Xaar 1201, the piezoelectric drop-on-demand industrial printhead, is becoming the cynosure of the wide format digital printing industry stakeholders.
It’s been around two years now that the UK-based leader in the development of inkjet technology and the leading independent manufacturer of industrial inkjet printheads had come up with Xaar1201. The objective was to strengthen its business in the wide format printing arena, which it has been successfully meeting. The company is reaping the benefits of its dedication to the technology as the 1201 printhead is taking long strides.
Carrying forward our responsibility to keep the industry stakeholders updated on the happenings, we at Sign & POP World met a few print service providers/printer suppliers/manufacturers to find out if Xaar1201 is actually adding to their bottom lines. They unanimously agreed that this industrial printhead has brought the smoothness and the speed in printing. All thanks to it being priced intelligently, which otherwise makes it a cost-effective solution with the ability to address many other issues that were left unsolved in the world of wide format printing.
The Xaar1201 is a Thin Film Piezo Silicon Micro Electrical Mechanical System (MEMS) technology printhead for printing wide-format graphics (WFG) and textiles with dye sublimation, eco-solvent, UV or aqueous inks. It has 1280 nozzles arranged in four rows printing either one or two colours at 600 dpi or 4 colours at 300 dpi native resolution.
There is hardly any doubt that the technology giant’s new range of printheads has already made a significant impact across the wide format industry. As highlighted by Namrata Sharma – Commercial Account Manager, Xaar India, “This is the perfect printhead for OEMs who are looking forward to design graphics printers for banners, signage and POS applications. This is simply because it delivers a high quality of print combined with high productivity. Besides, it is easy to integrate which minimises the time-to-market.”
The line of success continues, which is well supported by the number of new printer launches with Xaar1201 that were witnessed in the recently concluded Mumbai edition of the Media Expo 2019. Printer manufacturers as well as PSPs have been keeping their belief in Xaar’s abilities owing to its past records. The big name this time was that of Monotech Systems Ltd., which showcased its latest indigenously manufactured printer with Xaar printhead. The printer attracted many technology lovers, leaving numerous potential queries for the manufacturer to turn into business.
“We are associated with the technology leader right from the time it had introduced Xaar Proton. Now it has come up with Xaar 1201, which is actually bringing a wow effect in the final output, especially when being used for white along with varnish. While other print heads usually face clogging, Xaar 1201 is not facing any such problem and the operation is quite smooth for any printing applications,” said Manoj Kumar Garg, National Product Manager – WFG for Monotech systems Ltd.
Garg opined that Xaar had already proved its worth in India more than a decade back because of its technology. It’s time now to reap the benefits and make the most of it. “Not only us or other wide format printer manufacturers, but leading solution providers worldwide, in sectors ranging from ceramics, wide-format graphics and labels to packaging and decorative laminates, are opting for Xaar printheads,” he suggested adding that this is because these printheads are apt for bulk production.”
The compactness as well as the versatility of Xaar1201 enables it to deliver high level of quality and performance. Featuring 1280 nozzles, the printhead can jet variable drop sizes to produce high-quality graphics on a wide range of substrates at an apparent resolution. The extremely precise, incredibly reliable, and developed specifically for high-volume production, this printhead has been continuously marking its footprints across the wide format printing arena.
Another printer manufacturer, which has incorporated Xaar1201 head in its new ‘Made In India’ printer, is Lisco Systems Pvt. Ltd. “We have developed the UV technology for the first time. We opted for Xaar 1201, because of it being multi-purpose that goes on to facilitating various other applications. For now, we have two printers with Xaar 1201 printheads – one is UV roll to roll and another is eco-solvent. Both the printers are performing well without any trouble. Also, the printhead has helped improve the final output on various fronts – print quality, speed and vividness,” said Yatinsinh Vaghela, the company’s director.
On what made him choose this specific printhead, he said, “It is cost-effective that makes it affordable. It’s sturdy and needs little maintenance and is compatible with solvent, eco-solvent, sublimation or latex. The most important part of it being a success is the end-customers’ trust on Xaar. All this has increased our belief in Xaar1201 so much so that from now onwards, we are planning to push machines only with Xaar heads.” He informed that Lisco’s new printer is four-colour with pocket friendly price tag which will facilitate an easy entry for those willing to start their future with UV technology. “We are happy being associated with Xaar1201. The company is offering full support as far as business and its promotion is concerned.”
Meanwhile, the company claims that Xaar1201 gives OEMs an assured supply and reputable, quality printhead for the WFG and textiles markets. High print speed, high accuracy and reliability are achieved by the MEMS technology making the Xaar1201 printhead suitable for either static or multi-pass scanning applications. Its rapid adoption by printer manufacturers is because of it being escorted with features like a highly productive printhead that is capable of jetting multiple ink types. Further, its unique and easy to align attribute facilitates to have multiple printheads on a single head plate.
No different were the views of Mohammad Ali, Managing Director, Unique Sign Innovations, who feeds the market with his select quality imported stuff. “We started with UV very recently in November last year with my first installation in Coimbatore and then we launched our new printer Xuli Roll to Roll with Xaar here in this edition of the Media Expo. Response is very good. Although major portion of the market is still unaware about Xaar 1201, but yes, we are pushing it harder. We keep explaining the features of this relatively new printhead from Xaar. Feature such smaller pico litter which in turn brings high quality imaging is only adding to its market standing. We are also receiving good support from our customers,” he said.
Ali added that he opted for Xaar owing to it being cost-efficient industrial printhead which reduces the maintenance of the machine when compared to others. Also, the applications can be further expanded with Xaar technology because of its compatibility with UV that goes on to cater to the fabric & textile printing which is catching up fast across the country. We have full faith in Xaar as it promises and meets the warranty/guarantee which the other technology suppliers are least bothered about. Meanwhile, the company itself is very aggressive to promote its technology to unrepresented geographies, which is nothing but a good help for us in extending our reach. In all, these people are really cooperative when it comes to supporting the customers’ call.”
Concluding the talks, Sharma once again insisted upon the unmatched attributes of Xaar1201. “This is the perfect printhead for OEMs who are looking forward to design printers for different applications using Eco Solvent, UV & Dye Sublimation Inks. This is simply because it delivers a high quality of print combined with high productivity. Besides, it is easy to integrate, which minimises the time-to-market,” she signed off.