Page 53 - Print 21 Magazine Jan-Feb 2019

Digital Technology
Canon imagePrograf TM
Entry level poster printing, CAD and AEC, and new waterproof media
Canon used its Sun Studios complex for the official launch of its eight strong new imagePrograf TM series of wide format printers, designed for poster printing, CAD and the AEC markets.
Alongside these models, Canon is releasing four types of waterproof poster media with adhesive backing, which it says achieves excellent weather resistance, enabling users to create outdoor signage for a variety of scenarios. Using the new printers and the new media means there is no need to laminate prints for outdoor work.
Simon Russell, general manager for marketing at Canon says, “There is a new pigment ink developed by Canon which delivers a vibrancy that is new to this level of the market, and the five inks give really black blacks. The prints are light resistant, water resistant, so can be used for both indoor and outdoor applications.
“The Lucia TD five-colour pigment ink is also capable of reproducing fine lines and clear text required for printing CAD drawings, even when using plain paper that lacks ink-absorbing layers.”
Launching the imagePrograf TM series are (l-r) Gavin Gomes, Norifumi Kitajima, Akira (Dave) Yoshida, and Simon Russell
Fujifilm Acuity Ultra
Kurz DM-Liner UV roll to roll
Variable foiling for flexo and digital
Kurz launched a new digital cold foiling system at Labelexpo, which it says will enable variable data to be used in the foiling process, meaning every label can be different.
The DM-Liner UV-Ink Roll-to-Roll system comes in built-on and built-in configurations, for conventional narrow web and digital label presses respectively. According to Kurz Australia’s Dave Murphy, the system uses inkjet heads to print adhesive onto the substrate. “We print the data in the glue, nip the foil over it, and then it is UV cured and stripped,” he said.
The system made its trade show debut at Labelexpo. The built-on unit was exhibited in conjunction with Nilpeter, and the built-in unit with the Mlabel press from Mprint.
Murphy says, “The main areas of focus are for short runs and variable data – there is no changeover or flexo plates necessary, so every label can be different.”
Superwide UV printer for
high quality graphics
Imaging giant Fujifilm is set to launch its latest Acuity grand-format print system – the Acuity Ultra – into Australia and New Zealand.
Fujifilm is marketing Acuity Ultra as ‘a high
quality, cost-effective, super-wide UV platform for the production of high-end interior graphics and outdoor signage’.
The company says the Acuity Ultra forms a key part of Fujifilm’s industrial strategy, offering increased size and quality to make the production of high-end interior graphics more profitable. Built around Fujifilm’s UV cured inkjet technologies, the company says it offers almost photographic levels of quality, with tighter registration and higher production speeds, at a cost that is set to shake up the super- wide format marketplace.
Available in both 5 metre and 3.2 metre models, the Acuity Ultra is available with up to eight colour channels, using a new high-quality, low film weight Uvijet GS Fujifilm ink. Greenguard approved, Fujifilm says this ink has been especially designed to deliver the highest quality, and is fully emission-compliant for interior graphic display work.
With a 3pl drop size ensuring what the company says is the
highest possible quality, the Acuity Ultra is aimed at the high-end indoor display market, especially for luxury brands, with the quality comparable with litho and leading water-based ink systems.
Based around conventional UV technology, it also runs at much higher speeds than LED cured machines; however, as the vacuum table is efficiently water-cooled, there is not an excessive build-up of heat on the print plate, meaning no shrinkage.
With a throughput of up to 236sqm per hour, the machine is capable of printing on three rolls simultaneously, as well as printing super- wide format graphics up to five metres in width.
Troy Neighbour, product marketing manager at Fujifilm Australia says, “With the extra width, and the ability to print at high speeds with no compromise on quality, the Acuity Ultra will appeal to larger businesses and major luxury brands. The Fujifilm Acuity series has long been known for its quality and reliability.”
Print21 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 53