Press on Digital Imaging (PODI), a sign and display company based in Rochester, has added a second HP Scitex LX850 Industrial Printer to a growing portfolio of HP large format digital printers.
PODI’s offers a full spectrum of indoor and outdoor graphics arts applications. It made the investment through HP dealer, CWE Solutions, of Chessington, Surrey and Sheffield, to boost production and maintain capacity across key vehicle wrapping and window film accounts.
According to Andrew Wilson, co-director of PODI, the LX850 printer’s water based HP Latex Inks, together with its 3.2 metre width and dual-roll capability, deliver invaluable efficiency advantages.
‘We undertake a tremendous amount of promotional work using self-adhesive vinyl, including a very large contract to produce high-quality livery for wrapping London taxis, which demands extremely fast turnarounds,’ he said. ‘With printers that run solvent ink, the solvent remains in the vinyl and requires a 24-hour gassing-off period. This waiting time is completely eliminated with the latex printer, such that we can finish the vinyl the minute it comes off the machine.’
He also likes the media handling width of the printer: ‘Not because our work always requires huge widths, but by the ability to print more graphics across the roll. Add to that the fact that we use two rolls side-by-side, instead of just one, and it’s easy to see how the LX850 delivers such a hard punch in terms of the sheer volume of media it can output. We only installed our first LX850 in September, but since that time have already put over 70,000m2 of substrate through it.’
Despite the high speed, the LX8750 can also achieve good quality, Mr Wilson said: ‘The LX850 delivers the best speed achievable at the high output quality we require,’ he explained. ‘Although some UV machines might be faster, they quickly fall down in terms of their suitably for vehicle applications, so it’s about fulfilling all criteria – not just one.’
Contact: www.hp.com and www.cwesolutions.co.uk
