Now available, the range uses Sun Chemical's HPQ low-odour eco-solvent chemistry platform, which has been formulated for printers working in confined environments and has been designed specifically for use as a direct alternative to Roland Eco Sol Max II inks.
The seven-colour ink series includes CMYK with a nickel-free yellow ink, light cyan, light magenta and a new light black ink.
ESL 2 has been colour-matched to the Roland Eco Sol Max II ink series, which works with the XF 640, XR 640, VersaExpress RF-640 and VersaCamm VS-i models, Sun Chemical said. This eliminates the need for re-profiling when converting from the original inks. ESL 2 can also be intermixed with the Roland inks.
Sun Chemical digital aftermarket product manager James Gould said: “To guarantee exact reproduction to the Roland inks, the development of ESL 2 included the selection of a completely revised yellow pigment as well as the introduction of light Black.
“The inks have gone through stringent tests, both in-house and at beta customer sites across Europe, to ensure a robust ink formulation that can deliver the highest standards across multiple print settings and substrate types.”
Gould added that test results showed ESL 2 offers strong outdoor durability and is superior to the original Roland inks for resistance to alcohol when printed on suitable media.
“We are confident that Roland Pro 4 users will agree that ESL 2 exceeds other inks in print quality and performance, allowing them to benefit from the full potential of their latest generation Roland eco-solvent devices,” said Gould.
ESL 2 is developed and manufactured at Sun Chemical’s inkjet headquarters at Midsomer Norton, Radstock. It is available in 440ml cartridges and 1 litre ink bottles, which can be used in Sun Chemical’s Streamline range of bulk ink feed systems. Pricing details for the inks have not been disclosed.
Sun Chemical will also continue to provide its ESL HPQ low-odour ink for customers using Roland’s Pro 2 and Pro 3 series machines.
Separately, the manufacturer will demonstrate its SunVetro series of conventional and UV curing screen inks and effect varnishes for direct glass printing at GlassPrint 2015, which takes place in Düsseldorf, Germany from 25 to 26 November.
