Making its worldwide debut in Amsterdam, Netherlands, the 3.3m Vutek Q3h XP hybrid flatbed/roll-fed LED printer is designed to provide high-quality imaging and production-level printing for faster turnarounds, according to EFI. The printer is available with four (CMYK) or six (CMYK, lc, lk) colours and optional white and clear inks.

Featuring an industrial build for multiple-shift operation and 24/7 printing, the Q3h XP printer produces up to 905sqm/hr, equivalent to up to 96 8 x 4ft boards per hour, and features advanced board/sheet and roll-to-roll media handling and high-speed automation options, to minimise labour requirements.

The new 3.2m EFI Pro 33r roll-to-roll LED printer is based on the successful Pro 32r+ model, with a significant enhancement to overall printer performance – up to 35% faster in PoP mode – and higher imaging quality, reliability and dot accuracy with the new 5pl Ricoh Gen 6 printheads. Standard features that improve efficiency include an integrated mesh kit for printing on porous substrates, a wrinkle analyser to help avoid printhead strikes, built-in backlit proofing lights, and a built-in Fiery digital front end (DFE).

Value-added options that add versatility and further efficiency include white and clear (UltraClear Coat) inks, Y-slitters, automatic blockout and backlit printing. With print speeds up to 260sqm/hour, the Pro 33r platform is intended to help customers be more competitive and profitable, win more jobs, confidently commit to larger capacity runs, and lower their operational costs, says EFI.

Other exhibits on EFI’s stand at Fespa include the 558sqm/hr Vutek Q3r roll-to-roll LED printer, Fiery DFEs, and samples from the Nozomi 14000 SD single-pass corrugated printer and the EFI Reggiani EcoTerra pigment-based textile printing system.

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Through this initiative, Clean Agency also developed an LCA tool that EFI customers can use to analyse their CO2 equivalent (CO2e) emissions as part of overall packaging extended producer responsibility (EPR).

According to the LCA, printing corrugated materials on an EFI Nozomi digital press reduces global warming potential (GWP) by approximately 50% when compared to analogue printing technologies.

Seri McClendon, CEO of Clean Agency, said, ‘No printing plates, less energy, less waste, and just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing all contribute to CO2e reductions for corrugated printing on EFI’s Nozomi digital press.

‘Packaging is a major contributor to Scope 3 emissions, so we not only partnered with EFI to conduct the LCA but also to build a calculator that enables users to quantify related kilograms of CO2e for specific packaging printing volumes and applications.’

Evandro Matteucci, EFI’s vice president and general manager of building materials and packaging, stated, ‘The insights substantiate digital print’s positive impact on sustainability as well as our overall commitment to our own and our customers’ sustainability goals.

‘The LCA tool is a key value proposition for all users, as the ability to demonstrate clear footprint reductions not only aligns with ethical values but also enhances brand reputation and competitiveness in the market.’

In 2023, UK converter Caps Cases has claimed to have saved 300,000kg of CO2e when compared to analogue production methods, following its investment in the world’s first EFI Nozomi 14000 LED single-pass UV LED inkjet press.

Trevor Bissett, CEO of Caps Cases, commented, ‘According to our calculations, our largest customer avoided 60,000kg of CO2e by switching to Nozomi digitally printed packaging in 2023. To have the ability to communicate this calculation and its impact provides a strong testimonial for our digital print solutions and indicates our commitment to being a sustainable manufacturer.’

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Titchfield Group supplies a wide range of products from digital LED screens to consultancy for landlords accessing the out of home (OOH) advertising market.

The presses acquired were roll-fed and hybrid printers ranging between 1.6–5m in width from HP, Durst and EFI.  

The new Titchfield Media now operates from a 67,000sqft facility with 30 staff members led by managing director Adrian Hallett, described to have the capacity and capability to be a major player in the OOH and premium retail print and event sectors.

As a print supplier, Titchfield Group with Titchfield Media, is now positioned to benefit from the growth forecast for the global and UK OOH market plus other sectors. 

Titchfield founder Nigel Brunt said, ‘The former team from Gardners are now perfectly positioned to deploy their accumulated experience of over 650 years of industry knowledge and their unrivalled technical resources. 

‘This is an exciting development, not just for Titchfield Group and the print and OOH industries but the wider economy of this part of Wales.’

Mr Hallett commented, ‘Top quality print is now more important than ever for a number of industries and here in Cardiff we have the people skills and kit to provide this at competitive prices.

‘Now with the backing and support of Nigel and his team at Titchfield Group we have the financial stability to make a real and lasting impact in the marketplace.’

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The Vutek 3m h3+ and 5m h5+ feature media handling improvements that that will come as standard on new printers: an upgraded vacuum table allows for better control of thicker media and thin, light-edged materials, thanks to doubled vacuum strength on the print table. All new media hold-down rollers mount to existing Media Edge Guide (MEG) rails and the spring rollers force media into the vacuum, often eliminating the need for MEG skis entirely. When MEG skis are needed, they are now available in three thicknesses.

The h+ series offers new optional colour configurations as well, with double CMYK (including ‘lights’) plus clear and white or double white for greater opacity.

This allows two new clear ink options for Vutek h+ series users. EFI’s UltraClear Coat flexible ink that was introduced for its superwide roll-to-roll LED printers, is now available for the h3+ and h5+ printers. A second clear ink, EFI Vutek Endura Clear, which has a harder surface finish for increased protective qualities, is also now available for the h+ models.

Both UltraClear Coat and Endura Clear inks can be used for decorative applications – to enhance an entire image (full flood) or selected areas (spot) to add extra ‘pop’ to colours or special effects to graphics – as well as for a protective coating. They print inline, simultaneously with the image, with a gloss or matte finish.

In addition to the clear inks, an optional Gloss+ print mode achieved by controlling the UV curing process, as in some Inca/Agfa and Canon wide-format printers, can be used to add a flood or selective gloss effect to graphic prints. EFI describes this as a ‘perfect way to add value to short-run, speciality jobs, without the use of clear ink’.

‘We are excited to bring these new printers to market,’ said Todd Zimmerman, senior vice president/general manager Display Graphics & OEM Ink at EFI. ‘Vutek printers have been the leader in the hybrid category in signs and display graphics for more than two decades, with more than 300 installations worldwide. The Vutek h+ series answers some of the key pain points for our customers, all while improving ease of use and offering the LED environmentally friendly benefits you expect from EFI Vutek technology.’

EFI has also announced the availability of Transform-TF inks for thermoforming applications. Compatible with the h+ printers, the inks are suitable for first- and second-surface interior and exterior and non-backlit and backlit applications where common thermoforming is specified. EFI says the Transform-TF inks exhibit outstanding elongation characteristics while maintaining excellent adhesion and opacity, and provide ideal characteristics for heat bending and routing of acrylic sheets with no chipping or loss of adhesion.

Further developments for the h+ series are planned, with enhanced double-sided printing for high-value block-out applications expected ‘soon’. Existing Vutek h3 and h5 printer owners can upgrade their current unit with most of the new enhancements of the h+ series.

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Since 2014 Standbuilder has grown from supplying on-site technicians to the exhibitions market to becoming entirely self-sufficient through strategic investments and working closely with CMYUK in recent years. The company is now entirely self-sufficient for large format graphic production and finishing. Its plant list also includes a Mimaki print/cutter, Kongsberg C60 digital cutting table, Trotec Speedy 400 cutter/engraver and an AE sewing machine; it is also a regular use of the UFabrik line of materials in its exhibition work.

The new EFI hybrid printer replaces a Vutek QS3 Pro 3.2m printer at Standbuilder and this move to EFI’s latest technology aims to enhance productivity and reduce operational costs. The printer supports continuous board printing, accommodating large boards or multiple smaller panels with simple changeover from rigid to flexible printing, complemented by dual roll capability for flexible media.

This has helped Standbuilder to bring printing and finishing automation in-house, leading to a significant transformation. The company recently completed one of its largest projects to date, building 150 exhibition stands in just two weeks, covering over 4000 sqm of print.

Director Bruno Roquette said, ‘The integration of world-class digital printing production equipment enables Standbuilder to deliver high-quality, large print volumes efficiently, meeting strict deadlines with industrial-level speed. This improved workflow has positioned the company to attract larger contracts, contributing to overall business growth as the company now expands into Europe with its newly opened Barcelona operation.’

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EFI will sell Agfa’s high productivity Tauro H3300 hybrid systems under its own brand and colours, while Agfa will rebadge the top-of-the-line 5m machines from EFI, filling a gap in its present range. Service and support will be handled by the selling company but the machines will use their original manufacturers’ inks.

Questioned about the possibility of the two companies competing for the same sales, Agfa’s Mike Horsten told Digital Printer, ‘Strangely the overlap of our customers is not as big as expected, the result is it will be incremental business for both companies, and the savings on the R&D side are also beneficial to both companies.’

CEO of the Agfa-Gevaert group Pascal Juéry commented, ‘This strategic partnership with industry leader EFI will broaden the range of options we can offer to our customers and expand the market reach for our state-of-the-art solutions.

‘It truly is a milestone for our company and for the wide-format printing industry at large.’

EFI CEO Frank Pennisi also expressed, ‘We are excited for this next chapter and the ability to leverage the strengths of both organisations to move the industry forward.’

Arnaud Calleja, vice-president at Agfa, explained, ‘By integrating their roll-to-roll platform into our sign & display offerings, we are poised to deliver an exceptionally diverse product range with unprecedented value to our customer base.’

Todd Zimmerman, senior vice president and general manager at EFI, further stated, ‘The integration of Agfa’s hybrid platform into our solutions reaffirms our commitment to providing our customers with the most advanced and comprehensive options available.’

Mr Zimmerman concluded, ‘This partnership represents a convergence of industry leaders, each bringing unique strengths to the table.’

The collaboration will make its public debut at Fespa Global Print Expo in Amsterdam, Netherlands in March 2024, where Agfa and EFI will showcase its potential on their respective stands.

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The introduction of the EFI Pro 30f was important for a ‘speed boost’ to increase the company’s production capacity. John Paragian, owner and president of American Image said, ‘We were looking for a printer that would fit in our space-constrained facility and give us the speed boost we were looking for. The EFI Pro 30f ticked all the boxes. It has allowed us to print items we were not able to print before in terms of size, and it has also allowed us to consolidate our print production, putting multiple jobs on the printer at one time, adding to our ability to meet tight time-to-market requirements.’

The value of the printer to the company became more prominent with its ability to give users the power to print on clear and coloured media, as well as speciality and heavy media like wood, metal or glass with a total weight of 181 kilograms, backlit double-sided applications, and spot white to increase image vibrancy.

A decision on the investment in the EFI Pro 30f was made easy after seeing the printer in action and having interacted with the EFI team. Mr Paragian said, ‘If you are going to invest in a piece of equipment, getting to know the team that is responsible for it is a big plus.’ An investment which has paid off for Mr Paragian as he concluded, ‘If I had the room,’ he said, ‘I would acquire another one in a heartbeat.’

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Founder of the 19 year-old business Simon Talbot explained the rationale for the new investment: ‘Our old Vutek GS and QS models have been brilliant machines, but we wanted to step up to the next generation of EFI technology for improved colour consistency, speed and a more sustainable print solution. We want to offer our clients something a little different, a little bit more.’

With 30% growth over the last year, the company had a pressing need to increase capacity. The combination of the Pro 30h’s versatility and speed plus 130% tax relief made its immediate purchase both attractive and manageable. The printer’s ability to handle dual rolls and continuous back-to-back board printing in particular supported Kazoo’s workload, which includes work for a nationwide retail customer with a regular requirement for over 7000 separate lines of artwork for each of its stores.

‘Dealing with 7000 different pieces of artwork can get a bit crazy so we need a really quick changeover for different materials and thicknesses. We haven’t got time to wait for a printer to reboot or reset. The Pro 30h hybrid is excellent for swapping between different materials and substrates,’ noted Mr Talbot.

He also added, ‘The white [ink] on the Pro 30h was a big deal for us. We do a lot of double-sided such as window displays and clings, so the five-layer printing has enabled us to print double-sided in a single pass. With our older Vuteks, we would run CMYK, White, then put it back through to print black, white and CMYK again, or we’d put two pieces down together. We do a lot of double-sided work, so this multi-layer printing has been a real winner. It saves us time, making the process so much neater and more straightforward.’

The company has also benefited from reduced ink costs compared to its older printers and is anticipating reduced energy bills too. Mr Talbot added, ‘The green credentials around this machine are a real selling point’.

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The site was acquired by EFI in 2012 and has a heritage of single-pass printing capability based on digital printing of ceramic tiles. Since then, EFI has invested heavily in applying that expertise to other markets, most specifically packaging and display graphics. The single-pass technology originally developed in Castellon was a key element in the development of the company’s successful Nozomi family of single-pass printers for those markets. This technology has also been applied in other market segments, including the Reggiani textile printers, and building materials.

Evandro Matteucci, vice president and general manager for packaging and building materials at EFI, said, ‘EFI has placed a particular focus on the packaging market as it has worked to transform the Castellon manufacturing facility as well as the research and development arm located there.

’This includes optimising operations to support ongoing innovation and to leverage our expertise. Our industry-leading single-pass technology is especially applicable to this growth market as it increasingly transitions to digital. As one example of the market opportunity, more than 250 billion square metres of corrugated board are printed each year worldwide, and we believe a substantial percentage of that can be transitioned to single-pass digital printing.’

Mr Matteucci also stated that the successes achieved, especially with the Nozomi printers, are proof that single-pass technology is well-positioned to enable EFI to expand into additional market segments. The technology has already been adapted by EFI for the display graphics market, with the 1.4m Nozomi 14000 SD, launched in May 2023. Further applications envisaged include markets such as metal decoration and folding carton production.

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The new printer joins the company’s fleet of three Epson SureColor SC-S80600 machines, a 1.6m EFI Pro 16H UV hybrid printer, and finishing arsenal of two Zund cutters and two Seal laminators. Part of the company’s Prestige Events System is a unique all-graphic exhibition stand solution that centres on attention-grabbing high-quality graphics and integrated bespoke features, the company’s photo floor graphics are claimed to be unique and are said represent an additional way to make the most of valuable exhibition space.

Quadrant’s Carl Garner-Watts told Digital Printer, ‘We selected the Jetrix XGR320  for a number of reasons – the quality of ink and vibrant colours, the low running costs of consumables and the dual heads which provide excellent print speed without compromising print quality.

‘We use the printer with a single print media, so don’t need the big box of tricks you get with an Agfa or EFI. It gave us everything we needed at an excellent price point.’

The Jextrix XGR320 was launched at Fespa in Munich in May 2023. The 3.2m LED UV printer features Ricoh Gen6 printheads complemented by heavy-duty components for smooth media feeding and which allow for printing on heavy materials, supporting rolls up to 200kg. Quadrant’s choice of the machine is its first installation in the UK.

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