New to the market is the Océ Arizona 318 GL printer, an introductory UV flatbed model being shown at Fespa Digital 2012. The new printer, aimed at low-volume environments, is based on the same platform as the mid-volume Océ Arizona 360 GT but is about 35% cheaper.
“The Océ Arizona 318 GL model gives smaller shops the same application versatility as our other Océ Arizona models at an affordable price point,” said Attilio Mainoli, CEO of Océ Display Graphics Systems.
With the Océ Arizona 318 GL printer, print providers can produce sellable output with print speeds of up to 18m2/hr in Express Mode, printing more than 20 70 x 100 cm boards per hour. Onyx PosterShop X10 Océ Edition software is available to drive the printer which can print on rigid media up to 1.25 x 2.5m and up to 48mm thick.
The flatbed design holds media on a vacuum table and the flatbed architecture allows for edge-to-edge printing, the printing of multiple boards simultaneously, double-sided prints and the printing of large displays tiled over several boards. A roll media option is also available.
A factory-installed white ink option enables under-printing for non-white media or objects, over-printing for backlit applications on transparent media and/or printing white as a spot color. Since 2008, over 90% of Océ Arizona printer buyers have chosen this option.
The Océ Arizona 318 GL includes Océ VariaDot imaging technology and a UV curing system designed by Océ to support difficult-to-cure media while reducing heat at the media surface by half. It also features a new-style tabletop that allows very thin media to be printed directly on the table without mechanical distortion of the media into the vacuum holes.
“The Océ Arizona 318 GL printer is a welcome addition for low-volume print providers who have been waiting for a true flatbed UV printer, without heavy capital investment,” said Frank Welte, owner of Welte, a digital printing and finishing service provider based in Freiburg, Germany.