Wide Format news 1-2017

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wafer 14 millimetres squared (about half an inch), and output is half a volt. You can’t just give yourself and your smartphone a drink, though. Recharge is through a pump or capillary action with ultra-clean fuel. Rocky Mountain solar incentives The typical small business today has computers, printers, modems and servers that all take electricity - one of the most expensive components of running an office. Finding alternatives for electricity helps the bottom line. Some of the technologies in this article are around the corner, but will definitely be available. Businesses are moving toward solar in more rural areas. Sun Valley, Idaho is often a skiing destination, nestled in the Rocky Mountains just a stone’s throw from Big Sky country in Montana, and where trout-fishing enthusiasts throw a fly in crystal waters beneath a sky with huge, craggy mountains jutting into it. Harry Griffith, executive director of the Sun Valley Economic Development Association, works in Sun Valley. He said 40 photovoltaic systems were completed for businesses for about $900,000 (€820,307) in the valley. In addition to local programs encouraging investment in water production, the south central area where he works has some wind farms. Some agricultural farms used small wind turbines, he said. From Idaho to Botswana, alternatives are being explored with alternate energy that may make the air more breathable, Band-Aid some of the damage from pouring fossil fuels into the atmosphere, and make businesses and homes spend less on electricity. It may look more like Junkyard Wars than high-tech, but University of Toronto researcher Illan Kramer’s device is the first step towards a spray-on solar cell (Marit Mitchell/Univeristy of Toronto Engineering) Sometimes large-format is more than speed The speed of wide-format machines today is something phenomenal. But what about those tried and true machines being introduced that aren’t Memjet or XL machines, but have features that the average business user might like? One of the most global features of these printers is the capability to be versatile. Printing from a thumb drive is almost the new standard in printers. Mobile, Wi-Fi and portable printing capability is likewise a common add-on. As for prices, not too many people can plop down the money for a new ultra-fast machine, so on our review of new machines, we’re reviewing those that have potential to be used in a small business environment: • One of those is the Epson SureColor P20000, a 64-inch-width 163 centimetres) printer that is geared toward high-output production, but delivers photo-quality prints. • Canon/Océ, whose aqueous printers churned out in previous years are preferred by many small businesses, has an eight-colour 60- inch imagePROGRAF Pro-6000S (152 centimetres) and 44-inch (112 centimetre) Pro-4000S. These are within the price range of many small businesses, although designed for the production printing industry. • HP Inc has introduced the DesignJet Z5600 and Z2600 PostScript Printers in 2016, which have a six-ink printing system that is miserly with ink, but doesn’t cut colour quality. • Then there are some offerings from other companies in the latex area that are worthy of mention, such as the Mimaki and Ricoh units. The best older printers will be reviewed in the next issue of The Recycler. But there are a host of features in the machines recently introduced that small businesses might find are worth the money. So here we go. Epson SureColor SC-P20000 The Epson SureColor SC-P series has added the 64-inch-width SC-P20000 (163 centimetres), with printing speeds of 188 square Epson SureColor SC P20000 feet or 17.5 square metres per hour. The permanent PrecisionCore MicroTFP printhead yields Epson’s flagship 2,400 x 1,200dpi photo-quality printing that is the hallmark of Epson’s SC-P models. For outdoor or interior signs, exhibition, promotional, photographs of points of sale, the printer is extremely versatile. Its output has highprecision media feed technology. A camera-based paper feed stabiliser and media inductive roller system makes sure even when unattended, the printer will feed smoothly. Epson’s SC-P20000 features include an Epson UltraChrome Pro ©<strong>2017</strong> The Recycler www.therecycler.com Page 10
10-colour inkset that consistently delivers good prints, including deep black high-density photo and matte inks. Graininess is reduced and better gradation is achieved because it has four shades of black ink. With Epson’s Multi-Size Droplet Technology (MSDT) aboard, vibration is reduced and accuracy of ink drops and dot-placement is assured with a new printhead structure. An Epson Colour Calibration utility assures accurate colour reproduction. When handling and switching media, status of the printing and remaining media can be checked through a transparent printer cover window. Users can clean the printhead and ink cap after printing as the position of the printhead rests where it can be cleaned by the user. The printer has an option for a hard drive and spectrophotometer, sold separately. For $10,000 (€9,430), this could easily be a cost-effective small business in-house printer, even though designed for copy shops, print shops, photo labs and photo outlets. Canon imagePROGRAF Pro-6000S The eight-colour, 60-inch imagePROGRAF 6000S (152 centimetres) is one of four new models added by Canon in 2016. Others included the 44-inch imagePROGRAF Pro-4000 (112 centimetres) and 24-inch Pro-2000 (61 centimetres) for the fine art and photographic markets, and the 44-inch (112 centimetres) Pro-4000S. The 6000S is billed as affordable for production signage, but we’ll pick the 6000S, priced at about $9,000 (€8,487) as also affordable for small businesses. The printer processes an A0 print (33.1 x 46.8 inches or 84.1 x 118.9 centimetres) with coated paper in about a minute and a half at 2,400 x 1,200dpi. A colour densitometer uses a three-colour LED and condenser lens to ensure peak performance. One printhead is installed in each Pro series printer. This printer has a wider printhead (1.28-inch-wide or 3.25 centimetres) that features anticlogging technology, improving efficiency, preventing wasted ink and reducing cleaning cycles. A multi-sensor calibrates the printer and assures colour consistency. There are 18,432 nozzles, and the 6000S uses a non-firing nozzle detection and compensation system. All ink is used up in the ink tank before needing to replace the tank. “On the fly” or “hot swap” capability allow switching the ink without stopping the print job. The printer comes with a 320GB hard drive, a USB port and Wi-Fi capability. The multifunction roll system is standard in the 60-inch, eight-colour model, which allows varying media in the dual-roll system and intelligently send the job to the correct media, automating HP Inc DesignJet Z5600 PostScript Printer the entire process. Making your own ICC protocols is an expensive option, but often desirable. An optional spectrophotometer for the 6000S is $9,000 (€8,487). HP Inc DesignJet Z5600 PostScript Printer This 44-inch (112 centimetre) printer is ideal for the architectural and contracting market, but the DesignJet Z5600 is fully colourcompatible with six-ink capability, so can be used for signage and small businesses, too. Using six inks, the printer assures adaptability to thrifty budgets. HP Inc’s chromatic red ink enhances the colour gamut, ideal for high-impact point of purchase (POP) signs and posters. The Z5600’s capability of printing at 504 square feet per hour (47 square metres) makes this printer one of the fastest of the printers featured here. Its price at under $5,000 (€ 4,715) makes it one of the most affordable printers for small businesses, too. HP Inc DesignJet Click printing software enables simple, one-click printing of for all PDF, JPEG, TIFF, and HP-GL/2 files. The software helps cut media costs with features like nesting and file error warnings. It allows users to be more productive with real-time previews, along with driverless and multipage/multi-file PDF printing of posters, rollup banners, CAD drawings, maps, and presentations. The printer has multi-roll printing. For greater line accuracy and colour reliability, HP Inc’s Professional PANTONE colour emulation is included with Adobe PostScript/PDF, HP-GL/2. Smoother colour tones are achieved in graphics thanks to HP Inc’s Multi-Dimensional Smart Drop Placement Technology, which enhances colour accuracy and reliable operation of the printer. The 44-inch (112 centimetre), automatic multi-roll DesignJet Z5600 PostScript Printer enhances media loading efficiency 75 percent and allows users to print 39 percent faster with quick-drying inks. If printing an exterior print or one needing high resistance, the pigment-based HP Inc Vivid Photo inks are water and fade-resistant and can last up to 200 years. The printer includes a 320GB hard drive and USB capability. Latex technology improving Canon imagePROGRAF Pro-6000S Mimaki and Ricoh have entered the latex-printing field in addition to HP Inc. It is considered aqueous, and yes, used to have poor scratchresistance, but that has improved. It requires high temperatures to dry, generating some adverse publicity a few years ago, but HP Inc will give ©<strong>2017</strong> The Recycler www.therecycler.com Page 11
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Page 9: Dr. K.R. Sridhar, CEO of Bloom Ener

Wide Format news 1-2017

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