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Everest
Autoprinter
Everest™ Changes
Everything
Consider a CD
surface printer that can:
-
Create an
image with the color intensity, graphics, and durability of
silk-screened or offset printed discs
-
Produce a
surface print that is durable, UV stable, and permanent
-
Produce
photographic images better than those seen in most magazines
-
Print
stunning monochrome text, graphics, and grayscale images
-
Do all this
on-demand, with none of the set-up required for silk-screen
and offset printed discs
-
Be
integrated into several powerful, on-demand CD-R/DVD-R
production solutions
-
Do all the
above in just-in-time production and mass customization
applications
In response to the significant need for an
on-demand printer that addresses the above issues, Rimage has
partnered with Alps Electric Co., Ltd. to develop the first
on-demand, photo-realistic CD-R/DVD-R printer.
The creative applications of Everest™
are limitless. It can be used in markets previously not
receptive to on-demand printing, because now you can produce
effects similar to those created with silk-screen or offset
processes and just as lasting. Everest™ is the first
on-demand printer that can print a label from one edge of the
disc to another, the first on-demand printer that can print on
the hub of a disc, and the first on-demand printer that can
print white ink. Thanks to Everest™, designers are no
longer limited by the printing technology, only by their
imagination.
Until now, CD label designers were
constrained by the available printing technology, with only four
printing options available to them—silk-screen, offset,
inkjet, and thermal. While these four methods all have
their advantages, they also have their drawbacks.
Silk-screen and offset printing produce
indelible labels with strong color, but these processes are most
suitable for production runs of 1000 or more discs.
Because of the set-up involved, they are not suitable for
just-in-time and mass customization applications. To
address this limitation in pre-Everest™ systems, Rimage
developed Perfect Print™, which combines silk-screen or offset
with thermal printing. Thermal printers personalize a disc
by allowing text, serial
numbers, or other elements to be printed on the surface of a
previously silk-screened or offset printed disc. This
solution, while a good compromise, necessitates maintaining an
inventory of pre-printed discs and diminishes some of the
flexibility for printing custom labels.
Inkjet and thermal are two approaches to
printing CD-R on-demand. Inkjet printing produces
realistic images, but not as vibrant as silk-screen or as
permanent. The other method, thermal printing, produces
color custom labels that are highly durable and resistant to
damage, but its color printing capability has limitations that
preclude its use when a label has complex color graphic
content. Applications requiring corporate identity, a
compelling marketing message, and other visually powerful
effects demand CD-R labels that match the print quality of
silk-screened or offset printed discs.
A Revolutionary Printing Process
Rimage, the industry leader in CD-R/DVD-R
publishing, knows the issues involved with printing on CD
media. Alps, our partner in the Everest™ development,
has been in electronics since 1976. They entered the
personal printer market in the mid-’90s, introducing MicroDry™
variable dot technology to produce sharp color graphics.
Rimage and Alps combined their strengths to address the need for
better graphics, better color, and better monochrome when
printing on-demand to CDs and in the process created a
revolutionary fifth method of printing to disc—thermal
re-transfer.
Thermal re-transfer refers to a method of
disc surface printing where the entire label image is first
transferred to a plastic transfer ribbon, one color at a
time. The finished image is then re-transferred to the
disc. This gives more control over the outcome because CD
surfaces are unpredictable,
varying from disc to disc and manufacturer to
manufacturer. The re-transfer process allows label
designers to do things previously unattainable with
on-demand printing, such as edge to edge printing and printing
on the hub of the disc. The effect is a label to
rival one produced by silk-screen or offset methods, yet can be
printed on-demand.
Everest™ employs an innovative variable
dot technology, where the dots composing an image vary in size,
resulting in sharper images with greater detail. In
addition, the MicroDry™ ink is actually a thermal resin that
contains pigment. This dry technology produces a dot with
a fine edge. Consequently, dots per inch, or DPI, does not
accurately reflect the print resolution. A better measure
is lines per inch (LPI), and that is where Everest™
shines. Silk-screen typically produces 85-120 LPI, and
magazines are generally offset printed at 150 LPI.
Everest™ prints labels at 160 LPI—color or monochrome
printing that is better than silk-screen!
The pigmented ink is UV protected,
ensuring vibrant colors throughout the life of a disc. And
because the ink is not water based, there are no issues with the
label smearing. It also won’t scratch off—you’ll
ruin the disc before you can scratch the label. This
enables CD-R to now be used for commercial distribution because
Everest™ printed discs can withstand the rigors of day-to-day
consumer handling.
Bold Color, Crisp Graphics
The
color model that Everest™ uses is CMY (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow)
with black represented as a composite of the three.
A CMY-White ribbon is also available; the white panel is for use
as an undercoat. Everest™ is the only on-demand printer able
to print white to a CD. This white undercoat can be
applied to the entire disc, or just a portion, allowing for some
creative results. For example, a designer can apply white
to a silver-surfaced disc in order to reproduce the whites of a
model’s eyes, yet reverse-print the text, so that it appears
silver.
For monochrome printing, replace the color
ribbon with a black ribbon. While the durability of the
ink makes it attractive for pure text applications, the variable
dot technology allows for monochrome graphics that are as
compelling as color. The technology gives a depth to the
images not achievable with other printing methods.
What does all this mean to the graphic
designer? Creativity. Control. Riveting
results.
Software Makes It Happen
The software that comes with Everest™
was developed to assist the designer. The printer drivers
provide strong color management, which gives the designer
control for accurate color reproduction—an important
consideration when printing company logos or trademarks or when
using pre-existing designs. There are two drivers: one to
support Windows® 2000 and the other to support Macintosh®,
although at this time OS X is not supported. The Macintosh
driver is available for the Autoprinter, while the Windows 2000
driver supports the Autoprinter and production systems.
CD-Designer label editing software is also
included with Everest™. This software allows the
designer to import graphics and text. Features include
serialization, bar codes, and data merging capabilities.
However, you don’t need to be limited to the tools provided
because the printer works well with such industry-standard
software as Adobe® Illustrator®, Adobe® Photoshop®,
Macromedia® FreeHand®, QuarkExpress®, and CorelDRAW®.
Graphic designers can compose labels using the software that
they are familiar with.
For this quality of print result, the
speed with which a label is printed is impressive. In a
production setting, the Everest™ disc-printing time is just 78
seconds—printing to the transfer ribbon and re-transferring
from ribbon to disc. In low demand applications such as
kiosks, the print time can be reduced to as little as 23
seconds, because the image is printed to the transfer ribbon
while the disc is being created.
Everest™ is available in a variety of
configurations. For batch printing, there is the
AutoPrinter, an automatically loading printer that connects via
USB connection to a PC or Macintosh. For true on-demand
CD-R/DVD-R production there are the Autostar II, Protégé II,
or Amigo II members of the Producer II product family.
A New Era In On-Demand Printing
Everest™ is a revolutionary departure
from traditional disc printing technology. There is no
cumbersome set-up involved, and there are no screens or plates
to store. The fine resolution of the variable dots bests
most magazines. MicroDry™ produces an indelible label
that contains crisp graphics, in monochrome as well as
color. The thermal re-transfer process results in
the only on-demand printer to print edge to edge and on the hub,
covering the entire surface of the disc. This, along with
Mac support, is an important concern for graphic designers.
Everest™ offers freedom to create
interesting designs, the flexibility of on-demand printing, and
control over the outcome. The industry clamored for an
on-demand printer that could produce disc labels to match the
best qualities of silk-screen and offset printing methods.
It’s here now, with Everest™.
Everest™
Printer |
Printing
Method |
MicroDry™
Re-transfer Photo Realistic printing |
Print
Resolution |
- 160 LPI (Lines per
inch) Photo Realistic output
- Variable Dot
Technology
|
Nominal
Media Diameter |
120mm
(4.73 inches) |
Print
Ribbons |
3-color (CMY)
panel ribbon, 500 images per ribbon
4-color (CMY-White) panel ribbon, 375 images per ribbon.
Monochrome (black) 1000 images ribbon. |
Image
Transfer Ribbon |
Re-transfer
ribbon (transparent) 1000 transfers per ribbon. |
Media
Types |
Standard
CD-R/CD ROM
Standard DVD-R |
Power |
Everest™
100-120V/220-240V, 50/60 Hz, 500W maximum |
Warranty |
One year
parts and labor (return to depot) |
Service
Options |
Various
Rimage Service Programs are available.
Contact your local Rimage Service Representative for
details. |
Label
Editor Software |
Perfect Image
CD Designer for Windows (included) |
Supported
Operating Systems |
Windows 2000
Macintosh with USB support (OS-X not supported) |
Certifications |
Emissions
EN55022 Class A, FCC Class B/15
EMC
EN55024 Class A
Safety
UL 1950, c-UL1950, EN60950 |
Operating
Temperature |
60ºF-77ºF
(15.5ºC-25ºC). Limited by recorder. |
Everest™
Auto-Printer II |
Standard
System |
Rimage
AutoPrinter II robotics, Everest™ CD-R Surface Printer
(see above specifications), Perfect Image CD Designer
for Windows software |
Options |
Upgrade
to Amigo II |
Bin
Capacity |
Three
60-disc bins configurable as input, output, or reject.
Maximum input capacity is 120 Discs |
Power |
100/240V,
50/60 Hz, 2.2-0.2 Amps 500W maximum |
Physical |
Autoprinter
II 18.5"H x 15"W x 28.5"D
(47cm H x 37cmW x 72.4cm D) 91 lbs. (41Kg) |
Certifications |
Emissions
EN55022 Class B, FCC Class B
Susceptibility
EN55024
Safety
UL 1950, CANC22.2 No. 950, EN60950 |
Operating
Temperature |
60ºF-86ºF
(15.5ºC-30ºC) |
Warranty |
One
year limited depot (U.S.A.). |
Service
Options |
Various
Rimage Service Programs are available.
Contact your local Rimage Service Representative for
details.
All Rimage products
proudly feature Dell® computer products carrying a
3-year warranty. |
Copyright ©
2002-03 CD Solutions Inc., All Rights Reserved.
Apollo,
Apollo II, Analog to digital, Orbit, Orbit I |