The next generation Acuity, the Acuity Advance X2 from Fujifilm, increases the printing area of its predecessor to 8' x 10'. Production speeds of 237 sq. ft. per hour and quality output of 161 sq. ft. per hour deliver a variety of image quality options. A key feature is a white option using Sericol Uvijet inks that print an opaque white under, over or between print layers. The Acuity series is a UV drop-on-demand piezo flatbed device with roll-to-roll option. Commercial shipments of the X2 model begin in May.  www.fgsc.ca

Several new inks raise the quality bar. They are:
EFI’s QS Series 2, the next generation of UV inks for the company’s QS2000 and QS3000 superwide format printers, promise enhanced performance and flexibility on a wider range of materials than its predecessor formulation.

To bolster image lifespan without lamination, HP has formulated the HP 781 and 791 inks for its Designjet 8000, 9000 and 10,000. They are compatible with the old inks, so no new cleaning supplies are necessary, promise up to three years of display permanence, and are more resistant to scratching, smearing and cracking.

Enhancing security is the goal of Sun Chemical’s SunGuard Apollo, an Infra Red ink which uses special pigments from a secure supply. Anyone using UV fluorescent inks, can integrate SunGuard to bolster protection even more.

Several new features enhance Infoprint’s family of monochrome continuous printers. The 4100 model comes with a new toner that delivers higher fusing properties with cooler temperatures at the pre-heat platen and fusing station, higher optical density and better adhesion to a variety of media. The printer also supports a wider range of paper options such as heavyweight stock at high speeds in pinless mode, and comes with several other enhancements including new sensors that detect jams.
The 75 and 100 models now come with full support of Intelligent Print Data Stream and support for PCL and PostScript.
Contact: www.infoprint.com

Drytac’s new liquid coater VersaCoater XL is compatible with rigid or flexible media up to 3" thick, and suitable for coating output from inkjet presses, UV-curable flatbeds, and solvent and eco-solvent machines. Drytac’s Dynamic Coating Technology lets an operator control the coating weight from 8 to 20+ microns.
Drytac also introduced a new line of rollable substrates for UV inkjet presses, called the Drytac UV Printable line. It contains vinyls and polystyrenes ideal for POP displays, and wall and trade show signage.
Contact: www.drytac.com

From space odysseys to inkjet production, HAL, the new high-speed automatic loading robot from Gandinnovations, works in sync with all Jeti flatbed digital printers for greater productivity. Hal can handle materials simultaneously on two Jeti printers situated back to back. Its ‘magic eye,’ or intelligent camera station, looks for contamination, evaluates the condition of material for damages and pre-determines the position for perfect loading every time. The robot handles materials up to 10 mm thick in sizes up to 4' x 8', detects sheet corner damage, monitors print jetting, and inspects the test pattern on the border to reduce scrap. Once the job is done, HAL unloads it and places it in an allocated area.
Contact: www.gandinnovations.com

From MGI comes the JetVarnish, an offline digital inkjet spot UV coater for sheets up to 20" x 29". Drop-on-demand heads accommodate coated paper and plastic substrates up to 200 lb. cover with full variable capabilities, at speeds of up to 2,500 sheets per hour. Coatings come in gloss, ultragloss or satin finishes—the gloss finish is also available in security formulas that are only visible under black lights—while UV curing dries sheet on the fly via a conveyor belt. It’s compatible with digital, offset or flexo presses, no plates are required, and it integrates with most DTP software.
Contact: www.mgiusa.com

Markzware has upgraded its Adobe InDesign to QuarkXPress conversion tool ID2Q, with version four, which converts InDesign documents up to Adobe CS 4 to Quark 7 or 8. The company says the new-and-improved tool saves hours of formatting, scanning, and re-keying because it eliminates the barriers of entry of moving data between different formats. ID2Q re-creates details within an InDesign document instantly in Quark, and is compatible with both Macintosh and PC platforms.
Contact: www.markzware.com

The Arizona family of flatbed inket printers is getting larger. The soon-to-be-released UV Océ Arizona 350 XT will print images up to 8.2' x 10'. A white ink option and a roll media option also are available. Océ says the extra width means the printer can be used in continuous imaging mode for rigid media: two rigid boards can be mounted side by side; while one prints, the other can be changed. Production print speeds run up to 248 sq. ft. per hour on rigid media and 188 sq. ft. per hour on the roll media on substrates that range up to almost 2" thick. Look for it this spring.
Contact: www.océ.com

Vutek is rolling out two superwide UV printers: the GS 3200 and GS5000r. With dual resolutions of 600 dpi and 1,000 dpi, the hybrid GS 3200 is positioned for fine art replication, photography and POP displays as wellas 3.2 m banner and signage applications. It comes in 8-colour mode, plus white, for printing speeds up to 1,200 sq. ft. per hour, or 2,400 sq. ft. in 4-colour.
For an even bigger punch, the GS5000r comes in at 5 m and is aimed at mid- to high-volume print shops and commercial printers. In 8-colour mode it produces 1,600 sq. ft. per house, or 3,100 sq. ft in 4-colours. It too features dual resolution at 600 dpi and 1,000 dpi. Both will ship in the second quarter.
Contact: www.efi.com