A New Group of Inkjet Printers Emerge: Digital Flatbeds that Print on Rigid Substrates.Business/Technology Editors NORWELL, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 11, 2000 During the next 15 months, screen printers and digital color production companies in both Europe and North America North America, third largest continent (1990 est. pop. 365,000,000), c.9,400,000 sq mi (24,346,000 sq km), the northern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. will begin to see a raft of new, large format, piezo "Piezo", derived from the Greek piezein, which means to squeeze or press, is a prefix used in:
According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. CAP Ventures Inc., these digital flatbeds constitute a new breed of inkjets and are included in the CAP Ventures 1999-2004 Forecast as a separate category of large format technology that is expected to show exceptional growth, to more than 2,000 units installed by 2004. CAP Ventures believes that the flatbed inkjets, which range in price from about $200,000 to $400,000, will help to accelerate the ongoing market segmentation Market Segmentation A marketing term referring to the aggregating of prospective buyers into groups (segments) that have common needs and will respond similarly to a marketing action. within the inkjet printing market. Together, the digital flatbeds, digital screen presses and other specialized inkjets are taking inkjet printing far beyond more conventional applications such as desktop printing, on-demand poster-making and computer-aided design computer-aided design (CAD) or computer-aided design and drafting (CADD), form of automation that helps designers prepare drawings, specifications, parts lists, and other design-related elements using special graphics- and calculations-intensive output (CAD). The new machines -- all of which are currently manufactured in Europe -- are the first inkjets that can print directly on a wide range of rigid substrates such as plastic, wood, glass and sheet metal. Until recently, digital printing on rigid substrates via inkjet was a two-step process. In this process, digital machines first printed onto a transfer medium; then, the image printed on the transfer medium was transferred onto the rigid material with heat and/or pressure. Visually, new flatbed inkjets look very much like flatbed CAD plotters or flatbed analog screen printing machines. Like the flatbed CAD plotters, the substrate lays flat on the bed of the machine (hence, the name "flatbed"). Color images are printed on the rigid substrates from above, as an array of inkjet printheads moves horizontally across the substrate, printing downward onto the substrate. "The new digital flatbed inkjets which are marketed by companies like Durst, PerfectaPrint, Sericol, Inca and Siasprint will allow screen printers to produce economical short runs when printing on metal, plastic, glass and wood," said David Williamson, director of CAP Ventures' Visual Communications Technologies Consulting Service Noun 1. consulting service - service provided by a professional advisor (e.g., a lawyer or doctor or CPA etc.) service - work done by one person or group that benefits another; "budget separately for goods and services" (VCT VCT Voluntary Counseling and Testing VCT Vinyl Composition Tile VCT Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (ISO Country code) VCT Venture Capital Trust (UK fiscal status) ). "Because these machines also print on soft materials such as carpets, floor mats. curtain side, vinyl and banner fabric, they offer screen printers a high degree of versatility and flexibility. This flexibility will allow these companies to sell smaller quantities of graphic output to small businesses that previously could seldom afford to buy the large quantities that were required to be produced with their analog, flatbed screen printing machines," Williamson added. Most of the flatbed machines feature piezo inkjet printhead printhead n → cabeza impresora printhead n → tête f d'impression printhead print n → Druckkopf m technology that is sold to its OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) The rebranding of equipment and selling it. The term initially referred to the company that made the products (the "original" manufacturer), but eventually became widely used to refer to the organization that buys the products and customers by Xaar plc (http://www.xaar.co.uk/), a publicly held company based in Cambridge, England. Graham Wylie, Xaar CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. , notes, "Breakthrough printhead technology is the focus of our development efforts. This new class of large format flatbeds certainly fits within our mission of enabling cutting-edge digital applications and the economies of scale that ride with them." According to CAP Ventures, these digital flatbed machines first began to appear prominently in Europe this past May at the Drupa printing industry exhibition in Dusseldorf. Although distribution arrangements with U.S. distributors are pending in many cases, the digital flatbeds should start to become more visible at trade exhibitions in North America later this year and into the first quarter of 2001. Distribution and shipping to screen printers in the Europe and the U.S. should start in earnest during 2001. The Visual Communications Technologies Consulting Service is one of eight service areas now offered by CAP Ventures Inc. VCT currently provides annual retainer packages to clients in two areas: large format digital printing (LFDP) and large format electronic displays (LFED LFED Lightweight Forward Entry Device .) For more information on VCT and its market research and consulting services, please contact David Williamson at david_williamson@capv.com CAP Ventures is a strategic consulting firm Noun 1. consulting firm - a firm of experts providing professional advice to an organization for a fee consulting company business firm, firm, house - the members of a business organization that owns or operates one or more establishments; "he worked for a for providers and users of business communication technologies and services. We deliver the key research, analysis, forecasting, benchmarking, counsel, marketing education and implementation to both leverage industry opportunities and make a competitive difference in our clients' business. Additional information about CAP Ventures is available on the Web at: www.capv.com |
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