EFI Expands Innovation With UltraDrop 7 Grayscale Technology

This year’s Fespa Digital sees EFI drive forward its wide- and superwide-format inkjet production leadership with UltraDrop 7pL grayscale printhead technology on its VUTEk GS series printers.

EFI’s high-volume UV-inkjet press, the VUTEk HS100 Pro, will feature full automation and a material edge guide (MEG) system. The company’s exhibit at the May 20-23 tradeshow also has the European debut of the new EFI H1625 LED printer – the first LED device in the entry-level EFI Wide Format printer line – and the EFI VUTEk GS3250LXr Pro roll-fed printer.

Fespa Digital also marks the worldwide premiere of EFI Fiery proServer Version 6, a scalable and flexible digital front-end workflow offering significantly faster processing speeds.

The VUTEk GS series printers will now feature EFI’s new UltraDrop technology, which combines the smallest drop sizes available in its class with grayscale imaging and more precise control for customers that need the ultimate in image quality, crispness and speed. UltraDrop technology employs native 7pL print heads with true multi-drop addressability in each dot position, giving high apparent resolution and high definition quality with four-level grayscale and two ink density levels.

The new technology also produces outstanding smoothness in shadows, gradients and transitions, as well as superb text quality with four-point text in both standard and knockout with fewer satellites and more clarity in all print modes.

EFI and 3M Commercial Solutions announce a seven-year 3M MCS Warranty for vehicle graphics when produced using the appropriate 3M base film, EFI VUTEk GSLXr 3M SuperFlex UV Inks, the EFI VUTEk GS3250LXr Pro printer and the appropriate 3M film over laminate. It is the first warranty of its kind in the industry for LED printing technology.

Graphics printed on a VUTEk GS3250LXr Pro LED printer with EFI VUTEk GSLXr 3M SuperFlex UV Inks are ideal for outdoor applications, vehicle wraps and graphic applications on textured surfaces, such as brick panels, which can withstand heating and stretching without cracking and UV fading.

Already the market leader in LED curing with some 250 combination flatbed and roll-fed units sold worldwide, EFI is bringing LED to a greater number of companies with the introduction of the EFI H1625 LED printer, an ideal product for users who want an entry-level printer with the advantages of LED, grayscale, standard white ink and single-pass, multilayer capabilities. The printer’s variable droplets provide eight levels of grayscale for superior image quality, fine gradients and strong solid colors.

With a 1.65m-width and fast changeover between rigid and flexible materials, the versatility of the EFI H1625 LED printer offers the opportunity to generate greater profits and a fast return on investment, for a low total cost of ownership.

Energy assessments carried out by Fogra have confirmed that EFI’s VUTEk wide-format printers with LED curing show energy reductions of up to 82% when compared with devices that use conventional mercury arc lamps.

EFI’s 3.2m VUTEk GS3250LXr Pro dedicated roll-fed printer with SuperFlex UV ink is also making a European debut in Munich. It joins the existing GS3250LX and GS2000LX LED printers in lowering production costs, promoting a greener working environment and enabling users to print to a wide range of materials that are not suitable for use with traditional curing methods.

“One day all curing technologies will incorporate LED lamps, so EFI is proud to have been the first to achieve its universal acceptance in our wide-format and label printers,” said Guy Gecht, CEO of EFI. “We now have the ability to provide all the production and workflow tools essential for sign-makers, display producers and graphics professionals to create their own road to business growth and greater profits.”

EFI also is demonstrating its innovative thermoforming application for generating digitally printed 3D and shaped displays that are produced on a VUTEk GS Pro-TF system.