Hardware - Wide Format Print

Allied Images, the UK & Ireland distributor for Colortrac, has announced the availability of Colortrac's SmartLF SC 42 scanner, the latest addition to Colortrac’s range of wide format scanners.  The SmartLF SC 42 scanner is a robust, reliable high-volume production scanner for SuperSpeed technical imaging and graphics. The 42” image width is ideally suited to the demanding and difficult volume scanning needs of AEC, CAD, mapping, GIS and service bureau professionals.

Using Colortrac’s new full-width SingleSensor with true 1200dpi optical resolution, SmartLF SC 42 provides outstanding image capture with more than enough resolving power for any large format scanning job with virtually stitch-free maintenance.  Also, SuperSpeed USB3 interface gives the new scanner a very high speed data transfer rate of up to 5Gb/sec, about 10x USB2 rate, making everyday batch scanning tasks now even more efficient and productive.

Commenting on the new scanning technology, Peter Brown, Colortrac's executive director, says, “The new SingleSensor digital imaging technology for the SmartLF SC 42 wide format scanners is a patented Colortrac invention.  The SingleSensor is a single full width 42 inch array of Contact Imaging Sensors (CIS) that are housed in a robust structure and pre-aligned, giving higher optical quality and improved match between sensors.  The full width SingleSensor has 50,400 pixels giving it an optical resolution of 1200dpi and a maximum scanning resolution of 9600dpi.  It also uses a bi-directional white LED lighting system that optimises the illumination of the scan object and eliminates the effects of shaded areas caused by creases or folds in the original documents.  The lighting system has an “instant-on” response which lowers power consumption as the lights are only on whilst scanning”

SmartLF SC 42 is capable of scanning monochrome documents at 13 inches/sec and colour at 6 inches/sec.  To improve the document feeding capabilities at these increased scanning speeds, it incorporates a new single roller document feed mechanism that holds the document firmly up against the SingleSensor lens. This allows the scanner to handle a variety of document types including creased, fragile or even thin media such as newspaper.

SmartLF SC 42 is the first large format scanner to utilise the new SuperSpeed USB 3.0 serial PC interface that provides for data transfer at up to 5Gb/sec – about 10x the data transfer speed of the current USB2 interface.  This reduces the time taken to transfer the image data from the scanner to the host PC which has always been a restriction on productivity.  Tests indicate a realistic throughput of 273 Arch-E (36” x 48”) sized colour pages per hour at 200dpi resolution – or 171 documents at 400dpi – making SmartLF SC 42 large format scanner ideal for large archival jobs.

SmartLF SC 42 is supplied with new SmartWorks EZ Touch software which is very simple to use and designed for operation by non-specialist users. Choose your preferred method of controlling the SmartLF scanner with keyboard, mouse or touch-screen modes, while providing the entire basic scan to file and scan to copy functionality you need. SmartWorks EZ Touch software saves your scanned documents as PDF, TIFF or JPG files individually or as a batch, and makes document copies to any printer through standard Windows printer drivers.

Steve Morin, Allied Images’ Managing Director, comments, "SmartLF SC 42 is the latest in a long line of innovative products from Colortrac.  SmartLF SC 42 is an all-new product whose wider colour gamut – better than most competitive scanners – higher scanning speed and SuperSpeed data transfer will make it the most productive scanner available.  It’s a significant addition to the Colortrac SmartLF large format scanner range and reinforces Colortrac’s position as the leading innovator in the field of wide format scanning technology."

For more information, please visit www.colortrac.com

The ROLLSROLLER Flatbed Applicator distributed in the UK by William Smith has again demonstrated why it has become the most cost-effective and accurate method of applying self-adhesive materials, application tapes and digital prints to virtually any commonly used substrate in the sign and graphics, promotional display and digital printing industries. Bedfordshire-based Paramount Imagination & Creation is one of the latest companies to have reported on how the ROLLSROLLER has dramatically increased the speed and quality of output, leading to a fast return on investment and commensurate profitability.

Established over 30 years ago, Paramount Imagination & Creation initially specialised in the design, manufacture and installation of exhibition stands. Over the years and in order to meet changing market requirements, the company’s primary business focused on providing high-quality promotional display solutions for fragrance and cosmetic manufacturers and in particular for the Duty Free/Travel Retail sector covering all of the main airport, cruise and ferry termini, predominantly in the UK and Ireland but also throughout Continental Europe and in a number of instances in several parts of Asia and across the Americas.

Today, the company has added to these core activities by undertaking an increasing volume of work involving digital print and media for clients outside of the fragrance and cosmetics channel but still within the travel/retail sector. In consequence, the client base has expanded considerably and now includes not only some of the world’s most familiar brands in the quality fragrance and cosmetics market but also equally high-profile manufacturers of popular confectionery, drinks and associated luxury products.

With Paramount’s clients expecting the highest quality of finished display solutions to accurately reflect and complement the quality of the products they were designed to promote, the decision was made to install the ROLLSROLLER Flatbed Applicator, using William Smith as the preferred source of supply and technical support and enabling all finishing requirements to be brought in-house. According to Paramount’s managing director, Mike Stephenson, the results were visually stunning and cost saving in equal proportions. He comments, "We can now produce visuals and graphics to a much higher standard than was previously possible, whilst creating savings in production time of up to 50 per cent and adding to the overall profitability of our business."

The ROLLSROLLER now installed at Paramount incorporates an optional illuminated glass bed. This greatly increases the accuracy with which materials (particularly those used for multi-coloured or translucent graphics applications) can be applied, leading to minimal material wastage and a much higher quality of finished product.

Mike Stephenson continues, "Although many of the visuals we produce are for short-term (usually around three weeks) promotions, we now apply a protective laminate to all printed material to provide a much higher standard of finished product in terms of visual appeal and feel quality. Use of the ROLLSROLLER has also enabled us to be much more creative with our design concepts and to meet the very demanding brand guidelines of our clients and in particular those in the fragrance and cosmetics sector where colour-matching, colour fidelity and freedom from scratching, discolouration and other imperfections are critical. The machine also allows us to be 100 per cent accurate in the placement of visuals or logos direct onto various substrates and this was not possible using the previous finishing solution. Furthermore, it is now possible to dramatically increase our profitability which in the case of one recent job completed using the ROLLSROLLER equated to a 60 per cent increase by comparison with what would have been possible using the previous method of outsourcing."

A typical recent example of how the machine has increased the speed, quality and cost effectiveness of jobs completed at Paramount was a large Burberry Body promotion across 21 airports. The company’s Print Studio Manager Jane White explains, "We did the same promotion last year without the ROLLSROLLER but on this occasion using this machine we estimate that it was completed 30 per cent faster and upwards of 25 per cent more cost effective. There was also significantly less wastage of materials, a noticeable reduction in errors and the finished output far better than before."

Mike Stephenson was also effusive at the quality of the service provided by William Smith which he described as ‘comprehensively excellent in its delivery, thoroughly professional through the planning and installation process and first class in terms of the on-site training provided which has resulted in the ROLLSROLLER performing to the high standards anticipated and without any problems.’

He concludes, "Since installation, the machine has performed brilliantly, enabling us to complete regular work to a much higher standard, at much faster production speeds, with significantly less wastage and greatly increasing our profitability. In short, the machine has been fantastic for our business and we plan to invest in another table in the near future."

For further information, please visit www.williamsmith.co.uk and www.paramountimagination.co.uk

Xaar has launched a new model of the 'revolutionary' Xaar 1001 inkjet printhead family - the Xaar 1001 GS12.

The Xaar 1001 GS12 printhead will enable ceramic tile manufacturers to achieve deep and rich colours. It can also be used at double the speed of the Xaar 1001 GS6. This new printhead features Xaar’s patented TF Technology™ to give unrivalled reliability with low maintenance, ensuring maximum manufacturing productivity in the harshest industrial environments.

The Xaar 1001 has revolutionised the ceramics industry. It is the printhead of choice for both ceramic tile printer manufacturers and producers of ceramic tiles.

With the launch of the new printhead, tile manufacturers can now choose the best Xaar 1001 printhead for their application. The established GS6 model jets 6-42 picolitre drops which is ideal for the production of pale shades and detailed tile designs viewed at close quarters such as wall tiles. The GS6 is also the ideal printhead for packaging and single-pass display graphics applications that require fine detail.  The new GS12 jets larger 12-84 picolitre drops delivering even more ink for deep colour intensity to produce bolder tile colours and effects. Alternatively the Xaar 1001 GS12 can give the same ink coverage as the GS6, but at double the print speed.  With both printheads ceramic tile manufacturers can achieve stunning replication of natural materials.

The Xaar 1001 GS12 printhead makes its global debut at Ceramics China 2012 (28th-31st May, Guangzhou, China) where visitors can see the printhead for the first time.  Xaar has worked closely with all the leading printer manufacturers to develop the new Xaar 1001 GS12. The first printers to feature the new printhead will be launched at Tecnargilla (Rimini, Italy, 24th -28th September 2012) with new machines from EFI Cretaprint, Hope Ceramics Machinery, KERAjet, Projecta SiTi B&T, Intesa-Sacmi and TecnoFerrari.

“No other printhead uses our unique TF Technology, so no other printhead can deliver the same extremely high level machine uptime as the Xaar 1001,” says Mark Alexander, director of marketing at Xaar.  “Maintaining maximum productivity in the digital decoration process is essential for the ceramics industry which is why TF Technology is so important.  Xaar is committed to remaining at the forefront of this rapidly developing market and we will continue to develop the best printheads to meet its very specific needs.”

GJ Plastics Ltd, of Manchester, UK, has installed an HP Scitex FB500 Industrial Printer to produce innovative high-quality POS displays and to extend its product range.

GJ Plastics specialises in distinctive, high-impact display stands for a wide array of markets. It offers a product line from stylish, clear acrylic photo frames, ranging in size from desk top frames, to large wall displays, to magazine and brochure stands. However, it is the company's work producing printed POS displays on polypropylene, Foamex and laminated MDF that led to its investment in the HP Scitex Industrial Printer.

The company has a wide range of container and display products made from these durable, long-lasting materials, including newspaper and magazine dump bins, ticket towers, portable voting stations, questionnaire, customer feedback and survey stands, competition entry displays and ballot, deposit and suggestion boxes.

These are not run-of-the-mill large format products; G J Plastics has made major investments in specialist equipment to cut and bend its displays to produce distinctive products

"We use our highly accurate lasers and CNC routers to cut the dump bins in durable 5mm White Foam PVC, not cheap 3mm substitutes," explained Graham Croston, director, G J Plastics Ltd. "It is far longer-lasting than cardboard because it is not affected by humidity, moisture and general spills. The HP FB500 fits well into our production requirements and quality values."

GJ Plastics also prints on solid and fluted polypropylene, laminated MDF and is also planning to experiment printing HP Wall Paper to expand its offering.

The HP Scitex FB500 Industrial Printer, supplied by CWE Solutions, of Chessington, Surrey and Sheffield, can print on virtually any rigid or flexible material in seven colours, including white on rigid substrates up to 122 x 163cm (48 x 64in)(2) and up to 64mm (2.5in) thick.

"The UV-curable inks used by the FB500 printer enable us to print direct to the substrate and bend it to finished shapes without cracking," said Croston. "We believe we're the first company in the world to be carrying out this combination of direct printing and bending. This capability can take us into new areas and enable us to design new products."

GJ Plastics is not just a product innovator, but strives to keep the 17 people that work for them well-trained, and its business practices up to date.

"We believe that HP and CWE Solutions have a similar forward-thinking approach to technology and business and this is why we chose to partner with them," explained Croston. "In particular, we value the training and support we have received from CWE and we are pleased that HP has enabled us to be using UV-curable and not solvent-based ink as part of our commitment to environmental best practice. To this end, we've also worked to improve our recycling and now recycle about 100 tons of material each year - which is about 95% of our waste."

Web-to-print is a significant part of GJ Plastic's business. With six websites receiving orders, the company is not only embracing the benefits of digital printing, but expanding its market by recognising the effects of digital technologies.

"We have three in-house designers to develop products for us and our customers," said Croston. "With our combination of cutting edge equipment, contemporary product design and a client base that needs to be innovative, we're able to merge the techniques for sign production into the display market, and that makes the future look very exciting."

Full-service marketing fulfilment provider, FastAnt, has finalised its purchase of an HP Scitex FB7600 Industrial Press to sharpen its service offering and deliver an in-house POP/POS capability to its retail customer base.

Leicester-based, FastAnt, an existing HP Indigo digital press customer and a subsidiary of offset-litho print company, Taylor Bloxham Ltd, made the investment after reaching a 'critical mass' in the volume of POS work it had outsourced to other suppliers. This dependency invariably impacted on workflow and meant that the company relied on other parties before it could distribute materials to its clients.

Having submitted artwork to three manufacturers of large format printers, and viewed up-close demonstrations of their respective devices, FastAnt selected the HP Scitex FB7600 Industrial Press based on its combination of speed, quality and upgradeability.

"We only started looking in earnest for an in-house large format printer in March, but made sure that we had thoroughly done our homework before approaching the three short-listed suppliers," said Matthew Wennington, FastAnt's managing director. "As a result, we had an extremely clear idea of exactly what we needed.

"I consider it my obligation to focus on making sure we are as efficient as possible and that we don't have money tied up in equipment unless it's working very effectively for us. As a result, we only invest in something once we are absolutely certain that it will pay dividends for us," added Wennington.

As part of FastAnt's evaluation process, different artwork for different substrates, based on real life customer requirements, was created and sent to each supplier to print. When the samples were returned, Wennington assembled FastAnt's design and POS sales teams to view the results, having first obscured the manufacturer's names.

"This internal 'Pepsi challenge' resulted in the HP Scitex FB7600 consistently scoring the highest on every printed sample we displayed to our sales team, and as these are the guys that would eventually have to sell, that was effectively decision made," he explained.

In addition to the HP Scitex FB7600 Industrial Press' high visual quality of printed output, FastAnt was impressed at its ability to handle a wide range of different substrates - including those generally considered to be difficult.  During these demos Wennington witnessed the press' performance first-hand: "One media type that we use in high amounts is corrugated board," he continued. "I was stunned by the FB7600 press' ability to handle horrible corrugated material, which proved troublesome for the other devices we looked at and required the operator to intervene continually to free it and re-set the printer.

"Part of the sample designs we submitted to HP included those printed onto corrugated board using the highest saturation level. The FB7600 printed around 100 straight-off in about an hour and without skipping a beat, so we knew if it could handle that, it could handle any substrate we threw at it," he added.

For FastAnt, the HP Scitex FB7600 Industrial Press' ability to firmly tick the right boxes in terms of speed and quality was paramount. This was important and, says Wennington, highlights the capabilities of large format digital printing to the company's parent offset printing business, Taylor Bloxham.

"Taylor Bloxham is widely acknowledged for its focus on quality and colour consistency, which is underscored by the fact that it prints the colour cards for three major paint manufacturers," he said.  "The fact that the group selected HP digital large format technology reflects our belief that it delivers on the stringent quality levels required to go hand with work undertaken for our offset litho customers. We believe it will open up opportunities to grow business among existing clients as well as attract new ones."

Wennington admitted that other factors helped play a part in swinging the eventual decision in HP's favour.

"As an HP Indigo press 5000 customer, we've naturally become accustomed to the high level of customer service and support afforded us by HP," he said. "We had the assurance that these would be in place around the FB7600 was also a significant deal clincher."

The HP Scitex FB7600 Industrial Press prints up to 95 full-size sheets/hr in production speed and up to 55 full-size sheets/hr with POP quality on a wide variety of media up to 25mm thick, while a six-colour UV-curable HP FB225 Scitex Ink set provides excellent dot gain and an impressive colour gamut up to 600dpi resolution. In addition, a new edge-to-edge printing feature means that final-size sheets may be printed, which eliminates the need for trimming, thereby saving substrates and reducing product damage through additional handling.

Celebrating its tenth year in business in 2012, FastAnt offers true end-to-end marketing support to its wide-ranging base of retail clients. Its service offering comprises POS design and production, direct marketing, marketing fulfilment, eCommerce, digital printing and print management. Taylor Bloxham, established in 1939, is one of the largest independent lithographic printers in the UK and in 2007 received the Queen's Award for Enterprise for Innovation in Printing.

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

[photo shows Mark Dempsey, HP Account Manager, alongside Matthew Wennington and Chris Bowen of FastAnt, who purchased an HP Scitex FB7600 Industrial Press]

Epson's SureColor SC-S30600 wide format printer has won the European Digital Press Award 2012 for ‘Best Wide Format Roll to Roll Printer up to 1.6m’.  The Award recognises innovative new digital products launched over the last year and the SureColor SC-S30600 was chosen as the best in its class by the judges because: “The price/performance ratio is a breakthrough with such high quality output.”

The Epson SureColor SC-S30600 64-inch printer combines fast, precision, large-scale signage and display printing on a wide range of media with low power consumption and a very low total cost of ownership.

“This printer has been designed from the ground up to combine Epson’s renowned engineering with our latest TFP micro-piezo printheads, new Epson UltraChrome GS2 ink and new ease of use features,” says Richard Barrow, Senior Product Manager, Epson Europe. “The result is a perfect all-round production printer for a wide range of long-life signage and display applications, including posters, signs, banners, back-lit panels, vehicle wraps and interior decoration.”

Richard Barrow was presented with the prestigious EDP Trophy at the award ceremony at drupa.  The EDP Association comprises 14 magazines devoted to digital printing and reaching over 1 million readers across Europe. Each year the Association comes together to debate, discuss and award the best in innovative technology within the digital printing market.

“The EDP Award winners show that by listening to their customers and focusing investment in R&D they continue to bring products to market that truly make a difference to their customers’ businesses and the market as a whole,” says Chris Cooke, President and Technical Committee Director, EDP Association.