What does the product do?
The new HP Latex 3000 wide-format printer promises to offer the quality of print and vibrancy of colour associated with latex printing, but at industrial production speeds of 77sqm/hr for indoor application work and 120sqm/hr for outdoor quality.
When was it launched? Who is it aimed at?
The printer will make its UK debut at Fespa 2013 at the end of the month, and will be commercially available from August. It is aimed at larger operations, printing a range of wide-format products, such as billboards, banners, textiles, self-adhesive vinyl and truck curtains. It is aimed at those who might be considering two slower latex machines to achieve the productivity required, and at those considering UV and solvent technologies. "We’ve got customers who have got our products, but because their business is growing they would either need to buy another two of the previous iteration or buy one of these," says Jane Rixon, UK & Ireland channel business manager, large-format production products, HP. "It’s also aimed at people considering Durst and Vutek machines."
How does it work?
HP has boosted the print speeds possible with latex, it says, by enhancing the way the ink is cured on the bed of the printer. "That enables the substrate to move through the machine faster," says Rixon. "It also uses half the power the current machines use to cure the inks."
How does it differ from previous products?
Aside from offering higher speeds than the previous generations of HP latex machines, the 3000 also offers more cost-effective and scratch-resistant prints, says the vendor. "If you were comparing it to a solvent machine then the cost-per-copy on a latex machine would have been higher and things like resistance to scratching would have been lower on the previous generation of latex inks than on hard solvent inks," says Rixon. She adds: "You’re able to use heavier rolls on the Latex 3000 than you could on the previous 850. You’ve also got larger capacity, 5-litre cartridges. And you can put two rolls on side by side to maximise productivity."
Rixon adds that the current generation of latex printers –the L26500 and L28500, and the more industrial LX600, 820 and 850 – will, for now, continue to use the current iteration of latex inks. The machines will however become part of a new ‘HP Latex’ brand, equivalent to HP’s Designjet and Scitex families.
What is its USP?
HP says its latest latex inks are significantly different to those used in competitor latex models. "Our third-generation latex inks have six colours plus an ink optimiser, which is a transparent, almost seventh, ink that’s laid down before the other inks to make these key to the surface even better," says Rixon. She adds that the overall USP of the machine is its "high image quality and versatility of materials you can print on".
How easy is it to use and what support is on offer?
"It’s all touchscreen on the front, and as part of the installation we’re offering ‘Ramp Up,’ which means once the machine’s been working at a customer’s site for two or three weeks, we’ll send someone in for two days to just be on hand to make sure everything’s being done correctly," says Rixon. She adds that a year’s warranty and next business day service support is included with all installations.
What are sales targets like and how has it been received?
The HP Latex 3000 has so far been beta tested by two yet to be disclosed printers, one in Spain and one in Germany. Reactions have been very positive so far, reports Rixon. In light of this response, sales targets will be dependent on how quickly machines can be built, she says: "That’s going to be our challenge as everyone we’re showing it to wants one. So it will be a matter of how many we’re actually able to build. We’ve not released any targets."
SPECIFICATIONS
Max speed Indoor: 77sqm/hr; Outdoor: 120sqm/hr
Max resolution 1,200dpi
Inks Black, cyan, light cyan, light magenta, magenta, yellow, HP Latex Optimizer
Formats Roll-to-roll, roll-to-free fall, roll-to- collector, dual-roll
Media types Banners, self-adhesive vinyls, films, papers, wallcoverings, canvas, mesh (with liner), textiles (non-porous or with liner)
Roll widths Single roll: up to 3.2m; Dual rolls: up to 2x1.6m
Max substrate thickness 0.8mm
Price £230,000
Contact HP 01344 363368 www.hp.com
ALTERNATIVES
Durst Rho P10 320R
Part of the Rho P10 Series, the 320R is a UV printer rather than latex, but is comparable in the range of outdoor signage, POP and display materials it is designed to produce.
Max speed High-speed mode: 150sqm/hr; high-resolution mode: 60m²/hr
Max resolution 1,000 dpi
Inks Rho Roll Ink UV-curable pigment inks
Roll width 3.2m
Max substrate thickness 2mm
Formats Flatbed, roll-to-roll
Media types indoor and outdoor signage, POP material, packaging and backlit luxury goods
Price £250,000-£300,000 depending on spec
Contact Durst 01372 388540 www.durst-online.co.uk
EFI Vutek QS3 Pro
Although not a latex machine, the QS3 Pro is a similar offering when it comes to speed, applications and print quality. It is available in both a roll-to-roll and flatbed configuration.
Max speed 111sqm/hr
Max resolution 1,000dpi
Inks EFI Vutek UV Ink, six colours plus white
Roll width 3.2m
Max substrate thickness 50mm
Formats Rigid and flexible substrates
Media types Sign and display substrates
Price £311,435
Contact EFI UK 01246 298000 w3.efi.com
Fujifilm Uvistar Pro8
This UV printer is designed for high volume outdoor and indoor display graphics, and is available as a 3m or 5m model.
Max speed 275sqm/hr
Max resolution 600dpi (1,200dpi apparent)
Inks Fujifilm Uvijet QN, UV-curable, eight colours including lights
Max print width 3.5m
Max substrate thickness 25mm
Media types POS displays and outdoor advertising on rigid and flexible media (flexible or self-adhesive vinyl, mesh, blue back paper, backlit, spun bonded polyethylene)
Price £259,000
Contact Fujifilm 01234 572340 www.fujifilm.eu/uk
