OKI showcased the Color Painter E-64s at The Print Show last year where it drew in significant interest from visitors
Whenever you hear a manufacturer say they are launching an entry-level machine, I know it is a normal reaction to shy away, fearful that they have cut down the price of the machine by devaluing the model it is derived from. If you are limited by price you can also feel that there will be constraints on the output of any entry-level machine if you are to opt with the lower priced option.
If you are looking for a wide-format inkjet printer for a large range of products and quality, I expect you would be likely to look to the OKI M-64s, a printer we reviewed a few months ago. If the price tag was a little too high at that time, OKI have now brought to market a new machine with an entry-level price tag, the E-64s. The surprise, however, is that they have been able to adopt lots of the key aspects of the M-64s into the E-64s and have clearly not compromised on print quality.
They have been able to adopt lots of the key aspects of the M-64s into the E-64s and have clearly not compromised on print quality”
The M-64s came equipped with clever OKI patented designs such as Smart Pass 4, Smart Nozzle 3, Dynamic Dot Print, and the Safe Scanning System that was a significant success for OKI. I was pleasantly surprised to see all these functions on the E-64s.
Most importantly, the Color Painter E-64s uses OKI’s new series of inks called the SX ink range. The revolutionary low-odour eco-solvent has been developed specifically to provide both a wide colour gamut and associated vividness along with high colour density. Quite often green consumables can cost more and have less permanent physical properties, but the SX ink range has low running costs and the ink has excellent outdoor durability.
The gaps between the Color Painter E-64s and M-64s are small and the machines share a lot of commonality. This non-exhaustive list encompasses a new air flow system, large capacity ink cartridges, high-speed inkjet heads, substrate take up systems, and automatic print adjustment.
The Color Painter E-64s has a printing speed of 1.9sq m/h in fine detail mode to 22.9smph in fast production mode
The new air flow system inside of the E-64s printer has been designed to improve the drying of the ink in process. A general property of low-odour inks is they have less solvent and as such need either longer to dry or the process enhanced.
The Color Painter E-64s not only has a new air flow system, but this new design also gives OKI the chance to put a large heater inside of the printer body which heats three specific areas: preprint, print, and post-print. These two new elements allow air to be drawn from the rear of the printer; once heated, passes over the printed sheet giving even drying prior to exiting at the front of the machine. As the inks are low-odour, this is all accomplished without harm to the operator.
Quality control
OKI have focused significant design efforts on the ink delivery, after all the quality of the product is what the printer is judged on. The ink is delivered through OKI’s Dynamic Dot Print Technology (DDP), which controls the dot size to ensure the colours are reproduced accurately. The optimised ink dot size can be accomplished without any loss of production speed. For banners this is as high as 22.9sq m/h to 1.9sq m/h for maximum quality on vinyl substrate. This is slower than the M-64s, but there needs to be compromise at some point.
The first of three new elements of the Color Painter E-64s’ ink delivery system is that the main ink reservoir has a capacity of 0.5l and the printer can have standard black, magenta, cyan, and yellow process colours and additional light cyan and magenta.
Secondly, the print heads themselves, being the heart of the machine, require deeper examination. The Color Painter E-64s ink heads are of a high frequency drop on demand Piezo type. The heads can provide a resolution of up to 1080dpi, which gives the depth of vivid colour the Color Painter E-64s can deliver.
The third element of the printer’s cross pollination from the M-64s is the on-carriage ionizer. Static electricity is one of the main issues for the product on substrates such as PVC etc. OKI has built into the printer a new on-carriage ioniser, which neutralises the static that builds up even in low humidity environments.
The combination of all of these elements means that the Color Painter E-64s has all the equipment needed for eye-catching production and, importantly, at a price that may put it within the reach of a larger number of potential customers.
The Color Painter E-64s has all the equipment needed for eye-catching production”
Across the stable of Color Painter machines, OKI have developed their new inks; the SX ink range. The new ink series most importantly delivers the colour depth and vividness needed for sign and banner production and also gives a high durability for outdoor uses. But in this day and age, when there is an added need for traceability or compliance, these inks are underpinned by the Greenguard gold standard.
Greenguard certification is part of UL Environment’s ecological compliance program. UL Environment is part of Underwriters Laboratories (UL) and acquired Greenguard in 2011, which provides purchasers with assurance that the products being supplied will comply with the highest of ecological standards.
To satisfy the Greenguard gold standard, the inks supplied by OKI must meet the stringent emissions standards based on established chemical exposure criteria. Specifically, the SX inks meet the UL2818 standard, which is for low chemical emissions for indoor production.
Just because the inks have low solvent content, this does not affect their durability. After 36 months on OKI’s accelerated weathering test, both black and cyan inks show no reduction in residual density, and the yellow and magenta colours having just over 90 percent residual density.
To ensure the product looks as good as possible, the SX ink range comes in up to seven colours, one being a new grey ink that produces highly accurate monochrome output without colour shifts a four-colour separation can produce.
As with all modern equipment, there needs to be software programmes that maximise the possible output and quality of production. The Color Painter E-64s has Smart Nozzle Mapping (SNM3), which minimises down time due to missing dots on finished production and SNM3 also allows for the automatic nozzle number configuration. Smart Pass Technology (SPT4) is a clever piece of software that reduces banding and reduces overspray by the use of improved algorithms and masking technology.
Finally, OKI’s Advanced CP Manger Software has been specifically developed and bundles the controller software allowing operators to control the Color Painter E-64s via PC, tablet, or smartphone.
The Color Painter M-64s won a lot of people over as it can demonstrate eco-credentials, without giving up the high-definition production demanded by clients wanting to ensure that instant visual impact. OKI have now made the same impressive colour output from a machine which will be within the price range of a greater number of customers in the form of the E-64s.
Brian Sims, principal consultant, Metis Print Consultancy, www.metis-uk.eu
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