Large Format Review - Business News

 

Large Format Review met with Jeff Biggs, Managing Director of Colourgen, after the announcement last month that the company has obtained UK distribution rights for Mutoh’s entire range of wide format digital printers.   We asked Jeff how this agreement came about and discussed Colourgen’s plans for Mutoh in the UK and Ireland going forward...

With the recent news that Mutoh is moving its manufacturing and R&D operations from Belgium to Japan in the near future, there has been speculation about what this means for Mutoh in the European market.  Mutoh customers in the UK and Ireland can rest assured that their needs will continue to be met following the announcement last month that Colourgen has been appointed as a distributor for the entire range of Mutoh wide format digital printers in the region.

According to Jeff Biggs, Colourgen has been talking with Mutoh on and off for the last 10 years about becoming a partner, but –until fairly recently – the timing had not been right for either or both parties. 

At the back end of 2009, Colourgen started to see an application-driven demand for textile printers from its customers and at that point decided to take on Mutoh’s textile printer range.

At the same time, Dublin-based Rennicks – a specialist traffic signage reseller – was pushing Mutoh to release its Zephyr TS UV flatbed printer (which was being developed for the production of traffic signage) as they saw increasing market demand for better technology for traffic sign production.  

The first UK and Ireland installation took place at Rennicks’ premises and Colourgen was brought on board to support the process.  Using its internal colour management resource, Colourgen developed a colour management solution specifically for the Zephyr TS.  This resulted in significant time savings in the new digital process over the manual method – thereby giving Rennicks a viable commercial solution to take to market.

The first commercial installation of the Zephyr TS took place at traffic sign production specialists, PF Cusack in Wolverhampton*.

Mutoh was impressed by the way that Colourgen had been able to support the installation and tweak the Zephyr solution so that it created a viable business model for Rennicks.  The success of this project led directly to Colourgen taking on a broader range of the Mutoh wide format digital printers.

According to Jeff Biggs, “Mutoh needed an organisation that would provide a dedicated focus on the product, the brand, the sales, the marketing and – crucially – the after sales support for Mutoh customers.” 

Colourgen is now distributing the ValueJet and Blizzard ranges and the Kona cutters, alongside the Viper textile range and Zephyr UV printers.
On the handover process, Jeff comments, “The transition across to Colourgen from the previous distributors was amicable and was agreed at Sign & Digital UK 2011.  There has been a clear switchover and all parties have ensured that the customer remains the focus at all times.”

One of the first steps Colourgen will be taking is to introduce a new Mutoh-certified Partner Programme.  The details are still being finalised, but – targeting existing and potential resellers – the company intends to launch and implement the programme this autumn.

This will be in place before the launch of two new Mutoh printers scheduled for Q4, 2011.  There will also be further printers released during 2012.  These will complement the existing range of Mutoh printers that Colourgen is now distributing and supporting.

According to Jeff Biggs, “Mutoh’s range of printers sits really nicely within the existing Colourgen portfolio.  There is minimal overlap with the Seiko II printers and we are now able to offer our resellers a full range of wide format printing solutions to meet all applications, budgets and requirements.”

He adds, “We believe that the Mutoh printers are more productive than Roland’s offerings and generally have a lower cost of ownership than most of the Mimaki printers.  Key to our proposition is the fact that Colourgen – in conjunction with Mutoh – will be able to offer better service and support than that offered by rival manufacturers.  Ultimately, we aim to bring a much better ownership experience to Mutoh’s existing and future customers.”

* a case study on this installation can be found on LFR via the following link: http://www.largeformatreview.com/large-format/2246-colourgen-reseller-rennicks-uk-installs-mutoh-zephyr-at-pf-cusacks

Neschen UK has announced immediate availability of the new Expolinc 'Roll Up Compact' display system.

Roll Up Compact is easily transported and can be set up in less than a minute.  It has infinitely adjustable telescopic rods permitting the use of graphics of different heights and comes complete with a low-voltage spotlight that distributes light evenly over the entire banner. 

"The system is a perfect carrier for advertising messages on any site," claims Sarah Janes, managing director of Neschen UK.  “The new Roll Up Compact is a sophisticated display system which is extremely compact thanks to its highly functional design and is small and light. 

"As with all Expolinc products, we offer a lifetime warranty, which we hope demonstrates the high quality of the systems.” 

In the standard version, the package comprises a closed roller cassette with telescopic rod, holding profile and an integrated roll mechanism including plastic strip (in the cassette) and carrying case.  Rounded corners and the adjustable telescopic rod ensure ease of use.  The graphic can be installed easily, without having to open the roller cassette: the thin top section with locking clips facilitates installation.  The standard packages are available in a graphics width of 85 centimetres and one metre.  Including the bag, the weight is less than four kilograms. 

The display system including top profile and telescopic rod are made of anodized aluminium; while the base and screws are of best steel.  The fold-out foot provides excellent stability. 

Clarity Software announces a radical enhancement to its support service with the ability for customers to log software support requests directly through the Clarity website.

The new website service at clarity-software.com takes Clarity’s customer experience to another level, enabling supported Clarity users to sign in to their website account at any time of the day and submit support queries quickly and easily.

Direct Integration with Support Logging System

Submitted support requests are automatically fed into the Support Team’s logging system designed by Clarity’s David Steward, and are immediately displayed to customers in their My Account area. Customers also receive an instant email confirming the successful submission of a request.

Responding to Customer Needs

As soon as the Support Team receives the request, a reference number is allocated and contact is made with the customer via phone or email to service their needs. Customers have complete visibility of the status of their requests in the My Account section of the website, along with an historic list of open and closed requests previously logged through the site.

“We are always looking for ways to enhance the service we provide to our customers” expresses Clarity Managing Director Richard Gamlin. “Providing a web interface for access to the support desk is a huge benefit for everyone and opens up a convenient 24/7 channel for users to both log and track requests.”

Richard continues: “This is the first of a number of exciting web-based service innovations we have been developing over recent weeks. More announcements will follow.”

Watch the Video Tutorial

To make it easy for users to seamlessly benefit from this superb new service Clarity Software has created a video walk-through, which can be viewed directly on Clarity’s YouTube Channel at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cmN1u2SXSo or in the video section of Clarity’s website at http://www.clarity-software.com/videos.

Top-performing wide-format printers from Canon and HP have been honoured today by Buyers Laboratory Inc. (BLI), the world's leading independent evaluator of document imaging products and solutions. BLI's semi-annual "Pick" awards are given to the hardware and software offerings that perform the best in BLI's in-depth lab testing, which assesses a wide range of the most important features and performance factors for buyers.

The Summer 2011 wide-format printer "Pick" winners are:

Canon U.S.A., Inc.

• Canon imagePROGRAF iPF8300S - Outstanding Colour Inkjet Wide-Format Production Photo Printer

Hewlett-Packard Company

• HP Designjet T7100 Printer - Outstanding Colour Inkjet Wide-Format Multipurpose Printer
• HP Designjet T2300 PostScript eMFP - Outstanding Colour Inkjet Wide-Format MFP

Canon imagePROGRAF iPF8300S Provides High-Speed, Superior Image Quality

Based on its impressive overall performance, the Canon imagePROGRAF iPF8300S has been named a Summer 2011 "Pick" award for "Outstanding Inkjet Wide-Format Production Photo Printer." An exceptional choice for graphic arts and production print markets, this 44-inch, eight-colour wide-format printer distinguished itself in producing vibrant colour photographs with very fine detail. It also produced excellent black-and-white prints with neutral grey tones. Among the fastest printers in its class, the unit was also recognised for its outstanding productivity. "The Canon iPF8300S was able to generate 18 large-size (A1) very high-quality prints in an hour, which will be especially welcome in busy print shops," said Joe Tischner, BLI wide-format printer analyst. Other features earning high marks for the Canon imagePROGRAF iPF8300S include the Free Layout image nesting function, its borderless printing capability, user-friendly Accounting Manager, straightforward media-loading procedures and the ability to replace inks while printing.

"We really appreciate the recognition our new imagePROGRAF iPF8300S has received from Buyers Laboratory," said Jim Rosetta, vice president and general manager, Imaging Systems Group, Canon U.S.A. "At Canon, we strive to make products that will provide the user with outstanding results and this award further solidifies Canon's position as one of the industry's leaders."

HP Designjet T7100 Offers Exceptional Versatility

Ease of use, productivity and administrative utilities were the stand-out attributes that helped earn the HP Designjet T7100 BLI's Summer 2011 "Pick" award for "Outstanding Inkjet Wide-Format Multipurpose Printer." This 42-inch, six-colour printer, which also comes in a monochrome version, supports up to three rolls-uncommon among competitors-and features three revolving roll bays for easy media installation and a movable media-collection basket that enables orderly stacking of prints. "HP has made roll loading a quick and easy process by employing screw-on end caps that hold rolls in place instead of spindles. At one time in BLI's evaluation, three different media types were installed in the Designjet T7100, which enabled the lab staff to print maps, signs and higher quality photos without requiring a roll change. It's a real time-saver," remarked Tischner.

The printer produced above average image quality on several media types, demonstrating that it can ably suit a variety of print applications. In addition, it proved highly productive, delivering prints faster than most competitive models. Among the unit's numerous utilities, BLI technicians found HP's Instant Printing Utility and the HP Accounting Excel Tool very useful for direct printing and cost accounting, respectively.

"HP is pleased to be the recipient of the Buyers Lab 'Pick' award for 'Outstanding Colour Inkjet Wide-Format Multipurpose Printer' for the HP Designjet T7100, which reflects the positive feedback we have heard from our customers," said Veronica Crespo, HP Designjet product manager. "The printer offers our customers a low total cost of ownership with an alternative to devices that print only in monochrome or colour and to LED technologies, which can be expensive to maintain and limited in terms of media versatility."

Web-Connected HP Designjet T2300 PostScript eMFP Provides High-Quality Output, Unmatched Collaboration

Offering unprecedented collaborative capabilities for file sharing and printing, as well as very good overall print and copy quality and ease of use, the HP Designjet T2300 PostScript eMFP has been awarded a Summer 2011 BLI "Pick" award for "Outstanding Colour Inkjet Wide-Format MFP." Most notable among this winner's features is the HP ePrint & Share utility." In addition to providing 5 GB of free file storage in the cloud for scanned or uploaded documents, this impressive utility enables users to access documents stored in the cloud from the control panel of T2300 for immediate printing, thereby eliminating workstations and software applications from the printing process. The Designjet T2300 also supports direct printing via USB drive conveniently accessible from a control panel port

Also cited for its very good image quality, "The T2300 produced numerous maps with fine detail and minimal graininess. Some areas depicting mountainous regions even appeared three-dimensional," said Joe Tischner, BLI wide-format printer analyst. "The unit also generated fine lines with more precision than most competitive devices, which produce fine lines that often tend to blend together and become indistinguishable. The HP T2300 displayed very distinct, individual lines." Additionally, the unit's 36-inch integrated scanner produced copy quality that was rated very good overall, reproducing colours more accurately than most competitive scanners. Furthermore, the scanner's greyscale setting generated neutral grey output with above average contrast and good tonal separation. The two-roll, six-colour model, which is also available in a non-PostScript configuration, features a newly-redesigned, intuitive control panel that enables ready access to all functions, provides helpful job previews on a colour display, and above all, enables one-touch entry to the cloud for quick and easy file storage and printing.

"With the ability to print and scan directly to the Web and driverless printing, the HP Designjet T2300 PostScript eMFP is much more than a printer, it is a tool to transform the design process," said Anabela Lemos, HP Designjet product manager. "HP is excited that these advancements in the large-format printing process have been recognised by BLI with a Buyers Lab 'Pick' award for 'Outstanding Colour Inkjet Wide-Format MFP."

 

Selectech, a specialist supplier of ink, media and accessories to the UK professional wide format sign and display print market, has today announced plans to leverage the power of Twitter to better serve its customers.  With immediate effect, SelecTech will be tweeting daily special offers on its range of products.

In recent months, Selectech has been actively promoting its ‘Offer of the Week’ via email campaigns and this has proved very successful.  The use of Twitter will build on this success and will enable the company to provide customers with instant price updates and special offers.  Although Twitter is not always used for commercial activity, Selectech is looking to use the social media giant’s platform as a method of quickly and efficiently informing its customers of the very latest deals.

According to Stuart Lee, Business Development Manager, at Selectech, “Each morning, we’ll check inventory in the warehouse and see which products we have excess stock of.  We’ll then tweet a promotional price to our existing and potential customers.”

He adds, “Twitter will enable us to provide customers with access to the very best pricing whilst helping us to proactively manage our stock levels.”

Selectech has been revamping its web presence recently.  The new Selectech website – www.selectech.co.uk – is fully compatible and easily accessible on both iPhone and Android phones.  All daily special offer tweets will be posted on the website enabling access to live pricing for non-Twitter users.

Avery Dennison Corporation today announced that the Company expects to report unaudited second quarter 2011 net sales of approximately $1.7 billion, a decline versus the same period last year of 2 percent excluding the impact of currency. Unit volume was down an estimated 5 percent, driven primarily by declines in the Company's largest segments--Pressure-sensitive Materials and Retail Branding and Information Solutions. Second quarter results for the Company's Office and Consumer Products segment were in line with internal expectations.

The Company expects second quarter earnings per share to be between $0.64 and $0.69, and adjusted (non-GAAP) earnings per share to be between $0.74 and $0.79. These estimates reflect lower-than-expected volume, partially offset by lower employee-related expenses. Actual results are subject to finalizing several items, including a projected tax rate for the year in the high 20 percent range. Year-to-date free cash flow through the second quarter is expected to be approximately negative $165 million, reflecting lower operating results.

For the full-year 2011, the Company now expects earnings per share between $2.25 and $2.55, and adjusted (non-GAAP) earnings per share between $2.45 and $2.75, assuming net sales of between $6.8 and $6.9 billion. These estimates reflect a reduction from the Company's previous earnings per share guidance, primarily due to lower volumes in the Company's largest segments.

"In the second quarter, volume in our two largest segments was negatively impacted as consumer packaged goods companies and apparel retailers and brands became more cautious about consumer sentiment and the impact of rising retail prices to offset inflation," said Dean A. Scarborough, Avery Dennison chairman, president and CEO. "We are taking actions to offset the declines, and we expect to continue the momentum shown in 2010 and earlier this year when conditions improve."