Sign Builder Illustrated - October 2008 - (Page 39)

UV Inkjet Printers Output for UV inkjet presses is quite impressive; in fact, the production speeds of some UV inkjet printers are mind-boggling. Printing speeds can range from 50 to over 5,000 square feet per hour, while printer resolutions have improved considerably in the last couple of years. I recently had the opportunity to visit point-of-purchase printer Holland & Crosby (www.hollandandcrosby.com) in Mississauga, Ontario, where the first Inca Digital Onset UV inkjet system, manufactured by Fujifilm Sericol (www.sericol.com), was installed this past February. The Onset is reputed to be the fastest inkjet printer on the planet. How fast, you ask? With 73,000 print nozzles spanning the width of the printer, the Inca Onset (which has a five-by-ten-foot print bed) can print 5,382 square feet in an hour. That equates to more than one hundred five-by-ten-foot sheets in an hour. Now that’s smokin’. “Print speed is inversely related to image quality,” says Butler. “Be very wary of [hardware] manufacturers that only specify their maximum print speeds. It’s unlikely you’d ever print at these specified speeds when you’re actually printing graphics for customers.” Unlike water-based inkjet inks, with a UV inkjet print system you can print directly onto a broad range of media. UV inkjet prints don’t require overlaminates either, which eliminates the need and cost of expensive pressure-sensitive media—as well as the time and cost involved in laminating the media to a rigid substrate. Also graphics printed with a UV inkjet system are said to withstand outdoor conditions for as long as two to three years. The versatility of the UV flatbed inkjet systems allows printers to handle a wide range of applications (including flat substrates such as acrylic sheet, expanded PVC board, styrene, and foam board), which can help shops expand into new markets. These systems are ideal for printing signage, vehicle graphics, building and wall graphics, banners, outdoor advertising billboards, point-of-purchase displays, tradeshow graphics, museum graphics, OEM product identification, and transit advertising. Inks and printers, however, will vary from one manufacturer to another. According to Rich Nickols of Nazdar (www.nazdar.com), UV inks must be specially formulated for compatibility with a specific inkjet printer. You won’t find one system that will work perfectly with all materials. So before signing on the dotted line, it’s best to “test, don’t guess.” Perform a trial, testing the most common substrates that you use with the system. Join me next issue, as we continue our discussion about UV inks and inkjet systems with a look at their benefits and disadvantages. For additional information about the growth of UV inkjet systems in the wide format market, be sure to check out this month’s “Q&A” on page 120. b R Tape Business Development Manager Jim Hingst has over thirty years’ experience in the graphic arts market. His career includes a range of activities—including product development, estimating, production planning, vinyl application, sales, and marketing. He has contributed more than 120 articles to many of the leading publications in the sign industry and is the author of the book Vinyl Sign Techniques. October 2008 Sign Builder Illustrated 39

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Sign Builder Illustrated - October 2008

Sign Builder Illustrated - October 2008 Contents SBI Agenda Quotes & Comments Contributors Revving Up for WrapQuest Dispatches Sign Show Sandblasted and Dimensional Sign Rescue, Part Three UV Ink and Printer Update, Part One Black is Black! Makin' Money With Molded Letters Making a Monster A Custom Built Sign Shop The Evolution of Architectural and ADA�Signage Finishing That Makes the Cut Maximizing In-store Signage and P-O-P Displays Wide Format Opportunities Panel Saws: A Precise Cut SBI Marketplace Q&A

Sign Builder Illustrated - October 2008

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