Inkjet Proofing Innovation (Part 2)

EPSON Corporation

Low-cost high performance is a significant specification of the currently popular Epson seven-color proofers (including Stylus Pro 7600, 9600, and 10600). Users must choose between Epson's dye-based inks and pigment-based Ultrachrome inks, and this choice must be carefully considered because the selected ink type cannot be changed after installation.

As an advocate of pressure-driven piezo imaging technology, Epson claims it can produce droplets as small as four picoliters with its Micro Piezo DX3 printhead, and it can ensure consistent ink supply. Coupled with high speed and high resolution, these printers are not only widely distributed by Epson, but they are also the main components of many supplier proofing systems.

HP Corporation

Since its introduction in 2002, the wide-format Designjet 5500 printer has gained widespread acclaim, and now HP has introduced the new Designjet 120 and Designjet 120nr printers with more advanced technology for the desktop market. At resolutions up to 2400 x 1200 dpi, the new Designjet family members are up to 24 inches wide and use HP's thermal color layering imaging technology to produce droplets as small as 4 picoliters. According to Sandy Gramley, Hewlett-Packard Designjet Product Manager, “We are pleased to offer the Designjet 120 as a professional tool for designers, advertising agents, and small print sites looking for high-quality, low-cost products. Our wide color gamut and six The color ink cartridge provides a stable output quality and is ideal for simulating the output of an offset printing process.) Plus a 24-inch print feature, a convenient 100-sheet paper cassette (for cutting sheets of 13 x 19 inches in size) And at a reasonable price, these six-color printers have a strong market advantage.

Hyphen Asia Pacific

If the workflow requires the creation of a double-sided proof, it is difficult to achieve consistent print speeds on both sides. However, it is reported that Hyphen Asia Pacific's Impoproof series products have this function. As a unique concept of double-sided output, these proofing machines are bolted together by two standard large-format printers, and are equipped with special software and optical positioning systems to ensure precise positioning of the front and rear. Hyphen's ImpoProof 1050 × 2 launched in 2001 uses two HP 1050c wide-format printers, but also has a single-head mode that is inserted manually.

The recently introduced Hyphen ImpoProof 7200×2 printer is a hybrid of two Canon 7200 six-color inkjet printers, available at 600
Outputs 150 square feet per hour at dpi resolution. According to company president Mark Chinchen, “Our new device is based on the Canon 7200. New technology provides faster output speed, more color and higher resolution, and the price is the same as the previous model.”

Kodak Polaroid (KPG) Company

Kodak hopes to use the Matchprint name to benefit from the expansion of digital proofing products. The Matchprint Inkjet Proofers Models 5542 and 5560 can provide six-color thermal dye imaging on sheet or roll materials up to 42 or 60 inches in width. However, the biggest selling point of these devices should be the KPG Color RIP software function. According to the company's global proofing product manager, Mr. Robert Piper, “Over the years of accumulation, our legacy and knowledge in the desktop proofing market have clearly demonstrated in new products. KPG provides customers with competitive solutions, including paper. , inks, printers, software, and services and technical support."

For those printers who prefer to use the platesetter RIP for file processing, KPG's Matchprint Inkjet Proofer can be driven by RIP's one-bit TIFF file, using KPG's OBTi interface.

Macdermid Colorspan

Since its acquisition by MacDermid Printing Solutions in 2000, ColorSpan's DisplayMaker rotary cylinder inkjet printers offer customers a range of cartridge options. DisplayMaker X-12, which is configured with 12 dye or pigment inks, supports a wide range of depths, cyan, and black, as well as orange, green, red, and blue.

Printing companies that favor Pantone's six-color Hexachrome ink pigments should use Roland's Hi-Fi JET Pro II for digital proofing. Hi-Fi JET is known as the first inkjet printer to receive Pantone Hexachrome replication certification, while also using the current popular light blue and light six-color ink cartridges. The company’s 74-inch wide Pro II model, launched in 2002, uses 360 piezoelectric inkjet nozzles for each color, producing clear 5 picoliter droplets and 1440 dpi resolution. Hi-Fi JET also supports Fast Ethernet connection to Postscript RIP, but it can also read data information directly through bidirectional parallel interfaces.

Techsage

Techsage's SpinJet 1000 System was first introduced at Drupa and was upgraded to the Spinjet 1000 Plus by 2001. Like the newer Spinjet 5500 System, the device actually adds extra hardware to the original HP printer, allowing the printed paper to be flipped over automatically and reinserted for automatic two-sided printing. Coupled with Techsage's SpinFlow software, users can define various positioning modes and preview thumbnails of double-sided leaflets. SpinJets can be purchased as a complete unit, or it can be modified by Tekgraf technicians on the company's existing HP 1000 or HP 5500.

in conclusion

The ever-increasing cost-effectiveness of inkjet printers is now a huge driving force for companies to move to a fully digital workflow. Regardless of the choice of continuous ink supply or thermal or piezoelectric on-demand ink printers, the abundant output size, resolution and ink cartridges are sufficient for any printing company's needs.

Price determines quality

Improvements in the quality and speed of inkjet proofing have further blurred the boundaries between daily consumer products, home office and business lines. A small print shop looking for a cheap digital workflow can find printers with a size of 13 x 19 inches and a stunning high-quality output of about $700. These low-cost desktop inkjet printers can produce high-quality digital products.

But as often said: The more you pay, the greater the return! - Durable heavy-duty construction, large ink tank, large output format and high output are the main features of the professional printer.

Source: Chinese Graphic Arts Master