Technical

Sophie Matthews-Paul takes a first look at Durst’s new textile printer the Kappa 180.

When Durst made its entry into digital textile printing in 2009 with the announcement of the Rhotex 320 it stood to reason that, having made the departure from its core technology of UV-curable chemistry, there would be more in the fabric field to follow. Although it’s not being launched until ITMA in September, I was able to spend some time with the new industrial strength Kappa 180 at Durst’s Kufstein premises in Austria.

There’s been a surge of new machines this year, but who’s going to buy what? Sophie Matthews-Paul comments.

Digital textile printers now cover the entire gamut of investment paths. Key introductions thus far have concentrated mainly on dye-sublimation, although there are other options coming on line, but for the purposes of the display sector, this remains the most popular process.

Sophie Matthews-Paul visits Mortsel, Belgium, to test the versatility of this new UV-curable machine.

For Agfa Graphics, the acceptance of its unusual M-Press platform took a little time but now, in its guise as the Tiger, it is proving to be a successful solution for high-end applications where the mix of inkjet and screenprinting is a bonus. Combined with its printing capabilities are high levels of automation and slick throughput, it’s now a platform which suits the specific requirements of users needing the best of both production worlds.

As predicted in my crystal ball gazing feature at the start of 2011, as far as the wide-format sector is concerned we have seen enhancements to existing printer platforms, along with improvements to inks and drying; but there have been no real show-stopping introductions.

This is, in truth, a very healthy state of affairs. That existing engines have been extended to cover different market segments should be regarded as a positive, with most manufacturers introducing new additions and the first to admit that they are using their established technologies to eke out revisions for future equipment.

Up, Up and away

A couple of issues back we asked if textile printing was finally about to take off within the large-format sector in the UK? Jon Price, director of CMYUK, says sales figures prove its moving down the runway at a rapid rate on knots, even if it is not yet airborne

Sophie Matthews-Paul finds this new machine to offer good quality and good features at a good price.

In the wide-format sector there are machines that are launched with a fanfare and do hitherto impossible digital tasks. On the other hand there is a quieter band of manufacturers producing engines which do as it says on the tin, and which continue to serve the large numbers of users who want to produce bread-and-butter applications without having their lives and working practices disrupted.

ROI is what it’s all about, which is why Fujifilm believes it has a way of convincing you that buying an Onset makes sense.

Fujifilm has recently announced a new initiative to encourage printers of all sizes to take its Onset Challenge (see Cover Story) – the intention being to prove the impressive ROI of the range, which has so recently been extended with the S40.

Making Lighter work of it - Software Special Report

As efficient workflow becomes ever more critical Sophie Matthews-Paul reports on the relevance of JDF adoption in the wide-format sector.

Sophie Matthews-Paul investigates this hybrid UV-curable entry-level machine, the Durst Omega 1, in our hands on feature.

It was really only a question of time before Durst made the decision to join the entry-level market with a UV-curable platform, and the company has now achieved this. The result is the 1.6m Omega 1, a compact yet solid hybrid engine which incorporates all of the Austrian manufacturer’s finely honed skills but at a price point which will appeal to those on a limited budget.

Sophie Matthews-Paul provides guidelines on getting the quality you expect.

It’s a bit like like buying a new car; we all want a bargain but most of us also need a quality motor that won’t let us down and will match the claimed running costs and service charges. And, of course, we would like it to hold its value as the years pass to make sure that it’s been a worthwhile purchase. A wide-format inkjet printer is a similar type of investment, but it also needs to be able to return a profit.

Sophie Matthews-Paul assesses the printer EFI Vutek GS200 in a live demonstration environment in the US.

The world’s first Wide Format Print Shop Live at Fespa Americas, held in Orlando at the end of February, provided an opportunity to take a close look at the Vutek GS2000 2m UV-curable option from EFI, from initial delivery and set-up through to continuous running at the show.

When we remind ourselves about the early days of wide-format digital technology one thing we’ll all acknowledge is that we were pretty limited by the inks and materials available, and how well the machines of the day could handle them. If the results came out well on our chosen substrate, then we were pretty satisfied; if the end product wasn’t fit for purpose, then the ink tended to get blamed.

Wide-format digital print is all about ink and its inherent behaviour during the processes we expect it to endure. For machine manufacturers, it’s the element in their equipment that actually proves the unit is as good as it claims to be. Ink also represents the part of the printing process which tends to play a major role in carrying the responsibility for quality even though it is dependent on machinery and technology for being transferred from cartridge or bottle through to the printhead nozzles and jetted onto the material beneath.

See-through graphics offer a huge opportunity but the most commonly used materials have their drawbacks. As leading player Contra Vision points out with their technical knowledge, new developments mean it’s worth looking again.

Mention see-through graphics, or one-way vision graphics as the medium is also popularly known, and thoughts immediately turn to perforated self-adhesive materials that are printed and then subsequently applied to all manner of transparent surfaces from vehicle windows to office partitioning; architectural glazing to impressive expanses of buildings’ exteriors and retail windows. That however, far from encapsulates the medium. There are other ways of producing see-through graphics, and other materials to use. They work practically anywhere perforated media can be used, and in thousands of places, situations, and applications where they simply can’t.

Sophie Matthews-Paul unravels some of the elements used when working with colour, and stresses why we need a standard.

The application of the term ‘colour management’ in the wide-format display sector is all about control but, until the chaps from ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation) step in with an overall compliance initiative, this remains each to his own. Everyone knows that the parameters surrounding accuracy of output compared with the original data are reliant on several criteria but, in this industry sector, it is still filled with confusion and queries and, to a certain extent, blame.