EFI has announced the commercial availability of the EFI VUTEk TX3250r fabric printer which enables customers to take advantage of the demands and requirements of the growing soft signage markets. The VUTEk TX3250r printer is a new 3.2-metre, production-level solution that evolved from the first EFI industrial inkjet textile system, the VUTEk FabriVu, introduced in 2002.
An early adopter for the VUTEk TX3250r, Indy Imaging of Indianapolis, already had two VUTEk GS3200 hybrid printers. According to Robbie Gordon, president, “In our market, it’s about reliability, quality and turnaround, and all of that must happen consistently. Our customers have noticed differences in all three areas. What used to take us hours now takes minutes, and the quality that was not there at 300 dpi with other printers, is abundantly there at 1080 dpi on the new VUTEk TX3250r. The speed and quality of this new printer outpaces the competition. We can now print 10-foot wide banners with no seams, opening up another market for larger sizes in flags and banners."
With the ability to print direct to textile and transfer paper, the VUTEk TX3250r is an ideal solution for users looking to grow their soft signage business with a production-level printer, or to diversify their offering by converting traditional vinyl signage to a product with lower shipping costs, a greener footprint, easier installation and higher margins.
“The introduction of the TX3250r should help eliminate the soft signage cost barrier for our customers and enable them to capture the market for soft signage, and flags” said Scott Schinlever, senior vice president and general manager of Inkjet Solutions at EFI. “One benefit is the ability to print on textiles, opening new markets for customers while expanding existing capabilities. EFI also focused on exceeding customer expectations for quality and reliability, as we did with the revolutionary FabriVu production quality textile printer that was launched nine years ago.”
The VUTEk TX3250r uses dye sublimation technology to dye, or sublimate, fabric fibres directly, so the fabric retains the same drape and soft hand customers prefer. This method achieves brighter colours than other textile printing methods and the final product is odourless. In addition, the TX3250r enables printing on polyester, which is a non-PVC material that is considered more eco-friendly than vinyl. Final printed images produced on the TX3250r can be washed, dried, folded without leaving marks and reused.
EFI VUTEk TX3250r features:
- New, fast-drying inks for unparalleled speed up to 1800 ft2 / hour (167 m2 / hour)
- High-resolution, 8-colour print capability for high-margin printed displays and high-density backlit signs
- Fast-4 (CMYK) production speed for high-volume flag and banner jobs
- Direct to textile or indirect via transfer printing process, so users can offer more materials.
For more information on the VUTEk TX3250r soft signage printer and EFI, please visit www.efi.com
