SwissQprint has updated its roll to roll printer, the Karibu, announcing v2 at the Printing United show, which brings it up to the same spec as the fourth generation flatbeds that were introduced in October 2021.
Essentially this means that the Konica Minolta printheads have been upgraded from the KM1024i to the newer 1280i. This in turn means that the Karibu 2 now has a maximum resolution of 1350 dpi. The maximum speed is still 212 sqm/hr though the higher resolution printheads mean that you can now use faster production speeds without giving up any of the image quality. Thus SwissQ is now quoting a Production mode of 110 sqm/hr and Quality mode of 75 sqm/hr. These are relatively minor improvements and probably won’t tempt existing users to upgrade but the new version does help to keep the Karibu more competitive against other vendors.
Otherwise, the basic specifications remain the same. It’s a 3.4m wide rollfed machine but can also run two 1.6m rolls side by side. It retains all the usual SwissQ-ness from the original Karibu including the Tip Switch vacuum system built into the top of the platen, the cassette easy-loading system, the light box for assessing back-lit prints and the mesh kit for catching inks when working with permeable substrates and full bleed printing, as well as the Lory production software. In addition, the head carriage is fitted with crash sensors to protect the printheads from any damage from the media. There’s also an option for double-sided printing.
Carmen Eicher, Chief of Sales and Marketing Officer for SwissQprint, commented: “We took these proven and popular features from the first generation and have now augmented them with the latest print head technology.”
In common with most SwissQ printers, it can be configured with five further colours in addition to the standard CMYK set. It can also be fitted with a second row of printheads, for a maximum of 18 or two per colour. The inks themselves, which are manufactured by the South African firm NuTec, are UV LED-curable we well as being NVC-free and Greenguard Gold certified.
It’s worth noting that SwissQ does also sell a faster version, the Karibu S, although this appears to still be using the older printheads. This has a top speed of 330 sqm/hr and Production mode of 163 sqm/hr. This speed is achieved by having up to 18 printheads but limiting the colours to CMYK plus one other – usually white – so that there are more heads per colour. Nonetheless, I imagine that it’s only a matter of time before this too is updated if only because it makes sense from a manufacturing point of view to have a common architecture with similar parts across the range.
Finally, any of you that are in the habit of shortening the company’s name, which is the natural tendency for native English speakers, should refer to it as SwissQprint, or so I’ve been told. You can find further details on the Karibu 2 from swissqprint.com.
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