Mimaki’s new JV400-SUV solvent UV printer.
Prominent among the new printing systems to make their bow at FESPA will be launches from Inca Digital/Fujifilm, HP, Screen, Agfa and Mimaki.
From Inca Digital and Fujifilm comes the Inca Onset Q40i – an ‘ultra-high quality flatbed UV inkjet printer’. This uses Fujifilm Spectra Dimatix QS10 print heads, which deliver a 10 picolitre drop size, compared to the 27 picolitre drop size of the Onset S40i model. The company said that the resulting 1200 dpi apparent resolution produces ultra-crisp images, fine lines, sharp text and smooth tonal gradations. Print speed is up to 310 square metres per hour (or 62 full-bed sheets per hour), with media dimensions up to 3.14 x 1.6 metres and up to 50 mm thick being printable. Available in four and six colour versions, the Inca Onset range now numbers 20 different configurations.
HP’s Latex printing portfolio will be enlarged with the worldwide premiere of the HP Latex 3000 printer, which offers broader media versatility, including heat-sensitive substrates with a new ink solution that makes curing at lower temperatures more efficient. HP 881 Latex inks also provide better scratch resistance. It can print at up to 120 square metres per hour for outdoor applications.
Screen, meanwhile, will show its latest UV wide format Truepress Jet at FESPA. It can print sellable quality output at speeds of up to 94 square metres per hour, on a range of media sizes up to 1600 x 3200 mm, and a maximum 48 mm thickness. It also uses ‘super-fine droplet print heads’ to deliver ‘razor-sharp’ 1200 dpi text, fine definition and smooth vignettes. Light cyan and light magenta inks help to provide a wide colour gamut and stunning photographic-quality back/front-lit displays.
Agfa has new additions to its Anapurna and Jeti UV wide format printing families to show at FESPA, as well as announcing its Asanti PDF workflow for sign and display applications. The new printers are the Anapurna M3200RTR mid-range 3.2 metre roll to roll system for producing premium quality banners and displays; the 2.5 metre wide Anapurna M2500, which supports flexible and rigid media, with six colours plus high density white; and the Jeti Titan, a versatile flatbed that Agfa says is ideal for sign and display and packaging printers.
The JV400-SUV solvent UV printer from Mimaki will be introduced on the Hybrid Services stand. Said to provide vibrant colour and excellent outdoor durability, the four colour machine prints at up to 18 square metres per hour in draft mode. Mimaki has developed special inks for the JV400-SUV; the solvent component is absorbed by the ink-receiving layer of the media and the pigment is settled on to the media. Curing the ink with a special UV light, results in a smooth, high gloss appearance.
Among other new launches at FESPA are Mutoh’s three new printers, the ValueJet Hybrid VJ-1617H 64-inch roll to roll and rigid printer, which is the company’s first to have white inks, ValueJet 1624W 64-inch dye-sublimation printer, and the compact 42-inch DrafStation RJ-900x. SSE Worldwide’s Eagle range of UV LED small format printers will be there, featuring two devices, the Eagle UV LED 30 and 60, with printable areas of 300 x 1000 mm and 600 x 1500 mm respectively. These are CMYK plus white ink systems that can print onto substrates and objects up to a depth of 25 cm. Kaye-Dee will present the Viper LED printer, which has been developed by Bergstein Digital. This is a high speed flatbed printer with a 60 x 60 cm print area and a height adjustment up to 300 mm. It has six colours and Ricoh Gen 4 print heads for a 6 picolitre droplet size.
Croatian manufacturer Azonprinter will launch the Q UV A3, which can print onto materials such as leather, glass, aluminium, plastics and wood. It has a printing area of 30 x 80 cm, features white ink, and can print on materials up to 20 cm high. And Scottish distributor Southfield Stationers is launching a system it says will revolutionise screen printing: the Goccopro 100. Its advantages include not needing a dark room or hazardous chemicals to operate; it is cost effective, easy to use, eco-friendly, and perfect for short runs, with a turnaround of less than five minutes.
