Flatbed for Lenticular

[D3D]

Hello group, looking for any advice on selecting a flatbed printer for the specialized purpose of fine art lenticular printing. Even if you aren't familiar with the process perhaps you can help me from a specs perspective.

MUST HAVE:
True flatbed
Portrait (not landscape) format
6 picoliter or smaller drop
1200x600 resolution minimum
Excellent accuracy in the x axis
Excellent color gamut
White ink
Priced $80k or less

WOULD LIKE:
lc lm
Excellent accuracy in the y axis
LED curing
USA support
decent warranty

This printer will be used for fine art applications, so quality is valued over speed. I know my price is on the low end but if the Mimaki JFX200 were only portrait orientation my problems would be solved! Not opposed to a Chinese flatbed but of course the concerns over service are there.

Any thoughts appreciated.

 

[AlsEU]

Fujifilm Acuity / Oce Arizona series. I don't know prices, but I guess you could find used one. Without LcLm and with standard UV system, but for sure with support in the USA, with higher resolution and white ink. I did some test prints on lenticular sheets (size 1m x 2m or something similar) and the result was perfect. It was Acuity HD2545W (with white).

 

[chrisphilipps]

What size boards do you need to print on or what size bed are you looking for? How many boards do you need to produce in an hour?

 

[D3D]

What size boards do you need to print on or what size bed are you looking for? How many boards do you need to produce in an hour?

I would love the ability to print 48x96" sheets in portrait. The landscape format 4x8' flatbeds can only print lenticular's up to 48" tall, from what I am seeing and what I hear from others, because when the interlaced print is placed in the other orientation there is not enough precision in the dot placement and you get weird color chatter and banding on the lenticular print. Portrait oriented flatbeds are much less common among contemporary designs from what I can tell.

Boards per hour is less of a concern than quality, as defined by small picoliter size, dpi and color fidelity. But 4 boards an hour at max quality, with white, would be a minimum goal.

 

[D3D]

Fujifilm Acuity / Oce Arizona series. I don't know prices, but I guess you could find used one. Without LcLm and with standard UV system, but for sure with support in the USA, with higher resolution and white ink. I did some test prints on lenticular sheets (size 1m x 2m or something similar) and the result was perfect. It was Acuity HD2545W (with white).

What were the circumstances regarding the testing you did? What kinds of imagery were on the test prints (3D, flip, animation)? Did the prints look "perfect" from an arms length away, not grainy?

 

[AlsEU]

What were the circumstances regarding the testing you did? What kinds of imagery were on the test prints (3D, flip, animation)? Did the prints look "perfect" from an arms length away, not grainy?

The test file was prepared by a company specialized in printing on lenticulars. It was a very simply file - just a horizontal stripes with a width of the stripe of the lenticular. Company said, that if the printer is able to keep a printed line on a stripe of the lenticular across the whole length, the print will be ok. The printer was able to do it. So it wasn't any mentioned test print. I saw also regular photos printed on similar printer and all of them were ok, without any graininess. They were 3D and flip.

 

[Correct Color]

Not sure on pricing but I'd definitely look into Vanguard with Kyocera heads. I saw and profiled on a month or so back as was very impressed.


Mike