Large Format Review - Business News

Swiss-based swissQprint has appointed New South Wales-based Positive Camtec Pty Ltd as its exclusive Australia and New Zealand distributor.

Following the withdrawal of Zund from the UV printer market in 2007, swissQprint emerged as a new company in 2008. Established by the former Zund development and manufacturing team, it continues a 10 year success story with a new generation of UV flatbed printers.  Following great market success, swissQprint has since doubled its manufacturing capacity in 2011 and has over 190 installations to its name.

“With the increase in our manufacturing capacity, it was the right time to expand into new markets,” said Kilian Hintermann, swissQprint Director of Marketing & Sales. “After much market research, we chose Positive Camtec due to their strong technical expertise and impressive approach to customer service and support.”

“Although we had been in discussions with swissQprint for sometime and were very impressed by their build quality, print quality and features, we were equally impressed by their approach and patience in only entering markets they could fully support” said Philip Trumble, Technical Director of Positive Camtec. “It was a clear sign to us that they lived and breathed the quality that the Swiss are renowned for and that the market expects.”

swissQprint produces two primary models, the Oryx and Impala. Both machines are true UV flatbed printers, with the primary difference being the print speed due to the print head size. Oryx and Impala offer print resolution up to 1200 dpi with variable droplet technology and advanced ink options such as White, Varnish, Primer, Orange, Green, Light Black or any Pantone colour.

A unique “board option” allows for automatic indexing of oversized sheets up to 2.5 metres wide by 4 metres in length, without the use of a conveyer belt or ‘hybrid’ flatbed system, and a full width 2.5 metre roll-to-roll (RMO) is also available. Due to the modular design of the Impala and Oryx printers, options can be added at anytime for increased capabilities, increased production speed or improved workflow.

“With top speeds of 134m2/h, the 2.5 metre wide ‘smart roll-to-roll’ (RMO) and the unique ‘board option’, swissQprint has set a new class standard in UV flatbed printing” said Adriano Gut, Sales & Marketing Manager of Positive Camtec. “For anyone considering investing in a Durst, Vutek, Oce or HP flatbed printer, it’s a must to consider the swissQprint range! Driven by the highest precision and quality, the Oryx and Impala tick many of the boxes and meet the demands of our challenging industry.”

Océ has launched an innovative new portfolio for technical document systems. A complete range of new systems and services are being introduced - including three new printers, new 'eneo' document distribution software and carbon-neutral paper for wide format print - to help technical users take advantage of advances in technical document printing.

Cooperation changes the future of technical document printing

This new portfolio for the technical document market confirms the commitment of Océ and Canon to this industry. While many manufacturers are reducing their investment in this area, Océ and Canon have set out a clear strategy that includes continued investment and development of new technologies to help customers produce their documents faster and more cost-effectively.

Erik van Eldik, Océ Vice President, Technical Document Systems comments, “We are seeing a shift in the technical market as companies face the challenges of remaining competitive in the current economic climate. We developed this new portfolio to address the practical needs of technical users. They are looking for more productivity and flexibility in using their systems. They also want to waste as little time and energy costs as possible. Our new portfolio offers ways for every company to get more out of their equipment investment.”

Océ PlotWave 350 printing system – mobile printing flexibility and speed designed for workgroups and walk up users

This fast and flexible large format monochrome printer helps businesses save time and money on their document production. Many decisions in the technical world are made on site, and documents need to be updated and produced on the fly. With the new Océ MobilePlot App for iPad and the new Océ Mobile WebTools, users that have access to a WiFi router in their network can retrieve technical files from their cloud using an iPhone, Blackberry, Android device, iPad or other mobile device and send a print request to their printer. Built with an enhanced version of the unique energy efficient Océ Radiant Fusing technology, this system can print up to 6 A1 or D-size plots in one minute, with virtually no warm-up time.

Océ ColorWave 650 printing system – productive black & white and colour printing in one

The Océ ColorWave 650 printing system uses proven, award-winning winning Océ CrystalPoint technology to deliver outstanding performance. It can print in black & white and colour at up to 225 A1 prints per hour for all round productivity. The system can hold up to six media rolls and prints come out dry, cut to size and ready to use. Copy and scan templates simplify routine tasks. With the integrated folder, users can print folded document sets from their desktop.

Océ PlotWave 900 printer – the fastest monochrome printer for high production printing

Printing professionals get serious power to handle high volumes with the Océ PlotWave 900 printing system, the most productive printer in its class. This system is the next evolution of the award-winning Océ TDS800 Pro system with proven Océ technologies. The Océ PlotWave 900 is guaranteed to run for three million meters or eleven years, even in a high-volume environment. Its print quality offers further savings. Every year millions are lost in technical industries due to misinterpreted drawings from poor-quality reproductions. The Océ PlotWave 900 delivers the best reproduction quality in its class, thanks to 600 x 1200 dpi print quality, advanced image processing and the Océ Copy Press® technology.

Eneo – document distribution made easy

Distributing documents in the technical world is often laborious, time-consuming and lacks transparency for the people involved. This process is compounded by the short lead times, complex information and frequent changes involved with technical documents. Eneo is a web service which facilitates fast and easy document distribution. Users can easily upload documents to Eneo, select recipients and keep an overview of distribution, which saves time for both sender and recipient. The recipient can view, download and allow documents to be printed within the Eneo Print Network. This new service has been developed at Document Services Valley, an independent foundation launched by Océ and two other partners.

Océ RecycledWhiteZero paper – new carbon neutral paper for wide format printing

As part of its commitment to developing sustainable products, Océ has extended its portfolio of sustainable paper with a carbon neutrally produced paper for wide format printing. Océ RecycledWhiteZero is produced in an integrated mill that uses recycled pulp. It is environmentally friendly through the entire chain and FSC recycled. This white, smooth paper has been tested according to the strictest quality standards of Océ for integrity and strength. It is available in rolls for any Océ and third party wide format printing system.

For more information, please visit www.oce.com

 

Colourgen reseller, CWE Solutions, has supplied a Seiko ColorPainter W-64S wide format solvent-based inkjet printer to Display Signs. The new printer replaces a Seiko ColorPainter 64S and was selected because of the quality, speed and reliability that Display Signs knows they will get from Seiko printers.

For more than 30 years, Display Signs in Uxbridge has been one of London’s leading sign-makers. The factory is equipped with a broad range of first class sign making technology, including the latest large format digital printers and routing equipment, which allows Display Signs to produce top quality signs at competitive prices.

Although a sign-maker very much in the traditional mould, Display Signs first made a significant move to digital technology around eight years ago. Paul Cater, Sales Director, explains, “The introduction of solvent-based inkjet printing revolutionised our business and I would say around 60/70% of our work is now digital. We do a lot of cut vinyl and lettering, particularly directional wayfinders for schools, colleges and hospitals, and the Seiko has always proven ideal for this market. For many years it was an excellent workhorse, very reliable and gave us very few problems.”

He continues, “When we saw the new ColorPainter W-64S, we were confident that it took the technology forward quite significantly and would deliver even higher levels of quality and reliability in a new, faster and more powerful printer. The printer also has an advanced front drying system, which helps  ensure print workflows are faster, which allows us to increase production.”

The ColorPainter W-Series is available in 54” and 64” widths. It has new print heads which offer resolutions up to 900dpi as well as triple-drop technology for 4-step greyscale. It offers two colour configurations, including 4 colour type for lower running costs and increased speed and 6 colour type for better image quality. The combination of 6 new high speed print heads, two types of ink and several new innovative printing functions increases the printer’s performance and widens the printer’s application range for the signage and digital printing market.

The new printer was supplied to Display Signs with Caldera’s VisualRIP+, which was a major improvement on the RIP that was being used for the company’s other printers. “We can now run both the Seiko and our HP printer using VisualRIP+ from a single screen. The software is calibrated so there are no colour issues between the printers and we can print jobs to either printer knowing they will both come out exactly as we want them,” adds Paul.

The day to day maintenance of the W-64S is another big benefit. “The new printer requires very little in terms of maintenance and everything is very easy to access and clean. These daily jobs were a real chore on the old printer and we now save a good ten to fifteen minutes every day thanks to the improved process. The printer also uses significantly less ink because it doesn’t need cleaning so often, which has saved a lot of money already,” he says.

Paul Cater concludes, “The main benefit of the Seiko W-64S is its reliability and the fact that both CWE Solutions and Colourgen are able to sort out any problems very quickly. We are familiar with Seiko printers and feel that they are better than other printers in their class. We are now able to offer guaranteed delivery dates with real confidence because we know the Seiko can produce a lot of prints very quickly and with a minimum of fuss. It is fast, consistent and reliable and delivers fantastic image quality every time.”

To celebrate Sign & Digital’s 25th anniversary, Large Format Review interviewed Faversham House’s Rudi Blackett, Event Director of Sign & Digital UK 2012, to discover more about the show’s origins and future plans for the event...

History

Rudi says, “The show was first held at the NEC in the late 1980s and launched itself as a national exhibition using the branding ‘Sign UK’.  25 years on, it is still held at the NEC but has now grown to fill at least two halls in the prime Springtime exhibition season.

Faversham House bought the show in 2000 from Miller Freeman, and in 2003 launched Digital Expo as a co-located show alongside Sign UK. In 2008 the event was re-branded as Sign & Digital UK to reflect the growing use of digital products in the sign market. In 2011 the exhibition reported a 22% increase in visitor attendance and the Sign & Digital UK Awards was launched to reward success and creativity. Since Faversham bought the show we have seen the show nearly triple in size.

25th Anniversary celebrations

In order to celebrate its 25th anniversary, Sign & Digital plans to have an Anniversary Gallery which will feature photos of some of the landmark developments in sign writing, early vinyl cutting days, printing systems, installations, as well as hopefully some amusing pictures of industry colleagues sporting top range 80’s style outfits!  To date, the likes of Grafityp, Mida Sign Services, Applelec, Dorotape, Roland DG and Signs Express have sent interesting contributions.

As always, we are looking forward to the next chapter in Sign & Digital UK’s history, and we will continue to refresh the show each year to keep the show relevant and at the cutting edge.

Major changes and innovations over past 25 years

As an industry driven by technology, we have seen great advances in sign making techniques, and particularly the emergence and dominance of digital printing in the last ten years.   Wide Format print has brought the sign maker and graphic output company a whole new world of possibilities, with an array of stunning large format graphics.

From early vinyl cutting systems through to highly advanced large format flatbed printers and cutting tables, every year Sign & Digital UK has been host to another step in innovation and technical development.

In recent times we have seen the emergence of more ink suppliers, a growing range of substrates, advances in finishing systems and a wider range of output and applications such as textile print and soft signage.

Another significant change came about with the bigger corporate suppliers making more of a move into this market. The likes of Hewlett-Packard, OCE, Fujifilm and AGFA saw the opportunity to quickly build a presence and market share.

The challenges ahead

Refreshing the show each year is a challenge but we always come up with some added value for visitors, whether it is more demos, show features or opportunities to get advice. Working with exhibitors to make the show a success is always a priority.

In recent times the credit crunch and economic instability has really focused our minds on what else the show can offer. Where we certainly cannot solve the financial crisis, at least we have tried to model the show as an opportunity to find out how to get more from existing equipment, add new revenue streams and stay ahead of the competition.

Operating in a market that is all about visual communication, the challenge for us each year is to come up with dynamic branding for the event. In 2010 we introduced the ‘Robot’ branding to reflect the use of technology, and then developed this further to reflect the marriage of technology and colour management.

The most memorable show?

In terms of the most memorable show whilst I’ve been at the helm, I’d have to say it was the 2003 show with the super-wide machines.  That year we saw the show moving in a different direction with a significant presence from the likes of NUR, Scitex, Vutek, Durst and others and it was fascinating to see the reaction from visitors to these big bits of kit and the resulting output.  They were complete game-changers.

Sign & Digital UK’s future plans

As for the future, we are constantly looking at how to grow the event. If there are relevant parallel market sectors we could add and develop, we will certainly explore those.  We will also listen to the industry and welcome any suggestions.  For us as organisers, it is always about trying to deliver high value for both visitors and exhibitors.”

For more information on the Sign & Digital UK 2012 show, please visit www.signuk.com

CWE Solutions has strengthened its position by scooping three Partner of the Year awards during the recent Channel Awards ceremony event in London.

The company enjoyed an evening of great success at the HP Designjet UK and Ireland 2011 Channel Awards, scooping the awards for Sign & Display Partner of the Year, Graphics Partner of the Year, and System Sales Partner of the Year.

CWES Sales Manager Graham De Kock attended the event and was awarded the three prizes, which were all based on sales of HP printers and consumables.  He comments, “It was an amazing event and it was such an honour to accept not one but three awards on behalf of CWE Solutions. We work hard to be the best in our sector, advising clients on the right printing solution for them, and providing an ongoing support service too. To be recognised for our efforts like this is just fantastic.”

The first award presented to CWES was the Sign & Display Partner of the Year, in recognition for the sales of HP Designjet L25500, HP Scitex LX Series and HP Scitex FB Series printers.

This was soon followed by the Graphics Partner of the Year award, given to CWES because of the strong HP Designjet Z Series printer sales.

Award number three was the System Sales Partner of the Year status, presented for the sales within the 'Wide Format and Grand Printing Sector' including hardware, consumables and care packs.

The triple awards ensure a great start to the New Year for CWE Solutions. The company intends to build on this success during 2012, and has, as a sign of continued growth for the business, recently taken on two new print professionals – Mark Hollingsworth is the new Operations Manager and Ioanna Xenophantes, Internal Account Manager.

For more information on CWE Solutions, please visit www.cwesolutions.co.uk

The Color-Logic process, which produces decorative effects on metallic substrates or with metallic ink, was recently chosen by two European firms launching a new microflute board product with printable metallic film. The product, marketed as MirriNor, is a joint venture between Smurfit Kappa and Celloglas, combining Celloglas Mirri Bio Film with Smurfit Kappa T-Flute.

In bringing MirriNor to market, the partners chose the Color-Logic process because of its ability to create striking decorative effects on metalized substrates. The MirriNor product is targeted at brand managers in the luxury goods and gift pack markets, who can performance engineer their packaging while removing cost because of the light weight of the board as well as the ease with which it can be printed.

Discussing the Color-Logic role in the new product introduction, Color-Logic Director of Sales and Marketing Mark Geeves comments, “We are pleased that Smurfit Kappa and Celloglas - two premier suppliers of packaging materials - chose Color-Logic to illustrate the characteristics of their new product. We continue to see broad acceptance of the Color-Logic Process Metallic Color System in the packaging market, as well as virtually every other market segment involving printing.”

For more information, please visit www.color-logic.com