Monday, June 30, 2014

GO NeoTack Dye Sub Ink Now in 19 Colors--See the Movie


 Graphics One is pleased to announce the addition of three new ultra dense NeoTack dye sub inks. In the next several weeks we will start shipping Super Cyan, Super Magenta and Super Yellow. Of course we have had Super Black for some time now. With the addition of these three colors we now offer 19 different colors, the widest range of any dye sub ink supplier.

The 19 colors are: C,M,Y,K, Lc, Lm, Orange, Green, Violet, Blue, Neon Yellow, Neon Red, Neon Blue, Super Cyan, Super Yellow, Super Black, Light Black, Gray, Light Gray. Remember, the list price is $115. For more information on GO NeoTack, please go to: http://goo.gl/HVn3vL

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Graphics One Announces Agreement for New Digital Flatbed Cutter

Perfect Combo for Packaging and POP Display Markets

Graphics One and Crescent Cardboard are pleased to announce a joint marketing agreement for the Valiani line of flatbed cutters and the GO F-24 UV Small Format Printer. The agreement is reciprocal and Crescent will bundle the F-24 with its cutters and GO will bundle the various flatbed cutters offered through Crescent. The target markets for these systems is packaging and POP graphics.

The Valiani Mat Pro Ultra V flatbed cutter series comes equipped with a camera for crop mark detection to perform contour cutting, creasing, digital die cutting and other advanced capabilities found in flatbed cutters costing far more. At $31,995 list, the Mat Pro Ultra 40” by 60” flatbed cutter comes with V-Studio control software, OptiCrop camera software for precise cutting and M3 Packaging Creator software for packaging prototyping. When combined with the GO F-24 UV the Mat Pro Ultra V cutter is able to take F-24 images and quickly convert the printed images into packaging, POP displays, signage or a variety of other prototypes on cardboard, matboard, chipboard, foam board, gator board and other types of substrates.

Chris Hosey, General Manager North American Operations Crescent / Valiani, said, “we are excited to be able to work with Graphics One with the GO F-24 UV bundle and we believe the Ultra flatbed cutters offer a new capability for packaging prototypes and POP displays not available in the market today. At complete system of flatbed cutter and printer lists for approximately $60,000,  and there is no other solution at this price point like it.”

According to Dan Barefoot, President Graphics One, “the combination of both the Mat Pro Ultra V and GO F-24 UV Flatbed offers a great solution. We expect this bundle to set a new standard for value and ease-of-use. As part of the agreement, GO is now an authorized support and repair center for the Ultra V line and will be providing support for both North and Latin America. Barefoot added, “We are excited to be working with one of the world’s largest producers of paper and board products for the graphics market. We believe this is an ideal situation to be able to utilize the strengths of both companies.”

Both the Valiani Mat Pro Ultra V and the GO F-24 UV Small Format Flatbed Inkjet printer are shipping. Both products will be available through the Crescent Cardboard and the Graphics One respective distribution channels.

To see a video of the Mat Pro Ultra V in action, please go to: GO / Valiani Ultra Mat Pro Ultra V

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

We Have the Balls--120 of Them in 35 Seconds--See the Movie

GO's F-24 UV LED Flatbed Inkjet Printer is wickedly fast. Check out this video of the unit printing 120 golfballs in 35 seconds. Really? Yes, it is a fact.
\

  

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Heat Presses for Transfers--Swing Away or Clam Shell

One of the major factors impacting successful paper transfers is the type of heat press being used. There are two main types of heat press for garments transfers:  swing away and clam shell.

Clam Shell Not Recommended
We find that many of our users have already purchased clam shell heat presses and expect to be able to use them with garment transfer. The explanation for this is clam shell presses tend to be lower cost. Clam shell units also take up less space generally than swing away heat presses. How do clam shell presses work for transfers? We have found over the past few years that using clam shell presses for transfer applications is problematic and we do not recommend them. Our first question when a user is having transfer issues is, “what style of heat press are you using?” In many cases we can tie the issue back to the use of clam shell presses.

Swingaways Best for Transfers
Graphics One recommends swing away heat presses for doing heat transfers, especially for garment transfers.  This is especially important for use with the the GO UNO or the OKI 920WT or 711WT printers. The reason for this has to do with where and how the pressure is controlled, along with heat consistency. The swing aways generally use pressure from the center of the platen ensuring that a user has consistent pressure across the platen. In addition we find that swing aways, because of their price points, usually have better heat control and offer consistent heat not offered by clam shell presses.

Which Brand?
Graphics One offers the Metalnox EL600 listed at $1,595. There are other units as well from very reputable companies including Insta Graphics and Hotronix. Hotronix offers one of the best swingaways called the Air Fusion. This unit is highly recommended for doing transfers and is priced at $3,500 and above, depending on the configuration. 

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

GO F-24 UV Flatbed Review--Small Format UV Printer Comparison with Pros and Cons

Click on Chart to View Complete Comparison
The following Review and Comparison of Small Format UV Printers is a compendium of five previous articles covering the major providers of these printers. We have reviewed two printers from Direct Color Systems, one printer from Inkcups, two printers from Mimaki, one printer from Mutoh, two printers from Roland, and of course, the GO F-24 Small Format UV LED Flatbed Printer. Although we go into a bit more detail the following is an overview of the Pros and Cons of each printer and company providing these units with the first unit being the GO F-24. 

What are the Pros and Cons of the F-24?
The Pros and Cons for the GO F-24 are as follows:

Pros:
  • Printer Price / Performance
  • Excellent Table Size Means Lower Time and Cost per Copy
  • Deepest Gantry Depth
  • Largest Cubic Printing Space of Any 24-inch UV Printer
  • High Speed
  • Ink Pricing
  • Custom Jigs Available
  • No Table Needed for Printer--Small Footprint and Easy to Move
  • 360-2880 DPI with Excellent Image Clarity
  • Able to address 24"x18" Yard Sign Market
  • CPSIA Certification for Children's Toys
  • Dual UV Lamps
Cons:
  • No Family of Products, Yet--New Models Coming
As many are aware we say: "GO Wide. GO Deep. GO Fast. All with GO Value." Here's an overview:

GO Wide: 24"x18"
GO Deep: 10"
GO Fast: Up to 100 sq ft / hr
GO Value: $60 for 250 mls, $200 for one liter--$0.20 per ml

For more information on the GO F-24 please click: GO F-24 Info
#gof-24

The Pros and Cons for Direct Color Systems units are as follows:

Pros:
  • Small Footprint
  • Braille /  3D Signage
  • Product Family
Cons:
  • High Ink Price
  • Printer Price / Performance
  • Printing Speed
  • Small Table Size
  • No CPSIA Certification for Children's Toys
  • Single UV Lamp
The Pros and Cons for the Inkcups X2 unit are as follows:

Pros:
  • Ricoh Printheads
  • Ink Price
  • Speed
  • Table Size
Cons:
  • High Price
  • Limited Gantry Depth
  • Lower Printhead Resolution
  • No CPSIA Certification for Children's Toys
  • Single UV Lamp
The Pros and Cons for the Mimaki units are as follows:

Pros:
  • Company Reputation
  • Good Printing Speed
  • Competitive Ink Pricing
  • Ricoh Printheads
  • Product Family
Cons:
  • Printer Price / Performance
  • Lower Printhead Resolution
  • Smaller Table Size
  • Limited Gantry Depth
  • No CPSIA Certification for Children's Toys
  • Single UV Lamp
The Pros and Cons for the Mutoh unit are as follows:

Pros:
  • Company Reputation
  • Aggressive Price
  • Imaging Speed
Cons:
  • Smaller Table Size
  • Limited Gantry Depth
  • Higher Ink Pricing
  • No CPSIA Certification for Children's Toys
  • Single UV Lamp
The Pros and Cons for the Roland units, the VersaUV LEF-12 and VersaUV LEF-20 are as follows:

Pros:
  • Company Reputation
  • First in Market
  • Product Family
Cons:
  • Printer Price / Performance
  • Smaller Table Size
  • Limited Gantry Depth
  • Higher Ink Pricing
  • No CPSIA Certification for Children's Toys
  • Single UV Lamp
What are the Pros and Cons of the F-24?
The Pros and Cons for the GO F-24 are as follows:

Pros:
  • Printer Price / Performance
  • Excellent Table Size Means Lower Time and Cost per Copy
  • Deepest Gantry Depth
  • Largest Cubic Printing Space of Any 24-inch UV Printer
  • High Speed
  • Ink Pricing
  • Custom Jigs Available
  • No Table Needed for Printer--Small Footprint and Easy to Move
  • 360-2880 DPI with Excellent Image Clarity
  • Able to address 24"x18" Yard Sign Market
  • CPSIA Certification for Children's Toys
  • Dual UV Lamps
Cons:
  • No Family of Products, Yet--New Models Coming
As many are aware we say: "GO Wide. GO Deep. GO Fast. All with GO Value." Here's an overview:

GO Wide: 24"x18"
GO Deep: 10"
GO Fast: Up to 100 sq ft / hr
GO Value: $60 for 250 mls, $200 for one liter--$0.18 per ml

For more information on the GO F-24 please click: GO F-24 Info
#gof-24



Monday, June 2, 2014

GO F-24 Compared and Reviewed to Roland Small Format Flatbeds--What are the Pros and Cons?


Click on Chart to See Entire Comparison
This is a fifth in a series of five articles comparing and reviewing the GO F-24 Small Format UV LED Flatbed  Printer to other products in the market. In articles we reviewed products from Direct Color Systems (DCS), Inkcups', Mimaki, Mutoh and now Roland. 

Roland as a company has an excellent reputation and in fact are probably the best at product marketing and applications in this business. They target products very effectively, as they have done with their two flatbeds. Even though the table size is small and printing speed slow, they have been able to penetrate this market with their focus on applications and by leveraging their brand recognition.   

The Pros and Cons for the Roland units, the VersaUV LEF-12 and VersaUV LEF-20 are as follows:

Pros:
  • Company Reputation
  • First in Market
  • Product Family
Cons:
  • Printer Price / Performance
  • Smaller Table Size
  • Limited Gantry Depth
  • Higher Ink Pricing
  • No CPSIA Certification for Children's Toys
  • Single UV Lamp

How does GO's F-24 Compare?
The Pros and Cons for the GO F-24 are as follows:

Pros:
  • Printer Price / Performance
  • Excellent Table Size Means Lower Time and Cost per Copy
  • Deepest Gantry Depth
  • High Speed
  • Ink Pricing
  • Custom Jigs Available
  • No Table Needed for Printer--Small Footprint and Easy to Move
  • 360-2880 DPI with Excellent Image Clarity
  • Able to address 24"x18" Yard Sign Market
  • CPSIA Certification for Children's Toys
  • Dual UV Lamps 
Cons:
  • No Family of Products, Yet--New Models Coming
As many are aware we say: "GO Wide. GO Deep. GO Fast. All with GO Value." Here's an overview:

GO Wide: 24"x18"
GO Deep: 10"
GO Fast: Up to 100 sq ft / hr
GO Value: $60 for 250 mls, $200 for one liter--$0.18 per ml

For more information on the GO F-24 please click: GO F-24 Info
#gof-24