Large Format Review - Business News

Reflecting its ongoing commitment to providing best-in-class products across its imaging system portfolio, Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging, today announced it has received eight Spring 2011 "BEST" awards from BERTL, Inc., for models from its imagePROGRAF large format printer, imageRUNNER and imageRUNNER ADVANCE multifunction system, and imageCLASS print product lines. BERTL BEST Awards are chosen from the top-performing models and solutions that have been recently introduced to the marketplace and reviewed by BERTL experts.

Recognised for delivering outstanding image quality, value and performance, BERTL Best Awards were awarded to Canon in the following categories:

• Best Eight-Colour, 24-Inch Graphic Arts Large Format Printer - Canon imagePROGRAF iPF6300S
• Best Departmental Monochrome A3 MFP - Canon imageRUNNER 2530
• Best Departmental Colour A4 MFP - Canon Color imageRUNNER C1030
• Best Monochrome High Performance Compact Desktop Printer - Canon imageRUNNER LBP3470
• Best Security Feature Rich Monochrome Desktop Printer - Canon imageRUNNER LBP3560
• Best Color Midsized Workgroup MFP - Canon imageRUNNER ADVANCE C5051
• Best SOHO Monochrome Desktop Printer - Canon imageCLASS LBP6650dn
• Best Micro and Small Office-Workgroup B&W Printer - Canon imageCLASS MF4450

"The 2011 BERTL Best Awards showcase Canon's unique ability to provide category-leading solutions across a wide range of output environments," said Junichi Yoshitake, senior vice president and general manager, Imaging Systems Group, Canon U.S.A. "With end-users demanding greater performance and flexibility from their output devices, Canon continues to draw upon its expertise in developing advanced imaging technologies to meet today's business needs."

"In the Spring 2011 voting session, BERTL's expert analysts were tremendously impressed with how Canon's devices performed during our testing process, a process which has been honed over the past 15 years of analysing office equipment and software systems. The quality and dedication of the people at Canon is apparent in their devices which have won these prestigious awards," said Art Wynne, president, BERTL, Inc.

 

GMG, a leading developer and supplier of high-end colour management software solutions, today announces the acquisition of Aurelon, located in The Netherlands. Aurelon provides innovative, modular and scalable technology for the processing of digital information to any media that requires accurate graphic production and output. With the acquisition of Aurelon, GMG is strengthening its presence in the large-format print production market significantly and is continuing its strategic expansion beyond traditional market segments.

In line with GMG’s aggressive mid- and long-term growth plans, Aurelon is the company’s second acquisition after the UK-based media production technology company CWS was bought earlier this year.

“In addition to constantly increasing market share in our traditional proofing and press room markets, it is our goal to also become a major player in the growing large format print production market. The acquisition of Aurelon is an important step in this direction and immediately allows us to offer A to Z production workflow solutions which fulfill the specific needs of large format printers”, says Paul Willems, CEO of GMG GmbH & Co. KG.

“As applications in the market and for service providers are getting more sophisticated and brand owners are raising their demands for colour quality and consistency, now is the right time for GMG to step up its presence in this market”, adds Willems. “Until now these key needs have not been entirely met by currently available production workflow systems.”

With the recent launch of the PrintFactory GMG Edition at Fespa Digital in Hamburg, GMG and Aurelon provide the most complete production solution for large format printing. PrintFactory GMG Edition integrates the Aurelon-developed PrintFactory suite for banner, sign and super wide format printing with GMG ColorServer and GMG SmartProfiler to provide a fully-automated process. PrintFactory GMG Edition provides unique state of the art and scalable job preparation, workflow and processing tools for efficient, standardised printing and finishing. The EcoSave option of GMG SmartProfiler allows for 10-20% savings on ink and guarantees a short return-on-investment. “PrintFactory is an integral part of our production workflow automation, increasing productivity and efficiency for studio, print and finishing”, says Richard Gardner, Chairman & Managing Director of Gardners, UK.

“GMG and Aurelon are a perfect fit. The acquisition of Aurelon is the consequence of a careful and in-depth analysis of all available technologies,” says Willems. “We considered the PrintFactory technology to be the best and the most compatible with GMG colour management technology to offer a high-quality, complete package to this market”.

According to Erik Strik, Director of R&D at Aurelon: “For years, both companies have been developing and providing solutions for standardizing print processes. Now, with GMG’s global presence and sales channels, we can deliver this groundbreaking technology to the global market. Current users will benefit from further GMG investment in Aurelon technology and also get access to GMG colour management technology. For new users, there is now an unparalleled technology platform available which suits their production efficiency and quality needs. This will allow service providers to raise their offering to a new level of productivity and quality while reducing costs in large format print production.”

“For existing Aurelon OEM partners this is great news as it indicates that investments in further developments, including development for new market segments, are secured and that we have now access to the leading GMG colour management technology which guarantees even more innovative products in the future”, adds Strik.

“With this latest acquisition, we reinforce our promise made at IPEX 2010, that “Wherever a colour goes it stays that colour.” We will continue to invest in new technology relationships, alliances and further acquisitions if it fits our long term strategy to play the major role in proofing, press room, digital and production printing” summarises Paul Willems.

 

The Orbus Exhibit & Display Group, one of North America’s leading suppliers of display, exhibit and event solutions has added 33 new employees to its roster of staff in two facilities since January. The addition of these employees marks 250 staff in total.

“Our developing pool of talent means we are able to combine fresh enthusiasm with existing expertise to provide clients with a stronger support system and ensure we continue to provide them with the best possible products and customer service. We look forward to continued growth in 2011.” says Giles Douglas, President & CEO of Orbus Exhibit & Display Group.

 

The BPIF is pleased to announce the launch of its online redundancy calculator, an easy to use and user-friendly online service tool which will assist members to make the necessary calculations with regards to redundancy pay.

Nobody needs reminding that the last couple of years have been the toughest many have known within the industry.  Managers have had to make very difficult decisions in order to keep the business afloat and, unfortunately, that has often meant employees losing their jobs through redundancy.

The BPIF has always taken an active role in assisting members through good and bad and has a wealth of knowledge on redundancy issues.  HR Advisers have spent more time than usual advising on both large and small scale redundancies and the BPIF is pleased to note that, although some such exercises are still ongoing, they are much reduced and involving fewer employees.

However it is always useful to be able to streamline the administration during such an exercise, so that managers can concentrate on dealing with the personal issues that come with potential termination of employment.  As a result the BPIF has developed an online tool to perform the necessary calculations involved in compiling the figures on individual redundancy pay and on assessing the overall monetary impact on the business.

Anne Copley, Head of Legal and HR, is therefore very pleased to be able to announce today the launch of the BPIF online redundancy calculator.  "It's easy to use and can accommodate any number of individuals.  It will give you a quick view of the individual's gross entitlement and also the full cost to the business of all redundancy and notice payments.  Whilst nothing can really ease the pain of a redundancy exercise we hope this can at least remove some of the headaches".

The calculator is available to members under "Membership Services" on the BPIF website www.britishprint.com .  If you have any difficulty accessing the website, please contact your local Business Centre.

For general advice on redundancy please contact your local HR Adviser.

 

Emphasising its role as a provider of end-to-end solutions for visual communications, Spandex has unveiled a new corporate tagline: Spandex - Leading Brands for Graphic Solutions.

The adjustment follows a period of analysis in which Spandex assessed its positioning within the graphics market alongside its values and beliefs, core attributes and brand promise.

The new tagline highlights the extensive diversification of Spandex’s product portfolio and clearly conveys Spandex´s position as an innovative provider of start-to finish solutions. While the original tagline – “Your Partner in Signmaking and Digital Print” - captured the organisation’s 30-year heritage as a trusted supplier to the sign making community, the new tagline accentuates Spandex as an international multibrand supplier with a solution oriented approach to an increasing span of market segments. These include visual communication and sign making as well as interior decoration, exhibition building, architecture, industrial labelling and more.

Start-to-finish solutions

Within the aftermarket segment Spandex provides a wide range of digital printing and signage materials from industry leading brands such as Avery, MACtac, Durst and its own house brand ImagePerfect. Spandex´s hardware and software portfolio comprises a wide variety of well known brands including Gerber, Epson, Mimaki, Mutoh, ErgoSoft, Onyx and more.

Martine Casteels, Director Marketing Communications at Spandex explains the decision to refresh the brand: “The marketplace in which Spandex operates has changed significantly over the years. Our business is no longer about simply distributing sign making products. 35000 customers worldwide come to Spandex for our consistent and solutions-oriented approach and industry expertise. They value the breadth of our product range, the extensive choice of industry-leading brands we offer, the excellent stock availability and next-day delivery options. More than that, they choose us because we listen to their challenges and use our expertise to help them realise the full potential of each job and generate additional revenue through innovative and profitable business ideas.”

“Spandex’s business success is founded on consistency, reliability, industry expertise, innovation and customer intimacy. The new tagline reasserts these values, and more accurately communicates our proposition to our customers.”

The new tagline is part of a renewed branding which also comprises a change in the visual representation of Spandex.

Enfocus announces that Adaptive, a UK- based specialist in graphic arts and pre-media solutions, joined the fast growing Enfocus Crossroads community as the first Integration Partner. Alongside its wealth of expertise in integrating Enfocus Switch, the company also offers Hermstedt StingRay, a dedicated secure file transfer solution specifically developed for the graphic industry. When coupled with Enfocus Switch, StingRay provides SMEs access to the full benefits of automation.
                                     
As an Enfocus Certified Partner, Adaptive has been integrating the Enfocus Switch product family since 2005. With customers throughout the UK and Ireland – ranging from design agencies, printers, publishers, repro houses and in-house marketing departments – the company has built up a wealth of experience integrating Switch into a variety of graphic arts and pre-media workflows. The move to join the Enfocus Crossroads community as an Integration Partner was the natural next step for the company.

"We’ve been specialising in a range of graphic arts and pre-media solutions for many years. During this time, we’ve worked closely with a number of Crossroads partners. Taking the step to join the community as an Integration Partner made perfect sense," says James Lewis, Managing Director of Adaptive. "It will increase our visibility and enable us to reach out to the whole Crossroads community. We look forward to helping the partners increase their brand awareness in the UK through events – and continue with local seminars throughout the UK."

“The Crossroads community is expanding rapidly. Many Application Partners have joined Crossroads, and their applications can now be controlled and automated from within Switch. As the first Integration Partner joining the community, Adaptive will be able to assist users with more complex integration projects," comments Angelo Manno, Global Account Manager Crossroads. "Next to providing their own StingRay file transfer solution, they represent solutions of many of the other Crossroads partners. With their extensive know-how on installing and supporting a fully integrated solution, they are in a perfect position to understand and anticipate the needs of the customer.”

Dedicated secure file transfer solution

Adaptive’s StingRay file transfer solution was developed specifically to meet the needs of the graphic industry. Providing a wide range of delivery options including FTP, HTTP, HTTPS, Email Hyperlink and Quicksend, StingRay drives greater automation and efficiency by linking file delivery with a customer’s workflow.

StingRay's Workflow Management module enables users to create custom web forms, which are presented to remote clients when they upload files via a web browser. The data entered on the web form gets converted into an XML Job Ticket, and is then passed along – together with the uploaded files – to Enfocus PowerSwitch. The Job Ticket provides PowerSwitch with all required information to automatically route the uploaded files through the workflow, set specific parameters for integrated options and control the notifications. Also LightSwitch and FullSwitch users benefit from StingRay. Uploaded files are automatically picked up and further processed through flows within their Switch.

StingRay is the first 3rd party solution in the Crossroads community which enables automation related to web2print and file transfer.

Making automation with Switch more accessible

Established in 2007, the Enfocus Crossroads community provides a pool of expertise and resources to make automation with Enfocus Switch more accessible to users in the printing and publishing industries. The community brings together Enfocus Switch users, Application Partners who offer solutions which integrate with Enfocus Switch, and now also Integrator Partners who can assist with more complex integration projects.

The Crossroads web portal, which supports the community, hosts a user forum and partner blogs to encourage interaction between all the members. It’s also the place where Switch users will find all relevant information on the applications that integrate with Switch. Together with a whole library of Switch flows ready for download and import in Switch, users get started more efficiently. The community provides Crossroads partners with the necessary means and visibility to promote their integration with Switch. Partners can also make their applications available as a trial through the website, www.crossroads-world.com.