It can be termed as ‘a new feather’ in the cap of Colourmate Digital as the
newly installed GD Pred8tor has accelerated this New Delhi-based signage
stalwart to a new momentum in blockout sign making. How does the
Gandy Digital printer help in doing it so is what SANDEEP BHUTANI of
Colourmate Digital shares in an exclusive talk with SIGN & GRAPHICS.
Sandeep Bhutani posing along Pred8tor
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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.
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.