FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 24, 2006

Durst’s 11.5-Foot Wide Rho 350R Incorporates Features and Capabilities Most Important to Superwide Imagers

Versatile Platform Utilizes Quadro™ Array Printing and Highly Flexible, Adhesive Inks

LAS VEGAS, NV – Durst quality, efficiency and versatility are available for the superwide-format imaging segment with the Rho 350R Roll-to-Roll UV Inkjet Printer – which brings the benefits of UV inkjet printing to the superwide-format category in a very thoughtfully designed unit, Durst Image Technology U.S., LLC said today. The Rho 350R is on display this week in Durst booth #4400 at SGIA ’06 here.

The Rho 350R is an 11.5 foot-wide (3.5m) digital imager equipped with Durst’s proprietary Quadro™ Array print technology and utilizing the most flexible, adhesive UV inks available – formulated especially for Durst – for virtually any indoor or outdoor superwide-format application on an extremely broad range of uncoated rolled media types and materials.

“From building or vehicle wraps to stadium or museum murals, our Rho 350R was designed to create the widest variety of high-impact, easy-to-manage output without the user having to make trade-offs between image quality, efficient workflow and productivity,” said A. Ron Waters, President and CEO of Durst Image Technology U.S., LLC. “This platform was designed with the needs of today’s superwide imager in mind. There’s really nothing available today like the Rho 350R in this segment, which offers another example of Durst’s technological leadership.”

Based on proven Rho technologies, the Rho 350R provides a number of significant advantages over most current superwide-format imaging devices, Durst said. These advantages include:

• customer-selectable true 400-600-dpi resolution with high sharpness and color density
• CMYK plus white ink and spot colors managed by a Durst-developed “quick change” system
• odorless, environmentally friendly Durst UV roll inks with high adhesion and flexibility
• direct printing onto virtually any coated or uncoated roll media with no drying time required
• exceptional durability of printed output, even in difficult outdoor environments

‘True Touch’ User Interface
In developing the Rho 350R, Durst said it incorporated features and capabilities most important to the producers of superwide-format images. All functions are controlled by an advanced software program on an optimized Linux workstation accessed through Durst’s “True Touch” on-screen user-interface. This configuration – which eliminates the need for a keyboard – accommodates all common image files and manages them efficiently. A familiar “hot folder” system is used to move and track image files. Users can RIP and print jobs simultaneously. Jobs can be loaded up to a print queue and sequenced for unattended operation.

Among the Rho 350R’s features are user-selected gloss or matte finishes, precise registration for accurate two-sided printing, dual media roll loading positions, and a motorized roll take-up unit. Media rolls can be changed in less than five minutes. At the start of a job, a “skip white” function recognizes when image information initiates and shuts down the print carriage (but not the media transport) until the appropriate moment. This makes printing quicker and more cost-efficient.

Durst’s precision engineering; the advantages of UV inkjet printing in terms of digital workflow, dry times and image durability; and the exceptional characteristics of Durst’s UV inks; and Quadro™ Array print technology all combine to create an efficient, productive, versatile superwide-format imaging platform in two configurations, the company said. Available with eight or 16 Quadro™ Array assemblies, the Rho 350R prints on paper, vinyl, textile, canvas, tarpaulin, foil – virtually any coated or uncoated roll material – to produce visually striking billboards, banners, murals, building and vehicle wraps, wallpaper and many other types of superwide commercial image displays.

The Rho 350R Roll-to-Roll UV Inkjet Printer is available in North America. Durst U.S. is now taking orders for delivery in the fourth quarter. Interested parties can obtain pricing and other information by phone at (888) 480-3588, by e-mail at info@durst.com, or online at www.durstus.com.

About Durst
Durst Phototechnik AG is a leading manufacturer of digital imaging systems for graphic, pre-press, signage, commercial/retail display, packaging, industrial and photographic applications. Headquartered in Brixen, Italy, the company operates manufacturing facilities in Brixen and Lienz, Austria; has major offices in the U.S., France, United Kingdom, Germany and Mexico; and partners with exclusive agents in 120 countries. Durst’s reputation for quality, precision and reliability spans nearly 70 years.

Durst Image Technology U.S., LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Durst Phototechnik Group, is the exclusive distributor and service provider for all Durst professional digital imaging equipment in the United States and Canada. Durst’s professional imaging products include the renowned Lambda laser imagers, Rho large-format UV inkjet printers, Theta family of imagers, Zeta Plus roll-to-roll laser printer, Sigma high-speed film scanners, and other products.

Durst Image Technology U.S., LLC
Phone: (585) 486-0340
E-Mail: rwaters@durstus.com
Website URL: www.durstus.com