LFP - Large-Format-Printing

Fresh Color Press Sees Quality Difference with Screen Truepress Jet2500UV

Thursday 10. April 2014 - When Screen developed the Truepress Jet2500UV, the manufacturer identified categories of print service providers that are excellent candidates for adopting the roll and board inkjet printing system. Among those categories are digital printing shops offering short-run, toner-based materials and wide-format inkjet products that look to build and expand upon their capacity and flexibility.

Fresh Color Press in Eden Prairie, Minn., is a perfect example of a digital printing specialist taking on more innovative wide-format projects after installing the Truepress Jet2500UV.
“Our focus in the large-format space is to deliver the very highest quality work that can be done,” said Brian Johnson, president. “The Truepress Jet2500UV can print outstanding images on 98.4-inch-wide rolls, compared with 86-inch rolls with our previous equipment. The larger size gives us access to new customers and new print jobs.”
An emphasis on being faster, better and more capable than the other guy has distinguished Fresh Color Press in the market. The company was established in 2003 with same-day and next-day turnarounds as standard features of the business. The evolution from digitally printing sales and marketing collateral, direct mail and corporate identity packages to signs, posters and banners was a natural progression.
“Many clients asked us about jobs that we couldn’t print on our smaller printers because of the dimensions or substrate requirements,” Johnson said. “We referred customers to some large-format shops, but we heard back that turn times weren’t fast enough, service was lacking and print quality was just okay. At the time, UV-curable flatbed printers with a flexible media option made the most sense. Our flatbed machines have served us well.”
Even then, Fresh Color Press was taking the long view.
“We were very familiar with the Truepress Jet2500UV and the printhead technology long before we bought the machine,” Johnson explained. “The kind of thinking incorporated into the Truepress Jet2500UV appeals to us. We anticipate that Screen will continue to introduce new products that appeal to printers that want to do work for the most discerning clientele.”
When shopping for a new wide-format inkjet printer, Fresh Color Press only considered devices outfitted with eight-level grayscale printheads, substantially narrowing the field.
“Only three press makers have eight-level grayscale technology,” Johnson noted. “It’s a very small universe. Screen is an up-and-comer in the wide-format arena. We liked the print engine and felt Screen’s service and support would exceed that of any rival manufacturer. We definitely sought to create a relationship with Screen.”
Installed in November 2013, the Truepress Jet2500UV produces realistic images and crisp text on roll-fed and rigid substrates. The printing system combines a maximum output resolution of 1,500 dpi and variable drop size from 6 picoliters to 42 picoliters. It features Screen’s original Truepress flexible UV inks in six colors (cyan, magenta, yellow, black, light cyan and light magenta) plus two white ink channels.
“The light cyan and light magenta lend themselves to precise flesh tones, which are essential for marketing materials used to promote cosmetics, clothing and other fashion-related items,” Johnson said. “The wider color gamut of Truepress inks accurately reproduces more colors than standard inkjet inks, resulting in better matching of PMS colors.”
The unique applications of Screen’s high-performance inks extend to the color white.
The Truepress Jet2500UV provides unique transparent and backlit applications,” Johnson said. “The printer does a great job printing window clings with spot white. It can print five-layer clings and seven-layer backlit materials in one pass. On nonwhite substrates, the white ink also serves as a base coat so other colors can be overprinted without risk of show-through. Even though opaque white is heavier than colored inks, the two white ink channels on the Truepress Jet2500UV improve the printing speed.”
Another advantage that sets Truepress Jet2500UV apart is the ability to print high-quality see-through graphics on standard transparent media.
“We can run any regular clear cling material at a fraction of the cost of expensive perforated window film,” Johnson said. “The Wasatch SoftRIP allows us to choose the pattern and density we want.”
The combination of the roll transport unit and automatic printhead cleaning function enables continuous automated printing for long periods of time.
“The Truepress Jet2500UV automatically clears, at regular intervals, ink mist and other substances causing nozzle clogging,” Johnson pointed out. “Manual head cleaning requires an operator to periodically monitor the printing for clogged nozzles. Depending on the job, the operator may spend five to 10 minutes cleaning the heads every hour to every three hours. Otherwise, the machine would be making bad prints. The Screen device is much more efficient.”