“High-volume sign and graphics businesses can achieve a new, higher level of productivity with the first single-pass inkjet printer from EFI (Electronics For Imaging) dedicated to display graphics,” said the OEM. The new printer is scheduled to be available later this year. The new EFI single-pass for display graphics UV LED inkjet printer, part of EFI’s super-high-speed series of devices, leverages the proven capabilities of the EFI Nozomi C18000 Plus Printer for direct-to-board corrugated packaging production. With this new 63-inch-wide, single-pass solution, users can reach speeds (running through skids of synthetic media and paper-based materials) up to 1,000 sheets or boards per hour. A future upgrade for the printer will also allow for conversion to roll-to-roll production, the company said.
“When EFI announced EFI Nozomi single-pass technology at drupa 2016, the company was surprised at the level of interest expressed in this printer by display graphics customers, and we’ve been able to respond to demand with the most productive solution dedicated to that market,” said Ken Hanulec, VP of Worldwide Corporate Marketing, EFI. “Single-pass technology, done right, has the potential to change every print vertical it touches and give our customers unprecedented new opportunities. As the leader in advanced UV LED digital production solutions, we are excited to bring the very important efficiencies and throughput advantages of EFI’s proven single-pass technology to the display graphics market,” he added.
Operating at speeds that are “up to three to four times faster than the most productive shuttle-based/multi-pass printers,” the EFI single-pass for display graphics printer delivers high-end output on a wide range of media “in quantities other digital solutions cannot match, giving customers a lower total cost of ownership, and higher profit potential, for high-volume demand.” The printer can give users “the lowest cost per square foot in the market,” while also giving them the greatest application range and extreme efficiency. Users can handle even challenging peak capacity demands . Plus, the 7-colour printer delivers a wide colour gamut with six colours: CMYK with optional orange and violet inks, plus white.
The printer’s on-board quality inspection system checks for colour uniformity, nozzle out and other defects to further ensure optimum print quality. Display graphics producers can bring digital print’s versatility advantages, such as seamless versioning and design-change capabilities, to long-run work. As a high-volume digital printer, the new single-pass solution delivers the benefits of digital to new quantity levels that some print providers traditionally approached with analogue methods, said EFI. Users can also eliminate the significant waste associated with analogue screens and production makereadies, “bringing a significant environmental advantage to digital display graphics printing.”
