The drupa print show this year was once again the largest printing equipment exhibition in the world, held every four years in Düsseldorf Germany. This year drupa did not have a lot of new wide format printing announcements, but here are a few new additions to the printer lineup, in alphabetical order.
CANON
Canon debuted the Océ Arizona 2200 series of UV-curable flatbed providing large format printing up to 86” wide. The Océ Arizona 2200 series provides a flexible and scalable 6-colour solution with decreased delivery times and high-quality printing and finishing on a diverse range of materials. It’s ideal for PSP, fine art producers and photo labs delivering sellable prints at speeds of up to 63.4 m²/hr. The true flatbed architecture offers superb edge-to-edge and double sided printing on almost any rigid media
For the first time at a major show, Canon unveiled four new aqueous based imagePROGRAF PRO-series large format printers. The lineup included the 11-colour plus Chroma Optimizer 44-inch PRO-4000 and 24-inch PRO-2000, designed to provide spectacular image quality for the fine art and photographic markets. As well, Canon showed its brand new 8-colour, 60-inch PRO-6000S and 44-inch PRO-4000S. Both dual roll printers are affordably priced models to economically create eye-catching posters and vivid displays for the production signage industry. A new water resist banner media was also introduced which provides excellent short term outdoor durability without lamination. The 44” printers start with a Cdn MSRP of $6,745
EPSON
Epson introduced the new 44-inch SC-P10000 10-colour, large format printer. Being an aqueous-based printer, it is easy to operate and produces large format photos, POS items and signage at 600 dpi speeds. Customers can benefit from a range of features with a smaller footprint. The SC-P10000 incorporates the new PrecisionCore MicroTFP print chip in its new printhead technology. The printer features its high-precision media feed technology, including a newly developed camera-based paper feed stabilizer and media inductive roller system. The SC-P10000 is a printing solution for photo labs, copy shops, print production houses and corporates looking for an in-house solution. Maintenance should also be easier now because users can park the printhead and give it a cleaning. The Cdn MSRP is $10,499.
HP
HP introduced its new 64-inch HP Latex 560 and 570 printers, designed to enhance productivity at an affordable price.
Designed for mid-size to large print service providers (PSPs) with increasing print volumes, HP says the new 64-inch HP Latex 560 and 570 printers enable customers to manage a variety of print jobs and peaks in production at a low upfront investment. New features include: more unattended printing, heavy-duty roll handling of rolls, print speeds up to 248 ft/hr at indoor mode, and HP Latex Mobile for managing print jobs remotely for more unattended production, such as overnight printing. “Many medium-to-large sign and display print providers are looking for solutions that can handle higher-production volumes and enable access to profitable applications,” commented Xavier Garcia, general manager for HP Inc.’s Large Format Printing Division. “The HP Latex 500 series and 1500 Printer set new performance thresholds at a lower upfront investment, helping customers meet peak production demands to keep jobs in-house as well as capture growth application opportunities such as indoor and outdoor backlit signage.”
MIMAKI
Mimaki unveiled its 128-inch roll-to-roll UJV55-320 super wide format UV-LED printer featuring seven ink colours including white for printing on transparent or coloured media. This new model produces vibrant colours with a high degree of opacity and consistent colour can be achieved regardless of light source for optimal viewing results in day/night applications. This model features an in-line LED light for checking backlit signage during printing. The new Mimaki UJV55-320 grand format LED UV inkjet printer is suitable for producing banners, retail, exhibition and window graphics and other similar applications with the added versatility of twin-roll simultaneous printing. High print speeds (up to 1184 sq ft per hour) can be achieved. The printer has a newly developed LUS-120 high performance UV curing ink including white suitable for front/backlit applications. The Mimaki UJV55-320 has been named Best Wide Format Roll-to-Roll Printer up to 320 cm. Nice win, Mimaki!