Electronics For Imaging, Inc. is setting new levels of production and efficiency for customers at the higher-volume end of the superwide-format signage and display graphics market. The new EFI™ VUTEk® Q series product line delivers superior quality and a complete system solution with advanced roll-to-roll LED technology. The new EFI VUTEk Q3r and Q5r UV LED printers produce a wide range of challenging applications, like the most demanding premium POP with multi-layer white and cosmetics displays that demand the highest print quality to the highest volume campaigns that requires the lowest cost of production. The fastest, most productive roll-to-roll display graphics printers in their class, the 198-inch wide VUTEk Q5r printer runs at speeds up to 7,233 square feet (672 square meters) per hour, and the 138-inch wide VUTEk Q3r model prints up to 6,006 square feet (558 square meters) per hour.
The VUTEk Q3r and Q5r printers, launched this week during EFI’s Engage virtual users event, take users beyond in many aspects including productivity and application reach and more so in its full system solution from file submission to finished print which is already cut to size and rolled and marked for the designated display location. Users benefit from throughput that can be up to a few times faster than existing models in the market.
The world’s first VUTEk Q5r installation site, Yahav Digital Print, is a large wide-format print production company currently with four EFI roll-to-roll printers and many more throughout its history. Zevik Nur, CEO of Yahav Digital Print, found the new capabilities of the Q5r go above and beyond just faster print to also deliver a complete full system solution from file submission to finishing.
“Our new VUTEk Q5r was installed in October of 2020, and we have been running it in full production ever since,” Nur said. “It has exceeded all our expectations in terms of reliability, production speeds, print quality, ink consumption, media utilisation and ease of use. We can shift a lot of jobs to the new Q5r, and our customers are highly satisfied with our ability to shorten lead time and produce even higher quality prints at faster speeds.”
Premium quality with UltraDrop Technology and LED imaging
The new printers feature up to nine ink colours (standard CMYK and optional lc, lm, lk, white and clear coat), enabling exact customisation of each printer to users’ needs and strategies. They also boast EFI UltraDrop™ Technology, featuring native 7-picoliter printheads with multi-drop addressability for high-definition image quality. Users gain outstanding smoothness in shadows, gradients and transitions, as well as precise and sharp 3-point size text with a true resolution of up to 1,200 dots per inch. Their UV LED curing ensures not only cost savings but also a more environmentally friendly printing solution, consuming less energy and enabling the use of thinner, heat-sensitive substrates.
The printers also feature EFI’s “Power Tool” options for advanced productivity and capabilities, including in-line quality inspection, in-line slitting and cutting, roll and tape collection, auto-calibration, automated backlit printing, automated blockout printing and much more.
David Aloni, CEO of Xtreme dpi, sees significant advantages in the printers’ efficiency and high-speed operation. “As part of our due diligence in selecting a new roll-to-roll printer, we ran the EFI VUTEk Q5r through its paces, including full production,” said Aloni. “It is the fastest printer in its class, achieving a record production speed. We have found its print quality to be second to none, even for the most challenging files and media types. It certainly surpass our production requirements in a high-quality, fast and consistent way.”
New cloud connectivity, robust Fiery RIP and colour capabilities
Newly designed mobile operator touch screen stations for the VUTEk Q3r and Q5r printers offer operators maximum convenience. The touch screen stations also direct users to new EFI IQ™ optional cloud-based applications for easy monitoring and analysis of production activity, resulting in actionable data that can help operations be even more efficient and profitable.
Both printers include EFI’s industry-leading Fiery proServer Premium digital front end (DFE) with Fiery FAST RIP for accelerated file processing, maximising the printer investment by eliminating idle printer time. The printers’ Fiery DFE systems also include robust options such as Fiery Spot Color, Fiery Color Profiler Suite and Fiery Color Verifier for the ultimate in easy-to-use, proof-grade color management.
“We designed the EFI VUTEk Q3r and VUTEk Q5r to go beyond printing to provide a complete print to finished graphic workflow – from RIP to finished product – on the same platform,” said Ken Hanulec, vice president, Worldwide Marketing, EFI. “This new printer series is one big competitive edge for our customers, bringing unprecedented speed to our portfolio and a host of valuable features and options that take profitable roll-to-roll print production to a new, higher level.”
