News

Hollywood Monster has taken the UK’s first EFI Vutek 5r printer. It was installed last month by CMYUK at the PSPs Birmingham site, where its inline finishing capability is making a serious impact on production times according to MD Simon McKenzie. He said: “It’s not unusual for us to print off hundreds or even thousands of banners for big events. Previously they would all have needed trimming on our cutting table, or - dependent on size - even by hand. That entire process is now completed on-the-fly during the print process. It’s a huge productivity boost.”

At Fespa 2017 Inca will introduce IncaConnect, a software suite for greater visibility and workflow management on Onset and Spyder printers.

New from Sawgrass is the Virtuoso Print Manager, the first universal print management software for SG400, SG800 and VJ 628 printers. It works with both desktop design programs - such as CorelDraw and Adobe Creative Cloud - and CreativeStudio. It is also the first print manager to deliver Rip-like applications using both Windows and Mac operating systems for SG400 and SG800 users.

Under the umbrella theme of ‘Brighter Ideas’, Sun Chemical will use Fespa 2017 to bring visitors up to speed with joint development projects between its SunJet inkjet division and OEM partners, system integrators and printhead manufacturers.

Boaty McBoatface, a yellow submarine named by popular vote, is setting off on its first mission resplendent in graphics created and applied by Signs Express (Southampton), a team that has worked closely with the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) on various project over the years.

IMI Europe has announced details of its Inkjet Summer School to be held in Ghent, Belgium, 12-16 June 2017. Aimed at developers, the line-up includes the Inkjet Academy along with courses on printhead modelling, ink characterisation, textile printing, ink drying and curing, and functional material printing. Details can be found at: www.imieurope.com.

Agfa has introduced Asanti 3.0, the latest version of its automated production hub and workflow tool for sign and display printers. It allows for integration with third-party print equipment, MIS solutions and with software like PrintSphere and StoreFront.

Leach Studio has drawn up a second set of conceptual images Bolton Museum’s new Egyptology gallery after feedback on initial interpretations revealed in December 2016 and shared on social media (http://www.imagereportsmag.co.uk/news/7685-canny-concept-from-leach).

Fespa has released details of its free to attend seminar programme for Fespa 2017 in Hamburg, 8 - 12 May. All talks will take in one theatre. Duncan MacOwan, head of events and new media at Fespa, said: “This year we have consolidated our educational offering into one main seminar theatre to address the needs of visitors to Fespa 2017, European Sign Expo and Printeriors. Consolidating the theatres also means that visitors can plan their visit to FESPA efficiently and do not have to worry about missing out on valuable content due to clashes.”

Innotech has brought out a premium roller banner called Style.

With a high gloss sheen and shape - recognised as being similar to the iPhone - Style comes in a semi-rigid carry case and includes a heavy-duty clip top rail and a telescopic pole.

Canon has released details of its first large-format inkjet printer using its much-trumpeted new UVgel technology. The wraps were taken off the 64in-wide Océ Colorado 1640 roll-to-roll printer at an event in Venlo yesterday.

Roland DG has added GR-640/540/420 vinyl cutters to its Camm-1 series. They will be demonstrated at Sign and Digital UK 2017.