ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill. — Always an innovator, Parallax Digital Studios, Inc. features the absolute latest in wide-format and grand-format printing technologies. The Kennesaw, Ga.-based firm has a keen eye for print systems. Its president, David Clevenger, considers the new Screen Truepress Jet W3200UV HS wide-format flatbed inkjet system an excellent fit for the niches the company serves.

“Our plan for the Truepress is to be a workhorse that has the bells and whistles to give our products a wow factor,” Clevenger said.

Parallax is known as a full-service, boutique print shop where print buyers can order custom products that other printing operations do not offer. Starting out as a creative and production studio more than 20 years ago, Parallax has evolved into a regional powerhouse in digital printing with 43 employees and approximately $6 million in annual sales. Its huge stable of digital production printers boasts roll-fed and flatbed systems and inkjet, solvent, latex, dye sublimation and photographic imaging capabilities. 

“We’d rather operate multiple platforms than one enormously expensive platform that would put us in serious trouble were it to go down,” Clevenger noted. 

Thanks to such diverse capabilities, the company can meet virtually any display application, including museum exhibits, trade show graphics, dimensional signage, point-of-purchase materials and window clings.

“Our clients have very high quality expectations,” Clevenger said. “When we Iook for a piece of technology to create business opportunities for the next three to five years, quality comes first, followed by speed.” 

Clevenger’s introduction to the quality and speed of Truepress Jet W3200UV HS took place at Screen’s demonstration center in Rolling Meadows, Ill. 

“We were quite interested to learn that Screen was launching a new flatbed platform for the mid-tier market, which is ignored somewhat by manufacturers,” Clevenger said. “You have $2 million presses on the high end and $200,000 presses on the low end that look and perform like they’re built by toy makers. The middle ground doesn’t receive much attention.”

The Truepress Jet W3200UV HS delivers true-quality wide-format printing at the top speed of 1,614 square feet per hour. It features six colors plus two white ink channels.

“We brought our own files to the demo in Chicago and printed samples on a variety of substrates,” Clevenger said. “We knew what to throw at the machine that would be the most revealing of flaws, such as UV banding. Banding can be a deal breaker in some applications. Screen has made significant progress in minimizing banding. The Jet W3200UV HS does a great job of handling solid dark ink coverage and white ink without banding issues.”

Clevenger said the “most compelling” aspect of the Truepress Jet W3200UV HS is its extremely high image quality in all print modes.

“Many manufacturers make exaggerated claims that their machines can produce so many square feet and so many boards an hour,” he pointed out. “The problem is the quality at those high speeds is not sellable to Parallax’s clients. Screen actually understates the quality at maximum speed. The Jet W3200UV HS prints sellable quality even in the express mode — its fastest mode. In the production mode, the quality is very sellable.”

Another unique characteristic of the Truepress Jet W3200UV HS is its robust industrial build. The 62.9 x 125.9-inch-wide flatbed table is driven by magnetically encoded linear motors that provide exceptionally smooth, controlled motion of the print carriage.

“The build quality is amazing,” Clevenger stated. “Screen didn’t cut any corners on the engineering or skimp on any of the components. The Jet W3200UV HS was extensively tested before Screen released it into the marketplace. From a purely technological standpoint, the ability to lay down ink with pinpoint accuracy in either direction as quickly as the carriage moves is phenomenal.”

The same day that the Truepress Jet W3200UV HS went into live production at Parallax, the company hosted an open house.

“We usually hold an event once a year for existing customers and prospects,” Clevenger explained. “There were probably 50 people in attendance this time. The Jet W3200UV HS received glowing reviews. Visitors were impressed by the live printing and print samples we had on hand.”