Large Format Review - Business News

Dscoop (Digital Solutions Cooperative) has announced that the 2012 Dscoop annual conference will focus on educating members on brand strategy for customers.  Print service providers (PSPs) are in a unique position to speak to the creative or marketing directors at a company and meet their spectrum of marketing needs - everything from direct mail to e-commerce to signage to packaging. Dscoop7, taking place March 22-24, 2012, at the Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center in Washington, D.C., will focus on helping printers understand the range of services they can provide by either partnering or growing their business.

“As print becomes commoditised, today’s economy demands that PSPs evolve and add more value,” said Eric Hawkinson, executive director of Dscoop. “Whereas our members might have focused on one channel in the past, Dscoop7 will enable them to see the bigger picture as well as give tools and share the latest trends to take back to their customers. Featured speakers Chad Dick and Josh Linkner will share how, in today’s economic environment, branding can differentiate your customer and be the edge they need.”

Dick is a partner at eatbigfish, a specialised consultancy with a unique focus and expertise in challenger brands, and he will lead a session about “How Challenger Brands Succeed.” He joined eatbigfish in 2007 after a 15-year career in marketing, innovation and general management working with PepsiCo, Campbell’s Soup, Nestle and General Mills. Dick holds an MBA in marketing from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
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Linkner is the best-selling author of Disciplined Dreaming: A Proven System to Drive Breakthrough Creativity. Using his background as an entrepreneur and musician, he is on a mission to make the world more creative. He will speak about “Unleashing Creativity: The New Currency of Brand Success.” Linkner is the founder and chairman of ePrize, the largest interactive promotion agency in the world.

More conference information is available at www.dscoop7.org

The Flemish Innovation Centre for Graphic Communication (VIGC) is to launch two important tools to achieve ink savings: the ICC profiles that VIGC developed and its Max TAC Evaluation Kit. There was a strong response to the study by the organisation that found total area coverage (TAC) of 260% - or even 220% - is adequate as long as the conversion is carried out with the correct profiles. To ensure the correct profiles are used, the VIGC is to distribute its Max TAC ICC profiles free of charge.

According to VIGC, the Max TAC Evaluation Kit is a tool that will convince everybody of the quality of a lower TAC.  Eddy Hagen, VIGC Director, comments, "Our test clearly showed that a lower TAC can deliver more than adequate results and enable print service providers to make huge cost savings on inks."

“However, the conversion to lower TAC must be done using the appropriate ICC profiles. This is why we have invested time in optimising the ICC profiles during tests. We believe strongly in helping graphic art companies operate more cost-effectively, and will be distributing the VIGC Max TAC ICC profiles free of charge in four different maximum TAC values, and in ICC version 2 and 4 profiles. This will allow print companies to choose the option that best suits their needs."

Didier Haazen, senior innovation consultant and PDF expert, adds, "A condition of this way of working, of course, is that the print company receives RGB images e.g. RGB PDFs. Currently this is often not the case. Nearly everyone works with a CMYK workflow, where the conversion from RGB to CMYK takes place early on in the process. There used to be good reasons for this, but with the latest tools this conversion can be reliably accomplished right at the end."

“We’ve conducted some tests with RGB workflows and it’s definitely possible, if everything takes place based on the rules of the state-of-the-art. With the new VIGC Max TAC ICC profiles, users will have the option of converting right at the very end of the process to well known target colour space (ISO 12647-2 / FOGRA39) with an appropriate TAC."

Convincing the industry to work with lower TAC

The VIGC Max TAC Evaluation Kit has been developed to highlight how much print providers can save on ink if they change to lower TAC, without compromising quality.

"The VIGC Max TAC Evaluation Kit comprises three fairly critical images that have been converted using four different TACs and printed on three different types of paper,” continues Hagen. “Each image only has a code, and the maximum TAC can only be found in the documentation to ensure an objective evaluation."

“Ink represents approximately 2% to 5% of a print company’s total costs. If you could save on 10% of the ink because of adjusted profiles, you’re talking serious figures. Plus there are other benefits, such as fewer problems with drying, ink setting off and finishing.”

A festive flash mob was a real show-stopper for shoppers on the streets of Birmingham, all in aid of Birmingham Children’s Hospital.  The surprise stunt saw hordes of street dancing Santas, dressed head to toe in red lycra morph suits, dancing to hip hop Christmas songs. Hollywood Monster, a digital print solutions company, sponsored the video, which is fronted by television and radio presenter Richard Bacon. The video will be released on YouTube with all proceeds from the sponsorship going to the hospital.

Tim Andrews, managing director of Hollywood Monster, said: “We are proud to sponsor the flash mob in aid of Birmingham Children’s Hospital. The hospital is a lifeline for families and their sick children all year round, but its work is especially poignant at Christmas time.”

The dancing santas were from EQHO, an award-winning street dance group from Warwick University.  Dorine Mwesiga, who choreographed the dance, said: “The idea of street dancing in order to raise money for charity really appealed to us. The reaction from passers-by was phenomenal – some even started joining in!”

Catherine Allen from Ember Television, the company producing the film, said: “We wanted the film to foster a sense of creativity, festive vibrance and community spirit. It shows that despite the riots over the summer and all the economic doom and gloom, Birmingham is a warm, charitable city that is determined to enjoy Christmas.

“Raising money for a charity through sponsorship of a viral video has so far proved a huge success. With all profits going to Birmingham Children's Hospital, this video epitomises what Christmas should mean: festivity, union and generosity.”

The video – Street Dance Santa Flashmob Interrupts News Report –  is due to be uploaded onto You Tube today (Monday 12th December).

ArtSystems has opened an HP Latex Demonstration Suite at its Nottingham-based premises featuring the most comprehensive range of HP Latex printers in the UK. The new HP Designjet L26500 and L28500 printers join the existing HP Scitex LX850 and are already being used to train HP Reseller Partners as the UK launch activity builds for 2012.

Steve Hawker, managing director of ArtSystems, comments, “By having the new printers in our demo suite, we can continue to support the HP reseller partners as Latex is being adopted more and more as the technology of choice for users looking to replace solvent printers. Our investment is also in support of HP’s on-going activities such as the Latex Truck Tour.  Having this accessibility means we can ensure our partners are able to present the very best solutions from HP to their customers.”

The HP Designjet L26500 61-inch-wide Latex printer builds on the success of the L25500 as a true solvent replacement printer and addresses the soft signage market with its new back-to-back printing option. The HP Designjet L28500 is a 104-inch-wide latex printer delivering speeds up to 70 percent faster than the HP Designjet L25500. Both printers are high quality, multi-application machines offering greater overall productivity and better environmental performance than solvent technologies.

Resellers attended the first printer briefing event at ArtSytems on the 1st December.  The demonstration suite is now open for them to bring potential users to see the new printer. The HP Designjet L26500 is now shipping from resellers and the HP Designjet L28500 will be available for shipping from January 2012.

Confusion and concerns following news of the financial problems being incurred by German press manufacturer, manroland, has led Roland DG to reassure its customers that there is no connection between these two companies that share the same name. Roland Corporation has its roots firmly in Japan and was founded in 1972 as a specialist manufacturer of music products and synthesizers, whereas Man Roland AG is a specialist producer of web and sheetfed machines for the printing industry.

In historical terms, Roland introduced its first computerised pen plotter in 1982 and, the following year, Roland DG Corporation was formed as a subsidiary of Roland Group to concentrate on digital technologies. As the market focus has evolved from CAD to sign-making and, thence, to full-colour printing, Roland DG has been instrumental in leading the market with new developments. These included thermal transfer technology during the mid 1990s, followed by aqueous-based and the first eco-solvent wide-format ink-jet print-and-cut solutions in 1997.

“Because there is coincidental commonality between our names, we have had a number of customers and distributors expressing concern that Roland DG could be affected by the financial status of the German press manufacturer. I’d like to reassure everyone that this is most certainly not the case as there is absolutely no connection between the two companies,” confirms Jerry Davies, Managing Director of Roland DG (UK) Ltd. “On behalf of the Roland name internationally, I want to stress that we are part of Roland Corporation, Japan, a highly profitable organisation and listed in the top-rated Japanese companies on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.”

Headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan, Roland DG currently employs around 500 people at its international head-quarters. The company is a leading manufacturer in the area, renowned for its innovative production philosophy, Digital Yatai, where the monotony of assembly is removed to give workers a more pleasant environment.

Roland DG has been instrumental in bringing ground-breaking new technologies to the sign-making, display, packaging and commercial print sectors, with its systems designed for cost-effective, reliable and colour accurate results. Ink-jet technologies currently addressed include eco-solvent, UV-curable and dye sublimation chemistries, available across a variety of platforms to suit all price and production requirements.

Additionally, Roland DG retains its popularity amongst sign-makers for its ergonomic and rugged computerised vinyl cutters, and for its series of powerful engraving solutions. The company also manufactures machines for 3D subtractive modelling and rapid prototyping, with its precision technology now finding a new market in the sector for dental equipment.

“On behalf of Roland world-wide I want to confirm that the company is thriving and moving forward strongly in all the sectors covered by its technologies,” concludes Davies. “The impact of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan earlier this year on our business results was minimal, and Roland DG intends to continue on its growth path by continuing to strengthen its business scope to adapt successfully to changing market conditions and customer requirements.”

Leicester-based Tetenal UK has moved to more modern and spacious premises in Meridian Business Park in West Leicestershire, just off Junction 21 of the M1. After a successful year of growth within the business - which specialises in the supply of photographic and large format printing consumables -  the company has opted to move to a more established and convenient location.

Tetenal Ltd. was established in the UK in 1989 as a subsidiary of Tetenal Germany, which was founded in 1847. Since starting the UK business, Tetenal has seen a constant growth in turnover, despite some difficult times in the economy.

The new building boasts larger offices, a re-vamped demo room and an inkjet training room.  It also hosts a more efficient warehouse with improved workflow, which was a key requirement when Tetenal won the exclusive distribution rights of Ilford’s entire inkjet photo paper range in August.

For more information, please visit www.tetenaluk.com