Mutoh unveils new large-format outdoor printer

Mutoh America Inc. has introduced the NXPro Toucan, a large-format color inkjet printer suitable for outdoor applications. It can print at resolutions up to 720 dots per inch and with a throughput of up to 864 square feet, providing output suitable for banners, soft signage, fleet and floor graphics, and backlit displays.

Mutoh said that because the NXPro Toucan outputs waterproof ink that’s resistant both to ultraviolet radiation and to abrasion, images printed from the system can last outdoors up to three years, even on inexpensive uncoated applications.

Two different models are available — a four color system called the Toucan-64, which has a maximum print width of 63 inches and a top speed of 405 square feet per hour; and the Toucan-87, which sports a print width of 86 inches and a top speed of 864 square feet per hour. Each system incorporates digitally controlled heating elements for drying the ink, a 21GB hard drive and an automatic take-up system.

Each NXPro Toucan printer incorporates a PostScript-3 compatible network RIP server — the Thunderbird PS-1000. Developed by Mutoh, this server enables Windows and Mac OS applications to print directly. It can queue multiple jobs from multiple clients simultaneously, and includes features like automatic job status reporting, unattended print monitoring and a user interface that is Web-accessible.

Mutoh is introducing the new NXPro Toucan models publicly for the first time at next week’s Big Picture Conference in Tampa, Fla. Pricing on the new printers was not immediately available.