MacDermid Colorspan, represented by Protea Graphics in Southern Africa, has announced a new family of wide-format digital colour inkjet printers, the DisplayMaker Mach 12, that produces up to 37,1 m²/hour of high-resolution print. The printer includes 12 600-dpi inkjet print heads for using Colorspan EnduraChrome and PermaChrome inks for producing indoor and outdoor posters, banners, signs, exhibition and point-of-purchase displays and other large-format output.

"This printer is perfect for any company that needs high volume poster printing, because of its speed," says Ken Bezuidenhout, Managing Director of Protea Graphics. "It has been perceived in the market that Colorspan print costs are high due to the ink prices. However, with the efficiency of this machine your cost per square metre is lower, and because of the speed, your income per shift will be more than three times higher than the majority of the machines currently available on the market.

"An added advantage is the ability to print in 600 dpi and apparent 1200 dpi and 1800 dpi," stated Bezuidenhout. "The unattended printing features in this machine outclass any digital printer currently on the market. Colorspan pioneered 6-colour and 8-colour and now even 12-colour ink technology. This proves that Colorspan has the leading edge in digital printing technology, putting them three years ahead of their competitors."

A new Modular Ink Delivery System features 960 ml ink reservoirs that can be changed without interrupting printing, semi-permanent ink supply lines, and near one-inch wide, extended-life print heads for maximum production and reduced operating cost.

The printer has 12 print heads, which gives users the choice of printing with 4, 6, 8 or 12 colours: cyan, magenta, yellow and black augmented with medium cyan and medium magenta, or medium cyan and medium magenta plus light cyan and light magenta for smoother gradients and higher apparent resolutions, extended with orange, green, red and blue for maximum gamut.

User selectable print modes automatically regulate the number of print passes (2 up to 16) to give the Mach 12 owner the widest possible choice of 'sellable quality' at optimum productivity. From band free 'economy mode', 600 dpi output at 37,1 m²/hour, to 'film quality', apparent 1800 dpi output at 18,3 m²/hour, to 'fine art' apparent 1800 dpi at up to 4,6 m²/hour. A 24" x 36" photo-quality poster can be printed in less than 1 minute, a 30" x 40" backlit in 2,5 minutes, or an 18" x 24" fine art reproduction on canvas in less than 4 minutes.

The modular ink delivery system has been redesigned for higher productivity and lower cost of operation. It is a three-piece system that includes high-capacity ink supply reservoirs, semi-permanent ink supply lines and state-of-the-art thermal inkjet printheads. Sets of high-capacity, 960 ml ink supply reservoirs provide hundreds of square metres of printing between ink changes and can be changed while printing to prevent job interruption. The semi-permanent ink supply lines are user replaceable to allow the printer to be set up with a variety of ink configurations.

A simple user interface via the LCD touch screen presents all frequently used functions on a single screen. Detailed menus are available to allow for full control of all features.

The Advanced Automation Eye, pioneered by MacDermid ColorSpan has developed further to make the DisplayMaker Mach 12 the most advanced, yet easy-to-use printer available. The Automation Eye consists of two high-resolution image sensors and highly proprietary software to enable on-line and automatic measurements and adjustments to maintain accurate printing and predictable colour.

When loading media, the printer senses the media thickness and automatically adjusts the print head height to accommodate the media up to 3 mm thick while maintaining maximum print quality. The printer comes fully equipped to support unattended lengthy print runs. Users benefit by eliminating damaged prints and wasted time.

The DisplayMaker Mach 12 is initially available in a 182 cm model, with 152 cm and 107 cm wide models becoming available in the near future.

Protea Graphics

(011) 719 5700

kenbez@protea.co.za

www.protea.co.za