Océ, an international leader in digital document management and printing for professionals, today announced the new Océ Arizona 550 GT flatbed printer, the highest capacity Océ Arizona model released to date.
This new printer is capable of POP-quality prints at 40 square meters hour and offers much better value than other UV flatbed models currently available in the market. The Océ Arizona 550 GT display graphics printer is the next generation model in the award-winning Océ Arizona Series. It uses UV curable inks and Océ VariaDotTM imaging technology to deliver near-photographic image quality for nearly any application. Designed as a true flatbed system it can print on a wide variety of rigid substrates up to 1.25 by 2.5 meters. It also offers a Roll Media Option for printing onto flexible media up to 2.2 meters wide.
Production print speeds
The Océ Arizona 550 GT display graphics printer features a Production print mode of up to 40.2 square meters per hour on rigid media without sacrificing any of the award-winning print quality for which the Océ Arizona Series is famous. This enables users to print nearly one hundred boards (125 x 250 cm) in a single eight-hour shift. With this productivity, print providers can confidently take on peak demand and rush jobs. It reduces the risk for businesses wanting to make the transition from analog to digital printing by providing all the print quality they need at production speeds. An Express print mode is also available with print speeds of up to 67 square meters per hour, nearly three times higher than the fastest print speed available on the previously-released Océ Arizona 350 GT display graphics printer.
Costs a third less than comparable systems
Like all Océ Arizona printers, the Océ Arizona 550 GT model was designed using an efficient cost engineering approach that makes it much more affordable than comparable systems. Print providers can own this high quality, high capacity printer for about 30% to 40% less than comparable, competitive UV flatbed systems. That reduces capital outlay for small- and medium-sized businesses, and enables them to acquire the best-in-class print quality and application versatility.
Opens the door to applications that command premium prices
With the Océ Arizona 550 GT display graphics printer, print providers can offer premium priced services and achieve more competitive prices for their work. The Océ Arizona 550 GT can print on irregularly shaped or non-square items, heavy substrates such as glass, or materials that have an uneven surface such as wood. This is an important advantage over competitive rigid-capable printers that use belt or friction-based media feed systems, as they can only print on square-cornered, lightweight materials of uniform thickness. The true flatbed architecture enables printing on anything that is reasonably flat up to 48 mm thick – from a hockey puck to a DVD to a door or a piece of painted aluminum.A Roll Media Option is available, giving print providers the ability to print onto flexible media including vinyl, self-adhesive vinyl, scrim banner, paper and blue backed paper without compromising the rigid printing workflow. Print providers can use this system to expand into more exotic applications that command premium prices, from parts templates for manufacturing; CD covers and wallpaper to fast food menus and fabric; and anything needed for sign and display.
Océ VariaDot imaging technology is productive and uses significantly less ink
The Océ Arizona 550 GT display graphics printer uses Océ VariaDot imaging technology that enables a printhead to produce ink droplets of variable size resulting in variable sized dots on the printed media. The ability to jet small droplets produces sharp images with smoother gradients and quartertones. The ability to jet larger droplets produces dense, uniform solids. The result is near-photographic image quality with sharpness only before seen at resolutions of 1,440 dpi or higher. In addition to superior image quality, Océ VariaDot imaging technology requires only four color inks to achieve the best image quality in the industry. The use of only four colors and of variable-sized droplets results in significantly lower ink consumption than six color printers with fixed droplet inkjet technology. On average, all Océ Arizona Series printers consume less than 8 ml of ink per square meter total, including all maintenance.
White ink expands capabilities
The Océ Arizona 550 GT display graphics printer includes a White Ink Option that enables under-printing for non-white media or objects, over-printing for backlit applications on transparent media and/or printing white as a spot color. Under-printing white ink provides a base for non-white surfaces upon which color can be added, giving print providers the ability to expand their range of offerings to include specialty applications. Over-printing white ink provides a diffusion layer for backlit applications that will be viewed from the unprinted side, enabling print providers to produce high quality backlit images for point-of-purchase applications. The ability to also print white ink as a spot color enables white features of images to be highlighted for greater effect.Océ Arizona® 550 GT display graphics printer.
Expanding the premier UV flatbed product family
The Océ Arizona 550 GT display graphics printer joins the market-leading Océ Arizona family of UV flatbed printers at the top of the range. Other Océ Arizona Series models include the Océ Arizona 350 XT printer (2.5 x 3 m table, up to 23 m2/hr print speed), the Océ Arizona 350 GT printer (1.25 x 2.5 m table, up to 22.2 m2/hr print speed) and the Océ Arizona 300 GT printer (1.25 x 2.5 m table, up to 12.3 m2/hr print speed). All share the same award-winning image quality and robust architecture, offering the Océ values of quality, reliability, productivity and user-friendliness. In all, Océ Arizona Series UV flatbed printers have accumulated 16 industry awards to date from organizations throughout the world. These awards validate the quality and innovation built into every Océ Arizona Series printer, now the most popular printer in its class.
