Essex-based Venture Banners has added a third EFI Vutek FabriVu dye sublimation printer to its production equipment roster. Purchased through CMYUK, the Vutek FabriVu 340i+ is EFI’s latest generation dye-sublimation printer. It offers direct-to-substrate and paper sublimation printing, along with an integrated fixing unit that removes the need for a separate heat press, saving time, money, and floor space.
This latest model also offers incremental improvements and redesigned elements. It features eight Kyocera printheads rather than four, doubling resolution from 300 to 600dpi, and increasing POP speeds by 48%. A redesigned heating plate ensures improved temperature uniformity particularly between jobs and less outgassing with the same colour intensity, but overall faster system reaction. A new flag ink removal kit allows the system to manage high ink volumes without touching the loaded material.
Textile printing growth
Venture Banners started offering soft signage in 2017 and now this sector accounts for over 40% of its business. ‘We’ve become very proficient at printing textile materials, and the new 340i+ joins our two existing FabriVu 340 dye sublimation printers and a Klieverik calender press, which along with our digital cutting tables are always incredibly busy,’ says Scott Conway, director, Venture Banners.
‘Apart from the fact that we needed another textile printer to cope with increased volumes, we also wanted to buy ourselves some contingency. If our Klieverik calender press ever went down for any reason, we wouldn’t be able to sublimate our materials, so investing in a printer with inline fixation gives us a complete back up,’ Mr Conway added.
