EFI Vutek GS200

The GS2000 is the smaller counterpart to the 3.2m Vutek GS3200 and is part of the family that also includes the 5m GS5000r roll-fed machine. At the show it was installed and configured specifically to demonstrate files being passed to it from the latest version of EFI’s Fiery XF Rip, and the ease with which it was set-up and put to work was true testimony to its build quality and versatility.
The Vutek GS2000 fits the bill for users who want to benefit from UV-curable output but who are quite happy with a machine with a 2m print width. Apart from its size, it has much of the same functionality as its larger relation, with a true 1000dpi maximum resolution for high quality output and it’s well suited to busy print shops that need fast throughput.
This machine is relatively compact for an industrial strength wide-format printer. Its ability to print direct to rigid substrates as well as to roll-fed materials gives it dual-purpose capabilities. It’s suitable for applications including displays, posters, banners, point-of-sale and retail jobs and other types of output where UV-curable ink is now proving to be ever more popular. It has a continuous board option for panels and removable tables which can be wheeled aside quickly and easily when printing to roll-fed materials.
In keeping with other Vutek machines from EFI, and as clearly demonstrated in Orlando, the GS2000 is designed to facilitate fast changeover from rigid substrates to rolls, with this operation taking less than a minute. Its respectable output speed of up to 185.8m2/hour is achievable in Fast-5 mode, and even in eight colours with white it can print at more than 90m2/hour.
Similar to its larger counterpart, the GS2000’s white capability is designed to enable six different variations in production, these being over-print, under-print, spot, under-spot, fill and over-spot. White ink needs to be handled as a separate layer but, for aficionados of this option, this doesn’t present a problem or delays in processing and printing jobs.
The configuration of this machine is good enough to produce photographic quality, with a true 1000dpi enabling high precision output with 12picolitre output, but its dual resolution of 24picolitre 600dpi also means that it works well with large graphics which contain solid areas of colour as well as with fine graduated tints and areas, such as skin tones.
Options for working with rigid materials include a choice of movable tables, including an extension on casters which can be used attached to the printer or as a workstation. There’s also a small depth extension table when users are wanting to work with small boards and panels and multiple fence stops.
The inks for the Vutek GS2000 come in five litre containers, making this a practical machine for running with minimal attendance. EFI also offers 24/7 support, typical across all of its machines, and this applies to its software as well as the printer itself. EFI Fiery XF, now in version 4.5, is designed to be upgraded easily when user needs change, and this is simple to set-up via a wizard. It handles functions such as ICC profiling, nesting, step-and-repeat, scaling, cropping and tiling, all of which are job options that the GS2000 takes in its stride.
This isn’t the cheapest printer in the 2m arena, but it’s far from the most costly, and it benefits from Vutek’s long history in the wide-format arena (which started back in 1988 with the company’s early air-brush machines). The larger GS3200 was taken up swiftly by the industry, and became an instant best-seller, and there’s no reason why its smaller brother shouldn’t create the same impact.
The list price of the EFI Vutek GS2000 is £399,000 but, for this sum, you get a lot of machine for your money plus the reassurance that it comes from a manufacturer with probably the longest pedigree in wide-format print. It’s suitable for users wanting to make the move to a heavy-duty UV-curable system but who don’t need a greater width than 2m.