Business

 

Images of steam trains from a bygone age will be printed poster-size by digital pioneer Océ as part of a centrepiece spectacular for a photographic competition and exhibition.

The Steam Railway Photographic Competition has been running throughout the summer in Williton, Somerset. Headed ‘Steam’s Up’, snappers have been invited to submit photographs for a number of categories. These include Steam Engines and Rolling Stock, Diesel, Railway Landscapes, Railway People (staff or passengers), a special section for Under 16s. There’s even a competition for those who shun the digital age, and want to render their images in paint, pastel, crayon or any other medium.

Hundreds of entries have already been received by organisers, which have now been whittled down to 120. Final judging will start one week before the exhibition that is due to take place in West Somerset House, in the centre of Williton, to coincide with the West Somerset Railway’s Autumn Steam Gala on October 1-3. Details on www.willitonparishcouncil.org

One of the main highlights will be the provision of a poster service throughout the weekend where enthusiasts can turn their snaps into poster size images for the cost of the materials, plus a small contribution to charity.

Digital manufacturer and software provider Océ will be providing a super-fast printer that will provide colour images nearly four feet wide in just over 30 seconds!  Called an Océ ColorWave 600, the printer works through a printing technology called Océ CrystalPoint™. This technology, rather than inks, uses solid toner pearls that are converted into a gel, jetted and then crystallised on to paper. The Océ ColorWave 600 produces an A0 full colour sheet (one-square metre) in 34 seconds.

Event instigator David Chadwick said: “It’s been a lot of hard work, but it will be all worthwhile.  This event will be extremely visual and Océ’s help in producing the eye-catching posters on this revolutionary machine will be a real attraction and interest for rail and camera enthusiasts at what we know is going to be a fantastic event.”

On hand throughout the show will be Océ display graphics specialist Ian Guiver, who will be using Onyx Poster Production House software in conjunction with the printer, and be providing a series of master-classes on print production. “The camera enthusiasts will be able to see that it’s not just about pixel quality that makes a print stand out – it’s also to do with the technology,” he said. “The Océ ColorWave 600 prints on to a wide range of medias, ranging from uncoated and recycled papers all the way through to specialties like Tyvek for maximum durability with its water resistant CrystalPoint finish. The technology is environmentally friendly with no emissions of ozone, odour or fine powder and does not use liquids or solvents.”

Proceeds from producing poster images from photographs will go to the Little Havens Children’s Hospice, which is supported by Océ UK Ltd.

 

Sample Print, the Canon large format print sample service, announces the addition of commercial photographer Keith Cooper of Northlight Images to their web service. In an effort to keep the site relevant and interesting Sample Print refresh the images they offer to give customers a broader and more interesting selection. The new Keith Cooper images introduced to the site, all have a strong architectural or industrial feel to them. Rob Andrews of Sample Print said “We were looking for some strong Architectural images as well as some interesting black and whites which Keith has been able to provide for us.  All three images are commercial works and offer customers the chance to see output from real commercial applications.”

Cooper, renowned for his landscape imagery, lectures and writes on photography as well as offering private training and seminars. He also reviews products and provides information on his findings through his Northlight Images website. Having recently reviewed the Canon iPF6300 in July, Cooper was confident of letting his images be reproduced on the Canon products. He said “It’s one of the best quality printers we’ve looked at to date”.

The Sample Print service, now in its third year, provides potential Canon large format customers the chances to view images taken by professional photographers in their everyday work. All the images are taken on Canon EOS cameras and printed for the requestor on the printer of their choice. The service sends out hundreds of images a year all produced on the Canon ImagePROGRAF range of printers. “The majority of our images go to photographers and fine art users,” said Andrews, “with the addition of Keith’s work we now feel we have some exciting images to tap into all sectors.”

 

 

 

The latest news in from the Sign & Digital UK Team is they’ve seen an unprecedented surge in sales recently - resulting in nearly double the amount of contracted stand space compared with the same time last year, for the show which will be held on 12-14 April 2011 at the NEC, Birmingham.

Rudi Blackett, Event Director for the show comments; ''We are delighted to report that recent demand for stand positions at Sign & Digital UK 2011 has been exceptionally strong and we are now in a position where we will need to look to increase the size of the show.  It is very encouraging to see so many leading companies already booked and looking forward to the event. Our plans are also well underway to work with all exhibitors and visitors to make the show an outstanding success.''

Companies already signed up for 2011 include; Fujifilm, Roland DG, Hybrid Services/Mimaki, Elements, Screen UK, Hewlett-Packard, Hexis, GPT, EskoArtwork, William Smith, Drytac, 3A Composites, Graphtec, Printmax, Atech, QPS, Signwaves, Fairfield Displays plus many more…

With excitement building for the UK’s premier visual communications event Duncan Jefferies, marketing manager for Hybrid Services Ltd, had this to say after signing up for the 2011 event;

"As Mimaki's exclusive UK distributor, Hybrid is thoroughly looking forward to attending Sign & Digital UK 2011. It constitutes one of the focal points on our calendar and for us - it's three days of valuable opportunities, meeting with existing and new customers and promoting Mimaki's latest printer and cutting hardware. We'll see you there!”

Brett Newman, Technical Director at Roland DG (UK) Ltd comments: “We’ve attended Sign and Digital UK for many years as it continues to deliver us new customers. It’s the place where the sign and digital print industry meets and the perfect platform for us to show our latest products. Last year’s show brought us the highest quality visitors we’ve seen for many years and as a result of this we’ve decided to book for 2011 to secure our favourite stand location.”

Graham Leeson, Marketing Communications Manager from Fujifilm Europe also added his comments on booking for 2011; "We were delighted with the response gained from the 2010 show, and the interest shown in our Euromedia range in particular, and are confident that the 2011 show will deliver again in terms of visitor attendance, leads and sales.  We are pleased, therefore, to confirm our attendance at Sign & Digital 2011."

Nick Wintle, managing director of IGS UK also confirmed the reasons for their early booking “We know it’s early days to think about next year’s exhibitions, but we wanted to make sure of our place at Sign & Digital UK 2011,” states Nick, “The response we’ve received so far to our Elements family of green printing solutions has been overwhelming. This ‘early bird’ approach also lets our reseller channel and potential end users have a firm date in their diaries for seeing our systems at first hand.”

With 7 months from show the marketing team has been working hard to collate feedback, brainstorm ideas and carefully plan the marketing campaign, seminars and show features such as the popular Sign Makers Workshop. With most deals and agreements already in place the wide reaching yet targeted campaign has been mapped out to attract high volumes of quality visitors to the exhibition and help exhibitors promote their presence at the show.

Sign & Digital UK continues to offer free online visitor pre-registration which will be available very shortly, but in the meantime you can ‘register now’ and leave your details where you will then be informed via email when registration goes live. Visit the website for access to the latest innovations and exciting launch news & competitions in the lead up to the show – www.signanddigitaluk.com

With stand space going fast, exhibitors are encouraged to contact the team now to avoid disappointment:

Alex Dann 0208 651 7091 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Alex Howard 0208 651 7155 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

 

Large Format Review, the online publication focused on the wide and super-wide format digital printing business, has appointed Abi Ricketts as Editor.  In this new role, she will be responsible for bringing the latest product and industry news from all areas of the large format printing market, as well as developing the publication to ensure it remains at the forefront of the industry.

With nearly 15 years experience in copywriting and all other aspects of PR and communications, Abi most recently worked at JGC marketing consultancy, providing PR and marketing support for several well-known companies in the large format printing industry including coated media manufacturer, InteliCoat (formerly Rexam Graphics) and Colourgen, a leading distributor in the market.

Abi has strong organisational skills and has also held several in-house communications positions, including European PR Director at Newbridge Networks (subsequently acquired by Alcatel; now Alcatel-Lucent) where she was responsible for developing and implementing pan-European PR strategies.  She was also in charge of external communication relating to the acquisition of Newbridge Networks by Alcatel.

She comments, “I am really looking forward to maximising the potential of LFR.  In addition to ensuring the large format industry continues to be furnished with relevant, timely news, I will focus on developing unique content for the LFR readership.”

Please email all relevant press releases in the large format digital printing arena to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

 

 

Vista System International, a world leader in Modular Curved Frame Technology (MCFT), recently supplied its elegant and easy to update Wayfinding sign frames to “Carbonell Rotulación + Imagen”, for installation at all KFC Branches in Spain – as part of a big renovation project.

During the last 2 years, all branches of KFC in Spain went through an image upgrading process, focused mainly on re designing the point of sale areas. The designer of the renovation project needed an elegant and easily updateable sign system that will complement the new design.  Due to the dynamic nature of the project the signs had to be delivered to various locations in Spain within a very short notice. Vista System was chosen for its elegant design, ease of updating by in house staff and fast shipping options.

Modular Curved Frame Technology provides many advantages vs. other custom fabricated and modular sign systems.  It is easy to install and update by even a novice.  This saves time and the costs associated with using onsite signage professionals.  Clear, concise directions make the installation process fast and easy.  MCFT can be dismantled easily for efficient shipping and in many cases can even be shipped via such lower cost delivery services as UPS, FedEx and additional similar delivery companies overseas

 

 

 

A leading event production company is transforming the face of hoardings this autumn thanks to the launch of an innovative and eco-friendly product.

GTMS’ new Visionply hoarding is created especially for retail, advertising, leisure, construction, theme parks and signage industries, and offers a wealth of benefits.

Visionply is 100% recyclable, fully weatherproof and can be used in both permanent and temporary installations. And, as a key time and cost-saving advantage, GTMS’ revolutionary new product cuts out two of the processes required with other hoarding products.

Dominik Short, GTMS’ Director said, “Visionply is an exciting addition to our product and services portfolio and we are delighted that this cutting edge hoarding will be of benefit to so many industries.”

The new printable plywood panels are available in various thicknesses and sizes. The Hampshire firm has just completed an installation of 200m2 of Visionply at the first ever Goodwood Vintage Festival that took place in August.

“Visionply is extremely versatile whilst offering real choice and massive cost savings for our clients. It’s not only practical but can be used as an eye-catching feature thanks to the fantastic print quality,” added Dominik.