High Throughput And Even Higher Quality On Their EFI Vutek H5 Printer Bring New Business To Brandvizion Of Virginia
Image Courtesy of EFI
FREMONT, Calif., October 2021 – Eleven years ago, the company formerly known as Signs Plus Visuals rebranded itself asBrandVizion and invested in an
EFI™ VUTEk® UV inkjet superwide-format printer from Electronics For Imaging,
Inc.
The investment paid off: Business skyrocketed, setting the Washington,
D.C., metro area company on a growth track that would lead it to continued
expansion offering premium-quality display graphics.
Now, on the cusp of new growth opportunities, company Owner John McManus and his team at BrandVizion are embarking on new capabilities and versatility to grow with its
latest investment, an EFI VUTEk h5 hybrid flatbed/roll-to-roll UV LED superwide-
format printer.
Kiley Gonzalez, president of the Chantilly, Virginia-based company, has high
hopes for a printer that once again puts BrandVizion in a technology leadership
position among local competitors.
In the past, the company was one of the first and few in the area to operate high-end hybrid and flatbed inkjet printers.
But, as other nearby businesses inevitably upgraded their technology, Gonzalez and her
team at BrandVizion sought newer, leading-edge solutions – and were excited
about the VUTEk h5 printer.
Size and speed were major factors in the decision to upgrade to the h5 model
earlier this year. “The press operators love the new printer,” said Gonzalez. “If
they had to complain about anything, it would be that the h5 is perhaps too fast.”
In the past, she explained, a single operator would print jobs and then, when
prints were completed, that same employee would take the job and handle
required cutting or finishing tasks.
Now, jobs print so fast that a second employee takes prints over to begin cutting
and finishing tasks while each job is running.
Throughput for display graphics at BrandVizion has increased dramatically, so much so that BrandVizion was more than happy with the additional, efficient use of labor needed to complete much more work per shift.
Trade Work Is Taking Off
The machine also uses ink in a more sophisticated way, resulting in greater yield
and less waste – both of which have enabled BrandVizion to be much more
competitive with its wholesale pricing.
“There are a lot of sign tradesmen and brokers in our area who advertise sign
and graphics production and turn to companies like ours for production,”
Gonzalez explained. “We can get a lot more aggressive and ended up having to
make a new price scale for those wholesale clients.”
Because of the savings in ink costs, the company now takes on business it once
turned away. “Now,” said McManus, “we’re in that sweet spot where we can
make money, offer a competitive price, and meet tight deadlines.”
The 126-inch-wide printer offers superior imaging in resolutions up to 1,200 dots
per inch. The VUTEk h5 allows for eight-color printing or – using its extended-
gamut four-color inks in a CMYKx2 configuration – delivers high-quality output at
speeds up to 109 boards per hour.
The printer’s UltraDrop™ Technology 7pL grayscale printheads feature true multi-drop addressability, high-definition print and crisp text quality with outstanding smoothness in shadows, gradients and transitions.
“Cool cure” UV LED imaging on the VUTEk h5 reduces the amount of energy
needed for curing or drying compared with conventional UV or latex printers.
Plus, BrandVizion can operate its new printer using thin or challenging substrates
that cannot withstand the heat required with mercury-arc UV or latex printers.
BrandVizion’s clients are benefitting from the printer’s ability to deliver more
efficient and effective display graphics.
Vutek Quality Spurs Ongoing Growth
The new printer is the next step in success for the company, which has
leveraged the premium quality possible with EFI VUTEk printers over the years.
BrandVizion’s primary clients are construction and property management
companies that rely on the company for wall murals, floor graphics and building
wraps.
The company’s ability to output high-impact color on dark print substrates
– something the company has always achieved by printing four-color graphics on
top of the highly opaque white ink available for EFI VUTEk printers – gives
BrandVizion an edge with discerning, “artsier” clients, according to Gonzalez.
The printer acquisition provided an opportunity for BrandVizion to, as Gonzalez
put it, “run lean, keep costs low, and keep moving.”
“In a competitive market, print businesses need robust solutions to bring greater
value to their customers,” said Todd Zimmerman, vice president and general
manager, Display Graphics EFI. “The high productivity, superior quality, and
remarkable versatility the VUTEk h5 hybrid printer delivers bring important
momentum to the work BrandVizion is doing to bolster its reputation as a top-tier
signage and graphics provider.”
About EFI
EFI™ is a global technology company, based in Silicon Valley, and is leading the
worldwide transformation from analog to digital imaging.
We are passionate about fueling customer success with products that increase competitiveness and boost productivity. To do that, we develop breakthrough technologies for the manufacturing of signage, packaging, textiles, ceramic tiles, and personalized
documents, with a wide range of printers, inks, digital front ends, and a
comprehensive business and production workflow suite that transforms and
streamlines the entire production process.
