World’s 1st EFI VUTEk XT Super-High-Speed Printer Installed

Ingram Express Services (IES) in Nashville, Tennessee, has installed the world’s first EFI VUTEk XT hybrid flatbed/roll-to-roll display graphics printer. IES invested in the new super-high-speed solution to expand its VUTEk-heavy digital graphics production floor and venture into new market opportunities, addressing a growing demand for higher-volume rigid substrate work. 

“The VUTEk XT is going to change us in many ways, the biggest being pressroom disruption,” said Adam Ingram, Owner of IES. “Our capacity is going to go through the roof compared to where we are now.”

“Our market’s changing because we’re changing,” said Ingram. “With the VUTEk XT, we’re expanding our market. Our footprint is going to change.” 

The VUTEk XT printer is designed to drive a significant reduction in the total cost of ownership, with throughput exceeding 350 boards per hour. A new vacuum architecture on the VUTEk XT printer offers five times more hold-down for a wide range of materials. A new media transport eliminates the need for material edge guides, ensuring highly accurate registration and smooth transportation of even thick boards. These advanced features make printing typically difficult substrates easier and more accurate, reducing waste and improving overall throughput. 

The VUTEk XT printer’s exceptional throughput will enable IES to manage costs, meet customer turnaround requirements, and take on large jobs that would have previously slowed the entire production floor.

“In wide format, large jobs – while they’re great – can be very scary because you can get them in, and all of a sudden, you think this is a 12-15 day run,” explained Ingram. “Now, for us, those jobs will be 2-3 days max, so we’ll be able to turn more jobs out in a quicker span.”

A multi-lane printing feature on the new VUTEk XT model allows users to feed boards in up to three printing lanes using the same or different print files. The VUTEk XT supports roll-to-roll printing of large rolls up to 1.5 metres in diameter with two independent drives for two-up printing or one collaborative drive for one-up printing.

Enhanced dual-zone Pin & Cure technology on the VUTEk XT uses LED lamps to immediately pin drops of ink on the substrate during printing, followed by a traditional UV lamp cure as the substrate leaves the printer. This innovative curing process offers better uniformity, colour density, and a wider colour gamut in high-volume throughput. EFI’s new CP5G ink delivery technology on the printer delivers complete ink circulation, superior dot placement, 5-picolitre drops and grayscale imaging.

The ink recirculation system is leveraged from EFI’s Nozomi single-pass inkjet printer architecture and ensures a continuous flow of fresh ink, at the correct temperature, always at the ready. Users can also expect to obtain a yield of more than 168 square metres per litre of ink – an ink yield increase of 30% to 50% compared to other inkjet sign and display graphics printers.

The EFI Fiery proServer Premium digital front end (DFE) drives IES’s new VUTEk XT printer, providing comprehensive built-in production tools and industry-leading colour management, along with EFI’s exclusive FAST RIP technology for accelerated file processing. 

A high-throughput data channel and unique Fiery Sign Flow every print is different (EPiD) technology will allow users to sequence retail display graphics for optimal in-store installation quickly. Campaigns come off the VUTEk XT printer and onto the pallet in the order needed for optimal installation, based on each store layout, reducing the need for hand collation either at the print shop or the store. 

The EFI VUTEk XT printer is available now from EFI and authorised EFI display graphics resellers worldwide.