Texas-based visual communications and graphics manufacturer Foxmark Corporation has installed its third EFI Vutek superwide format printer, a 3.2m GS3250 Pro UV flatbed/roll printer installed with an EFI Fiery proServer.
Almost immediately after completing the installation in mid July, the company hit the ground running for the printer's very first job: a 50 x 200ft sign from the Houston Rockets to welcome the basketball team's newly signed superstar center, Dwight Howard.
"There is a lot of excitement about this signing in Houston and the installation is in a highly visible space along Interstate 59, so we were glad when we learned about the job," said Foxmark's president and founder, Richard Fox. "We knew we wanted the added capacity and speed we could get with the 3.2m Vutek printer, and installation went smoothly enough that we could meet a tight production deadline."
Foxmark started printing panels for the sign in Fast-4 production mode on a Monday evening. The following morning, an installation crew began installing the panels using two 120ft boom lifts. Foxmark continued printing while the installers worked.
The sign, which features an image of Howard and teammate James Harden, took approximately three days to print and install. It was completed just weeks after Howard signed with the team, and local basketball fans could not help but take notice. One basketball blogger joked that: "You'll find [the sign] adorning the side of Houston's George R. Brown Convention Center, but it also might be visible from anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere if you look in the right direction."
In addition to being an official graphics provider for the Rockets, Foxmark produces out-of-home, point-of-purchase, in-store retail, architectural and fleet vehicle graphics for national consumer brands, as well as for leading firms in the oil and gas industry. The new GS3250 Pro helps Foxmark meet growing demand from these clients for fast-turnaround, high-quality, UV curable inkjet graphics.
Foxmark has had an all-Vutek production operation for nine years. In addition to the new printer, the company also operates a 2m EFI Vutek QS2000 printer and an EFI Vutek 3360 printer. The company used its Vutek printers to complete several additional highly visible, tight-deadline installations featuring Dwight Howard this summer, including new graphics installations adorning the Rockets' home arena, Toyota Center.
Fox said he uses EFI Vutek printers because of their proven reliability. Plus, he added: "EFI stays ahead of the curve when it comes to technology and support."
Foxmark has also used 3M products exclusively since it was founded 18 years ago and is one of 23 authorised 3M Scotchprint graphics manufacturers in the country. The company completed 3M MCS warranty certification and prints all of its graphics using 3M media and co-branded EFI Vutek 3M ink, ensuring that its output is eligible for warranty coverage.