Electronics For Imaging, Inc. is launching a new mid-range roll-to-roll printer line that helps sign and display graphics customers drive more volume with high-end digital print for endless applications and designs. The new EFI™ VUTEk® D3r and D5r LED inkjet printers leverage many of the advanced capabilities from EFI’s highly successful VUTEk 3r+ and 5r+ printers, offering a mid-range solution for an even wider variety of high value applications thanks to its combination of white and clear inks, as well as its Museum print mode. The new printer line also supports the unique collection of options for VUTEk roll-to-roll LED printers, providing a full system for higher efficiency and a lower total cost of ownership.
The VUTEk D3r, which prints up to 2,196 square feet per hour, is making its worldwide debut at the EFI Connect users’ conference, Jan. 21-24 in Las Vegas, and making its European debut at the EFI EMEA Ignite event on Jan. 29 in Brussels, Belgium.
The second printer in the new mid-range line, the VUTEk D5r, prints up to 2,626 square feet per hour. Early D5r users such as Thomas Printworks in the United States and Allgraf in Italy have purchased the new printer line for its performance capabilities to meet growing demand for high-end signage, décor, outdoor graphics and other applications.
“We were looking to upgrade our 5-meter printing capabilities, and when we found the EFI VUTEk D5r, it checked all the boxes related to speed, quality, cost of operation, and efficiency,” said Bryan Thomas, president at Thomas Printworks. “The quality of the machine was so impressive that it gave us the added benefit of also replacing a 3-meter printer within our fleet.”
“Our choice to buy the EFI VUTEk D5r was a winning decision,” said Agostino Allegris, CEO and president at Allgraf. “The printing resolution, the possibilities of white printing and the inline clear ink are unique features and they give us a competitive edge. Now, we have the ability to print a full flood or selective clear ink in glossy or matte. We are excited of the possibilities of printing a whole series of innovative applications and materials.”
High-end UltraDrop Technology and high efficiency
The D3r and D5r printers, at 3.5- and 5.2-meters wide respectively, deliver outstanding smoothness in shadows, gradients and transitions with UltraDrop™ Technology, precise and sharp 3-point size text, and a true resolution of up to 1,200 dots per inch. An ultra-high-definition print mode offers near-photographic quality. The printers’ LED curing ensures not only cost savings but also a more environmentally sound printing solution, consuming less energy and enabling the use of thinner, heat-sensitive substrates.
The VUTEk D line is equipped with additional printheads and offers both white and jettable clear ink for matte and glossy effects, covering a wider amount of unique applications such as wall decorations and murals, window graphics, flooring, high-value prints with selective gloss effects, fleet graphics, truck-side curtains and more.
The printers are easily customizable to the purchaser’s needs and strategies, with optional features including:
White and clear ink;
Inline x-cutters and y-slitters;
Automatic backlit and block-out printing;
Media spreaders and motorized winders; and more.
Both printers include EFI’s industry-leading Fiery® proServer SE digital front end, allowing increased productivity as well as accurate color matching every time.
For added productivity, users can choose to add a software productivity pack and are able to remotely connect with the printers using a mobile application. EFI VUTEk SuperFlex 3M™ inks are also available for manufacturing of popular and profitable vehicle wraps and fleet graphics.
“The ‘D’ in the name for these new printers is for ‘Design,’ and they are absolutely designed to offer the right mix of features, productivity and cost to create new opportunities for signage and graphics professionals,” said Ken Hanulec, EFI’s vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “We listened very closely to our customers for feedback to create a mid-volume solution that will be the technology of choice for print providers seeking to profitably grow their businesses with high-end applications.”
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