Eyetonic moves up with hybrid EFI 16h

Specialising in commercial office graphics, Eyetonic is adding a new member to its team – the EFI 16h hybrid LED UV printer, supplied by Starleaton.

Fraser McEwen, managing director of the business said, “As the volume of our work has increased, it is essential we offer our clients both print quality and speed to market service.

The new hybrid EFI 16h prints both roll-to-roll and flatbed. “To date, it’s been our biggest single investment so not a decision we took lightly,” McEwen said.

“We analysed the market, tested a variety of systems, and the EFI 16h proved to be a great fit for our business.

“We print primarily roll-to-roll, but definitely needed the flatbed option. Printing large volumes of glazing film products, it was also essential to have fast and reliable white ink printing capabilities.

“At the pointy end of large projects and multi-level office fitouts, the ability to hit deadlines is paramount. The EFI 16h enables faster turn-around time and has lived up to the high standards we ask of it.”

McEwen has had the business for 11 years, operating from Sydney’s northern beaches area, with eight full-time staff. It had an existing relationship with EFI supplier, Starleaton which already supplies Eyetonic with media. The company first saw the 16h at a Starleaton open house last year.

The EFI 16h prints onto flexible and rigid substrates up to 165cm wide and 5.08cm thick. It is a four colours plus white ink printer, with single-pass, multilayer printing for greater profit opportunity.

Resolution is up to 1200x1200dpi, producing what EFI says is near-photographic images, saturated colours, and smooth gradations with four-level, variable-drop greyscale print capability. Production quality printing runs at 29sqm per hour.

There is a choice of EFI ProGraphics Series UV inks, either the EFI - 3M ProGraphics UV ink for a wide range of flexible applications, including those that need to be stretched or heated or require the 3M MCS Warranty, or the EFI ProGraphics UV POP inks for a diverse range of rigid board and flexible media printing of indoor and outdoor applications.

EFI says its cool cure LED curing technology reduces operating costs and the environmental footprint.