New Digital Printers at ISA Sign Expo and Beyond

T HE ISA EXPO IS ONE of the premier annual occasions for sign and printing equipment manufacturers to showcase their latest product offerings. Attendees at this year’s iteration found machines of all shapes, sizes and functions on the tradeshow floor, from compact desktop models to enormous flatbeds. Below are some notable digital printers introduced at the ISA Expo and elsewhere.

Tx330-1800 | Mimaki USA | mimakiusa.com

Direct-to-Film

Direct-to-film (DTF) printing is a relatively new subject of interest with its possibilities for applications on any surface and merchandise. Continuing from last year’s observations, the printing industry — as well as the sign industry, to a lesser extent — is diversifying into new product niches as shops provide customers with more merchandise and branding options.

Mimaki USA introduced its new Tx330 series at the expo, which includes the Tx330-1800 and Tx330-1800B models. The Tx330-1800 is a hybrid inkjet printer that can print both direct-to-fabric and to paper, including wallpaper and poster paper. The operator can switch the machine’s printing mechanism according to the base material (fabric or transfer paper) in use, enabling the production of short-run and custom fabrics for signs, décor, wearables and other applications. The printer is capable of running both pigment and dye-based inks at the same time. It accommodates material rolls from 74.8 to 76.7 in., depending on the media type.

UJV300DTF-75 | Mimaki USA | mimakiusa.com

Mimaki USA also debuted its UJV300DTF-75 UV-DTF printer at the ISA expo. Engineered for easy transfers to large or unusually shaped surfaces, the 25-in. printer uses a specialized film system with fewer manual touchpoints and a proprietary feed mechanism for stable film handling. Its custom silicon pinching rollers protect the adhesive-backed film from damage, ensuring a smooth and consistent media transport. The machine is equipped with Mimaki’s newly developed UV-curable ELS-170 inks in CMYK plus ELG-100 ink in white or clear.

Epson formally joins the DTF market with its first wide-format DTF printer, the SureColor G6070. Powered by a PrecisionCore Micro TFP printhead with Nozzle Verification Technology, the printer features a 35-in. print width with front-loading design that easily fits against walls to save floor space, as well as a large-capacity sealed ink pack, automatic maintenance and a fabric printhead wiper cleaning system. The G6070 best applies to intricate designs with fine details and small applications, such as chest logos, on a variety of materials outside of cotton-based goods.

JV200-160 | Mimaki USA | mimakiusa.com

Roll-to-Roll

Outside of DTF printing, Mimaki’s JV200 Series of eco-solvent, roll-to-roll printers are among the company’s new product offerings. Designed for entry-level print and wrap providers, these models can fit into tight spaces and act as universal printing devices for small shops that plan to use an external cutter or lamination workflow. The series features a single Mimaki 330 printhead for easy maintenance, print speeds up to 183 sq. ft./hr., a wide-opening cover for easy access, and an upward-facing panel for simple operation. They print in dual 4-color (MCYK, KYCM) and 8-color (MCYK, light key, light cyan, light magenta and orange) modes, and a bulk ink option is available.

SureColor S7170 | Epson | epson.com

Epson’s SureColor S7170 is tailored to small signshops that need to print on multiple substrates and grow their business without investing in high-production machines. The printer provides consistent output through its UltraChrome GS3 4-color solvent inks and Epson Precision Dot technology, while its precise media handling system and 1.33-in. PrecisionCore Micro TFP printhead ensure stable operation with faster speeds. A temperature sensor is placed closer to the nozzle plate to improve color consistency.

A new ink supply system for the model replaces bulky cartridges with high-volume 800mL ink packs, which use 80% less plastic than regular cartridges, thereby reducing plastic waste and eliminating frequent ink replacement. The S7170 supports a wide range of media, including vinyl, banner, canvas and paper. It is suitable for printing indoor and outdoor signs, vehicle wraps, banners, stickers and more.

In the mid-range zone, Durst has released its P5 X hybrid flatbed printer designed for both true flatbed and roll-to-roll applications. Equipped with 10 color channels, including white and varnish for special effects, the machine offers a twin-printing mode, a multifunctional status bar, an adjustable 12-zone vacuum table, ergonomic material handling, as well as reverse, multitrack and double-sided printing for the roll option. With consistent colors, smooth gradients and sharp, detailed text, the P5 X allows for a maximum printing width up to 180 x 84.6 in., making it suitable for applications in signage, POP displays and packaging.

P5 X | Durst | durstus.com

Vanguard Digital, a Durst Group company, launched the Radnor — named after Tennessee’s Radnor Lake — at the ISA Expo. The 10.5-ft. UV-LED hybrid printing system can handle both rigid and roll substrates, and can be configured with up to three rows of printheads to achieve print speeds up to 6,146 sq. ft./hr. Its Kyocera 4pl variable-dot printheads and magnetic linear drive ensure precise drop placement and great image quality. It also comes with six independently controlled vacuum zones, a Continuous Print Mode for efficient rigid sheet production, an X-axis manual cutter and Y-axis slitter for flexible materials, dual-side operation with mirrored controls and foot pedal access, automatic board registration plus optional white and varnish inks.

Radnor | Vanguard Digital | vanguarddigital.com

Latex

At the ISA Expo, printing giant HP announced the HP Latex 730 and HP Latex 830 Printer Series, its latest generation of water-based large-format models. The machines come with the new HP Pixel Control digital color pipeline, which enables print service providers (PSPs) to deliver a more robust and consistent image quality at a lower number of passes. Their HP Embedded Spectrophotometer also allows users to repeat print jobs across various media types without affecting quality. Equipped with HP Latex Ink and universal user-replaceable printheads, the machines can print sharp 4-point texts on a wide range of applications, including campaigns, décor and titled graphics.

HP Latex 730 | HP | hp.com

The printer series reduces printing time via instant drying, spindle-less front-loading and a new output platen that enables tighter media control of each print job. The HP Latex 830 in particular features 3L HP ink cartridges that can be replaced without pausing operations. To demonstrate the company’s sustainability commitments, both models are EPEAT Climate+ registered printers.

VersaOBJECT MO-180 | Roland DGA | rolanddga.com

Flatbed

Roland DGA unveiled its VersaOBJECT MO-180 benchtop flatbed printer, which can achieve a maximum print speed of 20.48 sq. ft./hr. in standard mode through a two-staggered printhead layout, a powerful UV-LED lamp and dot-control technology. Its productivity for simultaneous white printing is double that of previous models. With 8-in. clearance and 18 x 12-in. print area, the machine accommodates tall fixtures and unconventional shapes. An optional rotary axis unit enables easy printing on cylindrical objects like bottles and flasks within 0.39 to 4.76-in. diameter. The MO-180’s specially formulated EUV-5 UV inks, including CMYK, white, gloss, orange and red, allow for faster curing and superior reproduction of gloss or matte finishes, fine texts, unique textures, complex designs, 3D-embossed effects and subtle gradations.

TrueVIS XG-640 | Roland DGA | rolanddga.com

Printer-Cutter

Following its TrueVelocity event at the Richard Childress Racing center on May 21, Roland DGA announced the launch of its new TrueVIS XG-640, a 64-in. professional-level eco-solvent printer-cutter geared toward busy print operations. Through dual staggered printheads that eject finer ink droplets at higher densities and high-speed data control, the machine can reach speeds up to 819 sq. ft./hr., twice as fast as leading solvent and latex systems. Other key features include automatic media setup and takeup, automated pinch rollers, perforated sheet cutting, media gap adjustment and self-maintenance.

The XG-640 offers Roland DG’s new GBL-free, wide-gamut TR3 eco-solvent inks in up to eight colors: CMYK, light cyan, light magenta, orange and green. Its white ink printing is three times faster and 1.3 times denser than with the TrueVIS VG3, ensuring greater opacity for window graphics and base coats. A unique feature of the printer is True Rich Color, a print setting that combines vivid colors with neutral grays, smooth gradations and natural skin tones. Users can quickly select the ideal color setting depending on what the graphic needs.

AccurioJet 30000 | Konica Minolta | kmbs.konicaminolta.us

Inkjet Press

Designed for mid-level businesses, the AccurioJet 30000 HS-UV Inkjet B2+ 29” Press by Konica Minolta U.S.A. is a digital UV inkjet press and successor to the AccurioJet KM-13. It comes equipped with a more advanced inkjet printhead and Konica Minolta’s Dot Freeze Technology, and is capable of producing up to 3,000 sheets per hour with automatic duplex printing without ink drying delays. It improves RIP performance by optimizing CPU and memory storage configuration, and eliminates waiting time with Pre-RIP processing. AccurioJet 30000 also features optional detection and correction of image quality artifacts, in addition to the latest tools in remote diagnostics, augmented reality tools and embedded machine learning.

The press can print on paper thicknesses from 0.06 to 0.6mm on a large variety of standard offset and specialty media, including heavy textured and translucent stock, canvas, metal, packaging board and plastic. It can be used to print signs, backlit posters, outdoor displays, packaging, maps, albums and more.

Signmakers may find themselves spoiled for choice when it comes to the new printers now available in the North American market, quite a few of which are designed specifically for small- to medium-sized operations. In our May survey, close to 30% of the sign pros in our Brain Squad reported they have not purchased a new digital printer in 3-5 years, followed by 25% who have not done so in 1-2 years. So whether you want to experiment with a new ink and printing process, take the leap into DTF to create more diverse products or simply replace an old model, you now know where to start.