Digital print technology provider Electronics For Imaging (EFI) is showcasing its expansive portfolio of innovative display graphics solutions this week at PRINTING United Expo 2022 in the Las Vegas Convention Center.
EFI's VUTEk FabriVU 340i+ printer
“The range of EFI production LED inkjet, dye-sublimation inkjet, and Fiery digital front end (DFE) and workflow offerings at the show highlights advanced, unique, and award-winning technologies that give signage and display graphics businesses a stronger competitive edge,” the California-based manufacturer said.
The new EFI VUTEk FabriVU Plus series of soft signage printers, including the VUTEk FabriVU 340i+ printer offers “the next level of high-end dye-sublimation efficiency and opportunity. Soft signage is the fastest-growing application for many EFI customers.”
Designed for high-end direct-to-fabric or transfer paper production with resolutions up to 2,400 dots per inch (dpi) and three-level grayscale printing with 7pL, 12pL and 18pL drop sizes, the FabriVU Plus series achieves “remarkable quality in dye-sub printing – with better saturation and more density for soft signage and flag printing – thanks to new electronics as well as eight high-performance printheads in a new CMYK x 2 configuration.”
The in-line fixation feature on the VUTEk FabriVU 340i+ model at PRINTING United eliminates the need for a separate heat press in direct-to-fabric production.
The new soft signage printer is part of a broad portfolio of highly advanced EFI display graphics inkjet solutions at the show.
- The 126-inch (3.2-meter) wide EFI Pro 30h hybrid roll/flatbed LED printer (pictured above) is an ideal solution for businesses targeting production sign and display graphics as a growth opportunity. Running at speeds up to 2,477 square feet (230 square meters) per hour, it features four colours plus dual channels of white as standard, prints in resolutions up to 1,200 dpi, and includes an EFI Fiery proServer Core DFE with FAST RIP acceleration technology.
- The 138-inch (3.5-meter) wide EFI VUTEk Q3r LED inkjet printer on display – the fastest superwide-format roll-to-roll solution in its class – is part of a VUTEk Q series that also includes a 208-inch (5.2-meter) wide Q5r model. A new inline UltraClear Coat option for the VUTEk Q3r, Q5r and other EFI roll-to-roll LED inkjet printers offers superior protection for outdoor graphics and high-quality gloss or matte spot enhancement in premium POP work – capabilities that earned UltraClear Coat the 2022 PRINTING United Alliance Pinnacle Award for UV digital inks.
- The VUTEk h5, a highly advanced, high-productivity 126-inch (3.2-meter) wide hybrid roll/flatbed LED inkjet printer at the show, delivers top-tier image quality at speeds up 109 boards per hour, with automated media handling options, including a ¾ automated media loading and stacker system and super duty winders. To meet growing demand for corrugated board printing, EFI has launched a new corrugated media management system for the VUTEk h5 printer featuring an enhanced vacuum, material edge guides and a dynamic roller subsystem for superior board throughput.
Automation and innovation in display graphics workflows
EFI’s enhanced IQ cloud solution featured at PRINTING United gives customers more power to monitor production operations and printer utilization – including exact job-level consumable tracking data – to reduce downtime and costs. “EFI IQ’s exceptional display graphics management and business intelligence capabilities earned it the 2022 PRINTING United Alliance Pinnacle Product Award for software and workflow/MIS/CRM solutions. As the only management solution to have a direct connection to EFI printer data, IQ helps business leaders make smarter, data-driven production decisions for each wide-format printer and optimize capacity allocation across the production floor.”
Another award-winning EFI display graphics workflow solution at the show, EFI Fiery Prep-it, is print-for-cut preparation software that can be used with any wide- or superwide-format DFE. Innovations in true-shape nesting earned this software the PRINTING United Alliance Pinnacle Product Award for prepress and premedia. “With Fiery Prep-it, display graphics businesses can reduce the time needed to nest complex objects for wide-format printing by up to 90%. And, in head-to-head comparison with the competing solutions in the market, Prep-it’s powerful and detailed nesting capabilities saves users at least 10% in media costs.”
New digital opportunities across growing market segments
PRINTING United also features exhibits from two of EFI’s newest acquisitions – “innovators that deliver some of the best and most respected workflow technologies in direct-to-textile, direct-to-film (DTF) and direct-to-garment (DTG) printing.
“Inèdit Software, part of the EFI Reggiani textile business, is showcasing its advanced offerings – including its industry-leading, worldwide benchmark RIP solutions for digital textile printing – in booth #C10337. And booth #C4918 features the latest, highly advanced Digital Factory DTF and DTG automation, production, and personalisation software solutions from EFI Fiery’s recent acquisition of CADlink Software.”
EFI VP of worldwide marketing Ken Hanulec said: “EFI’s leading-edge portfolio at PRINTING United is a great example of our unwavering commitment to providing customers with the best innovation advantage in display graphics and industrial inkjet printing. We continue to drive our customers’ growth in these spaces with the right products to help them earn more margin in more applications and stay ahead of the game in terms of capability, efficiency, versatility and sustainability.”
First global insallation of high-speed EFI VUTEk XT
In other EFI news on the opening day of Printing United, the company announced the world’s first installation of an EFI VUTEk XT hybrid flatbed/roll-to-roll display graphics printer, at Ingram Express Services, Nashville TN. The new VUTEk XT printer is built on an entirely new platform, designed for unmatched throughput and print capabilities, litho-like image quality, and unparalleled ink yield, the company says. This helps sign and display graphics providers win more profitable business and expand their applications. It is a highly versatile printer that delivers outstanding results on signage media, as well as on corrugated board for high-end packaging and display applications.
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| The new EFI VUTEk XT hybrid roll/rigid is built on a new platform to maximise productivity and litho-like quality |
The VUTEk XT printer is designed to drive a significant reduction in total cost of ownership with superior throughput, exceeding 350 boards per hour. A new vacuum architecture offers five times more hold-down for a wide range of materials. A new media transport eliminates the need for material edge guides, ensuring highly accurate registration and smooth transport, even with thicker boards. These advanced features make printing traditionally difficult substrates easier and more accurate, reducing waste and improving overall throughput.
Further productivity increase is achieved using a multi-lane printing feature, which offers users the option to feed boards in up to three printing lanes, using the same or different print files. The VUTEk XT supports roll-to-roll printing of large rolls up to 1.5 metres in diameter with two independent drives for two-up printing, or one collaborative drive for one-up printing.
EFI’s new CP5G ink delivery technology on the printer delivers complete ink circulation, superior dot placement, 5-picolitre drops and grayscale imaging – a robust feature set that can ensure customers gain fine text imaging and near-lithographic imaging with a four-color CMYK inkset. The ink recirculation system is leveraged from EFI’s Nozomi single-pass inkjet printer architecture and ensures continuous flow of fresh ink, at the correct temperature, always at the ready. Users can also expect to obtain a yield of more than 168 square metres per litre of ink – an ink yield increase of 30% to 50% compared to other inkjet sign and display graphics printers.
Of particular interest for versioning, short runs and variable data, a high-throughput data channel and unique Fiery Sign Flow 'Every Print is Different' (EPiD) technology allows customers to quickly sequence retail display graphics for optimal in-store installation. Campaigns come off the VUTEk XT printer and onto the pallet in the order needed for optimal installation, based on each specific store layout, reducing the need for hand collation either at the print shop or the store.
For more information about advanced display graphics solutions from EFI, visit www.efi.com
EFI printers and workflows are distributed in Australia and New Zealand by Currie Group.
