Lancashire-based trade printer Super-Wide Digital (SWD) has invested in its second Agfa print engine to meet growing soft signage demand, with the delivery of a new Avinci CX3200 3.2m dye sublimation machine in December 2022, complementing several existing dye-sub machines from other vendors.
SWD’s Luke Drogan explained, ‘We took delivery of an Agfa Jeti Tauro H3300 LED hybrid wide-format press in late 2019 and during Covid it worked 24/7 producing the many miles of social distancing graphics for our customers. It quickly became the production team’s favoured print machine, and it was the reliability of the Jeti Tauro that gave us the confidence in the Agfa product. So, when we decided to add another dye-sub machine to cope with the demand of our growing soft signage business, the Agfa Avinci was a key printer to review.’
The Avinci CX3200 can print both directly to textile and to transfer paper at a speed of up to 270sqm/hr. Its offline fixation via a separate calender unit is less of an energy concern for SWD than might be expected, as the company has an existing solar panel array that is being expanded by a factor of four during February 2023, plus an off-site wind turbine, which are expected to make the business fully self-sufficient for power generation.
SWD will largely use its new dye-sub printer to produce backlit textile graphics for PoS and exhibition work. The print fleet is complemented by large-scale finishing including laser cutting technology on an 8x3m bed to heat seal material edges and prevent woven media from fraying.
Mr Drogan added, ‘We are already impressed with the results of the Agfa Avinci, there is a robustness and consistency to [Agfa’s] machines which means we can run them confidently. We are already talking about investing in more Agfa machines.’
