Large Format Review - Business News

greatBIGcolor, a Colorado-based FSC certified and G7 Master qualified print production company, received national certification as a Women’s Business Enterprise, by WBEC-West, a regional certified partner of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC).

This certification denotes those businesses owned and operated by a woman. Company President Tina McLaughlin states, “I’m really excited and honored to earn the Women’s Business Enterprise certification. Not only does it highlight the positive influences a woman can bring to business, but it also benefits our clients who have minority vendor programs in place.”

greatBIGcolor was founded in 1998 by Tina’s husband, Sean McLaughlin. Several year’s later, Tina joined the team and her sales expertise helped rapidly grow the business. In 2010, Tina took the reins as President of greatBIGcolor.  Under Tina’s lead, she brought many positive changes to the company including earning the G-7 Master Printer designation from IDEAlliance, creating an online customer-based website and acquiring several new top-of-the-line UV photorealistic quality printers.

 

FLEXcon has entered an agreement to acquire the business assets of the Graphics Division of Arlon, Inc. of Santa Ana, CA, to form a company to be named Arlon Graphics, LLC, a new wholly owned subsidiary of FLEXcon. This strategic move will strengthen FLEXcon's market leadership position by expanding its product portfolio in advertising and promotional products, as well as extending its sales channel and global market presence. The new Arlon Graphics, LLC will extend offers of employment to the executives and employees. When the acquisition is complete, FLEXcon will have the option to purchase Arlon Engineered Coated Products and Arlon SignTech Ltd. of San Antonio, Texas, following necessary due diligence.

Founded in 1958, the Graphics Division of Arlon, Inc. has been a proven leader and manufacturer of a full line of high quality pressure sensitive cast vinyl, flexible substrates, and print media films for the digital imaging, signage, vehicle graphic and screen printing. The new Arlon Graphics, LLC will continue its dedication to delivering high quality broad product offerings, specifically its cast product range. FLEXcon will also benefit from the company's strategically positioned distribution centers across six continents, with sales in over 50 countries servicing customers worldwide.

"FLEXcon is excited to announce the formation of Arlon Graphics, LLC. FLEXcon is attracted to the Graphics Division of Arlon, Inc. for its complementary product lines and its skilled, dedicated workforce," said Neil McDonough, president and CEO, FLEXcon. "The synergies between the two companies are ideal. Both manufacturers are dedicated to delivering quality products and unbeatable customer service. This move will further strengthen FLEXcon's product range and secures our status as a market leader."

"The combination of the Graphics Division of Arlon, Inc. with our prospective new owner, FLEXcon, makes this a win-win. FLEXcon benefits from Arlon Graphic's brand-reputation and extensive distribution capabilities, while Arlon benefits from FLEXcon's R&D and innovation capabilities," said Ron Hopkins, president, Arlon. "Employees and customers will benefit from a combined one hundred plus years of experience, each sharing a long term vision for growth through quality products while maintaining lasting and mutually beneficial relationships with employees, customers and the community."

 

HP has announced that the HP Designjet L25500 Printer and HP Latex Inks received three top honours from Business Equipment Research & Test Laboratories (BERTL).

These honours include:

• A Fall BERTL's Best Award for Best Eco-Friendly Wide Format Inkjet Printer awarded to the HP Designjet L25500 Printer for its potential to help wide-format specialists succeed in a rapidly developing marketplace
• A Fall BERTL's Best Award for Best Innovation in Environmentally Friendly Ink awarded to HP Latex Inks, signifying BERTL's belief that HP Latex Inks will help shape the future market
• An Exceptional Certified Five Star rating for the HP Designjet L25500 Printer, citing its high versatility to deliver indoor and outdoor applications on a wide range of media with outstanding print quality, while meeting the needs of environmentally conscious customers

"BERTL's Best Awards look not only at the speeds and feeds of devices, but also at end-user and market dynamics to identify the best products in the digital marketing industry," said Art Wynne, president, BERTL. "Offering a combination of versatility, ease-of-use and a lower impact on the environment, the HP Designjet L25500 Printer and HP Latex Inks stood out for their potential to make a major impact on the market."

The HP Designjet L25500 Printer offers print service providers unrivaled versatility with quality and durability comparable to eco-solvent inks, while reducing the impact of printing on the environment. Available in 42- and 60-inch models, the printer is ideal for small and medium-size digital print and sign shops, as well as copy shops and photo labs, interested in offering an enhanced range of applications. To generate new business opportunities with eco-conscious customers, HP Latex Ink prints on HP PVC-free Wall Paper meet the GREENGUARD Children & Schools standard for low emitting products and AgBB criteria for health-related evaluation of volatile organic compound emissions of indoor building products.

"HP is honoured to be recognised by BERTL for our innovative sign and display technologies and dedication to reducing the impact of printing on the environment," said Santiago Morera, vice president and general manager, Designjet Large-Format Solutions, HP. "These awards and the five star rating from BERTL highlight the benefits that HP Latex Printing Technologies are bringing to our customers as a preferred alternative to solvent solutions."

 

CET Color has announced a strategic distribution partnership with PrintLat for expanded distribution into the Latin American marketplace. With more than 20 years experience and an extensive background in both traditional offset and digital inkjet technologies, PrintLat will focus on establishing a supply chain and distribution channel to reach various market segments with innovative print solutions from CET Color.

"With the distribution and reach of PrintLat, sign shops, agencies and corporate accounts across Latin America will now have new and affordable UV wide-format printing solutions available to assist them with reaching new markets that may have eluded them in the past," said Dave Cich, Vice President of CET Color.

According to David Pachon, President of PrintLat, "CET Color is becoming quite a force in the UV wide-format digital printing market. Our partnership with them will enable us to expand our offering and round out our portfolio of products. CET Color will assist us in providing innovative print solutions to companies while lowering their cost of ownership."

 

Océ has been included in the Top Ten Dutch companies in the annual Transparency Benchmark. The Transparency Benchmark is an initiative of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation to assess companies’ transparency in terms of corporate social responsibility (CSR). The primary sources for this benchmark are the companies’ annual reports and sustainability reports.

In 2010, the Ministry reviewed the annual financial statements and sustainability reports of the 500 largest companies in The Netherlands and Océ ended in the 10th position of the 500 largest Dutch organisations assessed

Rokus van Iperen, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of Océ, comments,“We see corporate social responsibility assuming ever-increasing importance in the way our customers view our performance. We make every effort to ensure our reporting is as transparent as possible and are delighted that these efforts have been recognised in the ministry’s Transparency Benchmark.”

Large Format Review (LFR), the online news portal for the large format digital printing industry, has announced its total hits increased by 7% from October 2010 to November 2010.

Total visitors to the site increased to 35,110 (an increase of 6%), but even more impressive is the fact that readers are now spending more time on the site – the total pages served increased by 21% to over 155,000 pages.  On average, readers are looking at just under five stories per website visit.

With an average of over 20,000 hits every single day, LFR is continuing to build on its position as the news portal of choice for professionals in the print industry.