Managing director Rob King said the technology was targeted at photobooks but his company in London’s Docklands was using it for short-run print for bids and tenders because it offered “eye-popping” quality. A “good” finance package from LumeJet sealed the deal, he said, although he would not reveal details. The S200 photonic digital printer is LumeJet’s first commercial offering. The inkless technology works in a similar way to an inkjet using light, rather than ink, to make dots less than 0.005mm on silver halide-based media. It has a maximum print size of 1,000x305mm. “The LumeJet S200 is a unique new printer and we’re looking forward to building a market for its amazing output,” said King. “It’s not high volume or super fast but it’s ideal for bespoke work in runs of one to 10 or so with amazing ‘wow factor’ around the boardroom table. That’s its niche.” His business had no big problems in the test phase, but the kit ran better at constant temperatures. Producing a high-value book could add about 50p/page to costs, putting £40 on an 80-page copy, which was why “the public must be made aware of the great quality – it’s better than an Indigo”. King said the kit arrived with a swatch of 20 papers and he would like capacity to run more. He suggested the 12″ depth of the kit could benefit from being twice as deep, while the ability to reverse print would cut the need to mount everything on boards. The LumeJet S200 arrived at Altaimage’s Canary Wharf premises at the end of July and has been running since the beginning of August. The photonic technology is a little different from Altaimage’s other, more conventional ink or toner printers, he said. “The print quality is fabulous, quite unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. Fantastic photographs, eye-popping colours, sharp text and line art. Any agency using iPads for client presentations should get the prints made on it. It’s the hard-copy equivalent of a retina screen.”...

The rental scheme is aimed at printers who either aren’t ready to commit to purchasing a device, are struggling to secure finance or simply have a short-term requirement for extra production capacity. Included in the rental programme are Roland’s VersaCamm SP-i and VS-i series of printer/cutters, the VersaART RE-640 printer and the VersaUV LEF-12 and LEF-20 desktop UV promotional product printers. Roland DG UK is financing the rental scheme directly. Customers will be required to pay a three-month deposit upfront and then make monthly rental payments via direct debit. The deposit will be refunded at the end of the rental provided the machine is in good working order, while customers will also have the option to buy the machine at market value once the rental period is over. Customers taking out two- or three-year rental agreements will be able to cancel after 12 and 18 months respectively, with one month’s written notice; there will be no early termination charges according to Roland. Roland gave an example three-year rental cost for its £8,499 VersaCamm SP-300i as £341.25, or £11.22 per day. The rental cost includes one set of inks, VersaWorks RIP software, training at the Roland Academy and a full RolandCare Silver warranty. James Johnson, business manager, RolandCare and Roland Rentals, said: “This is a very comprehensive package and one we believe will give the new entrant to wide-format printing everything they need to quickly see a return on their investment. “At Roland, we are consistently trying to find new ways to work with customers to ensure they can take advantage of all our wide format technology has to offer. This programme could open up a whole world of possibilities for many smaller, ambitious businesses and we are looking forward to introducing the many benefits of Roland’s technology to them.”...

The rental scheme is aimed at printers who either aren’t ready to commit to purchasing a device, are struggling to secure finance or simply have a short-term requirement for extra production capacity. Included in the rental programme are Roland’s VersaCamm SP-i and VS-i series of printer/cutters, the VersaART RE-640 printer and the VersaUV LEF-12 and LEF-20 desktop UV promotional product printers. Roland DG UK is financing the rental scheme directly. Customers will be required to pay a three-month deposit upfront and then make monthly rental payments via direct debit. The deposit will be refunded at the end of the rental provided the machine is in good working order, while customers will also have the option to buy the machine at market value once the rental period is over. Customers taking out two- or three-year rental agreements will be able to cancel after 12 and 18 months respectively, with one month’s written notice; there will be no early termination charges according to Roland. Roland gave an example three-year rental cost for its £8,499 VersaCamm SP-300i as £341.25, or £11.22 per day. The rental cost includes one set of inks, VersaWorks RIP software, training at the Roland Academy and a full RolandCare Silver warranty. James Johnson, business manager, RolandCare and Roland Rentals, said: “This is a very comprehensive package and one we believe will give the new entrant to wide-format printing everything they need to quickly see a return on their investment. “At Roland, we are consistently trying to find new ways to work with customers to ensure they can take advantage of all our wide format technology has to offer. This programme could open up a whole world of possibilities for many smaller, ambitious businesses and we are looking forward to introducing the many benefits of Roland’s technology to them.”...

The five papers in its family will now come under the ‘Crown Letsgo’ brand, and range from Letsgo Eco targeted at transactional printing and the multi-purpose Letsgo Universal, through to Letsgo Bright Silk aimed at publishers and retailers. Grammages range from 70gsm to 170gsm. The Dutch papermaker has two paper machines at its Velsen site near Amsterdam, with the capacity to make 220,000 tonnes per annum. Its flexible setup means it can make smaller volumes with different types of coating. Around 10% of its current output is inkjet papers, mainly used in transactional printing, and it also makes label base papers and laser papers. Ad Sies, sales and business development manager for digital, said demand was growing as inkjet printing expands into new areas: “We introduced our new silk grade at Drupa last year and it has proved very popular. We subsequently introduced Letsgo Bright Silk because retailers wanted a brighter paper. “There is a real need for this type of paper in colour inkjet printing – we expect to see growth in retail and publishing applications,” Sies said. The firm’s papers are approved to work with equipment from all the major suppliers of high-speed inkjet kit, including Canon, HP, Kodak, Ricoh, Screen and Xerox. Through its Letsgo Develop initiative Crown Van Gelder aims to speed up the development of new papers. “Inkjet is hugely complex, technologically and it needs good paper,” Sies explained. “If you have a dialogue with the equipment manufacturer you can really shorten the time to market.” It also works directly with print customers to help them develop their businesses. “We are redefining fit-for-purpose, it doesn’t just have to be the inkjet equivalent to the laser or offset paper that was used in the past – let’s redefine it,” Sies added. Crown Van Gelder is also investigating the potential to expand its label grades following the recent explosion in inkjet label printing devices. The €160m (£135m) business employs 285 staff. It deals directly with major customers and its papers are also sold via Paperlinx. Technical details about its inkjet paper range can be viewed on the Crown Van Gelder website....

The five papers in its family will now come under the ‘Crown Letsgo’ brand, and range from Letsgo Eco targeted at transactional printing and the multi-purpose Letsgo Universal, through to Letsgo Bright Silk aimed at publishers and retailers. Grammages range from 70gsm to 170gsm. The Dutch papermaker has two paper machines at its Velsen site near Amsterdam, with the capacity to make 220,000 tonnes per annum. Its flexible setup means it can make smaller volumes with different types of coating. Around 10% of its current output is inkjet papers, mainly used in transactional printing, and it also makes label base papers and laser papers. Ad Sies, sales and business development manager for digital, said demand was growing as inkjet printing expands into new areas: “We introduced our new silk grade at Drupa last year and it has proved very popular. We subsequently introduced Letsgo Bright Silk because retailers wanted a brighter paper. “There is a real need for this type of paper in colour inkjet printing – we expect to see growth in retail and publishing applications,” Sies said. The firm’s papers are approved to work with equipment from all the major suppliers of high-speed inkjet kit, including Canon, HP, Kodak, Ricoh, Screen and Xerox. Through its Letsgo Develop initiative Crown Van Gelder aims to speed up the development of new papers. “Inkjet is hugely complex, technologically and it needs good paper,” Sies explained. “If you have a dialogue with the equipment manufacturer you can really shorten the time to market.” It also works directly with print customers to help them develop their businesses. “We are redefining fit-for-purpose, it doesn’t just have to be the inkjet equivalent to the laser or offset paper that was used in the past – let’s redefine it,” Sies added. Crown Van Gelder is also investigating the potential to expand its label grades following the recent explosion in inkjet label printing devices. The €160m (£135m) business employs 285 staff. It deals directly with major customers and its papers are also sold via Paperlinx. Technical details about its inkjet paper range can be viewed on the Crown Van Gelder website....