NEW HP Designjet L26500 & L28500 announced

HP has just announced the introduction of two new HP Designjet printers capable of handling a broader range of indoor and outdoor signage applications with better durability than eco-solvent inks.

Furthering HP's strategy to disrupt the eco-solvent market, the 104-inch-wide HP Designjet L28500 Printer delivers speeds up to 70 percent faster than the HP Designjet L25500 Printer, while the 61-inch HP Designjet L26500 Printer is ideal for customers entering the growing soft-signage market.

Both systems feature new HP 792 Latex Designjet Inks, which produce rich blacks and glossy results on banners and self-adhesive vinyl, and offer double-sided printing capabilities with less user intervention and more accurate, automated registration. Compatible with more than 500 media solutions, including the new HP Double-sided HDPE Reinforced Banner material, HP Latex Inks provide a consistent, reliable performance across a variety of substrates.

HP also launched HP Latex University, a set of training materials and application workshops led by industry experts, as well as the HP Ecosolutions Trained Printing Company program for educating HP Latex Printing Technologies users in sustainability best practices.

"With about 9,000 HP Latex Ink systems installed worldwide, HP is offering a superior alternative to eco-solvent solutions that delivers the versatility and ease of use our customers demand while lowering their impact on the environment," said Santiago Morera, vice president and general manager, Large-format Printing Business, HP. "By allowing customers to cost-effectively print a wide array of new applications and providing the training required to succeed, our updated HP Latex portfolio helps PSPs differentiate their businesses and seize new growth opportunities."

Driving business growth with broad application versatility

Ideal for high-impact point-of-purchase displays, soft signage, bus shelters, vehicle graphics and more, the HP Designjet L28500 and L26500 Printer series can print on a broad range of materials, including eco-solvent compatible media and low-cost uncoated options.

The new devices produce 1,200-dpi output with outdoor display permanence of up to three years unlaminated or five years laminated for high-quality, long-lasting prints. The output also dries inside the printer, boosting productivity for double-sided print jobs, and allowing immediate finishing or use.

"Compared with the solvent world that we're used to dealing in, the HP Designjet L26500 Printer is a breath of fresh air. It allows us to laminate immediately, installing at the same time, and do reprints in real time, increasing our productivity considerably," said Duston Noble, founder of Dallas-based Wrap Experts and a beta tester of the HP Designjet L26500 Printer. "We want to have the best equipment that makes our job easier and faster, so we love the fact that we can print and laminate jobs all in the same hour if we need to."

With new soft signage printing capabilities, customers can produce applications from retail banners to tradeshow signs and interior decor, which are easy to fold and pack, inexpensive to ship, simple to hang and have improved durability outdoors.

Building on the introduction of HP HDPE Reinforced Banner, the new printers also are optimised to work with new HP Double-sided HDPE Reinforced Banner, a compelling alternative to PVC scrim for advertising applications. The substrate offers the image quality, durability and tear strength of standard vinyl without the environmental disadvantages of a PVC-based substrate.

Availability of the HP Designjet L26500 Printer will vary by region beginning Nov. 3. The HP Designjet L28500 Printer is expected to be available Jan. 20, 2012.

Designed with the environment in mind

Helping to address the demands of environmentally conscious print service providers and their clients, HP Latex Inks produce odourless prints. These water-based inks are nonflammable and noncombustible, and, unlike many eco-solvent inks, they do not require hazard warning labels and contain no hazardous air pollutants.  Additionally, no special ventilation equipment or external dryer is required for safe and productive operation, helping to keep energy costs down.

HP 792 Designjet ink cartridges are now Eco Mark certified by the Japan Environment Association, demonstrating relatively few environmental impacts through the product life cycle from production to disposal. PSPs can return their HP 792 Latex Designjet supplies through HP's free, convenient recycling program, including ink cartridges, printheads, the printhead cleaning cartridge and the printhead cleaning container.

A recycling program also is available for a range of HP High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) and Polyester (PET) printing materials, including the new HP Double-sided HDPE Reinforced Banner.

Additionally, the new printing systems reduce the amount of ink used during maintenance routines compared to eco-solvent technology.

Application and sustainability education for HP Latex customers

Now available through HP Capture, HP Latex University provides PSPs with training to successfully produce a wide range of outdoor and indoor wide-format graphics applications using HP Latex Printing Technologies.

By signing into HP Latex University, PSPs can access free application workshops led by specialists, online webinars and other tools that help maximize the use of their technology. The first webinar series kicks off in November and focuses on producing vehicle graphics and textiles.

Also available through HP Capture, all HP Latex Printing Technologies users can now participate in the free HP Ecosolutions Trained Printing Company program. This downloadable training is available in 10 languages to coach PSPs to take advantage of the environmental profile of their HP Latex printers, build an ongoing commitment to sustainability within their businesses and engage clients on their sustainability goals.

PSPs that complete the training will receive a framed certificate and an icon identifying them as an HP Ecosolutions Trained Printing Company that they may use for promotional purposes.

More information about the latest additions to the HP Latex Printing Technologies portfolio is available at www.hp.com/go/latex , through the HP Graphic Arts Twitter feed and on YouTube at www.youtube.com/hpgraphicarts .

 

FESPA releases more information about the venue of the 2012 event...

FESPA Digital 2012 will take place in Barcelona, Spain’s second city and the Catalan capital, from 21-24 February 2012. Renowned for its architectural and artistic heritage, Barcelona is a cultural magnet. The ideal host city, visitors to the exhibition can explore the avenues of this dynamic metropolis while simultaneously exploring the wider opportunities for their print businesses.

Aside from its strong cultural status, Barcelona is also one of Spain’s commercial and industrial centres. Central to these industries are textile, manufacturing and of course, tourism. Barcelona’s airport receives upwards of 30 million passengers each year, a figure which seals its status as one of Europe’s most popular travel destinations.

Visitors to Barcelona are served by an excellent transport system. A clean, punctual and air-conditioned Metro serves every corner of the centre, while taxis are happily affordable. The great thing about transport in Barcelona is that you don’t need it. Barcelona is a compact city, and the majority of the visitor attractions are located minutes from each other. Walking is also the perfect way to explore the wide variety of attractions on offer.

Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter is in the centre of the old town. Stretching from La Rambla (a lively street worth visiting) to Via Laietana, its intricate street plan features a maze of narrow lanes opening out into wide, picturesque squares. FESPA Digital visitors should spend time exploring the buildings here, some of which date from the medieval and even Roman periods.

For most people visiting Barcelona, the first name they will think of is Gaudi. An infamous architect, Gaudi lived and died (after being hit by a tram) in the city, leaving a legacy of eccentric gothic buildings. From Palau Güell, Gaudi’s first structure, to Colonia Güell, an irregular oval church and crypt, his works are unmistakable. If you had to visit just one Gaudi building, a popular choice would be La Sagrada Familia. Construction of the enormous basilica began in 1882, yet by the time of Gaudi’s death, was only a quarter complete. Amazingly, construction continues and the final element of the church will be the construction of the Glory façade.

When the sun shines (the average temperature during February in Barcelona is 13°C), show-goers can breathe some fresh air at one of Gaudi’s free attractions: Parc Güell. Visitors will be immediately struck by the Gaudi dragon fountain adorning the entrance to the park. With its colourful mosaic skin, the dragon and the surrounding park are one of the city’s most popular and recognisable sights.

Sticking with Barcelona’s cultural heritage, the city also celebrates the work of Pablo Picasso, famous for his innovative and revolutionary artistic endeavours. Picasso’s work opened the door for future artists, including Pollock and Kandinsky, to push the boundaries of modern art. The Picasso Museum showcases more than 3,800 in its permanent collection as well as temporary exhibitions which take place throughout the year. To discover Picasso’s priceless works, and find out about the various tours on offer visit: www.bcn.cat/museupicasso.

A visit to Spain wouldn’t be the same without tapas, and Barcelona has some of the best in Spain.  Cal Pep, located in Ciutat Vella, is one of the best known tapas restaurants in the city, offering a menu comprising over 70 different tapas dishes. Moving away from tapas, local Catalan cuisine can be sampled at Vinya Roel, an atmospheric restaurant offering dishes such as cannellonis (stuffed with pig and with chicken livers), fideus, and black rice with cuttlefish.

With so much on offer, it is well worth purchasing a Barcelona city card from the online www.barcelonaturisme.com store. The card offers you free travel on public transport and the equivalent of +240€ discounts and free offers at museums, cultural venues, restaurants and more. The card can be purchased for two, three, four or five consecutive days and prices range from 24.75€ (two days) rising to 31.50€ (five days).

 

Trophex is the exhibition for the trophy, awards and personalisation industry and attracts many companies who exhibit every year as well as many new ones. The organisers of the event state it is an essential show for the industry and the perfect exhibition for exhibitors to unveil new technologies and launch new catalogues.

Visitors to the show can gain a valuable insight into exactly what is available on the market, allowing them to make a much more informed decision about which companies and people they should deal with.  Visitors can discuss queries face-to-face allowing them to take home valuable information and use it in their business.

The industry is vast and Trophex represents every aspect of it including trophies, engraving - machines and materials, glass and crystal, sublimation, photo imaging, badges, pins, giftware, signage, lasers, decals, embroidery, gifts, promotional merchandise and many more profit making lines.

Numerous exhibitors have already signed up for the 2012 event including Mimaki, Roland DG and Hybrid Services.  The event takes place on Sunday 15th January and Monday 16th January 2012 – the Sunday opening is a great opportunity for business owners to visit.

Trophex Awards 2012 sponsored by Crystal Galleries

Due to the success of the 2011 Trophex Awards, visitors to the show on Sunday 15th will once again have the chance to vote for their favourite product/trophy etc from a number of different categories. Exhibitors can enter their products/trophies into the relevant categories and these will be on display all day on Sunday. The results will be announced on Monday 16th.

2011 winners included TheMagicTouch for ‘Best in New Technology’ for the ORD Transfer Process onto glass and acrylic. The ORD 8.1 (Opaque Reverse Decoration) transfer paper offers the opportunity to quickly and easily decorate a comprehensive range of glass and acrylic based products in full colour.

Charles Birch (Group) Ltd won the ‘Best Decorated Item’ award for its sandblasted crystal plate. Kevin Hardwick, head of the Birch sign and engraving department had created a design based on an image from ‘Lord of the Rings’ and sand carved it onto a crystal 10" plate, from the Charles Birch gift range.

Another winner of the 2011 awards was BB Awards who won the ‘Best Crystal Award’ for their CrystalArt Series. Managing Director Bernard Flynn was delighted to have won the public vote for this award, he commented, “Having been voted the top spot by our peers was indeed very humbling, it also has given us great confidence that we have our product range right.”

 

HP has unveiled a new HP ePrint & Share mobile application for the iPhone, iPad or iPod touch to bring easy large format printing and instant sharing of plans to design professionals - regardless of where they are working.

HP ePrint & Share is a printing and sharing tool that allows designers in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry to easily locate and access large format plans on the cloud. This makes it easy to share these files with team members regardless of file size and format, and to adjust page layouts, preview print pages and create print-ready files.

With the new mobile application, large format plans are always available from any iOS-based device, enabling users to:

• Print to any web-connected HP Designjet ePrinter while on the go, whether in a taxi, at the airport or on a construction site.
• Easily access and view the latest project documents stored in their HP ePrint & Share library at any time.
• Share designs with remote project teams and seamlessly collaborate with design partners around the world - wherever the job takes them.

"AEC design professionals are highly mobile, constantly moving between the office, the job site and offices of partners and clients," said Santiago Morera, vice president and general manager, Designjet Large Format Solutions, HP. "The new HP ePrint & Share mobile application allows designers to view, print and share the designs that are critical to their business, wherever they may be."

Simplifying the printing and sharing of large format files

In addition to the new remote printing capabilities, HP's award-winning ePrint & Share tool simplifies large format printing by allowing users to print without installing drivers or opening applications.

With the HP ePrint & Share plug-in for AutoCAD, users also can access the tool directly from Autodesk's industry-leading AutoCAD design and documentation application and create print-ready files with just one click.
 
New this fall, users can print from HP ePrint & Share to HP LaserJet printers to get A3/B+ and large format prints in the same printing workflow.(4)

"For us, technology is not only a tool to materialise ideas, but an important partner in a creative process that demands a high degree of mobility," said Matias del Campo, principal, SPAN Architecture and Design. "Using the HP ePrint & Share mobile application while we are on the go is a very powerful tool for us to communicate with all parties involved in a project, ensuring that the plans we are working from are the most current and keeping the design process flowing smoothly and efficiently."

HP ePrint & Share is available at no additional cost as a download for HP Designjet customers. The mobile application is initially available at no additional cost as a launch offer through Apple's App Store.  The HP ePrint & Share mobile application enables remote printing to any web-connected HP Designjet printer, including the HP Designjet T2300 eMFP and the HP Designjet T1300 and T790 ePrinters.

More information about the latest additions to the HP Designjet portfolio is available at www.hp.com/go/simplify.

More information on HP ePrint & Share is available at www.hp.com/go/eprintandshare.

Videos and updates on HP Designjet are available on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HPdesigners, on Twitter at twitter.com/hpgraphicarts and on YouTube at www.youtube.com/hpgraphicarts.

 

Signs Express (Norwich) has sponsored, produced and installed signage for the new Hamlet Centre Children's Services building in Norwich.  The Hamlet Centre Trust is a registered charity providing help and support to children and adults with disabilities via a range of sessional and all day services, giving families and carers a short break.

Reaching up to 1000 families every year, the Hamlet Centre Trust believe passionately that with the right support, people with disabilities can make their own decisions, live independently and move towards a good quality of life.

Commenting on the work, Michael Rooney, company secretary at the Hamlet Centre Trust said “From us all at The Hamlet Centre Trust, we just wanted this opportunity to thank you for Signs Express (Norwich)'s help and support this year.  We are so grateful for the efficient service and fantastic signs which really complement our centre. They are the perfect finishing touches.”

Michael continues, “Signs Express has been so easy to work with and it is partnerships like this that not only help us by way of the expertise we receive, but also continue to promote the profile of the Hamlet Centre as an organisation at the forefront of care services for disabled children, adults and their families.”

Ben Chambers, centre manager of Signs Express (Norwich) and his skilled team were delighted to show their support for such a worthy cause. They manufactured and installed a range of bright, eye-catching exterior signs situated at the entrance gates and large colourful building signs heading up the toy library and children’s centre as well as large window graphics, marking the large panes of glass.

 

Signs Express (Exeter) has donated new signage to Tipton St John Primary School in Devon.  The company worked with parents and teachers to create streamlined & eye-catching new signage for the school.

Nick Baxter-Sibley, a Director of Signs Express, commented, “Having been approached to see if we could assist with the project intended to help freshen up the school frontage we were delighted to offer to help and having said “yes’ saw a great opportunity to use one the latest Sign Systems we supply to implement the signs. Using the latest innovations we were able to create two large signs (1 @ 7m x 1.2m & 1 @ 3m x 1.2m) without any joins, thus giving a very pleasing affect. Having printed and installed the signs we’re very pleased with the end results and hope they will help welcome pupils, staff and visitors to the school for many years to come”

Headteacher Gillian Morris commented, “What a difference a summer makes! Record SATS results and now, through the professionalism and support of Signs Express, the first impression of our school has been transformed. Nick and his team, along with a team of parents who also painted the school over the holiday break, have delivered a key part of our marketing strategy for the year. We would encourage any parents in the area to come and take a look.”

Signs Express (Exeter) provide a wide range of signs and graphics to businesses and organisations in the community including interior and exterior signs, vehicle graphics, banners, exhibition displays and health and safety signs.