Keep on rolling

Flicking through the news pages of this magazine, there is one major trend that seems to stand out more than others—investment. Companies of all types across the industry are stumping up the cash to purchase new machinery to help boost their overall production offering or expand into new markets.

However, when purchasing new kit, it is critical that you invest in the right type of technology that will allow your business to grow in the right markets. Quite a few companies have taken this into account and expanded their services into the wide-format roll-to-roll sector, which has been enjoying a fairly steady period of growth for some time now.

With more sign-makers picking up the scent of opportunity in this area, here, we look at some of the key manufacturers that serve this industry sector and pick out a selection of technology.

Speed and quality
 
Mimaki is one of the brands that immediately comes to mind when considering wide-format roll-to-roll technology. John de la Roche, national sales manager for sign and graphics at Mimaki’s exclusive UK and Irish distributor Hybrid Services, says there are opportunities here for sign-makers, if they invest in the right sort of kit, highlighting the options on offer from the manufacturer.

“Mimaki’s wide-format inkjet printers have long been associated with speed and quality and its latest generation of roll-to-roll hardware is no exception,” de la Roche says, adding: “The Mimaki JV300 series is an outdoor durable option available in 1.3m and 1.6m widths that achieves a top print speed of over 105sq m/h. The JV300 series can run in both a solvent setup, which utilises nine colours including white, light black and orange, and also as a dye-sublimation option, opening up fashion, sportswear and PoS applications.

O Factoid: The Mimaki JV300 series boasts a top print speed of more than 105sq m/h. O

“Mimaki’s JV300 series has the option of an OEM bulk ink system which facilitates high-speed, volume production. Using a bulk ink system allows continuous and unattended printing on long runs, freeing up man hours for other tasks. It also cuts down the cost of printing as the MBIS allows Mimaki’s popular SS21 ink to be purchased in 2 litre sacks at a lower cost per ml than the standard cartridges, which increases the profitability of the job.”

De la Roche adds: “High-speed printers such as the JV300 allows the production of high volumes of print for customers wanting quality output. With this sort of capability in-house, small sign and graphics companies can compete with much larger print providers and win high-end retail work and alike.”


Also firmly established in this market sector is Agfa Graphics, which has reported a high level of interest in its Anapurna 3200i, a high-speed 3.2m-wide UV roll-to-roll printer that can print on a range of flexible substrates such as banner, vinyl, and wallpaper. The machine, which can reach speeds of 127sq m/h, is available in six-colour and four-colour plus white.



Opening up about the machine, Agfa highlights additional features, including the optimal roll system for printing two 1.5m wide rolls simultaneously, as well as an optional mesh kit for printing onto substrates used for building wraps. The system also includes the Agfa Asanti Render and Production workflow software, which the firm says allows for full automation and ripping facilities.

Regarding opportunities in this sector, Agfa UK’s marketing manager Steve Collins says: “We do see customers moving into other areas of diversification, such as interior wall coverings and backlit applications. Also, many sign-makers only have the capability of printing 1.6m to 2.6m in width.

“3.2m opens up many new opportunities into the super wide arena, previously only accessible by a business with more expensive printers. With the addition of the LED models, customers will now have the added opportunity for printing heat sensitive materials such as window graphics and transparent displays.”

Efficiency and performance

Casting the wide-format roll-to-roll net further afield, Roland DG has yet another suggestion for those looking at this market. The Soljet EJ-640 is the latest model to join the manufacturer’s wide-format print range and offers a solution for applications across a range of sectors.

Roland DG’s business development manager, Mak Elvidge, explains: “The Soljet EJ-640 has been developed with cost-efficient, high performance productivity in mind, meaning that users who invest in this machine can maximise their profits while maintaining low running costs across a range of applications.
 
“This gives sign-makers the chance to enter into markets previously unavailable to them with a lower productivity, higher cost print device; and the chance to expand their business opportunities at a low cost, and therefore a lower risk.

“As well as its capability to print at very high speeds, it is the many advanced elements of the Soljet EJ-640 that make it so productive and reliable including the speed in which files can be set-up and printed with Roland DG’s exclusive software package Versaworks Dual.”

In terms of the markets in which the EJ-640 can support sign-makers, Roland DG highlights larger wraps, such as those used on buildings or outsize vehicles that require a large amount of consumables, inks, and time—jobs the manufacturers say often fall in the domain of larger companies purely due to cost investment.

Elvidge expands: “Machines like the Soljet EJ-640 open the door for smaller businesses to enter the market with an affordable investment and the installation expertise to back it up, allowing for strong profit and even stronger competition versus larger industrial production units.

“In markets where banner creation is key, such as events, quantity and quality have to go hand-in-hand. The larger investment in a faster printer enables sign-makers to cover running costs with ease for print runs where time is of the essence. With the EJ-640 capable of producing up to 100sqm per hour—more than enough to cover any event production need—it provides sign-makers with a chance to compete with larger suppliers without impacting any business that may already be consistent.”



Manufactured by Roland DG and available through its network of authorised dealers, the EJ-640 is a very successful system. One of those dealers is Spandex, which also has a number of other options on offer in addition to the Soljet. One of these comes in the form of the HP Latex 370, which runs at speeds of up to 91sq m/h and operates with 3l inks.



Simon Carus, hardware sales executive at Spandex, comments: “By investing in a higher productivity device several opportunities will open up for digital printers and graphics producers—these are higher volume contracts due to increased capacity, ability to win jobs more competitively due to reduced running costs, longer uninterrupted print runs due to bulk ink type systems which again leads to higher productivity and reduced down time.

“The higher speed HP machines come with several additional features such as a built in i1 Spectrophotometer, media loader and ink collector for porous textiles and bulk ink system. These are not available on the lower priced models.

“In addition, the HP Latex mobile app gives alerts when attention is needed, lets the user know the status of jobs whilst they are away from the machine and also remotely keep tabs on print jobs.”

Professional results

Also weighing in on the debate is Epson, whose sales manager for prographics, Phil McMullin, highlights the 64 SureColor SC-S80600 printer, which he states, “combines performance and application flexibility, with a low total cost of ownership”.

McMullin adds: “Designed for quick and easy set up with minimum maintenance, they offer maximum productivity with the highest professional-quality results. With dual PrecisionCore TFP printheads and nine or ten colours—CMYKLcLmLk plus red and orange—it can also be configured to use white or metallic silver and a print speed up to 95.1sq m/h in single-pass banner mode, which is perfectly suited for banner production that will be viewed from a distance.

“Also in the SureColor range, the SC-S60600 is ideal for fast turnaround, high print volume environments. Featuring dual PrecisionCore TFP printheads, it can print up to 95.3sq m/h for single-pass applications.”



Reflecting on how these machines can help sign-makers move into the market, McMullin comments: “There is huge potential for growth in the signage market so investing in higher productivity devices can open up a number of exciting opportunities for print service providers.

“By looking at new creative ways of using the technology and different media available to them they can tap into new markets and broaden their product range. An ever-increasing range of professional print applications are possible—backlit panels and clear films, POS/POP materials, vehicle wraps, wallpaper, canvases, soft signage and exhibition and display graphics.


“Companies investing in either the SureColor SC-S80600 or SC-S60600 can be confident that the equipment they are purchasing is efficient, productive, flexible, reliable and economical.”

Another company stocked up to serve this sector of the market is Inktec, which last year rolled out the Jetrix RX5000 at FESPA 2015. Serving as a bigger brother to the firm’s existing 3.2m-wide roll-to-roll UV printer, the newer model can hit speeds of 255sq m/h and 36sq m/h in the best quality setting.



Boasting 16 Konica Minolta KM series print heads, the RX5000 is available in a four-colour or eight-colour ink configuration, while also offering an easy winding system and option to load multiple rolls on the feed, which enable printing at the same time.

Joey Kim, managing director of Inktec Europe, comments: “Some may wonder why we have gone even bigger, but we are clearly seeing a demand across Europe for indoor and outdoor graphics produced on these super wide production printers. As a result, there was a need to go one step further, which is why we have gone even wider to a 5m roll and developed the Jetrix RX5000.”

Just a glance at this market shows that not only is there work available to those considering expanding, but also a plethora of technology to help them on their way, should they opt to go ahead with a move. Yes, as with all markets, there is a risk that the move may not pay off, but with quality technologies, such as those in place here, it would seem that expansion into wider-format markets is a pretty safe bet for sign-makers.


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