The new 3.4m-wide inkjet will meet increasing demand for products including fabric-printed displays and branded apparel and replaces two Mimaki JV5s that had come to the end of their lives.
Cestrian production director Paul Gibson said: "This printer will allow us to deliver just-in-time designs for freestanding fabric walls, light boxes and other fabric displays."
The eight-colour printer has 16 ink channels with drop sizes of 4-72pl and can print at resolutions of up to 2,400dpi. It can print on polyester, cotton, cotton-linen, polyamide, viscose and wool textiles from 30 to 450gsm at speeds of up to 800sqm/hr.
It can use any process colour inks, including disperse direct, reactive, acid, disperse sublimation and textile pigment.
Cestrian Imaging intends to use it to capitalise on trends such as that for printing larger designs onto large-format rolls of textile.
Gibson said: “We liked the quality, speed and reliability, from a brand you can trust to deliver what they promise. We also liked the ability to print fluorescent inks.
"These inks produce bright colours beyond the range reproducible by process colour printing, while the availability of 16 ink channels guarantees smooth gradations.
“It will allow us to print larger volumes, ensure quicker turnarounds and more cost-effective prices. It will keep Cestrian ahead of the curve, open new markets and help us grow.”
The latest addition to the company’s fleet follows on from a pair of EFI Vutek HSr Pro dedicated roll-to-roll inkjet presses the company installed just before Christmas. The Cheadle, Cheshire-based is also buying a raft of finishing kit.
“Combining the output from this machine with our unique print management software, we believe Cestrian has something no one else can offer. We can help our customers save time and money, by ordering fabrics at unbeatable turnaround times, with unrivalled print quality and service,” Gibson added.
Cestrian also is a long-time user of EFI DirectSmile software, which it uses to develop personalised marketing materials and help multi-channel direct marketing clients synchronise print, URLs, email and SMS while tracking response rates.
EFI aquired Reggiani Macchine in July 2015 for more than €75m (£59m) in cash and stock.
