Expand with EFI

When it comes to trends, EFI (Booth 1501) is carefully watching several that all intersect: the need to print higher volumes, and the need to do so affordably, on a wider range of substrates. It’s nothing new, but the company is continuing to address those needs.

“One new development that our customers have found a lot of success using are our new roll-to-roll LED inkjet printers - the EFI VUTEk 3r and 5r, which are available in 3 and 5 meters. The printers are the fastest in their class speed — with speeds up to up to 4,896 sqft/hr - with best-in-class quality. And with the throughput they offer, the printers have lower total cost of ownership compared with other, similar roll-to-roll devices,” notes Ken Hanulec, VP, marketing, EFI Inkjet.

“The other big development we have seen,” he notes, “is the migration to soft signage. Growth in soft signage has accelerated significantly, particularly in the retail POP and exhibit/tradeshow graphics spaces. We are meeting demand for larger graphics and higher throughput in soft signage with a 5.2-meter version of our VUTEk FabriVU series of aqueous dye-sublimation printers. And we are seeing increased demand for our Reggiani Pro printers, which are intended for businesses that maybe started out with a FabriVU and have built up enough dedicated soft signage work to need a higher-volume dedicated device.”

So what will you find on the show floor? “EFI is featuring our VUTEk 3r three-meter roll-to-roll LED printer,” says Hanulec. “This new roll-to-roll printer line, which is also available in a 5m width, stands out of a number of reasons. First they have our proven, versatile cool cure LED imaging, which gives customers a broader range of substrate choices. Our LED technology is also very consistent with curing, which means fewer wasted prints, and they use less power than traditional UV or latex printers which means our customers have lower operating costs as well.

“On top of that,” he continues, “we’ve put a range of world-class finishing and material handling automation options for these printers that give customers the ability to achieve turnkey production in high-volume environments. Inline roll-to-sheet cutting, slitters and a sheet collector kit reduce or eliminate altogether the need to handle printed jobs on separate finishing tables. We also offer optional features for automated double-sided backlit and blockout printing; a mobile app for remote printer monitoring and more.”

Finally, he notes, “our booth will also feature our VUTEk FabriVU printer series (pictured at left) for soft signage, which is available in 1.8, 3.4 and 5.2-meter widths. These printers also stand out for their speed - you can print up to 4,800 sqft/hr on our 5.2-meter version. But in addition to that is the quality. Beyond the fact that the printers run up to 2,400 dpi, the printers also have the same proven imaging technology developed for leading apparel and décor brands in industrial textile printing with EFI Reggiani printers. Plus, unlike other soft signage printers, the FabriVU models can run direct-to-fabric or on transfer paper without changing ink sets, which creates a tremendous time savings in terms of machine downtime.”