“We’re excited about bringing the speed of our highest-end hybrid platform to roll-to-roll," said Scott Schinlever, senior vice-president and general manager, EFI Inkjet Solutions. "Customers said they wanted a machine optimised for that application – our customers dragged us into it, which is great."

The firm has already sold three, with shipping of the $899,000 (£580,000) device set to commence in July.

The new Vutek prints six-colours plus white at speeds of 223-297sqm/hr.

“We’re bringing our pin and cure technology into roll-to-roll, which is also unique. Users can adjust the gloss level dynamically, job by job, and our customers are excited about that,” Schinlever stated.

Fleet graphics, banners and backlit displays are among the likely applications.

EFI has also developed a new ink with 3M, Superflex, which has "really high stretch and significantly better heat resistance" for vehicle graphics, he added.

Also new at Fespa is Vutek GO a remote monitoring system for the HS Pro series. It allows users to monitor machine status in real time, and receive push notifications.

Separately, Schinlever said that the industrial inkjet market was effectively still in its infancy, and EFI has put a $32bn figure on the estimated size of the overall market were it all to convert from analogue to digital production.  

“It’s still very early days for inkjet,” he stated. “Corrugated, textiles and flexible packaging are the next big areas for EFI to go after.”

Schinlever said he expected industrial segments such as corrugated – which EFI views as the biggest potential market of the three at over $9bn – to experience the same sort of benefits that inkjet has already brought to ceramic tile decoration.

"By moving to a just-in-time manufacturing model you eliminate inventory cost, and free up space and working capital for an industry," he added.