Letchworth-based The Larger Profile has completed a beta testing programme for Europe's first Screen Truepress Jet W3200UV flat-bed printer. Manufactured by Inca Digital, the UV-curable ink-jet printer is intended to provide a cost-effective upgrade for print houses looking to maintain quality while increasing productivity.

The Larger Profile has tested the W3200UV on a number of applications, including a project that required the printing of Foamex wall panels and acrylic signage for 250 in-store pharmacies for a major UK supermarket chain.

"We started with an Océ Arizona 550 UV flat-bed and it was ideal, however, none of the printers at the time could do white ink, and we wanted that ability," explains Gary Orsman, managing director at The Larger Profile. "When Screen asked me to be the beta site for this new machine with white, I jumped at the chance."

The W3200UV can handle rigid boards and paper sheets up to 3.2 x 1.6m in size and up to 50mm thick. Boasting a 14 picolitre drop size, it can print at speeds up to 85sq m per hour with eight ink channels for CMYK, light cyan, light magenta and two white cartridges.