Quad Express Printing in Hayward, Calif. is the first U.S. customer to purchase an EFI VUTEk GS3250 grand-format inkjet printer from Heidelberg USA.
 
According to J.B. Garcia, Vice President, Quad Express aims to expand into the grand-format display market from its core offset business. The VUTEk GS3250 printer will be one of few such devices in the area, and the only one with differentiating features such as the ability to print with white ink, a superwide 10’ format, and color management via Heidelberg’s Prinect Color Toolbox.
 
“We wanted the ability to offer state-of-the-art, grand-format color graphics printing that encompasses power and speed,” Garcia said. “We are hopeful that the new VUTEk machine will bring in additional offset work by promoting enhanced quality, rapid turnaround and tighter alignment with our valued customers, who will be thrilled with the wider variety of services in our print production pipeline. The acquisition of the EFI VUTEk GS3250 diversifies our offset and digital wide-format print capabilities, opening up a wealth of possibilities.”
 
The VUTEk purchase marks the company’s first foray into the digital realm. Quad Express currently outsources its large-format display work. By bringing that capability in-house, Garcia said he expects to achieve up to 20 percent savings overall, together with better quality control.
 
“Heidelberg color management via Prinect Color Toolbox is very important to us,” Garcia said. “This toolbox enables us to be able to precisely match colors on our customer-supplied files, giving us accurate color saturation.”
 
Quad Express already operates a Speedmaster SM 52 5-color press, a pair of Printmaster GTO 52s, and a Heidelberg cylinder letterpress. It also utilizes a Suprasetter A75 Chemfree CTP device and Saphira Chemfree plates, as well as Heidelberg’s Prinect Prepress Manager workflow and Prinance MIS solution, including the Remote Access web-to-print application. The company’s full-service bindery hosts a POLAR 115 cutting system.
 
As for the new VUTEk printer, “We plan to produce promotional marketing kits to inform existing and potential clients of the benefits of using VUTEk GS3250,” Garcia said. “We will use the equipment as a vehicle to produce press releases, flyers, mailers, samples, and so forth. The prospect of being able to take advantage of Heidelberg service on the new VUTEk machine was also very attractive,” Garcia said.
 
“Quad Express has been a Heidelberg customer since the late 80s. We know their level of service is always above par. Heidelberg’s history and reputation were instantly appealing to us when EFI and Heidelberg announced their partnership.”
 
A Winning Proposition for Growth-Minded Printers
The VUTEk GS Series expands the high-margin opportunities of grand-format applications to help commercial print businesses achieve higher levels of competitiveness, profitability, and growth. By adding this technology to its portfolio, Heidelberg gives printers the ability to complete the high-margin jobs—posters, banners, backlit signage, outside displays, as well as specialty fine art reproduction, fabric and upholstery decorating and package prototyping—their customers used to go elsewhere to buy. In turn, this promotes better collaboration with the printer’s client base.
 
“Our aim in adding EFI’s VUTEk GS3250 to our portfolio is to support commercial printers like Quad Express in growing their core businesses by enabling them to offer more flexibility to their clients,” said Dan Maurer, Vice President, Product Management Digital Print and Postpress for Heidelberg USA. “The VUTEk machine delivers superior photorealistic quality, and, in combination with Heidelberg’s world-class color-matching expertise, ensures that all products produced for an integrated marketing campaign will achieve the same color consistency. It’s a win-win proposition for a forward-thinking printer like Quad Express.”
 
Established in 1985 and with a workforce of 40 full- and part-time employees, Quad Express primarily serves businesses in the San Francisco Bay area, but also distributes nationwide. The company reports multi-million dollar revenue and plans to grow its sales by 15 percent this year, thanks to the addition of the VUTEk GS3250.