Even though the Print World show seemed much smaller this year, there were quite a few new and unique products to be found. Here are a few of the more notable inkjet printers that were on display at Print World.
Canon ipf8300s MFP
The Drafting Clinic was showing off its latest line up of MAX MPF print – scan solutions. The unique thing about these systems is that they are totally modular and customizable. MAX MFPs are full-featured MFP Repro solutions for scanning, copying, sharing and enhancing. These systems are put together with Canon LF printers and Contex LF scanners and allow you to get real-time view of enhancements and automatic cleanup of faded, dirty, or poorly shaded documents. These systems can be incorporated into a variety of markets including CAD, AEC, GIS and pay-for-print, and they can be used for countless applications such as maps, blueprints, OCR, copying raster to vector conversions, photographs, artwork paintings, drawings, court documents, newsprint, etc. One of the big advantages of this technology is the single footprint floor space it takes up, with easy-to-use features requiring no special power arrangements. The quality has now greatly improved, the size is shrinking, and it is now possible for employees not initiated in the equipment’s functionality, to simply stride up to a machine and begin operation.
These wide-format MFP devices are putting a lot of pressure on the LED MF printer market by the fact that they now offer fast output up to 60″ wide for increased productivity, the cost of operation has also gone way down (there is no click charge per copy with the inkjet MFP devices) and they can print on a much larger range of media. Built-in workgroup collaboration capabilities mean anyone can scan to email, scan to folder, and share the scanner with others on your LAN or with some models via Gigabit Ethernet.
Epson PreProofer
EFI was showing off an unusual printer configuration – if you haven’t seen it before. The Epson Stylus Double-sided proofing is a unique printer for double sided proofing applications. The system is based on the Epson Stylus Pro series printer, enabling print paper widths of up to 44” to be printed with the 97xx/98xx/99xx series of printers. Data management and control is handled by the DI-Plot software package. Two Epson printers are arranged one above the other on a stable platform, linked by a paper guide unit running from top to bottom. The paper is automatically cut and, falling under its own weight, reaches the lower printer via the guide unit. The sheet is then automatically fed to the second printer for printing the back in register.
A specially produtced paper roll with a 6” diameter roll cores stop the paper curling at the end of the roll. The PreProofer produces up to 16 double-sided printed proofs per hour in 4up or 8up format. The Epson Stylus Pro printers have a four or eight-colour printing engine with separate ink cartridges and a resolution range between 360 and 1440 dpi.
The PreProofer is controlled by the DI-Plot proof software and accepts ROOM data (rip once, output many) from almost any workflow. Not only 1-Bit-TIFFs, Delta lists, CT/LW and files in Epson ESC/P plotter format, but also Apogee, Prinergy, Prinect, Harlequin RIPs, etc. are all part of this high-performance software’s repertoire. DI-Plot runs on the Windows platform. Connection to the printers is via ethernet ports for data transfer and printer control. Synchronization of the two printers is secured by special electronic circuitry integrated into the system.
The PreProofer simplifies and accelerates proof production under economical conditions. The comparatively low investment and high potential savings means that they pay for themselves in less than one year. At present many printing houses are today already employ an Epson Stylus Pro printer. By upgrading to the Preproofer, substantial value can be added to these existing printers so their productivity will be far greater.
OCE Arizona 480 GT / XT
OCE was showing off the latest of its award winning Arizona line of UV curable printers. The Océ Arizona 480 GT printer won the SGIA 2012 Product of the Year Award this year in the Flatbed Rigid Substrate UV (<$200k MSRP) category. This is the sixth year in a row that a model of the Océ Arizona Series has been honoured with this award since the product line began shipping in 2007.
The GT model, along with its larger counterpart, the Océ Arizona 480 XT printer, offer even more application, versatility and production efficiencies. New features in these models include: eight independent ink channels with support for varnish or double-opacity white ink printing, including additional cyan and magenta channels for higher print quality at faster speeds; active pixel placement compensation for optimum image sharpness, density and uniformity over the entire printing area – both flatbed or across roll media with the Roll Media Option; precise vacuum system, configured to match the majority of standard-sized graphic arts media and batch mode operation for streamlining multi-layered jobs or facilitating set collation.
All Océ Arizona UV flatbed printers are all based on an Océ-developed platform that combines a true flatbed printer design and an optional separate, dedicated roll-to-roll capability. Océ Arizona XT models offer the ability to print onto rigid media up to 98″ wide x 120″ long and up to 2″ thick. The 480 GT has a production speed of 264 ft²/hr and the 480 XT a production speed of 272 ft²/hr. Océ Arizona Series printers are ideal for creating outdoor point-of-purchase signage, second surface backlit displays, exhibit displays, architectural and directional signage, event signage and more.
