Machine Spotlight Blog - LX3 Pro
Ottimo Digital’s EFI VUTEk LX3 Pro, installed in 2017 at a cost of over £300,000, is a true multi-purpose machine, as Ottimo’s co-director Lee Crew explained, “We bought the LX3 Pro because we needed a three-meter flatbed printer for printing directly to board. We already had two flatbed printers, but the LX3 Pro caught our eye due to its speed and hybrid design.”
The design of the LX3 Pro means that it can print onto flat, rigid, substrates like board and Foamex up to 5cm thick, making it incredibly versatile, but the flatbed table can be wheeled away when needed and the machine can be quickly converted to print and collect in roll format, like its larger sibling the EFI Vutek Quantum LXr5.
“The flexibility of the machine is a big plus,” said Nick Lindwall, also co-director, “for example, it can print high-fidelity colour using eight inks, plus solid white, onto thick acrylic, which offers a big range of creative possibilities, but the LX Pro astounded us all with its sheer speed, particularly compared to the two enormous 3m flatbed printers it has replaced.”
The LX3 Pro can print a full colour 8ft x 4ft Foamex board, edge to edge, in less than two minutes and can reach production speeds of up to 94 – 1.2 m x 2.4 m boards per hour in express mode, making it a superb machine for serving the needs of exhibition print.
“We are seeing a lot of interest in fabric printing for special features, sock banners and hanging banners,” said Nick, “but exhibitions are still making enormous use of shell scheme and board, and our acquisition of the LX3 Pro is squarely aimed at that market. Exhibitors always want the quality and the choice it offers and although our focus is on speed, the LX3 Pro has a lot of tricks up its sleeve, letting us offer creative options over and above standard exhibition print, especially for illuminated graphics.”
With the ability to print in light-blocking white and 8 colours using single-pass, multilayered printing technology, at 1000dpi ‘photo-quality’, the LX3 Pro can print outstanding window manifestation on clear substrates, backlit graphics for lighboxes, indoor and outdoor signage, floor graphics and many other options.
“There isn’t much it can’t do,” Nick concluded, “apart from making the coffee and driving the van. It can handle everything we throw at it, it’s a pleasure to use, and in common with our LXr5, it’s a UV printer that gives dazzling, lightfast results that customers love. The hybrid roll/flatbed design means we can incorporate it into urgent workflows to accelerate output, which has been a huge advantage with the recent tendency for ultra-short lead times. As a digital printing company, being able to say ‘yes’ to even the most time-pressed requests is an important competitive advantage, and the LX3 Pro enables us to confidently take on urgent work and most importantly, deliver it on time and on budget.”