Press Centre

Czech graphic arts company, Grapo S.R.O, is introducing its first wide-format inkjet printer to the world-wide graphic arts market at drupa 2004. The new Octopus X4 incorporates four Xaar XJ500 printheads and will have its first public demonstration on Xaar’s stand in Hall 7.

Managing director, Radim Králík comments on the background behind the development of the new machine: “In addition to Grapo, my manufacturing company, I also run an advertisement production agency - Radim Králík Grapo - in the Czech Republic. Here, we traditionally used wide format inkjet printers to print banners and posters for our clients, however, due to market demands from customers we were constantly looking for a more versatile inkjet machine that would cater for a wider range of substrates.

"Around three years ago, I made a trip to the UK to research how print houses in the UK were utilising substrate-variable inkjet technology. While I was visiting, I contacted Xaar to arrange a meeting. I ended up spending several hours with the Xaar development team in Cambridge discussing inkjet and printhead technology. By the time I left, I had purchased my first Xaar printhead. I went back to the Czech Republic with the idea to develop a wide format printer using Xaar’s printheads. The result is the Octopus X4!"

The new Octopus X4 prints rigid and flexible material including PVC, plexiglass, wood, glass, metals, ceramics, papers, textiles and cardboard up to 2050 mm wide, and a maximum thickness of 40mm. Movement of printed media is provided by boundless belt with a pressure roller. Using Piezo drop-on-demand inkjet technology, the printer prints at a maximum resolution of 360 dpi, has a top printing speed of 45m2/h and is suitable for use with UV curable inks.

"Grapo is another example of an innovative company recognising an opportunity to develop inkjet solutions to meet market demand," says David Frew, group marketing manager, Xaar. "As technology pioneers in the inkjet sector, we are always looking to work with companies who share our vision for inkjet. Grapo S.R.O. has an experienced technical team and a strong vision of where it wants to go in the inkjet market in Europe. We are looking forward to continuing our association with Grapo through drupa and beyond."

For more information, please contact:

Alex Challinor, Xaar plc
T: +44 (0)1223 423663
achallinor@xaar.co.uk
www.xaar.co.uk

Laura French
T: +44 (0)1372 464470
lfrench@adcomms.co.uk