October 2011: Products and Services for Large-Format Applications

October 2011: Products and Services for Large-Format Applications

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             Fujifilm Debuts Acuity LED 1600 Wide-Format UV LED Inkjet Printer
Fujifilm unveiled the Acuity LED 1600, a high-performance wide-format inkjet printer the company says features a high-precision, high-speed printhead, fast-curing UV LED ink and a proprietary long-life, low power consumption LED lamp system.

The Acuity LED 1600 prints roll media and rigid substrates up to 1/2 inch in thickness and is said to achieve productivity of 215 square feet per hour. A printer table unit is used to print on rigid substrates.

The printer is the result of a combination of Fujifilm Group technologies, and it will join a lineup of wide-format inkjet printers for producing large-size posters, in-store POP and window displays, which in recent years are being produced increasingly in smaller print runs, with short delivery time and increased graphical designs. This trend has promoted the use of digital printing, with wide-format UV inkjet printers leading the market due to their productivity and ability to print on a range of materials, including PET, acrylic and polycarbonate substrates.

The Acuity LED 1600 employs Fujifilm’s proprietary Fast Accurate Marking technology for accurate drop placement at high print speeds to address customers’ needs for short delivery time. The printer comes with eight color inks: cyan, magenta, yellow, black, light cyan, light magenta, white and clear. And its enhanced ink adhesion expands the range of substrates that can be used.

It also has the ability to apply color and clear ink to produce high-gloss output in a single pass. Additionally, its Spot Color Matching software automatically generates a color comparison chart against the desired output color to simplify the process of matching spot colors. fujifilmusa.com/graphics.

                              Roland Expands Creative Center Gallery
Wide-format printer manufacturer Roland DGA expanded its Creative Center Gallery that is located at the company’s headquarters in Irvine, California. The recently updated gallery features innovative graphics applications that include “hundreds of exhibits celebrating the imagination of Roland professionals from around the world,” the company reports.

The exhibit brings together the work of Roland customers focused on a range of creative disciplines, including screen printers, sign makers, label makers, fabric decorators, product designers, fine artists and engravers. Recent additions to the Creative Center include two new exhibits—Roland at the Movies and Roland at Work. The Roland at the Movies exhibit features the graphics of Martin T. Charles, owner of SagaBoy Productions, one of Hollywood’s foremost film graphic designers. The exhibit includes a video kiosk where guests can view film clips and images of Martin’s work from popular movies, including Miami Vice and Public Enemies.

The Roland at Work exhibit showcases some of Roland’s most advanced inkjet, engraving, vinyl-cutting and 3D technologies, including a floor wrap completely printed with Roland metallic silver ink. All together, the U.S. gallery is divided into five themed sections and includes more than 100 exhibit items. The centerpiece is a 20-foot replica of the 1895 Otto Lilienthal flying machine that hangs from the ceiling. rolanddga.com

                       Paradigm Imaging Group Adds Distribution Center
Paradigm Imaging Group, based in Costa Mesa, California, is a distributor of large-format scanning and printing solutions. The company recently announced the addition of a product distribution center in Columbus, Ohio, a location selected because of its accessibility and to meet increased demand for their products as their customer base has expanded across the country.

“Our new distribution center in Columbus will allow us to shorten the delivery time to a majority of our customers, improving our efficiency and increasing our customer satisfaction,” commented Randy Geesman, president of Paradigm Imaging Group. paradigmimaging.com

                    OKI Data America Inks Distribution Deal with Agfa
Digital printing equipment maker OKI Data Americas (OKI) inked a national distribution agreement with large-format printer maker Agfa Graphics for the sale of the OKI pro510DW digital web press—part of the OKI proColor series.

As part of this agreement, Agfa Graphics will distribute the pro510DW through both its e-commerce channel and its established sales force, to increase OKI’s market penetration within the print-for-pay and commercial printing spaces. Agfa Graphics will offer the proColor printer, related accessory products and consumables through this partnership.

“Agfa Graphics is a powerhouse within the graphics communications industry,” said Rich Egert, general manager of the strategic technology provider business group for OKI Data Americas. “Since acquiring Pitman Company last year, Agfa Graphics has continued to expand both its portfolio and their reach. OKI is pleased to be collaborating with Agfa Graphics on the distribution of the pro510DW, and we look forward to increasing the availability of our products through their expansive network.” okidata.com

                             LexJet Announces $9.99 Flat Shipping Rate
LexJet—which markets wide-format inkjet printing equipment and supplies from HP, Canon, Epson and DuPont, as well as its own brands of imaging materials to meet the unique production challenges of its customers—is now providing a flat shipping rate of $9.99 for customers in the U.S. and Canada, including Alaska and Hawaii.
That new rate includes UPS Ground, FedEx Ground, standard LTL and standard courier shipments. This shipping policy is effective immediately, and no matter how large the order, the $9.99 flat rate will apply. Printer shipments from LexJet are still free.

“After discussing shipping with our customer specialists, it was obvious that we needed to meet our customers’ demand for a simple, consistent and inexpensive shipping policy,” said John Lane, LexJet vice president. “When you’re trying to get print orders out the door, the last thing you want to deal with is shipping and the costs associated with it.”

Orders will continue to go out the same day and arrive from one of LexJet’s 15 nationwide distribution centers; the company added five distribution centers to its network in July, providing one-day ground delivery to 90% of the lower 48 states and 98 of the top 100 major metropolitan areas. lexjet.com

                      HP Upgrades Finishing Solutions for Indigo Systems
At Graph Expo, HP unveiled a speed upgrade for the HP inkjet web press, a faster color print module imprinting imager, and new finishing solutions for HP Indigo systems.

The company debuted complete, high-end production lines, including the flagship HP Indigo 7500 digital press in streamlined, end-to-end operating environments with the newly available PageReady finishing system from Lasermax Roll Systems.

“As the graphics market shifts from analog to digital printing, we are helping print service providers grow their businesses with new capabilities, enabling them to expand into new application areas and improve delivery times for high-volume digital printing,” said Jan Riecher, vice president and general manager, Graphics Solutions Business – Americas, HP. “HP is committed to creating solutions that help PSPs address their customers’ changing needs and provide tangible business results quickly.”

HP is also celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the agreement to acquire Indigo N.V. Since becoming part of HP, the Indigo business has experiencing double-digital growth in page volume every quarter since 2003, including 23% growth year over year in the company’s most recent fiscal third quarter.

Software solutions on display at Graph Expo include new versions of the HP SmartStream portfolio. Version 4.5 of the HP SmartStream Production Pro Print Server offers more than a dozen improvements for HP Indigo customers, helping to manage color, quality, automation and imposition. In addition, an upgraded raster image processor engine on the server can handle file artwork transparencies in half the time. And HP SmartStream Designer software v5.5 supports the newest version of Adobe InDesign software and offers enhancements, including the ability to add personalized maps, advanced variable text and data flow options. hp.com

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