The Italian manufacturer arrived at Berlin Messe with a completely new look to help support a  drive into international markets.

The LaForte Optima 340 is a 3.4m-wide version of the 1.85m Optima 185 and was initially released in January. Making its Fespa debut, Aleph will use the machine to push into the signage market for the first time.

“What we present to the market that is different to other machines positioned similarly is our vacuum belt system, which keeps the substrate stable using an eco-friendly method,” said international sales manager Andrea Negretti.

“Many similar printers use solvent glues to keep the substrate steady, but this is regarded as a pollutant by the European Union while our machine has environmental approval.”

Printing at up to 600sqm/hour in a single pass with a 600dpi resolution, the Optima 340 uses dye-sublimation inks to apply jobs to polyester fabrics. It was originally called the LaForte Studio Paper 340 before Aleph’s rebrand took effect two weeks ago.

In its most basic configuration, the Optima 340 is a four-colour machine, though up to four additional colours can be added – yellow and pink fluorescents, as well as blue and orange.

Designed to compete with the Durst Rhotex 325, the Optima 340 has so far been installed into a single signage company – California, US-based WS Display. Negretti said he hoped the installation would be a useful example to present to signage printers at Fespa.

“Aleph is a famous name in Italy, but it is not yet fully international,” said Negretti. “We are here to promote ourselves and hopefully find new customers around the world.”