On Test

This is not the cheapest printer but is it good value for money? Nessan Cleary puts it to the test.

SwissQ Print has built up a good reputation for the quality of its flatbed printers so I’ve been looking forward to testing one of these. There are four printers in all, ranging from the entry-level Oryx to the top end Nyala, recently updated to the Nyala2. For the test we got our hands on the mid-range Impala.

Nessan Cleary conducts a test to check whether this printer lives up to its promise to deliver good quality results at a relatively low cost.

The Japanese manufacturer Mutoh has been around since 1953, having started off making drafting machines before moving into wide-format inkjet printers. The mainstay of the Mutoh printer range currently is its solvent series, including the ValueJet 1638X that was launched earlier this year and the focus of this test. 

Mimaki launched this solvent printer at the last Fespa Digital show but it’s only recently started appearing in the UK. Here’s how Nessan Cleary found it when he put it to the test. 

Solvent technology still dominates the market for roll-fed wide- format printers, mainly because it’s a proven performer that offers good quality results at a reasonable price. So this month we’ve been testing Mimaki’s latest solvent printer, the JV300. 

The Korean built Jetrix printers appear to offer good value for money, so how did this Jetrix model fare on test? Nessan Cleary reports.

Inktec, which was founded in 1992 in Korea, is best known as an ink manufacturer but has also developed its own range of Jetrix UV flatbed printers. It has a European office, based in Witney, Oxfordshire, which has installed some 35 printers in the last three years. Last year Inktec launched the first of its KX series, which now include the compact KX3, the mid-range KX5 and the much larger KX7, which we've tested this month. 

This month Nessan Cleary tests the latex printer that marks Ricoh’s first foray into wide-format printing.

The market for latex printers has been completely dominated by HP, despite a challenge from Mimaki. Now Ricoh, which supplies the Gen5 heads used by Mimaki, has entered the fray with the L4100 printer, available in 1.3 and 1.6m widths. Ricoh has rebadged Mimaki's JV400 LX series, and there's no discernible difference between the two apart from the sales and servicing, with Ricoh targeting its existing customer base of commercial printers and corporate print rooms. 

Epson's first foray into wide-format printing was with a series of aqueous ink printers that established a good reputation for photographic and proofing applications. But Epson was slow to get into display graphics, preferring instead to sell its printheads and inks to other vendors on an OEM basis. However, in recent years Epson has made a determined play for the display print market, with both solvent and dye-sub printers as well as a newly-launched brace of aqueous CAD/ graphics machines.

The prototype shown at Fespa 2013 was impressive, so Nessan Cleary went to see if it’s living up to its promise.

Last year at Fespa 2013 in London both Screen and Fujifilm showed a version of a new mid-range flatbed printer that had been developed by Cambridge-based Inca Digital. Screen, which owns Inca Digital, subsequently launched the machine at the end of last year as the Truepress Jet W3200UV. So far two of these have been installed in the UK, and the machine that we tested - at Ipex - was due to be installed at a Dutch printer shortly afterwards. Martijn van den Broek, sales manager for Screen’s wide-format products, says that the company is still in the process of setting up a distribution network for the rest of Europe.

The half-yearly survey from the Shop and Display Equipment Association (SDEA) reveals that there is tangible evidence of a positive upwards climb within the retail display industry.

Nessan Cleary tests the latest Colorpainter, a production machine that delivers good image quality at reasonably fast speeds.

The ColorPainter M-64S, developed by Seiko InfoTech, was launched at last summer's Fespa show in London but only started shipping in the UK from the end of 2013. The M- series fills out the ColorPainter range nicely, sitting just below the top of the range H2 series but being faster than the entry-level W-series.

Small businesses can win up to £25,000 each to explore digital innovations in data, as part of a new contest backed by IC tomorrow, part of the Technology Strategy Board.

Nessan Cleary looks at just what sort of print quality you can expect from this entry-level latex printer.

The HP Latex 260 is an entry-level latex printer that offers an alternative to solvent printers, particularly for more office-alternative to solvent printers, particularly for more office- based type users. It's based on the same chassis as HP’s T7100 CAD and Z6200 graphics printers, albeit with additional heaters to cure the latex inks.

Nessan Cleary kicks off the first of a series of independent tests by looking at Agfa’s most popular wide-format printer in the UK.

The Anapurna M2050, which is Agfa's most popular model in the UK, is targeted at the entry level to mid range user, where its flexibility is suitable for a broad range of jobs.

Avery Dennison has announced the ‘GoForPro Contest 2013’, a competition co-sponsored by HP, Epson and Mimaki that invites print professionals to enter their best graphics projects by 15 December. Winners’ entries will be awarded trips to the sponsors’ training centres in Barcelona, Dusseldorf, Milan or Istanbul.

The first 50 companies to confirm their order for a HP Designjet L28500 or HP Designjet L26500 printer at Sign and Digital UK will be able to claim back £1000.