Inkjet & Digital Printing
Squid Ink launches PZ Pilot Pro featuring Xaar 380 printheads
Wednesday 29. April 2009 - * High-resolution inkjet printer for case coding, with 2.1" height * Easy to use controller interface
Xaar Americas, Inc. announces that Squid Ink Manufacturing, Inc., a unit of Engage Technologies, Inc. and a leading manufacturer of quality inks and inkjet printing equipment, has introduced its new PZ Pilot Pro(r) hi-resolution inkjet printing system featuring the Xaar 380 printhead. The PZ Pilot Pro is an affordable new device for printing high quality bar codes and other product information directly on corrugated cases and cartons.
With up to 2.1″ of print height per head, the PZ Pilot Pro exceeds the 2.0″ GS1 specification for case code printing, without the additional cost of a larger print engine. Yet, what really differentiates the PZ Pilot Pro is the easy-to-use 6.4″ color touch display. The touch-screen user interface is intuitive and, as Squid Ink puts it, ‘ATM simple’. Users can easily create or edit messages directly on the controller, as well as downloading them via a network connection, or from a USB memory device.
The PZ Pilot Pro uses the robust Xaar 380 printhead, offering superior print quality, 80 pico-liter droplet size, and the durability required for industrial environments. In addition, PZ Pilot Pro uses Xaar-approved oil-based inks specifically designed by Squid Ink for the Xaar 380 printhead.
“The good thing about the Xaar 380 printhead is that it is very reliable,” explains Chad Carney, Director of Marketing, Engage Technologies Corporation. “The head’s easy mounting structure was very helpful in the design of the PZ Pilot Pro. Speed was also very important for us. The Xaar 380 printhead delivers the performance that the PZ Pilot Pro printer needs, with online speeds of up to 167 feet per minute at 180 dpi, ideal for most secondary packaging lines.” The 180 dpi resolution is capable of printing razor-sharp graphics, small character text, and scannable bar codes.
“The PZ Pilot Pro is another example of how piezoelectric drop-on-demand printheads meet the needs of the coding and marking industry. The Xaar 380 printhead at its heart gives the performance, ease of integration, and total cost of ownership that production facilities demand,” comments Chris Lynn, VP Sales and Marketing, Xaar Americas Inc. “Xaar is very pleased to be a partner of Squid Ink, and we expect the PZ Pilot Pro will be received very well in the packaging marketplace.”