Product Almanac: Visual Impact releases

As Visual Impact draws near, so too do a swag of new releases. This week, Print21 looks at EFI’s Rastek H650 wide-format printer, while Anitech’s textile printer Century Star CS1600 goes on show.

EFI Australia and local distributor DES have announced that EFI’s Rastek H650 wide-format printer will make its Australian debut at Visual Impact.

The Rastek H650 from EFI is a UV hybrid flatbed printer suited for production and print shop environments. According to Simon Trytell, EFI Australia’s inkjet SDM, versatility is a key feature of the Rastek H650. “It handles a wide range of flexible and rigid media quickly and easily with its breakthrough vacuum belt media transport system, making it the ideal printer to produce display and exhibition graphics, indoor and outdoor signage, posters and point-of-purchase advertising,” he said.

The gray scale print heads produce photographic image quality, saturated colours and smooth colour gradations by utilizing seven size drops ranging from six picolitre drops for fine detail to 42 picolitre drops. The H650 can handle materials up to 165 cm wide and 4.5 cm thick, at resolutions of up to 1200 x 900 dpi at speeds of up to 21.3 sqm/hour.

Phillip Burns, grand format BDM for DES, believes that the range of substrates the H650 can handle is impressive. “This is the ideal printer for printshops looking to expand their range of services because it can print on materials such as PVC, corrugated plastics, plywood, aluminium, acrylic and glass. The opportunities are almost endless,” he added.

Anitech will exhibit several wide format flatbed and textile machines at Visual Impact.

“When you’re as big as Anitech it’s important we can show our capabilities by having multiple systems on display,” said Barry Grant, Anitech’s general manager. “Our stand will have several wide format and textile demonstration machines and visitors will be able to see just how broad our market coverage really is. Combine this with our show specials and we are going to make this exhibition our best yet.”

The machines on display will be supported by sales representatives from many of the big name international brands who will be on hand to answer direct questions.

From its Jetrix range will be the Jetrix 2513 flatbed printer that provides solutions for indoor and outdoor applications and incorporates the ability to print primer, varnish and white plus CYMK. Key among its features are the variable dot capability allowing high quality work to be produced continuously from its 2,440 x 1,220mm flatbed or its 70inch roll-to-toll unit, at a rate of 30sqm/hr on most popular substrates.

Also on display will be the Seiko ColorPainter V64 and H74 machines with roll widths of 64 and 104 inches respectively. Each unit comes crammed with a host of features - the H74s model has an eight-colour ink set that provides smooth graduations and highest image quality, while the four-colour mode print speed is up to 100sqm/hr with excellent print density. Multiple media types are handled with a combination of automatic print head height adjustments and selectable pinch roller pressure plus the machine will handle bulk media rolls with weights up to 120kg.

Making its debut on the Anitech stand will be the new Century Star CS1600 1,625mm wide, entry level direct to textile printer. Having started life as a textile manufacturer, Century Star moved into the textile print machinery area only after establishing its credentials as a media supplier. The CS1600 printer is complete with its own fixation unit and fume buster extraction system, making it an ideal starter system for businesses.

Another must-see textile printer is the the new Kornit Breeze 921 direct to garment printer. With its 6 spectra piezo electric print heads with 256 nozzles per head the Breeze can of print on cotton, polyester, cotton-polyester blend, lycra, viscose, silk, leather, denim, linen, wool and much more. Production output at 600 x 1,200dpi is 40 light and 25 dark garments per hour with an A4 sized print area. The Breeze 921 will be bundled with the Adelco two-drawer dryer that is positioned under the printer to keep the space footprint to an absolute minimum.

Complementing the print units is the Drytac AFC1600 water-based flood coater (pictured), which is compatible with most roll-to-roll solvent, eco solvent and pigmented inkjet printers. AFC coaters protect graphics on a variety of substrates and can act as flash curing devices for hard to dry inks.

Rounding out the machinery on display will be the top of the range Graphtec 8000-160 series, high-speed cutter.