Sandeep Bhutani posing along Pred8tor

Colourmate Digital, a big boss in UV printing, always hits the news headlines for fresh breakthroughs in using ultra-modern technologies and machines. Latest swing in this front is the company’s recent investment in GD Pred8tor, which in turn has gained them a new pace in making blockout signage or display items that any other method or machine could ever pull off in that momentum. “We have been into blockout display making over the last few years. But, due to non-availability of the right machine, we used a 30 pico litre first generation printer that couldn’t meet our requirements,” mentions Sandeep Bhutani of Colourmate Digital.

Things that create issues while churning blockout displays at Colourmate Digital, according to Sandeep, have totally been subsided following the adoption of GD Pred8tor. “This high-end Gandy Digital printer is featured with a number of added advantages, among which include its variable dot sizes, speed and multi-layer printing,” he mentions, adding, “Ever since the adoption of this machine our production volume has been increased to four times of what we used to produce.” Another added advantage that Colourmate Digital found in GD Pred8tor is the multi-layer inline printing feature of the printer that makes things easier, faster, accurate and efficient in terms of quality and production.

Nothing ordinary

“Traditionally signage players prepare blockouts using cut vinyl in lengthy procedures. However, everything gets changed at our end taking on an innovative path with the help of the GD Pred8tor, which is engineered to accurately print on blockout flex (materials) for backlit applications that can be used as usual signage or display during day time and glowed (the blockout portions) at night,” explains Sandeep. He further mentions, “We take the multi-layer printing advantage of this printer for special applications on clear films on glass facades, window decors and others.”

What next?

The machine portfolio of Colourmate Digital, which consists of FUJIFILM Acuity 1600 LED, GD Pred8tor, DMP LED UV 3060 and others like a perfect set of finishing machines, is now complete in a sense for what all activities the company has so far been involved. But the new dynamism of the company is now pointed towards textile.

“Textile printing or soft signage markets in Europe and US have attained standard. I think today the turn has come for India,” says Sandeep adding that they will be going soon for the domain in an advanced move. He points outs that the most critical part in textile printing is its pre and post-press treatments, ink chemistry and expertise, which they will take upon with deeper care.

In addition to textile, new to the job profile of Colourmate Digital will be ‘advanced specific coatings’ on varied range of rigid materials, such as tiles, sunmica, woods, glass, among others. In this respect, Sandeep shares that they have been into these activities for some time, but pushing it to a new vertical, giving innovative application a choice for their customers.

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Quick facts on ‘Pred8tor’

Pred8tor is one of the reliable high resolution UV flatbed printer capable to give exceptional outputs at the print speed of 1.22 x 2.44 m sheet of rigid material (up to 50 mm thick) per minute in 1,200 dpi. Roll-to-roll option in the printer is also achieved with the optional rewind unit and it helps in printing high quality on flexible materials with a roll width up to 2.44 m and up to 40 cm diameter rolls, including vinyl and mesh. Pred8tor is driven by the inline ‘blade’ printhead configuration system, printing 10 inch wide swath using six picoliter variable dot RICOH printheads.