Well-known industry specialists Clint Green and Rak Kumar have teamed up to form a UK outlet dedicated to the Raster Printers product line which was launched nearly two years ago. These UV-curable machines use Sun Chemical's Sunjet inks, offer an excellent price to performance ratio and, thus, provide new and existing ink-jet printer users with a cost-effective option which produces high quality output on both roll-fed materials and rigid substrates. The two wide-format options now available in the UK are the RP-720UVZ and the Daytona. The first of these printers offers a maximum resolution of 720 x 800 dpi (with an apparent resolution of 1440 dpi) and a maximum throughput speed of nearly 26 square m/hour, whilst the Daytona has an optimum resolution of 600 x 600 dpi and a maximum print speed of 65 square m/hour. Both machines handle rigid and flexible materials up to 1.85 m in width and 2.54 cm in depth. The Raster Printers RP-720UVZ is a six-colour piezo drop-on-demand ink-jet machine which incorporates established Spectra head technology for accuracy of colour and good dot quality on all types of material. Able to print direct to rigid substrates as well as roll-fed media, the UV-curable Sunjet inks are supplied in easy to change one litre bottles. For users wanting a high speed industrial-strength unit, the four-colour Daytona also benefits from Spectra print-heads for fast and reliable output. Again, this machine prints direct to rigid and flexible materials and also utilises Sunjet inks for dependability and colour accuracy. Both printers are ideal for the production of a wide range of display-related applications and can produce jobs from as narrow as just 30.5 cm up to a full-bleed width of 1.85 m. They are easy to set-up and operate, with fast change-over from roll-fed to flat-bed and back again. The print mechanism is self-contained to enable dust-free operation and to minimise user exposure to the UV lamps. There is a simple mechanism which facilitates adjusting the gap width to cater for different weights and thicknesses of material. This makes both printers ideal for use with a wide selection of substrates in a selection of thicknesses, with outdoor durable results of up to three years. Unlike many of the mid-range printers currently being introduced into the UK, the Raster Printers machines bring with them a strong history within the wide-format digital printing arena. With their heavy engineering taking place in China, and the finishing and fine-tuning of the build process being carried out in the USA, these machines benefit both from the cost-effectiveness of base manufacture in the east with quality control standards being applied from the west. Additionally, they incorporate the best technologies from other countries. The print-heads, carriage, feed motors and ink filters are produced in the USA, the precision-ground roll and bearings are of German manufacture, with Swiss ink pumps, Japanese servo systems and English UV-curable inks. Kumar, who was formerly CEO of Raster Graphics and Océ Display Graphics, formed Raster Printers two and a half years ago and has based the company in San José, California. More recently he has been joined by Green, who was also associated with the same two companies, and this has enabled the partnership to open a UK office near Oxford. Green comments: "Although there are several mid-range UV-curable ink-jet machines on the market currently, we believe that Raster Printers is able to offer users a very cost-effective solution which is already well proven in the USA. Because of our direct route to market, our price of less than £55,000 for the RP720-UV and £58,000 for the Daytona is extremely competitive. These figures are all-in and include the complete solution incorporating printer, PC, RIP, starter kit, delivery, installation and training. "We also expect to see a continuing move from solvent-based printers across to UV-curable ink-jet systems and, again, it"s important that we can offer a well-priced and reliable alternative to users who want to make the transition to more environmentally friendly processes," Green continues. "Our partnership with Sunjet inks, developed by Sun Chemical, ensures that we have opted for one of the most respected ink manufacturers" products for our printers." Raster Printers' sales office and demonstration suite are located a few miles north of Oxford, with easy access off the motorway network. For further information contact Clint Green at Unit 2 Grange Business Centre, Station Road, Launton, Bicester, Oxfordshire OX26 5DX, telephone 01869 242100 or e-mail [email protected]