Press Release: ColorSpan Announces DisplayMaker 72UVX Flatbed / Roll-fed
Multi-Purpose UV Inkjet Printer
Minneapolis, MN - MacDermid ColorSpan, Inc., an
innovator and leader in the
wide-format color
inkjet printer market, introduces its second flatbed
/
roll-fed hybrid, piezo-electric UV inkjet
printer, the DisplayMaker“
72UVX.
Developed as an extension to the highly
successful DisplayMaker 72UVR, the
new 72UVX
offers the ability to print on rigid sheets or flexible
roll
stock up to 73 inches (185 cm) wide and
Ω-inch (12.7
mm) thick. Designed
around sixteen (16) 600-dpi
Micro-Quadô piezo-electric printheads,
the
72UVX delivers true 600 x 600-dpi quality
at print speeds up to 400 square
feet / hour.
The printer will debut at the VISCOM tradeshow in
Dusseldorf,
Germany September 29 through
October 1, 2005.
Bruce Butler, director of marketing, stated, "At
less than one-third the
price of other flatbed
UV printers, the DisplayMaker 72UVR in its first
10
months in the market has quickly become the
fastest selling UV printer in
the world,
outselling its top 3 competitors combined. Now, with the
new
DisplayMaker 72UVX and its ability to print
on even thicker boards and at
faster print
speeds, we have once again set a new standard for
flatbed
printing performance and value. The
72UVX combines production speed
with
award-winning quality, ease-of-use and low
cost of operation. And, at well
under $100,000,
it is affordable to a broader group of sign and
screen
print shops that are looking to increase
productivity while saving material
and labor
costs."
The
DisplayMaker 72UVX uses an open, non-obstructive design that
reduces
the footprint space requirements while
making it easy to use. When
configured for
printing rigid materials, two 36-inch (91 cm) x 75-inch
(190
cm) roller tables are attached to the
front and rear of the printer to
accommodate
sheets up to 60-inch (152 cm) in length. Optionally,
two
additional tables can be added for sheets
up to 120-inch (305 cm). The
tables can easily
be removed for printing of roll-to-roll flexible
media.
The
loading of rigid materials has been made easier in a number of
ways.
First, the 72UVX features a releasable
pinch roller system for easy
insertion. Once in
place, the pinch rollers are engaged with a
variable
force adjustment to work with a wide
variety of materials. Pressing the
load button
causes the printer to use its integrated Automation Eye
to
sense the right, left and front edges while
also checking for media skew.
It then
automatically positions the media for printing. The Media
Wizard
feature stores many of the
characteristics of a particular media, such
as
media feed advance rate and platen vacuum
force. When selecting a new media
type, the
Media Wizard restores these values, greatly reducing the time
to
switch from one type of media to
another.
Other Product
Features
Micro-Quad Printheads - Sixteen (16)
industrial-quality, long-life
piezo-electric
printheads are configured as four interlaced heads using
384
jets per color. These 600-dpi printheads
jet a micro-sized 25-picoliter
droplet. The
result is higher quality prints at lower production costs
when
compared to typical 360-dpi, 70-picoliter,
6-color printers.
Production-Oriented
Speed - Designed-engineered as a production
sign
system, the DisplayMaker 72UVX uses 16
piezo-electric printheads with 1,536
total
jets. The printer boasts a 600x600-dpi print speed of 400 square
feet
(37.2 m2) per hour in its Billboard
Quality print mode. Its Production
Quality mode
has two print resolutions that both turn out quality,
sellable
graphics; 200 square feet (18.6 m2)
per hour at 600x600-dpi and 400 square
feet
(37.2 m2) per hour at 600x300-dpi. A 600x600-dpi High Quality mode
is
also available at 100 square feet (9.3 m2)
per hour.
SolaChrome-UV inks -
UV-curable, pigmented inks, available in
cyan,
magenta, yellow, and black. Each comes in
a sealed 3-liter container that
allows for
easy, no-mess ink changes while protecting the ink from
light
exposure. SolaChrome-UV inks, which have
no solvent odors, are designed for
reliable
jetting, low maintenance, extended head life, low cost
of
operation and long-term outdoor display life
- 2 to 3 years depending on
application.
SolaChrome-UV inks cure instantly and print directly
on
inexpensive uncoated rigid and flexible
substrates for durable, indoor and
outdoor
graphic applications.
Advanced
Automation Eye - Only found on ColorSpan printers, it uses
a
high-resolution imaging sensor, colorimetric
spectrophotometer, and
embedded software to
automate the setup and calibration steps critical
for
achieving and maintaining print
quality.
- AutoSet Calibration - analyzes dot
placement of printed patterns and
automatically
sets the head-to-head alignment and bi-directional
(bi-di)
dot placement alignment to compensate
for variable print speeds, head
height settings
and media thickness.
- AutoJet Calibration -
eliminates banding in prints and extends the
useful
life of the printheads by mapping out
jets that are not up to performance
standards
and compensating by using another jet in their
place.
- AutoTune Scheduler - schedules the
AutoJet calibration to occur during
unattended
print runs to ensure maximum print quality and minimize waste
or
reprints.
-
AutoEdge Detection - uses the image sensor to aid in the loading of
rigid
materials by detecting right, left and
leading edges allowing the printer
to move the
material into position for printing. It also checks for
and
warns the user if the board appears to be
loaded askew.
- Linearization - the on-board
spectrophotometer supplies color and
density
data to the external RIP's color
management software. The color
management
system then linearizes the color
curves to ensure accurate and
consistent
color.
-
Color Profiling - using the on-board spectrophotometer, the
DisplayMaker
72UVX prints and automatically
reads hundreds of color swatches to allow
the
RIP and ColorMark+ color management software to create custom ICC
and
ColorMarkÆ profiles for 3rd party
media.
Markets
With
its ability to print directly onto rigid display materials
the
DisplayMaker 72UVX is ideal for sign
makers, screen printers and other
print-for-pay
service providers that produce indoor and outdoor
signs,
banners, POP and exhibit displays by
greatly reducing their finishing and
labor
costs. In addition, the DisplayMaker 72UVX prints on flexible
roll
stock for the high-speed production of
outdoor signs, banners, floor
graphics, and
other high volume work.
Pricing and
Availability
The DisplayMaker 72UVX has a US
retail price of $89,995. This price
includes 4
liters of SolaChrome-UV ink, 3 liters of printhead
cleaning
solution, 600 square feet of banner
vinyl, installation and on-site
training. The
printer is available through MacDermid ColorSpan's
worldwide
network of value-added distributors
and resellers beginning in October
2005.
###
About
MacDermid ColorSpan, Inc.
MacDermid
ColorSpan, the recognized creator of the Big ColorÆ
graphics
market, designs, manufactures and
markets large-format digital color
printing
systems, supplies, software and services. ColorSpan
distinguishes
its products through high
productivity features such as patented Big
InkÆ
Delivery Systems and an Automated Eye
for easy setup, calibration and
unattended
printing. Their UV-curable inkjet printers are the #1 selling
UV
printers in the world. Their headquarters
and manufacturing are based in
Eden Prairie,
MN, USA.
Denver, CO-based MacDermid, Inc.
(NYSE: MRD), with 2004 revenues of
$660.8
million, is a global specialty chemicals
company serving the diversified
needs of the
Electronics, Industrial, Offshore and Printing
industries.
The telephone numbers for
publication are (800) 477-7714 and
(952)
944-9330; the fax number is (952)
944-0522. ColorSpan's web site
is
www.colorspan.com
Posted: Mon - September 26, 2005 at 05:33 PM