29 Mar 2024

Tismo Products creates new personalisation business with Acuity Advance

Fujifilm SuperClick Covers  FIAT dashboard

Tismo Products BV, based in The Netherlands, has rapidly been setting new trends when it comes to industrial print personalisation, thanks to its investment in an Acuity Advance Select wide format printer with Uvijet KV inks, and the creative forward-thinking of Hendré Vos and co-owner Jeroen Maessen.

An experienced entrepreneur and passionate marketeer at heart, Hendré is constantly looking at new opportunities to enable the business to expand. He was, for example, also the person who developed the patent for digital imaging transferable technology to transfer images on to 3D objects in 2003.

“Demand for personalised consumer products has been growing rapidly, which has created a big gap in the market for a number of industrial applications,” comments Hendré Vos, managing director. “Furthermore, we found customers who were looking for a supplier that doesn’t only print and form personalised products, but also offer a platform to sell it. We decided to start off our new venture by responding to the demand for personalised, digitally printed thermoformed products in the form of car dashboard covers. This was when Super Click Covers was born.”

Tismo Products BV has built a strong working relationship with Fujifilm over many years through its screen printing arm, Mazon Screen. So, after Hendré and Jeroen finalised their business plan to launch Super Click Covers, they approached Fujifilm to see if the company was able to help them create a solution that could deliver exactly what they required.

Hendré continues: “Fujifilm was already working on the development of Uvijet KV, a thermoforming ink specifically designed for use with its Acuity Advance Select range of flatbed printers. It was therefore the ideal timing and opportunity for us to work with them to perfect the ultimate thermoforming system.”

Fujifilm’s Uvijet KV ink has been designed specifically for use with its renowned Acuity Advance Select mid-range flatbed printers. Unlike other UV inks, these inks do not crack or flake during the thermoforming process, and yet maintain the high quality, vivid colours and excellent performance expected from a Fujifilm ink, without any compromise to the print speed.

Tismo Products BV bought and installed an Acuity Advance Select from Fujifilm in March 2014, and continued rigorous testing of the Uvijet KV ink over the following two months. During this time, Fujifilm’s engineers were constantly on hand to provide the necessary support and fine-tune the thermoforming system.

Hendré is delighted with the end-result and what they can now achieve with the thermoforming offering from Fujifilm. “I am absolutely amazed by the ink’s stretch capabilities. It is just incredible to have a substrate digitally printed while it‘s flat, then warmed and vacuum formed with not one single crack in the ink. With elongation properties well in excess of 300% when heated and returning to normal when cooled, it’s pure rocket science!

“What’s more, the Uvijet KV white ink produces a pure white opacity, which is fantastic when it comes to piezoelectric inkjet technology. There is virtually no difference compared to using screen inks.”

Super Click Covers took its first orders for personalised Mini car dashboards in May 2014. The popularity for these has grown so rapidly that the company is producing a range of car model dashboards five days per week for customers across Europe. Orders are placed through its configured online portal, which allows users the opportunity to easily design and personalise their order.

Adds Hendré: “We are delighted with the market response – not just from end users, but also from a number of designers and smaller printers across Europe who have opted to outsource digital thermoforming projects to us.”

Ever the entrepreneur, Hendré has since developed a number of other applications that open up new revenue streams. Personalised cycle helmets have been proving just as popular, while wheelie bins – thermoformed and printed to fit in with the rest of the environment – will be transforming the look of rubbish and recycling areas across The Netherlands soon.

Hendré concludes: “With Fujifilm’s Acuity Advance Select printer, combined with its Uvijet KV inks, the possibilities of what we can deliver with this unique system are endless. I firmly believe that we couldn’t take the first step to lead the way with personalised thermoformed product without Fujifilm’s expertise. For us, Fujifilm is more than a supplier; we count them as partners.”

Display Signs recruiting in order to meet customer demand

DisplaySigns CWE pic

Uxbridge-based Display Signs is expanding its team to help manage the increase in orders coming through since investing in an HP FB700, an HP Latex 360 and a Summa F Series cutter from City and West End Solutions.

“We’re now looking for top notch, experienced people to join our sales, design and production teams and we’re also interested in taking on a graduate who’s at the start of their career,” said Alan Kelvey.

The expansion to Display Signs’ 25-strong workforce is needed to support the growth seen since it bought the Summa cutter and the Latex 360 this year and the FB700 two years ago.

“We asked CWE to work with us to create and supply a completely integrated system, including the PCs and Caldera RIP, that would work seamlessly together in our new print and cut facility,” added Alan.

“We’ve had a long standing relationship with CWE Solutions and have confidence in both their advice and after sales service. Now we have these printers integrated into our system we can use them to make just about any type of sign, banner or display.”

Display Signs was established in the mid-1970s by Alan and his wife Jane, and it has grown into one of the leading companies in the signage sector in West London. Their work ranges from retail schemes and construction signage to large format digital imaging for blue chip companies.

“We have historically used Seiko solvent printers but have introduced the UV and Latex printers as they offer greater flexibility and don’t require a gassing-off period, further reducing production time.

“With the FB700, printing direct to board with UV curable ink is a real plus, as Correx , foam PVC and composites are great for construction signage. With the UV printer we can also now print onto frosted films for windows without solvent-related softening, and even print in white.

“The HP Latex 360 is fast and the product can be taken off the machine and then either laminated or cut on the Summa straight away.”

Alan believes that the industry is picking up well after the recent recession. He said: “We consider the market stable enough for investment but only if the equipment will produce a return in either saved time or an increased product range.

“In business it is all about having the best production methods so you can give the customer a product at the right price and most importantly on time. Our new machines have increased our potential productivity to such a level that we now need more staff to help us meet client demand.

“Back in the day we had six signwriters all painting in a row, and an eight foot signboard would take about ten days and five coats of paint. We can now make a similar sign in about 45 minutes from start to finish.

“There are so many opportunities now and all kinds of roles to fill – I’d be happy to talk to anyone interested in joining our team.”

For more information on HP printers and Summa cutters call CWE Solutions on 08444 829895, sales@cwesolutions.co.uk or go to www.cwesolutions.co.uk

For more information on Display Signs go to www.displaysigns.net, email Alan@displaysigns.net or call 01895 812161.

 

i-Sub Digital bringing new Agfa Anapurna M2500i to UK

agfa-Anapurna-M2500i-2

i-Sub Digital will be distributing the brand new Agfa Anapurna M2500i in the UK from January 2015, following its worldwide launch at SGIA 2014 in Las Vegas this week.

The newest release from the Agfa Anapurna i-series, the M2500i 2.5m-wide UV inkjet printer is designed for high-volume workloads. Its optional board feeder allows up to five boards to be printed in parallel to multiply productivity, while the system also offers roll-to-roll and roll-to-sheet printing for rigid and flexible media.

The Agfa Anapurna M2500i uses Konica Minolta print-heads to print six colours plus white at a maximum resolution of 1,440 x 720dpi and speeds of up to 115sqm/hr. In addition to indoor and outdoor displays, the machine is ideal for small personalised items, fine art, backlit applications and interior décor.

"We're pleased to be bringing the Agfa Anapurna M2500i to our customers after its global debut in the USA," says i-Sub Digital Director Andy Spreag. "It's a hard-working machine that will definitely appeal to sign and display companies who need a printer that will handle bread and butter work quickly and efficiently, while offering potential new revenue through a wide variety of other print products."

The Agfa Anapurna M2500i will be on show at Agfa Graphics's stand (#2019) at SGIA 2014 in Las Vegas, USA until October 24th 2014.

For further information on the Agfa Anapurna M2500i, please email info@i-subdigital.com or call i-Sub Digital on 01536 415511 for more information.

Weedoo Signs is first Mimaki JFX200 customer for printMAX

printmax weedoo

Weedoo Signs, a UK-based business specialising in the design, manufacture and installation of a variety of indoor and outdoor graphics and signs, is the perfect example of a British sign company seeing steady and continual growth.   

Weedoo Signs currently manufactures its products in a three stage process: printing, mounting and laminating. With the rate of growth the business is currently seeing, this process is simply too time consuming to meet demand.  As a forward thinking company Weedoo knew that there had to be a more streamlined way of doing business. Having gone back to the drawing board and looked at a variety of solutions, the perfect answer seemed to be the Mimaki JFX200 flatbed printer.

Weedoo Signs, part of Freight Products, has been a loyal printMAX customer for a number of years now.  Having bought all its Roland equipment from the reseller -and following the announcement of printMAX as a Mimaki reseller - the company thought of no-one else when it came to making this new investment.

printMAX Managing Director, Michael Bolton, comments: “We needed to be able to offer a solution that allowed us to assist our customers in their growth. Weedoo Signs is a prime example of this.  By being able to supply the Mimaki JFX200 flatbed we were able to continue to support one of our most loyal customers going forward.”

The JXF200 is a highly productive flatbed machine, with print speeds of up to 25m2/h and 12.5m2/h with simultaneous white ink printing. It has a maximum print area of 2.5m x 1.3m so is ideally suited to printing 8' x 4' boards. In the short time since it has been introduced to the market, Mimaki has seen a hugely positive response with a significant amount of orders to reflect this.

Within Weedoo Signs’ manufacturing process, the JFX200 machine takes a three stage process and reduces it to one.  It prints directly onto the material required and eliminates the need for mounting and laminating. This ultimately results in producing a higher quality product, in far less time - ultimately producing more items, using less manpower at a much faster rate. The end result is cost cutting and time saving - the perfect solution for any growing business.

Weedoo Signs continues to work with printMAX due to their historic relationship, both internally and within their umbrella company, Freight Products. They keep coming back to printMAX simply because, as owner Tim Sanders puts it: “they are such a lovely team to work with. Great fun, with organised and hardworking employees.”

The Mimaki JFX200 is due to be installed shortly; with a streamlined business strategy for Weedoo Signs, it can only be the perfect end to one chapter and a promising start to the next. 

“Having estimated the work we can put through our Mimaki JFX200 in comparison to our current operations, we are confident that we are making the best investment in order to create a more efficient and profitable business going forward. We look forward to taking on much larger work in higher quantities!” concludes Stewart Fox from Weedoo Signs.

For more information about the Mimaki JFX200 or printMAX, please visit: http://www.printmax.co.uk/contact/

To learn more about Weedoo Signs, please visit: www.weedoosigns.co.uk.

Durst impresses with new 620 sq.m/hr Rho and 400 sq.m/hr Rhotex printers

durst-rho-1312

Durst introduced two advanced production digital printers at SGIA Expo in the Las Vegas Convention Center: the fully automated Rho 1312 with unprecedented media handling, and the Rhotex HS for soft signage applications at the highest productivity levels.

“We manufacture our new printers to address, and also to influence, the most significant trends and developments in production digital printing,” said Brent Moncrief, Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Durst U.S. “We’re very pleased to demonstrate the capabilities of the Rho 1312 and Rhotex HS at SGIA and explain how they make significant improvements to any production printing operation.”

Rho 1312

The 98-inch (250 cm) Rho 1312, which prints up to 620 m²/hr, offers improved image quality and a higher gloss finish, increased reliability during printing, and unparalleled media handling flexibility, particularly with difficult and heat-sensitive media. Durst's Quadro Array print head technology, applying very small droplets of only 12 picolitres, enables a very high printing speed without compromising image quality.

The 1312 also incorporates “Gradual Flow Printing” – media transportation advances such as a stronger vacuum, a wider transport belt and improved media registration – which provides higher reliability during printing and a better performance with difficult media, including corrugated. The overall result is smoother tones over large areas and a high gloss finish, even at the highest speeds.

Rhotex HS

The Rhotex HS achieves production speeds of more than 400 m²/hr, making it the fastest digital soft signage printer on the market. Its image resolution of 1,200 dpi produces unrivaled print quality. The Rhotex HS is equipped with Durst´s patented QuadroZ Print Head Technology, which is also utilized in the Durst Kappa series of high-performance digital printers developed for the clothing and home textiles sector.

The print width of the130-inch (330 cm) Rhotex HS and its use of eco-friendly, water-based dispersion inks – which are odorless and free of volatile organic compounds (VOC) – mean it is suitable for a range of soft-signage applications such as banners, displays, wall decorations, signage, parasols, flags, backdrops and outdoor advertisements. The productivity of the Rhotex HS enables the user to quickly and efficiently react to customer requirements and to achieve profitable production independent of print run size.

AGFA Anapurna M2500i makes debut at SGIA

agfa-Anapurna-M2500i

Agfa Graphics announced the worldwide launch of the new Anapurna M2500i with optional automated board feeder (ABF) at SGIA.  The Anapurna M2500i is the most recent i-series introduction, offering printing systems with higher productivity and quality.

The Anapurna M2500i is a 98-inch (2.5 m) wide, 6-colour plus white UV-inkjet printing system with an automated board feeder (ABF) designed for sign shops, digital printers, photo labs and graphic screen printers. The M2500i is ideal for indoor, outdoor and niche applications such as art reproductions, mouse pads, DVDs, wood, architectural and interior decorations, lenticular displays and more.

“We are committed to helping print service providers use technology to offer their customers the widest range of print products they possibly can. We are determined to develop the technology that can help PSPs take concepts to reality in the most efficient and cost-effective ways possible,” said Willy Van Dromme, Director of Marketing Inkjet Systems, Agfa Graphics.

The system features robust engineering for sustained higher workloads. The Anapurna M2500i offers increased print throughput while also achieving a high level of print quality. It prints on rigid and flexible media including boards/sheets, roll-to-roll and roll-to-sheet. Multiple boards or borderless printing increases productivity even more. The system’s automated board feeder also increases productivity by allowing for volume printing of small board sizes (up to five boards can be printed in parallel).

The Anapurna M2500i features six Konica-Minolta KM 1024i Grayscale print heads for colour and two KM 1024i heads for white. It prints at a maximum resolution of 1,440 x 720 dpi and has a maximum speed of 1,238 ft2/hr (115m2/hr).