Signs of the Times - December 2012 - 66

SGIA’s Expo 2012 – a Second Look
“The more you know, the more you …”
By Darek Johnson

If the ancient axiom youthe more – you know, the more don’t
know (or, the smarter you get, the less you understand) – is valid, then, for some, SGIA’s 2012 Expo may have been too helpful. The Expo provided a extensive product showcase, and it certainly displayed one of every known digital-print machine and ink type, but, to many visitors, the Goliath event may have also revealed much of what they didn’t know – nitrogen-blanketed print systems, for example – which, of course, means many of the 22,000 attendees (its highest count ever) discovered they have more to learn. For example, there is EFI’s LEDlamped, UV-cure printer’s nitrogenblanket system that industryconsultant Vince Cahill says (see sidebar, page 67) eliminates the ink-surface tackiness that occurs when airborne oxygen reacts with an exposed, UV-cure ink surface during the cure process. EFI’s unique, nitrogen-scrambling device separates most surface-area oxygen (and other elements) from

the printer’s cure-zone air and then blankets the under-lamp media surface with nitrogen. The result is a quicker and more thorough curing process. You can’t pass up Roland To visit a signmaker tradeshow and not stop at Roland would be like driving to Burning Man and turning back at Gerlach. Roland DGA’s (Irvine, CA) diverse tradeshow booth offers numerous enterprise-type product packages. This year, Roland introduced its 64-in.-wide, SOLJET Pro 4 XR-640 inkjet printer that, the company says, combines high-speed performance with exceptional image quality. It also features an integrated contour-cut system and four ink configurations – including your choice of white, metallic and light black. Light black? See it as an automated workaround for IdeaAlliance’s G7 calibration system. Essentially, the G7 method calibrates and controls CMYK imaging processes by controlling the color gray (so that it becomes

a neutral gray). The quintessential theory is, if you control the gray, you control all the colors, at least visually. Roland doesn’t declare such a parallel, but does say its light gray ensures a neutral gray for smooth gradations, natural skin tones and precision photographic images. The XR-640 fires seven differentsize droplets; it also features a dual inline and mirrored printhead configuration that yields 720 x 1,440-dpi with speed modes up to 528 sq. ft./hr. Further, Roland improved both the white and metallic Eco-Sol MAX 2 inks and significantly increased the white and metallic-ink application speeds. Its Quadralign™ contourcut system can seamlessly cut any shape graphics. Mutoh’s racer – the ValueJet 2638 Mutoh’s (Phoenix) new, 104-in.-wide, ValueJet 2638 is a four-color (CMYK) eco-solvent-ink printer equipped with a staggered, dualhead print system that, in bannermode, produces up to 1,168 sq. ft./hr., which, Mutoh says, is the fastest printer speed in the 2638’s price range. In eight hours, its prints could cover a suburban house lot. Featuring Mutoh’s Intelligent Interweave (i²) print technology, the ValueJet 2638 prints durable graphics on coated and uncoated substrates for standard, backlit and directional signage, plus posters, banners, POP displays, floor graphics, vehicle graphics and decals. Features include a RIP; a heavy-duty feed and take-up system; a media cradle; plus installation and a one-year, onsite warranty.

Roland SOLJET Pro 4 XR-640 66 SIGNS OF THE TIMES / DECEMBER 2012 / www.signweb.com

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Signs of the Times - December 2012

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