Display Signs buys HP Scitex FB700 printer from CWE Solutions to expand offerings

Uxbridge, UK-based Display Signs has installed an HP Scitex FB700 Printer to enable it to provide its customers with printed output on a broader range of substrates for an increased range of applications.

The company purchased the machine from HP dealer, CWE Solutions, to replace its previous UV machine with a printer that will enable it to do more, better and quicker. The company can now offer customers higher quality than it could previously, and the increased printing speed ensures faster turnaround times.

“All the jobs we have done on the HP Scitex FB700 so far have been successful, and our customers have been impressed with the quality of the prints produced on the machine,” said Alan Kelvey, director, Display Signs. “Our customers’ requirements are getting more demanding, and after seeking advice from CWE Solutions, the FB700 was the obvious choice to fulfil their needs.”

Display Signs can now work more efficiently thanks to the continuous workflow provided by the HP Scitex FB700. According to Alan Kelvey, the ability to load while printing was another attractive feature for the company because it reduces interruptions and improves productivity.

Display Signs has already used the printer for several graphic arts projects, using flexible substrates such as acrylic and banners, as well as rigid substrates including Dibond and Correx. 

“Printing directly onto rigid substrates has opened up new possibilities for us, as we can now offer an expanded service to both existing and potential customers. Being able to print onto materials such as Correx is fantastic and is just one media that extends the range of applications we can now undertake. The wide range of substrates allows us to be flexible for our customers, and mould to their needs.

“The ease of use of the printer was also a particular selling point â€" we have had the least experienced person running the machine with no problems,” continued Alan Kelvey.

The HP Scitex FB700 Printer increases application versatility by printing on a wide range of rigid and flexible media. It offers a printing speed of up to 80m2/hr, and has features such as an optional white ink which enables print service providers to offer new application possibilities like printing on clear substrates.

“As a company we are driven by our customers and we adapt to meet their requirements. The White Ink will allow us to add the wow factor to projects we do, and we are looking forward to utilising this new capability,” concluded Alan Kelvey.

DPI adds MTEX 1800 direct-to-textile printer to its line up

Digital Print Innovations (DPI) has added the latest machine from the Portuguese manufacturer POD to its growing selection of direct-to-textile machinery. The newest member of the family, the MTEX 1800, is a 1.9m-wide printer with inline infrared fixation, ensuring excellent colour fidelity while reducing the costs associated with two-step dye sublimation and opening up new high-profit markets for display producers, such as interior décor, light-box applications and soft signage.

The MTEX 1800 is built on a reliable and popular Mimaki chassis with the manufacturer's full approval, and was launched at the Remadays trade show in Poland earlier this month to a fantastic response from show-goers. The machine's Epson DX6 drop-on-demand piezo print-heads are arranged in a two-head staggered array, which combine to create a thoroughly robust and reliable direct-to-textile solution. At speeds of up to 65sq m/hr in standard mode and 35sq m/hr in high quality mode, the MTEX 1800 can print to a wide variety of soft substrates, including flag, silk, backlit, canvas and many more. It joins DPI's strong line-up of direct-to-textile machines that already includes the MTEX 500, 1600 and 3200DS.

Available with a four-colour ink set, which comes in two-litre bulk ink packs for minimal print run disruption, the MTEX 1800 produces vibrant output with three variable dot sizes at a maximum resolution of 1,440dpi, suitable for closely-viewed display jobs. Blue replaces cyan in the standard set to provide particular vibrancy, an asset emphasised by the machine's inline infrared fixation, which evades the need for a separate fixation unit and thereby saves space, production time and capital investment costs. The machine also benefits from the inclusion of electronics and automation control components from leading manufacturers Omron and Festo.

"We have witnessed a huge growth in demand for direct-to-textile machines in recent years as soft signage becomes more and more popular," says Stewart Bell, managing director, DPI. "We're anticipating a growth in the British soft signage market of between 30 and 35 percent this year, and the MTEX 1800 provides an accessible entry point for those seeing the profit-making opportunities offered by direct-to-textile production.

"The build and output of the MTEX 1800 is superior to other comparable models thanks to its use of high-grade components, so we know our customers will be satisfied with its quality. It's filling a gap in the market for a smaller dye-sub engine than the popular MTEX 3200DS and is the perfect machine to meet the superb business potential in entering the soft signage market. The MTEX1800 will debut at Sign and Digital UK on Stand H60."

For more information, please visit www.dpi-uk.com

New range of dust covers for Designjet printers available soon from Resolution GB

Resolution (GB), trading as HP Plotter, today announced the imminent availability of its Fugazi range of HP Designjet printer dust covers.  Manufactured in the UK, covers for the Designjet T120 and T520 range are now available with plans to roll out covers for the remaining  HP Designjet T and Z series models later in the year. 

Designed to look good both at home and in the office and made from strong and durable ‘rip stop’ nylon, the stylish T120 and T520 Designjet dust covers will help to protect printers from dirt, dust and spills.  They also come with a useful front pocket (with a free service history log card) allowing you to keep track of work carried out on your printer, any support contract details as well as useful re-ordering information.

Resolution's managing director, Nicola Bray, comments, “As an engineering company specialising in HP Designjet printers, we often attend customer sites where, after carrying out a full service and clean of their Designjet, the fault is resolved without fitting any spare parts.  The majority of our customers fall into the Architectural, Engineering and Construction sector and often their printers are used in dusty or hostile environments.  Consequently, this clogs the inner workings of the printer and causes spurious error messages as well as premature wear and tear of parts.  A typical fault would include a sensor becoming so dirty that the printer is unable to load paper.  As an expensive piece of equipment it makes sense to minimise downtime and wear and tear by using a dust protector.”

A complementary range of Media Dust Covers go hand-in-hand with the Designjet Dust Covers - and are adjustable, being supplied in two sizes: SMALL 24”-36” (for A1/A0 rolls) and MEDIUM 42”-44” (for A0+ rolls).  The bright colours are designed to allow papers to be quickly and easily distinguished â€" ideal for the partially sighted - while the ergonomic design allows for easy fitting and labelling.

“We feel that the Fugazi Media Covers complement our range of Designjet Dust covers.   We were inspired by our many customers who find it annoying to sort through various rolls of paper in order to work out ‘which one is which’.  Often their paper/media is dirty or damaged and they end up having to lose a metre or so every time they re-load it.   While it isn’t such a problem for a £7-£10 roll of paper, it is an issue where some high end papers and media cost upwards of £100 per roll.   More importantly though, the paper has been left accumulating dust which is then pulled into the printer.  Over time this dust causes increased downtime and higher maintenance costs.  Our Fugazi Media Covers should help to reduce this.”

 

New range of dust covers for Designjet printers available soon from Resolution GB

Resolution (GB), trading as HP Plotter, today announced the imminent availability of its Fugazi range of HP Designjet printer dust covers.  Manufactured in the UK, covers for the Designjet T120 and T520 range are now available with plans to roll out covers for the remaining  HP Designjet T and Z series models later in the year. 

Designed to look good both at home and in the office and made from strong and durable ‘rip stop’ nylon, the stylish T120 and T520 Designjet dust covers will help to protect printers from dirt, dust and spills.  They also come with a useful front pocket (with a free service history log card) allowing you to keep track of work carried out on your printer, any support contract details as well as useful re-ordering information.

Resolution's managing director, Nicola Bray, comments, “As an engineering company specialising in HP Designjet printers, we often attend customer sites where, after carrying out a full service and clean of their Designjet, the fault is resolved without fitting any spare parts.  The majority of our customers fall into the Architectural, Engineering and Construction sector and often their printers are used in dusty or hostile environments.  Consequently, this clogs the inner workings of the printer and causes spurious error messages as well as premature wear and tear of parts.  A typical fault would include a sensor becoming so dirty that the printer is unable to load paper.  As an expensive piece of equipment it makes sense to minimise downtime and wear and tear by using a dust protector.”

A complementary range of Media Dust Covers go hand-in-hand with the Designjet Dust Covers - and are adjustable, being supplied in two sizes: SMALL 24”-36” (for A1/A0 rolls) and MEDIUM 42”-44” (for A0+ rolls).  The bright colours are designed to allow papers to be quickly and easily distinguished â€" ideal for the partially sighted - while the ergonomic design allows for easy fitting and labelling.

“We feel that the Fugazi Media Covers complement our range of Designjet Dust covers.   We were inspired by our many customers who find it annoying to sort through various rolls of paper in order to work out ‘which one is which’.  Often their paper/media is dirty or damaged and they end up having to lose a metre or so every time they re-load it.   While it isn’t such a problem for a £7-£10 roll of paper, it is an issue where some high end papers and media cost upwards of £100 per roll.   More importantly though, the paper has been left accumulating dust which is then pulled into the printer.  Over time this dust causes increased downtime and higher maintenance costs.  Our Fugazi Media Covers should help to reduce this.”

 

Inaugural FESPA Brasil event attracting widespread support

FESPA opens its first ever FESPA Brasil event in Sao Paulo next month at the Expo Center Norte.  Launched in partnership with APS Feiras & Eventos, the FESPA Brasil 2013 event - which takes place between 13th and 16th March - has attracted widespread support from the Brazilian screen printing, digital wide format and textile printing community. Brazilian PSPs are enthusiastic to attend FESPA’s inaugural exhibition, with visitor pre-registration more than 40% higher than for Digital Image, the FESPA event’s predecessor.

Working in partnership with APS, FESPA Brasil will provide the Brazilian specialist print sector with an event which blends favourite features of FESPA European events with initiatives that are specifically conceived for the challenges and opportunities facing the Brazilian market. FESPA Brasil exhibitors include Imah, Inpro Holland, Ora Squeegees, Sawgrass / Chromaline, Chemical Consultants, Vastex, Yupo, and X-Film.

FESPA Brasil incorporates an International Congress offering visitors valuable business, technical and creative content. Sessions include ‘Organisation, Productivity and Profitability’; ‘Transform your Business’; ‘Digital Ceramic Printing’ from Xaar; ‘Creative Design’; ‘PhotoShop Tips & Tricks’. One of the key speakers in the congress - business consultant Wilson Giglio - will also be on hand in the Espaço Empreendedor (Enterpreneur Zone) to provide free business advice to visitors.

Visitors can also honour the brightest lights in their country’s print community by voting in the Brazilian FESPA Hall of Fame.

FESPA’s show-stopping Wrap Cup Masters Series vehicle wrapping competition, sponsored by 3M, will also draw the crowds in Sao Paulo, with the Brazilian winner heading to FESPA 2013 in London in June this year to compete with their global counterparts from Europe, Asia and Mexico. 3M will also deliver technical sessions on vehicle wrapping, a profitable growth application for wide format PSPs.

Printers wanting to touch and feel some of the most innovative decorative print applications will be drawn to Fujifilm’s Application Village. The demonstrative feature based on a children’s library, will be donated after the event to a local children’s charity.

FESPA Managing Director Neil Felton says, “Brazil is where it’s all happening in the next few years. The market is growing at a pace, and the two biggest global sporting events - the FIFA World Cup 2014 and the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games - will showcase this amazing country’s capabilities to the world, starting just a year from now.”

“At the 2012 Olympics in London, we all saw the pivotal role that wide format and textile print play in pulling together the visual communication for events on this scale”, recalls Felton. “Promotion and branding, directional signage, printed security barriers, outdoor structures, banners, uniforms, flags, building wraps - all of them are the work of printers. FESPA Brasil 2013 kicks off a carnival of Brazilian print that will inspire graphic solution providers and provide them with the tools to capitalise on these amazing opportunities.”

Inaugural FESPA Brasil event attracting widespread support

FESPA opens its first ever FESPA Brasil event in Sao Paulo next month at the Expo Center Norte.  Launched in partnership with APS Feiras & Eventos, the FESPA Brasil 2013 event - which takes place between 13th and 16th March - has attracted widespread support from the Brazilian screen printing, digital wide format and textile printing community. Brazilian PSPs are enthusiastic to attend FESPA’s inaugural exhibition, with visitor pre-registration more than 40% higher than for Digital Image, the FESPA event’s predecessor.

Working in partnership with APS, FESPA Brasil will provide the Brazilian specialist print sector with an event which blends favourite features of FESPA European events with initiatives that are specifically conceived for the challenges and opportunities facing the Brazilian market. FESPA Brasil exhibitors include Imah, Inpro Holland, Ora Squeegees, Sawgrass / Chromaline, Chemical Consultants, Vastex, Yupo, and X-Film.

FESPA Brasil incorporates an International Congress offering visitors valuable business, technical and creative content. Sessions include ‘Organisation, Productivity and Profitability’; ‘Transform your Business’; ‘Digital Ceramic Printing’ from Xaar; ‘Creative Design’; ‘PhotoShop Tips & Tricks’. One of the key speakers in the congress - business consultant Wilson Giglio - will also be on hand in the Espaço Empreendedor (Enterpreneur Zone) to provide free business advice to visitors.

Visitors can also honour the brightest lights in their country’s print community by voting in the Brazilian FESPA Hall of Fame.

FESPA’s show-stopping Wrap Cup Masters Series vehicle wrapping competition, sponsored by 3M, will also draw the crowds in Sao Paulo, with the Brazilian winner heading to FESPA 2013 in London in June this year to compete with their global counterparts from Europe, Asia and Mexico. 3M will also deliver technical sessions on vehicle wrapping, a profitable growth application for wide format PSPs.

Printers wanting to touch and feel some of the most innovative decorative print applications will be drawn to Fujifilm’s Application Village. The demonstrative feature based on a children’s library, will be donated after the event to a local children’s charity.

FESPA Managing Director Neil Felton says, “Brazil is where it’s all happening in the next few years. The market is growing at a pace, and the two biggest global sporting events - the FIFA World Cup 2014 and the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games - will showcase this amazing country’s capabilities to the world, starting just a year from now.”

“At the 2012 Olympics in London, we all saw the pivotal role that wide format and textile print play in pulling together the visual communication for events on this scale”, recalls Felton. “Promotion and branding, directional signage, printed security barriers, outdoor structures, banners, uniforms, flags, building wraps - all of them are the work of printers. FESPA Brasil 2013 kicks off a carnival of Brazilian print that will inspire graphic solution providers and provide them with the tools to capitalise on these amazing opportunities.”

It's a wrap for Oasis at Blackberry HQ

A temporary rebranding of Blackberry's headquarter offices in Slough was undertaken to support the launch of Blackberry's flagship smartphone, the Z10.  Designed by Pope Wainwright and printed by Oasis Graphic Co, the rebranding was completed at midnight on 30th January 2013 and the graphics currently dominate the building - both inside and out.

The exterior vinyl wrap is UV Printed ContraVision One Way Vision Vinyl and larger than 11 cricket pitches. The light blue gradient print covers the office frontage from ground to roof. To the right of the frontage the two 9 metre tall images of the Z10, were UV printed vinyl overlays, profile cut to shape. The lettering for the marketing messages on the left were created from profile cut stock vinyl.

Dozens of interior graphics, also designed by Pope Wainwright and printed by Oasis, were installed throughout the building in lightboxes, on walls, on ferropaper and with liberal use of opaque matte black.

Oasis Graphic Co performed a comprehensive site survey in 2012/13, measuring and evaluating all the installation surfaces including the 60m x 12m exterior frontage. These precise measurements, together with recommendations for substrates and techniques were passed to the design studio Pope Wainwright, who created all of the designs.

In order to coincide with the tight release schedule, the Oasis installers worked around the clock, on two scissor lifts for 4 days, meticulously applying the graphics to the building. The design stipulated that the images of the Z10 had to be unbroken by the building's metal framework, so a great deal of care by Oasis' installers went into precisely wrapping the protruding metal with overlapping prints, making it disappear from view completely. The low temperatures and windy conditions made work harsh, but the right choice of materials meant that the graphics went up without a hitch.

With the release of the Z10, at 5pm on January 30th, Oasis' installers were ready to mount the 5m x 9m phone images, but needed to hold back until the phone was officially released. In a race to the finish, the team started on the phones at 5pm and mounted the final pieces just before midnight.

Watching the installation of the exterior wrap, Francesca Haywood, designer at Pope Wainwright was impressed with Oasis' dedication and attention to detail.  She says, "Working with Oasis from the outset helped this project come together smoothly and according to plan. Oasis' comprehensive site survey and material tests allowed us to confidently create the designs, knowing that they would be exactly reproduced as we intended. After the planning and design phase, the Oasis installers did an outstanding installation job inside and out, working in synchrony with the lighting technicians in the dark and the adverse weather to create make our vision a reality. Client satisfaction matters as much to Oasis as it does it to us, and the final results were very well received."