Digital textile printing leader McRae Imaging (Mississauga, Ontario), the first North American business to buy an EFI Reggiani Textile Printer, has now become the first in North America to install a second unit since EFI’s acquisition of Reggiani Macchine (Bergamo, Italy) in July of 2015. The new printer increases the company’s maximum digital textile output to 13,000 square feet (1,200 square metres) per hour. The EFI Reggiani EVO 340 Printer will meet McRae’s growing demand for high-quality, fabric-printed displays. “When people come to visit us and see what the machine is and what we’ve done with it, well, that pretty well seals the deal,” said Bob Murray, Chairman and CEO of McRae Imaging. “It gives us the opportunity to show people what we can produce. Having this machine has done wonderful things for us. And we’re looking forward to working now with EFI.”
McRae Imaging got its start in 1997, when Murray and Richard Kisiel purchased what was, at the time, one of the best shops in North America for reproducing photographic images and prints. McRae Imaging eventually became one of the first shops in North America to start printing on fabric. After getting established in the fabric printing market, they purchased their first Reggiani ReNOIR printer, a 3.4-metre machine capable of printing on a wide range of substrates. Before installing that printer, McRae Imaging’s equipment could process about 3,000 square feet (279 square metres) per hour. “The Reggiani printer allowed us to take on jobs we couldn’t produce fast enough before,” Murray explained. Today, as mentioned earlier, with both printers, McRae Imaging’s output can reach an unprecedented 13,000 square feet (1,200 square meters) per hour.
An eco-friendly alternative to traditional printed signage
In addition to gaining productivity and quality, McRae Imaging has reaped other benefits from Reggiani technology. The company’s Reggiani printer is a very eco-friendly machine, running water-based inks with little to no odour and low power consumption. McRae’s customers also see savings on shipping, since its printed pieces are much lighter than other materials used in signage and graphics . Plus, fabric-printed signs can be folded to create smaller packages, also lowering shipping costs.
EFI Reggiani printers also offer increased sustainability because they use less ink. The printers’ ink recovery system is especially beneficial in the amount of savings it can create for customers. “There are just so many advantages to fabric printing,” Murray added. “There was a point in 2008 where people were starting to talk about eco-friendly, but then the downturn happened. Now I’m seeing it start to come back as people recognize that we have to watch the environment. Our machines are eco-friendly, and that’s another advantage of the Reggiani printers.”
EFI Reggiani products are designed to simplify textile production across a wide range of industries. EFI’s complete printer portfolio, which also features the industry’s top LED and UV inkjet narrow, wide and super wide-format technologies, gives customers profitable opportunities in “The Imaging of Things,” delivering greater product customization and appeal in everything – from signage and packaging to décor, apparel and industrial manufacturing.
Pioneering textile printer McRae Imaging installs second EFI Reggiani Printer
