The evolution of roll-to-roll eco-solvent printers

Despite competition, eco-solvent printers remain a vital and evolving technology for large format printing. Recent models from Roland DG, Mimaki, Epson, and Mutoh boast new features like improved inks, wider colour gamuts, and enhanced productivity. These cost-effective and reliable roll-to-roll machines are continually developed, proving their enduring value in the print industry.

Roll-to-roll eco-solvent printers may not be the most expensive or ostentatious bit of kit but they have been the foundation of many large format print bureaux. They offer vibrant colours on a wide range of media, with high productivity at relatively low prices. So, it shouldn’t be any surprise that many printer vendors continue to develop this technology, and that we have seen many new eco-solvent printers come to market this year.

This ink technology relies on solvents that are used as the carrier fluid to help deliver the coloured pigments through the printheads to the substrates. These solvents also help to bond the pigments to the surface of the media. Much has been written about the health and safety implications of using solvents but, as every chemist knows, there are a wide range of different solvents, and the most prevalent solvent is water.

Nonetheless, there are various regulations restricting the quantity and type of solvents that can be used in ink formulations. The result is that this ink will work best with those substrates that have been treated for it, such as self-adhesive vinyl but also including canvas and some films and photographic papers.

Most vendors also offer an optional heater unit to dry the inks faster. The idea is to ensure that the prints dry fully for winding on to the take-up reel, which is useful if you plan on routinely running the machine at faster speeds. It shouldn’t be necessary if you mostly use the better image quality modes that run at slower speeds.

Right at the start of this year, Roland DG announced its new TrueVis XP-640, which is a 1.6m wide eco-solvent machine. It uses two heads, arranged in a staggered configuration and can produce 1200 x 1800 dpi resolution. Each head has four channels, which allows for eight colours in total. The printer can be configured with either eight colours, for a wider colour gamut, or two sets of CMYK, for…