UK-based tech start-up parrotprint.com has invested in an EFI Vutek Q5r digital printer from CMYUK, making it the first tech brand in Europe to install the latest five-metre roll-to-roll UV LED printer launched by EFI in January this year.

Offering the ultimate in print quality for the highest volume output at the lowest cost of production, this is the perfect vehicle for parrotprint.com, a personalised internet print service, fast registering as the most affordable, highest quality and fastest printer operating in the digital economy.

“The EFI Vutek Q5r enhances our current and future production demands, enabling us to continue to offer our next day delivery promises as we continue to see rapid growth and scale to new markets,” said parrotprint.com marketing director Dane Hamer.

The company, launched in March this year, offers a service enabling customers to have any picture from anywhere in the world printed on canvas and delivered the next day. 

“As photographers in a previous life, we were unhappy with the quality produced by similar companies,” said founder  Matt Dahan. “Often seeing heavily pixelated or chopped prints, we saw the need for a more affordable premium service run by a knowledgeable team.”

Matt developed the code to produce an automatic photo quality detection algorithm. This screens the quality of an image using an algebraic formula to determine a photo’s pixel density, on the fly. If a user is cropping an image, it automatically calculates and assesses the image quality to ensure optimal print results. The company’s imaging software uses AI that checks and auto-corrects the creation and production workflow process to simplify the user experience and guarantee accurate and high-quality prints.

All parrotprint.com products are printed on premium quality, heavyweight, museum archival grade canvas, suitable for fine art photography reproduction and allowing for incredible detail with vibrant colours.

The company evaluated several printers including the Fujifilm Acuity Ultra R2 and HP Latex 3600, but in the end went for the Vutek Q5r.

“It has market leading production speeds that no other vetted printer can match, along with meeting our strict requirements for quality and running costs,” said Hamer. “The support received from CMYUK has been second to none throughout the entire process.”

The Vutek Q5r printer runs at speeds up to 672 square metres per hour and features up to nine ink colours, enabling exact customisation of each printer to application requirements. It also boasts EFI UltraDrop Technology, featuring native seven-picoliter printheads with multi-drop addressability for high-definition image quality. Users gain outstanding smoothness in shadows, gradients, and transitions, as well as precise and sharp three-point size text with a true resolution of up to 1,200 dots per inch.

UV LED curing ensures not only cost savings but also a more environmentally friendly printing solution, consuming less energy and enabling the use of thinner, heat-sensitive substrates.

The Q5r also features EFI’s Power Tool options for advanced productivity capabilities, including in-line quality inspection, in-line slitting and cutting, roll and tape collection, auto-calibration, automated backlit printing, automated blockout printing and more.

www.cmyuk.com