Price Screen and Digital, in the Adelaide suburb of St Mary’s, is the first Australian company to install the new Océ Arizona 550 XT UV curable flatbed printer, just weeks after the official worldwide release.
Martin Price, Managing Director of Price Screen & Digital, ordered the new printer after viewing other model Océ Arizona uv curable printers in operation. Prior to taking delivery he joined other advance customers in Vancouver for a special pre-release unveiling of the Océ Arizona 550 XT and factory tour.
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| Martin Price with his new Océ Arizona 550 XT, the first to be installed in Australia. |
Martin says “I was extremely impressed with all the Arizona uv flatbed models that Océ demonstrated, however the Arizona 550 XT offers specific productivity gains we were looking for, enabling us to convert medium run screen print jobs to digital print. It also allows to offer our clients a faster turnaround with far superior quality coupled with cost savings too.
“We assessed all the possible flatbed printer options on the market and the main characteristics that attracted me to Océ and the Arizona were exceptional print quality and a partnership approach from a dependable company. Most importantly, says Martin, “when upgrading print equipment our company philosophy has always been, to stay on the leading edge of technology we must invest in the best.
“A high percentage of our work is trade work, much of it through advertising agencies, print brokers, graphic designers, sign writers, general printers, print managers and even other screen printers. This means equipment that ensures we produce the highest quality print on the market at a cost effective price, especially when printing for the quality-sensitive cosmetic and high-end retail markets.
“The printed images on the Arizona 550 XT printers are virtually photographic quality, however, equally important for a quality screen printer like ourselves, is the high resolution of fine text the Arizona can achieve. A great deal of our work is point of sale display and quite often viewed at close range, so it is important to us that the text be as clear and sharp as the images.
“The 550 XT’s high end print quality gives us the ability to print for the display, retail, packaging and architectural industries on a huge range of materials such as aluminium composite panel, corflute, PVC, fluted board, foam board, wood, glass, plastics up to 50mm thick.
“The two separate vacuum bed zones enable continuous printing with no downtime between prints. After the first sheet is printed, the print head moves, automatically starting to print the second sheet. The operator is able to remove the first printed sheet to set-up another clean sheet. Normally you would print one sheet at a time and wait for the first to finish before you can place the second one on the printer, so there are critical time advantages on long print runs with the Arizona 550 XT.”
The Océ Arizona 550 XT offers print speeds of up to 65 m2 per hour enabling printing of more than 150 sheets of 1220 x 2440mm sheets in a single shift.
“The new Océ printer has added greatly to the services we are now able to offer, allowing us to compete with virtually anyone in Australia on the basis of quality, price and service,” says Martin Price.
“With the addition of the 2200mm wide roll media option and white ink capability, the Océ Arizona 550XT gives us the ultimate versatility, enabling us to increase the products and services our sales offices in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide can offer and in the time frame our clients require.”
Price Screen and Digital opened 40 years ago, exclusively an industrial and general screen printer, before moving into wide format roll and flatbed digital printing seven years ago. The company now has an equal balance of screen and digital work but Martin sees this changing in favour of digital with the introduction of equipment such as the Océ Arizona 550 XT.
“Initially we moved into digital to offer our clients short run printing but we are now finding, with the increases in speed and productivity being offered by digital, it is now economical to print medium size runs digitally as well.
“I found Océ’s approach in the process to be helpful and professional. One of my key criteria was the availability of a local service and support, the response from Océ was a pleasant surprise for this industry. They immediately arranged for two local technicians to be fully trained on the Arizona range of machines prior to me taking delivery of my new machine. They treated the sale more as a partnership and assisted wherever possible. It’s been a good experience.
“In the coming weeks we will have a web page devoted to the Arizona 550XT together with a short video showing this great printer in action. You will be able to view this at www.pricescreen.com.au “
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