EFI profits rise despite outlay of acquisitions

Electronics For Imaging (EFI) finished the year strongly after acquisitions raised its stake in the professional print market.

Despite the costs of acquiring Best, Printcafe and T/R Systems, net income for the year rose 39% to 14.4m ($26.5m) on sales up 8.3% to 207m.

Net income in the fourth quarter, when the T/R Systems and Printcafe deals were completed, fell 86% to 600,000 on sales up 19% to 59m. For the first quarter 2004 the firm expects revenues of 56m.

We finished 2003 with an encouraging level of business activity and weve started 2004 with a strong growth outlook, said EFI chief executive Guy Gecht.

The firm is consolidating its products and services under the EFI umbrella and has dropped the Electronics for Imaging name.