Signs of the Times - January 2014 - (Page 44)

Te c hno lo g y R e v i ew By Chris and Kathi Morrison Polytype NQ32 3.2-Meter 3-in-1 UV Hybrid Printer Chris and Kathi Morrison own and operate The Image Specialists, a full-service graphics company based in Clements, CA. Chris is also a Microsoftcertified systems engineer. Create enhanced, high-speed color applications W hen shopping for printers, you often find a performance printer or a high-end, fine-art machine, but not both. Not true here, because the newly introduced, grand-format, Polytype NQ32 hybrid (flatbed/ roll-to-roll) printer easily fits into the high-output, rigid- and rolltype production arena and, check this, its patented technologies will also create top-level fine-art prints. The 3.2m (50 x 128-in. table size) hybrid machine's grayscale technology will vary the ink-drop size at 10, 20 and 30 pL; the white-ink channel produces 20-, 50- or 80-pL ink drops. Color, variable-drop, grayscale print technology governs the emitted ink-drop size and, in practice, creates images that appear to have more dpi than actually applied. Because your eye doesn't see the smaller drops, the images appear as smooth, continuous tones. The mediumsized drops help soften tonal transitions, and large drops are appropriate for solid-color expanses. Polytype coupled the grayscale technology with its eight-color, "Redwood Warp Engine" to increase the addressable-color system's speed to 3,000 sq. ft./hr. Further, select the printer's 4-bit, CMYK mode and address up to 28,561 color shades per pixel, for enhanced, high-speed color applications. Additional NQ32 features: * Multiple ink-set choices; * A dual-pinch system to provide media-wrinkle control; * Finger rollers to assist media tracking; * A binary, printing-ﬂuids dispenser to improve ink adhesion on glass, acrylic, Coroplast™ corrugated sheet and more; * A row-and-column control to tile prints in rows and/or columns; * A print-blade system that allows 10-minute printhead changeovers. Polytype calls it a 3-in-1 machine, but it's actually more: Grayscale, fine-art or super-fast production, roll-to-roll or flat media, the Red- Specifications: Polytype NQ32 3.2 Meter UV Hybrid Printer Inkjet Head Technology UV-cure, variable dot Printer Table Size 3.2M hybrid (50 x 128-in.) table size Resolution 800 up to 2,400-dpi grayscale Colors 8 plus white (CMYK, lclmlylk and white); plus orange, gray, red, blue, violet or spot colors 44 SIGNS OF THE TIMES January 2014 Key Information Polytype America Corp. 10 Industrial Ave. Mahwah, NJ 07430 (201) 995-1000 www.polytypeamerica.com Contact: James Cain, director of sales/digital jc@polytypeamerica.com (201) 962-9594 wood Warp Engine and eight (plus white), UV-cure inks. Our favorite feature is the 10-minute printhead replacement. As service techs and shop owners, we understand the cost of downtime. The Polytype NQ32 3.2-meter, UV-hybrid printer is both versatile and practical - we suggest you study it before making buying decisions. Polytype America Corp. (PAC) is the Polytype Group company that sells and services Polytype UV digital printers in North America. In addition, PAC exclusively sells and services directly swissQprint's flatbed and roll-to-roll, UV-cure printers throughout North America. It also provides service and support on all Polytype and partner printers. ■ http://www.polytypeamerica.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Signs of the Times - January 2014

Signs of the Times - January 2014
Contents
ST Update
Technology Update
Large-Format Design Strategies
Vinyl Apps
Strictly Commercial
Lighting Techniques
The Moving Message
Technology Review - Agfa’s Jeti Titan X
Technology Review - Polytype’s NQ32 UV hybrid printer
Design Matters
New Products
Industry News
GableSigns’ Casino Signs
Dynamic Digital Signage Made Simple
Building Street Cred
Modern Sign Engineering
Advertising index
Editorially speaking

Signs of the Times - January 2014