| Further Advancements in ADA-Compliant/Braille Sign Printing |
 DCS is humbled by the enthusiastic response to our new patent-pending ADA-compliant Braille sign printing* capability. In mid-September, we will release a new printer package that offers two new options for ADA printing with your Direct Jet 1024UVHS UV LED inkjet printer:
1. Flat-Top Printing Option - Print flat-top text to more closely match the look of existing lasered/engraved signage. Please note that flat-top printing requires more passes than round-top printing, resulting in longer throughput times.
2. Clear Braille Dots - Print clear Braille dots, more closely matching the look of the insertion of glass beads. This also allows you to see the background of the sign through the dots.
Additionally, we are pleased to announce that we have achieved improved throughput times and reduced the ink costs for our existing ADA print options.
Contact us today for more information about ADA printing requirements and example sign-making metrics. This new printing capability will be on display at all upcoming DCS regional Technology Showcases and trade show appearances. Please see the end of this email for our upcoming schedule, or visit our website.
* While the components of the ADA signage, produced on Direct Jet 1024UVHS printers, have tested to be in compliance with federal USA ADA signage guidelines outlined in the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design (Department of Justice - September 15, 2010 - www.ADA.gov), it is the responsibility of the signage manufacturer to ensure compliance with the governing local, state and federal authorities.
** All substrates should be tested for image receptivity, adhesion and durability, with final acceptance and suitability determined by the customer. |
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| InkMark™ UV Line Update: New Acrylics, Enhanced Metal Options |
DCS has expanded its InkMark™ UV line of pre-coated, UV print-receptive substrates to give customers even more options for quickly and economically creating acrylic and metal ADA-compliant signage.
Our new clear InkMark™ UV Acrylic line is available in thicknesses of 1/8" or 1/4" and is matte on one side and gloss on the other, offering users the unprecedented option of either first-surface or second-surface graphics when creating ADA, Braille and other raised-texture signage. DCS also offers a new UV Acrylic Adhesion Promoter for those who want to print to acrylic items that do not have this InkMark™ surface.
We have additionally enhanced our InkMark™ UV Metal line, which is optimized to accept our UV LED inks without the use of any chemical wipe or adhesion promoter. Available in white, silver and gold aluminum, these metals are outdoor UV stable for up to 2 years without any overcoat, and they are available in both standard and matte finish (for ADA applications). InkMark™ UV Exterior Metals can be sublimated, dramatically expanding the list of potential applications for these materials.
InkMark™ UV Acrylics and Metals are available in full sheets (24" x 48") and quarter sheets (12" x 24"). |
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| Tech Tip: Setting Up & Printing ADA-Compliant Signs |
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 Direct Color Systems has not only engineered the ability to create ADA-compliant / Braille signs with our UV LED Flatbed Printers, but we have made it easy for any user to create and print a sign. RIP 9 has been finely tuned to require just a few simple steps for an ADA sign to be printed. Advanced users can go above and beyond to incorporate other features that DCS offers – such as TEXTUR3D™ printing – into their ADA signs.
Contained within the ADA software package are different Queues that help categorize the type of sign that will be output. There are options for: ADA raised text and Braille only; ADA raised text and Braille with a full-color background (both first and second surface); and an option for printing Clear Braille dots.
Click here for easy step-by-step instructions for designing your sign, setting up the necessary priming, sending your job to the RIP, viewing it in the Queue and preparing your substrate for printing – whether it's on our new InkMark™ UV Acrylic or your own cast acrylic paired with our new Acrylic Adhesion Promoter. |
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| Software Updates |
August brings new printer packages for all UV devices: 1024UVHS, 1024UV and 1014UV. These packages include updated Queues and new print mode options. The user will now see a series of print modes titled "Photo Quality." Utilizing a new printing concept, these Photo Quality print modes have been proven to output extremely high-quality images on all Direct Jet UV models. Give them a try!
There will also be a new printer package available in mid-September for the DJUVADA Device. This new package includes 3 new Queues that can output ADA Raised Text and Braille with a full-color background in 2 passes and an option for printing Clear Braille dots. This Device is only available to the users who have purchased the ADA Module upgrade. Please contact DCS for more information regarding ADA Sign printing.
IS YOUR SOFTWARE UP TO DATE?
Latest Build Versions:
Color Byte RIP 9.1 Build 2
Front End Build: 9204M*
Back End Build: 4933*
Latest Printer Package Versions:
1024UVHS: 5.100
1024UV: 5.100
1014UV: 5.100
DJUVADA: 6.200
* Find these numbers by going to HELP > ABOUT in the Color Byte Front End and the Color Byte RIP. |
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| Technical Services Corner: Customer FTP Site |
 Our Customer FTP Site is available to you 24 hours a day for easy access to software/driver downloads, technical support documents, sample artwork files, literature/specifications, User Guides, the DCS Product Catalog and much more.
Copy and paste the following address into your web browser, or simply press Ctrl + Click with your mouse to go to this address:
ftp://ftp.directcolorsystems.com
You will then be prompted to put in a user name and password. If you are not prompted for the User Name and Password or they are not accepted, paste the link into Windows Explorer or try an FTP Client. You can also try refreshing the page.
Passwords are case sensitive and are located on the front page of your User Guide.
Once you are on our FTP Site, there a number of helpful documents at your fingertips. From the main screen (see right), you can access directories for our current product catalog; marketing materials (product videos, sample artwork and spec sheets); and warranty information. Information specific to your DCS printer can be found in the software, technical documentation and user guide directories – simply navigate through the folders to access information specific to your printer. For example, to access the latest build of RIP 9 that is mentioned above, click Cust_Software (step 1 below) then ColorByteRIP9_1_Build2 (step 2 below). Then choose from the available Upgrade Package .zip file, Drivers, Printer Packages, User's Guide and more. To access technical documentation specific to the Direct Jet 1024UVHS, choose Cust_TechnicalDocumentation, then DirectJet, then UV, then DirectJet1024UVHS.
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| Meet Your TSS for the Mid-Atlantic Region — Kim Parkins |
| DCS has a network of Technical Sales Specialists (TSSs) based around the USA and Canada. These regional associates are your local link to sales, installation and technical support for all DCS products. |
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Kim Parkins
Park Center IV, LLC
Pine Brook, NJ
Phone: (973) 632-6116
kim.parkins@directcolorsystems.com
Serving the Mid-Atlantic Region: NJ, DE, MD, VA, WV, Washington D.C. and Central & Eastern PA
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Kim Parkins has worked in the graphic arts and digital printing industries since the 1970s, leading DuPont Graphic Arts, Inc. in a transition from selling hard goods to digital sign creation programs and output devices before selling the business to Sign Supply USA and going to work as their New Jersey sales manager.
Kim recently joined DCS as our TSS for the Mid-Atlantic Region. In 2008, Kim discovered DCS's Millennium badge printers and recommended that Sign Supply include DCS products within its equipment offerings. He is a staunch advocate for our Direct Jet UV and solvent direct-to-substrate inkjet printers and approaches his role as TSS with great confidence in the UV line's unique capabilities.
"The 1024UVHS provides a fantastic new method of producing ADA-compliant signage at a level that previous processes can't touch," he says. "And the promotional applications for printing on a multitude of other products and utilizing RIP 9's TEXTUR3D™ printing capabilities gives these UV printers dynamic applications too numerous to mention."
"The fact that these printers are manufactured right here in the USA, by a company with management that is dedicated to customer satisfaction, is a great advantage as well."
If you are based in the Mid-Atlantic and would like more information on any of our products or services, please contact Kim at (973) 632-6116 or kim.parkins@directcolorsystems.com. |
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- DCS currently has 10 mobile demo locations throughout the USA and Canada.
- To get in touch with the TSS in your area, please contact us.
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| Upcoming USA Technology Showcases |
 Please join us for our upcoming DCS Technology Showcases! This is your chance for an up-close look at our cutting-edge Direct Jet 1024UVHS UV LED desktop inkjet printer, plus a sneak peek at our new patent-pending ADA-compliant UV printing process*. Feel the difference that both raised TEXTUR3D™ printing and standard flat UV printing can offer to your business.
These events are free, but space is limited. Please contact the Technical Sales Specialist or local authorized DCS Distributor listed below as soon as possible to schedule your appointment.
TEXAS (ARLINGTON)
August 27th & 28th — 8 am to 5 pm daily
Engravers Network – New Showroom
637 107th St.
Arlington, TX 76011
RSVP to local authorized DCS Distributor: Darrell Stephens
dstephens@engraversnetwork.com
Phone: 866-727-7256
ORLANDO
September 4th & 5th — 9 am to 5 pm daily
Wyndham Orlando Resort International Drive
8001 International Drive
Orlando, FL 32819
RSVP to: Riccardo Fassi
riccardo.fassi@directcolorsystems.com
Phone: 954-385-6555
LOUISVILLE
September 18th & 19th — 9 am to 5 pm daily
Regus
Ormsby III Forest Green
10200 Forest Green Blvd. Suite #112
Louisville, KY 40223
RSVP to: Bill Weems
bill.weems@directcolorsystems.com
Phone: 708-977-3657
MOBILE, ALABAMA
October 7th & 8th
Location TBA
RSVP to: Riccardo Fassi
riccardo.fassi@directcolorsystems.com
Phone: 954-385-6555
* While the components of the ADA signage, produced on Direct Jet 1024UVHS printers, have tested to be in compliance with federal USA ADA signage guidelines outlined in the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design (Department of Justice - September 15, 2010 - www.ADA.gov), it is the responsibility of the signage manufacturer to ensure compliance with the governing local, state and federal authorities. |
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| Upcoming DCS Trade Shows & Events |
DCS Technology Showcase — Texas
August 27-28, 2013
Engravers Network
Arlington, TX
Click here for details |
DCS Technology Showcase — Orlando
September 4-5, 2013
Orlando, FL
Click here for details |
PRINT 13
September 8-12, 2013
Chicago, IL
Booth #2687
(MasterBind USA booth) |
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DCS Technology Showcase — Louisville
September 18-19, 2013
Louisville, KY
Click here for details |
The NBM Show — Philadelphia
September 19-21, 2013
Philadelphia, PA
Booth #608 |
SGIA Expo
October 23-25, 2013
Orlando, FL
Booth #2249 |
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DCS Technology Showcase — Alabama
October 7-8, 2013
Mobile, AL
Click here for details |
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