Charity buys Grapo Technologies Manta UV flatbed
A Grapo Technologies Manta UV flatbed wide-format printer has been bought by the ISBA as part of its programme to give psychiatric patients work experience within its digital printing facility.?
The ISBA, which employs 140 people with psychiatric problems and provides them with a structured daily routine established in eight different work groups to help build confidence as they re-enter society, has 20 occupied with digital wide- and small-format printing.
ISBA and its parent company, German mental health charity Lebenshilfe, bought the Manta printer "after careful consideration of a wide range of available UV printing solutions," said production manager Ranier Laske of ISBA. "We needed to produce graphics larger than A3, and we also wanted to be able to print on unique substrates and in unusual formats with the fastest turnaround time possible. The Manta offers us unlimited application possibilities for printing on rigid or flexible substrates."
Laske pointed out that the environmental considerations of UV printing were important in the decision process: "With solvent inks, more than 95% is emitted into the air during the printing process. This is not a healthy situation for our employees. With UV-curable inks there are no VOCs emitted. Also, printing with UV-curable inks consumes less ink and offers significant advantages when printing on uncoated stocks."