Lewis Evans, product and sales manager at Vivid, said, ‘The Easymount Hybrid laminator is a multi-patented innovation with unique hover technology, roll-to-roll technology for long run and roll-fed laminating. The new system is designed to perform, built to last and developed in-house by Vivid. The Hybrid laminator is a modular system that can be configured according to your specific production needs and incorporates both a traditional roll-fed laminator and a flatbed applicator, combining the benefits of both applications into one easy-to-use flatbed laminator and saving on the need for two systems. The patented floating rollers on the Easymount Hybrid laminator save time and keeps substrates in perfect condition.’

Mr Evans continued, ‘The Easymount Hybrid laminator is an all-in-one system and the world’s first laminator and applicator. This latest innovation by Vivid is a solution that can help customers improve their competitive edge, and save on space and money.’

As well as its hardware offering, Vivid will be demonstrating its latest developments in its Zip Core packaging software, as well as displaying the VeloTaper fully automated flatbed taping system.

The post Vivid to unveil Easymount hybrid laminator at Fespa appeared first on Digital Printer.

Lewis Evans, sales and product manager at Vivid provided a demonstration launching scratch-off foil technology to increase personalisation, claimed to be the first in digital print.

Mr Evans said, ‘We designed the [foiling] machine with a silicone roller instead of steel, as the silicone roller can push the foil into the uncoated paper stock. It can print onto coated, uncoated and on top of laminated stock too. It is unusual and new to digital foil on uncoated paper. It has never been done in digital print before.’

Phil Gaskin, business development channel manager at XMPie, delved into recent trends and claimed 11% of companies generated at least 50% of their income via a web-to-print platform. He also said 83% of consumers are willing to share their data to create a more personalised experience.

Mr Gaskin said, ‘I believe if you can print it, you can personalise it. During the pandemic we had one customer who deployed many stores as once things opened up again he had a lot of volume. He now has 20 stores with an average order of 300 line items, all completely automated in a touchless workflow MIS. He is one of three printers who said that if it wasn’t for XMPie, he wouldn’t be in business right now.

John Howlett, a pre-sales analyst at Xerox, gave a live demonstration on the Xerox Iridesse production press, explaining in detail how the fluorescent pink toner introduced in the last couple of years can be mixed with the other colours supported in the six-colour machine ‘to create a whole raft of new colours that aren’t already out there in the colour market’.

The post Vivid and Xeretec show digital foiling on uncoated papers appeared first on Digital Printer.

Speakers at the event, which took place at the Manufacturing Technology Centre, Coventry, addressed how businesses can increase their environmental sustainability and how to ensure they are protecting the productivity and health of their teams by implementing well-being practices at work.

The conference opened the floor for discussion on how businesses can improve their environmental efforts, especially in light of upcoming legislation changes.

Proposed government legislation will mean printers will be asked to demonstrate their sustainability credentials more and more. The conference heard how it is also becoming a driving factor from customers deciding which print businesses to use.

First up was Lawrence Green, managing director of Greens the Signmakers and Digiprint, who explained how he installed 208 solar panels at his 26,000sqft factory at the beginning of the year to combat rising energy costs and become more self-sufficient.

Mr Green, who took over the helm in 2018, said his first focus was to refurbish the print room and extend the company’s wide-format offering. He soon installed a HP R2000 Latex printer as it uses water-based ink, meaning the material will be recyclable after use.

Mr Green said, ‘We didn’t need to buy a new printer. I wanted the HP Latex machine purely to push the environmental aspect. I looked out of my window and see the vans leaving laden with print and I know most of that is going to end up in landfill. That just didn’t sit right with me.’

Andy Place of RPM Digital highlighted how embracing sustainability has actually helped his business succeed by taking on new multi-channel campaigns and offering print-on-demand portals as a managed service. RPM exploited the power of its XMPie personalisation software to deliver a campaign for Dorset Wildlife Trust aimed at raising awareness of the role that bees play in pollination of crops.

The campaign, called ‘Get Dorset Buzzing’, saw Mr Place and the team deliver different messages and collateral to different types of people, involving video, articles, newsletters and pictures. Every part of the campaign was personalised to the recipient, which differed according to the experience the recipient has and the size of their garden.

Carbon impact ‘interventionists’ Tom Charles and Rob Pink of Sku Driver advised business owners on how to make products align to the highest possible carbon emissions reduction standards. The pair warned how the print industry will be greatly affected by new legislation by 2029, and advised how it makes very good business sense to start the sustainability journey now rather than later.

Mr Charles said, ‘We once had a client who had double the carbon emissions of Fiji and they were shocked. Our sole focus is to decarbonise and replace plastics used in traditional point of sale materials to help our clients begin their sustainability journey.’

John Conroy of Bradford-based Claremon uses sustainability as a tool to educate customers and has been involved in inspiring schemes such as the Resea Project; a portion of Claremon’s profits goes towards the charity.

The company’s sustainability focus is to hit Net Zero by 2023, reduce its carbon footprint, reduce plastic waste, reduce waste sent to landfill and improve the local environment. Via its support for Resea, the company has removed more than 50,000 bottles from the oceans since February 2022.

Mr Conroy added, ‘It is not good enough to talk the talk, you need fundamental change in your business to walk the walk. We are not perfect, we are not eco-warriors and we do not profess to be. But we have won new work where sustainability is a key concern for the client in terms of their print production partner.’

Help is at hand

Wellbeing at work was another topic widely discussed at the conference, spurred on by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and a shift in working patterns. Speakers at the event advised attendees on how to create a healthy environment, reduce stress, and increase productivity.

Marcus Timpson, founder of FuturePrint, was very candid about his own mental health journey in his presentation on ‘taking back control in a time of great uncertainty’.

Mr Timpson, who joined the print industry in 2006 developing the Fespa exhibition, said, ‘Covid has been brutal for our mental health and wellbeing. Since lockdown finally ended, it seems the world is more chaotic, uncertain and stressful. We all know that we need to embrace new methods of improving our wellbeing.’

He explained business owners should find a ‘middle way’ and do more of what makes them happy in order to live a sustainable life and lead a company properly. He added, ‘Why do so many of us do jobs we dislike, in order to have a lifestyle we cannot afford, and is this at all sustainable for life and health?’

The Printing Charity, founded in 1827, told attendees about its helpline service, where members of the print industry can find free and confidential practical, emotional and financial support 365 days a year. The service is also available to immediate family members.

Marianna Steel, relationships manager at the charity, said, ‘Offering wellbeing support for your staff can help them to address any physical, emotional and mental health concerns they may have, and prevent personal issues from impacting on their work.’

The emotional helpline is available 24 hours a day. All counsellors are members of and accredited to the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). Members can discuss anything that may be troubling them, from relationships and stress, to work related issues including bullying, motivation or conflict.

Chloe Thompson, who joined specialist recruitment consultancy Harrison Scott Associates in 2013, concluded the event with a talk about how to demonstrate a commitment to staff’s physical, mental and financial wellbeing so that it creates a company culture people want to be part of. In turn, this will help build a platform that enables recruitment.

Ms Thompson asked, ‘All companies within this sector are making a great effort to become environmentally-conscious, so what else do printers need to do in order to attract and retain the best talent?’

She discussed the benefits of working from home and how the pandemic affected productivity levels. According to the company, 40.9% of homeworkers reported that they were able to get as much work done in June 2020 as they were six months later. A total of 28.9% said they got more work done and 82% of workers who worked at home during lockdown would like to continue in some capacity.

Running concurrently with the event, a supplier expo – showcasing all the latest media and technology – took place with companies such as Antalis, BCR Associates, Canon, Duplo, Fujifilm, HP, Imprint MIS, Konica Minolta, PrintIQ, Tharstern, Vivid, Worksthing, Xerox and XMPie.

General manager of the IPIA Brendan Perring said, ‘It’s becoming ever more critical that print businesses and our entire supply chain understand what it really means to be sustainable.’

The post IPIA autumn conference tackles sustainability and wellbeing trends appeared first on Digital Printer.

They say it’s the thought that counts when it comes to gifts, but it’s never been easier to turn the thought into physical reality when it comes to personalised products that demonstrate at least some degree of individual consideration. Examples range from coasters, mugs, mouse mats and notebooks to T-shirts, cushions, photo blocks, canvas prints, notebooks and of course the ubiquitous photo book.

From the big name consumer-facing e-commerce sites and eBay shops to smaller and more boutique operations selling via virtual outlets like Etsy or Not On The High Street, there are plenty of sources for consumers or businesses, but all of them need a fulfilment operation. While the big players own or run their own, that leaves a lot of space for the smaller businesses who don’t want to be printers but who do need to partner with one.

And then there’s the direct sales opportunity to work with existing clients, who may have come to you for other things but are open to buying more from a printer they know and trust. This is very much the situation at Fordingbridge Print, located near the picturesque New Forest, where relationships are everything.

The company was established a decade ago, as part of a conscious lifestyle decision by managing director Lorraine Whitburn and production director Andrew Wilson. The pair previously ran a major Agfa dealership, also selling Zünd equipment and print, which gave them useful experience on both sides of the industry, but decided to move out of the city in order to enjoy running a business of a ‘nice’ size.

‘The aim was to run a profitable but enjoyable business,’ explains Ms Whitburn.

This background explains the umbrella business Time2Display, under which Fordingbridge Print sits, alongside X-Consumables, a business consumables supply service and Paper Meadows, which provides wedding and celebration products as well of orders as service for funerals.

As events don’t get much more personal than weddings or funerals, it’s here that a lot of bespoke work is done.

Sales director Nicola Anten comments, ‘We do get pigeonholed, having won a lot of business on the bespoke side, on time-sensitive or labour-intensive work,’ but it’s clearly a successful formula, as the company doesn’t sell online and doesn’t even have a web portal for job submission.

‘We’re not Amazon,’ says Ms Whitburn, ‘We want people to pick up the phone.’ She goes on to add that 95% of deliveries are made by their own driver, who is the face of the company for many customers. It seems very much the antithesis of the automated ‘hands off’ approach often championed these days – ‘we proof everything back, and even correct spelling mistakes,’ says Ms Anten, adding that they will train customers on artwork production and advise on materials and options, encouraging customer visits to see and feel the materials, something particularly relevant for the Paper Meadows brand.

‘There’s nothing we can’t print, we have it all under one roof,’ adds Ms Anten, pointing out that customers typically can’t buy all the things they want online from one supplier anyway. Understanding the deadline-sensitive nature of event-related products, Fordingbridge staff will make calls at weekends if necessary, to ensure that everything arrives in the right place at the right time.

The ‘everything under one roof’ philosophy means that there’s quite a mix of equipment at the Hampshire site. For wide-format work, HP Latex printers are used, though Mr Wilson notes that the company waited for the second generation of these, before replacing its solvent machines.

A 1.6m HP Latex 365 has replaced an earlier 330 model. It’s used to print vinyl banners, papers and floor sticker materials and is complemented by a Seal 600 laminator.

Future plans may include a hybrid or flatbed machine to print directly to rigid media and textile printing via direct to-film technology is also under consideration. From the company’s origins in wide-format work, Mr Wilson says the mix between that and commercial is now around 50:50.

On the smaller format side, there’s a Ricoh Pro 7100 sheetfed toner press with the fifth colour option, mostly used to print white which Mr Wilson says works very well on textured materials and is popular in wedding products. He praises the registration of the press, along with the support, both reactive and proactive, from Ricoh. Complementing this is a Vivid Matrix 530 laminator which handles foil-overtoner work, again popular in wedding items, a Morgana Autocreaser and a Plockmatic booklet-maker, plus a Plockmatic collator feeding a Duplo perfect binder, though the latter is used for pad work rather than books.

The most recent addition is a Veloblade Volta 69+ digital cutter from Vivid, equipped with a tangential head, creaser and drag knives for through- or kiss-cuts. ‘We absolutely love it,’ says Mr Wilson, explaining how it’s been put to work on small cartons and tiny swing tags just 38mm square and needing 4mm holes, that were too small to be handled on the Ideal guillotine.

Personalised or branded items that the company can supply include mugs, pens, lanyards, caps, and T-shirts. A Ricoh desktop printer is used to print dye-sublimation or thermal transfer sheets as appropriate, for use in a dedicated mug press or by transfer via a FreeSub heat press, with further cutting as necessary on a Summa unit. A GCC Spirit laser cutter has also been added to produce more intricate paper products and engraving on wood, another product that has become popular in the weddings side of the business.

On the materials side, brands such as GF Smith and Fedrigoni feature prominently and suppliers ‘who see us as important’, such as Premier Paper, are regarded as valued partners, the latter being willing to bring in samples ‘at the drop of a hat’.

A more narrowly focused business is YoPhoto, an online photo products brand trademarked in 2007 by Tunbridge Wells, Kent-based Copytech, which was one of the first in the photobook sector. Managing director Nick Baldwin says that since then ‘a lot have jumped on the bandwagon but they are more marketeers than printers’, typically selling the product but not producing it themselves. While this does put pressure on his business, it also allows it to differentiate itself via its speed of turnaround. ‘If an order comes in before 12 noon, we can dispatch the same day,’ he says.

While the bulk of the work is photo books for consumers or photographers, YoPhoto also offers children’s books that enable the child’s name and pictures to be incorporated and which carry an ‘eco edge’ message. ‘We offer a zero plastic policy and use FSC-certified and recycled papers,’ notes Mr Baldwin. While he says that these features ‘make people feel good’ he’s not certain that they drive more business, though he notes growing demand for sustainably sourced materials on the corporate side.

The photo books and related items are printed on an SRA3 HP Indigo press chosen for its image quality. The photobook business was originally set up to fill spare capacity on the machine, though Mr Baldwin observes that some consumer customers have also become business ones as the Indigo quality is popular for professional portfolio work. The company plans to upgrade the Indigo in the not too distant future, to reduce operational costs, and is considering acquiring a second digital press as business levels return to pre-pandemic norms. This will probably be a dry toner model, for less quality-critical jobs but also able to handle long-sheet work for dust jackets and the like; items too large for the Indigo are currently produced on Canon ProGraf roll-fed printers.

The photobooks are created using Taopix software supplied by Transeo Media, which is integrated with the YoPhoto website by the company’s in-house developers. Mr Baldwin says the Cloud-based software is very flexible and likes how it integrates into the website behind the scenes.

YoPhoto has standardised on two papers for its photobooks, GenYous uncoated, which is favoured by photographers, and Symbol 3 silk, both supplied by Premier Paper. The Indigo press is profiled for both to achieve optimum results. The light magenta and cyan toners were tested but not felt to yield a sufficient quality improvement to warrant their extra cost, but the EPM (three colour) mode didn’t give the desired depth of blacks, so all work is done in standard CMYK.

On the finishing side, the company is geared up for case-bound books in-house and carries out a lot of hand finishing, which has in the past included foil blocking but Mr Baldwin notes that there has been a longer-term trend away from linen or other textured covers with foiling to more ‘printed’ ones.

While expecting to use silver ink on the company’s next Indigo machine, and interested in the possibilities of metallics on dry toner presses like the Xerox Iridesse or Ricoh Pro C7200, he feels that digital foiling alternatives ‘aren’t quite there yet’

The post Pictures of home appeared first on Digital Printer.

The event will take place on 1 September 2022 at the Manufacturing Technology Centre, Coventry, and the theme will be ‘Print in Balance – Supporting People and our Planet’. The conference will address how businesses can increase their environmental sustainability and how to ensure they are protecting the productivity and health of their teams by implementing well-being practices at work.

Running concurrently with the event, a supplier expo – showcasing all the latest media and technology – will take place with companies such as Antalis, BCR Associates, Canon, Duplo, Fujifilm, HP, Imprint MIS, Konica Minolta, PrintIQ, Tharstern, Vivid, Worksthing, Xerox and XMPie.

General manager of the IPIA Brendan Perring said, ‘It’s becoming ever more critical that print businesses and our entire supply chain understand what it really means to be sustainable. The conference will seek to educate delegates and provide tangible tools to help them make informed decisions about how to reduce their carbon footprint, get ahead of impending Government legislation and affect positive change within their organisation.’

Another topic on the agenda will be how to maximise well-being at work. The IPIA argues the Covid-19 pandemic triggered a cultural shift in how people view their work/life balance and what motivates them and influences their productivity. Speakers will advise on how to create a healthy environment where workplace stress is reduced, productivity is increased, and employees feel valued and supported.

The IPIA’s Autumn Conference starts at 9am for networking, before the programme starts at 10am and concludes at 5pm. The full line-up of speakers is yet to be announced. Tickets start from £66 including food and refreshments.

The post IPIA conference to tackle industry trends appeared first on Digital Printer.

The ‘3D proof’ event will take place at Vivid’s showroom in Ashby De La Zouch, Leicestershire, and will demonstrate the production of packaging mock-ups, including cartons, labels and foil packs, on real packaging substrates.

Printing will be done on Roland machines supplied by SOS, the LEC2-330 and LEF2-300. Samples will then be cut and folded on Vivid’s VeloBlade cutter range, enabling visitors to take away a finished product. 

The Roland LEC2-330 UV printer prints directly onto the production substrate and premium labels. It has a maximum 762mm media width and can print, cut, perforate, varnish, emboss and add textured UV. The LEF2-300 is a direct-to-object benchtop UV printer, for objects up to 100mm thick. It enables the printing of photos, graphics and finely-detailed text onto PVC and plastics, canvas, wood, leather, fabric, acrylics and glass.

The event will showcase GMG colour management on the LEC2-330, which enables accurate proofs on packaging production substrates, incorporating white ink, allowing for accurate colour reproduction on transparent and metallic materials.

Also featured will be Vivid’s range of print finishing equipment, including lamination, digital foiling, cutting, creasing and folding. Vivid will also be demonstrating its Zip Core Packaging Software, which has been developed to support the packaging design process.

SOS sales manager Ashley Fleming said, ‘The latest equipment and software for packaging proofs can achieve levels of speed and accuracy which a decade ago would be unheard of. This is a must-see event for anyone in the packaging industry.’

Opening times are 10am to 5.30pm on 14 September 2022, and 10am to 3.30pm on 15 September 2022.

The post SOS, GMG and Vivid team up to proof packaging appeared first on Digital Printer.

Intended for use alongside the company’s Veloblade Volta+ die-cutting systems, the VeloTaper is an optional extra that can be purchased separately to the Veloblade Volta+ models and is fully integrated with the latest versions of Vivid’s Zip Core software.

Lewis Evans, Vivid’s sales and product manager, commented, ‘A few scenarios require double-sided tape to be laid onto sheet or roll materials to allow for later assembly or fixing. Traditionally this would be a manual and time-consuming task, and one that is subject to the inconsistencies typical of manual positioning.

‘The VeloTaper automated flatbed taping system makes light work of this task and taping can be performed at the same time as other processes such as cutting and creasing, for ready-to-assemble displays for example. The tape applicator is capable of automatically cutting, creasing and placing a range of double-sided tapes up to 22mm in width precisely along the X and Y axis all in one pass. Freeing up your operator to complete other work.’

Vivid will demonstrate the VeloTaper, alongside its other products and services, at the upcoming Packaging Innovations exhibition in May.

The post Vivid unveils new taping system appeared first on Digital Printer.

The company, which runs litho technology alongside its digital equipment and has an additional factory in Birmingham, needed an automated solution for cutting roll-to-roll work, as well as Correx, Foamex, Polypropylene and Dibond sheets.

Due to the time-consuming nature of this work, the firm made the decision to invest in the Veloblade Nexus. Managing director Matt Herbert explained, ‘Introducing the Veloblade has allowed me to produce my existing work more efficiently and has given me additional capacity to take on extra work. I had looked at the market and the Veloblade Nexus was very well positioned with an attractive price. The system is extremely versatile and easy to operate. I have dealt with Vivid’s sales director Richard Marlow for several years and knowing their after sales service is the best in the industry, plus that Kennet Equipment Leasing were easy to deal with, gave me the confidence to invest in the Veloblade Nexus.’

He continued, ‘As well as cutting my existing roll-to-roll work, the cutting table has enabled me to take on work that we could not have taken on before. Such as larger run Foamex work, Di bond panels and cut acrylic and general work that is cut to shape. The Veloblade Nexus has enabled me to bring a significant amount of work back in house.’

With the system already up and running, Mr Herbert is extremely pleased with its performance so far. ‘The Veloblade Nexus has been in for some months now,’ he concluded. ‘The system has been in near constant use with no issues at all and is totally exceeding our expectations.’

The post LA starstruck by Veloblade Nexus appeared first on Digital Printer.

While we emerged from lockdown and made our way to as much normality as we could, the industry kept pace, continuing with product introductions and new developments, some still arising from the postponed drupa momentum, and others that would not have made it there anyway. Here’s an overview.

EFI opened the batting for the season with a brace of fast wide-format printers announced at the online version of its Connect event. Topping the chart in raw speed terms was a new single-pass graphics printer capable of 1000 8×4 boards an hour, though it can print sheets of up to 1.6 x 3m. It offers optional orange, violet and white inks and is said to offer the lowest cost per unit of output.

At a ‘mere’ 375 boards an hour, the new Vutek XT hybrid also focuses on lowering total cost of ownership and was said to get similar image quality to eight-colour units out of just four process colours. The Pro 32h hybrid offers up to 230sqm/hr across 3.2m and up to five layers in a single pass, retailing for under US $200,000. On the roll-fed side, EFI introduced the Q3r and Q5r, three- and five-metre UV machines with a choice of inks for vivid display colours or flexibility for vehicle wraps.

Later in the year, EFI also debuted the entry-level Pro 30h hybrid wide-format printer, offering resolutions up to 1200dpi and speeds of up to 230sqm/hr, with options for white and clear inks and the ability to print up to five layers in a single pass.

Duplo offered the 150 Booklet System, combining the existing DSC-10/60 feeder with its DBM-150 Booklet Maker and Trimmer, allowing a wide range of sizes and stock weights to be handled. This was followed in March with the introduction of the DF-1300L, a folder aimed specifically at the long sheet sizes supported by many SRA3 digital presses, able to handle sheets up to 311 x 748mm and up to 230gsm. It offers a variety of folding options, including for six-panel A4 tri-fold leaflets and landscape orientation A4 brochures.

The company also took on distributorship for the Ultra C range of UV, aqueous and soft-touch flood coaters, whichit is promoting as an environmentally-friendly alternative to lamination of digital print, including food packaging.

Riso introduced the ComColor FT range of A3 and A4 sheet-fed inkjet printers, offering 600 x 600dpi on stocks up to 400gsm via optional accessories, with inline finishing including folding, stacking and booklet-making.

Ricoh added a Pro Scanner option for its VC60000 and VC70000 web inkjet presses, allowing on-the-fly image quality and registration assessment and correction; an option for checking each printed page against artwork files was also introduced.

Agfa’s Jeti Tauro H3300 UHS accelerated to 600sqm/hr

Agfa brought out the fastest version yet of its Jeti Tauro hybrid LED UV printer, the H3300 UHS, able to hit 600sqm/ hr across media up to 3.3m wide, 30% faster than the original model and supporting the same automation options. It’s aimed at the high end of the signage and display market but is also suitable for printing on corrugated board, suggesting packaging and PoS applications. The company also opened a new UK showroom in Rugby in March.

This was followed in June with the launch of the Avinci CX3200, a 3.2m dye-sub printer able to print to transfer paper or directly to fabric at up to 270sqm/hr, suiting soft signage applications including banners, wall graphics and flags.

Canon began a busy year with the launch of the 70ppm SRA3 toner ImagePress C170 line, aimed at in-house/ CRD applications, plus a later update to the ImagePress CV10010VP production model, which gained a registration and colour accuracy sensing unit, as well as updating its ImagePrograf printer/plotters. This was followed by the introduction of the ColorStream 8000 web inkjet press, aimed at transpromo, DM and pharma printing, at up to 160m/min.

On the wide-format side, Canon introduced an entry level version of its UV-gel roll printer, the Colorado 1630, which runs at 70% of the speed of existing 1640/1650 models and has remotely unlockable upgrades. The Arizona flatbed line got a mid-summer boost with the addition of the entry-level 135GT, a 1.25 x 2.5m LED curing UV printer, available for around €69,000, that can also be upgraded to support roll-to-roll work.

Xeikon followed up 2020’s debut of the ‘Sirius’ technologybased SX30000 web toner press with a smaller sibling, the 30m/sec SX20000, which offers the equivalent of 1700 B2sph. It handles the same stock weights and widths, prints at the same 1200 x 3600dpi resolution and can be upgraded for both speed and from four colours to five. Target applications for the SX20000 include books and direct mail.

The company also opened a virtual wall décor centre to showcase applications of its presses in this sector, expected also to appeal to architects, interior designers and retailers, and in April, added the CX50, a dedicated wall decoration toner press, as part of its Well Deco Suite. The CX50 is the middle option in productivity terms, between the 3050 Rex entry-level model and the CX500 press, and can be upgraded from 20 to 30m/min.

Riso extended its sheet-fed inkjet range with the ComColor FT models

HP added four 1.6m Latex printers to its eponymous line, the 700/800, each available with white ink, and offering up to 36sqm/hr depending on quality and application. Its print and cut line of stand-alone or linkable cutters was also updated, as was the Stitch 1000 dye-sub printer which gained better colour saturation in direct-to-fabric printing mode. New 1.6m photo printers were added to the HP DesignJet line in the autumn, the ZPro and Z9+ Pro, offering up to nine colour plus gloss. Three 1m-width PageWide machines for poster printing were added at the same time.

Mutoh added two 1.6m printers, the roll-fed ValueJet 1638UR Mk II and the hybrid 1628UH Mk II, able respectively to handle rolls up to 100kg and rigid media up to 15mm thick and weighing 15kg. Both support CMYK plus white and clear or double CMYK for increased productivity of up to 22.7sqm/hr. These were followed up in April with the addition of the XpertJet 1628WR, a dye-sub model based on the same 1.6m chassis, supporting up to eight colours and offering production at up to 48sqm/hr. Mutoh’s autumn season included the XPJ-1642WR, again based on the XpertJet 1.6m platform, but this time a dyesub transfer paper printer with water-based inks said to give improved quality on any sublimation-capable substrate and better productivity, with ‘sellable’ print at up to 61sqm/hr.

Horizon introduced a fully automated eight-buckle folder, the AF-408F, aimed at pharma and other small leaflet production. It accepts sheets up to 900mm in length (via an optional extension) and can space folds at 20mm. This was complemented later in the year by the AFV-566FKT, an automated cross-folder designed to support digital print shops where short runs are common, by offering 20% quicker changeovers than its predecessor.

Wide-format printer manufacturer swissQprint introduced a faster and more automated version of the Karibu roll-fed printer launched in 2019. The 3.4m Karibu S offers up to 330sqm/hr and a double-sided printing capability now is available both for it and original Karibu models via a retrofit. Two new ‘neon’ inks, yellow and pink, which fluoresce under UV light, were launched, and are offered for all the company’s printers.

Mimaki expanded its textile printer range, with the entry level 1.6m TS100-1600 dye-sub running at up to 70sqm/hr being complemented by the industrially-focused 1.8m Tiger 1800B Mk III, which supports a variety of ink types for different fabrics and gains improved reliability and accuracy. Both are driven by the TxLink4 Rip software which has textiles-specific functionality.

These were complemented a month or so later by the introduction of the JFX 550-2513 and 600-2513, high productivity 2.5 x 1.3m flatbeds offering up to 16 printheads and 200sqm/hr, plus a dedicated 1.6m roll-fed leather printer, the SUJV-160, that uses a special inkset developed by Fujifilm and which includes a clear ink. In the autumn, four new models were added to Mimaki’s direct-to-object printer range, most of them in a new smallformat/desktop line.

Mimaki’s entry-level dye-sub printer, the 1.6m TS100-1600

Late spring saw Ricoh reveal some of the specifications of its long-teased B2 digital press, revealed as the Pro Z75, a 4500sph (simplex) aqueous inkjet that is aimed squarely at the commercial sector, with a duty cycle around 1.25 million impressions a month and with greater media flexibility than most inkjets. Beta testing should be well underway by now, but commercial availability isn’t expected until Q2 of 2022.

Ricoh also reached an agreement with Austrian direct-togarment developer Aeoon Technologies to extend its DtG offering into the higher productivity sectors of this market.

Around the same time high performance wide-format printer specialist Durst introduced a dye sublimation version of its P5 roll-fed printer platform the P5 Tex iSub, a 3.3mmodel that can print directly to suitable polyesterbased fabrics within inline heat fixation, or to thermal transfer paper. It runs at up to 383sqm/hr and additional primary colour inks are available.

Fujifilm introduced a faster version of its established JetPress B2 inkjet, the 750 High Speed, which trades resolution for speed to hit 5400sph (simplex); the 2600sph of the existing model is also supported in ‘high quality’ mode. The faster mode also dispenses with the priming stage that is otherwise used, which may limit the choice of papers that can be used at top speed.

Following the ending of its OEM agreement with Canon for flatbeds, Fujifilm introduced its first own-build model, the Acuity Prime, a 2.5 x 1.7m UV printer that supports white and clear ink in addition to CMYK. The Acuity Ultra R2 roll-fed printer was also introduced, an upgrade to the 3.2 and 5m models launched in 2018 with various usability and overall productivity enhancements. 

April saw Epson expand the top end of its textile printing line with the introduction of the SureColor F10070H, an industrial strength 1.9m dye-sub printer claimed by the Japanese company to be cheaper than competitors in this sector.

The end of that month also saw Vivid add a B1 format version of its VeloBlade cutting table, in response to customer requests. Also in the finishing arena, a couple of weeks later, CreaseStream and ProCut introduced FoldStream, a crease-and-fold system able to handle digital print without damage at up to 10,000 items per hour, up to SRA3 size and 400gsm or more and without some of the issues experienced with plate or buckle folding.

In May, Inca Digital and Fujifilm introduced a range of robotic automation options for the former’s OnsetX HS range of high performance flatbed printers, from semi- to fully automatic loading and unloading of boards, allowing overall throughput to be increased.

Canon brought out an entry-level version of the Colorado, the 1630

June saw the arrival of Konica Minolta’s C7100/7090 toner presses that offer 100/90ppm with a variety of automation and quality control feature and completed the revamp that began with the 2019 introduction of the high-end C14000, some of whose features made their way into the new midrange machines, including a new toner – though the August explosion in the company’s Tatsuno factory in Japan has caused ongoing problems with toner supply.

That month also saw the newly independent Kongsberg PCS add the C20, a compact 1.6 x 1.4m cutting table to its C Series, with which it shares features aimed at increased accuracy and consistency.

One of the big stories of the summer was the acquisition by Global Graphics of packaging design and workflow developer Hybrid Software, which doubled the group’s size and turnover; the company subsequently rebranded as Hybrid Software Group and in late October acquired German colour management developer ColorLogic to extend its capability in multi-colour / extended gamut packaging print production.

The autumn saw a further flurry of introductions, with Kodak launching the Ascend, a five-colour toner press aimed at PoP / PoS and small packaging applications, a 120ppm press that can also handle long sheets to 1.2m and stocks up to 762microns thick. A wide range of special fifth colours will be available. The company also announced a web browser-based version of its Prinergy on Demand workflow offering that brings the established workflow within range of smaller print shops. Both the press and the software will be available in 2022.

Morgana held one of the first in-person events of the year with a mid-September open house at its Milton Keynes headquarters, at which Premier and Konica Minolta / MGI participated, showing a complete packaging production line. It also showcased the new Docubind Pro VFX twin-wire binder for lay-flat products.

Another event that went ahead was Fespa, which was used by Roland DG to introduce the VersaStudio BN20A entry-level print-and-cut device, suitable for stickers, labels and heat transfer sheets for garment printing. The company also upgraded and reopened its Danish and UK showrooms.

Screen didn’t introduce any major new products under its own name. However in late November it did announce a partnership, encompassing both the USA and Europe, with envelope converting and inserting specialist Winkler+Dünnebier to sell complete direct mail systems built around the TruepressJet 520 web inkjet press and W+D’s equipment.

The post 2021 – the year that was appeared first on Digital Printer.

The new VeloBlade Volta 1070+ has been added in response to customer requests, according to Vivid, and ‘bridges the gap between small format and wider format cutting’.  The new units has the same features and functionality as the smaller format Volta models launched in November 2020, including the ability to be specified to cut materials up to 10mm thick.

An early customer for the new model is Scott Maxted of Adco Products, who commented, ‘Having a digital cutter that allows us to process B1 size material was a game-changer for Adco. Having spent a day with the Vivid team at their HQ where we initially went to see a [VeloBlade] 64+, we quickly realised the additional benefits of a B1 size machine to service and cater for the flexibility of product we produce and required. The Vivid team listened, innovated, and offered a solution in super quick time.’ Mr Maxted also praised Vivid’s technical support during the set-up of the cutter.

Vivid sales director Richard Marlow said, ‘We’ve always taken pride in listening to our customers’ ideas, collaborating with them, and implementing these ideas as efficiently as possible… the 1070+ was the ideal system size for a few of our customers, so we made it happen.’

The VeloBlade Volta line now ranges from 600 x 400mm up to B1, with maximum cut depth options of 2, 5 or 10mm, and is complemented by the Nexus line for wide-format work, which starts at 1600 x 1800mm.

The post Vivid ups VeloBlade Volta range to B1 appeared first on Digital Printer.