Agfa has unveiled the Avinci CX3200, a dye-sublimation roll-to-roll printer that can print either directly to textile or on to transfer paper. The company says the printer, which can print on textiles up to 3.2m and at speeds of up to 270sqm/hr, delivers high productivity and ‘a consistently vibrant print quality’ on a range of polyester-based fabrics.
The Avinci CX3200 uses eco-friendly, odorless water-based dye sublimation inks to print either directly to fabric or to transfer paper. The former option is ideally suited to soft signage applications such as banner displays, wall graphics and point-of-sale or trade show displays, as well as for those applications requiring print-through, such as flags. The latter allows for what Agfa calls ‘super sharp prints’, eliminates any set-off, and limits media waste. It also extends the range of potential applications to cover sportswear, fashion and home décor.
‘The market demand for soft signage keeps growing, as it is lightweight, resistant to wrinkles and folding, and easy to transport and reuse,’ explained Philip Van Der Auwera, Agfa’s wide-format marketing manager. ‘The Avinci CX3200 will meet the needs of existing textile printing companies, as well as enable sign and display printers to diverge into textile printing and bring in new business. We designed it to be fit for high productivity and maximum uptime. It is extremely robust and reliable, as well as easy to operate.’
The Avinci CX3200 uses Kyocera water-based print heads, designed to last the printer’s entire life, and is driven by Agfa’s Asanti workflow software, which the company says streamlines all preparation, production and finishing steps of the printing process. Asanti also features a number of options that facilitate soft signage production, such as the automated positioning of cutting marks and grommets, and the easy design of canvas extensions for the creation of flag pole pockets. Finally Asanti StoreFront, Agfa’s web-to-print software solution, allows soft-signage printers to automatically manage incoming web orders or set up online stores.
