Speaking about the co-location of SDUK with Printwear & Promotion Live (see preview on p40), event director Tony Gardner said, ‘Sign & Digital UK 2024 is the first SDUK under our ownership, and we are really looking forward to seeing how the co-located event works. All shows must continue to develop their offering and we believe a co-located event is key to help grow the show, and to attract a new audience into the world of sign-making and large-format digital printing. Visitors will have the chance to explore the latest technology and innovations first-hand, with many of these advancements being showcased in the UK for the first time.’

The exhibition will be complemented by the International Sign Association (ISA-UK) Explains Lounge. Now in its third year, the Lounge will host a series of presentations and panel discussions designed to inform and educate visitors to the show on the latest developments, trends and innovations and how they will impact the large format printing, sign-making and visual communications industry.

Topics include managing your sign business, business advice sessions, daily panel and feature sessions. The Women in Sign and Graphics session focuses on their contributions to the industry, while The Printing Charity will share ways to support mental well-being within the sector.

On the show floor, Hybrid Services, the exclusive UK and Ireland distributor for Mimaki Europe, is introducing three new printers at the event. These are the Mimaki TxF300-75 direct-to-film printer launched in August 2023, the UJV100-160Plus LED UV printer announced in September 2023, which will have its first UK exhibition showing, plus the first showing of the Mimaki UCJV330-160 LED UV integrated printer/cutter. The latter is a 1.6m production machine that Hybrid says offers ‘highly creative capabilities coupled with ultra-low running costs’.

RGB and Oki Europe are teaming up to support motor vehicle number plate printing with a complete ‘business in a box’ solution. They will be featuring the A3+ Oki Pro9542 printer, which includes white toner, and the Oki C650, described as ‘the world’s smallest high performance colour printer’  but still suitable for commercial print.

UK Feather Flags will showcase various products, including a new line of Eco fabric exhibition display solutions that it says demonstrate its commitment to sustainable signage. The company aims to build brand awareness, forge new business relationships, and gain insights into emerging market trends.

Sign Trade Supplies plans to display its range of sustainable aluminium profiles, sign fixings, and components, emphasising value to customers. The stand will also feature an interactive element, adding a ‘fun and engaging dimension for attendees’.

Assured Signage aims to use the show to highlight the potential of digital signage as a new revenue stream for traditional sign-makers and printers. It will present its media player, Sureview Genesis, which is claimed to offer offering exceptional performance and a low cost of ownership. The stand will also feature displays from Papercast, showcasing e-ink displays ideal for outdoor applications.

Roland DG  is taking space at both SDUK and Printwear & Promotion. At the former, it will showcase its new VersaObject MO-240, which replaces the company’s popular LEF2 Series and is designed to enhance direct-to-object printing with new levels of productivity. For those interested in signage, interior design and vehicle wraps, the company will also be showcasing its TrueVIS AP-640 resin printer, plus the popular TrueVis LG-640 UV print and cut device, and the 2.4 x 1.2m VersaObject EU-1000MF flatbed that can handle objects up to 95mm thick. These will be backed by demonstrations of the DG Connect software app.

Brownings, in partnership with Magnwall, plans to showcase novel wireless electrification systems at SDUK 2024. This allows users to mount electrical accessories onto the face of tension fabric systems, eliminating the need for complex wiring. The stand will also feature Brownings’ range, including TexSign tension fabric systems, Flex face products and bespoke snap frames.

BestSub will showcase its latest engraving machine, craft heat presses, Otter DtF system, and a comprehensive selection of craft supplies, materials, and tools.

InkTec had been planning to show a brand new printer, the Jetrix LXa5 flatbed, but the conflict around the Suez Canal has delayed it, so the firm will focus on sustainability, showing how Jetrix printers can be upgraded to move with the times and continue to deliver on their initial investment. The Jetrix LXi8 UV flatbed will be present, sporting a new user interface that improves the nesting and mapping capabilities of the printer to minimise media wastage. There will also be the first showing of the Jetrix XGR320 3.2m UV LED roll printer. Both machines will be printing with GreenGuard Gold accredited inks.

QPS will feature four LED UV printers from ColorJet on its stand – the 49sqm/hr Verve 2513M flatbed, the Verve Mini 1050 x 1650mm compact flatbed, the 2m width Vulcan Hybrid X and the 3.2m Vulcan 3201M which offers at top speed of 76sqm/hr. Collectively these cover a full gamut of wide-format applications from small signage and promotional items to high volume roll substrates, plus rigid materials including ACP, foam, board, flute board, glass, ceramic tiles and wood. QPS will also feature the Nazdar range of inks.

Drytac won’t have a stand of its own, but its products will feature on Epson, Hybrid Services and Roland’s stands, as well as that of exclusive distribution partner Premier Paper Group. While Premier will display a selection of Drytac materials and can advise about the full range, Epson will feature SpotOn Floor 200 and ReTac Textures Sand wallcovering films, while Hybrid will be printing Polar Chrome reflective PET, Polar Choice White film and Visiprint films. Roland’s stand will show ReTac ChalkMate, which yields a blackboard-type finish.

Another first will be the debut of the SC-V1000 A4 flatbed printer from Epson. This is an entry-level flatbed printer aimed at small businesses in the promotional goods industry. Described as highly compact and affordable, V1000 can print directly on a wide range of substrates with a thickness of up to 70mm, including acrylics, polycarbonates, PVC, aluminium, metal, polyester, foamboard, styrene, wood and stone, making it suitable for creating promotional and personalised items.

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The site was acquired by EFI in 2012 and has a heritage of single-pass printing capability based on digital printing of ceramic tiles. Since then, EFI has invested heavily in applying that expertise to other markets, most specifically packaging and display graphics. The single-pass technology originally developed in Castellon was a key element in the development of the company’s successful Nozomi family of single-pass printers for those markets. This technology has also been applied in other market segments, including the Reggiani textile printers, and building materials.

Evandro Matteucci, vice president and general manager for packaging and building materials at EFI, said, ‘EFI has placed a particular focus on the packaging market as it has worked to transform the Castellon manufacturing facility as well as the research and development arm located there.

’This includes optimising operations to support ongoing innovation and to leverage our expertise. Our industry-leading single-pass technology is especially applicable to this growth market as it increasingly transitions to digital. As one example of the market opportunity, more than 250 billion square metres of corrugated board are printed each year worldwide, and we believe a substantial percentage of that can be transitioned to single-pass digital printing.’

Mr Matteucci also stated that the successes achieved, especially with the Nozomi printers, are proof that single-pass technology is well-positioned to enable EFI to expand into additional market segments. The technology has already been adapted by EFI for the display graphics market, with the 1.4m Nozomi 14000 SD, launched in May 2023. Further applications envisaged include markets such as metal decoration and folding carton production.

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Mimaki entered the DtF market earlier this year with the launch of TxF150-75, which was designed to offer customers a stable, efficient platform that incorporates Mimaki’s ‘renowned’ quality standards. In line with the original machine, the new TxF300-75 meets these objectives, it is claimed, whilst catering to a diverse set of printing demands, including larger companies requiring higher volumes of high-quality output. As such, TxF300-75 has been designed to incorporate the stability and functionality of TxF150-75, while delivering new levels of productivity with print speeds that are three times higher.

In line with Mimaki’s sustainability goals, TxF300-75 utilises Mimaki’s PHT50 pigment inks that are Eco-Passport certified, so validating their lower environmental impact and meeting the requirements for OEKO-Tex certification.

Mimaki DtF printers feature a built-in ink circulation system that prevents white ink clogging and a degassed ink pack to reduce the risk of poor ink jetting. TxF printers also include core Mimaki features, including NCU (nozzle check unit) and NRS (nozzle recovery system) for stable, uninterrupted print production. The DtF process also enables customers to print on a wider range of fabric such as cotton, mixed fabric, polyester and dark coloured fabrics.

Arjen Evertse, general sales manager at Mimaki Europe, said, ‘We believe in giving customers choice and anticipating their needs, which is why we are expanding our DTF printer line-up hot on the heels of the inaugural system.

‘TxF300-75 has been designed to offer even greater productivity. The innovative 80cm width introduced with our first DtF printer remains a feature of this new system, enabling customers to print more efficiently.’

Mimaki DtF printers are distributed in the UK and Ireland by Hybrid Services. The company’s sales director Andrew Gregory commented, ‘Since its launch, TxF150-75 has been an overwhelming success, receiving a very positive response from the market. It’s exciting to be able to announce the higher production machine joining the range, and we look forward to seeing it later in the year.’

The new TxF300-75 will be commercially available in the UK and Ireland in the fourth quarter of 2023.

For more dedicated coverage of the digital textile printing market, see sister publication Digital Textile Printer

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Quinn has been a long-time proponent of Epson’s dye-sublimation technology, using a SureColor SC-F9200 printer, and has won the H&M Design Award and the inaugural Queen Elizabeth II Award for Design, presented by her late majesty in 2018. His Autumn/Winter 2023 collection again heavily featured dye-sublimation’s role in fashion and was enhanced with the runway’s Secret Garden-inspired decor.

Digital printing also played a role in the surrounding, with Epson’s SureColor SC-R5000 resin printer being used to print the black and white diamond-patterned floor graphics. Using water-based resin inks, the printer imaged onto scuff and tear-resistant PVC-free polyester floor graphics containing 40% recycled material, provided by adhesive-coated products manufacturer Drytac and installed by specialist Max Media Prints. The Epson inks offered a durable solution for the catwalk and make the substrate recyclable and free from environmentally harmful substances.

The catwalk in use as one of Richard Quinn’s dye-sub printed designs is modelled

This is the second year running that digital textile and signage printing have helped bring to life Mr Quinn’s fashion collection and catwalk themes respectively.

Phil McMullin, head of sales for ProGraphics at Epson UK, commented, ‘t’s always a delight to see Richard Quinn’s designs brought to life through digital textile printing and I’m pleased that this has also offered such a great chance for our signage printing technology to shine. The SureColor SC-R5000 takes all the proven technology of our successful SureColor printer range and adds our new resin ink set to deliver improved abrasion resistance without lamination as well as enhanced recyclability. In combination with the Drytac media it provides a perfect result for this application.’

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The Nozomi 18000+ LED is a 1.8m width single-pass printer designed for the sign and display graphics market, based on the technologies in the corrugated printer of the same name. EFI claims that at up to 1000 sheets or 1.2 x 1.4m boards per hour, equivalent to between 3000 and 5000sqm/hr, it is three to five times faster than scanning head alternatives and can handle both synthetic and paper-based media.

Announced in 2021, the 18000+ offers manual or fully automated feeding and stacking, a hybrid aqueous/UV primer for difficult materials and optional pre-white coating for reflective or coloured substrates and/or post UV coating for durability and weather protection. EFI contends that its ‘unparalleled throughput helps users drive profitability in a wide range of high-volume signage applications’.

That argument seems to have been taken on board at Delta Group, which has ordered the new press for delivery in the third quarter of 2022, making it the second customer site for the 18000+ and the first outside North America. 

‘We have had remarkable success as an early adopter of EFI’s single-pass technology on our first Nozomi solution, an EFI Nozomi C18000 corrugated board printer that we use to produce high-quality displays,’ said Delta Group COO Martin Shipp. ‘The new 18000+ model for signage and display graphics will be a welcome development for our customers. The range of applications this printer enables, printing on paper, styrene, corrugated plastic and more at very high speeds, keeps Delta Group ahead in its ability to meet every customer need in the display graphics space.’

A preview was given at Fespa of the EFI Reggiani EcoTerra, a new all-in-one ‘eco-friendly’ pigment-based textile roll printer that requires neither pre- not post-treatment for the fabrics it prints, thus reducing its footprint, energy and water usage. The EcoTerra offers a seven-colour ink set (CMYK plus blue, red and green) for expanded colour gamut and is claimed to achieve excellent wet and dry colour fastness with sharp detail and high durability. An enhanced polymerisation and finishing unit is said to give a softer hand feel to finished printed fabrics. An analytics application, Query, for monitoring and reporting, is also in development, and Reggiani demonstrated a partnership with textile RIP software developer Inèdit at the show in Berlin.

EFI also used Fespa to confirm the availability of Fiery Impress, an ‘affordable ready-to-go’ DFE that should suit smaller OEM customers, announced at its Connect event in January 2022. ‘This isn’t some RIP trying to be an industrial digital front end,’ said EFI Fiery VP of Sales and Marketing John Henze, ‘This is the market-leading industrial Fiery DFE taking inkjet printing to the next level and making market adoption easier.’

Also now available are the Prep-It nesting software and IQ production monitoring and analysis suite for wide format applications. No availability date was given for the EcoTerra direct-to-fabric printer. 

The post EFI ships Nozomi 18000+ and names first UK customer appeared first on Digital Printer.

CMYUK’s new Vutek FabriVU 340i+ will be making its UK debut alongside the company’s EFI Pro 30h 3.2m UV LED printer at the open house, which is taking place on 18 and 19 May at CMYUK’s demonstration and training centre in Shrewsbury. Technology from Mimaki, Canon, Epson, Klieverik, Kongsberg and Trotec will also be on display.

The 340i+ has been developed to help businesses expand into new soft signage and textile markets. It has eight Kyocera printheads, compared to its predecessor’s four, meaning that it can print at 600dpi rather than 300dpi, with PoP production up to 48% faster. It offers both direct-to-substrate and transfer paper sublimation printing.

‘There’s a great deal of interest around the FabriVU 340i+,’ said Brett Platt, CMYUK, textiles business manager. ‘It offers a real opportunity for customers to expand their business offerings. The integrated fixation capability is perfect for companies that don’t have the floor space or capex spend for an additional stand-alone heat press. It represents a host of advantages that we are excited to share with new and existing customers. CMYUK has long been a hub for digital textile printing, and these days it’s almost unthinkable for sign and display businesses not to offer soft signage solutions including TFS, murals, SEG Backlights, event backdrops, hanging banners, retail fixture wraps, front light PoP, promo tents and divisional graphics.’

Meanwhile the 3.2m Pro 30h 3.2m hybrid UV LED printer, available for £164,995 including delivery, warranty and installation, uses technology from EFI’s Reggiani textile printers, the Vutek high-speed h-series and Nozomi single-pass printers.

CMYUK sales director Sue Hayward commented, ‘The Pro 30h is a stunning piece of equipment that combines hugely successful elements of EFI technology packaged in one printer. It’s a very impressive proposition and customers are buzzing over its feature set. We anticipate that it will be a very strong contender in the market.’

The company has also announced that Cardiff-based 3 Sixty has installed a FabriVu 340i+ to support growth in its textile printing capabilities, using a range of eco-textile materials also supplied by CMYUK. The materials, which will come to market this autumn, are currently being tested, and are expected to play an important role in the growth of textile printing from 40% to 60% of 3 Sixty’s output. 

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Transfertex, which claims to be the world’s largest producer of sustainable transfer papers and films, supporting both rotogravure and digital printing, runs the myTFX digital platform that offers a constantly-updated selection of thousands of ready-to-print designs in various colourways. Inèdit develops the neoStampa Rip Software for digital textile printers, with a particular focus on colour management.

The two companies describe the agreement as a ‘breakthrough in the process of acquiring designs’. Dani Martinez, product owner at Inèdit, explained, ‘Together with Transfertex we have designed a revolutionary solution for the digital textile printing industry. Inèdit has developed a unique encryption system that allows [the] neoStampa RIP to read the files created in the myTFX platform and print only the metres purchased by the customer.

‘For the first time, printers will be able to choose among a huge collection of trendy designs and pay only for the metres they really need to print. On the other hand, designers will receive the real value of their work. We are pleased to be part, once again, of the industry’s transformation and we are very grateful to Transfertex for choosing us.’

André Peters, managing director of Transfertex, added, ‘We have a long-standing and trusting partnership with Inèdit. The first projects to show designs digitally were already developed and implemented 25 years ago; this project is another milestone in the digitisation of textile printing.’

The collaboration will be featured in a live micro-factory demonstration at Fespa in Berlin later this month.

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The project, which was first rolled out in autumn 2020, is seeking to improve colour standardisation in digital textile printing. Intended to run for a total of two years, it is being funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action BMWK.

Specifically the TextileRGB research project aims to develop a suitable RGB exchange colour space for digital textile printing and to design a standardisation concept that will result in a new ISO standard.

It is to help it achieve this goal that Mimaki Deutschland has loaned the organisation one of its TS300P-1800 dye sublimation printers, described as ‘specially designed for the textile industry.’ Mimaki says the printer delivers ‘dye sublimation prints quickly, reliably and cost-effectively,’ and that it is ‘ideal for the production of fashion and sports clothing, home textiles and POS materials.’

Hisashi Takeuchi, the managing director at Mimaki Deutschland, visited Fogra’s facility in Aschheim near Munich to mark the official handover of the press. Whilst he was there institute director Eduard Neufeld showed him around the laboratories and the printing room, where the printer will be used in the practical implementation of the next project steps.

Dr Andreas Kraushaar, project manager and head of the Fogra prepress technology department, commented, ‘We have already worked closely with Mimaki in past projects and have always been convinced of the quality of the print products. We are pleased that our cooperation is now being continued in the current digital textile printing project.’

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The dress is designed to act as a medium to showcase the benefits of XT-640S-F for short-run garment printing for the ‘fashion drop’ generation. It highlights the white ink and saturated colour capabilities of the new machine, alongside text which describes its benefits and attributes.

The dress, which ‘pays homage to the world of fashion design’, was produced between two fashion ‘capitals’ – designed and sewn in London and printed using a Roland Texart XT-640S-F in Milan.

Stephen Davis, EMEA marketing director at Roland DG, commented, ‘We were so excited to immerse ourselves in the world of fashion design to create this one-of-a-kind dress which shows off the capabilities of the Texart XT-640S-F. We worked with our Italian textile customers to design the machine, purpose-built for the ‘fashion drop’ generation, so it only felt right to continue our collaboration with industry creatives to bring the ‘dress release’ to life.

‘We hugely enjoyed working with talented designers, seamstresses, photographers and models to help turn our vision into reality, and we hope our customers feel inspired to make their own unique garments as a result.’

The company collaborated with designer Fabia Goff, who has worked with UK brands such as John Lewis and Laura Ashley, to create the pattern. It incorporates textual elements of a press release into a design inspired by both current trends and Japanese art and culture to celebrate Roland DG’s Japanese heritage.

Ms Goff commented, ‘The brief from Roland to ‘show off’ the printer’s capabilities through the pattern design and creation of a garment was not only fascinating but a career first for me. I specialise in lino printing, a traditional hand-carving technique similar to woodcut. Combined with my love of watercolour and graphic design I have developed towards pattern design in my career as a product designer, and this brief allowed me to bring these two passions together.

‘Right from the start of the project I wanted the pattern to be on trend, incorporating the bright colours we will be seeing on catwalks throughout 2022. Pantone’s ‘Very Peri’ Lilac was my chosen feature colour and inspired my floral focus. The contrasting white against the pattern and colour blocks creates focus on the text, highlighting the colour capabilities of the printer. It was important to reference Roland DG’s Japanese roots within the pattern, which is why I chose lilies and gingko leaves as the central motifs and used free-flowing brush strokes. ‘Press release’ quotes were placed to echo newspaper-like headlines.’

The XT-640S-F is aimed at apparel print houses and garment manufacturers, and suits fashion houses looking to build prototype versions of a clothing item or create a one-off piece for a show.

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The announcement comes after six months where both companies conducted an ‘extensive evaluation’ of all things relating to direct-to-film technology. This assessment concluded that one of the key considerations for garment decorators is the ability to produce short and long-run full colour transfers for garments and textiles, regardless of colour or composition, and compatible with cotton, polyester, leather, softshell, performance fabrics, pique blends, canvas or denim.

Their solution is a new process and a new flagship direct-to-film printer, the R-Jet Pro DTF. The process involves printing a roll-fed, 60cm coated PET film using a pigment based textile ink, then lightly coating the printed transfer with a hot-melt adhesive powder. The transfer is then cured before the transfer is applied to the media using a traditional heat press. There is no pre-treatment required.

Meanwhile the R-Jet Pro DTF features the latest in dual print head technology and is powered using the latest version of Resolute RIP PRO software to ensure control and colour management. The printer also boasts an ink mixing function designed to ensure the ‘perfect circulation’ of white ink and therefore resulting in minimal maintenance or production issues. Its wet cap system means it can be switched off for up to a month without the need to flush out the white ink.

The two companies claim that, for those looking for an affordable and reliable alternative to DTG, their new direct-to-film technology is ideal, also providing the look and feel of textile inks. Jim Nicol, managing director of TheMagicTouch commented, ‘We have previously opted away from DTG for various reasons and indeed passed any enquiry directly to Colin and his team at Resolute, but the DTF process is simply the best new transfer solution for many, many years. With our transfer experience combined with Resolute’s knowledge and experience with DTG we believe we have the perfect combination to market and more importantly support this product beyond customer expectations. This really is a game changer for this industry.’

Both TheMagicTouch and Resolute are to supply the printers and powder units together with the inks, PET film, and consumables.

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