Electronics For Imaging (EFI) has exhibited a full range of its portfolio of industrial inkjet technology, including advanced sign and display graphics, roll-to-roll, hybrid, soft-signage and single pass printers, as well as industrial textile solutions at the recently concluded Printing United.
The company showcased the EFI VUTEk Q3r roll-to-roll LED printer that provides a complete print-to-finished graphic workflow, from RIP to finished product, on the same platform.
This 3.5-meter roll-to-roll solution prints up to 6,006 square feet per hour (558 metres per hour) and features a true resolution of up to 1,200 dpi with white and clear ink printing together.
The clear ink, EFI’s UltraClear Coat, is a versatile spot or full clear coat ink available with EFI LED roll-to-roll printers that can be used for decorative, high-quality effects on prints or as a final coating to help protect graphics against abrasion, chemicals and fading. UltraClear Coat prints inline, simultaneously with the image, without slowing down production speeds in specific printer models in gloss or matte finishes.
The second machine that was on show, the 3.4-meter EFI VUTEk FabriVU 340i+ with inline fixation, is an innovative dye-sublimation printer ideal for soft-signage production, delivering outstanding image quality and direct printing to fabric with inline sublimation in one step.
It features 4-colour printing, speeds of up to 5,172 square feet per hour (480 metres per hour), and an ultra-high resolution of up to 2,400 dpi. The FabriVU 340i+ printer also opens the door to other textile-based printing applications for sign and display graphics businesses looking to add new products.
The high-productivity 3.2-meter EFI VUTEk h5 hybrid roll/flatbed LED printer showcased its outstanding image quality of up to 1,200 dpi and high throughput at up to 109 boards per hour. With its automated media handling options, including three-quarters automated media loading and stacker systems and super duty winders, the VUTEk h5 printer meets the needs of high-volume sign and display graphics producers.
EFI also promoted the 3.2-meter EFI Pro 30h flatbed/roll-fed LED printer suitable for businesses targeting production sign and display graphics as a growth opportunity.
It prints on various substrates at speeds of up to 2,477 square feet per hour (230 metres per hour), features four colours plus dual channels of white standard, and prints in resolutions of up to 1,200 dpi.
EFI’s booth also featured interactive video and sample walls of the EFI Nozomi single-pass technology for corrugated packaging and the EFI Reggiani ecoTERRA pigment, an all-in-one solution for water-based pigment printing that simplifies the textile printing process to one step, eliminating the need for ancillary equipment for pre- and post-treatment. Customers can now obtain a truly sustainable, direct-to-fabric printing solution by significantly reducing water, energy and chemicals consumption in the overall process.
EFI’s vice president of worldwide marketing Ken Hanulec said, “We are excited to be back at Printing United. It’s a wonderful community, and the biggest opportunity we have in North America to connect and showcase all our latest innovations across multiple verticals. From updates to our single-pass technology to new applications, visitors will be excited about what we have to share.
“We’re also happy to have Fiery joining us in our booth this year, speaking with visitors about the benefits of Fiery-driven printers and showing them live demonstrations of the value of Fiery DFEs and workflows.”
Fiery showcased the latest digital front ends (DFE) and workflow products designed to fuel production profitability with industry-leading print performance. Attendees could see demonstrations of Fiery’s 2023 Pinnacle Award-winning products – Fiery Command WorkStation, Fiery Impose, and Fiery Digital Factory.
Moreover, Fiery DFE was driving all of the on-site printing equipment in the booth, allowing attendees to experience the difference Fiery DFEs provide in improving efficiencies and ensuring vibrant colours across printing applications.
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