Merseyside-based Northern Print has expanded its fleet of EFI VUTEk printers with a new HS100Pro from wide format print specialists CMYUK.
The printer - installed in late 2015 - was needed thanks to an ever increasing demand for wide format digital print from both existing and new clients.
Director Richard Parker explained: "We needed to make this investment so we could guarantee the capacity needed when we took on extra work. We were already running at full tilt, and had to have a reliable machine to help smooth out the peaks in demand without compromising our existing work.
"As well as giving us the extra capacity that we needed, the HS100Pro offers an incredible flexibility on substrates, and we can use it for sheets, boards, rolls, back lit panels, and a whole range of indoor and outdoor POS, both single and double sided.
"Basically, with our VUTEk printers and our litho arm, we can handle pretty much any print request that comes our way."
Richard, who's been in the print business since 1989, set up Northern Print originally as a print management company in 2000. He says that this changed quickly, as "it just didn't sit right, being a print distributor rather than a manufacturer."
He added: "I've bought VUTEks for the last nine years and to be honest I wouldn't really consider anything else. With the EFI badge I know that we're going to get speed and reliability, and the ability to handle a wide range of substrates. Being able to print white at the same time is also hugely beneficial.
"We have a great relationship with both EFI and CMYUK, and act as both a beta site and demo site for other prospective customers.
"The service response if we need it from both EFI and CMYUK is also phenomenal. For example, we once had a printer go down at 4.30pm on a Friday - it was back up and running with new parts flown in from US and Europe by the Saturday morning."
CMYUK director Robin East added: "With the increasing demand levels being seen by Northern Print, there's no room for any downtime or drop in their production levels. They run a high volume business to tight deadlines, and the reliability and speed of the HS100Pro made it the perfect choice of printer for them.
"Its warning and detection systems minimise downtime and waste, and its industrial design means it can handle the rigour of a 24/7 operation.
"We're also working with the team on the consumables side, identifying the best medias for the applications they want to deliver. The flexibility of the HS100Pro opens up many exciting opportunities for creating some really special work for their clients."
About the printer
The EFI VUTEk HS100Pro high-volume digital UV inkjet press combines the productivity of screen with image quality approaching offset.
The 3.2m press handles up to 100 boards per hour or up to 70 boards per hour in Point-Of-Purchase mode (600 dpi binary print mode). Operators can also run multiple jobs at once with multi-queue, eliminating the need to rip larger layout files.
The imaging technology driven by the Orion OS software platform delivers critical colour accuracy and consistency, and the innovative Pin & Cure technology delivers precise ink lay down for better image quality and high production speeds, gloss control, increased colour gamut, wider output capability and fewer artifacts.
For more information, visit www.cmyuk.com.
