Several months ago Henrico, Virginia-based Korman Signs became the first business in the world to install the new EFI H1625-RS printer, and company president Bill Korman says he couldn’t be happier with its performance.

“We have five digital printers but none the caliber of this one,” says Korman, who calls his shop a “hybrid” operation.

A major part of his company’s bottom line is its work related to traffic signage and other public safety applications.

“When you see a sign that says, ‘road work ahead,’ we make the sign, whether it’s metal or cloth,” Korman says. One recent project was making 450 signs for the Outer Banks National Scenic Byway.

The 65-inch wide EFI printer allows for printing direct to 3M reflective media in roll, sheeted and mounted-to-rigid forms, and features new 3M inks for traffic signage applications. His shop has been using 3M materials for more than 40 years, Korman says.

The new printer’s UV curing has provided a big boost in productivity compared with the screen printing technology the company used previously, he says.

His company obviously isn’t the only one doing work for local, state and federal governments; police departments; the National Park Service; and even railroads. But it’s a large part of his business, Korman says, and it’s a nice complement to the more commercial side of his company, which counts several Fortune 500 companies as clients.

“I don’t know there’s anybody in the country doing this variety (of work),” Korman says.

Korman Signs operates out of a 110,000-square-foot facility and employs about 70 people, he says. The company got its start four-plus decades ago as a screen printing operation.

Along with two EFI printers, the company has an HP, two EFI/Matans, and two Gerber printers. It has seven plotters—all ARISTO—including one that’s 17’ wide.

“As far as I know we’re the only printer in the United States (that has that machine),” Korman says.