EFI Connect 2022 returns, debuts new digital innovations

EFI has resumed its signature customer event in-person at the Wynn Resort in Las Vegas, US. The 22nd annual conference is happening from 17 to 22 January 2022. This marks the return of the live event, since it went virtual last year due to the onset of Covid-19.

At the annual Connect event, EFI launched new digital print innovations that give print businesses more capability and profit potential in a range of market applications.

Some of the new offerings include the new EFI Pro 30h production printer, and a new EFI Fiery FS500 Pro digital front end (DFE), which the company said is its most-advanced print server in its 30+ year history. EFI also debuted the EFI Fiery Impress DFE, a scalable, flexible server and colour management solution for inkjet label and packaging applications as well as for inline manufacturing lines that need variable print.

“As the industry works to regain its footing after a very difficult couple of years, EFI customers and partners are coming to Connect to learn about the actionable strategies and important tech developments that could be essential to their future success,” said Ken Hanulec, vice president of worldwide marketing, EFI. “And, more than anything, this year’s conference reflects the community, collaboration and innovation that print businesses can use to capture the growing opportunities of the industry’s analog-to-digital transformation.”

The EFI Pro 30h The newly launched, 126-inch-wide EFI Pro 30h UV LED printer at Connect can print up to 2,477 square feet per hour, offering a combination of speed and efficiency that makes it an ideal hybrid flatbed/roll-to-roll superwide-format solution for businesses targeting production display graphics as a growth opportunity. Designed to provide broader application capability, versatility, and profit potential, the printer maximizes productivity by printing large boards or multiple small boards continuously.

Switching from rigid to flexible media with the printer is easy, and the Pro 30h can print on dual rolls, giving users high throughput and the ability to run multiple jobs simultaneously.

The new EFI Fiery DFEs

The EFI Fiery FS500 Pro platform is scheduled for release this quarter with new office and cut-sheet production systems from many of the world’s leading digital printer manufacturers. The advanced, new DFE platform for commercial and cut-sheet digital printing RIPs graphics-intensive jobs up to 50% faster than previous EFI Fiery DFEs.

Fiery FS500 Pro also provides an extensive collection of additional, innovative new features that address top challenges print businesses face, such as shorter runs, faster turnaround times, less experienced staff, increased security standards and the need to reduce costs. EFI also launched the Fiery Impress DFE, a scalable, flexible off-the-shelf server and colour management solution. The Fiery Impress DFE helps equipment manufacturers achieve outstanding productivity and image quality.

Specialty inkjet equipment vendors with low unit volumes, as well as single manufacturing lines that want to add in variable or personalized print with a print bar, can expand their digital offerings with this innovative new technology.

The Fiery Impress DFE can drive entry-level, mid-range or high-volume inkjet equipment on a range of hardware platforms. For example, users can output TIFFs to a storage location for entry-level CMYK digital presses, or produce rapid, RIP-while-printing output of variable-data content to high-volume, continuous-feed 7-colour digital presses.

The keynote speech by EFI CEO, Jeff Jacobson