UV Inkjet as contract quality proof?

[beermonster]

Hi all

what's your thoughts on the colour accuracy of wide format UV inkjet - i'm looking into the feasability of using a UV machine for contract quality proofs.

why? packaging B1 here (we only print on card/board), we also have a lot of UV stuff going through our existing UV inkjet but it wont print on card (too much heat)

we are looking to do full size mock ups on the job's stock, that can be accepted as "contract quality"

so - which UV machine (NOT solvent based) is capable and how would i go about getting it accurate enough

thanks in advance

 

[Ian Mackenzie]

Beermonster,

Interesting post. We have researched this here in the US. There are a few factors that are obstacles and there is one solution that we have seen that works.

The issues/obstacles that we see are:

1. You need a UV flatbed, not a roll to roll. That knocks out cost effective printers from Roland. It also immediately moves the price point of the solution up to over $75K.....for just the printer.

2. You need output resolutions that are high enough to deliver quality for contract proofing - including type quality and white ink. This eliminates another host of solutions and increases the price point even further.

3. Now....you must find an engine that can be driven by a "contract quality proofing RIP". This is where the field is very limited and comes down to EFI, CGS and GMG.

The engine that appears as the logical solution is the Mimaki UJF-605 series and the 605RII is advertised for your application.

http://www.mimakiusa.com/IndustrialProduct.aspx?level=2&pid=3&cid=12

We have a "sister company" in Australia that markets this solution for your exact application.

DES : Products

Now the "bad news", in my opinion......this solution is expensive and costs about $120,000.
I did hear that CGS once marketed this solution and I do know that GMG and Mimaki showed a solution together at FESPA last week. Perhaps that solution may be better suited or, I would hope, comes in at a more realistic price point.

GMG is partnering with Hewlett Packard and Mimaki Europe B.V. at FESPA Digital 2009: GMGColor

The customers that we polled were all interested in a flatbed UV solution to replace Approvals, B2s and Final proofs.....until they heard the price point, saw the footprint and viewed the "iron lung" appearance of the Mimaki product....;-)

We do hear that some companies will use the Konica Minolta UV heads (like Roland does)in printers that will besigned to do packaging prototyping. Perhaps we will see one at Print '09.

 

[beermonster]

Ian

firstly thanks a heap for all of that - very interesting stuff

ok well i'm not seeing a need for the white option for what we do unless you found a viable reason for it? (we dont need to underpin with white like say plastic printers might)

I had thought about the rips - caldera, onyx and the like seem ok for their designed "world" (we have colorprint on our UV), but i'm looking into whether we could run an anapurna through apogee - have apogee do the CM and run borh CTP and throw files at the UV too - theory being CMM is the same for both devices

i agree on the flatbed - ours currently is a hybrid - does both, but it wont print on board sadly. the anapurna can do both and will do both our foamex needs and board (as would gerber, mimaki, oce, acuity etc etc)

if my rip solution is ONLY those 3 then i'm good with that - they are arguable three of the best!

my current solution is indeed a B2 and since we are B1 komori based it makes no further commercial sense to keep it.

gonna check out those links - thanks again Ian

 

[costeastefan]

You can try:
Rasterprinter (now EFI - Rastek) EFI's Rastek

A second solution for solving heat problems can be any of LED UV printers available on market (Mimaki UVJ, SUN - Neo, Roland)

 

[gerrit]

We have archieved Contract Proof Quality for ISOcoatedV2 on the Fuji Acuity with ColorGATE Productionserver5 and the optional Proofmodule very easily. We found some UV machines that are actually capable of doing the same. Depending on what machine and media you are using you could choose to calibrate it to match the colors to your needs.

If you like you can send me a private message with your machine specs and I can give you a hint or two.

 

[beermonster]

i have indeed sent you a personal message