Commercial color printers for signwriting are undergoing technological changes to make them better at what they do, more cost effective, and less wasteful of resources and energy. Many print shops have started using solvent and UV-cured ink and have purchased entry-level UV-curable printers, some of which are flatbed and some of which are roll-to-roll.
In late 2007, HP purchased large format print companies ColorSpan and Nur and expanded its presence in wide format printing. The first series of commercial color printers to come from these acquisitions were the HP Designjet H35100, the HP Designjet H35500, the HP Designjet H45100, the HP Designjet H45500, and the HP Scitex FB910.
As commercial color printers for signwriting and other large format applications increase in popularity and capability, so do the inks that go along with them. Some inks are aqueous, some are billed as “eco-solvent,” some are UV-cured inks, and they all have their specific niches about which media they work best on. While some solvent inks work well on lower-priced vinyls, some do not, and some lower-priced inks require costly media, effectively canceling out any cost savings. The eco-solvent inks are used in printers by Roland, Mimaki, and Mutoh, printers that cost in the $30,000 to $40,000 range.
Eight or 10 years ago, UV-curable flat bed commercial color printers for signwriting and other applications cost anywhere from $100,000 to $700,000. More recently, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean companies have made prototype UV flat bed printers that cost under $60,000. More recently still, UV flat bed printers have been produced that cost less than $40,000, but for some users, this may be at the cost of too many essential features. Anyone purchasing a lower cost UV flat bed printer should definitel y also learn about customer service, technical service, and availability and cost of spare parts before putting down a down payment.
Of the newer, lower priced lines of large scale commercial color printers using UV-cured ink, the ones from Korea have a better reputation than the ones from China. Their workmanship has been shown to be closer in standards of workmanship to the precision-made printers from Switzerland.
Gerber Solara
Gerber Solara is a brand of flat bed wide-format UV-cured inkjet commercial color printers with resolutions selectable up to 720 dpi. It uses cationic UV-cured inks and a low temperature cold curing process. It is designed to be compatible with a large range of materials both rigid and flexible, including heat sensitive media. Rigid materials have to be less than one inch (25.4 mm) thick and 64 inches (162.6 cm) wide.
Examples of materials that the Gerber Solara line of UV flat bed printers can successfully print on include PVC, polystyrene, glass, chipboard, cardboard, vinyl, window film, sign foam, vinyl mesh, painted aluminum, paper, and cabinet-grade plywood, as well as many others. The Solara line is available with roll-to-roll media handling for paper and other thin flexible media on selected models.
The UV-cured inks used with the Gerber printers are cationic so that prints are dry and ready for immediate use. These inks adhere to a wide range of materials that prove difficult for other inkjet printers, like glass. The flexibility of the bonding means that items like vehicle wraps with tight curves can be made easily. The low-temperature curing enables the Gerber Solara printers to use a range of heat-sensitive materials that are troublesome for printers requiring higher temperature ink curing.
The inks used by the Gerber Solara line of commercial color printers do not contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and do not emit environmental ozone. They are able to produce an extended color gamut including intense blues, greens, and reds for more vibrant prints that can withstand up to three years outdoors without the need for lamination. The maximum printing width for roll material is 63 inches.
Inks come in 1 liter pouches of four vibrant colors, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key (black), and the printers communicate through port ethernet TCP/IP. Operating temperature ranges from 65 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit, or 18.5 to 23.5 degrees C, and humidity should be 40% to 60% so that condensation is not a concern. There are no special ventilation requirements with the Solara printers due to the composition of the UV-cured ink.
Mutoh
Mutoh makes a line of commercial color printers called ValueJet that are easy to operate and maintain, and which accommodate the most widely used media. The Value Jet line uses Mutoh’s X-Rail design and piezo print head techn ology. They contain 1,440 total nozzles and variable dot technology. The result is photo quality images that are durable enough for outdoors at resolutions of 540 dpi, 720 dpi, or 1440 dpi. There are 10 print modes with the ValueJet printers including a 540 x 720 dpi mode that is designed especially for printing banners.
ValueJet printers are capable of printing on window film, clear cling, banner materials, backlit film, photographic paper (glossy or matte), canvas, cloth, and sticky or non-sticky backed vinyl for signs. The ValueJet printers use Mutoh’s Eco-Ultra inks. These are third-generation inks that can remain outdoors for three years without lamination. Another advantage of the Eco-Solvent Ultra inks is that neither scrubbers nor special ventilation are required.
Hewlett Packard
Even newer ink technologies may be appropriate, such as latex ink like that used with the HP Designjet L25500. This model is available in a 42-inch and 60-inch design. The price for the latex inks has been a pleasant surprise to many print shops who expected them to be pricier.
The L25500 is a commercial color printer for signwriting and many other indoor or outdoor applications. It is used for billboards, vehicle wraps, bus shelter graphics, and many other uses and the latex ink is said to be comparable to eco-solvent inks. In fact, the L25500 is compatible with eco-solvent inks. It uses thermal inkjet technology for ease of use with original HP print heads that are user-replaceable.
Image quality with the L25500 is assured, due to the HP Optical Media Sensor and spectrophotometer embedded in the machine. Post-print processes are easy, too because the prints come out dry and ready for packaging, shipping, lamination, or display. Another great feature of this commercial color printer is that the water-based latex inks do not necessitate hazard warnings. They are non-combustible and non-flammable, with no special ventilation required. It is also ENERGY STAR compliant. HP also offers recyclable media that cuts down on the environmental impact of printing.
When this printer made its debut in late 2009, many people wanted to know whether and when third party latex ink would be available. The reason for the question is that third party manufacture of ink means that latex ink is being taken seriously and that the technology has a better chance of staying around and is therefore more likely to be worth investing in. Third party latex ink is made in Asia, so the technology is worth a second, or even third look for those in the market for a wide format commercial color printer.
How does one pick a suitable printer?
With all the choices available in terms of ink, print head technology, and curing, where does someone start when looking for commercial color printers? And what about buying used commercial color printers for signwriting or other large format applications? Well, if high-end commercial quality color printing is necessary, then the solution will cost thousands of dollars, but whether it costs $30,000 or $60,000 will depend on many factors.
Buying used commercial color printers is an option worth considering for many businesses. Larger graphic design companies may regularly upgrade their equipment, meaning that the top printer from a year or two ago may suddenly become more affordable. The big issue with buying used equipment is making sure that ink and replacement parts for it are readily available, as is repair service.
It has been repeated often, but it is true that the main thing to do to ensure satisfaction in a commercial color printer for signwriting or any other application is a matter of defining exactly what the printer is expected to accomplish. What media will it be required to handle? What volume of printing will be required? Will the duty cycle accommodate the number of pages per month that are required to be printed? Is there a preferred ink type? What type of computer systems will be necessary for running the printer?
Other factors for consideration in the choice of commercial color printers include ink availability and ink management requirements. Resolution requirements are also extremely important, particularly for applications like printing large scale high quality photographs. The size of the media to be used will be important too. In some cases, sheet fed media will predominate, while in others, the media will be fed into the printer from large rolls.
The training necessary to create great prints from a commercial color printer is an important consideration. The handling of Pantone color chart calibration will vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, as will things like the skill level needed to change print heads, replenish ink, and handle various forms of media.
Commercial color printers for signwriting are taking advantage of many new technological advances, particularly in the area of ink technology. Whether eco-solvent, UV-cured, water-based, or latex, the newest inks promise excellent color and adhesion with less cost to the environment and fewer requirements for ventilation systems. Most are very versatile as far as media on which they can print, and in most cases the results are able to stand up to extended periods outdoors without the need for lamination.
Commercial color printer technology continues apace, and the result is lower prices for printing operations and more vibrant and longer-lasting graphics.