Visitors will have the opportunity to learn about the latest developments in signage and speak with experts about how new products and options can help their businesses grow.

Drytac products will be present at Mimaki’s booth, where visitors can see Drytac’s ViziPrint Clear, ViziPrint Deco +, Polar Chrome and both Retac Canvas and Retac Linen being run on Mimaki machinery.

Drytac’s Polar Dynamic Sand will be featured on the Vanguard Digital Printing Systems and Durst Group stand. Elsewhere, Fujifilm will be using Drytac’s Viziprint Impress Clear as part of its live product demonstrations on its booth, while Epson America will showcase the qualities of Polar Grip Air.

Attendees can also visit the Mutoh America stand to view live demonstrations of Drytac’s ReTac Smooth throughout the event. ReTac Smooth will also feature on the swissQprint America stand alongside ReTac Textures Woodgrain.

In addition, Drytac partner HP will demonstrate both Viziprint Impress Clear and SpotOn Clear on its printing machinery.

Glen Fitzgerald, director of sales for the Americas at Drytac commented, ‘The ISA Sign Expo is a highly important event on our US calendar. Running our products on machines from several manufacturers will showcase the flexibility and adaptability of Drytac solutions, as well as the overall quality of these products.’

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This being a drupa year we’re expecting all sorts of new technologies to be presented in Düsseldorf in May. And not to be outdone, Fespa in Amsterdam is the site of a bevy of new technologies this month. Ricoh will introduce a new flatbed roll-to-roll printer and there will be many more new products to explore. There is certainly no lack of innovation, but we aren’t seeing enough being done when it comes to sustainability developments.

The problem isn’t so much with commercial print waste, since most of this is still paper based. Paper recycling is well-established in developed economies and although the paper industry is slacking when it comes to digital print deinking and recycling investments, the model is at least there. At some point the necessary upgrades will be made.

Press technologies are also readily recycled and here too a model is in place. Ricoh, Canon, HP and Xerox have long since reused skins and other components from devices they have reclaimed for reuse. And printing presses have very long lifespans, assuming parts and consumables are still available. But more seriously we have new inks and substrates that cannot always be easily parted. This compromises paper recycling and will undermine the considerable advances made in the industry’s environmental sustainability in the last few years. That said, in the commercial print sector we have an established foundation and supply chains for improved sustainability. The same cannot truly be said for the packaging sector where innovation, particularly in materials science may be spurring more problems than it solves.

In the last few years we have seen some gorgeous innovations in shapes and sizes of packaging, thanks to innovation in substrates, inks and packaging systems. There has been a trend towards smaller packages and multipacks, packages within packages which suits the market but drives excess packaging consumption. This inevitably generates waste, much of which gets burned rather than being put into established recycling streams.

According to data from the European Union (EU), each European generated an average of over 188kg of packaging waste, ranging from 73.8kg per person in Croatia to more than 246kg per person in Ireland. The EU’s goal is to recycle 70% of packaging waste by 2030, from all sources but perhaps we shouldn’t be generating so much of it in the first place. That is much easier said than done, but as with judicious use of print which is now a commonplace, we can all think more carefully about the packaging waste we generate. 

Laurel Brunner

This article was produced by the Verdigris Project, an industry initiative intended to raise awareness of print’s positive environmental impact. This weekly commentary helps printing companies keep up to date with environmental standards, and how environmentally friendly business management can help improve their bottom lines. Verdigris is supported by the following companies: Agfa Graphics, EFI, Fespa, Fujifilm, HP, Kodak, Miraclon, Ricoh, Unity Publishing and Xeikon.

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The cover, printed on an HP Indigo 7900 on the 300gsm weight of the material, was designed by Gabriel Walsh of Capiche Design. The title poem depicts starlings as dull creatures until light shines upon them and they are transformed from starlings to birds of paradise. Mr Walsh spoke on the importance of a cover that best reflects the poems’ content stating, ‘The iridescent nature of the print substrate beautifully captures this notion, echoing the words of the poet while illustrating the beauty of the starling feathers.’

An Druideog was designed by Mr Walsh for Irish poet Ciarán MacAibhistín. It features a collection of poems which reflect the poet’s life as he approaches his twilight years.

Creative papers manager at Antalis Vicky Weatherington added, ‘Curious Metallics’ white gold was the perfect choice for the cover of An Druideog. It adds an extra dimension to the beautiful, abstract image of a starling that features on the cover. It’s a great example of how choosing the right substrate can help bring a project to life.’

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The book, created in collaboration with Wrexham AFC, HP and Nabu for World Book Day on 7 March 2024, was created to celebrate the richness of Welsh culture and language present in Wrexham, while promoting mother-tongue literacy among children aged 6-10. 

Peter Jolly, HP’s industrial UK and Ireland country manager, commented, ‘This project is a great example of how we’re effectively working with Wrexham AFC as their global tech partner, to enable and create meaningful impact for the local community.’

Isabel Sheinman, Nabu’s co-founder, stated, ‘Since 2020, we’ve partnered with HP to close the digital divide by accelerating literacy for children globally. Nabu provides children around the world with equal access to original, high-quality, mother-tongue, bilingual content for free via the low-bandwidth Nabu reading app and web reader.

‘We’re excited to collaborate with HP, Wrexham AFC, and Pureprint for the creation of The Lucky Dragon, our first Welsh-English book, which will further our mission while inspiring a generation to be the heroes of their own story.’

Mark Handford, CEO of Pureprint, added, ‘Working on The Lucky Dragon project exemplifies our capacity to expedite print runs and work with greater flexibility, all while advancing our sustainability aims.’

Using the HP Indigo 100K, Pureprint was able to create different samples and short trial run productions of the title before the final artwork and translation was complete. This allowed it to meet quick turnaround times and work through several iterations seamlessly. 

Pureprint’s HP printers and materials are also described as being carbon balanced, and by maximising imposition efficiencies, the company can reduce the number of sheets and impressions required per job, making processes more sustainable. Using sustainable materials doesn’t compromise the quality of print and has allowed Pureprint to further its sustainability goals by saving on print wastage.

Mr Jolly concluded, ‘We know that flexibility, productivity and sustainability are top-of-mind for Pureprint, and we’re excited to support on all three of these fronts with the implementation of our HP Indigo 100K digital press.’

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Titchfield Group supplies a wide range of products from digital LED screens to consultancy for landlords accessing the out of home (OOH) advertising market.

The presses acquired were roll-fed and hybrid printers ranging between 1.6–5m in width from HP, Durst and EFI.  

The new Titchfield Media now operates from a 67,000sqft facility with 30 staff members led by managing director Adrian Hallett, described to have the capacity and capability to be a major player in the OOH and premium retail print and event sectors.

As a print supplier, Titchfield Group with Titchfield Media, is now positioned to benefit from the growth forecast for the global and UK OOH market plus other sectors. 

Titchfield founder Nigel Brunt said, ‘The former team from Gardners are now perfectly positioned to deploy their accumulated experience of over 650 years of industry knowledge and their unrivalled technical resources. 

‘This is an exciting development, not just for Titchfield Group and the print and OOH industries but the wider economy of this part of Wales.’

Mr Hallett commented, ‘Top quality print is now more important than ever for a number of industries and here in Cardiff we have the people skills and kit to provide this at competitive prices.

‘Now with the backing and support of Nigel and his team at Titchfield Group we have the financial stability to make a real and lasting impact in the marketplace.’

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The company began working with Multiplex, the construction company behind 22 Bishopsgate, back in 2019, producing a range of graphics and wayfinding signs for the 65-floor building.

Among the applications delivered by Signbox on the 22 Bishopsgate project were experiential wall and ceiling graphics, installed in September 2023 at the entrance to the site’s public viewing experience.

The entrance to Horizon 22 is now decorated with graphics printed in-house at Signbox on a pair of HP Latex 800W printers which were installed in the summer of 2023 by HP reseller Colyer.

Using the HP Latex 800W machines is said to not only ensure a high-quality print on all graphics but also offer a sustainable element to the project, given that all HP Latex printers use HP Latex ink, which is claimed to be significantly kinder to the environment than solvent, eco-solvent, and UV inks.

The reliability of the HP Latex 800W printers and their ability to deliver high quality, accurate prints, meant Signbox was able to deliver and install the graphics on time for the client.

Greg Bailey, senior project manager of Signbox said, ‘We achieved all our self-imposed KPI targets set out at the start of the project and completed our works snag-free at the point of handover.

‘Due to the dynamic nature of the project, it required us to be hyper agile, reacting to changes in the design of the built environment as the project progressed. We managed to achieve all client variations and deliver these within the main project period.

‘The final finishing detail of our work is outstanding; this was the opinion of the client team as well as ourselves.’

The project also won gold in the Interior Décor category at the 2024 UK Sign Awards.

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The HP Wrap Camp will take place at the new PressOn facility in Whitstable on 13 March 2024, while the HP Sustainability Bootcamp will run on 14 March 2024 at the nearby PressOn Chatham site.

The HP Wrap Camp will offer attendees insight into the vibrant market of vehicle wrapping. The event will aim to help visitors learn about the entire wrapping process, from printing via laminating and cutting to applying graphics onto vehicles.

Paige Walton, founder and CEO of The Vehicle Wrapping Academy, will be in attendance and carrying out live demonstrations of wrapping, offering further guidance and advice to visitors.

The second event, in Chatham, will focus on the value of sustainability for the modern wide-format print and signage business. Hosted by the Make it Happen signage consultancy, on behalf of HP and PressOn, the Sustainability Bootcamp is a workshop that hopes to bring together corporations, companies and individuals to learn, discuss and share knowledge and ideas. In addition to highlighting how HP Latex print technology could support visitors with their long-term environmental goals.

Sarah Magee, the marketing manager of the Make it Happen signage consultancy, and Steve Lister, formerly head of sustainability at HH Global and now founder of Rethink Retail, will both speak at the event about the importance of the environment and offer advice to attendees about how their businesses can become more sustainable.

Jane Rixon, business development manager of large format production at HP spoke on the importance of teaming up with PressOn and other companies. She said: ‘We are delighted to be teaming up with our long-term partner PressOn to host these two special customer events.

‘While the events are very different in subject matter, both are equally important in terms of the value they offer to visitors.’

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The new dittomi.co.uk site is understood to be the first UK implementation of the HP web-to-print software that was launched in September 2023, alongside the HP Latex 630 roll-fed printer, though Time 2 Display had been working with HP on development and implementation of the pilot site since the summer of 2021. HP’s software is described as an intuitive web-to-print solution that saves time with simplified print application design capabilities, efficient production paths and step-by-step guidance on how PSPs can integrate it with an existing e-commerce store.

In addition to enabling Dittomi customer to create their own designs, the site offers a selection of professionally-designed templates, allowing customers to further reduce the cost of design.

‘We are extremely proud and excited to introduce the HP PrintOS Design & eCommerce software to the UK market through our customer validation test partnership with HP,’ said Andrew Wilson, director of Time 2 Display Group, which includes Fordingbridge Print, Xconsumables, Paper Mountain and Paper Meadows, recently joined by merger with banner and flag printer Big Print Little Print.

‘With Dittomi, we aim to revolutionise the way customers approach large format printing. Whether they are professionals or individuals, our platform provides the tools and flexibility to bring their designs to life effortlessly,’ added Mr Wilson.

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Having experienced the benefits of producing printed materials in house from its first purchase of a HP DesignJet Z6600 in 2018, adding a second in 2019, Steve Pickering, chief executive of Sussex Beds said, ‘the company’s average order value has increased three-fold’. This ultimately led to its investment in the Latex 800W printer in March 2023.

The company said the purchase of the new HP Latex 800W printer has allowed it to produce a wider range of marketing materials and increase awareness of its brand because of its white ink printing capabilities.

Nick Butcher, visual merchandising manager at Sussex Beds, commented, ‘The great thing with the HP Latex 800W is the white printing aspect.

‘We can print on limited substrates with the Z machines but nowhere near as many as with the Latex.

‘There is the opportunity for us to look at applications like floor coverings, which is something we haven’t been able to fully utilise before.

‘In addition, we can add graphics to our vehicles and use them as mobile advertising while out on the road.

‘The HP Latex 800W opens up those possibilities; it allows us to go over and above the usual window and wall applications.’

Since investing in the Latex 800W, the family business stated it has improved its cost savings and strengthened their efficiency, production, and sustainability stance. In terms of working with HP, Mr Pickering concluded, ‘HP couldn’t do more for us. The contact and support we have had has been excellent.’

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IFS managing director Eric Keane

In 2024 there will be a continuation of the pressures felt during 2023 – high interest rates, high inflation, labour and skill shortages, and some disrupted supply chains. There will likely be an accelerated trend in mergers and acquisitions for ambitious print companies to make either strategic acquisitions of their competitors, or in order to secure diversity in their product offering, do this through acquisition of other companies.

The sector will continue with consolidation and this will drive more investment in more technology and automation. The latter, in particular, was an accelerating trend in 2023. Most leading print companies have been looking to increase investment in more automated print finishing systems. This in turn has enabled IFS, in collaboration with our partners Horizon and Tecnau, to be at the forefront in supplying innovative, automated print finishing systems, that meet this demand to reduce operator touch points, improve output speeds and utilise less labour.

With the world around us so uncertain, trade fairs like drupa really do bring the business communities together. Business people do mix, and with that entrepreneurship and enterprise flourishes.

Phil McMullin, head of sales for Commercial & Industrial, Epson UK

Continuous improvements with sustainability considerations at their core will remain a significant focus for print production environments and suppliers in the short-to-medium term. Epson strives to build technologies that last and support responsible and efficient production. As we develop our own printheads, print hardware, and print software, we’re able to deliver a very customer-focused portfolio that responds to increased demand for product longevity and reduced energy and waste. We can also help operations explore the most effective options as well as offer support, advice, and guidance when it is needed. 

Ease of use is crucial for both operational efficiency and the ability to move into new markets. Simple and fast setup via user-friendly touchscreen ensures operator confidence and quick throughput to maintain agile and responsive production. These are key persuaders for businesses considering their next steps towards successful growth, and  empower operations to expand their offerings. This is important to help them capitalise on the growth opportunities of markets such as personalisation, where production needs to be right the first time, and every time.

Martyn Train, managing director, Duplo UK

With a steady 2023 under our belt we turn our sights to 2024 and the future of print, which appears to be thriving with resilience and innovation. Despite digital communication’s prevalence, our industry is undergoing a renaissance, embracing cutting-edge technologies to enhance its relevance to add value to the consumer, especially in sectors such as education, greetings cards and the recovery of in-plants.

This resurgence is fuelled by a growing appreciation for tangible, tactile experiences as well as the enduring appeal of high-quality printed products. As we have always said, print in its various forms continues to play a pivotal role in communication and the purchasing experience, offering a unique and timeless way to engage audiences.

At Duplo we are really excited about drupa and some of the new products we’ve been itching to show the industry. This includes upgrades to our range, brand new products that will take Duplo into new areas, as well as some innovations that will show how we are preparing for the future of our industry.

Yale Goldis, director strategy, commercial products and solutions at HP PageWide Industrial

As traditional print volumes decline, digital print will continue to grow. Commercial printers adopting the latest high volume production printing capabilities find better economics for themselves and their clients. They will also redefine their offerings and reimagine applications that bridge digital online and physical media.

Publishers are moving towards sustainable, targeted production. Shorter, frequent runs in the market are replacing large, centrally produced orders to mitigate supply chain risks and reduce book miles. Publishers are also adopting ‘gap’ printing, using POD production from the onset of a book’s life cycle, to meet unpredicted demand. 

Direct mail will continue its renaissance in 2024 as marketers rediscover the performance and value of print in the overall marketing mix. While postal and paper costs pressure overall mail volume, digitally printed, personalised, impactful and relevant mail will see healthy growth. 

Business models such as web-to-print meet growing consumer demands for convenient online ordering, customisation and improved customer experience. Closer integration with large data warehouses and powerful marketing engines enable true multi-channel campaigns executed across online and print media.

Will Mansfield, director, solutions marketing, Kodak

In 2023, the pursuit of production efficiencies was paramount. Advances such as higher quality faster inkjet presses, smarter workflow platforms and more automated CtP systems have significantly streamlined production. These innovations have reduced labour requirements and also improved the accuracy and consistency of printing, thus reducing waste. The economic landscape was again characterised by uncertainties and inflationary pressures. To adapt to these challenges for our plate customers, Kodak continued to invest in regional manufacturing as well as technology innovations.

Kodak is anticipating drupa 2024 as a unique opportunity to connect with printers from around the globe and debut new solutions. The show provides a valuable platform for Kodak to engage with customers and prospects and gain deeper insights into their evolving needs. We are excited to showcase our latest innovations in high-speed inkjet, workflow and offset solutions, demonstrating our commitment to advancing the industry. We are committed to being a strategic partner to our customers, helping them navigate the challenges and seize the opportunities that lie ahead.

Duncan Smith, country director, production, Canon UK & Ireland

As customers are expecting faster turnaround times and higher quality products than ever before, we at Canon have seen an increasing demand for cutting-edge inkjet technology in 2023.

Alongside quality and productivity, businesses are starting to realise that inkjet also delivers many economic and environmental benefits. With reliable equipment that harnesses automation, businesses can save on total cost of ownership with reduced power consumption and streamlined workflows. Additionally, inkjet enables print solution providers to broaden their media capabilities and branch out to a variety of markets, such as retail, manufacturing and interior décor.

We’re excited to return to drupa next year alongside some of the key players in the industry. We see this as a huge opportunity to not only showcase new technology, but also celebrate our achievements over the last few years. We expect to see a lot of conversation around the advancement of inkjet technology when it comes to production and wide-format print and are excited to share our developments in this space.

Andy Kent, general manager, Fujifilm UK

Sustainable and energy-efficient machinery and practices were key factors in 2023 when printers were looking at suppliers for equipment or consumables. The market has also seen many mergers and acquisitions as companies join forces to reduce fixed costs.

Energy costs remain a problem but other costs are stabilising, or even going down in some cases. With interest rates moving upwards, we initially saw some reluctance to invest in new equipment in 2023. I think this was because people felt it might be a temporary situation, but are now accepting that the higher rates appear to be here to stay for some time.

Analogue processes are increasingly transforming to digital, particularly in the packaging space where the market is still growing. I expect this to be one of the main trends and biggest opportunities in 2024.

I see AI as another trend with complimentary technology for making quick decisions in time-limited situations. I expect drupa to be well-attended because we will see new sustainable products and services that will inspire print businesses looking for an extra edge.

Charlotte Tueckmantel, GM Enterprise Print & eCommerce, eProductivity Software

2023 in many ways was the reset of the new normal. Coming out of Covid we saw a huge resurgence in our customers’ businesses, and record numbers in many areas. While 2023 took a slight step back it was still well above the Covid years, despite increasing costs across the board. This included the rising cost of people/talent; difficulty attracting new talent is a challenge that the industry has seen for a few years now and we will continue to see in 2024.

The rising costs of people, materials and energy will continue to drive higher levels of automation, supported by the emergence of actionable insights and AI starting to appear in the industry.

For 2024, we see a trend towards more remote or hybrid work in the front office driven by the need for greater flexibility and the challenges to hire skilled people. This shift, enabled by technology and coupled with the arrival or more automation, actionable insight, API integrations and AI will continue to change the landscape.

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