Color Reflections Rounds Out its EFI Portfolio by Purchasing an EFI VUTEk GS5000r Printer

EFI announced that Las Vegas-based Color Reflections has added an EFI VUTEk GS5000r UV roll-to-roll printer to its portfolio of EFI VUTEk superwide format inkjet products. The VUTEk GS5000r joins a VUTEk GS3200 UV hybrid roll/flatbed printer and a VUTEk TX3250r dye sublimation printer to expand the company’s sign and display graphics capabilities.

“We initially turned to EFI VUTEk superwide format printers in 2008 in an effort to move away from solvent printers,” said Joe Castellano, president of Color Reflections. “We started with a VUTEk QS3200, then upgraded that to a GS3200. When we were looking for a fabric printing solution, EFI was there with the VUTEk TX3250r. So when we wanted to replace our five-meter solvent printers, it was only natural to go back to EFI to round out our UV superwide format fleet.”

The company manages its VUTEk printers using EFI Fiery proServer digital front ends (DFEs). The common DFE platform provides consistent, accurate control so Color Reflections can easily match colors across its superwide format production fleet.

With the new printer, Color Reflections was seeking more speed, higher quality and the versatility to do everything from billboards to point-of-purchase signage. “The VUTEk GS5000r printer exceeds all of the requirements we were looking for to expand our services to our national clients,” Castellano noted.

Producing roll-fed sign and display graphics on a variety of media was especially important in the purchase decision. According to Castellano, many Color Reflections customers are opting to print roll media signage and displays because they are less expensive to ship than signage printed on rigid substrates. In addition, many larger corporate customers have found they can reduce their carbon footprint, using high-quality roll media to minimize the fuel consumption associated with transporting signage.

Color Reflections’ five-meter EFI VUTEk GS5000r roll-to-roll UV printer produces high-quality imaging for point-of-purchase (POP) and other close-viewing applications in resolutions up to 1,000 dpi. The printer prints in eight colors at speeds up to 1,033 square feet per hour in POP mode. For billboards and other distance-viewing applications, the printer can print at speeds up to 3,100 square feet per hour using EFI’s patented Fast-4 production mode.

“The addition of the GS5000r is opening new markets and attracting new business at Color Reflections,” said Scott Schinlever, senior vice president and general manager of EFI’s Inkjet Solutions. “And with Fiery proServers driving all of its VUTEk printers, the company offers the higher consistency essential to its growing base of national customers.”

“We are very happy with this new acquisition, and with our entire VUTEk fleet,” said Color Reflections’ Castellano. “The VUTEk GS5000r actually does more than EFI claimed it would and we see lots of potential for future growth with this new printer.

“We have always provided a quality product with a quick turnaround time,” Castellano added. “In our 18 years, we have never missed a deadline, and our new VUTEk GS5000r printer helps us maintain that critical reputation.”