The Big Picture - August 2012 - (Page 15)

FOREVER FLATBEDS Specs on more than 90 ﬂatbed and hybrid printers. • Ink types accepted: Most ﬂatbeds/hybrids are UVcurable, some indicated aqueous or solvent. • Minimum/maximum resolution (true/apparent): What is the minimum/maximum true/apparent resolution? We asked for both true and apparent resolution specs; if a company provided both, we’ve listed as true/apparent in that order. If only one spec is listed, it’s typically true resolution. • Maximum speed at a speciﬁc resolution: What’s the printer’s fastest speed (sq ft/hr) and resolution (dpi)? • High-quality speed at a speciﬁc resolution: What is the speed (sq ft/hr) and resolution (dpi) for high-quality printing? • RIP: What RIP comes standard? • Year Intro’d: What year was the model introduced? • Price: What’s the selling price? • Warranty: How long is the printer warranted for? • On-site service contract: What’s the cost? • Training: Is training standard? • Notes: Additional information not included elsewhere. Keep in mind that all information was provided by the manufacturers/suppliers; you can often ﬁnd additional specs on their websites. We asked for specs only on currently available ﬂatbeds and hybrids; see our July issue for our coverage of rollfed machines. Some manufacturers chose not to include models that seemed to still be on the market and we honored these requests. Finally, keep in mind that these specs will be “re-issued” in digital form via our next Printer Sourcebook, which appears online on bigpicture.net in late autumn. www.bigpicture.net For many shops, the ﬂatbed has become the go-to device of our industry for a variety of applications. Yes, the rollfed printer still has its place at the output table – and some would argue it still sits at the head of that table – but the ﬂatbed and its hybrid cousin have been slowly but surely elbowing their way to more and more of the meal’s prime cuts in recent years. The ﬂatbed’s popularity has surged because manufacturers have bolstered the machines with additional capabilities – increased speed, broader color gamuts, and improved ink technologies, superior resolutions, and so on. As a result, more can be done with ﬂatbeds and hybrids than ever before. To help you in selecting your next ﬂatbed or hybrid printer, we’ve collected comprehensive speciﬁcations on more than 90 machines from nearly 30 printer manufacturers, and present them here. Consider these specs a good starting point in your hardware quest. Some notes on the data: • Company: We’ve listed the manufacturer; if a company has an exclusive US distributor, we’ve listed that information in the Notes section. • Printer model: Models are often combined if the only di erence between them is media width or colors. • Maximum media width (in inches): Media width, not image width; minimum is 24 inches. • Maximum media thickness: In millimeters or inches. • Media: What kind of media will the printer handle – is there a roll option? • Printhead technology: Most machines are inkjet piezo. • Colors: What inksets are supported? 15 http://www.bigpicture.net http://www.bigpicture.net

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Big Picture - August 2012

The Big Picture - August 2012
Contents
InSight
UpFront
Graphics on the Go
Flatbeds Forever
Color Jammed
The Hard Stuff: Rigid Media
Job Log

The Big Picture - August 2012