London-based global visual communications provider Delta Group is furthering its pioneering technical capabilities in high-quality, ultra-high-speed inkjet printing with the purchase of the new EFI Nozomi 18000+ LED single-pass printer for display graphics.

Scheduled for installation in Q3, the new printer – the first of its kind to be installed in Europe and only the second to be installed worldwide – sets a new productivity benchmark in inkjet signage production with throughput speeds that are three to five times faster than scanning inkjet printers for display graphics production.

“We have had remarkable success as an early adopter of EFI’s single-pass technology on our first Nozomi solution, an EFI Nozomi C18000 corrugated board printer that we use to produce high-quality displays,” Delta Group COO Martin Shipp said.

“The new 18000+ model for signage and display graphics will be a welcome development for our customers. The range of applications this printer enables, printing on paper, styrene, corrugated plastic and more at very high speeds, keeps Delta Group ahead in its ability to meet every customer need in the display graphics space.”
 
The new printer purchase was announced at the recent FESPA Global Print Expo in Berlin and comes four years after Delta Group purchased its EFI Nozomi C18000 corrugated board printer at that year’s FESPA Global Print Expo.
 
The 1.8m-wide printer runs at production speeds from 3,000-5,000 square metres per hour, or up to 1,000 1.2m by 1.4m sheets per hour. The press’s ultra-fast productivity is managed and driven through an advanced, EFI Fiery NZ-1000 digital front end (DFE).

 
EFI said the printer also gives display graphics providers like Delta Group the opportunity to grow revenues and margins while consolidating large volumes of work from multiple printers onto a single, premium-quality device.

 
The printer also handles sheets from 0.3 mm to 12 mm thick with either manual or full automation feeding and stacking. A hybrid aqueous/UV primer unit on the print system enables printing on corrugated plastics and other sign and display materials without ink adhesion issues, and an optional post UV coater provides weatherability and UV protection for outdoor graphics.
 
EFI Inkjet vice-president and general manager of display graphics Todd Zimmerman said Delta Group will be better equipped to handle burst capacity for nearly any type of printed signage job, delivering continuous productivity and premium quality with automatic registration, automatic nozzle plate cleaning and EFI’s advanced, fully recirculating ink delivery system.
 
“The team at Delta Group are once again on the leading edge of innovation in digital printing,” he said.

“The range of capabilities Delta Group is obtaining with the EFI Nozomi 18000+ LED single-pass printer puts this company in a new category, above its competitors, in terms of advancing technical innovation and leadership in in the signage market.”