Technology Review: EFI/Rastek’s Line of UV Printers

In the early ’90s, when we worked directly in the printer-manufacturing industry, the most potent printer combination was Canon’s CLC 500 color copier outfitted with an EFI Fiery RIP. The result was a high-quality, short-run color press. Then, as now, EFI’s superior RIP products excelled.
Before long, EFI (Foster City, CA) commenced to both partner with, and acquire, print-machine manufacturing companies. In the sign and display-graphics industry, EFI’s acquisition of Vutek® (Meredith, NH) was the most notable gain. Today, the company offers Vutek superwide, digital-inkjet printers; UV and solvent inks; the Rastek™ UV wide-format inkjet printers; and Jetrion® industrial-inkjet printing systems for mailing and packaging systems. It also offers print-production-workflow and management-information software; and corporate-printing solutions.
EFI Vutek manufactures, sells and services large-format printers for multiple markets where operators expect reliability, high speed and exceptional print quality. The company offers numerous print technologies, first-class RIP technology and one of the industry’s best service organizations.
Because investment capital spawns quality and speed, EFI/Vutek machine owners position their printers where they generate the most products and profit, that is, on the sign and graphics market’s industrial (high-end production) side. With the introduction of EFI Rastek, the company offers print machines designed for mid-size or specialty shops.

The Rastek family
Last year, EFI presented its Rastek printers, a mid-priced series of hybrid and flatbed machines, which include Vutek’s characteristic quality, reliability and world-class service. The company said its EFI Rastek printers deliver wide-format printers and inks at an affordable price for mid-sized print companies.
Currently, the Rastek line comprises three, UV-cure printers, with EFI’s Fiery RIP, that, at entry level, sell for approximately $65,000. Our studies show the prices are competitive with similar market products.
The Rastek printers will print on various media. They use drop-on-demand, variable-dot, piezo-inkjet heads that produce seven, six- to 42-pl droplet sizes. The heads can produce ultra-fine type, fine gradients and photographic-image quality – as well as billboard copy. You may also choose the white-ink option.

The Rastek H650
The series’ least-expensive Rastek H650 hybrid, flatbed printer transports rigid media (weighing up to 50 lbs.) under the printhead via a vacuum belt system. Its maximum media width is 65 in.; the maximum printable width is 64 in., and it accepts media up to 1.8 in. thick. The H650 can also handle flexible media up to 65 in. wide, with a roll diameter up to 9 in.
EFI has tested numerous print applications and said the printer is optimized for vinyl, foamboard, PVC, styrene, corrugated plastics, plywood, MDO, paper, aluminum, cardboard, acrylic and glass. This covers just about anything that may come your way.
The Rastek printers produce excellent image quality. The H650 offers numerous print-quality modes that span high speed to best quality. For speed, you can select the 600 x 450-dpi, six-pass, four-grey-level billboard mode that images at 170 sq. ft./hr. For photo-quality images, you can image at 65 sq. ft./hr. by selecting a 600 x 600-dpi resolution, with 16 passes and four, grey-scale levels. The system offers numerous combinations, so you can easily find various selections for daily work.
The H650 street price is $65,000 in the four-color (CMYK) configuration. Add the white printhead for approximately $5,000.

The Rastek T660
The T660 is a traditional, flatbed, not a hybrid, printer. It uses a gantry system to move the printheads in both an x and y direction, while the media remains stationary on the vacuum table. The table, which can support up to 100 lbs., accommodates media up to 60 in. x 48 in.. As noted above, all the Rastek machines use the same print technology.
The T660’s speed and quality specifications are virtually the same as those of the H650. It is faster in billboard mode (190 sq. ft./hr. as opposed to 170 sq. ft./hr.) and can handle thicker media, up to 2 in. thick.
Why would you choose a pure flatbed over a hybrid printer? The answer comes from your customers. If a portion of your business is printing banners and vehicle wraps, roll-fed media becomes important. However, flatbeds make flat signs. They are more precise and less prone to print artifacts. Further, they accurately print labels, membrane-control panels and other, similar products.
The T660 sells for approximately $90,000.

The Rastek H700
The Rastek H700 hybrid is the series’ big brother. It will accept up to 100 lbs. of 72-in.-wide media up to 1.8 in. thick. As with its siblings, the H700 is a four-color printer with the white-ink channel option. Again, it uses the same print technology as the others.
The H700 uses a media belt to transport materials under the printheads. A four-zone vacuum system ensures the media remains flat.
Print speed is the one major difference between the H700 and the other Rastek printers. It offers the same print resolutions as the H650 and T660, but at significantly higher production speeds.
For example, the billboard mode will run at 320 sq. ft./hr., as opposed to the H650’s 170 sq. ft./hr. The real difference appears in the production and high-quality modes, where the H700 prints photographic quality at 120 sq. ft. per hr. This almost matches the production speed on the other printers. The production mode processes prints at a very respectable 240 sq. ft. per hr.
The H700 sells for approximately $90,000.

Fiery XF RIP
The Fiery XF RIP inclusion adds to the printers’ value. The fully loaded software RIP utilizes a client/server architecture that allows unlimited workstations to forward print jobs. Further, it has wizards (they present a series of windows that guide you through complex processes) to facilitate color correction; thus, it’s easy to attain predictable results.
The RIP also offers numerous tools to enhance production. You can nest, scale, crop or set up step-and-repeat processes. Additionally, as your shop expands, you can manage multiple devices from the same RIP.

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Conclusion
EFI’s designed the Rastek line for small and mid-sized shops, and others that produce unique or custom products. To the package, EFI has added an excellent RIP and service from a proven organization. If you’re considering UV-cure printing, we suggest you take a good look at the EFI’s Rastek line.

Key Information
EFI Electronics for Imaging Inc.
303 Velocity Way, Foster City, CA 94404, (650) 357-3500, www.efi.com/rastek
Company Profile: Headquartered in Foster City, CA, with 26 worldwide offices, EFI’s award-winning, innovative technologies increase the productivity and profitability of commercial- and enterprise-printing firms. EFI™ offers value-added combinations of hardware, software and consumables. Its robust product portfolio includes Fiery® digital-color print servers; VUTEk® superwide digital inkjet printers and UV and solvent inks; Rastek™ UV wide-format inkjet printers; Jetrion® industrial-inkjet print systems; print-production-workflow and management-information software; and corporate print solutions.
At a Glance: EFI’s Rastek line comprises three, mid-priced, flatbed (two are hybrids), UV-cure printers that include the company’s excellent, Vutek-brand quality, reliability and service, at an affordable price. The Rastek, CMYK-ink (white ink is optional) machines use drop-on-demand, variable-dot, piezo-inkjet heads that produce seven, six- to 42-pl droplet sizes to produce ultra-fine type, fine gradients and photographic- to billboard-quality copy on various media. Additionally, the printers are equipped with EFI’s copious Fiery XF RIP that includes unlimited workstation, client/server architecture.
Contact: Holly O’Rourke, senior manager, media relations, (603) 677-8992, holly.orourke@efi.com