The recent investment in a new EFI VUTEk h5 UV LED hybrid flatbed/roll-to-roll printer from EFI (Electronics For Imaging) will help Media Graph (Saint-Laurent, Quebec) expand its client base, “opening up the possibility to offer clients a whole new range of products and solutions in retail, hospitality and office space,” said Media Graph President David Sellam. Like many businesses across the globe, Media Graph has had to make some adjustments during the pandemic. But that hasn’t stopped the 26-year-old print and display company from keeping its mission to “always push the boundaries of innovation and maintain the highest quality equipment on the market.”
Adding the advanced, 126-inch-wide, high-volume production printer for premium-quality display graphics addressed a number of key applications for the company – which specializes in high-end digital printing, fabric frames, surface lighting and light boxes with a large client base of retail and architecture companies. With an eye to the future, Media Graph President David Sellam planned a year ago to expand, and began researching UV and UV LED print solutions that would have the potential to help the company grow its client base. The EFI VUTEk h5 Printer provides superior efficiency and quality in eight colours plus white, and up to nine-layer print capability. With a resolution of up to 1,200 DPI, the printer’s eight ink channels can be employed in a faster CMYK x 2 mode capable of producing up to 109 boards per hour. Media Graph’s printer runs with an EFI Fiery proServer digital front end, combining faster RIPing with enhanced colour management and screening features.
A premium-quality one-stop shop
With the new hybrid print solution installed, Media Graph is preparing to take advantage of future opportunities, leveraging its comprehensive range of lightbox and display graphics offerings in a recovering economy. “When the pandemic hit, we believed there would be fewer competitors down the road, which is sad, but a fact,” said Sellam. “But we are a strong company that has different divisions and will survive this and be ready for the day after. The advantages we bring to the market are based on a few elements, including our in-house capabilities as a print shop, metal shop, and lighting division, which is very unique here. So we can combine and provide for our clients a one-stop shop and quality control in managing and distributing complete campaigns,” he added. Media Graph’s capabilities with the VUTEk h5 stand out locally, as the company is one of the first few businesses in Quebec to adopt this advanced superwide-format digital print production platform.
Prints on almost any substrate
The printer’s “cool cure” UV LED technology cures prints at lower temperatures, giving Media Graph the ability to run thin or challenging substrates that cannot withstand the heat required in UV or latex printing. The lower-temperature curing also translates into lower energy costs compared with similar UV and latex printers. “The printer can print on almost any substrate, so it really can take us to different domains,” said Sellam. “Because we deal with architects, they can lead us to any kind of request and solutions that their clients might require. Interior design applications are endless. We did a survey among our clients to see what they use. Substrates like Sintra, different kinds of cardboard, adhesive vinyl, plexiglass – all of those will be part of the samples we create on the new printer.”
