Electronics For Imaging, Inc., technologies on display at the ISA International Sign Expo can give signage professionals important competitive advantages in a wide range of display graphics applications.
EFI’s exhibit in booth 535 at the April 24-26 Las Vegas tradeshow features the new, next-generation EFI VUTEk h5 hybrid flatbed/roll-to-roll LED for higher-volume printing, and the high-end EFI VUTEk FabriVU 340i printer offering superior-quality soft-signage printing with in-line calendering, both of them running using the newest versions of EFI’s Fiery proServer digital front ends (DFEs).
The products EFI is presenting are part of a broader, end-to-end signage and graphics offering that also includes advanced MIS/ERP solutions such as the EFI Midmarket Print Suite, a comprehensive software workflow for superwide-format print automation providing advanced technologies for estimating, planning, scheduling, data collection, fulfillment, accounting, reporting and more.
EFI partners Nazdar SourceOne and Ricoh are also featuring advanced EFI technologies at the International Sign Expo, with the EFI Pro 24f LED dedicated flatbed printer and the new EFI Pro 32r LED roll-to-roll printer in the Nazdar exhibit (booth 3626) and the EFI Pro 16h LED hybrid printer featured at the Ricoh exhibit (booth 735).
The fast VUTEk LED solution for premium inkjet graphics
The 126-inch wide VUTEk h5 hybrid printer in EFI’s booth features eight colors plus white and was developed from the ground up to establish new benchmarks for efficiency and profitability. The printer’s X4 mode gives users superior productivity, running up to 109 boards per hour in a CMYK x 2 configuration. The VUTEk h5 model’s UltraDrop Technology, with native 7-picoliter grayscale printhead imaging and true multi-drop addressability, delivers exceptional smoothness in shadows, gradients and transitions.
One of the first VUTEk h5 users in North America, Toronto-based Mack Media, has achieved success with the VUTEk h5 printer’s high quality and high productivity. “The VUTEk h5 makes us more competitive in spaces where only larger companies were able to provide a service with fast turnarounds,” according to Mack Media President Frank Mackovski. “We can compete in those same areas and offer even better quality than they can produce on some of their fastest printers.”
Superior soft signage productivity
The EFI VUTEk FabriVU 340i on display is the only textile soft signage printer in its class offering in-line calendering at fast production speeds. The 133-inch wide aqueous dispersed dye sublimation printer eliminates the need for an investment in an additional, offline heat press, saving money and floorspace while making customers’ printing process more efficient.
Both VUTEk printers at the show are powered by latest-version Fiery proServer DFEs. The new Fiery proServer Premium model driving the VUTEk h5 features GPU hardware acceleration, delivering up to 2X faster processing performance on EFI superwide-format printers. This enables customers to do more work per shift and achieve continuous print production, even at rated printer speed, truly maximizing printer investments.
Wider range of opportunities with EFI Pro wide-format printers
The 65-inch wide EFI Pro 16h hybrid printer presented by Ricoh at the show provides users with an attractive total cost of ownership, superior image quality with variable-drop grayscale imaging, and access to a wide range of substrates and applications. Users such as Los Angeles-based business Inca Print use the Pro 16h model’s versatility and its high-quality white ink capabilities to win new work. Giovanni Ortega, Inca Print’s founder, purchased the printer from Ricoh last year and immediately realized the growth opportunities it created. “The Pro 16h printer’s white ink capability has been a strong competitive advantage and a selling factor that has led to new jobs,” said Ortega. “Clients have come to me because their other vendors couldn’t do what we do.”
The EFI Pro 32r printer in the Nazdar booth is a 126-inch wide roll-to-roll device designed for high-quality print with mid-level production, printing up to 2,227 square feet per hour. The printer’s CMYK and white Genuine EFI Inks are now eligible for the 3M MCS Warranty for proven, guaranteed quality and outdoor durability on fleet and vehicle graphics and other applications.
Another EFI offering in the Nazdar booth, the EFI Pro 24f dedicated flatbed printer, features variable-drop grayscale imaging but with a true flatbed design, including a moving gantry and a multi-zoned vacuum table. Designed for applications requiring discerning image quality and absolute dot placement accuracy, the printer is a highly strategic choice for signage, photographic backlit displays, art reproductions, membrane switches, graphic overlays, lenticular prints and other specialty applications.
The Pro 16h, 24f and 32r printers all feature a built-in EFI Fiery DFE with FAST RIP acceleration technology for speedy file processing, higher throughput and accurate color management. Plus, the printers’ “cool cure” LED imaging technology drives down operating costs with less energy use and waste while delivering superior results on an extended range of supported substrates.
