European technology firm Cambridge Consultants is spinning off its industrial ink-jet printer business.
The division, called Inca Digital Printers, has won 2.6m backing from Advent Venture Partners.
It is targeting short-run personalised packaging and publishing applicators. Inca aims to have 150 staff and 30m sales within two years.
Two machines are being developed including Barcos The.Factory (the dot factory). Eagle 44, a flatbed printer with 16 Xaar print heads and UV-curing ink, is the first of its machines. It will be available in November for around 350,000. The 100m2-an-hour machine is aimed at screen printers.
Maximum print size will be 2.4mx1.6m and it will take rigid materials like foam board for display work. Sericol will be the exclusive distributor.
The.factory reel-to-reel machine has 96 print heads and will be used in packaging and decorative laminates. It will be launched next year and the 800m2-an-hour machine is likely to cost 650,000 to 975,000.
Will Eve, director of technology, said "The Eagle 44 can work with continuously variable data but not at its full speed of 100m2 an hour. It is mostly for short runs: as few as five to 10."