PRESS ROOM STORY
LANDMARK WIDE FORMAT PRODUCT ARRIVES IN U.S
30th April 2009
LANDMARK WIDE FORMAT PRODUCT ARRIVES IN U.S
One of the most eagerly awaited wide format products to be launched in the UK in recent times is now being made available to customers across North America
Following one of the biggest shake-ups ever witnessed in the UK wide format industry, a new and particularly remarkable product has just landed on US shores.
In 2007, HARMAN technology Limited (a company renowned for its coating and imaging expertise developed over more than a century of producing photography products) acquired KENTMERE PHOTOGRAPHIC – a manufacturer with an enviable reputation in the British display media market.
Ever since, the two businesses have been working together, combining their respective expertise to develop a new range of next generation wide format products. Now, the first of these is officially available in the United States.
Unveiled on April 1st, HARMAN OPALJET XL will be available from the manufacturer’s existing North American distributor network but will only be offered to limited dealers in order to maintain product and territorial exclusivity.
Competition to carry the new product is expected to be fierce. As Garry Hume, Vice President, Wide Format Business at HARMAN technology, explains: “OPALJET may be a relatively unknown name in the US, but we’re confident all that will soon change. In the UK market, OPALJET display products have become the industry standard thanks to their unrivalled performance.
“With this first product to be launched under the HARMAN rather than KENTMERE brand, we’ve combined our expert knowledge and actually taken this widely respected performance to a whole new level.”
Designed to maximize the image quality of the latest, pigmented ink, printing systems, the new media is offered in two variants - HARMAN OPALJET XL 125, which is perfect for roller banners, and HARMAN OPALJET XL 300, a heavier weight film more suited to pop-up displays and freestanding banner stands. Both versions employ many of the innovations pioneered by HARMAN whilst developing its internationally acclaimed range of high-end, photo quality, inkjet papers.
Most notably, this includes a unique nanoporous Alumina coating, which contributes to exceptional image sharpness, an impressive color gamut and superior laminate bond strength. Image stability is also preserved and enhanced thanks to this coating and to a lightstop, extruded grey backing layer, which does not suffer from edge delamination. As light cannot penetrate the media, displays in mixed lighting conditions remain brighter with more impact.
Aside from this ability to deliver truly striking photo quality imaging, HARMAN OPALJET XL, which is manufactured entirely at HARMAN’s state-of-the-art production facility in England, also offers other major benefits.
Specifically, it employs anti-curl technology enhancing its lay-flat characteristics and making it ideal for use in environments that are subject to extreme variations of humidity. It is also manufactured using a DuPont Teijin Melinexâ polyester base - the highest quality substrate available for portable display applications and a material that enjoys far greater dimensional stability compared to other alternatives such as PVC. Another major advantage over other brands of display media is the inclusion of special anti-static capabilities. This keeps the product free from dust and makes it easier to handle in the print lab environment.
In addition, HARMAN OPALJET XL also enjoys fast drying properties (ensuring consistent and reliable printer output) and is incredibly versatile. As well as being compatible with the latest pigmented inkjet technology and printers such as the HP Z 6100, Canon iPF 9000 and EPSON 11880, it is ideal for a full spectrum of indoor applications – ranging from POP displays to exhibition graphics.
Summing up, Garry Hume adds: “We are genuinely excited about the launch of HARMAN OPALJET XL onto the US market. This is the first display media to draw on HARMAN technology’s R&D capabilities and expertise of coating with complex layers of emulsions, and to be produced using the solid infrastructure of one of the world’s leading forces in photo-imaging.
“We know both our customers and the end-users who buy the finished displays are going to be amazed by its performance - particularly in relation to its image quality, colour saturation and lay-flat properties.”
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Image:Opaljet PopUp_US.jpg
Caption:Designed to XL. HARMAN OPALJET XL is one of the biggest products to be launched in the UK in recent years - and now it’s coming to the United States.
NOTES TO EDITORS –
HARMAN technology Limited is a pioneering imaging specialist based in Mobberley, Cheshire. The company - which was born of the ILFORD formed by Alfred Harman in 1879 - now includes three, separate and well known brands: ILFORD PHOTO which offers traditional monochrome photographic products; HARMAN PHOTO which provides high-end inkjet media for both colour and monochrome prints as well as display media such as HARMAN OPALJET; and the KENTMERE PHOTOGRAPHIC range of black and white film and paper.
The ILFORD range of inkjet products, including ‘ILFORD Galerie’, is not associated with HARMAN technology in any way, and is actually manufactured and marketed by a separate organisation based in Switzerland.
For more information on HARMAN technology and its brands, visit:
www.harmantechnology.com // www.harman-inkjet.com // www.ilfordphoto.com // www.kentmere.com
Melinex® polyester film is a registered trademark of DuPont Teijin Films
For more information on this story, please contact Wayne Mohammed at Manifest on
01484 469601 or email wayne@manifestcomms.co.uk