EFI ProGraphics UV LED XA ink now available

High-adhesion ink enables printing on wide variety of rigid and flexible substrates

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IPP Desk
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EFI
EFI’s new ProGraphics XA high-adhesion ink does not chip during cutting and is ideal for yard signage applications. Photo EFI

EFI ProGraphics XA high-adhesion ink – a UV LED display graphics inkjet ink from Electronics For Imaging, suitable for a wide range of rigid and flexible media – is now available for EFI wide format flatbed and hybrid roll/flatbed printers. ProGraphics XA ink delivers superior results on corrugated plastics and other substrates with adhesion challenges. 

EFI customer Kurt Kahmnke, owner of the US-based company Payler Signs & Graphics in Fenton, Missouri, has gained greater adhesion and durability on rigid substrate prints he produces on his company’s new EFI Pro 30h hybrid wide-format printer. The ink is believed to give Payler Signs superior results compared to the UV inks the company uses on a flatbed inkjet printer.

“We’ve tested prints produced with the ProGraphics XA ink in our EFI Pro 30h printer in a variety of modes on Coroplast, acrylic, aluminium composites, and other challenging materials by spraying them with water, leaving them outside in the heat, and stacking them ink side to ink side,” said Kahmnke. “We are very pleased with the ink’s adhesion, quality, and performance and are confident that we made the right choice.” 

The ProGraphics XA ink does not chip during cutting when used on standard acrylic, corrugated plastic, or other fluted polypropylene media. Plus, ProGraphics XA ink is flexible enough for 180-degree heat-forming applications. Bringing this advanced ink to the EFI Pro 24f, Pro 30f, Pro 16h, and Pro 30h wide-format printers gives sign and display graphics operations more capabilities in the range of applications they offer to customers.

“We are pleased to bring this exceptional high-adhesion ink to our wide format printer owners,” said Ken Hanulec, EFI’s vice president of worldwide marketing. “We continually strive to increase the value of EFI investments, and now customers will have the benefit of ProGraphics XA ink’s versatility, durability, and flexibility to extend the range of substrates and surfaces they can print on.”

When purchasing an EFI wide format printer, customers can choose the ProGraphics Series UV LED ink set that best meets their application needs. Other ProGraphics inks include:

  • EFI – 3M ProGraphics UV LED ink for flexible applications, including those that need to be stretched or heated or require the 3M MCS warranty
  • EFI ProGraphics UV LED POP ink for rigid board and flexible media printing of indoor and outdoor applications
  • EFI ProGraphics UV LED Rigid ink provides the best surface mar resistance and is ideal for printing on specialty rigid media, such as lenticular lenses, steel, aluminium, and wood
  • EFI ProGraphics UV LED Ultra ink for a highly diverse range of flexible and rigid media applications, such as banners, exterior signage, retail signs, interior architectural design, and those that need the best outdoor weathering performance without lamination.

2023 promises an interesting ride for print in India

Indian Printer and Publisher founded in 1979 is the oldest B2B trade publication in the multi-platform and multi-channel IPPGroup. While the print and packaging industries have been resilient in the past 33 months since the pandemic lockdown of 25 March 2020, the commercial printing and newspaper industries have yet to recover their pre-Covid trajectory.

The fragmented commercial printing industry faces substantial challenges as does the newspaper industry. While digital short-run printing and the signage industry seem to be recovering a bit faster, ultimately their growth will also be moderated by the progress of the overall economy. On the other hand book printing exports are doing well but they too face several supply-chain and logistics challenges.

The price of publication papers including newsprint has been high in the past year while availability is diminished by several mills shutting down their publication paper and newsprint machines in the past four years. Indian paper mills are also exporting many types of paper and have raised prices for Indian printers. To some extent, this has helped in the recovery of the digital printing industry with its on-demand short-run and low-wastage paradigm.

Ultimately digital print and other digital channels will help print grow in a country where we are still far behind in our paper and print consumption and where digital is a leapfrog technology that will only increase the demand for print in the foreseeable future. For instance, there is no alternative to a rise in textbook consumption but this segment will only reach normality in the next financial year beginning on 1 April 2023.

Thus while the new normal is a moving target and many commercial printers look to diversification, we believe that our target audiences may shift and change. Like them, we will also have to adapt with agility to keep up with their business and technical information needs.

Our 2023 media kit is ready, and it is the right time to take stock and reconnect with your potential markets and customers. Print is the glue for the growth of liberal education, new industry, and an emerging economy. We seek your participation in what promises to be an interesting ride.

– Naresh Khanna

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