Hardware - Industrial Print

Phase 3 Marketing & Communications has been named as the first USA-based customer for Agfa's newest wide-format printing system, the Jeti Titan HS. The Jeti Titan HS UV inkjet printing system sets a new standard for productivity and print quality at a best-in-industry price point and is currently being demonstrated at the Agfa Graphics' booth (#1736) at ISA.

A leading provider of end-to-end marketing services, Phase 3 Marketing & Communications (www.phase3mc.com) was the first in the United States to purchase the Jeti 3020 Titan 36-head printing system and has been using it successfully for years. The Jeti 3020 Titan proved to be a reliable workhorse for Phase 3 Marketing & Communications, outperforming expectations in quality, ink adhesion and ink consumption. When it was time to expand business capabilities again, Phase 3 Marketing & Communications was eager to lead the market and put the high-production, high-quality Jeti Titan HS through its paces.

“Compared to our other flatbed equipment, this machine uses far less ink to obtain the same, if not better, quality. After viewing the new Jeti Titan HS, we felt that being the first to purchase this machine in the U.S. was not a leap of faith, but rather a sound move,” comments Gail Turner, Senior Vice President, Operations & Purchasing, Phase 3 Marketing & Communications. “The Jeti Titan HS will bring faster speeds, better quality and more output. It will be a great complement to our existing machinery for digital POP printing.”

The new 126-inch Jeti Titan S (speed) and HS (high-speed) flatbed UV-inkjet printers combine exceptional print quality and high productivity at a best-in-industry price point. The engines incorporate the latest generation 1,280-nozzle Ricoh Gen 5 print heads. The Jeti Titan S is equipped with one row of print heads and is field-upgradeable to two rows to increase productivity. The Jeti Titan HS comes with two rows of print heads. The Jeti Titan S and HS are ideal for high-definition work like POP viewed at close range or for intricate output desired by art, fashion and cosmetics markets.

For Phase 3 Marketing & Communications, choosing Agfa Graphics was more than simply choosing a wide-format printing device. Phase 3 looked beyond the engine and saw strengths throughout the company.

“Agfa Graphics does an outstanding job with their service and support. We feel that they set the bar for service performance. This was also a factor when we were looking for our next flatbed printing system,” Turner adds.

The “flat-to-roll” option on the Jeti Titan S and HS give users the ability to print flexible media with the same high quality and resolution as rigid materials. Reflecting market demands, the default set-up for both models is six colours plus white (CMYKLcLmWW). White printing supports different modes including overprint, under-print, spot, under-spot, fill and over-spot for rigids and pre-white for roll media.

“We are pleased to extend our partnership with Phase 3 Marketing & Communications. Phase 3 continues to see the potential and make the most of wide-format inkjet printing, delivering exceptional quality products and services for their client base,” concludes Deborah Hutcheson, Director of Marketing, Agfa Graphics, North America.

 

Commercial graphics firm Blanks Printing has upgraded its print production platform to include a pair of EFI VUTEk® GS-series LED products, a 3.2-metre VUTEk GS3250LX Pro hybrid flatbed/roll-to-roll inkjet printer and the new, 3.2-metre VUTEk GS3250LXr Pro roll-to-roll inkjet printer.

The Dallas, Texas, US-based, family-owned company made its latest equipment purchases to meet growing demand from clients, many of which are national and international retailers. Blanks Printing now has greater flexibility in the types of superwide-format graphics and point-of-purchase signage it provides, as the printers' "cool cure" LED technology handles standard graphics substrates, as well as lightweight and thin media that cannot withstand the heat of traditional drying or UV curing processes. The printers not only allow for a new range of unique applications, LED's significant benefits as a green production technology's is helping Blanks Printing decrease its power consumption, minimise waste and reduce overall operating costs.

Blanks Printing President and Owner Leron Blanks decided on the printers after seeing them demonstrated at EFI's Inkjet Solutions facility. "Not only was the quality outstanding with these printers," said Blanks, "but they were significantly faster than our previous printer. I also liked the LED curing of the UV ink both from an environmental perspective and because of the wider range of materials I could run."

Soon after the visit with EFI, Blanks Printing became the first printing company to install both the VUTEk GS hybrid and dedicated roll-to-roll LED platforms. The LED inkjet printers quickly generated an influx of new, profitable sales for the company, according to Leron Blanks.

"We have offered superwide-format printing for the past five years," he said, "but in our first full month with the new LED VUTEk printers, we set a company record for superwide-format revenue. The jump in sales we have experienced as a result of these two new VUTEk printers is validation of our decision and an indication of the big opportunities before us."

Blanks Printing expands its reach in superwide-format graphics

Not content to simply meet existing demand, with the EFI VUTEk GS3250LX Pro and GS3250LXr Pro printers, the company is pursuing profitable new opportunities that were previously out of reach. While the hybrid model printer has taken on the growing volume of rigid-substrate graphics work the company offers, the roll-to-roll model has helped Blanks Printing win jobs from existing clients who had been sending their superwide-format printing elsewhere.

Unlike other roll-to-roll UV inkjet printers, the VUTEk GS3250LXr Pro printer is ideal for fleet and vehicle graphics that need to withstand stretching and pre- and post-heating without cracking on rivets and convex curves.  Blanks Printing is now able to bid on fleet wrap jobs for the first time

"Commercial printing companies like Blanks Printing are finding that higher-value inkjet graphics create new opportunities to better serve customers," said Frank Mallozzi, EFI's senior vice president of worldwide sales and marketing. "Blanks Printing has taken those profitable opportunities one step further with greener, more productive EFI VUTEk LED printers that offer important competitive advantages."

The EFI Fiery® digital front end Blanks Printing uses on its new VUTEk printers helps the G7-certified company ensure consistent and accurate colour. Blanks Printing is also a long-time user of EFI Monarch™ ERP software, which the company uses to manage its estimating, scheduling and accounting operations.

For more information about EFI VUTEk printers, please visit www.efi.com

[Image shows 3.2-metre wide VUTEk GS3250LX Pro hybrid flatbed/roll-to-roll inkjet printer]

Aelen & van Leeuwen, a wide format digital and screen print company based in Hillegom, The Netherlands, has installed a Screen Truepress Jet W1632UV wide format printer. It is the fourth ground-breaking large format UV inkjet printer Aelen & van Leeuwen has introduced and the first in The Netherlands.

With its 12 picolitre micro droplet print heads and speed of 94 sqm/hr, the Screen Truepress Jet W1632UV is a welcome addition to the company's production facilities, which also includes a large, high-quality, four-colour Svecia screen print press and an Inca Onset S20 digital large format printer. Combined with flexible inks the higher resolution of the Truepress enables Aelen & van Leeuwen to produce products that are intended to be viewed closely,  such as table displays, menu cards and lampshades. The Truepress is also particularly useful for smaller, high-quality runs and an ideal back-up option when other machines are too busy or being maintained.

Aelen & van Leeuwen choose a digital printer that complements its high-volume Inca Onset S20 printer. “The Screen Truepress Jet W1632UV, however, has 12 picolitre nozzles, which produces an even finer print,” says Nico Aelen. “On billboards, posters and large displays this is not usually visible because of the greater distance, but on smaller, more compact products such as counter displays, which require perfect quality images, and menu cards with smaller, sharp letter groups it comes into its own.”

He continues, “The use of flexible inks makes it easy to bend and stick mock-ups and displays onto curved surfaces, because the ink doesn’t crack or split. Another advantage associated with the ink is that it bonds particularly well with materials such as acrylic, glass, ABS, polystyrene and polypropylene, which means that we can use a more extensive range of materials to print on and consequently are able to offer our customers more options. We have opted decisively for top quality, in line with the rest of our machinery, and the level of quality our customers expect from us.”

The Truepress Jet W1632UV is a large format flatbed printer, which features 12 picolitre micro droplet print heads at a speed of 94 sqm/hr. It can print at 1200dpi to produce photo quality products. The use of flexible inks produces excellent results when materials are bent and/or punched, and increases the range of POP and POS applications. Six colours (CMYKlclm) and the special, flexible ink produce an excellent bond with materials that used to be difficult to print such as polypropylene, glass, etc. It will also tackle unique applications such as lenticular printing.

Columbus, Ohio, USA-based West-Camp Press has added its second roll-to-roll EFI VUTEk® GS5000r superwide-format UV inkjet printer.   The two VUTEk GS5000r printers are the only such systems installed in Ohio. With their five-metre width and their ability to print on up to three media rolls simultaneously, the printers provide the signage production capacity needed to meet increasing demand from retailers and other businesses West-Camp serves.

"Superwide-format printing has continued to grow since we installed our very first VUTEk printer seven years ago," says Ed Evans, West-Camp's CEO. "Signage and graphics work has expanded to represent 20% of our business, and the growth will continue with the GS5000r printers because they broaden the range of applications we can produce."

West-Camp Press has always taken a progressive approach to superwide-format opportunities, adopting leading-edge technologies as they become available. The company first chose a pair of EFI VUTEk hybrid roll/flatbed printers for signage and graphics work because of their high uptime and ability to run multiple shifts. The addition of the VUTEk GS5000r printers, with important printing capabilities like white ink and multi-layer printing, opens doors to more creative and higher-margin applications.

"West-Camp Press is an excellent example of a company that envisioned a new revenue stream, made a shrewd assessment of the technologies available, and executed by delivering results to its customers," said Frank Mallozzi, senior vice president, worldwide sales and marketing, EFI. "The team at West-Camp willed their way to becoming a respected, high-end signage provider, and we are glad that they relied on EFI to help make that happen."

The EFI VUTEk GS5000r model installed at West-Camp prints in up to eight colours, plus white, and produces premium-value, indoor and outdoor graphics at resolutions up to 1,000 dots per inch. With production level output speeds, the VUTEK GS5000r printer gives graphic arts professionals the ultimate combination of quality, productivity and versatility.

EFI Fiery® proServers installed with the printers give West-Camp's operators the ability to manage printing modes, carriage speed, curing, shutter modes and other essential details while receiving real-time printer status, job status and consumable usage updates. The Fiery proServers include a parallel-processing production RIP and comprehensive colour management tools, as well as default media profiles and automated workflow features.

West-Camp's stance on advanced technology extends to its workflow infrastructure. The company recently upgraded its workflow operations with EFI Pace™ MIS software, and bolstered its web-to-print operations with EFI's OPS product. The web-to-print, MIS and Fiery platforms can complement each other through an integrated framework that streamlines business management tasks across the entire organisation.

EFI will showcase VUTEk printing technologies at the upcoming ISA International Sign Expo in Orlando, Florida, USA, 24-26 April, in stand 1812. For more information about EFI VUTEk printers, please visit www.efi.com

El Paso, Texas-based Eureka! Signs has installed an EFI VUTEk GS3250 Pro UV flatbed/roll printer. The company - one of the largest U.S. manufacturers of awnings used in the retail industry - has expanded its graphics capabilities with the new, 3.2-metre wide printer to meet growing demand.

Adding high-end print capabilities is one of the last links for the company to establish a complete, in-house manufacturing operation for full-colour, custom-printed awnings. Prior to the recent printer installation, Eureka! Signs outsourced printing work required for awnings, which added time and cost to the process.

"Our capabilities have changed dramatically with the VUTEk GS3250 Pro printer," said Ernie Koury, Eureka! Signs' founder and president. "While many companies in this industry require 9-12 weeks to produce a printed awning, we can complete an entire awning in a matter of days."

Koury knew the VUTEk GS3250 Pro would suit his company's needs exactly. "One of our largest clients requires 3M™ MCS™ Warranty certification for his awnings, and I knew EFI had the printer and ink capabilities to produce that type of work," Koury said of his purchase decision. "It was an important factor in jobs we were outsourcing, but now we have brought those capabilities in house, and it has created significant savings on the current volume of work we produce."

Now, Eureka! Signs meets its clients' 3M™ MCS™ Warranty requirements internally, using the new printer to produce customer jobs on 3M media with EFI VUTEk GS 3M™ Premium UV Ink. Because of the existing demand he has for printed awnings, Koury said the printer purchase was a no-risk investment. Plus, the VUTEk GS3250 Pro printer helps him capture new opportunities.

Perhaps most significant of all, the new printer gives Eureka! Signs an opportunity to add more local graphics-printing opportunities to the national account awning work it provides. Eureka! Signs is already earning new print work from customers in El Paso and nearby Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, because it is one of the few businesses in the region offering the level of high-end, UV-inkjet superwide-format printing the VUTEk GS3250 Pro provides.

Eureka! Signs' VUTEk GS3250 Pro prints in eight colours, plus white ink, and offers exceptional image quality in resolutions up to 1,000 dots per inch. The printer's unique, three-layer white capabilities provide the added benefit of superior imaging on backlit displays and other high-impact signage applications.

Designed to produce a wide variety of graphics on both rigid and roll media, the VUTEk GS3250 Pro printer runs at speeds up to 2,400 ft2/hour. An advanced, variable-dot greyscale feature on the printer helps extend users' reach into more lucrative, higher-volume jobs at a lower total cost of ownership. An EFI Fiery® proServer Eureka! Signs installed with the printer simplifies job management and reduces turnaround times with default media profiles, comprehensive colour management tools and parallel-processing features for faster RIPing.

"Every so often I come across VUTEk users who really make a splash because they have mastered the skills needed to provide the very best answers to their clients' needs," said Frank Mallozzi, senior vice president, worldwide sales and marketing, EFI. "I think that is why Eureka! Signs is having such success with its EFI VUTEk GS3250 Pro printer investment. The printer is the ideal option because it provides a combination of productivity and premium-quality output that Ernie Koury's team can leverage to build market share, reduce costs and to profitably win new clients."

EFI will showcase VUTEk printing technologies at the upcoming ISA International Sign Expo in Orlando, Florida, USA, 24-26 April on stand 1812. For more information about EFI VUTEk printers, please visit www.efi.com

For more information about Eureka! Signs, please visit www.eurekasigns.com

Fujifilm has announced that Arslan Digital in Turkey has taken delivery of the first Inca Onset S40i with double white ink capacity in Europe.

Based in Izmir, Arslan Digital is one of Turkey’s leading wide format digital print companies. In operation for 12 years, the company specialises in large format digital printing and outdoor media, serving industries such as FMCG, retail, automotive, banking, real estate and trade fairs. Working predominantly via advertising agencies, including a number of global players, Arslan Digital has now set its sights on expanding into indoor and free standing display units, as well as packaging and corrugated applications.

“We have been evaluating the market for some time now, tracking the progress of the leading wide format machine suppliers. We decided that the Inca Onset S40i with white from Fujifilm was the perfect solution for the future of our business because of its speed, reliability, quality, productivity and above all its engineering strength,” comments Mr Tevfik Arslan, owner of the company.

He continues: “The white capability of the S40i means that, as a purely digital company, we can now compete against the screen printing businesses that have always had this capability. This is an extremely important step for us, and the S40i was the only device on the market that we felt made this a viable option, with the quality and speed at which it can lay down white.”

The 4-colour with white Onset S40i includes a double white ink capability, resulting in excellent print speeds when printing white onto a wide variety of premium quality graphic substrates. It incorporates 168 Fujifilm Dimatix printheads (56 for white) on a full width print array. As a result, the printer produces superb POS-quality display graphics economically at throughput speeds of up to 560 sqm/hr (CMYK only) equivalent to 112 full bed sheets/hr (3.14 x 1.6m), and onto substrates up to 50mm (2 in) thick. A choice of uni-directional, bi-directional and super high quality print modes can be selected depending on the specific job requirements. The printer uses Fujifilm’s Uvijet OZ ink system which provides excellent colour gamut, adhesion and finishing properties.

“We have acknowledged for some time that Turkey is a strategically important and fast developing region. With an unquestionable track record of engineering, reliability and ability to deliver POP quality at high speed, the Inca Onset S40i fits the growing market need in Turkey really well,” comments Kevin Jenner, business manager wide format, Europe - Eastern Region, Fujifilm. “Despite there being a lot of market demand in Turkey and the Middle East, there are still lots of digital companies that currently don’t have the capability to print a high-quality white. Historically, this has been technically challenging to achieve, but the unique combination of the Inca technology with Fujifilm’s Uvijet OZ ink formulation represents a breakthrough for applications requiring this capability.”

“We are delighted to be partnering with Arslan Digital, as their company ethos fits well with that of Fujifilm, and we are certain that they will make the most of the capabilities of the machine. With such a positive outlook, we anticipate a long and fruitful partnership.” said Ahmet Kocaman, senior group manager of Fujifilm Turkey Graphic Systems.