Print Monthly

The Own-x WideStar 2000 is a wide-format printer powered by Memjet technology aimed for the computer-aided design (CAD) and graphics market. The printer can print up to 106cm (42”) width at two different speeds; either 15cm/s (6”s) or 30cm/s (12”), with a native resolution of 1600 x 1600 dpi or 1600x800 dpi.

This performance results in the capability of printing 440 A0 CAD drawings each hour or 900sq m of colour graphics every hour. These features make our wide-format printing eight to ten times faster than conventional wide-format colour printing, meaning a higher productivity with lower running costs.

What kind of sign, display and graphics work is the WideStar suited for?

The WideStar 2000 is a perfect solution for digital signage and graphics, but also an ideal match for the CAD sector, both with high production volume.  

What else can you tell us about the Waterfall printhead technology?

Memjet colour printheads use what is called 'waterfall' technology. Simply put, the 70,400 jets per printhead shoot millions of ink drops per second. It is more energy efficient, more mechanically sound, and up to eight times faster—even faster than most black and white printers. The Memjet printhead is a radical shift in printhead design—it literally changes everything.

What ramifications do you think this technology will have on the market?

It is hard to tell where this ground breaking innovation leads or where its limits are, similarly to when DVD discs were released. Everyone was used to using CDs and they were happy with that; it was convenient, fast and affordable. Then came the DVD and people realised they could store eight times more data and no one knew what they could use that for. But a little time passed and now, almost no one is using CDs any more.

It is hard to tell where this ground breaking innovation leads or where its limits are, similarly to when DVD discs were released”

In our fast-moving world, time is critical already and everyone has to be able to adjust to that. With time, things will only speed up, so it is critical to be able to keep up with that and to enhance productivity. We have only just taken the first steps to a new road called fixed head inkjet printing, but we are sure these steps will take us far into a completely new world.

With print widths currently restricted to 1,067mm, are there any plans to scale up the technology?

The possibility is there. As said previously, these are only the first steps. We have to learn how to walk before we can run off we can synchronise the working of five printheads, with time we will surely be able to do so with ten printheads.

The WideStar achieves 300mm/s at 1,600dpi, surely there must be a catch?

There is no catch; it is the result of using nano technology to manufacture the silicone printheads. Across the 42” print width, there are 352,000 individually controlled nozzles, which deliver this high resolution. 
What is the optimal way for a PSP to make a return on investment for this type of technology?
 

Imagine a company that is able to take on eight times more assignments than before; this means a significant growth of income and profit”

Our printer is best for high volume printing—it loves to work. So, it is best to load the printer with as many jobs as possible. Imagine a company that is able to take on eight times more assignments than before; this means a significant growth of income and profit. In addition, the running costs are lower, the printer consumes far less energy for the same printing job than before, and the ink consumption is also lower.