Nashakele Distribution, a South African signage supplier, created a stir at the Sign Africa Expo in Johannesburg last fall with its introduction of the 4-color AfriJet, an infrared flatbed. Billed as “the first outdoor printer to be conceptualized and assembled in South Africa,” the AfriJet features, quick-drying infrared-cured light-solvent inks (alcohol-based), infrared lamps, Epson DX5 heads in a dual-head configuration, a top resolution of 1440 dpi, and a standard production print speed of approximately 269 square feet/hour (538 square feet/hour in draft mode). The company reports that the infrared-cured inks are highly adhesive and can print directly onto many substrates including art paper, PET, metal-coated plastic or paper, leather, acrylic, and even glass with no pre-coating required. The machine has a 71-inch print bed and comes standard with choice of Onyx or Topaz RIP.
The printer is currently being sold in sub-Saharan Africa. “We hope to be in a position to showcase it to the international markets at Dubai [in 2011], and certainly to the European markets as soon as we can,” says Shawn Bezuidenhout of Nashakele Distribution. “Interest has been so overwhelming that we’re considering international investors to expedite production and global distribution.”
NASHAKELE DISTRIBUTION
www.nashakale.co.za