Chicago - EFI and xpedx, a division of International Paper, today announced a new agreement under which xpedx will distribute numerous models of EFI's Rastek wide format and VUTEk superwide format digital printers to commercial and in-plant printers across the U.S. The two companies also announced the expansion of their integration of paper information into EFI print MIS systems with the addition of EFI Monarch.

Best known for its award winning Fiery controllers, EFI is a world leader in digital imaging and print management solutions for commercial, packaging, in-plant and specialty printers worldwide. xpedx is one of North America's largest business-to-business distributors and a top supplier to printers of all sizes in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

xpedx is already an established reseller of EFI PrintSmith print MIS software, EFI Digital Storefront Web-to-Print software ,Colorproof XF and other graphics arts products, and now the complete Rastek portfolio and the QS line of VUTEk printers join the list.

"We're excited to expand our relationship with xpedx, in particular to bring our award-winning wide and superwide format digital printers to an even broader customer base," said Frank Mallozzi, senior vice president of worldwide sales and marketing, EFI. "We expect to realize a larger market segment of commercial print than with previous partners, while print service providers of all specialties now have access to powerful Rastek and VUTEk printers that can boost their productivity, bring in new clients and increase profits. Alongside of this, we're pleased to add Monarch integration with the xpedx paper catalog, to further simplify this critical component in the supply chain."

"To evolve their businesses, printers need to invest in systems and equipment that drive top-line revenue while reducing costs and increasing efficiency," said Dennis Killion, director of marketing, xpedx. "Wide and superwide format printing are high-growth opportunities and xpedx has the workflow and color management expertise needed to integrate these technologies into established workflows so they generate growth sooner."

xpedx and EFI Monarch Integrate Paper Procurement in Bidding and Production
Building on the success of the PrintSmith integration with the xpedx paper catalog, EFI Monarch print MIS customers now have real-time paper inventory, customer pricing and order management built-in to the Monarch software. Killion says that merging xpedx eCommerce solutions with EFI's PrintSmith and Monarch MIS systems lowers total procurement costs for a printer's largest spend. Paper and substrates account for as much as half of a total job cost, and specification decisions directly impact total job profitability, making automation a critical business issue for printers today.

EFI products are available via the xpedx distribution network, which includes merchant locations, stores, xpedx.com and the xpedx Technology Center located in metro Cincinnati.