If you have any interest in owning a custom printing business or you currently run a business that provides printing, then you’ll want to know about the company, Electronics for Imaging (EFI). EFI is a powerhouse when it comes to printing and producing products such as packaging, signage, textiles and personalized documents. They offer print professionals the option to easily run their business through their EFI printshop, an e-commerce website that lets you manually customize your site’s usability and print options to make the most profit from your products. They use wide-format inkjet printing, LED printers, VUTEk superwide digital inkjet printers and more. Their goal is to meet the needs of each print business by offering, “hardware, software, maintenance, support, educational services, and system integration”[1] all in one place. Some companies that benefit from the use of EFI printshop are creative agencies, label and packaging businesses, ceramic tile manufacturers and even the fashion and sportswear industries.
According to EFI’s website, over one-third of the world’s high-end print production is produced by EFI products and their inkjet printers create the signage for some of the world’s biggest events. Companies use EFI printing because they are known for reducing costs and increasing productivity using the latest technology. Their latest technologies and updates were introduced at the 19th annual EFI Connect conference held last January, according to the website, Printing Impressions[2], and they are described below as follows:
- EFI VUTEk HS125 Pro and HS100 Pro Fast-4 hybrid flatbed/roll inkjet press models that offer a range of super-fast, four-color grayscale modes, with speeds up to 225 boards per hour. This enables more cost-effective grayscale production of distance-viewed signage and graphics.
- The EFI VUTEk FabriVU 340i, a soft signage printer that delivers a lower cost of entry into high-growth soft signage applications by offering fully integrated inline sublimation without compromising engine speed or quality.
- Version 6 of EFI’s Enterprise Commercial, Midmarket Print, Publication, Quick Print, Packaging and Corrugated Packaging Productivity Suites for advanced, end-to-end business and production MIS/ERP workflows.
- EFI MarketDirect, a next-generation cross media customer engagement platform that gives printing companies the power to deliver comprehensive management on loyalty programs, offers, newsletters, surveys and other customer communication programs.
- Escada software, EFI’s recently acquired, robust corrugated process control product.
- EFI iQuote technology for enhanced estimating of versioned and variable-data digital print work.
- EFI Optitex 3D Design Illustrator, a plug-in tool for the fashion textile space that gives designers the freedom to validate and customize 3D garments in Adobe Illustrator.
These new printing technologies will continue to change the way we view print production in the future and how we can maintain print companies. At the Connect conference, EFI CEO Guy Gecht said, “The new Print is all about putting spectacular images on essentially any material. With digital inkjet technology and automation, the new Print brings immense opportunity in the era of the fourth industrial revolution.”
EFI’s Connect conference also offers a helpful and thorough program that has hundreds of sessions that cover topics such as marketing, business management and technical software information for an array of print professionals who work with commercial print, graphics, signage and packaging. The conference is important to those in the industry because it offers in-depth training and education on challenges that print and packaging companies may face. “The conference is an ideal venue for open dialogue and idea exchange, giving customers a valuable opportunity to participate in educational sessions, receive hands-on experience, discuss industry trends, network with peers, voice their opinions and learn from others.”[3] If you want your print business to be profitable then you’ll have to dedicate time to learning about color management, digital inkjet printing, e-commerce and productivity software tools so that your business is on the right trajectory.
Commercial
printing companies can use the EFI website to locate what technology would be
best for their company and to better serve their customers. Their website
offers a “quick solution finder” that helps narrow down the choices of what
printer or software solutions is needed by selecting your industry, company size
and basic need fulfilment such as an imposition/layout or
e-commerce/web-to-print. One of their main sellers for commercial printing
companies is the brand, Fiery Innovation technologies, which is a long line of
products produced by EFI that offer a range of different features. Some of the
products and their features in the line include the, Fiery Command WorkStation,
which is a software built to manage all your printers from a single screen.
There is also Fiery Color & Imaging, which is said to, “provide state-of-the-art imaging technology, combined with
expert color management tools, to deliver high-quality images with the
accurate, consistent color customers want.” The technology behind this
product includes ICC-based color technology and delivers professional color quality.
Whatever it is your company is looking for and needs to make their print
business succeed, EFI printing is a company worth looking into because of the
range of products and services they offer, and their quality is unmatched. The
future of printing is bright because of innovative companies like EFI.
[1] https://www.efi.com/about-efi/who-is-efi/
[2] https://www.piworld.com/article/efi-customers-discover-new-age-digital-print-19th-annual-efi-connect-conference/
[3] https://www.piworld.com/article/efi-customers-discover-new-age-digital-print-19th-annual-efi-connect-conference/
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