Business - Applications

Artist Dan Funderburgh is making his mark with trendsetting wallpaper designs. Since he creates his work digitally, he often looks to others who can bring his digital designs to life in print. So when Barcelona design studio Vasava offered to showcase his work in its Vallery gallery, Funderburgh jumped at the chance.

In his recent exhibit at Vallery, "Time/Life: Science/Library," Funderburgh displayed prints of his wallpaper designs as well as a variety of objects wrapped in his prints. To produce the stunning presentation, Vasava depended on the HP Designjet L25500 Printer, the HP Designjet Z2100 Photo Printer and HP printing materials that included HP PVC-free Wall Paper and HP Air Release Adhesive Gloss Cast Vinyl.

 

A crew which successfully completed a trans-Atlantic sailing challenge took with them a flag donated by one of the country’s leading flag firms and raised almost £5000 for a charity which helps children suffering with Cerebral Palsy.

Hampshire Flag Company donated the 1.5m x 2.25m digitally dye printed flag to the Rainbow Centre in Fareham which helps children with motor impairment learn to overcome their difficulties using a learning system called Conductive Education.

The flag was then taken almost 3000 miles on White Whisper, a Beneteau Oceanis 46, from Southampton to Antigua on a journey which took 14 days. The crew of four undertook the challenge to raise much-needed funds for the charity. The single-sided knitted polyester flag donated by Hampshire Flag featured ‘Raising money for’ wording in large print and the Rainbow Centre logo.

Ian Piper, the Rainbow Centre’s Chief Executive said, “The Rainbow Centre makes a difference to so many young lives and we are delighted that Hampshire Flag so generously donated the flag which was flown throughout this adventurous fundraise.

“It was fantastic to see the flag in-situ on White Whisper and it has played an important role in raising not only vital funds but awareness for the charity,” added Ian.

White Whisper’s journey was by no means plain sailing. It originally set off in November last year, as part of the prestigious annual 2,700 mile ARC race, but had to turn back because of a contaminated fuel tank. White Whisper then set sail on 2 February but the auto-pilot failed two days in. When the crew contacted Falmouth Coast Guard to let them know they were having problems they were asked to change course to help two Atlantic rowers a few hundred miles away who were running low on food.

Managing Director of the Waterlooville firm, Graham Wilkinson, said, “As a successful business we believe it is important to support charities, especially those on your doorstep.”

This is the second time that Waterlooville-based Hampshire Flag has supported the Rainbow Centre. In 2007 it spearheaded a recycling initiative on an industrial estate transforming waste into much-needed cash for the charity.

“Our flags are often taken far and wide for worthwhile causes and we are delighted that the flag helped raise the profile of the Rainbow Centre during this incredible Atlantic adventure,” said Graham.

HP and RedTie are today showcasing the latest innovations in web-to-print solutions and the creative opportunities enabled by digital print at Technology for Marketing & Advertising (TFM&A), 1-2 March, Earls Court 2, London.

RedTie is a globally recognised provider of web to print technology. Integrated with HP Indigo digital presses for high-quality, digitally printed output, the combined offering is an end-to-end solution that enables the production of personalised, effective and clever campaign materials.

"Some of the world's most powerful brands are using digital print and web-to-print solutions to stand out in the marketplace with complex and creative cross-media marketing materials," said Julia Cole, HP Indigo UK & Ireland marketing manager. "TFM&A provides the perfect platform to showcase examples of these highly-targeted, innovative campaigns and inform the marketing community as to how they can be achieved. By the end of the show, we hope everyone will be excited about the inspiring campaigns made possible by digital printing technology."

One such campaign was produced by Coca-Cola Israel.  The company decided to run a unique initiative to refresh its Sprite brand and raise brand awareness.  "Our idea was to involve consumers in the brand campaign in a wholly new way," said Merav Dvori, category marketing manager at Coca-Cola Israel. "For the first time, customers could really participate and design their own product label. We felt this would elevate interest and generate a new, fresh awareness of the brand."

This exciting campaign was made possible by high-quality, HP Indigo digital printing technology and was considered a huge success with more than 100,000 consumers designing their own cans and over 3 million people visiting the campaign website.

To find out more about this and other inspiring possibilities enabled by digital printing, visit RedTie and HP on stand B34.

Graphics of the Americas 2011 (GOA) exhibitors are sharing news about the latest solutions on the show floor at this year's Super-Event with co-located FESPA Americas, ISS Orlando and cr?8 conference. The 36th annual show opens tomorrow in Orlando, FL at the Orange County Convention Center and runs February 24-26, 2011.

George Ryan, GOA President, says, "Our prominent exhibitor line-up continues to impress with the myriad announcements breaking this week and being shown at GOA. Attendees are sure to be impressed with the quality of products being showcased at our exciting, multi-faceted event."

Latest exhibitor news

The latest news from GOA 2011 include, but is not limited to:
          
Enfocus (booth 638) will show the newest versions of its PitStop family of quality control products, and the state-of-the-art Switch automation platform. PitStop Connect --  Enfocus' 2010 breakthrough tool - makes PDF preflight & delivery an easy, hands-off process between designers and production or publishing partners. Customer feedback was instrumental to the recently announced, first update to PitStop Connect, which will be demonstrated at Enfocus booth 638.

EnfocusPitStop Pro - also available for demonstration - has long been recognized for its many PDF editing features and user-friendly design, enabling easy management and customization of presets and tools. Update 1 offers compatibility with the latest Adobe Acrobat X Standard and Pro. It also introduces compatibility with the latest PDF/X-4:2010 and PDF/A ISO standards.
 
Also being shown is the latest update of the company's Switch automation software suite. Among a host of new features, Switch 09 Update 2 adds four completely new configurators - for solutions from Dynagram, Elpical, ColorLogic and Axaio - and updates existing configurators.
 
Morgana Systems (booth 1001) adds a new kind of folder and a new range of creasers at GOA. The Morgana AutoFold Pro represents a new idea in folding, working with any creaser - not just models from the Morgana range - to create a creasing and folding station for digital printers who cannot justify the cost of a fully integrated creaser/folder.
 
The AutoFold Pro is a free-standing unit with a vacuum feed conveyor that can be adjusted to the height of any creaser. It is simply wheeled up to the creaser and, with both machines turned on; the pre-creased sheets are delivered straight into the conveyor for folding. In essence the AutoFold provides a highly efficient creasing and folding station which offers the benefit of the company's 'flying knife' technology to protect digital substrates from the damage that can occur with conventional buckle or knife crease folders.
 
In addition to the AutoFold, Morgana will also show its newly invented range of AutoCreasers, featuring the Morgana blade and matrix creasing system and a new 'PosiFeed' feeding system. This enables the feeder to be piled higher while maintaining consistency and eliminating misfeeds.
 
Intec Printing Solutions (booth 468) launches the DMP420 multimedia printer at GOA. Using a network of authorized partners, Intec printing systems are sold into over 60 countries meeting the tough demands of today's commercial print sector. Now launching into the Americas, Intec believes that the quality, productivity and low cost of ownership of its products will generate a great deal of interest.
 
Producing over 2,000 full color prints per hour, Intec printing systems offer a fast and flexible solution to providing high quality ultra heavy stock printing and combined with variable data and other applications they are designed to meet the toughest customer demands.
 
Complementing the current range is the new DMP420 multi media printer with a revolutionary proprietary feed and delivery system allowing continuous feeding of a wide range of media up to 328 x 1.2 metres and 512gsm. This cost effective and highly productive solution allows customers to print directly onto films, envelopes, synthetic media, polyester, magnetic paper and impressively, because of the media length you can produce six or eight page brochures.
 
Spiral Binding James Burn (booth 539) introduces the new Koilmatic Table-Top Electric Automatic Coil Inserter & Crimper at GOA. It is an affordable fully electric table-top automatic coil inserter designed with the digital print market in mind. Features include easy set up with no tools or shop air to run. The Koilmatic will bind up to 450 books per hour in sizes from 8mm to 20mm on 8-1/2" or 11" binding edge. No tools are required for setup & changeover and a user friendly LCD screen guides the operator through setup and operation. The Koilmatic inserter uses the same patented technology as James Burn CB30QS Inserter.
 
Coastal (booth 1741) shows at GOA 2011 its new Digi-Trans No Weed Laser Transfer Paper. This product was created specifically to leave ZERO BACKGROUND in the space around designs. This revolutionary transfer is a single step, self-weeding paper that will only transfer the toner to the garment alone. This makes the image appear as if it were screen-printed directly onto the textile. Digi-Trans is an ideal paper for white and light-colored fabrics.
 
Digi-Trans No Weed transfer paper eliminates the need to trim around an image before transferring and is great for full color logos or artwork. Digi-Trans runs in both oil and oil-free laser copiers and printers. Digi-Trans works well on cotton, cotton/poly blends, polyester and more.
 
Orbus Exhibit & Display Group (booth 531) recently introduced The Vector Frame back wall series product line. The Vector Frame series provides exhibitors with clean, easy-to-assemble back wall displays. Vector Frame back walls feature extrusion frames and tension fabric graphics, which can be single or double-sided. Using a system of locking extrusions, the Vector Frame assembles quickly and easily with a few turns of the provided alan key. The fabric graphics feature clear, silicone beading sewn throughout the edges, which simply push into the groves of the assembled extrusion frame.  Available in a variety of sizes, both square and rectangle shape, the Vector Frame series works well in tabletop setting, as a banner or as a complete back wall system.  All Vector Frame products pack into a hard molded case for easy transportation and storage; lighting is optional. 
 
Tamerica Products, Inc. - TPI (booth 1101) is showing its newest OfficePro Binding Series and the Economy Binding Series at GOA 2011. The OfficePro Series features three different machines for comb, wire, and coil binding.  All three have push-button punching and fully disengageable pins for flexible punching options, plus a self-centering paper guide for an easy punching setup.  The Economy Binding Series in turn offers low-cost yet high-value options for budget-conscious customers.  These all-manual machines also come in plastic comb, 3:1 pitch twin-loop wire, and 4:1 pitch coil formats.

Following discussions with a local charity, Your Sign Company took on the challenge of preparing a variety of vehicles for the 8000kms rally to the Sahara desert.
 
With a number of business men and women involved not only was the brief to "race up" the vehicles, but also to promote the rally and the many businesses involved. With the rally not due to commence until September, the cars can currently be seen touring around the country, as well as attending various shows and shopping centres.
 
The range of cars was diverse and included a £150,000 Bentley GTC, a Range Rover Sport, a Monster truck and a number of 4x4 vehicles. All the vehicles were fully or part wrapped in Your Sign Company's purpose-designed Cambridgeshire premises.
 
"It was great have such a diverse range of vehicles coming through the doors to really test our ability" comments Nick Dowell, Director.  "The rally raises funds for a great cause and as well as all of the vehicle livery, we also supplied a mountain of exhibition displays for the charity dinner event held in early February"
 
Details of the rally can be found at www.sahararally.net

A 1,000-strong fleet of vans used by workers carrying out essential repairs and maintenance to homes across the UK has been given a brand-new look - with a little help from a major West Midlands signs company.

Lovell Respond - the response and planned maintenance business of national affordable housing specialist Lovell - commissioned Birmingham-based Hollywood Monster to re-brand 1,000 vans at key depots in Wales, Scotland, and throughout England. 

The vans, property of Connaught Partnerships when it went into administration in September, were transferred to Lovell as a part of the company’s acquisition of an interest in the majority of Connaught Partnerships’ contracts and related assets.

The Connaught branding has now been removed and replaced with Lovell and Lovell Respond branding – a major exercise for Hollywood Monster’s team. The company committed 10 fitters to work on the contract for two months, completing around 100 vehicles per week.

Hollywood Monster managing director Tim Andrews said:  “This was the biggest contract of its type for us and I am pleased that we have been able to efficiently deliver the support Lovell Respond needed to ensure that essential maintenance work has been able to continue without interruption.

“It has been a massive challenge to rebrand 1,000 vehicles in a relatively short space of time at locations as far afield as Scotland, Wales, Plymouth and Norwich. As each of the new Lovell contracts began, we had to react immediately. The project has involved mass planning for the company and all departments have been pulling together to ensure the job is perfect.  Our client has been impressed with our communication and fast turnaround and we are determined to ensure this high level of service continues.”

The venture also includes a re-brand of numerous office buildings in the form of exterior branding signage and interior reception signage.

Lovell managing director Stewart Davenport said: “Keeping the workforce on the road and able to deliver vital maintenance services for our customers has been our priority. The support we received from Hollywood Monster has been superb and we are delighted with the new-look fleet.” Lovell has its national head office in Tamworth, Staffordshire, while the company’s Midlands regional office is in Birmingham.

As the largest graphics solutions business in the West Midlands region, Hollywood Monster’s skilled craftsmen provide clients all over the UK with a range of graphics and digitally printed products – from an A4 sign board to the largest building wrap or structure. We are experts in consultancy, project management and planning, offering a bespoke service from supply only to a fully experienced, safe and insured installation service.

Hollywood Monster services a variety of industries across the UK including:  industrial, commercial and residential construction & development; retail; professional services; exhibition; event and stadium; museum & theatrical. Hollywood Monster was created in August 2009 with the coming together of sister companies Hollywood Signs and Monster Digital. Employing in excess of 55 people, the 30,000 sq ft premises is situated in the centre of the UK, providing an excellent distribution centre to the rest of the UK, complemented by sales offices in Birmingham and London.

Photo caption: Tim Andrews, managing director of Hollywood Monster, and Stewart Davenport (in mirror), managing director of Lovell, display the newly rebranded maintenance vans.