Readers' Choice Top Products 2009
WFI's readers weigh in with their picks for the Top Products of 2009.
The votes are in and the readers have spoken in record numbers. In December and January, Wide-Format Imaging readers were asked to cast their ballots in the magazine, by email with our weekly e-newsletter and on our website for those products that have caused the most buzz in the industry and have been a valuable asset to their businesses over the last year. From wide-format flatbed printers and wide-format media, to laminating equipment to inks, toners, RIP software and wide-format scanners, Wide-Format Imaging’s forth annual Readers’ Choice Top Products Awards honors the products that are doing the most for our readers’ businesses.
These products deserve special attention for their technical merit as well as their marketing achievements. We salute those suppliers who have designed and brought these products to the market.
In all, 26 categories were chosen for WFI readers to vote on as well as a category honoring what our readership felt was the overall Top Product. The record polling results featured some new hot products as well as some repeat winners from last year. The voting in a number of the categories was so fierce this year that there were three ties. Congratulations to all the winners and we hope this annual issue will continue to serve as a small token of our appreciation for all your efforts you have made to the wide-format industry.
Vinyl ORAJET Series 3641
Oracal's Soft Calendered PVC Inkjet Media is a 3 mil, four-year film that produces vivid images at a highly competitive price. Featuring a grey-tinted, permanent water-based adhesive, the product is ideal for promotional signs, banners and other short- to-medium-term applications; especially those requiring high opacity when used over existing graphics. ORAJET 3641 is available in widths up to 60-inches, and is compatible with today's eco-solvent and solvent printers.
Wide-Format Solvent Printer Seiko ColorPainter 64s In its day, the ColorPainter 64s was the fastest, most reliable wide-format solvent printer in its class. Today, it is still a hit with our readers. The 64 inch wide ColorPainter 64s set the standard by employing six industrial piezo heads featuring 512 nozzles per color. Optimized for 720 dpi printing, the ColorPainter 64s achieved a remarkable 176 sqft per hour at true 720 dpi when it was introduced. The new generation ColorPainter H-Series printers continue in that same vein, setting the bar with print speeds of up to 1,075 sfph. With eight high-frequency inkjet heads printing at true 720x720 dpi resolution the ColorPainter H-104s and H-74s also impress with superior image quality and True Monochrome printing.
Fabric 3P TriColor Flag 3P's TruColor line is said to be perfect for printing colorful advertising messages in premium quality with maximum ease of use. 3P Inkjet Textiles Corp. have developed a wide range of TruColor media for optimizing output with solvent and eco-solvent printers to achieve the ideal printing result. 3P Inkjet Textiles focused on user-friendly production of high resolution image quality, authentic image and color reproduction with brilliant colors, quick turnarounds, flame resistance for indoor use and outdoor usability. The product range varies from blended Canvas and pure cotton fabric to polyester fabrics in different thickness, look, and texture. TruColor Flag, TruColor Banner gloss FR, TruColor heavy banner, and TruColor Spinnaker are particularly suited for one step outdoor use.
Fine Art Hahnemuhle Digital Fine Art Collection 60" Designed for creative digital artists and photographers, 60 inch Photo Rag Ultra Smooth, Photo Rag Baryta, Daguerre Canvas and Monet Canvas, were tops in the Fine Art category. Photo Rag Ultra Smooth 305gsm has a very smooth surface texture with an exceptional ink limit, resulting in impressive high saturation and Dmax. Photo Rag Baryta 315gsm combines the advantages of pure cotton paper with the unequalled appearance of a traditional darkroom baryta paper. Daguerre Canvas 400gsm is a specially coated artist canvas made of poly-cotton with a tactile surface texture and Monet Canvas 410gsm is a genuine artist canvas made of 100 percent cotton with a special coating that is said to be ideal for fine art printing.
Readers; Choice Overall Top Product Caldera Visual RIP+ This category was another hotly contested race but this RIP software product took home the top prize for the second year in row. Our readers clearly felt that VisualRip+ was the number one modular product that meets all their output production requirements.
Dye/Pigment Ink Epson UltraChrome K3 Epson's UltraChrome K3 pushed ink technology to new limits when it was introduced in 2005. Inspired by their past generations of pigmented ink technology, Epson's eight-color ink set incorporates three unique levels of black, which along with new color pigment technology, dramatically improves both color and black and white prints. Our readers were jazzed about producing archival prints with amazing color fidelity, gloss level, and scratch resistance, while providing stable colors from the moment prints exit the printer.
UV Ink (TIE) Durst Rho Inks Durst, the first inkjet printing equipment manufacturer to offer different ink sets for its various printers, successfully combines environmentally friendly, VOC-free, low-odor properties with the highest performance characteristics available. Its highly regarded Rho Roll Ink, developed for direct-to-media printing onto practically any substrate, surface or media imaginable, has excellent adhesion, flexibility, durability, weather-resistance and color density, plus an exceptionally wide color gamut. Durst's Rho Rigid Board Ink is a more economical alternative that provides excellent adhesion on acrylics and polycarbonates with no need for primers. Rho Rigid Board Ink is a good choice for virtually any board or rigid surface. With a typical three-year life expectancy, it is highly durable and weather-resistant.
Wide-Format UV Printer Durst Rho 800 Presto A winner in the Flatbed category last year, the Durst Rho 800 Presto represents the next generation of UV flatbed printers. The unit's mechanism for continuous board feeding was created by a combination of new mechanical and software developments. The Rho 800 Presto combines a compact, robust design with continuous printing and image quality who many feel provide a level of productivity and quality previously said to be unattainable in industrial printing. It outputs up to 100 sheets per hour (125x80cm / 4x2.6 feet). Top productivity is 1,200 sqft/hr (draft mode).
Color Management Software Caldera Easy Media EasyMedia is Caldera's integrated color management, color calibration and profile making solution, gives our readers high quality and "on the mark" output. EasyMedia allows output providers to create ICC profiles for monitors, printers and scanners for guarantying color quality on the whole graphical chain. EasyMedia offers very accurate color management by determining parameters according to the image. Profiles included in files (like PDF) are automatically detected and extracted to be applied.
Low-/Mild-/Eco-Solvent Ink Roland ECO-SOL MAX Building on Roland's eco-solvent ink, fast-drying ECO-SOL MAX is formulated to deliver dense, rich colors, an extended color gamut, improved scratch resistance, low cost per square foot and support for a wide range of uncoated media. In addition, ECO-SOL MAX is virtually odorless and user friendly. ECO-SOL MAX enhances the performance of Roland's best-selling eco-solvent inkjets including VersaArt, VersaCAMM and SOLJET models.
Wide-Format Aqueous Printer HP Designjet Z6100 For the second year in a row our readers felt that the HP Designjet Z6100 printer series offered an unbeatable combination of speed, image quality, and color consistency. The unit enables them to increase their print capacity while producing high-impact prints. Utilizing HP Vivera pigment inks, the eight-ink HP Designjet Z6100 printing system delivers vivid, water-resistant, fade-resistant prints.
Wide-Format Engineering Printer Xerox 6204 The Xerox 6204 copier and printer is built to produce engineering renderings, topographic and aerial maps, and mechanical and architectural drawings. It's perfect for customers moving from analog to digital printing or for those entering the wide-format printing market for the first time. With the option to print wide-format documents typically exceed 24 inches in width, commercial print shops, architectural and engineering companies all give it kudos for the second year in a row.
Wide-Format Scanner Colortrac SmartLF Gx-42 The SmartLF Gx 42 produces fast, high quality scans, copies or file distribution of wide-format photographs, satellite images, artwork, graphic designs, posters and any other documents that require a wide color gamut and high dynamic range. The versatile SmartLF Gx, optimized for different applications, is ideal for reprographics bureau, copyshops, graphic arts, designers, mapping, survey and GIS professionals It also makes a good input device for the MFP/COPY solutions with wide format inkjets.
Toner KIP Toner KIP High Definition Print Technology, once again continues to be an innovative approach to wide-format printing. It has helped redefine the standard for production print quality in reprographics shops; delivering exceptionally crisp fine line detail, solid blacks and distinctive, consistent gray scales.
Grand-Format Printer (TIE) HP Designjet 1000s The HP Designjet 10000s printer offers grand-format capability with low-solvent ink durability. Producing long-lasting, high-quality signage up to 104 inches wide and printing 176 sqft/hr, the printer produces superwide-format signs, banners, billboards, wall murals, and window and vehicle graphics with striking, vivid colors in resolutions up to 720x720 dpi.
Laminates OraGuard PVC Lam Film ORAGUARD Laminating Films are available in a wide range of finishes, sizes and price points for applications ranging from general signage to floor graphics and vehicle wraps. They are designed to work in combination with Oracal's ORAJET family of digital inket media, enabling print providers to guarantee their work under the terms of Oracal's comprehensive ORALIFE Component System Warranty.
Film 3M Controltac Graphic Film with Comply v3 Adhesive One of the most versatile graphic films on the market, 3M Controltac Graphic Film with Comply v3 Adhesive IJ180Cv3 leads the way with voters who felt this durable cast film was ideal for solvent or UV digital imaging. The film has several time-saving application features, including: slideability and repositionability—available only with 3M adhesive technology; 3M's new Comply v3 adhesive for the ultimate in air release with non-visible channels for a glossy appearance; the flexibility to conform over compound curved, corrugated and riveted surfaces without lifting, shrinking or cracking. And it's removable. Use it with confidence for nearly everything from vehicle and boat wraps to trailers to general signage, knowing that finished graphics made with this film are eligible for the best warranties in the industry.
Rigid Kommerling Komacel Plus Komacel Plus Graphics/POP Display /Industrial Foamed PVC Sheets offer a semi-rough surface. It is ideal for laminating and painting, and it gives the finished digital print an "aged look." Komacel Plus can be fabricated just like wood, using current woodworking equipment, and it won't rot, cup, delaminate or be infected by insects. Komacel Plus can be used for indoor and outdoor applications, including high humidity areas.
Flatbed Printer Océ Arizona 250GT The next generation Océ Arizona 250 GT printer offers high quality printing for a broad range of applications. It uses UV curable inks and Océ VariaDot imaging technology to deliver near-photographic image quality, includes a true flatbed platform to print onto a wide variety of rigid substrates, and features a Roll Media Option for printing onto flexible media. The printer is based on an Océ-developed platform that combines a true flatbed design and a separate, dedicated roll-to-roll capability. It can output onto rigid media up 49-inches wide by 98-inches long by 1.89-inches thick.
EFI VUTEk QS3200 The VUTEk QS3200 UV-curing printer from EFI combines High-Definition Print (HDP) capability with high production speeds. With a true resolution of up to 1080 dpi, the VUTEk QS3200 delivers superior image quality with our readers. The VUTEk QS3200 produces sharp four- or six-color imaging and features a special seventh channel for white ink. It's capable of printing on rigid and flexible substrates up to two inches thick and 126.5 inches wide.
Planroom Software PlanWell PDS PlanWell PDS continues to be the standard in online planroom systems according to our readers. It makes distributing plans and specs simple for reprographics houses. The interface is based on simple checkboxes and drop down menus, with most options for each function grouped on a single page. There's no additional software needed, all customers need is a web browser. Customer projects are listed on a single page, and each set of current project documents has its own "mini-website" within the system.
Banner Material (TIE) UltraFlex JetFlex + UltraFlex Normandy Pro JetFlex FL and Normandy Pro FL are top vinyl sign and banner materials by our readers across the country as their staple sign material. Recognized for their flawless construction and print compatibility (UV, solvent, eco-solvent and screen-printing) JetFlex and Normandy Pro are tops in the world of front-lit vinyl sign media. These 1000 x 1000 denier, 13 ounce materials are so reliable; they provide the highest quality output and excellent strength and durability when in application. JetFlex FL is available in widths of 30- to 80-inches, while Normandy Pro FL is available in widths of 98- to 196-inches. They are both offered in matte and gloss finishes..
Universa Intelicoat POS Pro 200+ MAGIC POS PRO + 200 Film provides a cost-effective solution for indoor applications such as: high-quality promotional roll-up applications, trade show graphics and point-of-sale applications. POS PRO + offers the same high image quality and durability of InteliCoat's previous POS PRO products with both aqueous pigment and solvent ink jet printers, while now featuring the added bonus of a new and improved bright white printing surface for added color pop.
Fujifilm Sericol Uvijet The Fujifilm Sericol Uvijet family of inks provide a high quality UV curable inkjet system specifically developed for use with the Inca flatbed printers. The inks offer superb dot reproduction, lightfast bright colors, and adhere to a wide range of rigid and flexible uncoated materials. Uvijet inks are available in process colors as well as white, orange and violet. Much of the success of Color+ lies in the Sericol's proprietary Micro V ultra fine pigment dispersion technology. This technology greatly reduces print head clogging due to large and inconsistent particulate found in competitive digital inks.
Banner Stands & Display Materials Expolinc Roll Up The ease of uses makes Expolinc's family of Roll Ups the world's most used display systems. This stable system has an attractive and discrete design and comes in several widths and heights. The image is protected during transportation and storage, making our line of Roll Up's the ideal systems for repeated use at events and promotional activities. Expolinc's line of Roll Up's come in three designs—Roll Up Promotion, Roll Up Classic and Roll Up Professional.
Laminating Equipment Seal 62 Pro D Laminator Sealing the deal once again, the versatility of the SEAL 62 Pro D laminator made it the #1 choice for print finishing requirements in volume production environments. Capable of finishing images up to 61 inches wide, at speeds up to 20 fpm, the SEAL 62 Pro D offers standard features like dual heated high release silicone rollers with variable temperature, a 1.5-inch (max) adjustable nip, flip-up pull rollers, swing-up feed table, multiple drop-in style "combi" supply/unwind shafts, ergonomic controls, and roll-to-roll operation.
Solvent Ink Triangle Voted the best for the fourth year in a row, TDI continues to offer an impressive array of solvent and mild solvent ink products, specially designed for virtually every digital printer and print-head type. A broader color gamut and better adhesion to a greater variety of substrates were some advantages cited by WFI readers.
Wide-Format Low-/Mild-/Eco-Solvent Printer Mutoh ValueJet 1614-64" Mutoh's ValueJet 1614-64" was a wrappers delight with voters for a number of reasons. Size: 64 inches is the perfect size to create one piece hoods with no seams. The speed: One of the fastest printers in its class with printing speeds up to 185 sqft/hr in production mode. Print Technology: Intelligent Interweave Print Technology (i2) increases accuracy and consistency of dot-to-dot contact improves the printed images with colors that pop and allows for increased print speeds while virtually eliminating banding.
