LFP - Large-Format-Printing

EFI Sees Big Returns on Fespa Investment

Wednesday 03. June 2009 - Show Attendees Impressed with New Inkjet Products

EFI (Nasdaq: EFII), the world leader in customer-focused digital printing innovation, today reported that its presence at Fespa Digital Europe was even more successful than the company had hoped, and that the newest hybrid additions to EFI’s robust lineup of digital inkjet printers, the VUTEk GS2000 and QS3220, and the Rastek H650, were met with overwhelming interest and discussion from the show’s attendees.

“Outdoor advertising is big business in Europe – five of the top ten biggest outdoor advertising spenders are European countries, and that leaves a huge opportunity for our inkjet businesses,” said Frank Mallozzi, senior vice president, worldwide sales and marketing, EFI. “The new Rastek and VUTEk systems that we announced at the show are perfectly suited for addressing these markets. EFI’s VUTEk systems offer high speeds and photorealistic quality for exceptional results, and our Rastek systems offer best-in-class image quality and incredible options that competing printers just can’t match. EFI inkjet solutions offer phenomenal returns on investment, and Fespa attendees were pleased with the range of options in wide and superwide format printing that EFI provides.”

Two New VUTEk Superwide Printers Announced at the Show
EFI’s VUTEk GS2000 – No Compromises

The GS2000 delivers incredible photorealistic quality and impressive output speeds, extending the application set of superwide printing beyond the traditional 2-meter applications of banners and signs into more detail-intensive applications such as stunning Point-of-Purchase (POP) displays on a wide range of rigid and flexible substrates. EFI VUTEk’s Dual Resolution Capability enables true 600 dpi with 24-picoliter drops and true 1000 dpi with 12-picoliter drops, and can print in eight colors plus two channels for white. In its Fast-5 mode, the GS2000 prints eye-catching four-color plus white graphics at speeds up to 2,000 square feet (186 square meters) per hour. For more demanding POP applications, switch to the GS2000’s eight-color plus white mode and print absolutely stunning images at speeds up to 1,000 square feet (93 square meters) per hour. The flexibility and application range provided by this printer make it the perfect substitute for a number of wide and superwide format printers in print shops, and the options for shorter runs, higher speeds and superior quality allow the VUTEk GS2000 to offer the highest return on investment in the industry.

(The GS3200, a 3.2-meter hybrid UV digital printer, was debuted at the International Sign Expo, Las Vegas in April, 2009)

EFI’s VUTEk QS3220 – More Applications for Greater Profits
The VUTEk QS3220 superwide format printer incorporates many major advancements from EFI’s popular QS3200 printer, including increased vacuum pressure and enhanced media handling for expanded media choices. Using EFI VUTEk’s innovative High Definition Print (HDP) technology, the VUTEk QS3220 prints eye-popping images up to 3.2 meters wide at 1,080 dpi, in six colors plus white, at speeds up to 900 square feet (84 square meters) per hour. The QS3220 uses specially developed QS Series 2 UV inks, which provide more durability and improved flexibility for brilliant inks that won’t crack or chip and are optimized for a wider range of substrates. Improved input and output tables with increased vacuum pressure for more flexibility in media choices and an optional heavy-duty unwinder give the QS3220 the power and flexibility to print on a wide range of media, which opens new doors to more profitable applications.

“There was no missing the EFI stand at Fespa,” said Dirk Milo, Milo Profi of Kontich, Belgium. “Theirs was the first stand you saw. The crowds waiting at the doors could see what was new from VUTEk. My company is the first in the world to have installed the brand new QS3220 and bring its high-quality retail signage capabilities to market.”

New Rastek Wide-Format Hybrid Brings Affordability to the Wide-Format Market
EFI’s Rastek H650 – Best-in-Class Quality

The low-cost H650 is the perfect choice for production and print shop environments that are looking to offer quick service and photographic quality on a wide variety of rigid and flexible substrates. It prints CMYK plus white in grayscale resolutions up to 600 dpi and in a binary resolution mode at 1200×900 dpi. In its billboard mode, the H650 produces output at 600×300 dpi at 230 square feet (21.37 square meters) per hour, and in its high quality, 16-pass mode at 65 square feet (6 square meters) per hour. A high quality vacuum belt drive with three vacuum zones capable of handling roll or rigid media up to 1.8 inches thick and 65 inches wide make up the H650’s superior media-handling system. This printer is the perfect, affordable solution for businesses that want to print wide-format applications ranging from banners and billboards to posters and point-of-purchases graphics.

EFI’s Print MIS and Graphic Arts Solutions – Providing the Foundation for Profits

Also on display at Fespa were EFI Pace, Fiery XF, Xflow, and EFI Digital StoreFront, software solutions that help provide EFI customers with the foundation for profits. These software applications, paired with EFI’s inkjet solutions, demonstrated true integration from creation to print and gave EFI customers and potential customers a unique look into the efficiency that can be achieved by incorporating tools for digital job acquisition, management, preparation and production.

“EFI is leading the analog to digital transition, and our investment in innovation continues to yield fantastic products,” added Mallozzi. “Fespa Digital Europe was a great setting for us to launch these new inkjet products as well as show off our award-winning digital workflow solutions.”

EFI’s VUTEk GS2000 and QS3220 and Rastek H650 are available for order now.