PUBLICATION CENTER

Last month, we mentioned that the 2007 Graph Expo printing show might be a good venue for seeing what’s new in wide-format inkjets. Sure enough, right around the time of the Sept. 9-12 show, Epson, Canon, Roland, and Xerox all introduced new printers.

Epson America formally announced its 64-in. Stylus Pro 11880 aqueous inkjet printer with a new high-resolution TFP (thin-film piezo) printhead. Canon introduced the speedy 44-in. imagePROGRAF 8000S and 60-in. 9000S aqueous inkjet printers.

Roland unveiled fast new SOLJET PRO III XJ eco-solvent inkjet printers in 54-in., 64-in., and 74-in. widths. And Xerox expanded its portfolio of wide-format printers with the 8200 Series of 65-in. and 90-in. eco-solvent inkjet printers for indoor and outdoor graphics;  

Epson Stylus Pro 11880: The 64-in. Epson Stylus Pro 11880 is the first Epson printer to use Epson’s nine-channel MicroPiezo TFP printhead. The TFP (thin-film piezo) printhead is the highest resolution piezo printhead Epson has developed to date, with 360 nozzles per inch.

Each nozzle can produce a variety of droplet sizes, including drops as small as 3.5 picoliters to achieve print resolutions as high as 2880 x 1440 dpi. The nine-channel ink system allows for simultaneous use of all inks, without having to swap black cartridges manually.

The 11880 appears particularly well-suited for shops specializing in fine-art reproduction. It includes enhancements designed to set a new Epson benchmark for image quality, and it can print up to two times faster than any previous Epson Stylus Pro model. It also features 700-ml ink cartridges.

Along with the 11880, Epson introduced replacements to the 17-in. Stylus Pro 4800, the 24-in. Stylus Pro 7800, and the 44-in. Stylus Pro 9800. 

Like the new Stylus Pro 11880 (about $15,000), the new Stylus Pro 4880 (about $2,000), the Stylus Pro 7880 ($3,000) and the Stylus Pro 9880 (about $5,000) all incorporate an enhanced UltraChrome K3 inkset, ACCUPhoto HD screening technology, and printheads with an ink-repelling coating designed to reduce the potential for nozzle clogs.

The new Epson printers are now available at LexJet. Contact a LexJet account specialist at 800-453-9538 for information on special bundle and rebate offers.

Canon iPF 8000S and 9000S: The S in Canon’s new imagePROGRAFS wide-format printers stands for speed. The new 60-in. iPF9000S and 44-in. iPF8000S printers are reportedly 40 percent faster than the original iPF9000 and iPF 8000 printers. According to Canon, the S series printer can render a 1200 x 1200 dpi A0 size print (32.5 x 40.6 in.) in the Standard mode on glossy photo paper in less than five minutes (the maximum print resolution is 2400 x 1200 dpi).

Unlike the iPF8000 and 9000 printers, which are geared for high-end photo and art reproduction, the Canon S series printers are aimed at production print shops, commercial printers, in-plant facilities, exhibit builders, and sign shops who want to turn around print jobs faster or produce more prints per day.

To achieve the faster speeds, Canon has decreased the number of ink colors while retaining the dual printhead configuration and 30,720 nozzles used in its 12-color models. Unlike the iPF8000 and iPF9000, which both use a 12-color set of LUCIA pigment inks, the new S series printers use 8 colors: Cyan, Photo Cyan, Magenta, Photo Magenta, Yellow, Black, Matte Black and Gray. By eliminating the Red, Green, Blue, and Photo Gray inks, the S-Series printers can use up to 5,120 nozzles per color—the most nozzles per color of any printer in the industry.

The eight-color ink system symmetrically arranges the nozzles for Cyan, Photo Cyan, and Photo Magenta so that ink droplets of those three colors will be fired in the same sequence in both forward and reverse passes. This helps reduce subtle color variations that can accompany ink-firing sequences and allow for faster printing with fewer passes and more even color.

Other new features support improved production:

• An ink sub tank allows operators to replace empty ink tanks without interrupting the printing process. 

• An 80-GB hard drive makes it possible to queue multiple print jobs without tying up networked computers.

• A media-skew-correction feature automatically detects when paper isn’t properly aligned and shifts the media’s edge accordingly. This feature is expected to particularly useful when printing borderless images up to 42-in. wide.

The iPF8000S ($5,995) and iPF9000S ($14,995) also include Kyaunos, a feature that allows operators to adjust print tones for optimal viewing of colors under different ambient lighting conditions. 

Canon’s PosterArtist 2007 software is available for purchase with the printers. The Windows-only software makes it easy to create professional-looking posters quickly and easily. With the software’s Auto Design feature, you simply designate which images should be incorporated into a poster then allow the software to automatically arrange the images into your selected poster template.

Canon’s iPF900S ($14,995) and iPF8000S ($5,995) are expected to be available in October.

Roland SOLJET PRO III XJ Series: Roland’s new 74-in. SOLJET PRO III XJ-740, 64-in. XJ-640, and 54-in. XJ 540 printers are the company’s fastest SOLJETs to date. The six-color (CMYK+ LcLm) printers can produce photorealistic 1440 x 1440 dpi images and achieve maximum print speeds of up to 458 sq. ft./hr. for the 74-in. model, 449 sq ft/hr for the 64-in. model, and 441 sq ft/hr for the 54-in. unit. The printers use Roland’s fast-drying, scratch-resistant ECOL-SOL MAX ink.

The printers can handle both indoor and outdoor graphics, including high-volume printing of banners, signs, billboards, vehicle wraps and fleet graphics, and flexible-face signage. With Roland’s Precision Firing Pattern, the XJ-series printers can output posters, P.O.P. displays, and fine-art reproductions.

The SOLJET PRO III XJ Series features Roland’s VersaWorks RIP software with variable-data printing and spot-color-matching capabilities, a heavy-duty media handling system, and new media flanges, pinch rollers, grit rollers, and belt drives for accurate media feeding and tracking. The printers will sell for $24,995 for the XJ-540, $27,995 for the XJ-640, and $29,995 for the XJ-740.

Xerox 8200 Series: With Xerox’s new 65- or 90-in. 8200 Series low-solvent printers, owners of digital presses can expand their printing services to include both indoor and outdoor graphics. According to Xerox executive Quincy Allen, print service providers will be able to supplement direct-mail pieces with full-color posters or pair sales sheets with retail signage.

The new printers are being offered in response to InfoTrends data showing that 88 percent of print providers in the graphics communications market who plan to buy a new wide-format printer in the next 12 months intend to use it for both indoor and outdoor graphics.

Xerox 8200 Series printers will be able to output vibrant graphics at resolutions ranging from 360 to 1440 dpi at speeds ranging from 162 to 215 sq. ft./hr. They use variable-drop piezo heads for sharp images and Intelligent Interweaving Printing Technology for higher print speeds, minimal banding, lower ink user, and wider color gamuts.

The printers were demonstrated at Graph Expo and are expected to launch in early 2008.