The Year of Change: Aqueous to Solvent?

The day has come! The evolution of digital inkjet printing continues and has progressed with solvent in the art and photography market place. In the fine art market, the technological change from (aqueous) water to solvent based machines began at crawl speed around November 2008. Traditionally solvent ink-jet printers like Mimaki, HP, Seiko, Mutoh and Roland were adopted by sign shops to produce indoor-outdoor signage, banners, vehicle wraps and fleet graphics. Solvent technology gave businesses the needed durability for outdoor signage, added print speed and reduction in manufacturing costs. Now, virtually odorless solvent printers, such as the Roland XJ 570 and the Epson Stylus Pro GS6000 are being used to produce high-end canvas prints at a quality level never thought. Breathing Color has been diligently testing for the last 12 months various solvent printing equipment and media. We recognized that with the right machine, inkjet media and icc profiles solvent printers are ready to cross over into our home turf. We've prepared ourselves through ample R&D to lead our customers in the right direction. Happy to say that were on the forefront, with a line of inkjet canvas and fine art paper to compliment. Did you see the Roland XJ540 at our booth at the Imaging USA trade show last week? The printer was spitting out fine art photographic prints that were jaw-dropping observers. They were the best giclee prints in the building. Remember here, remember now, Giclee printing will never be the same.