EFI™ has expanded its wide and superwide-format inkjet production leadership with UltraDrop™ 7pL greyscale print head technology on its VUTEk® GS series printers. The new technology was showcased at FESPA Digital, which took place from 21-23 May in Munich.
EFI’s high-volume UV-inkjet press VUTEkHS100 Pro will feature full automation and the material edge guide (MEG) system.
EFI also débuted the new EFI H1625 LED printer-the first LED device in the entry-level EFI Wide Format printer line-and the EFI VUTEk GS3250lxr Pro roll-fed printer.
The company also premièred its Fiery® proServer Version 6 at the expo. The proServer is a scalable and flexible digital front-end workflow offering significantly faster processing speeds.
The VUTEk GS series printers will now feature EFI’s new UltraDrop technology, which combines the smallest drop sizes available in its class with greyscale imaging and more precise control for customers that need the ultimate in image quality, crispness and speed.
UltraDrop technology employs native 7pL print heads with true multi-drop addressability in each dot position, giving high apparent resolution and high definition quality with four-level greyscale and two ink density levels. The new technology also produces outstanding smoothness in shadows, gradients and transitions, as well as superb text quality with four-point text in both standard and knockout with fewer satellites and more clarity in all print modes.
EFI and 3M Commercial Solutions announced a seven-year 3M™ MCS™ Warranty for vehicle graphics when produced using the appropriate 3M base film, EFI™ VUTEk® GSLXr 3M™ SuperFlex UV Inks, EFI VUTEk GS3250LXr Pro printer and the appropriate 3M film over laminate.
This is the first warranty of its kind in the industry for LED printing technology and is offered to help protect discriminating users who require optimum performance for the intended life of the graphics.
The 3M™ MCS™ Warranty is widely recognised as the industry’s most comprehensive finished graphics warranty, covering fading, cracking, peeling and other aspects of graphic performance. The system of matched 3M components comes with the science and weathering technology that assures end users that their images will perform as expected for the life of the graphic.
EFI is bringing LED to a greater number of companies with the introduction of the EFI H1625 LED printer, an ideal product for users who want an entry-level printer with the advantages of LED, greyscale, standard white ink, and single-pass multilayer capabilities.
The printer’s variable droplets provide eight levels of greyscale for superior image quality, fine gradients and strong solid colours. With a 1.65m-width and fast changeover between rigid and flexible materials, the versatility of the EFI H1625 LED printer offers the opportunity to generate greater profits and a fast return on investment, for a low total cost of ownership.
Energy assessments carried out by Fogra have confirmed that EFI’s VUTEk® wide-format printers with LED curing show energy reductions of up to 82% when compared with devices that use conventional mercury arc lamps.
EFI’s 3.2m VUTEk GS3250lxr Pro dedicated roll-fed printer with SuperFlex UV ink also made its European début in Munich. It joins the existing GS3250lx and GS2000lx LED printers in lowering production costs, promoting a greener working environment and enabling users to print to a wide range of materials that are not suitable for use with traditional curing methods.
The latest version of Fiery proServer was also exhbitited at Fespa Digital. It brings the EFI FAST RIP (Fiery Accelerated System Technology) to wide to super-wide inkjet production. As a result, users can process complex vector data up to ten times faster than competitive systems.
Designed for EFI VUTEk printers but compatible with over 500 wide- and superwide-format printers from numerous major manufacturers, Fiery proServer Version 6 also supports FOGRA PSD certifications, and it offers new tiling features for improved usability. A dynamic smoothing feature on the new Fiery proServer ensures superior gradient output.
EFI also demonstrated its innovative thermoforming application for generating digitally printed 3D and shaped displays that are produced on a VUTEk GS Pro-TF system. The renowned EFI SmartSign Analytics (SSA) signage analysis product was also featured, showing how retail marketers can automatically capture and analyse the viewers of signs to assess the effectiveness of displays across different demographics.
