McGowans Print is taking an EFI Nozomi C18000 single-pass LED inkjet corrugated board press for its Dublin factory. It’s the second printer of its type to be installed worldwide, and according to McGowans CEO Malcolm McGowan, “it checks all the boxes for point-of-sale applications and it allows us to quickly enter the packaging market as well."
With much of its business centred on high-quality display graphics applications, McGowans already has a demand for corrugated display work, and current and potential clients who it believes will also use the company for corrugated packaging as a way to migrate away from litho lamination processes that are not economical for short- to medium-run work. The Nozomi “takes us to much longer runs and new markets that we cannot reach today with our existing digital printers,” said McGowan.
The 1.8m-wide press can print up to 75 linear metres per minute, producing up to 7,224m2/hr. It can print on materials from 14-point card stock to triple-wall board.
The new EFI Fiery digital front end (DFE) McGowans is installing with the printer will provide a scalable, ultra-high-volume workflow for high-quality, ultra-high-speed inkjet versioned, multi-SKU or personalised production applications. McGowans also uses EFI software to drive its Web-to-print operations.
EFI announced the McGowans Nozomi order at Fespa 2017, where it is also debuting an industrial scale textile printer called the EFI Reggiani ReNoir Flexy, showing the new 3.2m-wide EFI Vutek 3r and 5m-wide 5r roll-to-roll LED printers, and introducing the EFI Pro 16h wide-format hybrid LED printer. Version 5 of EFI’s Midmarket Print Suite – promising efficiencies for display, signage and graphics customers – is also being shown.
The Reggiani ReNoir Flexy can handle a variety of fabrics - from knitted to woven as well as low- and high-stretchable and stretchable materials - using new ‘Dynaplast’ technology. The 1.8m-wide printer is available with eight printheads and has a production speed of more than 400m2/hr, with a resolution of up to 2,400 dpi.
The Fiery driven EFI Pro 16h roll/flatbed LED printer includes white ink, and is said to faster speeds than other EFI entry-level hybrid production platforms, with some print modes offering up to a 30% higher throughput.
The EFI Vutek 3r uses UltraDrop Technology 7-picolitre printheads and can run at up to 345m2/hr. The bigger EFI Vutek 5r - the first of which is going to Beflex in Hungary - has throughput speeds up to 455m2/hr. Options include an inline finishing system - x-cutting, slitting and collecting - and additional white and light colours.
The latest version of Midmarket Print Suite includes improvements such as a Superwide Format component database for easier estimating, planning and management in dedicated signage and graphics production printing environments, as well as a new workbench tool and deeper integration with imposition and fulfillment components.