ColorSpan Makes Grand Entrance with DisplayMaker 110s

MacDermid ColorSpan, Inc., an early innovator in thermal wide-format inkjet printing, is making its grand entrance into the world of piezo inkjets. ColorSpan's DisplayMaker 110s is a fast, moderately priced, four-color grand-format solvent-system inkjet printer accompanied by a flexible leasing program intended to make small business owners feel more at ease about going superwide.

Equipped with 72 high-frequency printheads, the DisplayMaker 110s can print images up to 110 inches on media 113 in. wide. The extra width accommodates printing the full height of semi trailers for fleet graphics without tiling as well as billboards and large banners with minimal tiling.

The printer is targeted for higher volume producers of signs, banners, fleet graphics, floor graphics, and billboards and provides the versatility to output graphics to be viewed up close or from a distance. Throughput speeds are rated at 350 sq ft/hr in the 8-pass high-quality mode, 700 sq ft/hr in the 4-pass mode, and more than 1000 sq ft/hr in the two-pass print mode.

Priced at $179,990 the DisplayMaker 110s is available with a flexible, all-inclusive monthly lease program that supplies the printer, installation, service and inks for as low as $0.14 to $0.39/sq ft. With the TOPPS (Total Output Program for Production Systems) lease developed for MacDermid ColorSpan by American Express Business Finance, customers can increase or decrease their monthly payments to adjust for seasonal or cyclical business trends. At the end of term, the customer can return the unit, buy out the lease, or roll it into a new TOPPS agreement.

To qualify for the lease, users must agree to use ColorSpan's SolaChrome? inks, which have been designed for reliable jetting, low maintenance, long head life, and an outdoor display life of three to five years, depending on the application. The inks are supplied in 3.2-liter reservoirs that can be topped off during production for non-stop operation. A peristaltic pumping system continuously recirculates and filters the ink for maximum efficiency.

The DisplayMaker 110s also comes with a rack-mounted ColorMark Pro Print Server and ColorMark+ color-profiling software, Mac and PC printing tools, and workstation with flatscreen display.

Mike Rose, MacDermid ColorSpan's vice president of sales and marketing, believes the DisplayMaker 110s offers an unparallelled price-to-performance ratio in the superwide market. He notes that the printer has been tested for nearly two years in live production environments.”

The printer will make its debut at ISA's 2003 Sign Expo and is scheduled to begin shipping in late spring or early summer. (MacDermid ColorSpan: 800-477-7714; www.colorspan.com)