Business

Screen has announced details for its Widescreen 2011 event due to be held in Milton Keynes between 11th and 13th October 2011.  The event is designed to be of interest to a wide variety of end users - from commercial printers to specialist wide-format producers - and will offer visitors the chance to see suppliers from different points in the print cycle.

According to the organisers, Widescreen 2011 will bring together some of the major players in the wide-format world. As well as the latest Truepress Jet wide-format printers from Screen, Widescreen 2011 will show a wide range of equipment and ancillaries demonstrating the powerful capabilities of high-value applications. From design through to the finished product, visitors will see how to cost, manage and produce a wide range of creative 2D and 3D products and displays.

Highlights of this year's event include production of wallpaper and window film, lenticular morphs and animations and 'one click' see-through graphic production on the Truepress Jet2500UV. Visitors will also be able to see Screen's new wide-format solution for commercial printers - the Roland VersUV LEJ-640 -  demonstrating a range of rigid and roll-to-roll applications on a variety of substrates including Dibond and Foamex board.

BioMedia will be showing a full range of environmentally friendly, biodegradable and recyclable substrates for the large format sector, while finishing experts Solent Sewing & Welding will put a slightly different spin on substrates, putting the Miller Weldmaster T300 Extreme through its paces producing vinyl banners.

Dufaylite will also show the flexibility of the eco Ultra Board range of lightweight paper honeycomb boards to print and fabricate POS, Signage, and creative 3D Displays and a wide range of 3D used for various applications in the print and display market.

Specialist ‘value-added’ techniques will be displayed by Lintec Graphic Films and also ContraVision, with impressive one way see-through window advertisements, signs, or decorative designs on transparent plastic films and rigid sheets; and DP Lenticular making images and sales messages come to life with its lenticular posters and displays produced on digital printers.

The use of existing structures and panels for messaging, advertising and marketing is an exciting step forward that has been made possible by developments in the print sector, which will feature at Widescreen 2011. For instance, Lintec has a range of innovative self-adhesive films that transform glass into a vibrant canvas, while Neschen ERFURT and Easy Dot PVC-free digital wall coverings are available in a variety of textures which allow the printing of photorealistic images, adverts or slogans using an inkjet printer.

To bring further productivity, TimeHarvest will show its cutting edge MIS solution built for digital which allows users to seamlessly share information across multiple platforms such as those found in the display graphics sector. It works equally well by area as well as by sheet.

Widescreen 2011 takes place from Tuesday 11th October through to Thursday 13th October from 10.00am to 6.00pm each day. Refreshments will be served throughout the day.  Places can be secured by registering at www.widescreenexpo.co.uk.  Alternatively, email tate@screen.co.uk or call Dawn Tate on 01908 848500.

The countdown has begun to the 23rd Viscom Italia which will take place between 3rd and 5th November 2011 at the Fiera Milano Exhibition Centre in Rho, Milan.

There will be thousands of new products on show focused on a variety of sectors including large format digital printing, sign and display, textiles, POS and events services to name but a few. 

Paola Sarco, exhibition manager for Viscom Italia, comments, “Thousands of visitors are expected.  Not only print professionals who come to Viscom to see the latest innovations every year, but also visitors from other sectors looking for new ideas and interesting applications.”

For more information, please visit www.visualcommunication.it

HP has appointed former eBay chief Meg Whitman as president and chief executive officer.

In addition, Ray Lane has moved from non-executive chairman to executive chairman of the board of directors, and the board intends to appoint a lead independent director promptly. These leadership appointments are effective immediately and follow the decision that Léo Apotheker step down as president and chief executive officer and resign as a director of the company.

“We are fortunate to have someone of Meg Whitman’s caliber and experience step up to lead HP,” said Lane. “We are at a critical moment and we need renewed leadership to successfully implement our strategy and take advantage of the market opportunities ahead. Meg is a technology visionary with a proven track record of execution. She is a strong communicator who is customer focused with deep leadership capabilities. Furthermore, as a member of HP’s board of directors for the past eight months, Meg has a solid understanding of our products and markets.”

Whitman said, “I am honoured and excited to lead HP. I believe HP matters – it matters to Silicon Valley, California, the country and the world.”

Speaking on behalf of the board, Lane said, “We very much appreciate Léo’s efforts and his service to HP since his appointment last year. The board believes that the job of the HP CEO now requires additional attributes to successfully execute on the company’s strategy. Meg Whitman has the right operational and communication skills and leadership abilities to deliver improved execution and financial performance.”

 

Agfa Graphics and Spandex have announced the signing of an agreement under which Spandex will distribute the range of :Anapurna UV curable inkjet printers throughout Europe.

"Our customers look for solutions in the market, not just for a printer or any particular technology," said Frederik Dehing, Vice President Region Europe at Agfa Graphics. "With Spandex as a partner, we can help customers find the right solution for their application needs, from printing to finishing."

Mr. Leon Watson, Group Hardware Director at Spandex said: "The :Anapurna UV flatbed range fits perfectly into the sign and display market, as well as commercial print. In a fast changing market, it’s imperative that the machines we provide can support the application needs of our customers. The :Anapurna does that by offering high-speed, high-quality prints on machines ranging in price from €50,000 to €130,000. The addition of the new :Anapurna M2540 FB, will further cement Agfa Graphics' standing in the UV market."

At several upcoming events and exhibitions, :Anapurna will be shown integrated in the Spandex product portfolio.

Signs Express has commissioned an independent research company to poll more than 1000 businesses across the UK in order to better understand the role that signage plays in overall business marketing and branding strategies. The results will help the company to better anticipate and respond to customer needs and identify their priorities and concerns. 

The results show that the top three choices for marketing a business from scratch are a website (81%), an exterior sign (56%) and printed brochures or leaflets (48%). The least popular choices include an advert in the Yellow Pages (8%) and a two-week billboard poster campaign (6%). Online advertising of products and services is favoured by a quarter (25%) of businesses surveyed.

Looking in more detail at corporate views on traditional signs, graphics and displays; over three quarters (76%) of UK businesses said that these elements play in important role in their marketing activity. Main exterior signs ranked as the most important (43%); while vehicle graphics (36%), exhibition displays (19%) and entrance gate signs (19%) also proved popular.

Craig Brown, Managing Director at Signs Express, says: “In today’s digital age, a company website will always be an essential part of the marketing mix. Our research proves that exterior signs, which have been around for hundreds of years, are however still holding their own; coming second in the top three choices for effectively marketing a business. It is interesting that Yellow Pages advertising, another traditional option, by contrast, was ranked far lower; with support from just 8% of respondents.   Businesses realise that exterior signs play an incredibly important role in brand marketing, not to mention being an essential tool for visitors, customers and staff.”

Craig Brown continues: “Our research also showed that exterior signs, printed brochures and leaflets are far more important to businesses’ marketing activity than online advertising - underlining the strengths of the traditional printing process. Each Signs Express centre is fitted out with state-of-the-art equipment, which enables us to design, print, manufacture or install almost all forms of exterior signage to meet our customers’ briefs and budgets exactly.”

 

Roland DG is inviting its worldwide customers to participate in its first ever global competition to celebrate 30 years in the printing industry.

Designed to recognise the amazing things that Roland DG customers create every single day, the competition will reach some of the most exciting industries across the world from sign-making to fine art, jewellery to giftware, engraving to product design, textiles to 3D prototyping , dentistry to the photography market and everywhere in-between.

“Roland DG customers are incredible. We owe our success to our loyal customers and are really excited about the opportunity to share their creative achievements with the world through the Roland DG Creative Awards,” said Gillian Montanaro, Head of Marketing, Roland DG (UK) Ltd. “Thirty years is a true milestone and during this time our customers have produced some of the most unbelievable work.”

The Roland Creative Awards opens today, Wednesday 21 September, and is open to all users of Roland equipment across the globe. All entries will be showcased live online at www.rolandcreativeawards.com where anyone, Roland user or not, can participate by voting for their favourite entry to determine the monthly People’s Choice winner.

For the major prizes, official judges will select winners based on Creativity, Innovation and Execution in each of the 14 regions, representing 123 countries worldwide. Prizes awarded include:

• Monthly People’s Choice Awards – One top entry, voted for by the public in each month (September/October, November and December) will be awarded a Canon SX230 SH digital camera.
• Honourable Mention Awards – Two Honourable Mention winners will each win an Apple iPad2 and Roland RH200S headphones.
• Regional Winner: One winner from the UK, Ireland or Gibraltar will receive a trip for two people to Japan to celebrate 30 years with Roland DG and compete for the global grand prize in April 2012.
• Worldwide Grand Prize – The competition’s top entrant worldwide will win his or her choice of a Roland machine -- a VersaCAMM VS series 42”printer/cutter, an EGX-360 gift engraver, a JWX-30 jewellery model maker or an MDX-40A milling machine.

To participate in the ROLAND CREATIVE AWARDS, Roland customers must submit entries online before 31 December 2011.  For more information visit www.rolandcreativeawards.com.