Editor's Blog

Is it just a UK thing – that everything around us seems to be shooting up in price I mean? We’ve just about come to accept constant energy rises as inevitable. And so everything linked to those must go the same way I suppose...and the same with raw materials. OK, it’s obviously not just a UK thing, but are we worse off here than elsewhere, and to what extent is the situation here restricting company growth? Is there anything we can do to better help ourselves? Any ideas, let me and everyone else know!

If you are, go straight to the Image Reports website (www.imagereportsmag.co.uk/talent) and get involved in our search for talent trailblazers. Those of us involved in the wide-format sector know it is as creative and innovative as they come, but that’s not its image in the wider world. So if we’re to attract the hot new talent we need to fulfill the sector’s potential we’ve got to change that. Hence the search is on to find those print companies with illuminating and illustrative stories to tell about how they are helping to push the envelope in terms of identifying, recruiting, training, retaining and enthusing new talent. You have until the end of this month to nominate your company, so what are you waiting for?

Has the economy and maturing wide-format technologies prompted you to buy secondhand machinery? Perhaps you’ve bought a quality used-machine from the increasing supply available as a low cost route into trialling new applications for new markets? Or is your focus on saving the pounds to buy the newest cutting-edge kit? I’d be interested in hearing whether you think there’s scope for buying both.

I would just like to take this opportunity to note the passing of a much respected and well liked man who was at the cutting edge of wide-format print for many years. The funeral took place this week of John Walker, co-founder and managing director of Macro Art, who died on 17 September following a long battle with cancer. Having spoken with him about his business and developments in the sector just a few weeks ago, it was clear he was determined to carry on working as long as possible, and indeed he did so until a few days before his death. He will be sadly missed as both an industry expert and as a really decent man.

Have you noticed many commercial printers round your way getting involved in wide-format – and if so, in what kind of capacity? As the Image Reports Widthwise Report 2013 and Fespa’s World Wide Survey 4 reiterated, the main wide-format applications haven’t changed much over time, with posters, exhibition graphics, banners, signage and POP still the main areas of involvement for most. As wide-format inkjet printer manufacturers continue to target commercial printers for new machine sales, is it time to take some of those higher margin niche markets more seriously?

…if you're waiting to see much involvement from the wide-format sector in relation to Ipex 2014 direction. Despite its integrating Cross Media and being marketed as a digital, print and marketing communications showcase, the make-up of the newly announced 360 Committee suggests that wide-format will pretty much stay on the sidelines. OK, so perhaps it would not be worth Ipex trying to muscle in too much on this sector that has Fespa - but the danger is that visitors such as print buyers/specifiers think they are attending a show showcasing the full breadth of what print has to offer. For the good of the whole industry they need to understand what it covers - and what it misses out!

Of late I’ve had a number of companies saying their machines are ‘affordable’ when pressing them for a baseline price – and OK, they’re being cagey because when does anyone ever pay the quoted price! But that’s got me wondering how hard potential customers have to push manufacturers for more detailed and relevant ROI figures. Is it any easier or harder than it’s always been?

How are you getting your print capabilities out in front of creatives like fashion designer Henry Holland, who partnered with London-based Displayways for his London Fashion Week first - a large-format printed and mirrored catwalk with a wow factor. Of course you can wait for such people to contact you, but how do you engage them in a more proactive way?

There’s been an enormous amount of development and attention creating more efficient and flexible workflows in the digital print sector, so are all the gaps now plugged? If there are areas that still cause you/the sector concern let me know so that we can take it up with the manufacturers.

What will your customers do if you offer them a ‘green’ substrate like Ilford’s BioMedia for the same price as a more traditional product? Will they bite your hand off? I guess that’s what Chris Bailey of QPS is hoping (given that he is selling it “at the same price point as comparable products,”) and it would seem a likely scenario, but the environmental issue is a tricky one as we know. Price is certainly a sticking point, so if that’s no longer a worry will we see massive conversion to more environmental materials? We’ve seen other pretty competitively priced ‘sustainable’ media but they don’t seem to appear all that frequently on the spec sheet…

‘3D printing’ is a misnomer; ‘additive manufacturing’ is much more direct in explaining the real role of the technology and as such pretty much everyone can see it has massive potential. But what’s its role within the print sector? I’ve spoken to people with very quirky ideas on how it can be used in its proper manufacturing guise to improve a print company’s reach and bottom line, though few are actually doing anything with it as yet. Are you? If so, get in touch and let me hear your story.

It will be interesting to see what comes out of the Ipex 360 Committee visitor focused steering group. I suppose it depends on the make-up of the committee and what types of visitor they represent as to whether it has any major impact on the 2014 show.  In what direction would you like to see it steered?

Given that packaging is such a growth area, I was wondering how many of you would be interested to hear about the worldwide launch of the real-time 3D packaging visualisation, ideation and design application from Creative Edge Software (CGS). Various other 3D visualisation packages targeted at the packing sector have ended up providing wide-format printers with what has, in essence, become a convincing sales aid. Your thoughts?

What are you doing to futureproof your business? I talked to a number of companies on that very topic earlier this year when I was researching content for the Widthwise Report 2013 – and found plenty of wide-format-based companies coming up with really clever plans for ongoing development, some of which, like Cestrian, were willing to go on record and outline their plans, proving that strategic thinking is not beyond the ken of PSPs! And a clap on the back for Cestrian as its plans become reality.