Large Format Review - Business News

 

Sign on Scotland was established in June 2000 to provide fast, effective, specialist signage services to the commercial property sector.  The organisation manufactures and erects an extensive and diverse array of signage products for commercial agents, landlords, developers and estate managers throughout Scotland.

Sign on Scotland’s products include architectural signage, estate agency ‘for sale’ and ‘sold’ signs, banners, large advertising boards, internal marketing and property and estate management signs and windows graphics.

Being able to respond rapidly to its customers’ needs is a key factor in the success of Sign on Scotland’s business.  Sign on Scotland outputs all its printing requirements on one Mimaki JV3-160SP printer.  This printer needs to be up and running, with limited downtime for maintenance and repairs.

The Mimaki JV3-160SP solvent inkjet printer is low maintenance and can produce photo-quality 720dpi, three year durable outdoor prints.  It is 1.6m in width, can print to a wide range of media and reaches print speeds of up to 19sq metres per hour.

Kenny Noble, Director of Sign on Scotland, explains, “We had a slight issue with our Mimaki JV3 large format digital printer and needed to quickly purchase genuine, replacement Mimaki pumps.  I called one supplier who told me that these parts could only be sold as an ‘engineer fit’ and not simply sent out to me.  This would take too long and it was at this point that another printer engineer I knew recommended I got in contact with Tech8.”

Based in Maidenhead, Tech8 offers a support and onsite engineering service and enables quick and easy access to spares and accessories via telephone or its web-portal. The most commonly-used and required items are dispatched within 24 hours, with delivery available across the globe.

Kenny Noble adds, “I called Tech8 and spoke to one of the technicians.  They were exceptional both from a product knowledge point of view and in their ability to quickly despatch the replacement parts.  I had the parts I needed the very next day.  Tech8 has all the components required to keep a company in productivity when printers breakdown or require parts.”

Justin Atkinson, Technical Manager at Tech8 added, “Our aim is to be able to supply the right support to our customers at all times.  It was a simple request from Sign on Scotland, but speed of delivery was crucial.  We were able to get the pumps to Kenny for the following morning ensuring that his business experienced minimum downtime.”

For further information on Tech8 products and services you can visit their website at www.tech8.eu

To meet growing demand for the company’s UV-LED inkjet printer/cutters, engravers and 3D products, Roland DGA Corp. has formed a new strategic accounts team to capture new business opportunities.

“Roland UV inkjet, engraving and 3D products present tremendous opportunities for growth, and we have taken steps to strengthen our presence in key markets for these products including the label and package prototyping industry, personalisation and industrial marking industries, the educational market and other specialised markets served by our rapid prototyping solutions,” said Rick Scrimger, vice president/general manager for Roland DGA Corp. “It is with pleasure that I announce the promotion of Tony Miller and the addition of Adam Sebran and Grant Davis to our new strategic accounts team.”

Tony Miller, Sales Manager, Strategic Accounts

To lead the team, Roland has promoted Tony Miller to the position of sales manager, strategic accounts. He has more than 17 years of industry experience, including six years in management-level sales and product management positions with Roland as well as technical sales and product management experience with ENCAD and Eastman Kodak Company. He holds a bachelor of arts degree from Wheaton College.

Adam Sebran, Business Development Manager, Engraving

Adam Sebran has joined Roland to lead business development efforts for the company’s engraving product line. In this position, Sebran is responsible for channel development for Roland EGX engravers and MPX impact printers. Sebran has 19 years of sales and management experience with industry organisations including MultiCAM and ScanVec, and as owner of Advanced Machine Tool Corp.

Grant Davis, Business Development Manager, UV Products

Roland has hired Grant Davis as part of the team to support business development opportunities for the company’s VersaUV UV-LED inkjet printer/cutter line. Davis brings strong equipment sales experience to the position including 22 years working with Roland products. Most recently, Davis served as vice president of equipment sales and service at Proveer, an authorized Roland dealer. Davis’ background includes experience managing his own dealership and as well as serving as a previous southeastern sales manager for Roland.

The strategic accounts team also includes Glenn Kennedy, who serves as channel sales manager for 3D milling and scanning products, and Matt Owens, business development manager for Roland’s VersaUV UV-LED inkjet printer/cutter line.

“We have a very strong strategic accounts team in place, bringing years of experience to our customers and partners across these markets,” Miller said. “We are well positioned to help our customers and partners build strong businesses and maximise their investment in innovative Roland technology.”

The new DFP family of direct-to-fabric digital printers from ATP Color provides a complete solution that enables printing directly onto polyester and other fabric substrates with flawless results. Available now in the UK and Ireland, from Atech Ltd, the system features precision media handling  and an advanced on-board sublimation unit that together ensure outstanding image quality with rich saturated colors for flags, banners, textiles, and soft signage that maintain their natural drape and texture.

ATPColor Direct-to-Fabric printers provide a very productive workflow with sublimation printing directly onto the fabric then fixing or sublimating with the onboard sublimation unit. Now with the addition of the InLine Cutting System, you can also cut the fabric, while keeping it contained within the footprint of a single compact roll-to-roll printer system.

The ATPColor DFP Series is designed to easily print on open mesh fabrics such as flag material and sports textiles without marking the back side of the fabric with “blow-by” ink. The specially designed ink trough with sponge pad absorbs any ink that passes through the fabric. Designed specifically to meet the demands of high-volume jobs, the system supports long production runs and lower production costs.

The disperse dye sublimation inks are highly advanced, delivering exceptional colour gamut and fastness to sublimated graphics. The ultra-fine dot pattern ensure flawless, even ink coverage and deep, rich colours. This direct-to-fabric printing system is designed to be rugged, reliable and combines trusted performance and reliability with award winning innovative design and print quality.

The ATPColor DFP series is equipped with an intelligent media handling system that communicates directly with the printer to ensure complete control of the media and features two precision stepper motors and synchronized dancer rollers that automatically fine tune the media feeding process to ensure precise movement with every pass of the print head. Also, a special cork covered cylinder can be activated when printing on stretchable media such as Lycra®, spandex and other sports textiles.

Once the fabric has been printed, it passes round a rotating temperature-controlled heated calender equipped with an infrared thermometer. The design ensures consistent heat is maintained across the entire calender surface resulting in even, accurate color. This advanced system monitors every phase of the heating process and makes adjustments to the temperature automatically to ensure images cure quickly and evenly. Although the system was designed to print directly on fabric, you also have the flexibility of printing on dye sub transfer paper for those projects that require it.

Specifically designed for the ATPColor Direct-to-Fabric systems, the InLine Cutting System dramatically increases the printers’ capabilities. The system uses cold knife technology to make sharp flawless cuts and the cutter can be stopped or paused without causing defects in the printed fabric – a significant advantage over traditional hot knife systems.

Features at a glance:

The ATP Color DFP Series printer

• Produce flag, banners, textiles and soft signage with a single system;
• Print directly onto coated or uncoated polyester fabrics;
• No need for transfer paper or separate heat press;
• High Capacity Bulk Ink System – ideal for unattended printing and lower production costs;
• On Board Sublimation System bonds the printed image to the fabric resulting in a permanent, durable image;
• Intelligent Workflow – Roll-to-roll operation minimizes requirement for operator oversight.

The ATPColor InLine Cutting System

• Rotating Stainless Steel Cutter Bar driven by precision 24VDC motor
• Heavy Duty construction for industrial use Cold Knife Technology
• Adjustable Knives, 4 included with the 74” version, 6 included with the 104” version
• Compact Foot Print, with onboard sublimation unit, resulting in no increase in printer footprint includes all accessories necessary for installation.

For more information on the DFP Series textile printers or for a FREE sample, call Atech on 01707 373738 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

Xennia Technology Ltd, the world’s leading industrial inkjet solutions provider, today announces the completion of the acquisition of Cametrics – known for its ixPressia digital printing software products. This further enhances the integration of Xennia’s XenJet module portfolio, making the benefits of digital inkjet technology – reduced costs, increased productivity and just-in-time customisation – available more quickly and at reduced cost.

Dr Alan Hudd, Xennia’s Managing Director, comments: “We are pleased to join forces with such a peerless software company and its accomplished team. Print software is pivotal to Xennia’s proposition and this acquisition significantly bolsters our inkjet modules and systems portfolio. The acquisition of Cametrics reinforces our ability to support our OEM customers, making inkjet implementation easier for all.”

Xennia and Cametrics have been working together for a number of years. XenJet Cygnus, Xennia’s print software module, is based around Cametrics’ ixPressia PrintEngine product. XenJet Cygnus provides a ‘printer manager’ capable of running all modules of the printing system, including the print engine, fluid controllers, maintenance station, printhead and/or substrate motion and UV curing. XenJet Cygnus prints image files in any standard image format, with full colour management, and handles variable data, such as barcodes and serial numbers, which change from print to print.

 

A whole new look is in store for Richard Childress Racing (RCR) thanks to wide-format inkjet printing technology from Roland DGA Corp. A partnership between the two companies, announced today, establishes Roland DGA as the exclusive printer manufacturer for RCR, a legendary performer on the NASCAR racing circuit and home to three of the top 2010 Sprint Cup Series Chase finishers, including Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton and Clint Bowyer.

“We are honoured to partner with Richard Childress Racing,” said Dave Goward, president and CEO of Roland DGA Corp. “Years of prestigious wins have made RCR a NASCAR legend and favorite among racing fans everywhere. We look forward to sharing in the excitement of this amazing organisation.”

The partnership equips RCR’s new state-of-the-art Graphics Centre with Roland’s most advanced wide-format inkjet printers and printer/cutters including SOLJET PRO III XC-540MT and VersaCAMM VS inkjet printer/cutters featuring Roland’s award-winning Metallic Silver ECO-SOL MAX ink. Through the partnership, RCR will open its campus-like facility located in Welcome, North Carolina, to Roland for training classes, dealer meetings, product demonstrations and other events, and will offer additional support to Roland advertising and marketing campaigns.

Since opening the RCR graphics studio, Roland printers have been working around the clock to wrap RCR’s extensive inventory of racing cars and trucks, show cars and delivery vehicles.

“Roland printers provide RCR’s in-house graphics department with quality, speed, reliability and the ability to print and cut graphics in one seamless effort,” said Richard Childress, president and CEO of Richard Childress Racing. “Roland printers will give our vehicles a new look and feel, as well as allow us the quality control and quick turnaround we were looking for.”

 

An important new distribution agreement between CMYUK Digital and A Berger will result in the German specialist digital textile manufacturer’s full range of versatile products being available in the UK. This arrangement covers the Krefeld based company’s entire portfolio of materials, which can now be obtained from a single source supplier in this country for the first time.

Suitable for direct and transfer dye sublimation printers, such as those from Mimaki and Mutoh, A Berger’s materials can also be used with most other ink chemistries, including HP’s latex printing technologies. Similarly, there are many products in the company’s catalogue which are ideal for UV-curable and solvent-based systems, with many of the textiles having a universal capability to bring them added versatility.

For CMYUK Digital, the addition of Berger’s digital textiles to its range of products and services is a logical move for the specialist distributor of wide-format printing solutions as it reflects the increasing interest from printers using all types of machine who want to benefit from these materials. The comprehensive range of media includes typical fabrics used for soft signs, flags and banners and also encompasses the rapid growth in demand from the home furnishing and interior décor markets.

Similarly, for point-of-sale and retail advertising, CMYUK Digital is addressing the move towards polyester-based media not only for its lighter weight and ease of handling but also because of the potential to be recycled. Most of the Berger materials also carry B1/M1 fire ratings, thus making them suitable for interior applications, such as light boxes, back-lits and furnishings.

CMYUK Digital’s Jon Price states: “Everyone is predicting a huge increase in interest for digital textiles in the UK but, until now, it hasn’t been easy to obtain high quality materials from a long-standing manufacturer and converter. By bringing Berger’s products to this country we know we can extend the potential of these fabrics into a wealth of different display and décor arenas.

“For users of dye sublimation printers, both direct and transfer, the Berger portfolio of PES and PP polyester-based textiles will enhance the production opportunities available within the digital printing market,” Price continues. “Additionally we expect to see an increase in textile production from companies that have invested in other ink technologies, including HP’s latex plus aqueous-based, solvent-based and UV-curable systems.”

Because CMYUK Digital has decided to offer the entire catalogue of materials from A Berger this means that a vast range of PVC-free products is now available on the UK market for the first time. The company’s textiles bring more environmentally friendly alternatives to users of wide-format digital printers, with art and stretch canvases, black-out and noise-absorbing acoustic media complementing the more commonly employed options used for banners, flags, inflatables, umbrellas and framed displays.

“Although the potential of Berger materials is huge within the dye sublimation market, moving into digital textile production doesn’t mean having to buy a new printer,” concludes Price. “With such a broad selection of media options now available from the company, every ink formulation can be accommodated with reliable, robust coatings on a choice of high quality polyester-based fabrics.”

With a long history in the production of textiles, going back to the late 19th century, in 1977 the original company Schüssler took over its customer A Berger whose primary activities today concentrate on the development of textiles for digital printing. The growing, comprehensive portfolio of materials is designed to cater for all ink technologies and every type of application where polyesters and mixes can be used to replace conventional display products.

CMYUK Digital is the UK authorised distributor for EFI VUTEk UV-curable wide-format printers and Mutoh’s Viper TX 1.6 and 2.2 m direct-to-textile system, designed for the soft sign and display markets. The company also supplies the Zünd G3 contour cutting solution, as well as a selection of OEM inks for a variety of manufacturers.