DCS Brings Advanced UV Technology to Small-Format Printers

Direct Color Systems is pleased to announce the availability of UV LED technology for the small-format UV flatbed market. The Direct Jet 1014UV and 1024UV models are extremely versatile, offering large table sizes and height allowances at an economical price point. Our UV LED inks are very flexible and won't crack or flake off, even in very flexible vinyl applications. You can print crisp text and vibrant, full-color images using UV inks on wood, stainless steel, ceramic tiles, plastics, glass, aluminum and more. Click here for a gallery of application and sample photos.

Our breakthrough UV LED and Ink technologies address durability issues related to abrasion and solvents, and allow brilliant white ink performance on the darkest of substrates. All without sacrificing the sharp, detailed prints and advanced features that you've come to expect from the Direct Jet family of printers. Click here to learn more about Direct Jet 1014UV and 1024UV printers.

DCS Introduces Flex33 Desktop Eco-Solvent Inkjet Printer

The new Flex33 printer from Direct Color Systems® is the first available small-format solvent inkjet roll-to-roll desktop printer for signs, banners, vehicle graphics, POP, labels, decals, heat transfers and other flexible media. Calibrated for use with DCS's UV-stable and pigment-solvent MultiSolve™ inks, the Flex33 utilizes state-of-the-art micro-piezo head technology. Read more.

New IR4 Cleaning Cartridges

DCS has released a new cleaning cartridge for the IR4 ink series. This new cleaning cartridge is available as a pre-filled cartridge to minimize, if not eliminate the risk of spilling unwanted solvents into the bottom of the print head carriage mechanism. In testing to date, this new product has proven to be 100% effective in dissolving IR4 clogs in Direct Jet model print heads. View a list of product codes and ordering information here. Please contact your local distributor for supply and pricing information.

Introducing the New Direct Jet 2-17, Offering 6-Color Printing at an Entry Level Price

With Direct Color Systems' new Direct Jet 2-17, you get 6-color printing at an entry level price. The 2-17 will print images up to 13" x 17" (330mm x 432mm) and on substrates as thick as 2" (50mm). Print to a variety of substrates including plastic, metal, wood, stone and leather. The 2-17 will also print to DCS's InkMark™ and offers a catalyzed bond with the IR4 color and clear ink set. This bond is incredibly durable in terms of both abrasion and solvent resistance. Click here for more information about our small printer that does the work of the big boys.

"Adobe® Extreme Printing" with a DCS Direct Jet Flatbed Inkjet Printer

Direct Jet small-format flatbed inkjet printers from Direct Color Systems can be used to apply brilliant color images to both flat and 3-dimensional substrates. In this demo, Adobe's Russell Preston Brown uses his Direct Jet 1309 to apply photo-quality images to textured wood, canvas, plastic and metal. He also creates a progressive photo print with several digital touch plates utilizing this precision pin-registered printer.

TSS (Technical Sales Specialist) Program: What it Means to Customers and Distributors/Dealers in USA and Canada

DCS is pleased to announce the creation of our Technical Sales Specialist (TSS) program. TSSs are currently located throughout the United States and Canada, providing customers, dealers and distributors alike with local sales, installation and technical support. Local support means quicker response time and a DCS representative who really knows your business. Please contact us if you'd like to be put in touch with your regional TSS.

New InkMark™ Coated Substrates

InkMark™ is a unique new line of coated substrates that are optimized to simultaneously accept DCS's Multisolve™ dye and clear inks in one pass. This allows the InkMark coating to catalyze with the DCS YMCK and clear Multisolve™ inks to create a bond that provides a more durable image. Images have a greater resistance to many perfumes and solvents, including 100% isopropyl alcohol.

Applications include safety signs, name badges, business cards, recognition awards, interior signage, desk plates and door plates, machine tags and labeling, bag tags and more. ABS substrates can be profiled using rotating carbide, scored, cut with shears and bent with heat. No predrilling is required. InkMark DR Acrylic substrates can be laser cut, cut with rotating carbide, sawed, drilled and bent with heat. InkMark DR Acrylic is suitable for exterior applications. View our standard sizes and color and get more information here.

Download InkMark™ Spec Sheet (1.3mb PDF)

New Direct Jet Capability: Variable-Size Dots & Nozzle Count in Printer Packages

No two snowflakes are the same, and neither are our customers. While DCS provides a number of standard print profiles with ICC color calibration in our print packages, we also provide options that allow the flexibility to create unique print modes or profiles. With our variable-size dots and adjustable nozzle count, customers can control the amount of ink and density in their applications. This capability allows customers the flexibility of jetting many different ink types to many different substrates. Click here to see how to enable these settings.

DCS Direct Jet Printer used in Russell Brown's Adobe® Photoshop® "Extreme Painting" Technique

Russell Brown showcased a new way to paint using Photoshop CS5 during Adobe MAX 2010, which he called "Extreme Painting." This new technique uses lasers to engrave an image onto a canvas made of solid wood and then using a high-quality flatbed Direct Color Systems Direct Jet printer, prints the color image onto the carved wooden canvas leaving the creator with a eye popping 3D version of the original image. The entire process can be seen in the video above! Read more at the Photoshop.com blog.

David Pitzen Appointed DCS's Director of Sales for USA and Canada

David E. Pitzen recently joined Direct Color Systems (DCS) as their Director of Sales, USA and Canada. In announcing the appointment of Pitzen to the newly created position, Blair Allen, President of DCS said, "David's past experience in setting up technical sales specialists to work with a North American distribution and dealer network will be extremely valuable." Read more.

Rui Carvalho Latest Addition to DCS Sales Team

DCS is pleased to announce the addition of Rui Carvalho as the company's Director of Sales and Business Development EAA (Europe, Asia, and Africa). Mr. Carvalho brings with him nearly 20 years of experience in the graphic arts industry as a distributor/dealer of different types of digital printing equipment for offset, screen, pad and large-format printing. His thorough knowledge of many major printer manufacturers enables him to offer solutions for a wide variety of printing applications. Blair Allen, Direct Color Systems' President, welcomes Carvalho's familiarity with many fields in the printing industry, as well as his strong knowledge of sales, servicing and support of printing devices. Read more.

The Direct Color Printing Solution / CorelDRAW Help Magazine

The Direct Jet 1324 was featured in the August 2010 issue of CorelDRAW Help magazine. Download the article to see what Bill Weeks has to say about our direct to substrate printing solution.

Download CorelDRAW Help Article (900k PDF)

FSC-Certified Eco-Friendly Plaques

DCS can provide you with environmentally friendly plaques and recognition awards that have been custom formulated for use in conjunction with Direct Jet inkjet printers or laser engraving equipment (bamboo only). These plaques are made of either the world's only Formaldehyde-free, FSC-certified, organically grown bamboo or certified sustainable MDF produced from recycled wood. They utilize water-based, low-VOC, LEED-compliant finishes and recycled aluminum, and they ship in minimal packaging made from 100% recycled materials. Our partner, ECOPlus, spent two years researching the most eco-friendly materials and processes for this line of eco plaques. Plaques are available in four solid bamboo styles or white-finished MDF ("Arreis®"), in sizes from 5" x 7" up to 13" x 17". See a full listing of styles and sizes and get more information here.

Millennium 700 Series Prints Full-Color Name Badges & Access Cards in 25 Seconds

DCS's Millennium 700 Series thermal printers utilize a proprietary digital imaging technology that ensures clear, sharp and professional-looking output. Their ability to automatically feed and print precut blanks in full color, at a printing speed of about 25 seconds per card, saves time and costs. Computer graphics, scanned images or original artwork created by a software package such as the DCS Color Byte software can all be used with this versatile printer. Read more here.

DCS Pigment-Based Inks Provide Vibrant, Fade-Resistant Colors

DCS's Multisolve™ IR7 pigmented inks are mild solvent-type inks provide vibrant, high-intensity colors, with consistent color density values. Because they are pigment-based, they are UV stable and resist fading in outdoor environments. Formulated for use in both flexible and rigid applications, these inks are quick-drying and produce high-resolution, detailed images. The extremely versatile Multisolve IR7 inks print directly to a wide range of substrates such as PVC, ceramic tiles, natural tiles, wood, aluminum, glass, ABS, polycarbonate, leather, engraving plastics, paper, acrylic, crystal, CDs and DVDs. Typical applications include awards, signage, advertising specialty items, novelty items, equipment plates, name badges and more. Read more here.