The 85sqm/hr Truepress Jet 3200UV was launched in 2013 and the 150sqm/hr HS model was released the following year. A further upgrade last year added an optional 3.2m-wide roll-to-roll system.
The new HS2 model, which replaces the HS, further enhances the machine with an additional range of speed and quality boosting features that the firm said will open up the press to a wider market and boost the capabilities of existing users.
New features include Billboard Print mode, which uses five-pass, bidirectional printing and boosts the machine’s top speed to 184sqm/hr.
The manufacturer said this mode significantly reduces the turnaround time for outdoor advertising and other materials generally viewed at a distance of more than five metres.
Meanwhile, the new Super Fine Photo mode, which prints at around 15 to 18sqm/hr, improves on the existing Fine Photo mode and is suitable for high-definition imagery.
The other major enhancement is an upgrade to the printer’s drive systems that enables it to carry loads of up to 75kg, a significant increase on the previous maximum weight of 40kg.
Screen Europe said this allows printers to take on heavier wood, stone and glass substrates while improving safety, print quality and job flexibility at the same time.
The printer also features a new enhanced maintenance and cleaning system, which ensures minimum down time. Automatic cleaning is said to save 10% to 15% on annual ink costs and cut down operator intervention.
The manufacturer will demonstrate the machine in both roll-to-roll and flatbed modes on a range of flexible and rigid substrates at Fespa Digital, which will take place in Amsterdam from March 8 to 11. It will also demonstrate the printer’s existing capabilities including multilayer spot silk, day/night, backlit and relief printing.
“There are all sorts of claims made about speed and quality with these machines but we’re really confident about the capabilities of this device,” said Screen Europe vice-president of sales Bui Burke.
“Therefore we will be giving away stopwatches at Fespa to invite people to go round to the different vendors and get the quality they’re satisfied with and then see the speed that other machines print at with usable quality to really establish how good they are.”
While Fespa Digital will mark the first public outing for the HS2, the upgraded printer is available to order immediately and customers can see it at Screen’s demonstration facilities in both the UK and Amsterdam, where upgraded models have been installed in the past few weeks.
The list price of the HS2 model is £320,000, the same price as the HS.
The firm said an upgrade would be released for existing HS users to bring themselves up to the latest specifications in the coming weeks.
