FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ColorSpan Announces 72" Solvent Inkjet Printer, Code Named: "Gator"

Highlights

MacDermid ColorSpan, Inc. debuted its new DisplayMaker® 72s wide-format solvent inkjet printer at the Screen Graphics & Imaging Association (SGIA) exposition in Atlanta, October15-18, 2003 in booth 2621.

The DisplayMaker 72s features a print width of 72-inches or 1.83 meters and print speeds of up to 400 square feet or 37 square meters per hour.

DisplayMaker 72s uses sixteen 600-dpi Micro-Quad™ piezo-electric printheads and ColorSpan's SolaChrome™-HR solvent pigmented inks to produce high-quality outdoor-durable banners, signs, vehicle graphics and more on inexpensive uncoated vinyl and other substrates.

The self-cleaning printhead service station uses an on-board solvent cleaning solution to ensure the printer is available to print on demand without the typical start-up maintenance associated with solvent printers.

ColorSpan’s Automation Eye technology uses an on-board image sensor and photodiode to automate the setup and calibration steps critical for achieving and maintaining print quality, while extending the useful life of the printheads.

The DisplayMaker 72s will be available from ColorSpan’s worldwide network of value-added distributors and resellers starting in the 4th quarter.

MacDermid ColorSpan, Inc., an innovator and leader in the wide-format color inkjet printer market, introduces a 72-inch wide, piezo-electric solvent inkjet printer, the DisplayMaker® 72s. Developed under the code name "Gator," the printer is designed around sixteen (16) 600-dpi Micro-Quad™ piezo-electric printheads, that delivers true 600 x 600-dpi quality at print speeds up to 400 square feet / hour. The DisplayMaker 72s offers unprecedented quality, speed and automation features compared to other solvent or eco-solvent printers. The DisplayMaker 72s will be shown for the first time at Screen Graphics & Imaging Association (SGIA) exposition in Atlanta, October15-18, 2003 in booth 2621, with shipments to customers commencing in the 4th quarter.

Bruce Butler, director of marketing, stated, "The DisplayMaker 72s sets a new standard in large format digital printing performance and value, combining production speed with quality imaging, ease-of-use and low cost of operation." Butler went on to say, "With a production print speed of 200 sq. feet per hour and 600-dpi print quality, the DisplayMaker 72s greatly enhances the production of all types of banners, signage, fleet and floor graphics, and backlit displays. Combining its automated maintenance features, low cost of operation and always ready to print capability, the DisplayMaker 72s is an ideal printer for sign shops, graphics shops and all other wide-format print producers."

Product Features

Micro-Quad™ Printheads —
Sixteen (16) industrial-quality, long-life piezo-electric printheads are configured as four interlaced heads using 384 jets per color. These 600-dpi printheads jet a micro-sized 30-picoliter droplet. The result is higher quality prints at lower production costs when compared to typical 360-dpi, 70-picoliter, 6-color printers.

Production-Oriented Speed —
Designed-engineered as a production sign system, the DisplayMaker 72s uses 16 piezo-electric printheads with 1,536 total jets. The printer boasts a print speed of 400 square feet (37.2 m2) per hour in its Billboard Quality print mode. In its Production Quality mode, the printer turns out 200 square feet (18.6 m2) per hour of high quality, sellable graphics. A High Quality mode is also available at 100 square feet (9.3 m2) per hour.

Advanced Automation Eye —
Consisting of a high-resolution imaging sensor, colorimetric photodiode, and embedded software, the printer automates the setup and calibration steps critical for achieving and maintaining print quality.

• AutoSet™ Calibration ­
  analyzes dot placement of printed patterns and automatically sets the head-to-head alignment and bi-directional (bi-di) dot placement alignment to compensate for variable print speeds, head height settings and media thickness.

• AutoJet™ Calibration ­
  eliminates banding in prints and extends the useful life of the printheads by mapping out jets that are not up to performance standards and compensating by using another jet in their place.

• AutoTune™ Scheduler ­
  schedules the AutoJet calibration to occur during unattended print runs to ensure maximum print quality and minimize waste or reprints.

• Linearization ­
  the on-board spectrophotometer supplies color and density data to the external RIP’s color management software. The color management system then linearizes the color curves to ensure accurate and consistent color.

• Color Profiling ­
  using the on-board spectrophotometer, the DisplayMaker 72s prints and automatically reads hundreds of color swatches to allow the RIP and ColorMark+ color management software to create custom ICC and ColorMark® profiles for 3rd party media.