Grimco to Showcase HP Printers, LEDs

This year’s Wide-Format Pavilion, the fruit of a partnership between the Graphic Arts Show Company (GASC) and the International Sign Association (ISA), is designed to provide commercial printers with a detailed look at opportunities for expanding into wide-format printing in general, and signmaking in particular. Digital technologies have transformed traditional signmaking, making it more accessible to a wider range of providers, even as demand for signage of all varieties continues to be a growth market.

Founded in 1875 as Grimm Stamp and Badge, Grimco today is a national sign supply wholesaler. The company’s offerings include traffic signs and blanks, substrates and media, inks, sign frames and stands, wide- and grand-format printers, and more. Grimco is an authorized reseller for HP, Epson and Mimaki USA, and in Booth 4944 will be demonstrating two of HP’s products, the Latex 360 and the Scitex FB500.

The HP Latex 300 series was launched earlier this year at the ISA Sign Expo, and is targeted toward small, mid-size, and quick printers who would typically be using solvent or eco-solvent wide-format printers. The 64-inch Latex 360 is the flagship model of the series, and boasts speeds of up to 334 square feet per hour, and can even print on both sides of the substrate. Latex inks—which are water-based—are said to be more environmentally friendly than solvent and even eco-solvent inks, but the real killer app for Latex has been the ability to print on textiles, allowing shops to get into the fast growing soft signage market. The third-generation inks used in the 360 have increased scratch resistance and can also handle synthetic substrates such as polypropylene.

The HP Scitex FB500 Industrial Printer is a flatbed UV-curable printer which is targeted toward print service providers looking to produce high-value point-of-purchase applications. Being a flatbed, it can print on a wide variety of rigid materials without the need for subsequent mounting. The FB500 also includes a roll-to-roll option, which allows for printing on flexible materials. A white ink option lets users print on transparent and translucent materials.

Not all signage is printed, and to that end Grimco will also be showcasing its brand new line of Hanley LEDs. Available in white, red, and green, Hanley LEDs can be used or illuminated signage. LEDs run cooler and thus less expensively than other types of lighting, and Hanley LEDs effectively dissipate heat, which allows for longer life than other lighting options.