CASE STUDY
Getting the best of both
How to achieve screen print speeds with the versatility of digital production? Sign and display specialist, Bluetree, found a solution in the HP Scitex FB7500 printer
UV-curable ink on this machine and its appearance across a range of different materials.”
Bluetree's Bryan Shirley and member of his team
A
lready well-versed in inkjet technology, Bluetree Design and Print invested in the new UV-cure flat-bed solution with the result that it can produce all run lengths at speeds of up to 500m/h. Bluetree can also include versioning and variable data into its applications so that customised jobs, from short runs up to volumes of several thousand, can be output from a single data file.
A former screen printing specialist, Bluetree initially invested in wide format digital in 2004 to cater for shorter runs and greater versatility. Fast forward to 2009 and the company realised it needed to invest further in digital printing capability.
Bluetree director, Bryan Shirley, explained: “The company was in a strong position as a supplier of high-quality point-of-sale, signs and general displays but we needed to evolve in order to continue growth. This meant we needed to invest in greater wide format inkjet capacity.
“We looked at the options available for fast throughput that could match the high-quality of our screen printing. One of the deciding factors in our selection of the HP Scitex FB7500 was the quality of finish. In particular, we preferred the
12
The automation incorporated into the printer was another important aspect for Bluetree, particularly the loading and stacking elements included in this machine. Designed for heavy- duty production cycles and fast change-over, the company’s FB7500 often runs 24 hours a day, with minimal supervision, providing consistent high-quality across a range of different jobs. One of the advantages of digital printing is that it is possible to output customised jobs where variable elements are incorporated as part of the overall print. Using HP’s SmartStream Designer plug-in with Adobe CS5 InDesign gives Bluetree the versatility to merge personalised data as part of an overall graphic application.
A typical example was the production of more than 5,300 self-adhesive signs, each of which contained individual information yet was output as a single application on the HP Scitex FB7500. The job, produced for a public transport company, enables bus passengers to text a unique code to a central number. This notifies
the drivers that there are people waiting to be collected at the stop, identified numerically in the text message.
Developed to promote the transition from analogue to digital production, the FB7500 boasts output speeds of up to 500m/h. This six- colour wide format printer also benefits from HP’s X2 MEMS printhead technology and specially developed UV-curable inks. With an optimum native resolution of 500dpi, piezoelectric inkjet technology supports consistent results across a range of rigid and flexible sheets up to a maximum of 1.65 by 3.2m and thickness of 25mm. Typical materials include card stocks, corrugated and fluted boards, polystyrene, self-adhesive vinyls, coated and uncoated papers and PVCs.
Bryan Shirley concluded: “Adding the FB7500 has increased our versatility and output opportunities across all run lengths. This investment has lived up to its promise, giving us speed and quality in a robust, dependable printer – so we're now considering a second machine.”
llll
www.hp.com
The HP Scitex FB7500 utilises UV-curable inks SCREEN PROCESS AND DIGITAL IMAGING l January/February 2011 Visit us at
www.spdi-online.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32