03 Nov 2024

FESPA and Member Associations Collaborate to Create First European Congress

FESPA is hosting its first European Congress on 19th November 2010 in Brussels, with the support of six of FESPA’s national member associations in north-western Europe.

The Congress is targeted specifically towards business owners, directors and general managers of print service businesses in Benelux, Germany, Switzerland, France and the UK. The one-day event will feature a series of high-level conference sessions addressing business critical issues common to printers in these mature European markets. Lunch and a post-event drinks reception will give delegates an invaluable opportunity to network informally with peers from their own and neighbouring countries.

The central theme of the Congress is ‘Continuing to Innovate’. This acknowledges that north-western Europe has been a driver of technical, applications and business innovation in wide format print, while emphasising the need to remain innovative to stay competitive and profitable. The Congress will feature technical content as well as covering issues such as marketing and the environmental agenda from a northern European perspective.

Confirmed speakers include technical guru Nicholas Hellmuth (FLAAR); marketing and communications expert from specialist agency Marcom Projects, Jan Van der Veken; FESPA board member and successful print and marketing services entrepreneur Christian Duyckaerts; and ‘print coach’ Nick Devine. FESPA managing director Frazer Chesterman and sales and marketing director Marcus Timson will also deliver their popular 60 Minutes to Innovate session. The event is sponsored by European Congress Platinum Partner Fujifilm.

FESPA’s partner associations in this Congress are Febelgra (Belgium), ZSO (Netherlands), BVDM (Germany), VWP (Switzerland), GPSF (France) and Prism (UK). Representatives of all six organisations will be present, facilitating regional interaction for delegates. The event offers the ideal opportunity for printers to find out more about the benefits of membership of their national association, which gives discounted access to FESPA events of this kind around the globe.

FESPA Managing Director Nigel Steffens, explains: “It’s often said that we operate in a global market, and FESPA’s pan-regional conferences and summits offer top-class coverage of generic issues affecting wide-format printers the world over. But we can’t overlook the fact that our community is maturing at different rates depending on geography and local market conditions, and the effects of the recent economic downturn have differed significantly from region to region.

He adds, “At FESPA, we’re committed to understanding and supporting the needs of our member associations. One effective way of doing this is to work with clusters of national associations in key regions to deliver events that can hone in on the specific commercial issues that affect print business owners and managers in their countries. We expect this Congress in Brussels to be the first of several regional events organised in collaboration with our member associations, which now number more than 30 worldwide.”

Full details of the FESPA European Congress are available from the FESPA web site at www.fespa.com/european-congress. Printers registering to attend the FESPA European Congress before 5th October 2010 will benefit from an Early Bird delegate rate of Euros 250.00, increasing to Euros 350.00 after that date. Members of FESPA national associations receive a substantial discount, paying just Euros 100.00 before 5th October, rising to Euros 150.00 after that date.

The first 50 delegates to register for the FESPA European Congress will receive a copy of FESPA’s acclaimed FESPA Sensations book, a premium quality portfolio of screen printing effects designed to showcase the sensational creative capabilities of the process.

Neolt to show new UV printers and finishing equipment at Viscom Italy

NEOLT S.p.A. will show new printers and print finishing machines at the Viscom Italy trade show in Milan (October 21st - 23rd).

At Neolt's booth G01/H10 in Hall 3, the company from Lombardy will demonstrate:

X-Jet 3200 UV printer featuring Xaar 1001 print heads: Neolt's top-of-the-line printer was developed to maximize the output volume without compromising on quality. The highly robust structure of the machine with a Neolt-proprietary ink circulation system and the implementation of the Xaar 1001 print heads, with their ink drop sizes ranging from 6 to 42 PL, make this possible. This is the first time that Neolt shows the 3200 mm model. Earlier on, the X-Jet 2050 was launched.

AsterJet 2200 hybrid UV printer, Xaar Proton print heads: This machine, shown in a CMYK + White color configuration, has a print width of 2200 mm and features two innovative media transport systems: a patented rotating vacuum cylinder for flexible media and a vacuum moving bar for rigid substrates with a thickness of up to 50 mm. Allowing borderless printing on all four sides, the AsterJet 2200 is now shown for the first time printing with white ink.

AsterJet 1650 hybrid UV printer, Xaar Proton print heads: Designed for smaller print shops with limited investment resources, this printer, which at the show will print in a CMYK+Lc+Lm configuration, handles flexible and rigid media up to 10 mm thickness. Low as its purchasing price may be, the printer delivers excellent output quality at high speed. It features Neolt's patented rotating vacuum cylinder, which transports both flexible and rigid media securely and safely through the printer. White ink is available for this printer as well. Neolt will show the printer as part of a complete workflow solution, together with an automatic unwinder for jumbo rolls and the XY Matic Trim for simultaneous horizontal and vertical cutting.

Neolam PE: This is an entirely new family of entry-level cold laminators which Neolt launches at Viscom. This laminator is available in sizes 1100, 1400 and 1650 mm and has a pneumatic system to regulate the nip opening (max. 20 mm) and upper roll pressure.

NeoWeld 1300 is Neolt's best-selling welding solution for banner and other PVC material. Extremely easy to install and to operate, this strong impulse-electric device is suitable both for welding hem pockets and for joining pieces of substrate.

Textile Super Trim: the world's first and only stand-alone trimmer for natural and synthetic fabrics. With iTs heated, motorized rotary blade the machine cuts and seals at the same time to avoid fraying. With the heating switched off, this trimmer cuts any other flexible substrate up to 8 mm thick.

Universal Trim: This is a three-in-one machine featuring a disc saw to cut rigid materials, a pneumatic blade which cuts semi-rigids and a dedicated tool for cutting glass.

Integration Technology heads charge to industrial print curing at IMI 2010

 

The fast-emerging industrial digital printing market defined the USA’s IMI Suppliers Showcase this month and Integration Technology Ltd (ITL) was on hand with an extensive programme of brand new UV LED curing solutions anticipating its needs.

While end users from diverse digital markets attended the event in Baltimore, MD it was clear industrial digital printing had arrived in full force, reported ITL North America General Manager, Jennifer Heathcote.

“While the wide format commercial graphics market continues to thrive, the general view taken at IMI was that the industrial sector could be larger by a factor of at least forty,” said Jennifer.

“We picked up a lot of attention at this event because we had evidently anticipated demand from this new sector.”

Industrial printing covers a diversity of application - decorative, functional, or both – including those for printed electronics, man/machine interface, solar cell/energy, RFID, building/home décor, equipment markings, displays and optics, packaging, smart cards, life sciences and 3D prototyping.

A key sub-sector within the market, printing is starting to replace traditional electronics manufacturing content and open the door to a significant amount of new product development. A $US1.6 billion market in 2009, printed electronics is expected to worth alone some $US330 billion by 2027.

ITL reports fast-growing interest in applications for its LED Zero series products in many applications such as decorating, product packaging, printed electronics, and photovoltaics as well as wide format digital printing, where the company already has significant market share.

Seven new air cooled UV LED’s plus a further three new water cooled versions to complement the existing Pincure and Solidcure products formed ITL’s core offer at IMI, where visitors were the first to see new brands Hi-Cure and VTwin.

Jennifer added: “All of our new UV LED products were very well received at this show.  Everyone knows LEDs are the future and these new systems made an impact.”

 

Leading Manufacturers Choose Xaar Inkjet for Digital Ceramic Tile Printers at Tecnargilla

 

 


  • CretaPrint, Kerajet, Projecta, Intesa and TecnoFerrari show latest inkjet printers featuring Xaar 1001 printheads
  • Ferro, Itaca, Chimigraf and Colorobbia present Xaar-approved inks for ceramic tiles
  • Xaar sponsors first Tecnargilla Design Award

 

Several leading manufacturers show innovative inkjet printers using Xaar printheads at Tecnargilla, Rimini, Italy (27th September – 1st October 2010). Xaar’s OEMs: CretaPrint, Kerajet, Projecta, Intesa and TecnoFerrari are all demonstrating the quality, flexibility and creative potential of their latest inkjet printers at the event. In addition Xaar’s ink partners, including Ferro, Esmalglass-Itaca, Chimigraf and Colorobbia, all present their range of inks certified for use with the Xaar 1001 printhead.

At Tecnargilla, Xaar’s OEM partners show the unique advantages of inkjet printed tiles and how the process significantly enhances creativity in tile design with the ability to produce life-like patterns across the whole surface, even the edges. Inkjet printing allows users to print smooth, uneven and textured tiles and borders, with the facility to print large images that eliminate any obvious repeat patterns in the final display. In addition, printers gain the freedom to produce variable and personalised images. As a non-contact process, inkjet printing also enables large and thin tiles to be printed without risk of breakage. Because the digital process has no set up time small batches can be printed quickly on request, time after time, with the confidence that the images will match. This allows companies to reduce their stocks and produce what they need, when they need it.

“The ceramics tile industry is experiencing a digital revolution,” says Mark Alexander, Director of Marketing at Xaar. “Ceramic tile producers are adopting innovative digital inkjet technology from Xaar to provide considerable benefits to their customers. Not only does the digital process open up new creative design opportunities, it also brings substantial commercial benefits in being able to produce small volumes of bespoke tiles, cost-effectively.”

The unique patented design of re-circulating ink through the printhead allows the Xaar 1001 to jet a variety of fluids. It can handle both traditional pigmented and ‘nanoparticle’ inks and, because the fluid is in constant movement sedimentation and build up of particles are eliminated. Designed for high-speed, single pass applications, the Xaar 1001 delivers excellent drop formation and drop placement accuracy with outstanding operational durability.

The Xaar 1001’s innovative XaarDOT™ features allow variable dots to be produced to give users the ability to select drop size depending upon the application. Fine drops give smooth tones, contrasting shades and sharp lines, while larger drops ensure good ink coverage at maximum print speed. The result is a stunning replication of natural materials such as stone and marble.

 

 

FESPA Announces First Ever European Congress

 

FESPA has announced its first ever FESPA European Congress.  Due to be held in Brussels on Friday 19th November, the event is specifically targeted towards the Belgian, Dutch, English, French, German and Swiss markets.

The one day event, inclusive of lunch and networking drinks reception, will be conducted in English with top speakers from Europe and the US. The Congress will deliver an inspirational and informative programme providing participants with:

 

  • Innovation
  • Best practice
  • Marketing
  • Green issues
  • Latest digital machinery and ink technology
  • Panel discussion
  • Drinks reception with extensive networking opportunities.

 

Places are limited to 80 and an early bird special offer is available before 5th November 2010. For more information, go to: www.fespa.com

 

 

FESPA 2010 Post Show Report Reflects on ‘The Perfect Wave’

 

FESPA has published its FESPA 2010 post show report, providing members of the community with an invaluable snapshot of the flagship show which took place from 22-26 June at Messe Munich, Germany.

Compiled by FESPA sales and marketing director Marcus Timson, the report includes comprehensive visitor attendance data, with breakdowns by region and deci sion maker status, as well as offering observations on the key trends which manifested themselves at the show. Readers will also find a valuable summary of the findings of FESPA’s Economy Survey 3, a stakeholder survey conducted with InfoTrends immediately after the show.

The report provides an exhaustive list of the 600+ exhibitors at the show, with testimonial statements from many of them, and a useful overview of the key tactics deployed in FESPA’s most comprehensive integrated marketing campaign to date.

The document also summarises the various interactive visitor features that comprised the FESPA Innovate! programme and includes an array of images summing up the buzz, colour and vibrancy of the world’s foremost wide format imaging show.

Demonstrating an increase in visitors interested in digital technologies, and in the seniority of visitors, the report reveals that FESPA 2010 outperformed other industry events despite the global economic situation. With figures showing an exceptional volume of new visitors, the results of the report confirm that FESPA is an event of strategic importance within its marketplace.

The 17-page printed report will be mailed to all FESPA 2010 exhibitors in September 2010, and is also available as a downloadable PDF document from the FESPA website at www.fespa.com.