They are advertising their machine that just was at the show in Germany. 104 inch mild solvent. Should be here sometime in fall if the little birdie was right. Their non-compete with hp must be coming to term.
can't see the latex taking off personally, and the epson and seiko are different markets.
the epson is typically high quality smell-free solvent for the more "upmarket/bespoke" client, giving fantastic quality and a relatively medium pace. you can still crank it up to 25sqm.hr but this is more for banner or forgiving materials. sav works at around 10-15sqm.hr
the seiko is a different beast. larger then the 64" epson at 74"/104", and considerably faster (8 color @ 60sqm.hr and 4 color @ 100sqm.hr). print quality is better then the old 64s and the daily maint, i'm told is a lot less. images i've seen and speeds are awesome, but it does need ventilation.
i agree with paddy, this seiko is going to take over where the cp64s left off and potentially wipe the floor with all that stand in it's way..
I have seen the new HP65500 latex machine, very well built, but the latex inks are long in problems a issues, most 1st class printing manufacturers have looked at latex inks in the past and have had little or no success, that could initiate a marketable item. Solvent or UV for the next few years I am afraid.
i think everyone will look at latex, due to the environmental issues, but i'm seeing big problems with it at the moment. i think the whole concept is probably a year too early, as many users have yet to see a decent image produce at speed, without banding (flat colours especially).
also heard rumours that the production of the latex inks is seriously bad for the environment, similar to the electric batteries that power cars.
also running at 100k, it's not the cheapest printer on the market, and still has issues. can't see it working this year, and this is where the new seiko's will take over, and leave latex out in the cold.
some people will take it for the green credentials, but at what cost?
Latex ink issue a long-term problem, most manufacturers are looking at the first class printing ink emulsion in the past have little or no success, you can initiate a marketable item.
