Digital Printing-Wide Format - Roll to Roll

THE DEMAND for high-quality color graphics in larger sizes has risen dramatically as the availability of larger ink-jet printers has increased. How do you decide what kind of ink-jet printer you should purchase? As with any business decision, you weigh your demand for the product against the cost of the equipment, materials and labor involved. If your customers are only interested in the capability of printing 13x19˝, then purchasing a 60˝ wide-format printer may not be a good choice. However, you should try to purchase above your current expectations so you can handle future growth or expand the services you currently offer.

In-plants that have installed wide-format ink-jet printers are finding many unique and unexpected uses for the devices. By Carol Brzozowski It was an odd request. A young man walked into the printing department at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and asked the shop to print a life-size picture of himself, mount it on foam board and cut it out so it would stand by itself. Why? He planned to give it to his girlfriend as a summer break gift. "It was more of a reminder of him as much as it was a deterrent to any other boys, but it was funny,"

From posters to POP displays, from fine art to menus, there are a whole host of printed materials ripe for lamination these days. By Gretchen Peck Ranging from desktop to extra-wide-format models, laminators come in all shapes and sizes. Here's a guide to some of the new and notable solutions on the market. Banner American Products (www.banam.com) touts its ENTRY 4500 Laminating/Mounting machine as an ideal entry-level laminator for organizations producing large-format print. It's can laminate output from 36˝, 42˝ and 44˝ ink-jet printers. The ENTRY 4500 applies both top and bottom heat (courtesy of the 4,600-watt heater), operates at variable

Wide-format technology is advancing rapidly. Is it time for your in-plant to get on board? By Linda Formichelli You've probably heard Americans are getting bigger. But you may not have heard that our graphics are getting bigger, too. According to CK Associates, a consultancy, the aggregate growth rate in the market for ink-jet graphics greater than 45˝ wide will be 9 percent over the next few years. And according to Deborah Hutcheson, Agfa's senior marketing manager for color systems and workflow, the graphic applications for wide-format printers have a compounded annual growth rate of 20 percent. In 2003, the engines, ink and media

Though many in-plants have purchased wide-format printers, many aren't using them to their full potential. Find out how some in-plants use new media to tackle new types of work. By Dan Halkyard In-plants that have purchased wide-format ink-jet printers to create signage and other graphics have learned an important lesson: having this equipment in-house saves money, affords greater control over final output and enhances the in-plant's overall value to the organization. The economics alone of owning a wide-format ink-jet printer present a compelling argument—a professional wide-format printer can be purchased for approximately $15,000, about the same amount as outsourcing the production of 100

If you want to keep your high-quality posters looking good, laminate them. Silicone Laminating Rollers Banner American's MightyLam 2700 laminates from .0015˝ to .010˝ gauge film and mounts materials up to 3⁄16˝ thick, easy-to-set heat controls, and a variable speed control for operating at speeds up to 10 feet per minute. It also features a safety shield, drop-down bottom idler for easy loading, silicone laminating rollers, reverse switch, adjustable slitters, forced air cooling, LCD readout, adjustable supply roll tension and variable speed control. Three Models Available CodaPro 44 laminators, from Coda, are available in three models. The CodaPro44 with double heated rollers will

Wide-format printers and laminators are on a lot of in-plant wish lists. Here's a look at what's out there for you. By MIKE LLEWELLYN Wide-format printers rank among the hottest items on in-plant managers' wish lists, with 17.2 percent planning to buy one this year, according to a recent IPG survey. Add in the 29 percent that already have a wide-format printer, and you can see how popular this equipment is becoming. This comes as no surprise to Amit Bagchi, director of marketing for Canon USA's Printer Division. "We have been a player for quite a while," he says. Bagchi recently helped unveil

In-plants that have wide-format ink-jet printers say the devices have quickly paid for themselves in increased business. by Caroline Miller According to Joe Goss, if there is one thing that has had an impact on the wide-format ink-jet printing market, it's the PowerPoint presentation. "We never realized the kind of demand there would be for charts and posters to accompany PowerPoint presentations," says Goss, director of university printing and materials management at Indiana University, in Bloomington, Ind. "The professors don't want to keep redoing the charts. They need something that is printed on a flexible material that they can roll up, place in a

As printing devices get wider, laminators are keeping pace. Find out how to shop for a laminator, what features to look for and what to do once you get it. by Cheryl A. Adams With the wide-format market getting wider every day, it's no wonder printers are investing in the technology. Quips Brian Franks, vice president of marketing at GBC Films: "Today, the focus on ink-jet printers is the width of the machine. I call this the 'yacht syndrome,' because once you've owned a 30-foot boat, then you have to have a 40-foot, and so on. The same is true of wide-format printers.

Wide-format printing can add profits and a heaping helping of customer satisfaction to your operation. by Allan Martin Kemler RIDDLE ME this, Batman: How can an in-plant add service, increase profits and deliver a return on its investment all in just one year? Easy. Purchase a wide-format printer. At least that's what Joe Miller and Anthony Velazquez recommend. Miller and Velazquez both manage busy in-plants and both men encourage other in-plants to look into wide-format color printing as a way to recapture lost revenue and add extra value. "The key thing is, the color market is only going to grow," advises Miller, of