Grapo Technologies, a manufacturer of UV large format roll-to-roll and flatbed UV printers based in the Czech Republic, today announced that the market response to its Manta wide format UV flatbed printer with a white ink option, introduced at FESPA, has exceeded expectations. Adding a white ink option to UV printing generates higher quality print on colored backgrounds and opens up new possibilities for unusual applications.
“We have been extremely pleased with the results we have achieved with the Manta White,” said Sales Director Branislav Oravec. “With seven units already sold since FESPA, we are looking forward to ongoing success with this new option. To make it simpler and risk-free for our customers, the White option can be removed within 24 hours in favor of a full-speed CMYK platform if they find they do not have the expected requirement for white ink applications. Vice-versa, four-color Manta printers in the field can easily be upgraded to include the white ink option.”
Quality & optimal price/performance
“We installed our Manta White in November 2009,” said Stefan Heilemeier, Managing Director, HeLa Werbung in Germany. “The installation and training was very smooth and within two days we were up and running. We believe this printer has the best price/performance ratio on the market and will differentiate our business. Already, we have been able to print projects on wood, acrylic, aluminum molds, stretched canvas and more.”
Double P in Slovakia installed two Manta White systems to complement five solvent roll-to-roll printers. “We were interested in the Manta because of the substrate limitations we found with our solvent printers,” said Jana Partlova, Managing Director. “With the Manta White, there are virtually no limits, and we can offer our clients printing on unusual surfaces. It is really amazing how many substrates you can print on with the Manta.” Double P will be using its Manta White printers to produce interior decorations, posters and signage as well as projects using wood, doors, glass and more.
Manta prints it all!
The Manta is a cost-effective, flatbed system that uses UV-curable inks. It can print directly on rigid, heavy and odd-shaped materials, as well as materials with a structural surface such as wood, metal, cartons, cardboard, glass, ceramic, carpet and more, generally without any need for pretreatment of any kind.
“Since the designers of the Manta come from a printing heritage,” added Oravec, “we understand exactly how these systems are used in a real production environment. Quality is critical, of course, but so is overall production throughput. Only 40% of the entire production time in most operations is consumed with actual printing, with the rest being preparation time. We have designed Manta to require minimal preparation time for maximum printing uptime in order to ensure unmatched production throughput using this printer.” Oravec notes that the Manta printer had an extremely fast time to market, with product availability just five months after development began.
The Manta’s vacuum system holds materials firmly in place for perfect registration, even with multiple and bidirectional printing. It has no minimal print area, allowing smaller items to be placed on the desk without the need to cover up empty areas as with other flatbed printers. Its unique twin mode function allows operators to use one-third of the print area for smaller pieces, while using the other two-thirds independently for even more productivity.
Manta Benefits Conventional Screen Printers
“Manta White was developed in response to customer demand,” commented Oravec. “These clients were looking for the ability to affordably produce unique, eye-catching applications, many of which require white ink. Early installations have proven that printers that have white ink capability can set themselves apart from their competitors by producing more unusual applications. In today’s competitive marketplace, Manta White is a win/win solution for our clients as they work to better serve their clients.”
