New Printer Aims at Color CAD Market
Reprographic Technologies Inc. (RTI) has launched a new printer aimed at the color CAD market. The new printer is based on the same Memjet print engine that drives the Xerox IJP 2000 and the Oce Colorwave 900, and can output color prints at two speeds, 6 inches per second and 12 inches per second.
“This is built to be a commercial production device,” says Erik Norman, RTI’s vice president of sales and marketing. “We have clients running 30-foot long CAD prints.”
The Vortex printer can handle both color CAD and large-format color graphics files. It uses the Caldera RIP, feeds off two rolls, and comes with an optional stacker. The printer lists at $110,000; the RIP and stacker cost about $4,000 each. Sixteen have been sold in Europe, and RTI is setting up dealer operations in the United States now.
New to OEM
RTI is new to the OEM market. The company, based in Kitchener, Ontario, was founded 22 years ago and has been a vendor of parts and supplies until now.
“We’ve been watching the Memjet technology since late 2009,” Norman says. “We would find ourselves increasingly being asked questions about equipment, so decided that we should ‘come to the party’ and provide something innovative and not just me-to.”
AEC and Color Graphics Capabilities
Norman says the company sees an important niche among its existing AEC customer base. While the printer can be used for color graphics printing, Norman expects that color CAD work – which can be easily done at the 12-inch-per-second setting – will be a key market for Vortex owners.
“The feeling for us is this is an ideal device to serving both disciplines (graphics and AEC),” Norman says. “It gives people the flexibility to do both.”
RTI will officially launch the printer in the United States at Print 13 in September. Learn more about the printer here.
IRgA members interested in becoming dealers can contact Norman at enorman@REPROGRAPHIC-intl.com