Konica Minolta is using its own printheads on a first large format printer to carry the company name being introduced in North America.
Konica Minolta is to show the first large format inkjet printer for display graphics with its own name at the Print 18 show in Chicago this month.
Previously, the company has had a deal to sell EFI Vutek machines, but while there are Konica Minolta inkjet printers for textiles, there have been none in the commercial and display print space. That is changing with the introduction of the AccurioWide 160 and AccurioWide 200, 1.6 meter wide and 2.0 meter wide hybrid machines, respectively.
Both operate with Konica Minolta 1024i printheads giving a resolution of 1440 x 720 dpi. The printhead is in widespread use in other sectors and uses a high pigment ink which is claimed to give a thinner ink layer and reduce overall ink volumes required.
Speed is dependent on resolution. The AccurioWide 160 comes in a 4-color plus white or 6-color versions, while the AccurioWide 200 offers 6-color plus white printing. Both combine LED UV and conventional UV curing for speed across the range of substrates.
The AccurioWide 160 prints at 63 m2/hr in draft mode, falling to 7 m2/hr in finest quality. It can print on most media including rigid sheets to 45 mm thick.
Konica Minolta will link the machines to its FD-9 scanning spectrometer and both FD-5 and FD-7 hand-held spectrophotometric color measurement. These link to the AccurioPro WideDirector workflow application. This automates step and repeat image placement, nesting color profiling and offers suggestions about optimal settings having analyzed and run a preflight check on the incoming digital file. It will balance production across multiple printers.
The move comes hard on the heels of Ricoh’s first flatbed/hybrid printer, the Pro T7210, which is now available in the UK. This is in a different class with a 50 m2/hr standard mode and twice that in draft mode. It also offers primer and clear ink channel and is configured as a flatbed rather than hybrid printer.
