Features

Nessan Cleary takes you through the key printer developments of Fespa Digital 2014.

Fespa Digital 2014 certainly delivered in terms of product launches, especially when it came to new printers, a large number of which were shown in Europe for the first time. That said, many were really incremental upgrades to existing models, developments largely to address the demand for a better cost/productivity balance.

In terms of mid-volume production printers, several new machines shown at Fespa, including Canon’s new Arizona 6100 series, and the Fujifilm Acuity F (see panel).

As the textile printing eco story strengthens, are you becoming more convinced it’s an option for your business? 

We all recognise becoming 100% green is something is a long shot – but if we focus on some of the smaller elements such as eco-inks, emission free substrates and reducing waste we can take steps towards that. And that’s where textiles and soft signage can come in. The new generation of dye-sublimation systems are more sustainable than many of their fellow UV or eco solvent printers. By using dye-sub or latex inks on polyester substrates we can produce relatively green products. 

Can you improve your financial management? Colin Thompson from Cavendish provides insight into areas that can help you achieve the greatest possible return on investment in your company.

The GPMA, which stands for the Graphics, Print and Media Alliance, was officially launched a year ago at Fespa 2013.

It was established by 7 UK print trade associations (Fespa UK, BAPC, British Coatings Federation, Independent Print Industries Association, Picon, the Process and Packaging Machinery Association, and the Rubicon Network), to provide the sector with one strong voice.  

The winners of the EDP Awards 2014 have been announced, with accolades being presented at Fespa Digital this Wednesday.

The prototype shown at Fespa 2013 was impressive, so Nessan Cleary went to see if it’s living up to its promise.

Last year at Fespa 2013 in London both Screen and Fujifilm showed a version of a new mid-range flatbed printer that had been developed by Cambridge-based Inca Digital. Screen, which owns Inca Digital, subsequently launched the machine at the end of last year as the Truepress Jet W3200UV. So far two of these have been installed in the UK, and the machine that we tested - at Ipex - was due to be installed at a Dutch printer shortly afterwards. Martijn van den Broek, sales manager for Screen’s wide-format products, says that the company is still in the process of setting up a distribution network for the rest of Europe.

The trend in laminators is toward entry-level models but there’s still a need for top of the range laminators such as this model say users.

Since the advent of UV printers and their ability to print direct to board substrates we don’t tend to hear much about laminators. Yet, they are still essential for finishing solvent and aqueous prints. The obvious use is to mount these prints to boards, which a great many people are still doing. Laminates are also used to add protection to a print, usually from the effects of UV light, but also protection from weather for outdoor signs, and from scratching and vandalism for displays in general. But there is a wide range of laminating films for different effects. This includes changing the texture of a print or adding a glossy or matte finish. On top of this laminates can also be used to enhance the colours in an image, or to add special effects such as frosting.

Designs on new applications? Then you’ll need to catch up with developments in software packages that can help your creatives expand your business. Nessan Cleary investigates.

We've long argued in these pages that smart investments in software can squeeze additional productivity out of your existing hardware. But what about one area that's often overlooked - design software. This year’s Widthwise Survey data again threw up the fact that a significant proportion of large-format print solutions providers have diversified into design and are, or plan to, expand services in that area because there’s so much value-add to be gained by doing so.

With colour accuracy and consistency a key issue, Paul Sherfield of the Missing Horse Consultancy looks at how a colour-managed workflow can help you save money, assure quality and retain clients.

With Fespa Digital now just a couple of weeks away, Lesley Simpson thought it timely to catch up with Fespa CEO Neil Felton and still relatively new divisional director Roz McGuinness. 

Cestrian is putting the environment at the heart of its operations. Here’s how and why.

When it comes to the environment, if all you're interested in is being able to put a couple of lines on your website about your green credentials you’ll not bother reading any further. If, however, you see advantages in taking the issue more seriously you will be interested in how Cestrian is pushing the envelope. This spring the Stockport-based company, which already holds ISO14001 and EMAS accreditations, was awarded the silver level of the Carbon Smart certification too. It impressed the panel so much that it completely bypassed the usual entry-level certification (Carbon Smart blue) and it’s now heading for gold level. Why?