Fremont, CA (March 13, 2017) — Veteran print and marketing specialists David Peet and Trinh Tran launched National Print Wholesale (NPW), an Atlanta-based trade printing business for high-quality, superwide-format graphics production, with the purchase of an EFI VUTEk GS3250LX Pro hybrid roll/flatbed LED inkjet printer and EFI Fiery proServer digital front end (DFE) from Electronics For Imaging, Inc. In NPW’s first four months of operation, the two entrepreneurs have seen remarkable growth opportunities thanks to the printer’s versatility, which has helped them quickly and economically produce point-of-purchase signage, indoor décor, outdoor graphics, trade-show exhibit displays and more for a diverse customer base.
Running at speeds up to 2,400 square feet per hour, the 3.2-meter wide LED printer features EFI’s 7 picoliter UltraDrop Technology, which delivers superior, high-end imaging. The printer has eight colors plus white ink, and EFI’s market-leading “cool-cure” LED inkjet technology, which prints on a broad range of substrates, including thin or delicate substrates that cannot withstand the heat required with latex inkjet or traditional UV drying and curing. Cool cure LED technology also gives users the benefit of lower running costs because of reduced energy usage.
NPW purchased the printer as its initial piece of production equipment after seeing and comparing it against other technologies at the 2016 SGIA Expo. “We had been talking to people locally, and saw there was a need for a trade graphics production shop,” said David Peet, who is NPW’s president. “The quality that comes with 7 picoliter digital printing on our VUTEk printer is what sets us apart. We also saw that the versatility it offers, with its ability to print roll-to-roll and flatbed work, would allow us to serve as much of the market as possible.”
The newest-version Fiery proServer installed with the printer allows for superior color management as well as efficient processing, RIPing VUTEk print jobs up to 60% faster than previous proServer versions.
Winning Work that Others Cannot Produce
Relying on the extensive experience that Trinh Tran – NPW’s plant manager – has producing tradeshow graphics using VUTEk printers and Fiery DFEs, the company has quickly found it can meet a critical need. In relatively short order the young business has taken on overflow graphics work for a number of graphics shops.
“With the large color gamut, the UltraDrop Technology, and the production capabilities, we have been able to color match to every proof provided by our customers within any needed deadlines,” he said. “We’ve quickly been able to match color and turn around shorter jobs while also being able to produce longer color critical roll outs for some of the largest brands around. I couldn’t be happier with the printer’s output and reliability.”
The printer’s high-quality white ink capabilities have become important as well, as they helped NPW win work for businesses that offer superwide-format printing, but do not have white ink capabilities in-house.
NPW was also called in to re-print a point-of-purchase job from a client that experienced banding and image quality issues when printing on a dedicated flatbed printer. The job turned out well, meeting the end client’s high expectations, once NPW got its hands on it.
NPW has also made inroads in corrugated board and flooring production. Recently, the company produced work for a national retailer looking to move from long-run, litho-laminated corrugated displays to shorter-run, versioned digital inkjet displays that allow for customized designs and offers in different geographic markets. NPW won the job because of the VUTEk printer’s ability to hit an important brand color.
In the tradeshow market, NPW has found success producing flooring on G-FLOOR substrate. And the company is helping its clients save money with economical direct-to-substrate printing on temporary tradeshow carpeting.
“We haven’t come across anything that we can’t do with this printer,” according to David Peet.
EFI’s complete printer portfolio, which in addition to industry-leading LED and UV inkjet narrow-, wide- and superwide-format technologies includes aqueous textile and ceramic decoration printers, gives customers profitable opportunities for the “Imaging of Things,” delivering greater product customization and appeal in everything from signage and packaging to décor, apparel and industrial manufacturing. To see many of the extensive, imaginative applications possible with EFI print technology, visit www.ImagingofThings.com or www.efi.com.
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About EFI:
EFI is a global technology company, based in Silicon Valley, and is leading the worldwide transformation from analog to digital imaging. We are passionate about fueling customer success with products that increase competitiveness and boost productivity. To do that, we develop breakthrough technologies for the manufacturing of signage, packaging, textiles, ceramic tiles, and personalized documents, with a wide range of printers, inks, digital front ends, and a comprehensive business and production workflow suite that transforms and streamlines the entire production process. (www.efi.com)
