The new VS-i series is available in three widths, including the 762mm VS-300i, the 1,371mm VS-540i and the 1,625mm VS-640i, and is equipped with Roland's latest Eco-Sol MAX2 inks, which were previously only available on the SolJet Pro4.

Rob Goleniowski, business manager - sign and graphics, Roland DG UK, said: "The pro-level ingredients are filtering down through the family. With the new Eco-Sol MAX2 inks, the VersaCAMM VS-i is like a mini SolJet Pro4.

"It's got the latest output quality and the combo of the new inks and printhead gives it a bit of a speed increase over the old VS series; the maximum speed on the VS-640 was 23.1sqm/hr, compared to 26.9sqm/hr on the new VS-640i."

He added that the VS-i series was cheaper at launch than its predecessor, with a new VS-640i costing from £15,499, a full £2,500 cheaper than the VS-640, which had a list price of £17,999 at launch. Goleniowski said this had been achieved through economies of scale and manufacturing efficiencies.

Users can choose from nine available colours (CMYK, Lc, Lm, Lk, white, metallic) in either four, seven or eight-colour configurations, including: dual CMYK; CMYK, Lc, Lm, Lk; or CMYK, Lc, Lm plus either Lk + white, Lk + metallic, or white + metallic.

Goleniowski highlighted the new light black ink as another enhancement. "We’ve never had light black before on a versaCAMM," he said. "And the new white ink has got higher density and opacity, while the new metallic has more of a metallic sheen, which gives glossier, more vibrant metallics."

The higher density of the white and metallic inks is said to have enabled a 1.5x increase in production speed for white and up to twice the speed for metallic versus the previous model.

Maximum four-colour CMYK print speed is 25.9sqm/hr for the VS-540i and 26.9sqm/hr for the VS-640i in banner print mode at 360x720dpi, dropping to 5.7sqm/hr and 5.9sqm/hr respectively at 1,440x720dpi.

Maximum four-colour CMYK vinyl print speed is 9.82sqm/hr for the VS-300i, 12.2sqm/hr for the VS-540i and 13.1sqm/hr for the VS-640i, falling to 3.66sqm/hr, 4.3sqm/hr and 4.4sqm/hr respectively at 1,440x720dpi.

Additional enhancements include front-loading ink cartridges and the ability to adjust cut settings during operation. Maximum cutting speed is up to 300mm/second.

Pricing for the three models starts from £10,499 for the VS-300i, £13,999 for the VS-540i and £15,499 for the VS-640i; Eco-Sol MAX2 ink costs £85.99 per 440cc cartridge, except white and metallic which cost £74.99 and £169.95 per 220cc cartridge respectively.

All models come with the latest version of Roland's VersaWorks RIP, which has an in-built Pantone spot colour library and predictive ink usage calculator, one-year on-site parts and labour warranty, and a place on and introductory or intermediate digital print course at the Roland DG academy.

For full specifications for all three printers visit the Roland DG UK website. The VersaCAMM VS-i series is suitable for applications including banners, signs, POP, labels, stickers, heat transfers, window graphics, vehicle wraps and fine art prints.