Digital printing of wallpaper isn’t such a radical idea. Various systems have been promoted over recent years, based around roll-fed printers using media and inks suitable for domestic and hospitality applications. But the idea of being able to also print a fully variable texture onto a wallcovering is novel and has so far been the sole province of the DIMENSE range of printers originally developed by Lithuanian company, Vieka. The underlying technology involves a coating on the media that foams and expands when heated after printing, plus a jettable ‘structural’ ink that suppresses the expansion reaction at any desired location. The original Vieka machine, shown at FESPA 2017 could achieve a 1mm relief this way, which enabled plenty of textured effects to be achieved on supported media, which was – and still is – manufactured by the DIMENSE operation in Lithuania. When Roland took a controlling stake in the DIMENSE business in August 2023, it took on distribution and support of the existing machines, but with a clear intention to combine the technology with its own manufacturing expertise. This led to the announcement in June 2025 of the Roland DIMENSE DA-640, a brand-new machine that combines a familiar Roland 1.6m roll-fed printer chassis with the DIMENSE ink and media. The DA-640 made its UK public debut at The Sign Show in September 2025. The most obvious physical difference is that the printer is a lot smaller, especially in terms of its footprint. However, that is perhaps one of the less significant changes compared to what’s going on inside. Two Heads are Better Than One The new model uses two Epson printheads to offer resolutions for both CMYK and structural ink of 900 x 1200dpi, though it’s important to note that the nature of the foam expansion in the coating limits the level of fine detail that can be achieved in the ‘embossing’ effect. Head of DIMENSE Exploring the Depths of the Roland DIMENSE DA-640 Michael Walker is a trade journalist, technical writer, and editor with over 37 years’ experience in the print, prepress, photography, and digital imaging sectors, with a particular interest in the digital transformation of processes. In addition to editing Desktop Publishing Today and Digital Printer magazines, he is co-author with Neil Barstow of Getting Colour Right (Ilex Press, 2004) and Practical Colour Management for Photographers and Digital Image Makers (2009, self-published e-book) and winner of a Communicators in Business Gold Award. The DA-640 made its UK public debut at The Sign Show in September 2025 22 email: editor@signlink.co.uk Issue 262 - December 2025 | January 2026 UNDER THE HOOD | ROLAND DIMENSE DA-640 Able to print with raised textures up to 2mm high underneath CMYK print, Roland’s revamped version of the DIMENSE printer offers a range of application possibilities beyond the obvious wallpaper. Michael Walker peels back the edges to take a peek beneath
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