ATLANTA, Oct. 17 -- SGIA/DPI Booth #2819 -- The Oce Arizona T220UV, the company's first entry in the UV (ultraviolet) curable digital printing marketplace, is on display at the Screenprinting & Graphic Imaging Association (SGIA) and Digital Printing & Imaging (DPI) Association's annual exposition starting today in Atlanta, GA. The Oce Arizona T220UV uses piezo printing technology and UV curable inks to produce outdoor-durable output. It can print directly onto rigid and flexible substrates up to 62" wide x 120" long x 2" thick. It is ideal for low- to mid-volume production runs that require high quality output on a variety of rigid and flexible substrates. UV Model Complements Solvent Printer The Oce Arizona T220UV is a complementary product to the Oce Arizona T220, which uses solvent-based inks. Each is designed to deliver specific benefits to users based on their application requirements. For those customers that prefer to use UV curable printing technology, the Oce Arizona T220UV offers the following benefits: Higher Ink Saturation. UV curable inks offer greater saturation with less ink than solvent based inks because they cure into a solid, more opaque mass than their solvent-based counterparts, resulting in images that often appear deeper. In addition, dot gain is controlled by instantly curing UV inks with an intense light source so the UV inks never have a chance to soak into the media and spread. Crisp images are possible on a wide range of substrates. UV curable inks can also be washed to remove unwanted marks such as graffiti without ruining the image. Faster Curing. UV curing relies on polymerization instead of evaporation. UV inks can be cured in as little as 1 to 3 seconds, requiring less dwell time under the drying source to dry or cure. There is also no need for pre-and post-heated surfaces or dryers as no heat is involved in the curing process. Reduced Maintenance Requirements. Because of the fast curing of UV inks and improved maintenance routines, manual maintenance functions are significantly reduced. Start-up and shutdown routines take just minutes, and operator intervention is nearly eliminated during daily operation. Reduced Environmental Impact. UV curable inks do not produce volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions like solvent-based inks. In addition, UV cured inks generate almost no odor. Versatility, Quality and Productivity for a Variety of Applications The Oce Arizona T220UV holds substrates stationary on a flat vacuum table while the print head assembly moves across the table to create the print, eliminating image skew problems associated with manual-fed systems. It can print full bleeds, saving time and labor costs in finishing. There is no minimum print size, which eliminates the need to use more material than necessary. Oce ColorBlend™ technology is included, which adds light cyan and light magenta to achieve a wider color gamut, smoother mid-tones, and an apparent resolution of 600 dpi. With four print heads per color, the Oce Arizona T220UV can achieve print speeds of up 170 square feet per hour in four-pass mode and up to 90 square feet per hour in eight-pass mode. The z-axis adjusts to accommodate media up to 2 inches thick and ensures proper head height for optimal printing. The Oce Arizona T220UV can print directly onto a variety of uncoated rigid or flexible substrates such as foam-core style mounting board, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) sheets, styrene, aluminum-plastic composites, vinyl, and more. It is ideal for producing exhibit graphics, point-of-purchase displays, construction signage, and indoor and outdoor advertising. Optional Support for i-cut Digital Die Cutting Workflow Support for digital die cutting workflow is available for the Oce Arizona T220UV with the purchase of Onyx ProductionHouse™ or Onyx PosterShop Color Production Software version 6.0 and the i-cut workflow add-on module from Onyx Graphics. i-cut, an automated digital cutting system from Mikkelsen Graphic Engineering Inc., reads cutter marks placed by the Onyx software and automatically cuts where specified, reducing manual labor in the finishing process. Availability & Pricing Production shipments of the Oce Arizona T220UV are expected to begin in Q1-2004 in the U.S. The printer is expected to carry a list price of $199,995 in the U.S. Oce Arizona 7400-UV inks, designed for use specifically with the Oce Arizona T220UV, will be available from Oce imaging Supplies. Media will be available from existing sources. The Oce Arizona T220UV requires Onyx ProductionHouse or Onyx PosterShop Color Production Software version 6.0 or later. The Oce Arizona T220UV joins the company's popular Arizona family of outdoor-durable printers, which includes the Oce Arizona 90, Oce Arizona 180, Oce Arizona 500, and Oce Arizona 600 roll-based printers and the Oce Arizona T220 solvent-based flatbed printer.