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EFI Vutek GS3200 investment - Andesign ups its speed and quality

The EFI printer in use. Andy Williams in front of the Andesign company sign.
One of the first EFI VUTEk GS3200 wide-format UV-curable ink-jet printers has now been installed in the UK with Sutton Coldfield based Andesign opting to purchase this versatile flat-bed and roll-fed machine. After making its debut at Fespa Digital in Amsterdam earlier this year, the GS product line enhances the speed and quality already developed in the enormously successful QS series and brings faster, high standards of output to the market.

The choice of manufacturer was never in question, states Andesign's Managing Director, Andy Williams. His company previously invested in a six-colour EFI Vutek PressVu 200-600 in 2004 and never had cause to question its quality or reliability. However, the demand for higher speeds at finer resolutions led him to upgrade his printer to a newer model and the eight-colour plus white GS3200 suits his purposes perfectly. Supplied and installed by specialist distributor, CMYUK Digital, the installation took place in mid-October and was up and running immediately.

This investment is playing a key role in the expansion plans for Andesign, and Andy comments: "We've worked with Robin East of CMYUK Digital before and, because we have a strong relationship with the company, I was happy to buy the EFI Vutek GS3200 on the strength of the quality of the samples I was shown. We didn't even view the machine before coming to a decision and nor did we feel the need to look at competitive alternatives."

Situated in the heart of the Midlands, Andesign designs and produces a wide range of displays ranging from retail and point-of-sale, portable solutions and exhibition graphics, interior and exterior applications including multi-sheet posters, floor graphics and banners, plus vehicle liveries and wraps. Such has been the success of the business that the need for a faster and more versatile wide-format printer became an essential addition to the company's armoury of equipment.

In addition to working with standard sign-making display materials, both in sheet form and off the roll, Andesign has also experimented with more unusual substrates to determine their suitability for digital printing and currently incorporates products such as leatherette into specialist applications. This type of media is proving to be ideal for printing using UV-curable ink and is well matched to the versatility of the EFI Vutek GS3200.

Because of the company's skills with cardboard engineering, intricate and complex point-of-sale and display products have become one of Andesign's specialities. The company works with prototypes of original concepts and designs which are then die-cut and produced in longer run lengths using offset-litho. However, the speed and quality of the new ink-jet printer means that, for some shorter runs, clients are opting to have the entire job output digitally; this is particularly beneficial when variations in graphics and text are required between print batches.

The eight-colour EFI Vutek GS3200 has a maximum print width of 3.2 m on both flat sheets and rolls, with fast and easy change-over from one type of material to the other. Andesign opted for the additional white because of the extra versatility it provides, and Andy is particularly impressed with the machine's ability to print two boards or rolls side-by-side in the same job.

Andy concludes: "We're confident that this investment will pave the way to winning further lucrative national and local contracts and draw attention to us. We really do offer a difference and the EFI Vutek GS3200 will allow us to focus on the requirements of large print projects as well as responding to the needs of clients with extreme deadlines without any negative impact on quality."

For further information contact Andesign UK Ltd, telephone 0121 354 2272, e-mail andy@andesignuk.co.uk or CMYUK Digital, e-mail robin.east@cmyuk.net or telephone 0118 989 2829.

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