New Inkjets for Outdoor Graphics

Below is a partial list of the wide-format inkjets that were introduced at ISA's Sign Expo. In our effort to present similar information about each printer, we contacted each of the manufacturers listed in the show guide. We had better luck getting responses from some manufacturers than others, which may be indicative of the level of response that you, too can expect–at least until some of these manufacturers line up good US distributors. Maximum throughput speeds also should be taken with a grain of salt; it's sometimes difficult to get manufacturers to provide specs on throughput speeds for sellable output, as opposed to the fastest mode.

Azon Printer 3500
Azon Digital Printing System

www.azonprinter.com

Inks: Solvent, four-color

Outdoor Durability: Up to 2 years

Format: Roll-to-roll, 3.5 m (138 in.) wide

Resolution: 370 dpi

Print Speed: 302 sq ft/hr at high res, 506 sq ft/hr at normal mode

Pricing: About $100,000

Croatia-based equipment-maker also supplies ink and substrates.

ColorSpan DisplayMaker 110s
MacDermid Colorspan

www.colorspan.com

Inks: Solvent, four-color

Outdoor Durability: 5 years

Format: Roll-to-roll, 2.8-m (110-in.) print width

Resolution: 360 dpi

Print Speeds: 350 to 1000 sq ft/hr

Pricing: $179,990

ColorSpan's first piezo, solvent-system inkjet is offered with a flexible, all-inclusive lease program that supplies the printer, installation, service and inks for monthly payments that can be adjusted for seasonal or cyclical business trends.

Creon 2500
Azero, Inc.

www.azero.info

Inks: Solvent, four-color

Outdoor Durability: 2 years

Format: Roll-to-roll, 2.5 m (99 in.)

Resolution: 360 dpi

Print Speeds: 161 to 516 sq ft/hr

Printer built in China with expertise from Korea and US is recommended for indoor and outdoor prints. Can print on materials up to 1 cm thick, including fabric and carpet. Uses Maintop RIP.

DJT 400, 800, and 1200
Digital Jet Technologies

www.4djt.com

Inks: UV-curable, four-color

Outdoor Durability: 3 years

Format: Flatbeds, 48 x 96 in., 5 x 10 ft

Maximum Thickness: 4 in. thick

Resolution: 300 x 600 dpi

Print Speed: up to 400 sq ft/hr

Pricing: Starts at around $77,000

Designed for heavy-duty use in small to mid-sized sign and screen-printing firms, this thick-media flatbed uses a new stainless-steel PicoJet printhead developed by a former Tektronix engineer and an XYZ mechanism and table developed by a maker of computer-controlled routers.

Encad VinylJet 36
Encad

www.encad.com

Inks: Infrared-curable aqueous

Outdoor Durability: 3 years

Format: Roll-to-roll, 0.91 m (36-in.)

Resolution: 600 dpi

Print Speeds: 23 to 55 sq ft/hr

Pricing: $12,995

Provides a way for small- to medium-sized sign shops to digitally produce signs on less costly, non-receptor-coated media. Vinyl-only printer uses infrared lamp to cure specially formulated AquaVinyl? inks onto preheated vinyl. AquaVinyl inks contain 85% less VOCs than solvent-based inkjets.

Flora-2508 and 3204
Shenzhen Runjiang Advertising Equipment & Material Co., Ltd

www.runjiang.net

Inks: Solvent, four-color

Outdoor Durability: 2 years

Format: Roll-to-roll, 2.5 m (98 in.) and 3.3 m (130 in.)

Resolution: 720 dpi and 360 dpi respectively

Print Speeds: 161 to 969 sq ft/hr and 323 to 1292 sq ft/hr

Indoor/outdoor Chinese-built printers include FloraPRINT RIP that allows users to adjust color with real-time on-screen previews and RIP and print simultaneously.

Infiniti FY-6180, 6250, 8180, 8250
Distributed by Aeromatrix

www.aeromatrix.com

Inks: Solvent, four-color

Outdoor Durability: 2 to 3 years

Format: Roll-to-roll, 1.8 m (72 in.) and 2.5 m (99 in.)

Resolution: 200 to 400 dpi

Print Speeds: 258 sq ft/hr in one pass to 603 sq ft/hr in one pass

Inifiniti printers are built in China and distributed in the US by Aeromatrix of Miami, FL.

Mimaki JV3-250SP
Mimaki USA

www.mimaki.com

Inks: Solvent, four- or six-color

Format: Roll-to-roll, 2.5-m (98-in.) print width

Resolution: 1440 dpi

Print Speeds: Under 100 to 375 sq ft/hr

Pricing: $49,995

Versatile variable-droplet printer can output extra-large banners on one 100-in.-wide roll or two 45-in. rolls of media side-by-side for higher-volume jobs.

Mutoh Falcon II Outdoor
Mutoh America

www.mutoh.com

Inks: Eco-Solvent or Eco-Solvent Plus, four- or six-color

Outdoor Durability: 3 years

Format: Roll-to-roll, 1.6-m (63-in.) and 2.2-m (86-in.) print widths

Resolution: 1440 dpi

Print Speeds: Under 100 sq ft/hr to up to 300 sq ft/hr

Pricing: From $29,995

Versatile, variable-droplet printer suited for production runs of 128 36 x 48-in. posters in an 8-hr. shift.

Mutoh Toucan 64
Mutoh America

www.mutoh.com

Inks: Solvent, six-color

Outdoor Durability: 5 years

Format: Roll-to-roll, 1.6-m (63-in.) print width

Resolution: 720 dpi

Print Speeds: 216 to 800 sq ft/hr

Pricing: $74,995

Suited for production runs of 256 36- x 48-in. posters in an 8-hr shift. Includes 21-GB HDD, and Thunderbird print server and ISIS Print Manager software.

Neojet UV-46
Dilli Precision Ind. Co.

www.dilli.co.kr

Inks: UV-curable, four-color

Format: Roll-to-roll/flatbed, 46 in.

Resolution: 400 dpi

Print Speeds: 215 sq ft/hr

Built in Korea by Dilli Precision Ind. Co. which has experience building solvent-system inkjets and cutting plotters.

Orasign PosterJet
Distributed by Aeromatrix

www.aeromatrix.com

Inks: Solvent, four-color

Outdoor Durability: 2 to 3 years

Format: Roll-to-roll, 3.2-m (126-in.) print width

Resolution: 370 dpi

Print Speeds: 237 to 1453 sq ft/hr

SignJet PRO JX2000A
Western Graphtec

www.graphtecusa.com

Inks: Aqueous, four-color

Format: Roll-to-roll printer-cutter, 1.1 m (42 in.) and 1.5 m (60 in.)

Resolution: 600 dpi

Print Speeds: 81 to 204 sq ft/hr

Pricing: $13,995 and $15,995

Dual-purpose sign-printer and vinyl-cutter. Eight-head configuration makes it possible to run two sets of CMYK pigmented or dye inks for faster throughput, or switch between dye and pigmented ink sets. Built-in cutting functions comparable to those on Graphtec's high-end cutting plotters.

Silver Storm (YSL-S8)
Shanghai Yaselan Advertising Material Co. Ltd

www.yaselan.com

Inks: Solvent, four-color

Outdoor Durability: 2 years

Format: Roll-to-roll, 3.4 m (134 in.)

Resolution: 360 dpi

Print Speeds: 484 sq ft/hr to 1324 sq ft/hr

The Silver Storm is Yaselan's first grand-format inkjet made with US-built Spectra printheads. Yaselan has partnered with the new Jetrion division of Flint Ink to ensure that print quality will satisfy world standards.

SkyWide 34
Skyton USA

www.skyton.biz

Inks: Solvent, four-color

Outdoor Durability: 2 years

Format: Roll-to-roll, 3.4 m (137 in.)

Resolution: 360 dpi

Print Speeds: 301 sq ft.hr to 861 sq ft/hr

Pricing: About $140,000

Superwide built with input from consortium of former employees of other well-known superwide manufacturers. Printer uses MegaInk–a fast-drying ink formulated to reduce energy and ink consumption, provide a longer shelf life, and work more effectively on uncoated materials.

SolventJET II
Distributed by Splash of Color and All Graphic Supplies

www.splashofcolor.com; www.allgraphicsupplies.com

Inks: Solvent, six-color (CMYKRB)

Outdoor-Durability: Up to 5 years

Format: 1.4 m (54 in.) and 1.9 m (74 in.) roll-to- roll printers; 1.3 m (54 in.) printer/cutter

Resolution: 1440 dpi

Print Speed: up to 300 sq ft/hr

Pricing: From $36,995 to $42,995

Modified Roland Pro II Series printers use Lyson Pentachrome? solvent-based inks that don't require ventilation equipment. Using red and blue inks instead of light cyan and light magenta helps signmakers simulate spot colors such as reflex blue and Coca Cola red.

Tiara Opal 63
Tiara US

www.tiara-usa.com

Inks: Solvent, six-color (CMYKcm or CMYKRB)

Outdoor Durability: 5 years

Format: Roll-to-roll, 1.6 m (63 in.)

Resolution: 1440 dpi

Print Speed: up to 60 sq ft/hr

Tiara US is a wholly owned subsidiary for Lyson Inc., the UK-based company that makes inks and media for all major inkjet-printing technologies. Opal 63 can be equipped with Pentachrome? inkset to make it easier for signmakers to hit certain spot colors.

Vutek UltraVu 150
Vutek

www.vutek.com

Inks: Solvent, four- or six-color

Outdoor Durability: 5 years

Format: Roll-to-roll, 1.5 m (60 in.)

Resolution: 360 dpi

Print Speeds: 230 to 430 sq ft/hr

Pricing: $165,000

Ruggedly built, built-in-the-US printer is backed by Vutek operator training, materials testing, customer service and technical support. Lower ink costs per square foot than many other solvent-system inkjets.