Roland DG has won two Buyers Lab (BLI) 2024 Wide Format Pick Awards from Keypoint Intelligence, and Mutoh has won one. The accolades have gone to: the Roland TrueVis LG-640,’Outstanding UV 54/64in Printer’; Roland TrueVis AP-640, ‘Outstanding Entry-Level CMYK Eco-Solvent/Latex 54/64in Printer’; and the Mutoh XpertJet 1682SR Pro, ‘Outstanding High-Production CMYK Eco-Solvent/Latex 54/64in Printer’.
“The AP-640 and LG-640 are great additions to the Roland TrueVis family that has, for years, performed to a very high standard in our exhaustive test programme,” said David Sweetnam, Keypoint Intelligence’s director of EMEA/Asia research and lab services. “Both devices delivered the same excellent Pantone spot-colour-matching performance, while a large colour gamut helps deliver on a range of image reproduction demands. Dimensional and colour stability over our more-demanding wallpaper test was also very impressive, with both earning our highest 5-star rating, which demands dimensional accuracy of over 99.9% and colour variation of less than DeltaE00 2.0.”
Joe Tischner, wide format analyst at Keypoint Intelligence, added: “There is no learning curve to move from Roland’s eco-solvent devices to its AP-640 latex/resin or LG-640 UV device - a great benefit in multi-ink formula work environments. Productivity was very good on both devices, further aided by the perforated cutter option that allows the operator to produce a production run for a client straight onto a take-up roll, with quick separation at the client site.”
Of the Mutoh XpertJet 1682SR Pro Sweetnam said it “delivered seriously good results in many areas of our rigorous test programme. The dual CMYK printhead delivered the fastest speeds we have seen to date in this class of product. What’s more the device maintains strong output quality while running in these highly productive speeds, with the largest colour gamut we have seen to date on CMYK-only ink devices. The large working colour space aided impressive halftone image reproduction and accurate spot-colour-matching results, with 15 challenging corporate logos rendered with the average variance of only DeltaE 4.0.”
Martin Soane, Keypoint Intelligence’s European lab manager, added: “Running through our extensive range of tests was quick, as the Mutoh XpertJet 1682SR Pro has many time-saving features that allow users to switch media types in a fraction of the time required by some other units (automated paper-feed adjustment and bidirectional control, to name two), while the automated nozzle-checking unit coupled with Mutoh’s nozzle area select technology allow for uninterrupted printing to be set up with the utmost confidence. These enhancements allow the operator to regain valuable time throughout the day and are just a part of why the Mutoh XpertJet 1682SR Pro won this award.”