The inkjet printer, the first new product from Castellon, Spain-based Cretaprint since it was acquired by EFI in January of this year, is the product of five years' research and development and represents "a new generation of inkjet presses for ceramics".

Available with an optional Fiery proServer, which EFI claims is the first dedicated colour management system for the ceramic market, the Cretaprint C3 has a single chassis design able to accomodate up to eight print bars.

These print bars, which are mounted on racks that slide out of the chassis, can be independently configured for printing and special decoration effects. Users can choose from four to eight colours and zero to three special decoration effects.

The highly-flexible design includes more than 1,000 customisable settings, including print width and speed, print direction and ink discharge, and allows printing with different heads in the same machine - some for printing and others with greater ink discharge to apply special effects.

EFI chief technology officer Ghilad Dziesietnik said: "This is the third generation of digital ceramic printers from Cretaprint, and it will completely change the entire industry.

"The tile imaging market is rapidly shifting towards digital, and EFI Cretaprint is leading this transformation worldwide. The Cretaprint C3 enables customers to speed up production lines and create products with added value due to innovations in every area of the printer. This is the most flexible, reliable, and productive printer ever built for the ceramics market."

Jose Carlos Fernandez, chief technology officer at Spanish ceramic printer El Barco, which has installed the first EFI Cretaprint C3, added: "EFI Cretaprint's next-generation C3 inkjet press gives us the highest quality ceramic printing experience available.

"With more intense colours, more flexibilities, higher yield, and a great user interface, this latest inkjet technology helps our business be more productive, more profitable, and helps us grow by exceeding the expectations of our customers."

For a video overview of the Cretaprint C3 visit http://youtu.be/yHHeabm84Us

EFI vice president of corporate marketing Frank Tueckmantel told PrintWeek that the primary European market for EFI Cretaprint's products was in Spain and Italy.

"This is because the press is designed to be integrated into the tile manufacturing process, so the sales are based on where the tile manufacturers are," he added.