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Brisk business for UK digital printers.

Innovation in Textiles  |  United Kingdom

CMYUK has supplied new EFI VUTEk digital printers to three UK companies – 3 Sixty, of Cardiff, Birmingham-based Hollywood Monster, and start-up Webb Print & Display, of Redditch.

3 Sixty is the first company to install the latest EFI VUTEk FabriVU 340i + machine to expand capacity in the production of a range of eco textiles that are available exclusively from CMYUK.

Founded in 2010, 3 Sixty was an early adopter of dye sublimation printing and its fully integrated service includes design, manufacturing, printing, installation and project management.  The business supports some of the world’s biggest brands in impactful communications with customers. It services four main market sectors  – retail, events, exhibitions and leisure. Currently, textile printing accounts for 40% of the company’s output but MD Richard Inkin expects this to increase to 60% in the next nine months. This is in part due to the arrival of new materials that the company is currently testing with CMYUK that will come to market in Autumn.

One major advantage of the VUTEk 340i + is the ability to print direct to substrate, allowing for an increase in colour depth and vibrancy, enhancing the quality of print output. The printer is perfect for use with all textile materials including backlit, frontlit, blackback and flag. It can handle both direct transfer and paper sublimation processes, while the presence of an inline fixation unit negates the need for a separate heat press – saving time, money and floor space.

Hollywood Monster has installed its tenth EFI VUTEk machine to cope with demand after a record-breaking four months.

The company purchased its first EFI machine from CMYUK almost 17 years ago and the new machine installation coincides with the 30th anniversary of the business.

“With the new EFI VUTEk Q5r we’re buying total quality, a highly engineered product with a good return on investment that we have maximum faith in,” said Simon McKenzie, Hollywood Monster’s CEO.

The need for the machine is the result of a buoyant order book for 2022 that includes firm commitments from retailers, supermarkets, and a number of large sporting events. To cope with the volume and speed required, Hollywood Monster needed to replace one of its older five-metre  printers, an EFI VUTEk GS5000r that has been a tireless workhorse for a decade.

“The GS5000r has output millions of pounds worth of work, so it’s definitely earned its keep but it’s too slow now,” said McKenzie.

Webb Print & Display has invested in an EFI VUTEk h3 printer and several nationwide retail campaigns have already been produced on the 3.2 hybrid UV LED printer, generating forward momentum for the business, and attracting new clients. 

“The VUTEk h3 is the backbone to our operation,” said owner and director Michael Corless. “Having looked at various printers we kept coming back to it. It ticks all the boxes. Although we have print partners should we need them for full scale jobs, we just haven’t required them as everything can pretty much go through the h3.

“What I like about the VUTEk is its versatility – the different speeds and settings. The main thing was we knew we’d have a wide variety of work, so we needed our core press to provide the balance between speed and quality, as we would need our operators to easily switch as work required.  We knew we had to have a hybrid, and it had to have the 3.2-metre width. There’s also the upgrade path to the h5, so instead of buying a second printer in the future, we can make the investment to transition to the bigger model.”

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