Colortrac releases extra-wide format scanners

Colortrac will begin shipping the extra-large format SmartLF Gx+ 56/Gx+ T56 (thick media) scanner range this month.

With a 56in image width and 60in media width, 600dpi optical high definition (HD) resolution and Gigabit Ethernet connectivity, these scanners provide maximum document handling flexibility and the capability of fast network distribution of colour, greyscale or monochrome images.

The combination of fast high-fidelity colour graphics scanning and the ability to resolve fine-line detail in technical documents is targeted at the aerospace, aeronautics, automotive and reprographics industries, where the ability to capture non-standard, oversize 1:1 scale documents as well as poster or billboard-size advertising artwork is a common requirement.

The ability to scan A0, E-size and architectural E-size documents in landscape, right reading with no post-scan rotation can also be useful when creating digital archives for large volumes of CAD drawings, maps, plans and other landscape orientation technical documents, or when copying documents to the wider LF printers.

The major feature in the SmartLF Gx+ 56 scanners is the Colortrac bi-directional (2D) LED illumination system.

Most large-format scanners with CCD image sensor technology use relatively expensive, high specification fluorescent tubes with a useful working life of approximately 8,000 hours.

They also contain mercury, degrade over time, are comparatively energy inefficient and require between one and two hours warm-up time before their light stabilises and therefore before the scanner can be used for colour critical work.

Colortrac said that its use of LED technology provides instant-on colour calibration, lower Energy Star qualified running costs, lower consumable/service/disposal costs and greater reliability from the solid-state digital LED design.

Compared with previous generation SmartLF CCD scanners, SmartLF Gx+ 56 uses 30 per cent less power in operation (the LEDs are only on when scanning), 94 per cent less when idle and the estimated working life of the LED system is 50,000 hours.

This plus other features such as Gigabit Ethernet connectivity give the SmartLF Gx+ 56/Gx+ T56 scanner range a productivity and cost advantage over scanners using fluorescent tubes, added Colortrac.

Colortrac has made the SmartLF Gx+ 56/Gx+ T56 scanners available in monochrome (m), colour (c) and express (e) colour scanner models.

SmartLF monochrome (m) and colour (c) models can be upgraded on site from an 'm' to a 'c' or 'e' by exchange of emails.

SmartLF Gx+ cannot be upgraded to Gx+ T.

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