Starleaton adds eco-solvent printer to arsenal

Printer supplier Starleaton has added the OKI ColorPainter range to its assortment of printers, this move comes after acquiring DES.

According to Starleaton the ColorPainter M-64s is the fastest 64” eco-solvent printer in the world. It uses OKI SX inks to deliver colour density, particularly for backlit panels, while keeping solvent odour to a minimum. Outdoor durability without lamination is a given. Visitors to PacPrint will have the opportunity to witness this for themselves.

Prints coming off the ColorPainter M-64s are dry, due to the airflow system. The 1.5 litre ink cartridges and built-in sub-tanks allow replenishment while the machine is printing continuously. At up to 66.5m two per hour production and a seven-colour inkset (including a grey for monotones), Starleaton says it out-performs all others in its class. Three-year outdoor durability without laminating is achievable.

An economy version of the M-64s has recently been added; the E-64s at 22.9 m2 per hour and 1080dpi resolution, bringing the ColorPainter range up to six models in 64- inch, 74-inch and 104-inch variations.

Ben Eaton, CEO, Starleaton says, “We are finding that many of our customers are being asked to be one-stop shops for everything. But they are required to match output to the same high standards. OKI’s ColorPainter fit perfectly in that world and are packed with automated features to keep uptime to a maximum. The cliché word, I suppose, is workhorse but really, the M-64s in particular is a thoroughbred too.”

Tom Leggatt, product manager, Starleaton says, “One of the biggest benefits with OKI eco-solvent printers, based on what our customers have come to us for, is the ink type that they use. With SX inks, in comparison with all other solvent or latex-type printers, the SX ink has the greatest outdoor durability. We have sold a lot of machines in Queensland because the businesses up there consider the durability of the ink under harsh UV conditions to be so critical.”

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OKI itself decided to expand its Australian operations to cover its industrial product range and this has been significant in helping Starleaton’s achieve its own business objectives. 

“OKI has been able to take away the pain of having to order in containers of stock, and we now have fixed pricing in Australian dollars, so we don’t worry about the fluctuation with the yen. We also now have a second tier of support in Australia, with OKI holding its own inventory,” Leggatt says.

The ability to deal directly with OKI Australia to solve any customer problems has also meant that Starleaton can resolve issues faster and efficiently.

“With warranty being such a critical battleground in the printer space, the additional support has been a significant boost to both Starleaton and its customers. The strength of the warranty has been improved.” Leggatt says.

Starleaton will be displaying its printers at PacPrint on May 23-26 in Melbourne.