David Savastano, Ink World Editor10.30.09
As more printers continue to move toward digital, ink suppliers will need to be right there with them, whether it is developing new inks or collaborating with press manufacturers. This is particularly true in the screen printing arena, where digital has made the strongest inroads to date.
It should come as no surprise, then, that the leading screen ink manufacturers have done just that. Nazdar, through its Nazdar Digital division, has been particularly active on this front recently.
In mid-April, the company announced equipment distribution agreements with Matan, a label and decal specialist, and Roland DGA, which is strong in the printer/plotter market.
In July, in a significant move, Nazdar announced it has exclusive North American distribution rights to Vutek wide and superwide digital ink jet printers as well as its inks to the screen print market.
“The primary advantage of our agreements is for our customers,” said Richard Bowles, Nazdar’s vice president of marketing. “We have long-term relationships with our screen printing customers, and by working with these companies, we are able to be a one-stop shop for our customers.”
As a result of its agreement with Vutek, the leading worldwide supplier of superwide format digital ink jet printers to the graphic arts market, Nazdar will offer a complete line of Vutek printers. These printers include the PressVu family of digital ink jet flatbed printers, capable of printing on both rigid and flexible substrates using UV-curable or solvent-based inks, and its UltraVu line of high quality, high speed printers in two-meter, three-meter and five-meter formats.In addition, Nazdar will no longer market its NDI 400 Series of inks for Vutek printers in North America.
“For our customers, our partners and ourselves, this is a huge alliance,” Mr. Bowles said. “Vutek is a quality company and the leader in ink jet equipment, and we provide them with our reach into the marketplace.
“We’re extremely pleased to be associated with Vutek,” added Mr. Bowles. “Part of Nazdar’s mission is to offer the screen printing industry the very best digital imaging products available, produced by the most reputable manufacturers, and there’s no company that fits that criteria better than Vutek. They pioneered superwide and grand format digital printing and continue to set the standard for quality, value and performance. We look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship.”
“Nazdar’s been serving the screen printing industry for almost 90 years,” said Scott Schinlever, Vutek’s vice president of marketing. “They know what screen printers need to be successful in today’s market, and printers have trusted them to provide the right solutions. Their in-depth understanding of the industry and close relationships with so many of the best print companies will bring Vutek digital printers in front of the people who will get the most benefit from them. This is truly a partnership that will be good for everybody – especially the screen printer.”
Adding Vutek’s wide and superwide format printers to its line provides Nazdar’s customers with new opportunities. It also fits in nicely with the agreements with Roland DGA and Matan.
The agreement with Roland DGA allows Nazdar to distribute Roland’s complete line of full color digital printers and plotters, particularly Roland’s SC540EX and VersaCAMM (SP-300) printer/plotters.
The agreement with Matan allows Nazdar to distribute the Matan Spark1612 and Matan Spring12 thermal printers for the label and decal market.
According to Roland, the SC540EX and the VersaCAMM ink jet printer/plotters incorporate full cutting capabilities with full-color 1440 dpi printing. The SC540EX prints up to 300 square feet per hour at 450 dpi for the production of signs, banners, POP displays and vehicle wraps, or it can print up to 1440 x 1440 dpi with variable droplet technology for enhanced clarity. In addition, the SC540EX can contour cut printed graphics automatically without reloading or repositioning and can function as a stand-alone vinyl cutter.
The SC540EX prints graphics directly on to coated materials without emitting harmful fumes, eliminating the need for expensive ventilation systems. With a built-in media heating system, the SC540EX prints signs and banners that dry quickly with outdoor durability of up to three years.
The VersaCAMM is the first printer/cutter available for less than $14,000 capable of outputting durable indoor and outdoor graphics on uncoated media. The 30-inch printer/cutter employs an integrated media heating system and advanced Eco-SOL INK to print a wide range of outdoor, durable, full-color graphics without ventilation. The VersaCAMM is a USB device, so printing can be done directly from common graphic applications such as PhotoShop and Adobe Illustrator.
“Roland DGA Corporation is highly respected for its leadership in the fine art, photography, sign making, graphic arts, engraving and 3D modeling industries,” Mr. Bowles said. “Its products connect manufacturers of dynamic technologies with creative professionals who use those products. The company’s extensive product line make it a great solution for Nazdar customers, especially given the fact that Roland machines are so reliable and durable.”
“We’re delighted to enter into this agreement with Nazdar,” said Dave Goward, vice president of sales and marketing for Roland. “The company’s knowledge of and leadership in digital imaging products is well-known and we expect that this agreement will permit Roland to serve the U.S. screen graphics industry more successfully than ever.”
As for Matan, the Matan Spark1612 and Matan Spring12 thermal printers are ideal for the label and decal market.
“As digital printing technology continues to develop, Nazdar Digital is expanding its product offerings to reflect the changing needs of our customers,” said Dan Wenger, Nazdar’s Digital product manager. “The new Matan thermal machines represent the high quality, cost-effective solution that label and decal printers have been looking for to help them with short run jobs.”
Mr. Wenger said that the Spark 1612 digital thermal transfer printer is the only printer in the mid-size class that can print at widths of both 16 inches and/or 12 inches, enabling considerable savings on capital expenditure as well as consumables due to reduced ribbon and media wastage. One of the fastest mid-size printers in the market today, the Spark1612 prints any one-meter application in one minute, enabling hundreds of prints to be produced in a single shift. The Spark1612 prints a true 400 dpi glossy finish at 100 percent coverage.
The Spark1612 utilizes resin-based ribbons in both CMYK process color as well as 23 spot colors, including white, metallic gold and silver, which are suitable for printing on a wide range of pressure sensitive films and a selection of specialty products. Wax-resin ribbons in a CMYK set can be printed onto a range of paper and foil label stocks. CMYK dye-sublimation transfer ribbons can produce heat-transfer decals for textiles, ceramics, glass, wood and other surfaces.
According to the company, prints from the Spark1612 are ready for use and require no coating or lamination, and offer outstanding resistance to humidity, UV light, water, abrasion and industrial and cleaning chemicals. When printed onto durable vinyl films using resin-based ribbons, Spark1612 graphics are warranted to be UV-stable and outdoor weatherable for four to five years without top-coating or laminating.
The Matan Spring12 is a fully digital 12 inch industrial thermal printer offering high-speed six-color output capability in a single pass. Ideal for short runs of labels and decals, the highly efficient Spring12 eliminates the need for films, plates, dies and make-ready. The Spring12 prints in four, five or six-color process or a wide range of spot colors, including metallic gold and silver, opaque white, double black and many others.
Both printers utilize Matan’s advanced digital thermal transfer technology. Color thermal transfer enables printing directly on any smooth media or transfer to fabrics and provides the UV and scratch resistant durability of screen inks. Thermal transfer prints at more than 60 square meters per hour and is very cost-effective, making it ideal for short runs.
As screen printers continue to explore digital, Nazdar will be right there to work with them.
“Digital is allowing printers to increase profitability by doing short customized runs on a wide range of substrates while also improving pre-press efficiencies,” Mr. Bowles said. “We have really built up our digital offering for the screen printing market.”
It should come as no surprise, then, that the leading screen ink manufacturers have done just that. Nazdar, through its Nazdar Digital division, has been particularly active on this front recently.
In mid-April, the company announced equipment distribution agreements with Matan, a label and decal specialist, and Roland DGA, which is strong in the printer/plotter market.
In July, in a significant move, Nazdar announced it has exclusive North American distribution rights to Vutek wide and superwide digital ink jet printers as well as its inks to the screen print market.
“The primary advantage of our agreements is for our customers,” said Richard Bowles, Nazdar’s vice president of marketing. “We have long-term relationships with our screen printing customers, and by working with these companies, we are able to be a one-stop shop for our customers.”
As a result of its agreement with Vutek, the leading worldwide supplier of superwide format digital ink jet printers to the graphic arts market, Nazdar will offer a complete line of Vutek printers. These printers include the PressVu family of digital ink jet flatbed printers, capable of printing on both rigid and flexible substrates using UV-curable or solvent-based inks, and its UltraVu line of high quality, high speed printers in two-meter, three-meter and five-meter formats.In addition, Nazdar will no longer market its NDI 400 Series of inks for Vutek printers in North America.
“For our customers, our partners and ourselves, this is a huge alliance,” Mr. Bowles said. “Vutek is a quality company and the leader in ink jet equipment, and we provide them with our reach into the marketplace.
“We’re extremely pleased to be associated with Vutek,” added Mr. Bowles. “Part of Nazdar’s mission is to offer the screen printing industry the very best digital imaging products available, produced by the most reputable manufacturers, and there’s no company that fits that criteria better than Vutek. They pioneered superwide and grand format digital printing and continue to set the standard for quality, value and performance. We look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship.”
“Nazdar’s been serving the screen printing industry for almost 90 years,” said Scott Schinlever, Vutek’s vice president of marketing. “They know what screen printers need to be successful in today’s market, and printers have trusted them to provide the right solutions. Their in-depth understanding of the industry and close relationships with so many of the best print companies will bring Vutek digital printers in front of the people who will get the most benefit from them. This is truly a partnership that will be good for everybody – especially the screen printer.”
Adding Vutek’s wide and superwide format printers to its line provides Nazdar’s customers with new opportunities. It also fits in nicely with the agreements with Roland DGA and Matan.
The agreement with Roland DGA allows Nazdar to distribute Roland’s complete line of full color digital printers and plotters, particularly Roland’s SC540EX and VersaCAMM (SP-300) printer/plotters.
The agreement with Matan allows Nazdar to distribute the Matan Spark1612 and Matan Spring12 thermal printers for the label and decal market.
According to Roland, the SC540EX and the VersaCAMM ink jet printer/plotters incorporate full cutting capabilities with full-color 1440 dpi printing. The SC540EX prints up to 300 square feet per hour at 450 dpi for the production of signs, banners, POP displays and vehicle wraps, or it can print up to 1440 x 1440 dpi with variable droplet technology for enhanced clarity. In addition, the SC540EX can contour cut printed graphics automatically without reloading or repositioning and can function as a stand-alone vinyl cutter.
The SC540EX prints graphics directly on to coated materials without emitting harmful fumes, eliminating the need for expensive ventilation systems. With a built-in media heating system, the SC540EX prints signs and banners that dry quickly with outdoor durability of up to three years.
The VersaCAMM is the first printer/cutter available for less than $14,000 capable of outputting durable indoor and outdoor graphics on uncoated media. The 30-inch printer/cutter employs an integrated media heating system and advanced Eco-SOL INK to print a wide range of outdoor, durable, full-color graphics without ventilation. The VersaCAMM is a USB device, so printing can be done directly from common graphic applications such as PhotoShop and Adobe Illustrator.
“Roland DGA Corporation is highly respected for its leadership in the fine art, photography, sign making, graphic arts, engraving and 3D modeling industries,” Mr. Bowles said. “Its products connect manufacturers of dynamic technologies with creative professionals who use those products. The company’s extensive product line make it a great solution for Nazdar customers, especially given the fact that Roland machines are so reliable and durable.”
“We’re delighted to enter into this agreement with Nazdar,” said Dave Goward, vice president of sales and marketing for Roland. “The company’s knowledge of and leadership in digital imaging products is well-known and we expect that this agreement will permit Roland to serve the U.S. screen graphics industry more successfully than ever.”
As for Matan, the Matan Spark1612 and Matan Spring12 thermal printers are ideal for the label and decal market.
“As digital printing technology continues to develop, Nazdar Digital is expanding its product offerings to reflect the changing needs of our customers,” said Dan Wenger, Nazdar’s Digital product manager. “The new Matan thermal machines represent the high quality, cost-effective solution that label and decal printers have been looking for to help them with short run jobs.”
Mr. Wenger said that the Spark 1612 digital thermal transfer printer is the only printer in the mid-size class that can print at widths of both 16 inches and/or 12 inches, enabling considerable savings on capital expenditure as well as consumables due to reduced ribbon and media wastage. One of the fastest mid-size printers in the market today, the Spark1612 prints any one-meter application in one minute, enabling hundreds of prints to be produced in a single shift. The Spark1612 prints a true 400 dpi glossy finish at 100 percent coverage.
The Spark1612 utilizes resin-based ribbons in both CMYK process color as well as 23 spot colors, including white, metallic gold and silver, which are suitable for printing on a wide range of pressure sensitive films and a selection of specialty products. Wax-resin ribbons in a CMYK set can be printed onto a range of paper and foil label stocks. CMYK dye-sublimation transfer ribbons can produce heat-transfer decals for textiles, ceramics, glass, wood and other surfaces.
According to the company, prints from the Spark1612 are ready for use and require no coating or lamination, and offer outstanding resistance to humidity, UV light, water, abrasion and industrial and cleaning chemicals. When printed onto durable vinyl films using resin-based ribbons, Spark1612 graphics are warranted to be UV-stable and outdoor weatherable for four to five years without top-coating or laminating.
The Matan Spring12 is a fully digital 12 inch industrial thermal printer offering high-speed six-color output capability in a single pass. Ideal for short runs of labels and decals, the highly efficient Spring12 eliminates the need for films, plates, dies and make-ready. The Spring12 prints in four, five or six-color process or a wide range of spot colors, including metallic gold and silver, opaque white, double black and many others.
Both printers utilize Matan’s advanced digital thermal transfer technology. Color thermal transfer enables printing directly on any smooth media or transfer to fabrics and provides the UV and scratch resistant durability of screen inks. Thermal transfer prints at more than 60 square meters per hour and is very cost-effective, making it ideal for short runs.
As screen printers continue to explore digital, Nazdar will be right there to work with them.
“Digital is allowing printers to increase profitability by doing short customized runs on a wide range of substrates while also improving pre-press efficiencies,” Mr. Bowles said. “We have really built up our digital offering for the screen printing market.”