Rollfed substrates still have a place in wide-format printing

A writer has claimed that rollfed substrates still have a place in the wide-format printing world, despite perhaps being seen as slightly "passé".

Explaining his thoughts for whattheythink.com, Richard Romano explained why he believes the world shouldn't discount the benefits of rollfed substrates just yet.

"Rollfed substrates have been around since the advent of wide-format printing and may seem a tad passé, but can still service many of the wide-format applications that shops may be called upon to produce," he revealed. "And of course, print-then-mount still remains a viable alternative for shops that have invested in rollfed devices, but still would like to produce ultimately rigid products."

However, he did go on to say that rigid substrates play their part too - like wood, metal, glass, plastic or board.

His comments also cited by silobreaker.com, Romano continued: "The ability for flatbed printers - and especially UV flatbed printers - to print on almost any surface has opened up a seemingly infinite variety of speciality printed applications."

In contrast to their rigid counterparts, rollfed substrates mostly consist of textiles, vinyls, canvases, flexible plastics and the many varieties of paper on offer. These are usually flexible materials that can easily be fed through a printer, whilst rigid substrates tend to be hardier.