Perfect Colours appoints Simon Landau as Graphics and Colour Director

As part of its strategy to expand its Wide-Format Division, specialist print solutions supplier Perfect Colours has appointed Simon Landau as Graphics and Colour Director.

Previously with colour software supplier GMG UK, Simon is one of the UK’s leading colour specialists with over 20 years’ experience. Able to certify to FOGRA standards, he has considerable experience in multi-device solutions and has implemented many standardised wide-format production sites of varying complexity throughout the UK. 

As a result, one of Simon’s key initiatives at Perfect Colours is the addition of an advanced colour management service to support clients who print POS and display graphics using multiple wide-format devices and where the production of consistent, accurate colour is critical.

Following Simon’s move to Perfect Colours, GMG UK has appointed the company as ’Master Reseller’ for GMG ProductionSuite, the industry’s most complete colour-accurate wide-format production workflow.

The Perfect Colours Wide-Format Division provides companies with a complete 360 degree service encompassing expert technology, training and support. It sells and supports the most comprehensive range of software, large-format printers, finishing systems, ink and media for a variety of CAD and Display Graphics applications. As a premier supplier of roll-fed and flat-bed aqueous, solvent, UV and latex printers from Canon, Durst, Epson, HP, KIP, Mutoh, Roland and Xerox, Perfect Colours can tailor the very best solution to meet any production needs.

“This is an exciting initiative to be part of,” says Simon. “’Perfect Colours’ describes exactly what we promise to our wide-format customers â€" which ever print technology they choose. Our expert team advises companies on the best hardware and software for their applications, ensures a standardised, colour accurate, digital print production process across multiple devices to produce consistent end results, and provides on-going training and support. Ultimately, companies want to rely on their systems to deliver the best results with maximum uptime. They can rely on Perfect Colours to ensure this happens.”

Says Jason Burroughs, MD of Perfect Colours: “Simon is the ‘perfect’ person to head up and grow our Wide-Format Division to provide our clients with absolutely everything they need for their wide-format production businesses. To maintain our position as the leading wide-format specialist in the UK we have invested in the best people, an excellent range of equipment and provide the highest level of service and support.”

Markus Finkbeiner, Director Business Unit Wide Format Printing at GMG says: “Simon has worked with GMG for ten years and has an incredible working knowledge of our colour management technology. Combined with Perfect Colours' reputation for providing excellent service it meant this was one of those 'no-brainer' situations, we had no hesitancy in awarding them the Master Reseller status for our ProductionSuite technology.”

QPS welcomes Nazdar ink customers with cartridge recycling scheme

Quality Print Services Ltd (QPS) is reminding UK wide-format print businesses signing up to Nazdar's free ink campaign that they will be eligible for the QPS cartridge recycling scheme when they become regular customers.

Nazdar is so confident that its top-quality alternative inks will win over current OEM ink users that it is offering free ink cartridges to the UK industry, following a hugely successful scheme in the USA.

QPS, supplier of Nazdar inks, launched its end-to-end cartridge recycling programme in 2011 in an effort to minimise its role in the generation of landfill waste from the signage and graphics industry and its resultant environmental problems.

Working with Nazdar, QPS identified the specific cartridge structure to improve recyclability and began collections of used cartridges from customers.

Remaining ink is extracted and taken to a local solvent recovery centre, located just down the road from QPS's headquarters in Burscough, Lancashire to reduce road miles. The separated cartridge components are then sent to a reprocessing plant â€" a local business in North Lancashire â€" where they are ground down and reprocessed to produce clean chips for resale back into the UK plastics manufacturing industry.

QPS customers who take advantage of the recycling programme will receive certification of their involvement, which can be used to support an ISO 14001 application.

"Our industry creates a huge amount of waste on a weekly basis that ends up in landfill. We wanted to help reduce that by ensuring the Nazdar ink cartridges we sell are diverted to recycling centres â€" at no cost to the customer," explains QPS Director Chris Bailey.

"Once the customer has a number of cartons of empty cartridges packed up, we'll collect them next time we're on a delivery run or doing service visits in the area."

Chris Bailey adds: "The scheme means regular users of Nazdar ink from QPS don't have to worry about hazardous materials disposal, find space for waste material as it builds up, or worry about their environmental impact. Instead they can know their empties are being turned into a whole range of recycled plastic products."

Customers of Nazdar inks developed specifically for Mimaki, Mutoh and Roland wide-format printers are eligible for the programme.

In addition to a variety of alternative inks and the recycling scheme, QPS customers have access to an expert printer service and engineering team, on hand to help businesses convert from OEM inks and with any technical and breakdown support required. QPS also offers a selection of top-brand-name wide-format printers, both new and reconditioned, Neolt laminators and printers, and RIP software.

QPS is also a supplier of Biomedia, a recyclable and biodegradable film, laminate and board range that can further boost a print house's environmental reputation, and Nazdar's Hydrocolor environmentally friendly ink technology.

For more information on QPS, please visit www.qualityprintservices.com, email sales@qualityprintservices.com or call +44 (0)1704 897575, or sign up to receive a free ink cartridge at www.nazdar.com/freecartridge.asp.

[Image caption: Recovered plastic can be manufactured into a variety of new products]

Mimaki announces imminent launch of JFX200-2513 wide format UV inkjet printer

Mimaki has announced the upcoming launch of the JFX200-2513, scheduled to be premiered on booth H31 at Viscom Düsseldorf, 7th to 9th November 2014.  The large format flatbed UV inkjet printer that can print up to 25 square metres per hour on materials up to 2,500 x 1,300 mm and up to 2” (50 mm) thick. The JFX200-2513’s compact footprint, eco-friendly LED curing and attractive price point make it ideal for businesses in the sign and display graphics industry that wish to affordably expand their range of services.

“We are extremely pleased to add the JFX200-2513 to our broad portfolio of UV inkjet large format printers,” says Mike Horsten, General Manager Marketing EMEA for Mimaki Europe. “It is designed based on customer input as an entry level printer with extreme ease of use but also incorporates many of the advanced features that Mimaki is known for in the sign and display graphics industry.”

Sign and display graphics businesses will appreciate the functionality and quality delivered by this innovative flatbed printer, including a compact footprint that can easily fit into facilities of almost any size and an affordable price to match.

The printer is offered with multiple ink types that support a wide range of materials and applications. These include LH-100, a hard UV cure ink with high rub and chemical resistance with excellent colour fidelity. Mimaki’s LUS-150 is a low-cost UV cure ink with suppleness that extends to 150% without cracking for materials to be applied to curved surfaces. Finally, Mimaki PR-100 is a primer ink that can be used as a pre-treatment agent to improve ink adhesion on difficult surfaces. The ink is available in economical 1-litre ink bottles for reduced ink costs.

The Mimaki JFX200-2513 features variable dot function that assures a high quality print by jetting three ink dot sizes at once. The printer also features a white ink for brilliant images, compelling backlit graphics and other items printed on transparent materials.  It also sports Mimaki Circulation Technology which eliminates issues with white ink sedimentation.

Mike Lewis of Mimaki’s exclusive UK and Irish distributor, Hybrid Services Ltd remarks, “The launch of the JFX200-2513 delivers a printer specifically designed for the requirements of our market and combines the typical print and build quality normally associated with Mimaki with a format to suit the majority of our customer base.”

The complete Mimaki line up can be found by visiting www.hybridservices.co.uk

 

Inca Digital launches third Inca Digital Excellence Awards (IDEAs 2014)

Inca Digital has launched its third Inca Digital Excellence Awards (IDEAs 2014), celebrating the creativity and ingenuity of the work its customers produce around the world. At a press briefing during SGIA Expo 2013 at Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center, Inca Digital announced the programme to acknowledge the extraordinary work produced on Inca Digital printers.

The IDEAs aim is to recognise the power of digital print and showcase the stunning effects that are possible using Inca Digital’s state-of-the-art UV inkjet technology. In the past two award events, Inca Digital has honored a number of customers for exceptional work accomplished that reflect the wide range of impressive products that Inca customers are creating today. IDEAs judges are directed to evaluate entries based on a combination of quality, innovation and creativity across five different categories: Display Graphics, 3D POS, Interior Decoration, Product Decoration, and Interactive Displays.

The five category winners will each receive an IDEAs Trophy, travel to Munich, and two nights’ accommodation to attend next year’s FESPA Digital 2014 (20th-23rd May, 2014). FESPA Digital is the largest focused event for digital wide format print, staging 400+ innovative global brands and manufacturers. Print services providers will have the opportunity to view new product launches, test drive machinery and technology to service the print market. It is a great opportunity for IDEAs winners to view the latest techniques and applications.

As an added incentive this year, award winners will also be able to attend the Inca Digital Summit, concurrently held in Munich on May 20. Free for Inca customers, the event will feature a number of speakers who will not only cover subjects related to print industry trends, but also a wider range of topics covering macro-economic and retail developments. IDEAs winners will receive their awards in the evening during an event jointly hosted by Inca and Fujifilm.

“We have been fortunate to receive many extraordinary awards entries since we began the IDEAs program three years ago. We have seen exceptional works of art from creative displays to such unique entries including an interactive train, full walk-through cinema promotions, creative store displays, and even pizza dough, all printed on Inca printers. The entries have not only been printed by Inca’s Onset printers, but also by our Spyder and Columbia Turbo models, which attest to the lasting productivity of our printers,” says John Mills, Inca Digital CEO. “While we are extremely proud of our business as developers and manufacturers of ground-breaking printers, we are equally proud of the creative work our customers produce. There is no better way to celebrate what makes all our global customers unique, than the IDEAs.”

For full IDEAs competition details and simple online entry, please visit: www.incadigital.com/ideas.  The closing date for entries is 17th January 2014.

Signs Express Coventry takes advantage of SMGG's 0% finance deal to purchase Epson SureColor ...

Founded in 1996, Signs Express Coventry specialises in vehicle graphics, interior and exterior signage, banners, window graphics, exhibition and display graphics, labels and stickers and DDA-compliant health and safety signage.

The company supplies a full range of signage solutions to numerous companies in and around the Coventry area including local airports, engineering firms, construction and transport companies, car dealerships and many more.

Earlier this year, the 5-strong company was looking to add to its existing Mutoh ValueJet printer in order to meet increased demand for its signage solutions.  Geoff Manns, Signs Express Coventry’s Centre Manager, explains, “Our previous printer â€" whilst still fully functional â€" was not as fast as we now needed it to be in order to meet customer requirements.  We visited Sign & Digital UK 2013 and met with all the major manufacturers to make a fair comparison and to establish what was on offer.”

Geoff Manns had previously met with Stanford Marsh Group Graphics’ (SMGG) Steve Guest and visited him at the trade show.  As a reseller of a wide gamut of printing hardware and the associated peripherals, SMGG was able to offer independent advice as to the best-fit solution for Signs Express Coventry’s needs.

After much consideration, Geoff Manns settled on the 64”-wide Epson SureColor SC-S30600 printer.  Designed to offer efficient and environmentally-friendly production at the lowest total cost of ownership, the SC-S30600 enables print firms, signmakers, digital copy shops and repro centres to produce everything from posters, signs, banners, backlit panels and POS to vehicle wraps, interior decorations and exhibition displays.

Geoff Manns states, “We chose the Epson printer for its exceptional quality and speed.  Pricing was also a key factor and â€" as an added incentive â€" SMGG was offering its 0% finance deal on the printer which ultimately swung the decision.”

As part of the established, privately-owned business â€" Stanford Marsh Group â€" SMGG is able to offer the 0% finance deal through its own in-house finance company and cash reserves.   It is a genuine offer and has been devised to facilitate customers wanting to invest in the most up-to-date wide format digital printing equipment.

The Epson SureColor SC-S30600 printer was installed in June 2013 by SMGG within a day.  The printer is running on Epson original inks and is guaranteed under the standard Epson warranty.  Signs Express Coventry also bought a Summa cutter to operate alongside the Epson printer in order to boost workflow productivity.

“We’re very pleased with the Epson printer.  Since installation, we have increased our intake of work and managed to speed up the delivery of output â€" whilst maintaining the quality that our customers have come to expect,” says Geoff Mann.

On working with SMGG, he adds, “We’ve been most impressed with the professionalism of the organisation.  I previously had no idea of the scale of the Stanford Marsh business - the company could not have been more accommodating.”

For more information on Signs Express Coventry, please visit www.signsexpress.co.uk/branch/17/coventry

For more information on Stanford Marsh Group Graphics, please visit www.smgg.co.uk

FESPA Eurasia hailed a success and set to return in 2014

FESPA Eurasia, which took place for the first time in Istanbul, Turkey between 3rd and 5th October 2013, 'set a new standard' for wide format printing and signage events in Turkey. An international audience of almost 7000 individual senior decision makers travelled to the launch event from more than 98 countries. 26% of visitors travelled to FESPA Eurasia from outside Turkey, with the most significant visitor groups coming from Bulgaria, Iran, Greece, Russia, Pakistan and Ukraine. Notable visitor groups also attended from the UK and Germany.

FESPA Eurasia Exhibition Manager, Michael Ryan comments, “Our visitor statistics give a very clear picture of the high calibre of the visitor audience at FESPA Eurasia, which the FESPA brand is able to attract. There were 6,784 individual visitors at the event over three days, a figure which excludes exhibitor personnel and multiple visits, this made for busy stands and a lively launch event buzz. With many individuals also attending for more than one day, there was a lot of opportunity for the industry to exchange knowledge and discuss the latest innovations. For 73% of visitors their visit to FESPA Eurasia was their first time attending a FESPA exhibition, reinforcing our goal to reach new audiences, by taking the FESPA brand into developing markets.”

He continues, “Our registration data revealed the audience to be investment ready â€" 68% of visitors were business owners or senior directors with overall purchasing responsibility. Indications are that the average budget for investment in wide format printing equipment or materials in the next 12 months for visitors to the show was 225,550 Euros (615,000 TL), with 44% of visitors planning to invest within six months. These are positive signals for FESPA, for Turkey, and for the wider Eurasia region.”

The location of this regional show in Istanbul - with its cosmopolitan reputation, robust visitor infrastructure and strong regional transport links - made FESPA Eurasia 2013 an appealing destination event for printers from many key markets in Eurasia, enriching the knowledge exchange between visitors and exhibitors compared with a purely domestic event.

The dynamism of the region’s textile and garment printing industry was reflected in the high level of interest in textile printing equipment and consumables, and the enthusiastic visitor response to the Garment Central workshops demonstrating garment decoration and screen printing.

Exhibitors affirmed FESPA Eurasia’s role in setting a new benchmark for printing industry events in Turkey. “I've been in this business for 25 years. It's one of the best exhibitions [and] best performing exhibitions I've ever been to, as a visitor or as a participant”, commented Fulya Kaplan, Sales Engineer at Fatih Tekstil.

Ekrem İşcimenler, Sign and Display Manager (Turkey, Greece and South Africa), HP, commented: “FESPA is an international organisation. Lots of visitors come to the show from all around the world. FESPA creates a connection between our customers and machine producers, and maximises the knowledge circulation between them, that’s why FESPA is very important for HP.”

Nurten Ergün, Company Director of Reggiani distributor BTC, agreed that FESPA is now the best show in the Turkish market, and was expecting to sell ten units of their flagship machine on display at the show.

“FESPA Eurasia was by far the best show I personally experienced in the region in recent years. As a launch event it was handled in a perfect way and FESPA's enthusiasm could be spotted all over the place.” Marc Van Braekel, Regional Sales Manager/ GS Sales Direct Export, Agfa Graphics.

Jason Gunnlaugson, Account Manager for Knifeless Tech Systems, launching their Knifeless Tape product in Turkey for the first time commented: “When we heard that FESPA was coming to Turkey, we knew they were going to bring that professionalism and excitement for the industry so we jumped on board.”

Stella Paschou, Sales Executive, Polyprint commented on the high level of visitor attendance at the Eurasia show, and emphasised the role of FESPA’s global reach in supporting her company’s growth. “It’s a worldwide exhibition so it’s easy to find new dealers, new customers and users.We’ve participated in every FESPA in Europe since [2006] and we now have distributors in 53 countries.”

Andrea Negretti, d.gen’s Worldwide Business Manager commented:“The market is growing, quality expectations in Turkey are growing. It’s an exciting market. I think this year Turkey is the best market in Europe and it’s very good that FESPA have come here.People are looking for something new, something different, and FESPA is introducing a new style of doing shows.”

Based on the strength of the participant responses to FESPA Eurasia 2013, FESPA has confirmed that the second edition of the event will take place at CNR Expo, Istanbul, Turkey from 27th to 29th October 2014. Visit www.fespaeurasia.com for more information.

Bordeaux and BRS to demo latest wide format solutions at Viscom Dusseldorf

Bordeaux Digital Printink and its distributor BRS will showcase its latest wide-format inkjet solutions such as PLASMA UV LED, an environmentally friendly curable rigid, flexible and super flexible ink, at Viscom Dusseldorf.

Exclusively at Viscom, BRS will offer a 10% discount to the first 25 visitors who place an order for Bordeaux ECO/Mild/True solvent inks, UV/UV LED inks, Latex inks, Dye Sub inks as well as the company's impressive range of liquid laminates and coatings for high protection and image enhancement, with a minimum value of €250.

Bordeaux will demonstrate the versatile and low odour PLASMA UV LED curable ink on a Mimaki 3042. This highly flexible and durable ink is designed for applications where flexibility, adhesion, durability and chemical resistance is required.  The environmentally friendly ink series is compatible with most UV and UV LED printers and printheads.

The Bulk Ink System, developed by Inkondemand.com and Bordeaux will be visible on a Roland printer. The environmentally friendly system is geared to print houses that want to reduce printer and ink costs while helping increase productivity and reduce plastic waste.  The demonstration will include Bordeaux’s advanced Mix & Match™ ink, FUZE ECO NR5™, for high speed productivity and greater resistance to alcohol and harsh weather conditions.

“Our goal at Viscom Dusseldorf is for all visitors to experience Bordeaux quality inks and discover how our products can help expand their services and increase the potential for greater profit,” says Matthew Reijnders, Director of Sales and Business Development for Bordeaux.  “We look forward to answering questions about how printers can maximise on-demand printing with high media flexibility, faster throughput as well as personalised printing.”

BRS, Bordeaux’s distributor in Germany, will display Bordeaux’s large range of cost effective solutions that offer high quality printing and valuable productivity solutions in Hall 8B stand D60.

FESPA China to incorporate 'world-class' educational features

FESPA China 2013 will incorporate three world-class educational features: the Future for Print Conference, Charlie’s Corner for garment printing, and the Wrap Workshop vehicle wrapping area.  The event is scheduled to take place between 18th and 20th November 2013 at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center, Shanghai, China.

The Future for Print Conference will cover an array of industry topics, illustrating the opportunities for Chinese printers. The sessions, tailored to the specific market requirements of China, will be presented by industry experts looking at issues such as: reducing water consumption; improving environmental performance; enhancing profitability; glass art decoration and environmental wrapping film solutions. All sessions will be in Chinese with English translations.

The full conference schedule can be viewed at http://www.fespa.com/china/en/conference.html

FESPA CEO Nigel Steffens comments, “One of our key intentions for FESPA China was to enhance the established CSGIA event with FESPA’s educational and inspiring content. Visitors to FESPA events around the globe tell us that our educational features are a key part of the FESPA experience. We’ve taken the most popular features from previous events in Europe, Asia and Latin America, and tailored these â€" with guidance from our partner CSGIA - to focus on the key trends and opportunities for the Chinese market.

“FESPA’s mission is to reinvest in our global printing community, helping printers to grow their businesses through education and knowledge-share and by adopting best practice. The features we are building into FESPA China are designed to help Chinese printers compete on an international level.”

For more information on FESPA China and to pre-register for the event, please visit www.fespachina.com

Drytac Europe launches Class 0 fire-rated Interlam and Protac PVC overlaminates

Drytac Europe has launched new versions of its popular Interlam and Protac PVC overlaminates with Class 0 fire protection ratings.  The new films are particularly appropriate for use in public places such as airports, hotels, office buildings, and institutions such as hospitals and schools, where fire retardancy is of paramount importance. 

The Interlam and Protac Class O fire-rating films have been engineered to provide users with photographic exhibition quality combined with outdoor endurance.  They are guaranteed for 3 years outdoors.

On the new range, Steve Broad, European Sales Director of Drytac, explains, “Health and safety legislation and insurance guarantees are becoming more and more applicable to the world of large format printed graphics and protection films.  As such, we’ve invested in new raw materials which ensure our UK-manufactured products achieve the highest grade of fire-resistance certification possible.”

“To be awarded a Class 0 fire protection rating is very important to Drytac.  As well as offering peace of mind, the Class 0 fire rating of the overlaminates means that output can comply with the strict fire regulations in public areas which â€" in turn â€" enable our customers to win new contracts in the UK and Europe,” continues Steve.

“Having adequate fire retardancy certification is a must in certain environments.  We’ve introduced Drytac Class 0 Interlam and Protac PVC overlaminates to help our customers meet these stringent requirements,” concludes Steve Broad.

Pricing and availability

Drytac’s entire range of films and adhesives is exclusively distributed throughout the UK and Ireland by Antalis.  For the most up-to-date pricing and availability, please visit www.antalis.co.uk

For further information on Drytac and its leading range of films and adhesives, please visit www.drytac.co.uk

Hybrid Services announces trade-in offer on selected Mimaki printers

Sign and graphics companies that trade in an old solvent printer when they invest in a Mimaki CJV30 or JV33 this autumn and winter will receive a three year fully comprehensive warranty and a total of £1,800 worth of Mimaki ink capable of producing over 700m2 of print.

With 1.3m and 1.6m models to choose from, the Mimaki JV33 offers sector-defining print and build quality, a proven track record in graphics production departments around the world and a choice of eco-solvent or Mimaki’s peerless SS21 low solvent inks. The two largest CJV30 Series models (the 1.3m CVJ30-130 and 1.6m CJV30-160) are also applicable to the offer and provide integrated print and cut functionality with the same print quality and inksets as the JV33.

Customers simply need to trade in an old solvent printer to benefit from a warranty that spans three times the typical industry standard and a bumper pack of ink that is capable of generating significant revenue from the outset. John de la Roche, national sales manager for Mimaki’s exclusive distributor, Hybrid Services Ltd states, “A three year warranty gives complete peace of mind for our customers and is significantly longer than any other offer in the wide format industry. To know that their investment is protected means a lot to our customers â€" a new Mimaki with three years of fully comprehensive, gold warranty cover ensures premium support and response, should it ever be required.”

Prospective customers seeking to take advantage of the offer have until the end of December to place their order with one of Hybrid’s authorised resellers. Hybrid will recycle traded-in solvent printers and ship the additional inks to the customer. “Including the 3.5 litres of ink that come as standard, customers will receive almost nine litres of ink in total,” confirms de la Roche. “That’s enough to produce well over 700m2 of print that could have a retail value in excess of the printer itself!”

Reprocentre signs up as Ireland dealer for Josero

Reprocentre has signed as the official dealer for Josero in Ireland.  Reprocentre will be selling the full range of Triangle inks alongside other Josero products including the bubble free applicator, laminators, refurbished superwide printers and spare parts for wide format printers.

Reprocentre used Fespa in London earlier this year as an opportunity to investigate inkjet manufacturers and distributors and to determine which were the best in the market in terms of quality, reliability, product range and customer support.  Following a great deal of research, the Reprocentre team came away 'whole-heatedly impressed' with Josero and its products.

Eoin Honan, Sales Director at Reprocentre comments, “What attracted us to Josero and Triangle inks, in particular, was the wide range of inks available for both UV and solvent systems. We know Triangle take their ink products very seriously and have large R&D facilities in the USA where every product is thoroughly tested and matched to the OEM ink before it is brought to market. The new MSS and EDX eco solvent inks are perfectly compatible with the OEM inks, as are all the other Triangle inks. We were very impressed with the Josero team, and their wealth of knowledge and experience of the market plus the level of support they provide. All in all, it was an easy decision on our part to work with them.”

Ink sales account for around 20% of Reprocentres sales, and with Triangle inks now on board this is expected to increase significantly over the next twelve months. Eoin continued, “We have spoken to many customers and they are happy to consider good quality, highly reliable third party inks. This will enable them to reap the benefits of substantial cost savings over OEM inks whilst maintaining the quality and level of service they currently have.”

Loic Delor, Managing Director of Josero adds, “We are delighted to be working with Reprocentre. They have a great reputation in Ireland and are well respected by printing companies. We believe by broadening their product portfolio through the Josero product range, they will strengthen their position in the Irish market. We are confident that this partnership will be a great success for both of our organisations.“

HP launches new clear varnish ink for Scitex FB7500 and FB7600

The ink can be used in one of the FB7500 or FB7600's two extra ink channels, along with the Scitex's special orange or light black inks, launched in May this year.

It will allow users of HP's FB7500 and FB7600 printers to add effects similar to those produced on the Kodak Nexpress with its dimensional inks (on sheets up to 356mm x 914mm) and on litho or digitally printed sheets (up to 545mm x 788mm) on Scodix digital finishing equipment.

The varnish cannot be used alongside white ink however, as this application uses both ink channels.

"You need to look at it as an ink channel where the ink has no colour," said Xavier Melisse, Scitex category manager, EMEA, HP. "To switch a printer would need to flush the white out of their machines, but they could make that switch."

The varnish enables three key applications, explained Melisse. It can be used as "process colour", where the ink is applied to the blank areas of a matte substrate so that these sections are as glossy as the printed areas, a "full flood" of varnish to further enhance the printed area's gloss, or applied to select areas to create raised, textured effects.

"You might want to flood the whole piece because normally when you print CYMK the effect is relatively satin - it is shiny but not completely glossy," said Melisse. "But when you put the varnish on top it's like you are laminating with a liquid except that you jet it rather than apply it with a coater. Then the look is as glossy as if you'd laminated it. Another effect of putting the gloss on CYMK is that the colour gamut you're able to reproduce is significantly bigger - it brings up to 15% extra gamut."

On the ink's raised print capabilities, Melisse reported that the ink could be printed up to five layers thick. "We had an open house in our demo centre a week ago and this created the most positive feedback," he said.

Melisse added that, though this might prove a potential future application, the ink had not yet been approved to create braille.

The ink will be commercially available to FB7500 and 7600 users from 1 November. It has been beta tested since August at Italian printer Ondalba Group, with a first install currently being made at another Italian firm Grafic Art 95.

The intention is that the cost of this ink is in line with other Scitex inks, reported Melisse. He said that cost would depend on application, but that printers using the ink on selected areas or to create 3D effects could expect to pay around $0.20 (12p) per sq/m. Those using this for "full flood" applications could expect to pay around $1.3 (80p) per sq/m.

On the unique selling point of this new ink, Melisse said: "Previously for super wide format printing, this effect was applied using screen printing, so an offline process with all the fixed costs this entails. Or the cheapest solution was laminators and liquid coaters, but you do not have the capability to do either selective varnishing or 3D effects with this."

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CR&A Custom named first USA-based PSP to install HP Latex 3000 Printer

USA-based CR&A Custom, Inc. has become the first print service provider in the U.S. to install the new HP Latex 3000 Printer, helping the fully digital shop to increase productivity and quality.

Celebrating its 20th anniversary, Los Angeles-based CR&A Custom recently experienced significant growth and needed to expand its technology portfolio to quickly deliver high-quality output while keeping the environment in mind. Printing at speeds up to 1,900 ft2/hr using proven, water-based HP Latex Inks, the HP Latex 3000 Printer met these needs and allowed the company to profitably address increasing customer demand.

“Our company has been on a steady growth path with no signs of slowing down. Increased demand, plus digitally savvy clients, meant our next technology investment had to efficiently deliver impressive quality with minimal environmental impact,” said Carmen Rad, president, CR&A Custom. “The HP Latex 3000 Printer does just that, while also being extremely operator friendly. We have already reduced operator costs and increased capacity for high-quality point-of-purchase displays by as much as 300 percent.”

Originally a sublimation print shop, CR&A Custom, Inc. now exclusively uses digital printing equipment, installing its first HP large-format device in 2001. The HP Latex 3000 Printer expands CR&A Custom’s existing portfolio of HP Latex, Scitex and Designjet printers.

After installing the HP Latex 3000 Printer in June, CR&A Custom took on a large project to print and mount 15 murals in a parking garage for a state-wide lottery client. The murals were printed on an adhesive vinyl and covered more than 50,000 ft2 of wall space. The HP Latex 3000 Printer was essential to maintaining colour consistency across tiles without the need to rotate.

“Though this job was extremely large, it was important for the graphic to be of high quality since most of the images were being viewed from a close distance,” said Rad. “The machine performed flawlessly and is sure to help us secure additional large projects and new business opportunities in the future.”

Combining increased production capacity with 1200 dpi resolution, the HP Latex 3000 Printer helps high-volume customers meet tight deadlines and achieve broader media versatility, including heat-sensitive substrates. The new HP Latex Optimizer creates a competitive advantage with consistent image quality at high speeds as well as efficient curing at lower temperatures and with less energy than previous HP Latex solutions.

“To maintain growth, large-format PSPs are under increasing pressure to provide a wide range of high-quality applications quickly to customers,” said Jan Riecher, vice president and general manager, Americas Graphics Solutions Business, HP. “The productivity, quality and versatility of the HP Latex 3000 Printer allows CR&A Custom to expand its application offerings, addressing more client requests and realising growth opportunities.”

Maxximap named as first European company to invest in Fujifilm Acuity Advance Select X2

Netherlands-based Maxximap has been named as the first European company to invest in an Acuity Advance Select X2. Installed in January 2013, the machine has already helped the business improve its service offering, which is primarily focused on helping brands promote themselves through the use of different presentation solutions.

Founded 40 years ago as a plastic ring binder provider, Maxximap has since come a long way, and its portfolio currently ranges from flipcharts and sample books to signage and wallpaper, all of which are important presentation solutions. “We used to outsource all of our print work, but recently we saw a need to invest in a wide format printer in order to deliver the colour accuracy and quality our customers expect in timeframes that we can control,” explains Maarten van der Heijden, owner of Maxximap. “To that end we investigated the options available and chose Fujifilm’s Acuity Advance Select X2.”

The Acuity Advance Select models build on all the advantages of the successful Acuity Advance platform, but with a variety of new features that improve production efficiency and versatility. One of the key developments is the inclusion of eight independent ink channels, which also include white and clear options, along with the standard CMYK ink set.

“One of the most important reasons we chose the Acuity Advance Select X2 was the availability of white and clear ink as print options which can be used to create a much wider range of end applications,” continues Maarten. “The ability to print on black and colour materials also gives us a competitive edge.”

Maarten also explains Maxximap’s decision to purchase the X2 model (2.5 x 3.05m) instead of the standard size (1.25 x 2.5m): “We tend to work with large materials â€" one of our recent orders happened to be for a piste map sign for a ski resort. The X2 model’s size is ideal for working with larger materials and it also allows uninterrupted production, as we can print at one end whilst setting up a new job at the other. The ability to switch between rigid and roll media is also beneficial to our business, as we work with a variety of materials ranging from PVC and wallpaper to corrugated carton and other thick substrates.”

When asked what the future holds in store, Maarten explains: “Our business is growing. We’ve already seized new opportunities in the past few months and we are gradually expanding into other sectors, such as B2B and Point Of Sale (POS). Our aim is to continue providing assurance to our customers that we will help them present their products in the most creative and effective way possible in what has become a very competitive market. With the Acuity Advance Select X2, we are confident we will achieve our objective.”

[Picture shows Maarten van der Heijden, owner of Maxximap, alongside his new printer]