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EFI Showing New High-Volume Inkjet Press, Other New Production Offerings at Fespa

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On March 8th, Electronics For Imaging (EFI) reported that it will feature six new EFI VUTEk production printers, including one it bills as “one the world’s fastest production-class hybrid LED printers,” as well as a new, flagship high-volume inkjet press, and a VUTEk textile-printer making its worldwide debut. EFI is currently previewing the new systems at the Fespa Digital 2016 production-printing trade show taking place in Amsterdam.

EFI VUTEk LX3 Pro

EFI says the 3.2-meter wide EFI VUTEk LX3 Pro hybrid roll/flatbed LED inkjet printer making its European debut at the show is a leader in production-class LED inkjet graphics print engine speeds with fast throughput of up to 318 square meters per hour. The printer is also said to provide high-resolution greyscale imaging, and its “cool cure” LED technology is a greener solution that reduces energy usage and costs while giving users the ability to print on a wider range of media, including media that cannot withstand the heat of other curing or drying methods.

EFI VUTEk HS125 Pro UV Inkjet Press

The 3.2-meter EFI VUTEk HS125 Pro UV inkjet press is also making its European debut at Fespa Digital. EFI says it builds on the “remarkable success” customers have achieved with the more-than 100+ worldwide installations of its predecessor, the EFI VUTEk HS100 Pro inkjet press. The new HS125 Pro model — the fastest VUTEk product ever developed — is the new flagship of the VUTEk lineup. It delivers true analogue replacement capabilities with print quality approaching offset, production speeds up to 125 boards per hour, pin-and-cure UV LED curing, and a variety of automated material-handling options, including one for corrugated board.

EFI Fiery proServer

The newest-version EFI Fiery proServer driving the 3.2-meter VUTEk printers in EFI’s booth at Fespa are said to deliver “productivity and quality well beyond a typical printer RIP (raster image processor). EFI says this upgraded Fiery digital front end platform enables VUTEk customers to process print files 60-percent faster than earlier versions of the proServer, or up to 170-percent faster than alternate systems.

Worldwide launch of new EFI VUTEk FabriVU Printers for Soft Signage

EFI also is premiering a new VUTEk printer to help customers capture new opportunities based on demand for high-quality, lightweight, reusable-fabric graphic soft signage used in retail visual merchandising, trade-show graphics, and other applications.

According to a study from industry-research firm IT Strategies, the soft signage market will grow 8 percent annually from 2015 to 2020. EFI says it’s helping signage- and display-graphics printing customers capture that growth with new 1.8- and 3.4-meter EFI VUTEk FabriVU printers developed by EFI Reggiani, a provider of aqueous-based textile-print technology based in Italy that EFI acquired in 2015 (see here).

Both the new use environmentally friendly water-based inks, and EFI says they feature precise unwinding for more reliable media feeding, and print directly on fabric and transfer paper. A patented ink-circulation system in the printer is said to prevent ink nozzles from drying out, reducing ink costs by up to 15 percent.

According to Frank Mallozzi, EFI’s senior vice president of Worldwide Sales and Marketing, “With this product line launch, we are making EFI Reggiani’s technology and know-how in textile printing available to EFI signage and display-graphics customers to positioning them to grow along with — or even faster than — the soft signage market at large.”

Available now, this printer family offers print speeds up to 464 square meters per hour at 600 dpi and 2,400 dpi resolution. There’s also features four-level grayscale printing with 4- to 72-picolitre ink drop sizes.

Other New EFI Printers

Other new printers making their European debut at EFI’s Fespa Digital stand include:

  • The EFI Matan Quantum LXr LED printer, a dedicated roll-to-roll printer said to provide a “superb” price/speed/quality ratio, ability to accept the widest range of substrates, and the lowest total cost of ownership in its class. EFI says this economical alternative to latex printers has 7-picoliter imaging, and print resolutions up to 1,200 dpi in four colors with optional white. Options include ink and media, and advanced paper-roll handling.
  •  The EFI H1625-SD is an entry-level, 1.65-meter UV hybrid production printer that uses EFI SuperDraw UV ink for “near-photographic: imaging directly on thermoformable substrates. The printer runs four colors plus white.
  • For the industrial textile-printing market, including digital printing for home décor and apparel, there’s the new Reggiani ReNOIR NEXT 180, which prints on fabrics and papers with a common ink set using a 1.8-meter beltless digital-printing system. EFI says the printer offers simplified material handling, compact footprint and lower acquisition cost, making it an ideal entry-level production device for industrial décor and apparel printing applications. The printer can be used with water-based dispersed, acid, pigment, and reactive dye printing inks.

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