Features

Rob Goleniowski, business manager, sign and graphics, Roland DG (UK), explains what the company is doing to promote wide-format print possibilities to creatives.

The creative and design sectors rely on raw inspiration and creativity as their engines for success and at Roland DG the corporate mission statement focuses on exactly that: “transforming imagination into reality”.

...At Fespa Digital 2014, the theme of which is ‘dive deeper into digital print’.

JCT Visual Communications has just invested in a Screen Truepress Jet W3200UV to drive the next stage in the company’s development.

343 print companies involved in digital inkjet wide-format production from across the UK and Ireland completed this year’s survey, making it the biggest poll yet of the sector’s domestic players. Here are the key findings.

The data is in and the report is out. Widthwise 2014 is an analysis of the information provided by grassroots large-format print producers, the seventh consecutive year Image Reports has conducted such research. Get your hands on it and you’ll get a true insight into the shape of the UK and Ireland market – where the growth is, where the investment is going etc. The full Widthwise Report is available for free download, but here’s a heads-up on the key findings.

Image Reports speaks to Jack Murphy, marketing Director, Bullseye Print Awards.

Image Reports speaks to Greg Craigen, director, SignAway.

The half-yearly survey from the Shop and Display Equipment Association (SDEA) reveals that there is tangible evidence of a positive upwards climb within the retail display industry.

Users tell of how this unit provides a relatively cheap way of printing to fabrics for everything from banners to tablecloths.

There are a lot of advantages to printing to fabric for so- called soft signage but textile printing can also open up new markets for wide-format print providers, such as interior décor and even clothing.

Two Sides is doing a great job in challenging the assumption that digital is more environmentally friendly than paper-based print. But can you do more to help spread the word?

In February, The Guardian newspaper ran an article ‘Is digital really greener than paper?’ in response to the print industry’s challenge for the world at large to rethink this wide held belief. As the piece acknowledged: “We've all received statements from our banks, telecommunication and utilities companies with a simple message at the bottom urging us to ‘Go paperless, save trees’.” The implicit message is that print is damaging to the planet.

Nessan Cleary flags up key areas of pre-investment discussion as trade show season gets underway.

There’s a number of trade shows over the coming few weeks, which of course we'll report on, and where there will undoubtedly be a lot of new/updated kit. But before we become too involved in looking at the new devices and their must-have features, we thought it time to consider the questions you should be asking before the 2014 investment cycle starts gathering momentum.

We’re doing well, but we can do better according to Fespa Global Summit speakers. Here’s the upshot of the two-day event.

Technology is driving convergence. And so is customer expectation. If there was one key takeaway from the recent Fespa Global Summit, it was that what we fear should be what we embrace. That we’ve got to get beyond the mindset of being a ‘printer’ and think about how we can become specialists in visual communication, whatever that might entail.

You cannot ignore the opportunities provided by social media marketing for connecting with prospects and customers. If done well it will not only help you reach these people, but help them reach you. With the average age of print buyers getting younger, engaging these digital natives via social media is as important for your business as it is completely instinctive for them.