Zoo Printing has installed its fifth and sixth EFI VUTEk superwide format printers - a VUTEk GS3250r UV roll-to-roll printer and a VUTEk GS3250LX Pro LED UV flatbed/roll hybrid printer - at its Commerce, California (USA), headquarters facility. The two new printers have helped Zoo continue its significant growth, giving the company the ability to provide very high-quality, quick-turnaround graphics on a wide range of substrates.

Zoo Printing serves print brokers, distributors, designers and commercial print shops. The fast-growing trade printing company offers national coverage using its strategically located plants in California; Louisville, Kentucky, and West Deptford, New Jersey, with plans currently underway to open additional plants in Florida and Texas. The company now has multiple VUTEk printers in each of its facilities and it uses VUTEk products exclusively for superwide format work because of the reliability and quality they offer.

"Since installing its first VUTEk printer in 2011, Zoo Printing has developed an innovative model for building a high-quality, high-volume inkjet graphics business," said Scott Schinlever, senior vice president and general manager of EFI's Inkjet Solutions. "These two latest installations continue a valued relationship with a customer that is redefining the role superwide format graphics can play in the trade printing space."

"We conducted extensive research to determine that VUTEk machines from EFI are the best option for trade printers like us due to their exceptional quality, production speed, value and consistency," said Dan Doron, Zoo Printing's CEO. "We continue to be an all-VUTEk business in our large format departments because we need to deliver the same high quality across our product lines and our production locations."

Zoo Printing uses its new VUTEk GS3250r to fulfill orders for a wide range of superwide print products, including vinyl banners, static clings, magnets and adhesive-backed graphics. The new VUTEk GS3250LX Pro at Zoo primarily runs rigid substrate work to meet surging demand for yard signs and point-of-purchase displays.

"With our new VUTEk printers, we can continue growing our offerings while providing the best quality in the industry," said Doron. "Many of our customers recognise the opportunity in large format products, and Zoo Printing provides them an advantage over our competitors. As a result, our large format products are now among our top sellers."

Much of the work Zoo prints is delivered to its trade customers and then re-shipped to an end user. In that environment, short turnaround times are essential to meet very tight deadlines. Not only do Zoo's VUTEk printers offer fast speeds to meet productivity demands, with UV and LED UV curing, Zoo's superwide format jobs are ready for finishing and shipping immediately after printing.

The 3.2-metre EFI VUTEk GS3250r UV roll-to-roll printer gives printing companies the ability to expand into high-margin, closely viewed applications across a wider range of substrates. It can be used to replace older wide or superwide format printers and offers true 1,000 dpi print capability, increased production speeds, and lower costs on a broad range of substrates. The printer also gives users some of the best return on investment and hourly breakeven benefits in the industry.

The 3.2-metre EFI VUTEk GS3250LX Pro uses EFI's "cool cure" LED UV curing technology, which has helped Zoo Printing expand the range of products it offers by printing on much thinner substrates that can't withstand the heat of standard UV curing lamps. The GS3250LX also uses less energy and fewer consumables, and offers excellent image quality and adhesion on traditional substrates as well as on recycled media.