ColorSpan's First UV-Curable Printer-DisplayMaker 72UVR

The DisplayMaker 72UVR is MacDermid
ColorSpan's first UV-curable inkjet production
printer. Its design is based on the
“Gator” platform of its solvent inkjet printers,
the DisplayMaker 72S and 72SR.

The 72 UVR is a 72-in. printer that uses
4-color UV-curable SolaChrome UV pigmented
inks, which are delivered in 3-liter
boxes. The dual high-intensity UV lamps
mounted to each side of the printhead
assembly provide instant curing of ink
printing in both directions.

It can print on rolled or rigid materials
up to 0.25 in. thick. When configured for
printing rigid materials, two roller tables
are attached to the front and rear to
accommodate sheets up to 60 in. in
length (optional tables allow for sheets up
to 120 in.); the tables can be removed for
printing of roll-to-roll flexible media.

“Printing directly on rigid boards for
P-O-P displays and other signs reduces
waste and saves considerable time and
money when compared to traditional transfer
or mounting techniques,” says Bruce
Butler, ColorSpan's director of marketing.

The 72UVR features 16 Micro-Quad
heads, which is ColorSpan's terminology
for the layout of four interlaced heads x 4
colors. The printheads are from Hitachi
(now Ricoh); these industrial-quality 600-
dpi printheads jet a 30-picoliter droplet.

The printer boasts a print speed of 400
sq ft/hr in “billboard-quality” print mode;
in “production-quality” mode, it turns out
200 sq ft/hr of graphics; and “high-quality”
mode prints 100 sq ft/hr. Outdoor
durability is rated at 2 to 3 years, depending
on application.

The DisplayMaker 72UVR also features:

• a releasable pinch roller system for
  easy insertion of rigid media;
• an automation eye that checks for
  media skew and color calibration;
• a media wizard that stores characteristics
  of a particular media;
• autojet calibration, which eliminates
  banding by finding jets that are not up to
  standards and compensates with
  another jet;
• linearization via the on-board spectrophotometer
  that supplies color and
  density data to the external RIP's colormanagement
  software; and
• color profiling, which creates custom
  ICC and ColorMark profiles for third-party
  media.

The DisplayMaker 72UVR is designed
for signmakers and print-for-pay service
providers to produce indoor and outdoor
P-O-P and exhibit displays, as well as outdoor
signs, banners, and floor graphics.
Price: $74,995 (includes on-site training
and installation).

In addition, the company also has
introduced its DisplayMaker 98SX, codenamed
the “ElonGator.” Based on the company's
“Gator” DisplayMaker 72S printer,
the 4-color (CMYK) piezo solvent inkjet
98SX has been “stretched” to accommodate
98-in. wide media. It also has added
a 600 x 300-dpi print mode.

The new printer features 16 piezo
Micro-Quad Hitachi printheads that jet
30-picoliter droplets; it utilizes Sola-
Chrome-HR inks, held in 3.5-liter Big Ink
reservoirs (printheads are self-cleaning).
The 98SX can print at speeds up to 700
sq ft/hr in the aforementioned 600 x
300-dpi mode, and can hit 438 sq ft/hr
at 600 x 600 dpi.

An optional set of roller tables, 36 x 96
in., can be attached to the front and rear
of the printer, allowing it to accommodate
rigid sheets up to 60 in. long, 98 in. wide,
and up to 1.4 in. thick. Additionally the
98SX's media drive has been designed for
wider and heavier rolls of media.

The DisplayMaker 98SX has a suggested
list price of $69,995.

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MacDermid ColorSpan has also reduced
the prices on many of its large-format DisplayMaker
thermal inkjet printers. New
prices, effective now, are:

• X-12+/72 in.: $18,995
• X-12+/60 in.: $17,995
• Series XII/72 in.: $14,995
• Esprit/62 in.: $13,995
• Esprit/52 in.: $12,995

Each of the printers includes a set of
six 500-ml EnduraChrome inks (CMYK,
med c, med m), six printheads, one roll of
36-in. photobase paper, and a 12-month
on-site warranty. (MacDermid ColorSpan: www.colorspan.com)