Eden Prairie, MN – May 16, 2006: MacDermid ColorSpan, Inc., the world’s leading supplier of UV-curable inkjet printers for the display graphics market, today unveiled its newest flatbed UV inkjet printer, the ColorSpan 9840UV. This industrial-grade product will join the highly successful DisplayMaker 72UVR, 72UVX and 98UVX printers to create the most comprehensive line up of affordable, production-oriented UV-curable flatbed inkjet printers. The ColorSpan 9840UV offers the ability to print on rigid sheets or flexible roll stock up to 98 inches (2.5 meters) wide and 2.75 inches (70 mm) thick. Designed around a belt driven media feed system and sixteen (16) 600-dpi Micro-Quad piezo-electric printheads, the 9840UV delivers true 600 x 600-dpi quality and print speeds up to 811 ft2 (75.4 m2) / hour. Bruce Butler, director of marketing, stated, “We wanted to take the opportunity at the FESPA Digital Expo to show the next generation of ColorSpan UV flatbed printers. Targeted to be released this summer, the ColorSpan 9840UV represents a whole new level of productivity and versatility to digital print providers.” Butler went on to say, “Features such as the ability to print up to 6 boards at a time and the capability to load a second set of boards while the first set are printing greatly increases throughput. That, combined with the accuracy and versatility of a belt-fed media drive system and faster sellable print speeds, this is MacDermid’s fastest and most productive UV printer to date.” The ColorSpan 9840UV is a departure from current MacDermid UV printer designs in that it uses a belt driven media feed system with 15 vacuum zones that ensures accurate and consistent feeding of media through the printer regardless of media size, placement or quantity. Two heavy-duty 36 inch x 101 inch (91 cm x 257 cm) roller tables are attached to the front and rear of the printer to accommodate sheets up to 98 inches (2.5 meters) wide and 80 inches (2 meters) in length. The tables can easily be removed to accommodate an optional roll-fed media supply and take up system for printing of roll-to-roll flexible media. The printer automatically adjusts the printhead height to accommodate a wide range of material thicknesses up to 98 inches (2.5 meters). A pneumatically-operated media alignment bar raises and lowers to assist in loading sheets parallel to the print direction and the printer automatically detects the media’s edges making back-to-back and edge-to-edge printing easier than ever. Input and output media rollers are also pneumatically controlled to hold warped media flat throughout the print zone. The simultaneous printing of multiple rigid materials, such as pre-cut sign boards, can easily be accomplished with the new Multi-Sheet N-Up feature. Up to 6 boards can be placed across the belt at one time. Adjustable media alignment pins ensure that each subsequent set of boards is placed in the same location. Upon loading the initial set of boards, the on-board Automation Eye will detect the right and left edges of each board and sends coordinate data to the RIP to layout the job to be printed. Once the first set of boards are printing and have exited the “load zone”, vacuum in this area is turned off and a media alignment bar drops down allowing the user to load a second set of boards while the first set is still printing allowing for maximum productivity. Other Product Features Full-size Touch-screen Color Display — The printer’s operator control interface uses a 12-inch color touch-screen display panel. Its dynamic graphical user interface is simple to use and the printer’s status (such as ink levels, vacuum level, UV lamp status and media configuration) are visible at a glance. Micro-Quad Printheads — Sixteen (16) industrial-quality, long-life piezo-electric printheads are configured as four interlaced heads using 384 jets per color. These 600-dpi printheads jet a micro-sized 25-picoliter droplet. The result is higher quality prints at lower production costs when compared to typical 360-dpi, 50 or more picoliter, 6-color printers. Production-Oriented Speed — Designed-engineered as a production sign system capable of 24/7 operation, the ColorSpan 9840UV uses 16 piezo-electric printheads with 1,536 total jets. The printer boasts a top print speed of 811 ft2 (75.4 m2) per hour in its 600x300-dpi Billboard Quality print mode. Its Production Quality mode has two print resolutions that both turn out quality, sellable graphics; 225 ft2 (20.9 m2) per hour at 600x600-dpi and 438 ft2 (40.7 m2) per hour at 600x300-dpi. SolaChrome-UV inks — UV-curable, pigmented inks, available in cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. Each comes in a sealed 3-liter container that allows for easy, no-mess ink changes while protecting the ink from light exposure. SolaChrome-UV inks, which have no solvent odors, are designed for reliable jetting, low maintenance, extended head life, low cost of operation and long-term outdoor display life – 2 to 3 years unprotected and up to 7 years using Avery cast vinyl film and DOL overlaminates. SolaChrome-UV inks cure instantly and print directly on inexpensive uncoated rigid and flexible substrates for durable, indoor and outdoor graphic applications. Advanced Automation Eye — Only found on ColorSpan printers, it consists of a high-resolution imaging sensor, colorimetric spectrophotometer, and embedded software to automate the setup and calibration steps critical for achieving and maintaining print quality. It enables the following features: AutoSet? Calibration – analyzes dot placement of printed patterns and automatically sets the head-to-head alignment and bi-directional (bi-di) dot placement alignment to compensate for variable print speeds, head height settings and media thickness. AutoJet? Calibration – eliminates banding in prints and extends the useful life of the printheads by mapping out jets that are not up to performance standards and compensating by using another jet in their place. AutoTune? Scheduler – schedules the AutoJet calibration to occur during unattended print runs to ensure maximum print quality and minimize waste or reprints. AutoEdge Detection – uses the image sensor to aid in the loading of rigid materials by detecting right, left and leading edges allowing the printer to move the material into an exact position for printing. Linearization – the on-board spectrophotometer supplies color and density data to the external RIP’s color management software. The color management system then linearizes the color curves to ensure accurate and consistent color. Color Profiling – using the on-board spectrophotometer, the ColorSpan 9840UV prints and automatically reads hundreds of color swatches to allow the RIP and ColorMark+ color management software to create custom ICC and ColorMark profiles for 3rd party media. Markets With its ability to print directly onto full-width rigid display materials the ColorSpan 9840UV is ideal for sign makers, screen printers and other print-for-pay service providers that produce large volumes of indoor and outdoor signs, banners, point-of-purchase and exhibit displays by greatly reducing their production, finishing and labor costs. It is the ideal addition for digital image providers who want to increase their productivity and expand their capabilities with a printer that costs far less than competitive printers. Pricing and Availability The ColorSpan 9840UV has a retail price in the USA of $149,995, which includes 12 liters of SolaChrome-UV ink and 3 liters of printhead cleaning solution. The printer will be sold through MacDermid ColorSpan’s worldwide network of value-added distributors and resellers beginning in the summer of 2006.