The Rho 1012 and Rho 1030 are both based on Durst's Rho 1000 2.5m wide format UV inkjet printer and existing users of the Rho 1000 will be able to upgrade to either of the two new models in the field.

Both new machines are equipped with Durst's next generation Quadro Array printheads. The Quadro Array 12M printheads on the Rho 1012 have enabled a reduction in drop size to 12 picolitres (compared with 30 picolitres on the Rho 1000).

This makes the Rho 1012 the first industrial wide format UV inkjet printer capable of producing a drop this small and has lead to an increase in resolution from 600dpi on the Rho 1000 to 1,000dpi on the Rho 1012.

The 1,000dpi print resolution is available at speeds of up to 490sqm/hr, only 10sqm/hr slower than the Rho 1000's 500sqm/hr output.

Meanwhile, the Rho 1030 uses the Quadro Array 30M printheads and is Durst's new high output machine. It has the same 30 picolitre drop and 600dpi resolution as the Rho 1000, but at 1,000sqm/hr it runs at twice the speed of its predecessor.

Options include auto loading and unloading tables as well as roll-to-roll and roll-to-sheet options.

Like the Rho 1000, both the 1012 and 1030 are equipped with eight ink channels. Standard configuration is four-colour, CMYK, while the remaining four channels can be configured with various combinations of light cyan, light magenta, white and Durst's Process Colour Addition (PCA) inks of either orange and green, or orange and violet.

Durst has also upgraded its Rho P10 series printers with its new Variodrop refined greyscale technology, which uses "multipulsing" to accurately regulate drop sizes, thereby preventing any variation in velocity of individual drops (which can lead to drop placement inaccuracy).

The manufacturer described the technology as combining "two voltage pulses in such a way that the second pulse pumps precise dosage amounts of ink into the droplet before it detaches from the nozzle plate without forming any satellites".

Michael Lackner, marketing manager at Durst, said that the Variodrop technology had led to a "significant increase in productivity of up to 25% for all the Rho P10 series printers".

For example, the output speed of the 2.5m wide Rho P10 250 is increased from 200sqm/hr to up to 240sqm/hr (a 20% increase), with an ink drop size of 15 picolitres.

Lackner said: "In addition, the quality is improved for both 15 picolitre and 10 picolitre printing, including better colour gamut and even smoother solid colours."

The Variodrop technology will be available on new Rho P10 series printers, but is also being offered as a field upgrade.