Business - Events

HP today announced that it will be showcasing a comprehensive selection of its portfolio of large to super-wide format digital printing solutions on its partners' stands (MatKaðýt, Hall 7, Stand No. A6; and Yatay Biligisayar, Hall 7, Stand No. C11) at Sign Istanbul in Turkey from 25th -28th November.

HP is leading the digital transformation of printing and offers a broad range of Sign and Display printers available on the market. With a special focus on applications and water-based HP Latex Ink technology that help reduce the impact on the environment, visitors will be able to see the HP Scitex LX800 Printer, the HP Scitex LX600 Printer and the HP Designjet L25500 Printer displayed at the show.

Other products exhibited include:

• The HP Scitex FB500 Printer
• the HP Scitex FB700 Printer
• the HP Designjet T2300 eMultifunction Printer
• the HP Designjet T7100 Printer
• and the HP Designjet Z5200 PostScript® Printer

In addition to its activities at Sign Istanbul, HP will participate in the FESPA EMEA Summit, which also takes place in Istanbul on 24th November. This will see François Martin, marketing director, Graphic Solutions Business, EMEA, HP, present 'Innovative Solutions' - highlighting the flexibility of digital printing in allowing print service providers to explore additional market niches, and offer new, enhanced solutions within existing markets

Agfa Graphics has announced that many new products will be displayed and available for demos at Print World 2010 in booth #1200. This includes:

• :Apogee 7.0 (first time in Canada)—The newest version of the award-winning :Apogee workflow management suite includes :Apogee Impose, an imposition module that relies on live job information rather than templates to perform imposition. Additionally, :Apogee 7 allows print buyers to go beyond the web-to-print screen to create new jobs in the prepress stage with WebApproval. :Apogee 7 also includes :Apogee Portal 7, the latest version of Agfa's popular portal for file uploading, preflighting and softproofing that provides advanced functionality for user convenience and automation.
• Agfa's complete portfolio of plate solutions will also be on display. Print World attendees will see the new :Amigo TS low-chemistry plate which runs up to 50 percent faster than its predecessor. :Amigo TS offers improved contrast and increased daylight stability.

Agfa has also teamed with sign and graphic arts industry supplier ND Graphics and will be conducting live demonstrations of:

• :Jeti 1224 UV HDC—The new :Jeti 1224 UV HDC (High Definition Color) is built on a solid steel platform and features a linear motor driven vacuum bed for highly accurate dot placement in both flatbed mode or with the optional roll-to-roll (RTR) feature. The :Jeti 1224 UV HDC's flatbed architecture can print on anything up to two inches thick and with its industrial grade construction can support media rolls up to 250 pounds. The :Jeti 1224 UV HDC is the first :Jeti printer to use the Ricoh Gen 4 variable grayscale print head technology. With four-color and white as standard the :Jeti 1224 UV HDC delivers equivalent speeds in both binary and grayscale modes at resolutions up to 1200 dpi.
• :Anapurna M4f—an industrial UV inkjet printer that provides photorealistic quality and can produce POP, displays, posters, exhibition panels, stage graphics, ad panels and more. It features a print resolution of 720 x 1440 dpi and a maximum printing width of 62 inches.

Print World 2010 is being held November 20-22, 2010 from 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. at the Direct Energy Centre (formerly known as National Trade Centre) located in Exhibition Place, Toronto.

On Wednesday 1st December, William Smith is inviting signmakers join them when they bring their New Openings Roadshow to the Holiday Inn Elstree. This special day is designed to help them identify new opportunities and directions and provides the chance to get up close and personal with a whole range of equipment and materials.

“Our visitors will have the opportunity to learn more about new materials and a range of hardware products, as well as gaining a more in-depth understanding of the product ranges and services that William Smith can supply,” says William Smith’s Marketing Manager, Chris Bradley.

The event, which runs from 9.30am to 4pm, will include –

Interactive demonstration areas

• • • HP Designjet Latex L25500 Printer – increase production and reduce carbon footprint
    • Cutters from Graphtec & Summa – precision cutters offering drag and tangential cutting
    • RollsRoller Applicator – increase profitability and discover new ways of working
    • (Tailored demos can be provided by prior arrangement)

Vehicle Wrap materials – solid and colour digital film

Exclusive Offers on certain materials and hardware  - to those customers who attend

Latest 3M materials, including

• New 80 & 100 Series colour films
• Di-Noc – new architectural finishes available ex-stock
• Fasara – decorative and textured films
• Window films – an overview of the latest products on offer

“Visitors are certain to find new ideas for their businesses,” adds Chris Bradley. “Our New Openings Roadshow is FREE to attend and includes complimentary refreshments and car parking.”

 

 

The inaugural PrintIT! Scotland Awards Ceremony took place on the afternoon of the 12th November in the Banqueting Suite of South Lanarkshire Council, and named Abigail Corsie from Kinross High School in Perthshire as the overall winner of the first PrintIT! Scotland 2010 competition.

Following the success of its English counterpart, now in its sixth year, PrintIT! Scotland was launched in January 2010. Drawing together a host of industry figures, print professionals and finalist schools, the PrintIT! Scotland Awards celebrated the hard work and achievements of the thousands of students who took part in the new initiative. During the event, Abigail received praise for her entry to the ‘Best Table Talker’ category, and was awarded a an iPad and FujiFilm digital camera for her outstanding submission as well as a Duplo trimmer for her school.

PrintIT! Scotland is designed to raise the profile of the printing industry and attract young people to consider a career in print. The industry-funded educational initiative driven by sector skills council, Proskills worked in collaboration with the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) to make the competition available to Standard Grade, Intermediate 1 and 2 Graphic Communication students.

Dr Janet Brown, SQA Chief Executive says, “SQA is delighted to sponsor the inaugural PrintIT! Scotland Awards, in partnership with Proskills. SQA is committed to working with industry, schools and employers to provide high quality, flexible and relevant qualifications. This competition is a great example of how working together we can help young people develop skills for life, learning and work.

"I'd like to congratulate all those who entered the PrintIT! Scotland competition and particularly to those who made it through to the awards ceremony, well done. You should take enormous pride in your achievements.”

Following a thorough judging process which shone a light on the talent of young people throughout Scotland, shortlisted students were invited to attend the exclusive awards ceremony held in the Banqueting Suite at South Lanarkshire Council. During the event six students were awarded prizes as category winners including ‘Best Wall Poster’ and ‘Best Design Process’.

Tom Bowtell, General Manager of Proskills congratulated all of the finalists of PrintIT! Scotland and commented on the importance of the competition for the future of the print industry, “As the first ever PrintIT! Scotland Awards Ceremony we have been impressed by the exceptional skills displayed by the students involved. Extending the PrintIT! competition into Scotland was a big step for Proskills, but it’s one we are glad to have taken because we have unearthed genuine talent here.”

Tom continued, “Selecting one winner from the countless fantastic entries we received was always going to be a challenge. In the end our judges chose a workbook which stood out as having demonstrated exceptional skill, inventiveness and understanding of print techniques.”

Other top prize winners included Graeme High School, Stirlingshire which was awarded ‘Best Overall Teaching & School Result’. Given the title for the tremendous effort demonstrated by all of its students, Graeme High School, and its technology teacher Julie Todd, contributed a staggering eight finalists in the competition, three of whom walked away with awards.

Terry Watts, Chief Executive of Proskills, concludes, “In England PrintIT! has proved to be a uniting force for the print industry, and after the display of talent put on show in Scotland we have no doubt that PrintIT! Scotland will have the same effect here.

“The first PrintIT! Scotland Awards were a massive success and enjoyed by everyone in attendance. One of PrintIT!’s biggest accomplishments is the genuine enthusiasm the students gain for print, and when key figures from the industry see this enthusiasm at the awards, their positive reaction spreads optimism through the entire community. Finally I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Scottish print industry, the Scottish Qualifications Authority, South Lanarkshire Council for their support in making this event happen.”

All eight category winning students were presented with a Fujifilm digital camera and their schools were gifted print-related equipment for their Design & Technology departments.

 

Year after year, INX Digital has recognised and supported a progressive maturation of the European digital printing community leading to today's consciousness of green and sustainable products.  Many important offset and screen printers, as well as a group of flexo and screen label printers, have adopted high-end industrial wide and superwide inkjet systems.  These developments played a key role as the INX Digital booth attracted plenty of foot traffic at the recent Visual Communication Italia 2010 (VISCOM) show, held October 21-23 in Milan.

More than 20,000 people attended VISCOM Italy, the largest of the VISCOM events in Europe and an important platform for digital printing professionals. The INX Digital booth counted visitors from France, Austria, Switzerland and Mediterranean countries besides the homeland for the European launch of its Triangle brand EDX ECO inks.  The company also featured its new Triangle DTX Textile inks, the Triangle Eco Bulk ink delivery system and EVOLVE Advanced Digital Solutions.

"The introduction of our EDX inks was very well received, as were all of our more sustainable products.  It was perfect timing given that other OEM's are just now bringing to market more eco-friendly products," said Paolo Capano, Director of INX Digital Italy. "Our Triangle DTX textile inks were a very important part of the show and proof that our greener products are developing new business for us.  The booth was made of all fabric and the DTX inks performed very well.  We also introduced our 'Eco-Maniac' mascot for the ECO product line and it spurred a lot of buzz about our booth."

The EDX introduction marked the first time INX Digital's Triangle brand offered a colour and chemically compatible ECO product for the alternative market. A new line of ECO solvent inks for Roland printers with Epson Dx4 print head technology, it has dual compatibility so users can perform cartridge-by-cartridge changeover without wasting ink.  New colour profiles are not required in order to obtain the same colour as OEM inks when printing.  Fast drying with low odour, EDX is both HAPS- and TAPS-free and provides a significant cost savings option when compared to OEM ECO inks.

Triangle DTX Textile inks continue to enjoy huge success for INX Digital's Aftermarket ink channel.  The progressive switch of PVC-based materials and solvent inks towards a green production environment caused high interest for these direct-to-textile inks.  Designed for use on direct printing with synthetic fabrics with Epson print heads, they deliver optimal quality and a wide colour gamut while displaying fast drying characteristics on polyesters with minimum 60 percent blends.  DTX also has optimal ink fluidity and excellent image definition and fastness properties.

VISCOM Italy visitors voiced their approval for Eco Bulk and showed strong interest in the EVOLVE videos that played in the booth.  A new type of ink delivery system, it is comprised of one box of 100 percent recycled material instead of five, 440 ml cartridges.  The ink is housed within a foil bag and once emptied, the bag is disposed of and replaced, a much more sustainable approach compared to plastic.  The EVOLVE branding concept helps traditional printers and converters evolve to digital printing with industrial inkjet systems and other resources including integrated systems, chemistry, parts, service and consulting.

Grapo Technologies a.s., reported its newly-launched Manta Slim was the star of the show at Viscom in Frankfurt, Germany.

"Printers were very interested to see how the Manta Slim can make a huge difference to their product offering. Not only were they amazed by the quality produced and how easily the entry-level system could be operated but they were also impressed by the attractive price of €51,900," said Branislav Oravec, sales director. "There is nothing else like it on the market that offers such a good quality/ price balance."

Developed to easily enable printers to provide UV print to their customers without major financial investment, the space-saving Manta Slim takes up just half the footprint of its predecessor yet has a printing size of 2 x 1.5 metres. Using inks curable with UV lamps it can print at 720 dpi on the widest range of rigid materials, including foam board, cardboard, plastic, wood, metal, glass etc.

The system was also featured on key distributor Igepa Group's stand and Hamburg branch manager Uwe Becker commented on the advantages of the small sister to the market proven Gemini: "The Manta Slim is the perfect entry-level solution for start-up companies or screen printers who want to get into digital printing with an attractive price/ratio performance. The Viscom special offer price generated a lot of interest from show-goers."

Oravec added: "The initial response to the Manta Slim was very encouraging. Viscom has provided it with an excellent springboard into the market place and we were very pleased to see how excited our customers were about the possibilities the new system offers them."

Also garnering much visitor interest was the Grapo printer and Aristo cutter bundle offer. It was created to help end users establish a profit-enhancing final product workflow solution.

"This cooperation offers synergies for both companies,” said Michael Hock, market manager at Aristo in Hamburg. "And for us especially it is a door opener to new customers for Aristo in this very important market field of large format printing. Presenting the workflow with e.g. Caldera on Grapo's printers to Aristo's cutters shows all clients how easy it is to reach best results for their end-customers."

"Also our close co-operation with other market leaders such as the Caldera RIP increases the potential and performance of Grapo Technologies' UV printing systems, making them much more affordable for the global market," Oravec said. "We were also delighted with the number of sales leads received at the show and the fantastic opportunity we had to further cement some long standing relationships. At the same time we also met a variety of potential customers we aim to work more closely with in the future."