Swiss-Based Firm Richnerstutz AG Acquires EFI VUTEk Q5r Superwide Roll-to-Roll Printer; 100th VUTEk Qr Series Printer Sold by EFI
- Published: May 26, 2023
Electronics For Imaging, Inc., reports that Swiss-based printing firm Richnerstutz AG has acquired the 100th EFI™ VUTEk® Qr Series printer to add new capabilities and capacity to its successful display graphics business. The company acquired the VUTEk Q5r superwide roll-to-roll LED printer with EFI’s UltraClear Coat to replace its 13-year-old VUTEk GS5000r roll-to-roll printer and is the only company in Switzerland to offer inline protective clear coat for self-adhesive vinyl, truck side curtains and other outdoor projects the company is producing in high volumes.
“We were looking for a machine that would enable a wide variety of applications not limited to a specific vertical because our market in Switzerland is relatively small and we do not export,” said André Stutz, the company’s co-owner. “We serve a wide range of printing needs, including vehicle applications, tradeshow graphics, building signage, construction façades, soft signage for a variety of uses, unique architectural applications, interior décor, and so much more. Our work is highly visible in public squares, major metropolitan spaces, airports, businesses small and large, event venues – all over Switzerland. The VUTEk Q5r will be our flagship printer, and we are looking forward to using this new technology to seize new opportunities to serve our customers.”
The EFI VUTEk Qr Series printers, available in 5- and 3-meter models, are designed to enable operators to go beyond printing to provide a complete print-to-finished graphic workflow – from RIP to finished product – all on the same platform. The printers handle a wide variety of flexible substrates with 300 percent better media utilization, only requiring 16 inches (40 cm) of media to load a new roll and print up to 1,200 true dpi. The VUTEk Q5r printer features a production speed up to 7,233 square feet (672 square meters) per hour.
Both printers are offered with CMYK plus optional LC, LM, LK, white and clear inks with the option to run white and clear together. The clear ink, EFI’s UltraClear Coat, can be used for decorative applications as well as for a final protective coating. UltraClear Coat prints inline, simultaneously with the image, saving time versus using a separate offline coating system, and can achieve a gloss or matte finish.
Stutz also noted that being the first in Switzerland to offer inline protective clear coat is a tremendous competitive advantage, especially for the outdoor applications for which it is so well-known. “In addition to the clear coat,” he added, “we were impressed by the EFI VUTEk Q5r’s efficient inline finishing, both X-cutting and Y-slitting, together with the automatic double-sided printing and ID Backprint for printing customer information on the back side of the media in black or white. These functions make our production more efficient and less costly, further improving our ability to lead the Swiss market in display graphics production.”
“We’re excited to be extending our long-term relationship with such an outstanding company as Richnerstutz,” said Ken Hanulec, EFI Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, “known throughout Switzerland as an innovative provider of high-quality, wide-format printing services for both indoor and outdoor applications. We also are pleased to be seeing them at FESPA, where I’m sure they will find even more inspiration to extend their product portfolio.”
For more information about the EFI VUTEk Q5r roll-to-roll LED printer and other products and services from EFI, visit www.efi.com.
