to order." 
      
The high continuous board productivity of the VUTEk GS3250LX also allows users to take on more jobs and turn them around faster. With a time between boards of less than five seconds, it's possible to produce up to 55 - 4'x8' (1.2m x 2.4m) boards per hour. Unlike competitive devices, a precision alignment fence accurately aligns every board for highly-consistent image placement without adjustments. The addition of a VUTEk MediaMaster automated material handling system also aids the production of high-speed, high-volume jobs without manually loading materials.    
 
Users will find that the new printer software improves overall printer performance and simplifies operation. For example, multiple jobs can be run at once across the width of the printer with the multi-queue functionality available right at the user interface. Audit information is also available on every print job (printing time, media usage, and ink usage) through bi-directional communication between the Fiery XF RIP and VUTEk system. The enhanced Fiery XF 4.5 RIP enables better colour and performance, as well as easier job deployment. Users can also optimise their business processes and profit potential with seamless printer integration to EFI Web-to-Print and MIS solutions with native JDF connectivity. Maintenance is simplified because there are fewer mechanical parts and because the software provides information that helps improve troubleshooting and reduce the possibility of errors.
 
Additional good news for current EFI VUTEk GS3200 customers is that the new "cool cure" LED technology, along with the continuous board speed enhancement and software functionality described above, will also be available as an upgrade to their existing printers in the near future.
 

FUJIFILM Europe today announces the introduction of the latest Acuity HD2565 series of wide format UV inkjet printers, which incorporate significant functional improvements and enhanced value for the end-user. These new editions of the Acuity Advance and Acuity Advance X2 will sit alongside the Acuity Advance HS HD 3545 and Advance HS HD3545 X2 flatbed devices in Fujifilm’s line-up.

A new Express Mode, which offers speeds of up to 35 m2/hr at billboard print quality, has been introduced to complement the existing POP production speed of 22.2m2/hr and high quality mode of 15.2m2/hr. In addition, there is a new High Definition print mode, which supports a minimum text size of 2pt, for markets and applications where very fine feature detail is required.

Other key features of the new series are a more efficient UV curing system, and an improved vacuum table enabling superior handling of thin media. This zoned vacuum design promotes printing onto all types of media, including irregularly shaped or uneven surfaced materials and ensures accurate registration even on multiple passes.

As with all other Acuity models, the new series has an optional roll media kit for printing onto any number of flexible materials. This simple-to-use option is incredibly versatile, allowing an operator to prepare rigid material on the flat bed while the roll media option is printing.

The new Acuity Advance X2 includes all of the improvements and enhanced value available in the new Acuity Advance, but with a double size print area. This allows printing onto rigid substrates of up to 3.05m x 2.5m and as thick as 48mm, giving more flexibility to the end user.

The Acuity Advance’s print performance is optimised by Fujifilm’s uniquely formulated Uvijet inks. Uvijet’s Micro-V dispersion technology consistently delivers wide adhesion, vibrancy and durability in every print.

“The introduction of this latest series of Acuity flatbed devices demonstrates our commitment to continually advancing our product range,” comments Tudor Morgan, group marketing manager, wide format at Fujifilm. “The Acuity printers are very popular, due in no small part to their reliability and longevity, as well as evolving features, making them the ideal choice for commercial, screen and digital printers. This latest series will be shown for the very first time on our stand (Hall 4, Stand B10) at FESPA Digital in May, so we are inviting printers to come along and see first-hand the improvements that have been made.”