The Uvistar range, which it claims is ideally suited for the latest applications calling for PE, is manufactured by Israeli firm Matan, and is available in 3.2m and 5m widths with a choice of 16 or 32 print heads.

"We lost that market when it moved from screen to large-format litho, now we want to get it back by another route - superwide digital," said Fujifilm Sericol European sales director Dave Burton.

Fujifilm Sericol's new Uvijet QK inks are the company's first to be optimised for flexible media and are claimed to offer good adhesion on PE, something which other products have struggled with.

"Some inks when used on PE have suffered adhesion problems, which has resulted in the need for corona treatment," said European marketing director Keith Harley. "QK inks are designed for flexible substrates and can print onto standard woven PE as long as there is adequate anti static control, but they don't need a corona treatment."

In addition to the Uvijet QK inks it has also launched its first aftermarket UV ink as part of the Color+ brand. Color+ UV includes a flexible ink that can be used in third-party roll-fed UV machines.

The firm has entered into the superwide market as it believes the billboard market in is the "cusp of a major makeover" as poster sites move from traditional paste-up to one-piece skins, which will lead to current digital, screen and litho poster production shifting to digital superwide single piece production.

Fujifilm and Matan began work on bringing the Uvistar to the market following last May's Fespa Digital exhibition in Amsterdam.

Productivity for the 32-head machine is claimed to be in excess of 300sqm per hour at high quality. The 5m-wide machine can also print up to three rolls at the same time. It is priced at £250,000.

A demonstration machine has been installed at Fujifilm Sericol's Broadstairs site, and the first 5m machine has been installed at UK company Urban Storm's Bristol factory, with a 3.2m to follow.