The machine, which was officially unveiled on 10 January, is intended as a replacement for the 2013-launched LEF-20.
The new model costs £19,999, a price that also includes Roland’s VersaWorks Dual RIP software, one year on-site Roland Care, silver warranty cover and a place on its VersaUV academy course.
It is still mainly intended for the short-run personalisation of items such as presentation boxes, phone covers, USB sticks or lunch boxes.
The new model has a print bed of 508x330mm and can also print on 3D objects at thicknesses of up to 100mm.
Roland sales support manager Rob Goleniowski said that there were three main improvements from the LEF 20: speed in draft mode has doubled, its RIP software has been upgraded to include a PostScript plus PDF RIP engine, and it has a new option for an on-board printable primer ink.
“The LEF-20 has been popular since its launch. It hit a real sweet spot and all these extra features are only going to improve on that. We are expecting the 200 to continue and grow from where the 20 left off,” he added.
While the LEF-20 can print a CMYK object the size of its print bed in around four minutes, the LEF-200’s draft mode could print the same object in less than two.
The primer ink option allows users to prepare an object for customisation before printing a full-colour graphic and is now included as part of three potential ink configurations, CMYK plus white plus primer, CMYK plus two whites and CMYK plus white plus clear.
The new RIP software is meant for the speedier handling of more complex native PDF files and has a spot colour generator facility to simplify the process of producing graphics with special effects.
“It’s not always about print speed sometimes it’s about how quickly you can set the files up and that’s where VersaWorks Dual comes in,” said Goleniowski.
He added that the machine was mainly selling to screen printers, CAD printers and promotional merchandise companies but also has a strong industrial use for the likes of car components and signage.
The release of the LEF-200 follows Roland’s showing of an SME-friendly 3D printer prototype at the Formnext trade show, Frankfurt, last November. Two months prior to this, it launched two new wide-format eco-solvent printers in its TrueVis range.
