The Wallpen E1 vertical inkjet printer by Wallpen GmbH uses Xaar inkjet technology and UV-curable inks to print large pictures and graphics directly on indoor and outdoor walls and other vertical surfaces. It prints in brilliant, durable and high-definition colors directly onto a wide variety of substrates including plaster, wallpaper, wood, stone, plastic, tiles, glass, metal and concrete.
The Wallpen can create colorful designs on walls up to almost four meters (about 13 ft.) high. The printable width is unlimited. The vertical printer can cover up to four square meters per hour at a resolution of 370 x 600 dpi.
Designed for easy transportation and set-up, the Wallpen can fit in a mid-size car. One person can set up it up in about five minutes.
The Wallpen is the brainchild of Wallpen Managing Director Andreas Schmidt. He says the printer could be used to print eye-catching designs in public spaces such as shopping malls, or bring color to bland hospitals and municipal buildings. It could also be used to create museum displays or decorate hallways in office buildings. He believes the Wallpen printer will be used by painters, decorators, interior designers, sign makers, advertising agencies, graphic designers, and other professionals.
“Since the launch, we’ve had a great deal of interest in the printer from a wide variety of industries, and sales are already looking very healthy,” said Schmidt. Click here to view a video showing the printer in action.
Technology
The Wallpen printer was developed over two years and is underpinned by 15 patents.
The printer incorporates a four-color Xaar 128 print bar on a rigid, lightweight aluminum structure. To ensure the quality of printed image, an on-board laser system detects surface imperfections and undulations so the print arm can be automatically and continuously adjusted.
According to Schmidt, Xaar technology is playing a major role in the success of the Wallpen printer. In addition to their ability to jet UV-curable inks, the Xaar 128 printheads can be easily incorporated into a small and lightweight printhead unit.
The light and powerful Xaar 128 printhead has long been recognized as the leading 17 mm piezoelectric drop-on-demand printhead for the wide-format graphics sector. It is ideal for applications such as printing graphics on a range of surfaces as well as outdoor and indoor signage.