MEREDITH, N.H. – June 6, 2006 – Delhi-based Indian digital printer, JMD, has installed a VUTEk PressVu UV 200/600 W+ digital print system. Its new rigid and flexible printing capabilities were recently used to print high quality images onto hessian (burlap) coffee sacks and other rigid POP substrates for the launch of Costa, the Italian coffee house chain, in India. By using a local Indian print shop for the job, Costa was able to realize its creative ambitions, and print high quality interior wall graphics and POP signage on unusual substrates, while saving itself 60% over the cost of using a foreign supplier. Producing 370 square meters of print for installation at 10 coffee houses across Delhi, one of the most challenging issues JMD faced was how to print photo quality images onto hessian bean sacks. The company solved this by using the flexibility of its PressVu UV 200/600 W+ to print to rigid substrates. Anupam Gupta, managing director, JMD, comments, “The objective of this job was to tell the history of coffee in a unique and creative way. To achieve this, Costa needed to print images and text directly to hessian coffee bean sacks, traditionally used to transport coffee around the world. But due to the textile’s loose weave and coarse fibers, hessian proved difficult to print to from a roll.” “By mounting the one square meter substrate to a three centimeter thick wooden frame, we were able to stretch the hessian flat and minimize the effect of fibers standing proud and distorting the print. Once mounted, the substrate was simply fed through the PressVu UV and the high-resolution graphics imaged to the surface.” In addition to the hessian graphics that adorned each wall, JMD also produced a variety of POP graphics. These included 7’ x 5’ (2 meter x 1.5 meter) menu boards printed on to rigid Sunboard, and menu cards printed on to 9’ x 2’ (3 meter x 1 meter) MDF (fiber board). The printing took half a day for each Costa coffee house, with onsite installations taking a further day. Due to the success of this job, JMD is currently in negotiations to print the graphics for another 280 Costa coffee houses across India, Europe and the Middle East. Gupta continues, “As a progressive company, we quickly realized the market potential of a rigid and flexible printer, and looked at all available products. We chose the PressVu UV 200/600 W+ for its high quality print, 600 dpi resolution and wide color gamut. What’s more, when combined with the flexibility provided by its white ink capability, we believed that it offered phenomenal future market opportunities for us. “This can be seen in our work for the residential building market, where the PressVu UV is enabling us to print durable, high quality color images directly on to glass.” In addition to its PressVu UV 200/600 W+, JMD has also installed a VUTEk UltraVu II 3360. Driven by increased customer demand for frontlit applications, the company’s new three meter printer is being used to produce billboards, hoardings, fleet graphics and traditional signage. Established in 1987, JMD currently employs 75 people. With an office in Delhi and one in Mumbai, JMD is one of India’s leading and fastest growing digital printers, providing a range of services from graphic design to superwide printing. Gupta concludes, “Our biggest challenge is in educating the Indian market to the PressVu UV’s capabilities. We relish the opportunity to continue pushing the boundaries of the technology, and look forward to a bright future for JMD and our customers.”