EFI Shows Competitive Edge for PSPs at ISA Sign Expo

FOSTER CITY, CA—April 4, 2013—EFI, a world leader in customer-focused digital printing innovation, is featuring game-changing innovations at the ISA International Sign Expo, including wide and superwide-format printing solutions that reduce print costs, reduce turnaround time and open the door to new opportunities. The company’s technologies on display in booth #3721 include UV LED and advanced, high-speed HS inkjet production technologies that give print service providers (PSPs) the ability to profitably grow their businesses.

EFI’s products at Sign Expo, part of the industry’s most advanced lineup of UV digital printing and workflow management solutions, join additional, new offerings from EFI, including the company’s first inkjet inks for deep draw thermoforming and corrugated plastics applications, and 3M MCS Warranty-certified inks for VUTEk GS Pro series printers.

“We are showing how EFI is the signage industry’s proven and trusted inkjet provider with innovations that open the door to greater profits and greater value,” said Scott Schinlever, senior vice president and general manager of EFI’s Inkjet Solutions. “At Sign Expo, industry professionals can see how we are expanding customers’ capabilities as well as how we make the whole print enterprise more productive with advanced workflow and MIS/ERP systems.”

The lineup of integrated, high-performance EFI UV printing and workflow management products at the International Sign Expo includes the:

• EFI VUTEk HS100 Pro, a new, high-speed digital UV press available this quarter offering the productivity of screen printing and image quality approaching offset.
• EFI VUTEk QS2 Pro, a 2-meter, UV hybrid printer that combines variable-drop grayscale printing and white ink print capabilities with VUTEk production speeds;
• EFI VUTEk GS2000LX Pro, a printer that gives PSPs the ability to produce more applications on more substrates with LED UV-curing technology, white ink and grayscale printing;
• EFI VUTEk GS3250r, a 3.2-meter, roll-to-roll UV printer with true 1,000 dpi capabilities to help PSPs expand to offer high-margin, closely viewed applications;
• EFI R3225, an entry-level, UV roll-to-roll printer, shown in the Nazdar booth (#4121), that features output quality, substrate access and pricing that are unrivaled in its category;
• EFI H652, an entry-level, wide-format hybrid printer, also in the Nazdar booth, offering near-photographic UV image quality and affordability;
• New Fiery XF Version 5 with Web Control Center, a flexible and scalable high-speed digital front end and color management workflow for wide- to superwide-format production and proofing;
• SmartSign Analytics (SSA) technology demonstration, a new tool developed by EFI Online Print Solutions that captures and reports analytic data on signage viewership to help marketers measure the effectiveness of their efforts.

PSPs using these solutions are decreasing their turnaround times and increasing their competitiveness in a variety of markets. One PSP, Portland, Ore.-based PVS In-Store Graphics, is seeing these types of advantages with its new VUTEk HS100 Pro installation.

"The HS100 is a game-changer for PVS," said PVS Co-owner Nick Olson. "The economy is really turning around and this printer is exactly what our clients need: quality at a great price point."

In addition to inkjet printing technologies at Sign Expo, attendees will also see how they can eliminate touch points in their workflow, reduce waste, improve communication and maximize capacity utilization using EFI’s industry-leading workflow and MIS/ERP products, including PrintSmith Vision business management software, Pace MIS technology and the Digital StoreFront Web-to-print platform. EFI’s booth features live demonstrations of its integrated inkjet workflow solutions, with production moving from Digital StoreFront through Pace to a Fiery XF digital front end and a VUTEk superwide-format printer.

New EFI solution saves time over manual decoration steps

Printed and formed samples at ISA for EFI’s new thermoforming inks show how PSPs can digitally print thermoplastic sheets for subsequent forming into custom signs, P-O-P displays, vending/gaming panels and a host of consumer product and industrial applications, eliminating costly and time-consuming screen printing, hand-painting and vinyl lettering processes for thermoformed object decoration. The inks are designed for the new EFI VUTEk GS3250 Pro-TF and GS2000 Pro-TF printers, specially modified versions of the GS Pro models.

The new, patented eight-color plus white inks provide excellent adhesion and outstanding retention of hue and opacity on both first- and second-surface deep-draw thermoformed applications, withstanding post-process heat forming, cutting and routing without chipping, cracking or flaking. Users also get the proven benefits of the EFI VUTEk GS Pro printer platform, with imaging resolutions up to 1,000 dpi and EFI’s variable-drop grayscale technology.

EFI is also announcing the development of new inks for corrugated plastic printing. The inks solve inkjet adhesion problems that have previously limited digital printing’s presence in the popular market for yard signs and other corrugated plastic products. The inks are compatible with all brands of white corrugated polypropylene, and will run on new VUTEk GS2000 Pro-CP and GS3250 Pro-CP printers, giving PSPs the ability to leverage the VUTEk GS Pro hybrid printer platform’s high image quality and productivity.

Another new offering announced at the International Sign Expo, EFI VUTEk GS 3M Premium UV Inks for EFI VUTEk GS Pro series printers, gives GS Pro users the important benefit of the 3M MCS Warranty, which covers fading, cracking peeling and other aspects of graphic performance for the life of the graphic. Co-branded EFI and 3M inks for the VUTEk GS2000, GS3200, GS3250, GS3250r, GS5000r and EFI R3225 printers all qualify for the 3M MCS Warranty. The 3M MCS Warranty for VUTEk GS2000LX and GS3250LX LED UV-curing printers will be available in the near future.

About EFI
EFI is a worldwide provider of products, technology and services leading the transformation of analog to digital imaging. Based in Silicon Valley, with offices around the globe, the company’s powerful integrated product portfolio includes digital front-end servers; superwide, wide-format, label and ceramic inkjet presses and inks; production workflow, Web-to-print, and business automation software; and office, enterprise and mobile cloud solutions. These products allow users to produce, communicate and share information in an easy and effective way, and enable businesses to increase their profits, productivity, and efficiency.