A hero is born

Recently, much has been said and written about the future of super-fast wide-format technology. Many major manufacturers have pointed to the much talked-about ‘waterfall’ technology from Memjet, with Reprographic Technology International (RTI), Canon Océ, Xanté, and a joint venture between Xerox and Fujifilm, opting to do so in order to adopt this type of technology as a cornerstone of a number of high-profile collaborations.

But with a key super power of being able to print at widths of 42" at speeds up to 1,100sq m/h, is this the technology that will be a key ‘hero’ figure for hard-pressed sign-makers looking to diversify their offering? Kevin Shimamoto, vice president of Memjet wide-format, thinks so. He explains that having focused on the office market before 2005, the company moved on to design and develop the technology ‘from the ground up’.



He continues: “Since then we have developed ways of leveraging the technology in different market segments. We offer a strong value proposition particularly in labels and wide-format. This is where there has been the biggest shift from analogue to digital and the need for speed has translated into higher dollar revenue. This is also consistent with where the industry is seeing the most growth.”


Indeed, the demand for wide-format printed graphics for a wide-array of applications, such as point-of-sale signage, posters, proofing, and architectural drawings, has grown exponentially at a time when ‘traditional’ commercial print product volumes have continued to contract. And with end-to-end production processes that would be familiar to any PSP, it seems there is a new hero in town.

Attractive technology

But what actually is it about the technology that makes it so attractive? First, each printhead offers a printable width of 8.77" and comprises of 70,400 nozzles and delivers 1600dpi by firing millions of ink drops per second.  It can print up to 12" (305mm) per second. This means combining five Memjet printheads can deliver 42" (1066mm) of high-quality wide-format print at speeds north of 1,000sq m/h. The aforementioned adopters have all deployed the technology with a focus on different product niches, influencing a sliding scale of speed, automation, and functionality.



Memjet’s printhead IC chips contain five ink channels and two rows of nozzles per channel. Each individual nozzle structure is 31.7 microns across, enabling 800dpi, with the second row of nozzles for each colour slightly offset from the first to deliver 1600dpi in combination. The five ink channels can be also be flexibly configured. The unit also contains 11 IC chips (20 mm each) placed side by side across the printhead with an approximate 1-micron gap between them. In order to avoid print quality issues at the gap between chips, Memjet has developed a ‘drop triangle’ element at the right edge of each chip. The nozzles in the triangle element are then timed to fire as if they are sitting with the rows of nozzles above them, avoiding any missing nozzles across the seam between IC chips.

The result is energy efficient, mechanically sound, high-speed colour printing at low costs. The printhead requires minimal warm-up time and prints in one pass without scanning back and forth, ensuring accurate ink drop placement. The fixed-head approach improves performance, reduces the noise, vibration, mechanical complexity, and drop-firing complexity traditional inkjet architectures can create. The long-life heads are also customer-replaceable to avoid any downtime.



Memjet’s waterfall printhead development has taken place on a backdrop of ongoing discussions in the digital printing arena regarding the choice of inkjet or toner ink technologies. While they can both adequately service similar sectors, there are some areas that suit one more than the other.



Delivering new models

Memjet’s Shimamoto believes the technology offers something unique to companies: “In labels and wide-format we offer more value in what we are doing because of the unique combination of speed, productivity, and cost we can deliver, which is not available in the market today. There are already standards in the industry now but certain benefits enable a better variation and we have definitely introduced a new level into the wide-format market from a category and application standpoint. Adopters are developing jobs based on what the technology, offers from faster turn-around times, output to different locations, and a level of customisation that changes the business model.”

O Factoid: Ink drops from Memjet’s ‘waterfall’ printhead average 14-microns diameter, a fraction of the size of a human hair O

He goes on to highlight an example of using the technology to replace the need for preprinted labels: “Customers can directly print the information on boxes on demand. These can be for a certain region or time in short runs with variable content. This can be extremely valuable to brands and manufacturers as it provides a level of customisation around the production they could not do competitively in the past. For grocery stores retail print and signage can be produced in real-time, meeting local or regional communication needs. The flexibility is opening a lot of doors and a lot of new ideas.”


The wide super league

While Memjet’s technology is used for an array of label and ‘small-format’ printing applications, the manufacturers that have identified the benefits of the waterfall technology and incorporated them into their ‘wide-format’ systems (42"-wide and above) at the quality levels stated include Reprographic Technology and its Vortex 4200, Canon Océ with the ColorWave 900, Xanté with its Excelagraphix 4200 Inkjet Print System, and Gongzheng Group with its sheet-fed PRO-A1060C.

Looking to systems sold into Europe, Reprographic Technology International’s Vortex 4200 (850sq m/h actual production speed) was first showcased at an exclusive preview event at Wrest Park in Bedfordshire. According to Peter Barton, EMEA business director for RTI, it is already gaining market traction: “Feedback from the 160 attendees was very positive, resulting in both direct sales at the preview and, more importantly, a confirmation that our Vortex 4200 printer is well-positioned to deliver exceptional results and massive productivity gains for CAD, GIS, and point-of-sale graphics printing.



“One of our strengths is the ability to tailor solutions to the needs of our customers. Since this preview event, interest in the Vortex 4200 has been high, and we have conducted customer installations within the UK and Israel. We are also nearing completion of additional dealer agreements within Europe.”

Looking to the Océ ColorWave 900, it claims to deliver cost-effective printing of more than 1,100sq m/h and has been specifically designed for the graphic arts market among others, output is cut and delivered—dry and ready to use—into a high-capacity stacker. Applications include point-of-sale (POS), exhibition and trade show materials, counter and floor displays, technical drawings and maps. Bart Geraads, European production print group director, Technical Document Systems (TDS) and Display Graphics Systems (DGS) at Canon Europe, says the Océ ColorWave 900 delivers a solution that, ‘puts print-service-providers at the vanguard of wide-format printing’.



The Xanté Excelagraphix 4200 Inkjet Print System says it delivers print speeds up to eight times faster than traditional inkjet technology for on-demand work, including over-sized architectural/engineering documents, maps, rigid indoor signage, point-of-purchase (POP) displays, packaging, folding cartons, corrugated boxes, and newspapers. A unique feature to this class, the adjustable media path allows users to print on a wide variety of media, including extremely thick foam board and corrugated cardboard and sheet sizes from 8.27 x 8.27? (21 x 21cm) up to 42 x 95" (106 x 243.8cm). It can also personalise individual pieces and run variable data at full speed.

Xerox dealer Stanford Marsh Group Graphics (SMGG) also prototyped the Xerox IJP2000 at last year’s Sign and Digital UK. The printer first made its debut at Drupa following a Fujifilm and Xerox joint venture to develop a 1,066mm (42") wide, roll-fed, aqueous inkjet single-pass printer that can print 85gsm coated stock to much heavier canvas and polyester-based stocks. It is capable of printing up to 420sq m/h in a single-pass with posters taking under five seconds.



Matthew Perkins, director of SMGG, comments: “It is ideal for volume-driven applications that require fast production speeds. It presents a good commercial opportunity for people looking for indoor POS. It also offers great potential for a range of applications including maps.”

Continual development

Always keen to stay ahead of the curve, Memjet’s Shimamoto says it will continue to develop printheads with a focus on speed.

He explains: “The challenge is the need to have printheads that are compatible with technologies such as pigment ink, UV curable ink for textiles, and ceramics to outdoor signage. If we can increase the compatibility we can expand the market basis. Memjet is also aiming to expand its sector presence with commercial printing very much in its sights.”

Shimamoto continues: “As we introduce new technology and as partners expand we will start to see much more direct commercial print applications from books and transactional to all types of promotional. We are constantly evolving first generation projects, partners, future printhead technology, inks, and drivers. We are also looking at page-wide array systems by ganging printheads. We can do that cost-efficiently with a resolution and quality that today is unmatched.

He concludes: “PSPs are moving to smaller runs and have been asking for digital solutions for a long time. They also don’t want to invest the same level of capital they have previously. That is the same with customisation at a low capital cost. It is a way of supplementing analogue work and to ensure quality at an affordable price. We are working with partners looking to develop products in that category and space to configure two or three print heads for B2 or B1, as well as for roll-to-roll presses.”

Looking at the current product offering on the market, combined with the potential of the wide-format print sector, it seems that Memjet and its peers have made a very clever move and developed technologies that fit the right niche, at the right time. So all that is left is to urge you to investigate this print ‘super hero’ further and move up, up, and away!

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