Wide-format digital printing is booming at the moment. A new generation of speedy, high-quality digital equipment coupled with the troubled economic climate is pushing printers towards the technology, according to Graham Leeson, marketing communications manager, graphic systems division at Fujifilm UK.
"The recession is still having an impact, prompting screen printers to look for alternative technologies to respond more efficiently to their customers needs," explains Leeson.
No more so is this the case than in the fine art market, where digital printing has become the accepted alternative to screen. More and more artists are turning to digital to help them sell limited-edition prints thanks to the benefits of print-on-demand. Another factor is faster turnaround times and lower running costs, coupled with the continued improvement to inkjet technology.
Riding the recession
"Wide-format inkjet continues to ride the recessional storm as the possibilities for the use of digital presses to produce point-of-sale, graphics, posters and banners remains strong," says Leeson.
When it comes to wide-format imaging technology, piezo is king, while in super-wide-format applications, UV is gaining headway, with UV inks dominant when it comes to rigid substrate printers. The non-VOC benefits of UV inks versus solvent inks is one of the factors influencing display printers to move future investment, argues Leeson.
"According to a Fespa/InfoTrends report, printers will double their UV inkjet production and decrease their solvent inkjet output over the next few years," he explains.
All in all, the future for digital print looks bright with high levels of R&D taking place not just to improve the hardware, but also focusing on ink technology and applications.
"People in creative disciplines are beginning to grasp the opportunities and possibilities presented by printing onto an almost endless range of surfaces and materials," says Leeson.
For those printers who are weighing up an investment in large-format digital printing, the upcoming Fespa exhibition in Germany will showcase new technologies on the market.
"Look for visual quality, rather than DPI figures, real-world production speed, rather than quoted square metre per hour, and ask about support costs and ink usage," advises Leeson.
WHAT'S NEW IN LARGE-FORMAT DIGITAL PRINTERS
International Graphics Sourcing will launch a new brand of water-based outdoor printers called Elements at Fespa. It includes three roll-fed machines, a 610mm-wide machine called Atom 24, a 1.2m-wide machine called Atom 44 and a 1.6m wide named Atom 64
Czech company Grapho Technologies will take its Shark hybrid UV printer to Fespa in order to highlight new feed and cutting options. According to Grapho, the Shark now has options to cater for longitudinal and transversal cutting of substrates up to 1mm thick
Screen will show two enhancements to its Truepress Jet2500UV at Fespa. Thew company says a multi-layer function enables it to produce more sophisticated graphics with up to five layers, while another new feature is a substrate fixing system to hold boards flat that have a tendency to curl during printing, such as corrugated boards. The firm’s recently-launched Truepress Jet1600UV-F will be producing lenticular prints using DPLenticular materials at the show
