Regardless of whether your interest was in fabric, outdoor, POS or display printing, Fespa 2012 had something for everyone and for anyone who thought the show might suffer from the "Drupa effect" the opposite proved true.
Equally, a significant portion of the Messe Dusseldorf was given over to the wide format sector at Drupa 2012 and while some products first shown at Fespa had their commercial launch at the show, there were plenty of prototypes on display, including a Memjet-powered Fuji Xerox device that was seen churning out posters on the Caldera stand.
In business terms there were two major UK mergers of note, with Icon's parent company Chime acquiring McKenzie Clark and France-based Prismaflex acquiring Urban Storm. The former was responsible for all of the outdoor print for the London 2012 Olympics while Prismaflex was never far from the news, with a spate of investments, contract wins and product launches spread throughout the year.
As we enter 2013 all eyes will turn again to London and Fespa 2013.
January
EFI confirmed the commercial availability of its dye sublimation printer, the EFI Vutek TX3250r… Fujifilm said it would give a UK debut to its latest UV printer, the Acuity LED 1600, at Sign & Digital UK 2012… Wide-format manufacturer Polytype said that its UV-curable print platform, the Virtu Quantum, offered an "unparalleled combination of speed and quality" ahead of its commercial launch at Drupa… Mimaki prepared to hand a European debut to its new dye sublimation printer, the TS34-1800A, at February's Fespa 2012 exhibition...
Bridgeshire Packaging bought the world's first HP Scitex FB7600 flatbed printer as part of a digital print expansion programme… While at Fespa 2012, Epson debuted its latest wide-format printer, the SureColor SC-S30600… Agfa launched its entry-level flatbed, the M2540 FB… Mimaki unveiled what it claimed was the "world's fastest" dye sublimation printer, the TS500-1800, and made its foray into latex print production with the launch of a new product range, the JV400 LX… Océ launched a new entry-level addition to its Arizona range of UV flatbed printers, the 318 GL… Lynx Europe launched the 250FB-UV… Meanwhile, Bristol-based wide format printer Urban Storm was acquired by international outdoor media specialist Prismaflex…
McKenzie Clark joined forces with event branding specialists Icon, after being acquired by Icon's parent company Chime Communications… AdGraphics president Rich Thompson was named World Print Champion for the Fespa Hall of Fame 2012, fending off competition from 400 printers worldwide… HP announced a white ink option for its Scitex FB7500 and FB7600 industrial flatbed printers… EFI unveiled the R3225 UV-curable printer for soft-signage applications…
H&H Group has continued its aggressive acquisition programme and expanded its digital print capabilities after acquiring Milnthorpe-based Cypher Digital… Showcard Print, the Letchworth-based point-of-sale business, was set to undergo a £15.3m management buyout (MBO) from parent group Havelock Europa… EFI said it would launch the Orion, a new digital press designed to replace wide-format screen printing, at Drupa… Durst unveiled its P10 series UV printers, capable of "fine art" quality output at resolutions up to 1,000dpi… Roland DG added a white ink option to its VersaStudio BN-20 and VersaCamm VS series of eco-solvent, metallic inkjet printer/cutters…
InkTec Europe showed the latest addition to its Jetrix range of UV wide format printers, the Jetrix 1212 FK, at Drupa… Ilford, the recyclable wide-format substrate specialist, has expanded into laminates and screen printing with the launch of two new products… Epson launched two new SureColor SC-S series printers, the Sure-Color SC-S50600 and the Sure-Color SC-S70600… Inca gave a world premiere to its Onset S40i flatbed UV printer… Fujifilm launched the Uvistar Pro8… EFI unveiled its latest UV hybrid printer, the Vutek QS2 Pro… Advertising company Ocean Outdoor was sold by initial investors Smedvig Capital to mid-market private equity house LDC for £35m… Memjet announced a new joint venture with Oce to develop a wide format printer capable of printing 500 A0 prints an hour…
W.A.E Group bolstered its digital wide-format capabilities after investing in an Agfa Jeti 3312 roll-to-roll printer… Prismaflex boosted its production capacity at its Newhaven, UK subsidiary with a new banner production line… B-Print and Display bolstered its wide-format capabilities after investing in an HP Scitex FB7600 Industrial Press…
Sun Chemical launched two new inks designed for use in wide- and super-wide-format printers… Cardiff-based large format printer Gardners was bought by a team led by ex-Bezier director Richard Courtney after falling into administration on 13 July… C3 Imaging was acquired by Zenith Print & Packaging and Zenith Media owner John Mooney, five months after it exited a company voluntary arrangement (CVA)… Xaar unveiled two new greyscale printheads, Proton15 and Proton15+, for wide-format graphics...
Mimaki's UK distributor Hybrid Services rolled-out a new trade-in initiative… SP Group sealed a £1m contract with Holland & Barrett's parent company NBTY Europe… Océ launched the CS9300 series of wide-format, eco-solvent printers for outdoor poster, display and signage applications… Roland DG launched the VersaArt RE-640, a new 1,656mm wide-format printer designed for companies making an entry into sign and display production…
Screenprint completed its first print job on ceramic tiles thanks to Fujifilm's Acuity Advance HD2565W… Inca Digital opened its new headquarters, doubling its production capacity and reaffirming its commitment to UK manufacturing… Italian trade printer Pixartprinting bought three more Rho P10 200 flatbed UV inkjet printers, bringing its total Durst collection to a record-breaking seven… Somerset-based Sign Solutions became the first European customer of Roland DG's new Soljet Pro4 XR-640… Seiko launched what it claimed were the world's first mild solvent fluorescent inks… Mimaki unveiled the UJF-6042, a small-format UV flatbed printer designed for high-quality photo print production onto rigid substrates…
Océ unveiled the latest additions to its Arizona range of UV flatbed and roll-to-roll printers, featuring two cyan and two magenta channels… Memjet announced plans to boost the life of its high-speed Waterfall inkjet print heads… Wide-format manufacturer SwissQPrint introduced a tandem print mode to its trio of flatbed digital printers that allows continuous production on precut substrates up to 760mm in height…
Fespa changed its membership structure to give full voting rights to non-European national member associations… Epson entered the dye-sublimation printing market with the launch of its SureColor SC-F series… Seal's new wide-format laminator, the 65 Pro MD, had its European debut at Frankfurt's Viscom 2012… Your Print Specialists (formerly Your Printing Supplies) joined Mimaki's reseller channel following a deal with Hybrid Services...
Prismaflex created the first energy self-sufficient out of home advertising display, with the launch of its solar-powered Autonomous Scroller displays… Ilford launched the Omnijet Display Trans media kit in Europe as a replacement for silver halide-based backlit display printing… Exhibition and display makers membership body Disq Group appointed Philippe Jefferies as chairman with a remit to expand its sales reach in 2013… Mimaki said it would set up a dedicated EMEA support operation before next summer in response to huge demand in the wide format market…
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