LFP - Large-Format-Printing

Dual EFI VUTEk LED Printers Drive Growth at Kent, U.K.-based esp technologies group

Wednesday 16. November 2016 - Two significant investments into the latest superwide- and wide-format print technology from EFI have resulted in Kent, U.K.-based esp technologies group adopting LED inkjet graphics printing, giving the company greater versatility across different materials plus considerable savings in energy and running costs. The purchase of a 5-metre EFI VUTEk GS5500lxr Pro roll-to-roll LED printer and a 3.2-metre VUTEk GS3250lx Pro hybrid roll/flatbed LED printer earlier this year means that the company can take advantage of the best opportunities across many different production formats.

Specialising in providing a vast range of printed materials for leading brands in retail, plus the event, exhibition and museum sectors, esp technologies group also produces general display work for interior and exterior locations. Founded in 1993 as a high-end screenprinting company, esp moved into superwide-format digital print seven years later with the purchase of one of the first VUTEk 5300 5-metre, roll-fed platforms. Subsequent investments included a VUTEk QS3200 printer which broadened the company’s capabilities into digital print with its ability to generate very high-quality work on rigid and flexible substrates.
“Many of the application types we produced back in the year 2000 are still required now,” said Stephen Hood, managing director of esp technologies group. “Coming from a large format screen-printing environment, the convenience of using an inkjet engine quickly manifested itself for short run and one-off orders. As a result, 5-metre-wide output has been an important part of our portfolio throughout the years.
“Although the ability to print 5-metre-wide applications is an essential requirement for esp, we also benefit hugely from the ability to work with multiple reels of media on the EFI VUTEk GS5500lxr Pro printer so that up to three separate jobs can be produced simultaneously,” Hood continued. “The high-speed capabilities of our newest roll-to-roll printer are complemented by the combination of flatbed and roll-fed versatility from the EFI VUTEk GS3250lx Pro printer, including the production of continuous boards. Because both machines benefit from EFI’s high-speed Fiery proServer digital front end, we can now print different elements of the same job knowing that colour consistency is guaranteed, too.”
With growing demand for 5-metre applications as well as the need for high-quality multiple roll-fed jobs, esp technologies group realised that its most efficient way forward was to invest in a new superwide-format printer. Because of its long-term relationship with EFI, the company chose the roll-to-roll VUTEk LED printer as the natural successor to its earlier machines, and it made the decision to purchase a hybrid VUTEk LED printer at the same time.
Consistent, accurate, greener high-end graphics imaging
This joint investment now enables the company to offer a full range of flexible and rigid applications, meeting its clients’ high-end expectations with precision colour matching across all materials. Both new machines also benefit from EFI’s LED “cool cure” technology, which requires up to 82% less energy – an ideal complement to esp’s environmental ethic and desire to produce greener output. The common EFI Fiery digital front end workflow shared by the printers allows for fast and accurate throughput.
With brand integrity being the key philosophy behind esp technologies group’s range of services, the company has gained a high reputation both within the U.K. and internationally for the quality of work it produces. Since its formation, the company has specialised in building and maintaining strong relationships with its clients, working with them to develop and generate new campaigns that incorporate precision down to the finest detail. Its choice of printers is dependent on matching the demanding criteria and standards it applies from concept through to finished job, and its latest EFI VUTEk printers both meet the quality and throughput levels.
“As a very early proponent of our VUTEk printers, esp technologies group provides a classic example of why businesses continue to invest with EFI when the decision is made to purchase new equipment,” stated Paul Cripps, EFI’s regional vice president of sales. “The addition of the two new printers gives the company the best of all worlds with quality, durability and application flexibility complemented by consistency and reliability.”