Global audience experiences new innovations in wide format printing 

HANOVER PARK, IL – FUJIFILM North America Corporation, Graphic Systems Division further displayed their wide format inkjet technology leadership with worldwide premieres of wide format equipment and UV inks at the recent SGIA Expo 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia. 

Attendance at this East Coast expo set new records, and an impressive number of people visited Fujifilm’s ‘Now You Can Win More Work’ themed 5,000 square foot booth to experience live demonstrations of the all-new Inca Onset X Series, and Uvistar Hybrid 320, both making their worldwide debut on the show floor. Fujifilm’s global reach included customers from across the US, Canada, and Mexico, as well as hosting attendees from Latin America, Africa, Pakistan, and the United Kingdom. 

Show attendees were very impressed by the Onset X Series of high productivity, high-quality flatbed presses from Inca Digital. The all-new Onset X Series is a major evolution of Inca Digital’s pioneering ‘scalable architecture’ concept. The speeds and productivity of the Onset X Series are dependent on the choice of FUJIFILM Dimatix printheads, and can be configured for each customer depending on their desired quality/speed requirements. This allows each customer to customize their Onset X press for the combination of productivity, color, and quality that best meets their ever-changing production needs.

The all-new Uvistar Hybrid 320, a 3.2m, combination flatbed and roll printer, drew large crowds to witness its capability of producing high quality output at speeds of up to 2,100 square feet per hour. Utilizing FUJIFILM Dimatix Q-Class printheads and Fujifilm Uvijet inks, the Uvistar Hybrid 320 prints full grayscale output of exceptional quality and delivers a wide gamut of vibrant colors.

“Fujifilm eagerly anticipated the SGIA Expo,” said Terry Mitchell, VP of Marketing, FUJIFILM North America Corporation, Graphic Systems Division. “Attendees are seriously looking at adding new capabilities in wide format printing, and SGIA is the best venue to debut new innovations such as the Onset X Series, and the Uvistar Hybrid 320. This event always generates a tremendous amount of qualified leads, and also accelerates the sales cycle.  We anticipate many customers will make immediate investment decisions.”   

The new Acuity LED 1600 II also made its debut in the Fujifilm booth. Featuring a faster printing mode at 355 square feet per hour; this is 65% percent faster than the previous model. Many printers saw this press as a good fit for starting out in wide format, or taking the next step to expand their wide format capabilities.  Additionally, the Acuity Select 8, one of the models within the popular Acuity series was also highlighted on the show floor. The Acuity Select featured Fujifilm’s newest ink, Uvijet KN, designed for optimal color gamut with enhanced adhesion. The Fujifilm booth also featured an impressive variety of thermoformed POP products to showcase the range of applications of Uvijet KV, which are inks that have been designed for the production of decorative print in deep draw thermoforming applications.  

Rounding out the nearly 5,000 square foot Fujifilm booth was the Acuity F, the newest flatbed press to join the Acuity platform, now with an all-new ink set, Uvijet WH. Show attendees saw this UV press produce exceptional print quality at speeds up to 1,668 square feet per hour.  

A visually-stunning wall of printed samples showcased Fujifilm’s print quality and superior range of applications delivered by a line-up of innovative wide format equipment and ink solutions. Show attendees were able to see innovative applications of white and clear ink, textured effects, and thermoformed displays created with Fujifilm equipment and inks. 

“Display graphic printers and sign shops are looking to expand their capabilities to create unique wide format applications,” said Heather Roden, associate marketing manager for Fujifilm’s Acuity series of wide format equipment.  “We wanted to show not only the capabilities of the equipment, but also the capabilities of our Uvijet inks on a number of different substrates. Customers really liked seeing the creative possibilities as well as the print quality and adhesion performance.  The sample wall was an engaging experience, and a highly visited area of our exhibit.”

In the Workflow Discovery area, Fujifilm representatives discussed the latest in technology for wide format workflow solutions, featuring premier partner solutions ColorGATE and Caldera.  These RIPs support the latest APPE technology providing the fastest RIP speeds on the market so printers can keep up with their production needs. Both RIPs have top class color management engines to consistently control color.

“Faster RIP speeds can reduce bottlenecks and increase productivity,” adds Kaz Kudo, associate marketing manager for wide format software and media. “There was a lot of interest in utilizing one RIP to optimize productivity and match color across multiple platforms, and we demonstrated this capability to many attendees with our efficient RIP solutions.”

“Attendees were impressed with the capabilities of our wide format solutions,” says Mitchell.  “Several customers commented that investing in these new technologies will really help them win more work.”