Finding the Right UV Flatbed Printer for Your Operation

Purchasing a new UV flatbed printer can be a daunting task, particularly with all the choices available on the market. The wrong decision can certainly deliver a negative blow to your company's bottom line, so it is essential to be armed with all the necessary information prior to signing that purchase order.

A free white paper from Canon Solutions America—Large Format Division, "Choosing the Right UV Flatbed Printer: A UV Flatbed Buyer's Guide," provides a handy cheat-sheet for printers doing their large-format homework. This 16-page treatment covers all of the hot points pertaining to UV flatbed printers and the variables printers need to take into account during the vetting process, and also provides a handy, sample return on investment (ROI) calculator.

Among the talking points of the paper:

• The pros and cons of using a moving-media architecture (hybrid printer) and a true flatbed printer, while analyzing the choices from productivity and cost perspectives.
• Using grayscale printheads versus fixed droplet technology, including the size of the ink droplet and ink consumption. LED and mercury vapor curing systems are also compared.
• Operational considerations for printers—including ink costs, power consumption and user maintenance—are evaluated. Environment and physical traits, such as electrical and temperature requirements, ventilation and shop floor footprint, are examined.
• The service and support components, along with the eight essential questions you should ask the vendor who could potentially provide this essential element.
• Going beyond the typical four or six process colors with the addition of white ink and spot varnish, and application possibilities that often command a premium price.
• Making the call on what type of raster image processor (RIP) to use, along with the characteristics that make for a quality RIP. Includes an 11-point checklist.

Click here to register for your free UV flatbed printer buyer's guide.

Click on the image to the left or here to watch Dave Carlson, owner of Frank O. Carlson & Company in Chicago, discuss how his printing company was one of the first to purchase the new Océ Arizona 6170, and how the Arizona's speed and quality, as well as the ability to print on a variety of materials, has put Frank O. Carlson & Company at the forefront of large-format printing.