Hardware

Teckwin International has announced that the TeckStorm R has been added to Fastsigns International, Inc. recommended printer list. In 2009, Fastsigns International, Inc. ranked fifth on the Franchise Business Review list of the top 50 franchise companies in the world with 200 or more units and received the "Best In Business Services Award" for the fourth consecutive year.

The TeckStorm R is a grand-format UV flatbed and roll-to-roll printer combined into one industrial machine. Some features of the TeckStorm R include Xaar XJ760 greyscale printheads, graphic resolution of 1440 dpi plus, CMYK + white ink as standard colors, double sided printing on flexible media and the ability to accept rigid media two inches thick.

Using environmentally friendly UV ink, the TeckStorm R prints extremely well on Xanita board, a product listed by Fastsigns International, Inc. as an "environmentally responsible product."

Teckwin partnered with Xanita USA last year to promote more environmentally friendly signage, packaging, furniture, store fixtures and many other products.

Xaar will be demonstrating the power of its two latest printheads targeted at the wide-format graphics sector at FESPA India next month (Delhi, December 7-9).

By supporting this show, Xaar is not only demonstrating its strong ties to FESPA as their Global Technology Partner, but is also reaffirming its leadership position in the wide-format graphics sector.

Xaar's 120 sqm stand at the show will showcase several new printers based on the Xaar Electron and Xaar Proton printheads. The entry-level, high-speed Xaar Electron and the premium high-productivity, wide-swathe Xaar Proton are attracting interest from the wide-format market following their global launch earlier this year. The design and flexibility of the printheads make them very popular with manufacturers. The following OEM partners will be displaying their latest technology on the Xaar booth:

• Colourjet India Ltd
• Macart Equipment Pvt Ltd
• Monotech Systems Limited
• Printek EngineeringTurnkey Printing Solutions Pvt Ltd

"We are seeing a number of printers coming to market now with our latest printheads. This proves that companies can quickly deliver competitive printers that combine the highest levels of quality and speed with maximum cost-effectiveness and low cost of ownership," said Phil Eaves, sales and marketing director, Xaar. "Our relationship with our partners is very strong and this is the best way to show new product offerings that combine Xaar's printhead technology with our partners' market and manufacturing expertise."

HP today announced that Minneapolis-based Imagine! Print Solutions has installed an HP Scitex FB7500 Printer and contracted to purchase a second unit next year to increase its digital production capabilities and better address customer needs with quick turnaround time and high quality.

Imagine!, one of the largest print service providers (PSPs) in North America, chose the HP Scitex FB7500 Printer over competitive solutions because of its advanced productivity, versatility and quality. These benefits allow the company to capture new business, particularly top retailers who demand quick turnaround times, superior quality and regionalised signage applications.

“The HP Scitex FB7500 Printer is not an incremental step up in our printing capabilities—it is a quantum leap,” said Bob Lothenbach, founder and president, Imagine! Print Solutions. “The purchase and installation of this printer is a smart and strategic long-term investment in our company’s success. The unmatched quality of the output, the speed at which it is produced and HP’s commitment to innovation and support made our first HP purchase an easy decision.”

With the new HP Scitex FB7500 Printer, Imagine! produced a job in just 200 hours that previously required 700 hours using competing technology. Imagine! is using the HP printer to increase the production speed across its portfolio of offerings, including point-of-purchase/point-of-sale (POP/POS) applications, signage, backlit displays, posters and packaging.

“Imagine!’s installation of the HP Scitex FB7500 Printer, plus the future addition of a second press, is yet another example of the company’s dedication to investing in innovative technologies that support customer needs,” said Yariv Avisar, vice president and general manager, Scitex Large Format Printing Solutions, HP. “This new HP Scitex technology positions Imagine! to continually grow its business and stay at the top of the industry.”

Since its commercial availability, the HP Scitex FB7500 Printer has been very well received, producing more than 180,000 sheets at numerous customer sites worldwide. Designed for fast-paced, industrial printing environments, the printer offers a versatile, UV flatbed printing solution for a variety of outdoor and indoor applications. With maximum speeds of up to 95 sheets (3.2 x 1.65m) per hour and three-quarter automated loading to reduce idle time between sheets by up to 85 percent with only one operator, the printer delivers unrivaled productivity among digital flatbed printers in its price class.

In the future, WP Digital, the Swiss manufacturer of high-quality digital printing systems, will serve the North American market (USA / Canada) with the “oryx” UV digital printer produced by swissQprint. A large variety of plates and/or flexible materials can be processed either in flatbed or roll mode. The portfolio expansion with the oryx printer is aimed at the graphical market and serves the needs of medium-sized businesses with the highest quality standards. WP Digital is taking over the exclusive sales and service for the oryx combination printer in North America. A demo and service center will be available to customers and interested persons near New York from January 2010.

WP Digital covers the full range of applications in digital printing, with powerful industrial-scale large-format printers and industrial digital printing for glass and other materials, as well as the development of new applications for digital printing. swissQprint produces digital printers with high-precision and solid technology, both for the graphical industry and for industrial use. Almost anything can be processed, from the smallest plate to roll material and oversized media with a variety of properties, making the oryx an allrounderthat is unrivaled in its class.

High Standards of Quality and Service
Both WP Digital and swissQprint count on their many years of experience in the development and production of digital printing systems. All products are manufactured and assembled in Switzerland. This makes it possible to fulfill the high quality standards in the long run.WP Digital offers a well established service network; spare parts can simply be ordered via the Internet through the IPOS system. For WP Digital and swissQprint, service means satisfying the customer quickly and easily and actively supporting him or her in new business ideas in the printing area.

 

The history and pedigree behind swissQprint
swissQprint and the Oryx printer initially came to be in 2008, following the withdrawal of Zund from the printer market. This new company was initially formed by the former development and manufacturing team from Zund who were keen to continue a ten year success story by bringing a new premium UV inkjet to the market under the name of Oryx.

Maintaining the same team who were responsible for the original UVjet 215 and then Zund UVjet 250-combi flatbed and roll-to-roll combi printer, with the combined experience of over 500 installations worldwide, listening to end user needs, plus the obvious benefits of Swiss engineering, were all combined in this new innovative printer - a solution that delivers a true hybrid printer for rigid, roll and oversized materials from a single platform. Latest grey scale head technology with precise mechanics and intutitive simple software round off what is a beautifully engineered Swiss product.

HP today announced that Rotherham based Bluetree Design & Print Ltd., is using its newly installed HP Scitex FB7500 Printer to expand into wide-format variable data printing (VDP) and win new business.

The large format, traditional screen print specialist, is currently pioneering the use of variable data in wide-format printing, using its HP Scitex FB7500 Printer and HP SmartStream Designer. The combined HP system enables it to create customised applications such as versioned posters; point of purchase and point of sale displays; exhibition graphics; signage and backlit displays.

The company will utilise its new digital capabilities to extend its services and win business. One such service Bluetree will introduce is a cost-effective, high-quality, short-run digital printing service for smaller retailers. This service will enable local retailers to create professional quality, wide-format marketing collateral, that will allow them to compete with more established brands in the marketplace.

Bluetree has been experiencing an increase in demand for short run, versioned work from its customers. The HP Scitex FB7500 Printer is ideal for the cost-effective production of these jobs. With its ability to shorten the production process, the HP Scitex FB7500 will allow Bluetree to reduce its turnaround times and produce work within increasingly shorter deadlines, enabling staff to concentrate on other areas of production. Reaching print speeds of up to 500m2 or 105, 120 x 240cm sheets per hour, the new press enables Bluetree to offer its customers a flexible, rapid turnaround, digital print service.

 

 

“We will use our new HP Scitex FB7500 Printer to offer our customers a new range of services that will cost-effectively add value to their applications,” said Bryan Shirley, managing director, Bluetree Design & Print. “We believe that the versatility of the new printer and our ability to offer fully personalised applications will help us win more from our existing customers as well as attracting new business.”

Bluetree purchased its HP Scitex FB7500 Printer to complement its existing screen printing equipment and its HP Scitex XP2700 Printer, installed in May 2008.

“Bluetree has established a reputation for producing the best possible quality items for our customers and it was vital that any new equipment that we invested in reflected this,” said Shirley. “We are delighted with the print quality that our new printer can achieve. It can capture the fine detail required by our customers. The HP UV-curable inks are fantastic and give a depth of colour that makes the applications really stand out.”

Konica Minolta IJ Technologies, Inc. have announced the introduction of their 72-mm wide KM1024 series inkjet print head for industrial use with 1024 nozzles in the middle of November. Compared with the conventional inkjet head, it greatly reduced the energy consumption, thus making it environmentally sound product.

The new KM1024 is cutting-edge piezo on-demand print head developed by Konica Minolta to meet industrial needs for higher printing quality. It is characterized by its 1,024 nozzles as well as its 72mm-wide print head, which means that it has twice the number of nozzles and is double the width of the KM512 series inkjet print head that has been chosen by many industrial customers. The characteristics of the new KM1024 print head make it an ideal choice for print systems that require higher productivity, such as single-pass inkjet printers.

By incorporating a newly developed lower capacitance actuators, KM1024 reduced power consumption by 50% compared with the conventional KM512, making it more environmentally sound. Another new technology is the development of IC, enabling printing in eight grayscale levels, and thus better satisfies the needs of customers for higher-resolution print images. In addition, the thin body of the print head enables simple and compact design of head mount systems when mounting a number of print heads into a printer. To cater to a wider range of industrial needs and for greater ink compatibility, the new print head is offered in two versions: with or without a heater.


Main features

• Adoption of 1,024 nozzles and the 72mm-wide print head has resulted in a drastic increase in productivity.
• The newly developed lower capacitance actuators reduce energy consumption by 50% compared with the per nozzle energy consumption of the KM512 series.
• The new IC is capable of reproducing 360dpi x 360dpi images in maximum of eight grayscale levels, delivering rich color tones and high resolution.
• The thin print head, which measures 131mm (W) x 18mm (D) x 89mm (H) and weighs only 140g, enables compact design of head mount systems and print system.
• To better serve industrial needs, a print head with a heater is also available. Solvent, oil and UV inks can be used.

Konica Minolta’s inkjet business continues to offer to industrial inkjet printer users high-performance inkjet print heads, multi-functional inks, and related equipment and systems - all incorporating its proprietary material and precision processing technologies. With the introduction of the KM1024 series inkjet print head, Konica Minolta aims to broaden the applications of its industrial inkjet printer technology.