The purchase is part of a strategic re-invention of the company that also includes merging several locations into the new facility, as well as opening new company sales offices in Chicago and Southern California. The two new presses will replace three models from various manufacturers; once installed, Dome’s superwide-format inkjet graphics operation will exclusively use EFI printers.
 
A complete solution for high-volume out-of-home graphics
 
“We are going into uncharted waters for our company, and we don’t need a vendor, we need a partner to help us succeed.” said Dome President Misha Pavlov. “It’s a strategic move, for sure — EFI has invested in us, and us in them.”
 
Those uncharted waters include expanding Dome’s offerings into out-of-home (OOH) graphics work. “I think the 5r was compelling to get into OOH,” noted Dome Chief Marketing Officer Bob Poole. “It is a space we have demand in, but that we currently don’t occupy. This is our response to customer demand, and it brings new capability to the company.”
 
The 5-meter wide VUTEk 5r model is designed to be the industry’s most technically advanced LED roll-to-roll production offering, and has the highest speed and resolution in its class, offering superior quality using EFI UltraDrop™ Technology 7-picoliter print heads. Dome’s printer includes a complete, integrated production workflow with value-added options, including an inline finishing system for all-in-one printing, x-cutting, slitting and collecting; ID backprinting; double-sided printing; additional white and light colors; and a vacuum table for rigid substrates.
 
Sustainability, quality and value with reusable soft signage
 
Dome’s new, 3.4-meter wide VUTEk FabriVU 340 printer meets growing customer demand for textile soft signage. Dome is pursuing the print industry’s Sustainable Green Printing (SGP) Partnership, and soft signage also fits well with the company’s effort to expand environmentally friendly solutions.
 
“The VUTEk FabriVU printer gives our customers a greener option with graphics that can be re-used rather than displayed once and thrown away,” Poole said. “Fabric can be rolled into anything and shipped inexpensively where it needs to go, and then the customer can pop it in a frame on site.”
 
The new soft signage printer was developed with the advanced textile imaging technology knowledge base that EFI Reggiani – a global leader in industrial textile imaging – has established over the past 70 years. Printing in ultra-high resolutions up to 2,400 dpi using EFI aqueous dye sublimation inks, it also has the unique ability to print on transfer paper or direct-to-fabric with the same inkset, saving considerable labor and machine downtime compared to other printers requiring ink changeovers for different substrates.
 
New EFI Fiery® proServer digital front ends (DFEs) installed with the new printers provide the imaging technology needed for stunning, precise and predictable colors. EFI’s FAST RIP (Fiery Accelerated System Technology) included with all Fiery proServers, keeps printers running at their rated speeds, ensuring a maximum return on printer investments. In addition to its new VUTEk printer and Fiery DFE purchases, Dome is also a long-time user of EFI MIS/ERP workflow software.
 
“Dome has always been a great company, but we’re making bold moves right now which represent our metamorphosis into a world-class company,” said Pavlov of his company’s strategic new direction. “There is no other printer in our region—or even the United States—that’s doing what we’re doing. We’re making significant investments and setting ourselves up for a very aggressive growth trajectory. We rely on partners like EFI to bring to market best-in-class solutions that enable us to serve our customers and grow our business.”
 
EFI and Dome announced Dome’s new signage and graphics capabilities during the 2017 SGIA Expo in New Orleans, where EFI is exhibiting VUTEk roll-to-roll and FabriVU soft signage products along with its complete ecosystem of digital print production technologies. For more information on EFI products, visit www.efi.com or call 800-875-7117.