Polytype has opened FESPA Digital 2011 in Hamburg, Germany by announcing the evolution of its Virtu printer range with the addition of an advanced new ten-picoliter print-head. The unprecedented quality promised by the Virtu Quantum series will deliver exceptionally fine output for a wealth of industrial and display products, including closely viewed applications such as back-lit displays, décor and industrial glass.
Owners of the new Virtu Quantum series will benefit from the extension of greyscale printing technology, which varies droplet sizes to ensure improved resolution and optimised ink coverage, to incorporate miniscule ten-picolitre dots. Polytype has applied this to combine the absolute precision of the ten-picolitre head with the existing versatility of the award-winning Virtu platform, resulting in significant advantages for wide-format printing businesses.
Polytype has engineered the Virtu Quantum printers to deliver even finer resolution on the same, practically limitless range of substrates as previous models. Prodigious control over droplet sizes means that the machines can produce even finer detail and, therefore, superb clarity in graduations and tiny text sizes while also avoiding oversaturation in the production of solid colour areas. This results in vastly optimised ink use and therefore minimises expenditure on consumables, culminating in excellent cost of ownership.
"All types of print business are expected to produce mind-blowing quality and, often, are limited by the substrate they are trying to print," said Sylvia Muhr, European sales director for Polytype's Virtu business unit. "With the Polytype Virtu Quantum they no longer need to worry: any material, from leather to glass and Dibond to aluminium, can benefit from the near-photographic resolution offered while keeping the productivity advantages of previous Virtu models.
"The theme of FESPA Digital is evolution, and Polytype believes that it is the responsibility of technology manufacturers to help print companies drive that change by offering advanced platforms that increase quality while remaining versatile enough to meet new challenges," she continues. "That conviction makes this show the right arena in which to demonstrate the powerful proposition of the new Virtu Quantum, and to show how we as a manufacturer are consistently evolving to provide our customers new opportunities."
The Virtu range from Polytype is designed to meet and exceed the stringent quality requirements demanded by an array of applications, including graphic display production, fully operational glass printing lines and various industrial purposes. The fully hybrid 2.5m Virtu RS25 and 3.5m Virtu RS35 sport a robust table as part of the machine's construction, offering the versatility to print on both flexible materials and rigid substrates of unlimited length in six colours plus white or spot varnishes. The RR50 is Polytype's award-winning roll-to-roll printer which offers impressive productivity and quality for graphic arts production and other jobs. Each can now be supplied as a Virtu Quantum sporting the 10pl print-head and its resulting capabilities.