Business - Applications

Farnham, Buckinghamshire-based Banners For All has become an acknowledged expert in the field of soft signage during its 14 years in operation.  Run by father and son team, Ralph and Ashley Ballhatchet, the business prides itself in its family oriented values but has worked hard to diversify, with some innovative and unusual business development strategies.

Established in 1999, the business took advantage of new technologies to print direct to polyester cloth with water based sublimation inks to produce colourful flags and banners. Eliminating the traditional screen process of cloth printing enabled them to remove setup costs and increase the colour range to full photographic, whilst dramatically reducing the price to their customers.  By continually embracing ever developing technologies, Banners For All quickly moved from simple flags and banners for birthdays and anniversaries into the wider commercial and retail markets, with a number of high profile names on their client roster.

The right equipment has always been key to the company's continued success and growth, and Ashley Ballhatchet is keen to extol the virtues of the Mimaki kit that they have run for many years, commenting, “One of the first machines my father ever purchased was a Mimaki TX1600S textile printer, later upgrading to the TX2, which was an incredibly reliable machine. As customer demands became more challenging, we invested in a Mimaki JV33 coupled with a CG-FX Cutter in 2008 to undertake vinyl banner, exhibition graphics and decal production, which previously we had to outsource. The sheer quality of Mimaki’s production output has certainly helped us to keep ahead of the competition and enabled us to expand our offering to customers.”

With expertise developed over many years in the soft signage industry, the company has become something of a specialist in producing bespoke flags for football clubs and supporters across the country, even setting up its own website (www.footballflags.co.uk) providing customers with a ‘one-stop shop’ from which to design their flags from custom templates and order the printed article, all on line.  Premiership and League clubs regularly use their services to produce bespoke promotional flags and banners for their stadiums, as do a host of supporters clubs across the land.

Banners For All's Mimaki kit was further upgraded with the addition of a high speed TX400 volume production textile printer in early 2013 and more latterly with a new UJF-6042 flatbed LED UV printer. Ashley explains, “The needs of our clients have continually changed and evolved, and we have had to look at ways of meeting those demands. The addition of smaller scale flatbed UV printing to our portfolio enables us to produce all manner of PoS items, including an exciting range of personalised faceplates for tablet PCs, used for display and promotion purposes.”

Promising quick turnarounds and working all their machines hard, the importance of excellent service back-up was one of the reasons the business continues to invest in Mimaki kit.  Ashley continues, “Whenever we’ve needed technical support, the backup service from both our supplier Granthams and Mimaki’s UK distributor Hybrid Services has been excellent and provided much needed continuity of operation.”

For more information, please visit www.bannersforall.co.uk and www.footballflags.co.uk

[Photo caption: Banners For All’s Ashley Ballhatchet (R) and Stephen Wheeler (L)]

As part of a 12 month campaign, Roland-reseller printMAX is introducing some of its more diverse customers. The first, London-based interior decoration firm Meystyle, has worked with printMAX for five years having purchased its Roland VersaArt RS-640 back in 2009.

Russian-born sisters, Maria and Ekaterina Yaschuk, set up shop in London back in 2001. With a strong design background - both sisters graduated from Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design - the collaborative design process lead the company down a successful and innovative path.  Meystyle is unique in its approach to interior design.  Specialising in wall coverings, the sisters embrace both old and new technologies and design concepts into their products.  The resulting designs are easily noticeable due to their take on materials vs technology, incorporating LED lights and Swarovski crystals into wallpapers along with materials not necessarily associated with wallpaper, such as leather.

In early 2009, Meystyle's business was growing but the pair needed a way of bringing their bright designs to life through printing without compromising the quality and vibrancy that they were reputed for. The inks would need to be reliable, high quality and as strong in colour as their designs. With this in mind, Maria Yaschuk approached Roland’s reseller, printMAX.

“The Roland VersaArt was the perfect solution for Meystyle as far as we were concerned.  With its impressive colour reproduction and variable droplet control it can produce high density printing with vibrant colours and flawless reproduction,” explains Chris Martin, sales manager at printMAX.

With the high quality reproduction values required by Meystyle the Roland VersaArt was the perfect option. “The Roland Intelligent Pass Control, included in the majority of the Roland print range, further enhances image quality by precisely controlling dot placement between passes, allowing for banding-free and high quality images,” continues Chris Martin.

Following the installation, Meystyle was more than satisfied with the Roland, large format print investment.  “The Roland VersaArt has really enhanced our business. We are able to offer more variety at higher frequency by incorporating digital print into our production. The added bonus of taking on the VersaArt as our first printer was how easy it was to not only operate but also maintain. Following our training with printMAX we felt really confident in using the Roland to its’ full potential,” comments Maria Yaschuk, Meystyle co-founder.

Five years later and the Roland VersaArt is still going strong; Meystyle continues to produce high calibre wall coverings, now with the opportunity to add even more diversity to their designs.

“Knowing printMAX are only a phone call away is a real reassurance; we also value the quick turnaround when it comes to ordering consumables for our Roland. Whilst we are still happy using our Roland VersaArt, should the time come to upgrade we will return to printMAX for sure!” concludes Maria Yaschuk.

For more information on Meystyle, please visit http://www.meystyle.com/

Using 3M’s 1080 Series wrapping film, and with additional help from William Smith, Premier Vehicle Wrapping was able to create a very distinctive vehicle wrap to meet some very particular customer requirements.

Premier Vehicle Wrapping, which specialises in full wraps for prestige cars, was asked to create a colour change wrap to a Rolls Royce Ghost that would liven up the appearance of the vehicle.

3M 1080 Series Aluminium White was chosen for the roof, bonnet, boot and window area of the car. However, the specific shade of metallic purple requested by the customer for the lower part of the vehicle could not be found in any vehicle wrap material range.

To create the desired effect, therefore, William Smith printed the required shade of metallic purple onto 1080 Series Aluminium White.

“It was a really good print job,” says Premier Vehicle Wrapping’s Daniel Brown. “It worked extremely well.”

The wrap was finished with gloss overlaminate. “Our client was really impressed as it gave the appearance of a paint finish,” adds Brown.

William Smith has been a main supplier to Premier Vehicle Wrapping for several years, providing both materials and print.  3M 1080 Series is available from William Smith, ex-stock,  as full, part or custom slit rolls and same day despatch is provided on full or part roll orders received up to 6.00pm.

3M 1080 Series is a long term, removable dual cast film that has been designed with sufficient rigidity to allow easy handling without the need for application tape.  Featuring 3M’s Controltac Comply pressure-activated adhesive, 1080 Series is easy to reposition and ready to use straight from the box. With up to six years durability, these films offer excellent opacity and are highly weather resistant. 1080 Series is suitable for flat surfaces and simple curves.

“I’m very impressed with 3M materials and always advise our customers to use these,” comments Daniel Brown. “1080 Series is very easy to use and really good quality. I can trust it and know that it will stay in place.”

i-Sub Digital will be a key exhibitor at this month's The Trophex Show (January 19th and 20th) at the NEC in Birmingham, showing how large-format printing equipment can be used to great small-format effect.

The Kettering-based technology supplier will be exhibiting its exclusive Digi-Foil system, demonstrating its groundbreaking, timesaving capabilities to the trophy, award and personalisation markets.

Officially launched in autumn 2013, Digi-Foil combines a Mimaki UJF desktop printer with foil and a heated applicator to achieve foil effects that are identical to those produced by traditional foiling techniques – but at a fraction of the cost, time and materials wastage. Metallics in a range of colours, woodgrain effects, holographic images and a multitude of patterns can all be produced digitally on Digi-Foil.

Featuring white ink and clear varnish, the Mimaki UJF-6042 can also be used for direct printing on substrates up to 150mm thick, enabling the creation of unique textures and personalisation. 

I-Sub Digital will also be showcasing the metallic, white and full colour inks of the Mimaki CJV30-60 print-and-cut unit. By switching from printing to cutting automatically, awards businesses can produce eye-catching output easily.

Representatives from Hybrid Services, the exclusive UK and Ireland distributor for Mimaki, will also be on hand to demonstrate the kit to Trophex attendees on i-Sub Digital's stand.

"We're looking forward to Trophex and showing how our large-format printing equipment can be used to great effect by trophy and personalisation specialists," says Andy Spreag, Director of i-Sub Digital.

"Foiling and direct printing using metallic inks can create whole new business opportunities, and for much less money and time than many traditional techniques."

The Digi-Foil system is available exclusively from i-Sub Digital. For further information on this or the Mimaki CJV30-60 or to book a demonstration, please email info@i-subdigital.com.

The Trophex Show runs from Sunday January 19th to Monday January 20th 2014 at the NEC, Birmingham. I-Sub Digital can be found at stand 256.

Nottingham and London, UK-based Colorset has recently purchased four wide format HP LX260 printers from CWE Solutions.  The four new printers were installed at the end of October 2013 – two at Colorset's Nottingham premises and two in London.

On the purchase of the new machines, Colorset Director, Tom Phelan, explains, “We’ve moved to the HP latex printers predominantly for the environmental properties brought by the water based inks.  We believe that the eco-drive for recycled and recyclable products shouldn’t cost you the earth, and this issue isn’t going to go away. Our business ethic is strongly rooted in protecting our environment. Pvc and plastic may be cheaper but they just end up in landfill. We believe that by investing in these latex printers they may be a bit more expensive, but we’re doing our bit.”

CWE Solutions' Director, Darren Walker, adds, “As with all our clients, we really took the time to work with Colorset and make sure their investment was the right one to deliver on their business aspirations.  We have a wide range of experience and expertise and were happy to recommend the HP LX260s as a perfect fit for Colorset’s requirements. In addition to the excellent quality of finish, HP Latex Inks and recyclable materials offer a reduced environmental impact that is second to none.  We are keenly aware of our duties and responsibilities to the environment, and we aim to supply the best print solution for our clients, whilst keeping a firm eye on the impact that we and our technologies, are having.”

At around the same time as the printers were installed, Colorset took another step towards ensuring quality across the board by adding three vans to increase their fleet to seven with 13 installers. “Not many companies have their own dedicated installers, but rather than outsourcing this gives us greater control and reliability,” adds Phelan.

Having the same production facilities in both of their sites helps the company deliver quality and consistency across UK-wide campaigns. Nottingham picks up installations from Birmingham to the north, with London picking up the rest of the country. They also work with customers in the Republic of Ireland, Holland, Germany, and Spain, and they have just expanded into Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York.

“International retail companies with London headquarters want their graphics to be the same the world over, and we can deliver that for them,” concludes Tom Phelan.

For more information on Colorset, please visit www.colorset.co.uk

HP has expanded its digital printing solution for wall decorations, helping print service providers and wallcovering manufacturers capture new revenue with high-value wall décor applications for commercial, retail and residential spaces.

The HP digital printing solution consists of a modular range of design software, media, HP Latex Printing Technology, finishing options and industry certifications. This scalable solution enables customers ranging from small PSPs to large wallcovering manufacturers to take the growing customisation trend to the wall with unique or short-run wallpapers, wallcoverings, wall murals and canvas prints.

At Heimtextil 2014 in Hall 4.2, stand E.81, HP will demonstrate the expanded suite, including new content, design and mobility features for HP WallArt as well as updated finishing and media options. A digital wall décor showroom created by renowned industrial and interior designer Markus Benesch will bring to life the creativity and innovation made possible with digital printing and the complete HP solution.

“My goal is to encourage spectators to think outside of the box and see the unusual ways in which digital printing can dramatically alter a space, as well as the design workflow,” said Markus Benesch, owner, Markus Benesch Creates. “HP digital printing technologies create a world where designers no longer need to print large batches of wall décor at once, but where they can be fast as light, moving immediately from idea to design to production to delivery.”

HP WallArt is an easy-to-use, cloud-based web service that helps simplify the design, visualisation and production of customised wallcoverings. Introduced at Heimtextil 2013, the tool is already in use by more than 1,100 customers in 66 countries.(2) Following this successful trial, HP WallArt will remain free for new and existing HP Latex Printing Technology customers.

New features for HP WallArt include:

• A new alliance with global stock photography company Fotolia, giving users easy access to a wide variety of high quality, professional images, designs and artwork.
• Integration with customers’ online storefronts for a customised and branded web-to-print solution that streamlines quotations, billing and managed information systems.
• A free HP WallArt application for iPad®, available through Apple’s App Store, which provides real-time, interactive design and accurate previews of the finished wall layout.
• Easier production of canvas prints, including a multi-panel canvas option and automatically generated installation instructions.

Additional new components for the HP digital printing solution for wall décor include:

• HP PVC-free Durable Suede Wall Paper, a sustainable wallcovering substrate for high-traffic commercial areas that meets American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) F793-Type II certification when printed using HP Latex Inks. Expected to be available from BMG in spring 2014, this new media option is compatible with common adhesives and has been engineered with ColorPRO Technology to deliver excellent colour.
• Certifications to help meet international wallcovering industry standards. HP Latex inks have been tested and certified by authorised third party labs and are compatible with industry standards, such as the EN233 standard for washability and colourfastness, the Euro class standard, Class B for flame retardancy and the CE  Mark.(4) These tests have been performed on a range of substrates from leading media vendors.
• Automatic winding systems from Fotoba International, which can reduce labour costs and improve efficiency by providing ready-to-pack wallcovering rolls directly from the cutting device. Two models are now available: the REW104 for media up to 104 cm (40.9 in) and the REW160 for media up to 160 cm (62.9 in).

“The wall decoration market is on the verge of major change enabled by the speed, quality and versatility of HP Latex digital printing technology,” said Joan Perez Pericot, worldwide marketing director, Large Format Sign & Display Division, HP. “Working with industry-leading vendors, HP provides innovative tools and solutions across the entire workflow to help wallcovering manufacturers and print service providers differentiate their offering, reach new customer segments, push creative boundaries and ultimately bring in new revenue.”