New Zealand Printer November 2022

Cover Story p14-15

Ricoh New Zealand has partnered with Blue Star Group for digital printing excellence. Amongst its Ricoh solutions, the country’s largest integrated print and marketing company has installed four of Ricoh’s flagship Pro C9210 presses

PrintNZ p10-12

10-11 Helping Hand: Printing is art. Iain MacIntyre explains how award winning display manufacturer APC Innovate has evolved with the industry

12 Comment: Ruth Cobb reports from the welcome return of Women In Print with celebrations in Christchurch and Auckland

Printing United p31-41

We visited the giant American show in Las Vegas, seeing the latest technology and innovations from: 32 Agfa 33 Durst 34 EFI 35 Heidelberg 36 Epson 37 HP Indigo 38 HP 39 Kornit 40 Ricoh 41 RMGT

Wide Format Plus p21-30

22 Aarque: The Canon Colorado 1650 printer offers an impressive application range

24 Fujifilm: deSotogi Fine Art is achieving excellent results with a new Epson P9650 printer supplied through Fujifilm

26 NZSDA Update/Secretary: Melissa Coutts has the dates we need to mark on our calendars for next year

27 NZSDA President: Andy Lowe discusses how we can find a better work life balance

Features p6-27

6 Flint Group: Recognising ongoing industry growth in the region, Flint Group makes key appointments across Australia and New Zealand

8 Jet Technologies: Supporting the industry for over 40 years, Jet Technologies is a leading supplier for local companies 16 Konica Minolta: A new AccurioPress C12000 at Banner express is bringing high print quality, accuracy and productivity gains 18 Currie Group: Benefitz has taken B2 digital printing to a whole new level with the HP Indigo 10000 Digital Press 20 Think Laterally: Knowing how your brain works helps when you have to make significant purchasing decisions, says Mick Rowan 27 Printerverse: Deb Corn explains how helping professional print customers do their jobs could one day help save yours

IN BRIEF

EPSON has re-equipped and reopened the Fujimi Inkjet Innovation Lab at its Fujimi Plant in Nagan Japan as part of Epson’s strategy to expand applications for printhead-based solutions in new markets and to accelerate innovation in its customers’ printing and production processes. The Lab has been newly outfitted with direct to surface colour inkjet printers and facilities for performing tests using Epson’s inkjet printheads, as well as a battery of other machines, instruments, and tools for running trial production and evaluations.

UPM RAFLATAC has released a digital label material swatch book for wine, sprits and beverage. The new tool allows designers to download high definition images and use the selected label material in their preferred design software.

Stefano Pistoni, senior manager business development for Wine, Spirits and Beverages at UPM Raflatac, says, “There are plenty of label materials available, but the challenge is to find the right match to the packaging, easy and fast. This efficient, user friendly digital tool can change the landscape of label and packaging design.”

KOENIG & BAUER has announced that it will roll out an energy management system on a subscription basis as a software as a service solution globally in 2023. Certified in accordance with DIN ISO 50001, the system is the first product developed and brought to the market by Koenig & Bauer’s new digital unit. The company says sustainability and digitalisation are two of three key goals that it has placed at the focus of corporate activities under the group-wide ‘Exceeding Print’ strategy.

The Revoria Press PC1120 has earned the Keypoint Intelligence ‘Buyers Lab 2022 Pro Award’ in the ‘Outstanding High-Volume CMYK+ Production Device’ category.

David Sweetnam, director of Keypoint Intelligence EMEA/Asia Research and Lab Services, says, “The extra imaging stations before and after the standard CMYK units, along with the diverse range of toner options, make the device stand out amongst others in this digital arena.

“The Revoria Flow PC1120 Print Server provides a high level of media management, with seamless integration aided by an excellent user friendly interface.”

Revoria takes out Buyers Lab Award Packaging growth spurs board conversion

Stora Enso will invest €1bn ($1.68bn) to convert an idle paper machine in Finland into a high volume consumer board production line. The investment supports its growth strategy in renewable packaging by providing new volume for growing packaging segments.

The conversion will create a flexible consumer board line for folding box board and coated unbleached kraft with an annual capacity of 750,000

Keypoint Intelligence noted several features on the Revoria Press PC1102 including its six colour stations with before, and after, CMYK capabilities that allow for a wider range of inline creative options than some competitors and its outstanding halftone image reproduction with the largest CMYK colour gamut tested to date and a range of speciality colours that help create a broad colour palette.

The press also has a customisable and intuitive print server platform, which enables efficient device/ remote management capabilities; and outstanding

mixed-media workflow performance, with no productivity slowdown, which translates to more work being handled inline in a single job submission.

Fujifilm Business Innovation says the Revoria Press PC1120 achieves production speeds of 120 pages per minute with superb, high definition quality and a combination of feeding and finishing options to provide flexibility for whatever job comes next. The press uses a one-pass, six-colour print engine enabling up to two special toners such as gold, silver, clear, white or pink to be used in addition to CMYK.

can build on existing assets for quick and cost-effective time to market compared to other investment alternatives.”

tonnes of consumer board. It will supply food and beverage packaging, especially frozen and chilled, and dry and fast food.

Annica Bresky, president and chief executive at Stora Enso, says, “Renewable packaging continues to be our largest strategic growth area. It’s also a market that is now, for the first time, growing faster than plastic based alternatives. Through this conversion, we

The company expects annual sales of around €800m. Hannu Kasurinen, head of Stora Enso’s packaging materials division, says, “This investment represents a step change in the market and will improve profitability and competitiveness for both our consumer board and containerboard offerings. The converted line will enable us to optimise production at other sites to unlock further growth.”

The Revoria Press

Expat Kiwi wins major industry award

Across the Tasman, Cactus Imaging co-founder and general manager – operations, Keith Ferrel, has taken out the top gong at the 2022 ProPrint Awards in the Printer 50 category, formerly known as the Power 50.

Three decades ago, Keith and his then New Zealand newspaper industry colleague, Warwick Spicer, threw all caution to the wind and decided to move to Sydney and start Cactus Imaging. The pair could see a big future in digital billboard printing and they were spot on.

Today, and after many twists and turns including forays into India, a private equity takeover and the eventual purchase by ASXlisted giant oOh!media,

Cactus Imaging is going strong with Keith still very much involved as general manager operations, working side by side with Warwick’s son - Cactus Imaging general manager, Nigel Spicer.

He is certainly not showing any signs of slowing down with a litany of overseas trips to various trade shows and events on his calendar, most recently Printing United in Las Vegas. He currently sits on HP’s Asia Pacific Japan Dscoop board as well as the Fespa Australia board. He has also been a member of the HP

Epson campaign raises Arctic greening issues

To boost its efforts to increase awareness of global warming, Epson has launched a campaign focused on Arctic greening, and showing how businesses and consumers can take more action to reduce their environmental impact. Last year, the company won a Webby award for its campaign produced by National Geographic CreativeWorks.

Yasunori Ogawa, Epson global president, says, “We are delighted to work with National Geographic CreativeWorks for a second year to raise awareness about the issue of Arctic greening. Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do, and we are committed to lowering our own environmental footprint and helping our customers to do so too.”

In this year’s campaign, National Geographic Explorer and ecologist Professor Isla Myers-Smith of University of Edinburgh details her

research on how rising temperatures and warming seasons are leading to a phenomenon called ‘the greening of the Arctic’. For almost 20 years, she has studied the impact of climate change on the Arctic tundra. In recent years, she and her colleagues have noticed a distinct trend, with trees and shrubs growing more readily in the Arctic where permafrost is thawing.

She believes it is critical that people understand the implications of Arctic greening and how making small changes in our daily lives can have a positive effect on the environment. She says, “From saving energy at home to biking to work and eating local, we can each make a difference. It is important for all of us to be aware of how our choices impact the environment, in our own backyards and around the planet.”

Customer Advisory Board and the Dscoop Global Board.

Keith is highly respected in the industry, both domestically and globally. He is always prepared to help out other printers with advice and acts as an advisor to many printing equipment manufacturers to help ensure the products they are making deliver the results printers need.

Durst Oceania is platinum sponsor of the ProPrint Awards, which are organised annually by NZP sister magazine across the ditch, ProPrint.

IN BRIEF

COLOR-LOGIC has announced a new layout format that simplifies the selection of metallic colours for graphic designers, enabling them to choose metallic colours that are complementary to and harmonious with their designs. Mark Geeves, director of sales and marketing at Color-Logic, says, “The Color-Logic metallic colour system utilises only five colours, whether the designer uses one or as many as 924 metallic colours. In addition, Color-Logic embellishments are economical to implement and control in production.”

KODAK has increased its Magnus Q800 platesetter speed, which can now output a plate every 42.9 seconds. This translates to a throughput of up to 84 B1 or eight-up plates per hour, a 40 per cent increase in output. The Magnus Q800 platesetter can also image Kodak Sonora Xtra process free plates at its new top speed. All automation options available for the Magnus Q800 platesetter support the new speed. These are the singlepallet loader, multi-pallet loader and multi-cassette unit.

Matt Ashman (l), Durst Oceania managing director with ProPrint Awards Printer 50 winner Keith Ferrel

Flint Group A/NZ targets growth with key appointments

One of the largest suppliers to the printing, packaging and labelling industries worldwide, Flint Group, has put A/NZ on its radar with the appointment of key personnel, taking the number of its local team to about 120 people.

The company recently promoted Paul Lamberti to the role of A/NZ general manager earlier this year following the retirement of Thorsten Schauer, who headed that role previously.

Prior to taking up this role, Lamberti was the A/NZ director of commercial, publication and sheetfed (CPS) inks at Flint Group, where he oversaw the business producing web and sheetfed inks to the local printing industry and the manufacture of coldset, heatset and sheetfed inks.

“I’ve been with Flint Group for over 20 years. I have a science and business background and started with the company as a technical manager in 2002. I then progressed through several commercial roles with the business and ran various business units within Flint Group before being appointed to this role,” he said.

The company also recently named David Mitchell as its new key account manager of narrow web in Australia and appointed Grant Tychsen to a newly-created role –New Zealand narrow web sales manager – in September.

Tychsen had many years of experience working in South Africa before he moved to New Zealand five years ago. Some of the companies he has worked for include Liquid Colours, Huber Group, Damar Industries and Cambridge Steel Fabricators and Engineers.

As for Mitchell, he has had several years’ experience in print having worked for Maxcess International as its sales director and customer service manager.

“Grant’s sales and technical experience lends itself very well to his new role. He is a good fit for our New Zealand market as it bolsters the commercial component of New Zealand,” Lamberti said.

“David has a lot of sales experience within the narrow web print market. His understanding of the narrow web market,

and his sales experience will assist Flint Group in providing growth for our business.

“Our plan is to execute our strategy, which is to grow our business in the Australian and New Zealand market, especially within our packaging business. So, the recent hires and appointments are key to the development of this strategy.”

Lamberti added that the company hires people with diverse experience, talent, and ideas to achieve business objectives.

“At Flint Group, we invest in people, and we look for long-term employees that understand and work with the Flint strategy. This is to deliver premium products and services to the to the print markets in Australia and New Zealand,” he mentioned.

“We encourage continuous learning and creative thinking, we promote team-based problem-solving, and we recognise and share successes. Continuous improvement drives performance and supports our aspiration to achieve excellence.”

With compliance and sustainability high on the company’s agenda, Lamberti said this will be central to Flint Group’s longterm engagement.

“A continuous improvement culture helps to reduce our current and future environmental footprint. Making progress on our sustainability journey would not be possible without the dedication of our employees,” he said.

“We strive to stay ahead of evolving regulations on chemicals, packaging and labelling. Over the years, we have maintained a strong focus on building and consolidating our sustainability culture. We have taken some important steps to reduce our environmental footprint, and we only partner with trusted suppliers who adhere to our high standards and uphold rigorous human rights and environmental standards.

“We’ve also globally launched a lot of sustainable products recently. Our customers are looking for innovation to offset inflationary costs, as well as solid partnerships. This will result in the needed stability in the market, especially with the ongoing disruptions to supply chains.”

According to Lamberti, Flint Group A/NZ will also focus on new product development, which includes the digitisation of the business.

“This means providing our customers with digital service solutions. We recently launched Flint Link, which is an app for our customers to do business using this program,” he said.

“We also have our global Colour Centre, based at Flint Group Poland, which we work with to support our customers through various digital packages like our Vivo Colour Solutions.

“We are here to partner with our customers and provide them with value-added solutions. The industry can expect stability with Flint Group and our dedication to our customers is and will remain unparalleled.”

Hires David Mitchell and Grant Tychsen, and promotes Paul Lamberti in A/NZ as the company continues to support further growth in the region

Grant Tychsen, Flint Group’s New Zealand sales

manager

David Mitchell, key account manager of Flint Group narrow web in Australia

Paul Lamberti, Flint Group A/NZ general manager

Jet Technologies: supporting the industry for over 40 years

Encore film

With the launch of its Encore range of films, Jet Technologies is bringing the latest in environmental innovation to the Australian and NZ markets.

Service, innovation, and expertise in the local and global industrial printing and packaging industries has seen family-owned and operated Jet Technologies position itself as a leading supplier.

Jack Malki, director at Jet Technologies, says: “Jet Technologies is proud to be a leader in the industry. Our expert staff continue to deliver our customers the knowledge and expertise they need to provide premium quality products and outstanding service.”

The story of Jet Technologies began when managing director Albert Malki and his family made their journey from Italy to Australia in 1980. When Albert and his family immigrated to Australia, hardly able to speak English, the landscape was vastly different, with difficulties faced in assimilating into the Australian culture. With this very obstacle in mind, Albert decided to start a company called Jet Overseas Trade to facilitate trade of a varied range of products between Australia and Europe.

Industrial products were added over the years including surfactants and aluminium. By the late 1980s, Amcor requested the assistance of Jet Overseas Trade in working with the Cerutti Group, an Italian manufacturer of gravure printing presses, and from there grew the print division of the company.

Albert says, “We pride ourselves on our strong family-based values, which we translate to our staff and our culture; investing in our staff to build long-lasting relationships with our customers, and

striving to deliver genuine and expert service always.”

Working originally from offices in Sydney’s Bondi Junction, the team quickly expanded and in 2001, moved to a larger location in Alexandria and became Jet Technologies. With further growth, including the addition of new team members in South Australia, Victoria and New Zealand, Jet Technologies moved to even larger locations with warehouses in Mascot and then its current headquarters in Rosebery. The Rosebery site features a state of the-art demonstration centre and a purpose-built ink management facility. Jet Technologies now also has a state of the art office-warehouse in Melbourne.

Daniel Malki, general manager Jet Technologies, says, “Today, we have grown and diversified significantly into the divisions of industrial, packaging, and printing, now employing over 70 staff and operating from locations across Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, and Singapore, alongside a range of leading supplier partners including Screen GP, Kocher + Beck, ESKO, Flexo Wash, Crown, Goglio, ILPRA, and LG.”

Albert continues to lead Jet Technologies and is supported by the second generation of the family business, with director Jack Malki and general manager Daniel Malki. They say that the company’s core focus on family, expertise, partnership, reliability, and trust has really been the key for its success, alongside the company’s collective and constant push to find and materialise the latest industry innovations to offer its customers.

This new film solution is manufactured with 30 per cent recycled material and is suitable for a wide range of applications including packaging, labels and books. Jack says, “With organisations like the Australian Packaging. Covenant Organisation (APCO) setting 2025 targets of having 70 per cent of plastic packaging being recycled or composted and 50 per cent of average recycled content (recently revised from 30 per cent) included in packaging, Australian product manufacturers are having to quickly focus on, and take steps towards increased sustainability.

“Encore is a strong step in the right direction for using plastics within the circular economy and provide a sorely needed path forward for brand owners who are ready to work towards these recyclability and sustainability goals. It is a sensible option for businesses looking to transition from using virgin plastics and from either PLA (corn starch) or wood-based alternatives in their printing and packaging.

“As well as being produced from 30 per cent recycled content, the films are also fully recyclable, offering product manufacturers the functional benefits of plastic films, whilst ensuring that they work fully within a sustainable circular economy.”

“We have a responsibility and a commitment to provide the local market with the very best sustainable options in order to improve the environment. Introducing new film ranges can be challenging, but we are seeing a strong and constant demand from brand owners for better solutions in order to meet their environmental pledges.

“We see this demand as a strong sign that films like Encore will quickly replace less sustainable traditional films. We also expect the percentage of recycled content in these new films to be increased over time as the technology permits it.”

Leading supplier is still family-owned and operated

Jet Technologies’ first and second generation leaders, from left: Jack, Albert and Daniel Malki

C M Y CM MY CY CMY K

Jet Technologies Brings Latest Innovation in Print and Packaging Sustainability to the Australian Market

Sydney - 18 August, 2022 - Jet Technologies brings the latest in environmental innovation to the Australian and NZ markets with the launch of their Encore range of Films. Encore is a new film solution that is manufactured with 30% recycled material and is suitable for a wide range of applications including packaging, labels, books and more.

“With organisations like the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) setting 2025 targets of having 70% of plastic packaging being recycled or composted and 50% of average recycled content included in packaging, Australian product manufacturers are having to quickly focus on and takes steps towards increased sustainability,” explained Jack Malki, Director at Jet Technologies.

“Encore is a strong step in the right direction for using plastics within the circular economy and provide a sorely needed path forward for brand owners who are ready to work towards these recyclability and sustainability goals. Encore is a leading option for businesses looking to make the shi away from using virgin plastics and from either PLA (corn starch) or wood-based alternatives in their printing and packaging. There is little to no industrial composting in the ANZ region, meaning that biofilm solutions are o en having to be put into landfill. At the same time as being produced from 30% recycled content,

the films are also fully recyclable, ensuring that product manufacturers can enjoy the functional benefits of plastic films, whilst ensuring that they work fully within a sustainable circular economy.”

“Jet Technologies acknowledges that it is our responsibility to provide the local market with the very best sustainable options in order to improve the environment,” continued Jack. “Introducing new film ranges can be challenging, but we are seeing a strong and constant demand from brand owners for better solutions in order to meet their environmental pledges.

“We see this demand as a strong sign that films like Encore will quickly replace less sustainable traditional films. We also expect the percentage of recycled content in these new films to be increased over time as the technology permits it,” said Jack.

The Encore films are currently BOPP based, with PET options also in development. They look and feel like regular films and run on various machinery in a normal way, ensuring that businesses do not have to make any adjustments from existing films. Costs are also comparable to existing films, with a small premium of approximately 15-20% being very well received by brand owners looking for solutions to meet recyclability targets. “

Please scan the QR Code to request a trial run

APC Innovate evolves with the industry’s direction and growth

Established in 1978 as a purely cardboard box manufacturer, APC Innovate’s offering has undergone a massive transformation in the subsequent 44 years.

Based in East Tamaki, Auckland, APC Innovate employs 110 staff, the business’ single-site facilities entail a 900 square metre office and showroom, supported by a 6000 square metre factory that delivers a myriad of capabilities.

APC Innovate chief executive Tim Houlden has manned the helm at the

company for 19 years. He says, “When I started, about 80 per cent of our turnover was brown boxes and nowadays it is about 20 per cent. We are now New Zealand’s largest designer and manufacturer of point of sale displays.

“In 2017 we purchased Display Group which took us into the permanent display and shop fit out market. We have full steel, plastic and wood services workshops on site. Then in December last year, we purchased Jazz Print, which gave us entry into the real estate market and automotive industry.

“The acquisition of Jazz, and bringing them onto our site, meant we added further capability to our overall offering; digital offset HP Indigo printing and signage install probably being the key ones.

“Today we probably don’t have any one, singular competitor as we compete across a number of product areas.”

One of the company’s catchphrases is: ‘We live and breathe innovation’. He says, “We can print, laser cut, mould and fabricate just about anything with absolute precision, from corrugated board to steel and plastics.

“We take a client’s vision or idea from concept stage and production through to completion and market distribution. There is no part of the process we can’t handle.

“Given we have the largest structural design team of any business of this type in New Zealand, our philosophy from a sales perspective is ‘If you can imagine it, we can create it’.”

While emphasising the role that employees directly play in the ongoing evolution and success of the business, He also describes APC Innovate as arguably being an “industry-leading investor in new technology”.

Award winning display manufacturer lives up to its name

IAIN MACINTYRE

Investing in people: APC Innovate constantly upskills its team members

He says, “Our robotic large-format printing system was the first such install in the world six years ago. We make significant technology investments probably every two years.”

He says APC Innovate is driven by a strong community and ‘New Zealand Inc.’ philosophy. He continues, “We were purchased in 1999 by 100 per cent New Zealand-owned Rangatira Ltd, a Wellington-based investment company. Profits go back to the local community through principal shareholder, JR McKenzie Trust, which provides about $6m in grants every year.

“We also have a very strong policy around supporting New Zealand made. We try our best not to import any finished or semi-finished goods. For example, following our acquisition of Jazz, which had been importing a range of products, we have now started in house manufacturing and sourcing locally.”

The firm’s pursuit of excellence has received recognition as one of only four New Zealand companies to have won in excess of 100 Pride In Print Gold Medals.

Having established an export market over the past decade-plus, APC Innovate has more recently proactively seized on opportunities presented by the pandemic. Tim says, “The Covid-19 times and lack of product coming out of China, for example, have opened up some markets that traditionally have been difficult to get into.

“Today we export to Australia, the Pacific Islands, North America and Europe.

It is towards five per cent of our turnover and is an important, and growing, part of our business.”

In regard to thoughts on the overall New Zealand print sector, he particularly enjoys the professional pride evident throughout the industry. He says, “We do unique things and we do them really well. We are actually worldwide leaders in some of the processes and equipment that we use in New Zealand.

“We should be rightfully proud and we should be standing up and saying ‘the New Zealand print industry is in good nick and we do a good job’.”

However, he notes one issue continuing to plague the industry is simply being able to “access qualified staff”. He says, “I think the government has made it incredibly difficult for us to bring in overseas labour; it is almost impossible. Historically, that has been a strong source of qualified and quality labour, but that’s very, very difficult to do at the moment.

“I think PrintNZ and Competenz (now Te Pūkenga) do a really good job to promote our industry and apprenticeships. But the difficulty we have right now is simply access to staff.”

Although, he is quick to emphasise that APC Innovate also has a strong culture of both investing in training its workforce and “promoting from within”. He adds, “Currently we have four apprentices. Most

of our production management team have come from starting on the floor.”

In regard to the future, he says APC Innovate is “always looking ahead”. He says, “We take great pride in our environmental policy, as we focus on circular manufacturing and new energyefficient ways to work smarter and more sustainably.

“We are constantly seeking to upskill our team as well as invest in new technology which will both expand our offering and increase our delivery and speed to market.”

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APC Innovate is one of only four companies to have won in excess of 100 Pride In Print Gold Medals

Women In Print & Sign – a thrill to be back, and with a twist

Popular event returns with a twist

Women In Print returned in November to two sell-out crowds of 190 attendees in Auckland and 70 in Christchurch.

After a three-year hiatus, courtesy of Covid-19, the event has returned with a new twist: PrintNZ’s first collaboration with the NZSDA saw the inclusion of women from the sign industry and it was a pleasure to welcome them along.

The women at both events were thrilled to be back and if the noise in both the rooms was anything to go by, substantial networking took place. In the spirit of the event, everyone was challenged to make at least one new contact before they left for the evening and I am sure they did.

Guest speaker at both events, well known media personality Kerre Woodham gave a delightful no holds barred account of not just her career, but her life to date, imparting some of the valuable lessons she has learned along the way. The audiences were certainly kept entertained.

These events provide a great opportunity for networking and also recognised the women that are leading companies in our industry, and those that have been in the industry for over 20 years.

The nights would not have been possible without the generous support of our sponsors: B&F Papers, Torque Digital, BJ Ball Papers, Computaleta, Heidelberg, DIC and Spicers/Total Supply, with support from Finely Finished, Office Max and Tuapeka Gold.

RUTH COBB

The B&F papers team with Kerre Woodham, from left: Paula Vasquez, Sandra Robinson, Carmen Tough, Penelope Savidan, Kerre Woodham and Angie Johnson-Heremia

Women In Print from BJ Ball Papers

Women In Print from Blue Star Group

Women in Print from Easy 2C

Keeping it local, let the world know

Blue Star Group’s partnership with Ricoh continues for digital print excellence

Country’s largest printer operates Ricoh flagship presses

Operating multiple printing sites across the country, Blue Star Group employs over 600 people, producing the full range of printed products.

Craig Loveridge, head of commercial for Blue Star Group New Zealand, says, “As New Zealand’s largest integrated print and marketing company, we cover web printing, commercial work, publications, design, retail display and packaging; the last two being real areas of strategic growth for us.

“With a diverse range of sites around the country, we have to consider the geography as we focus on cohesion through integrated units. With this in mind, we made a decision to use Ricoh technology and solutions for all our digital toner production.

“We have partnered with Ricoh New Zealand for over five years so the

relationship is a mature one, and strong strategically. We share some good alignments with Ricoh in regard to business attitudes, perspectives, and the crossover of customers.

“Ricoh has supplied us with competitive and impressive technology to help keep Blue Star ahead of the game. For example, we have installed five Ricoh Pro C9210 presses across our sites. These machines deliver close to offset quality and are a significant update to the Pro C9100 Series, running higher volumes.

“The Ricoh Pro C9210 is a tough and reliable machine. Last month, our Wellington Jackson site did 420,000 A3 impressions with the Ricoh Pro C9210 and it is consistently running that kind of volume.

“The banner capability on the Pro C9210 is also impressive. We get a fast turnaround on the banners for point of sale work. We complete inline finishing

for work like saddle stitching, booklet finishing and stapling and square edge trimming. The machines give us industrial grade finishing.

“Ricoh’s nationwide service and support capability means we have access to technical expertise, which complements Ricoh’s Trained Customer Replacement Units (TCRU) programme.

“Blue Star Group also runs three Ricoh mono machines, which are solid workhorses; bullet proof and reliable.”

Can do attitude

He continues: “Ricoh’s service and support is excellent. It goes beyond the standard preventative maintenance. Essentially, Ricoh is proactive around service and support; the team makes sure that things get done. Ricoh has a can do attitude. The relationship we have with the Ricoh team is really solid. Mike

Delmar Mebius (l), manager ADC Blue Star and Mark Burgess, national print specialist for Ricoh Graphic Communications, with the Ricoh Pro C9210

Laursen and Mark Burgess have gone the extra mile to get the job done.

“Blue Star Group’s philosophy also aligns with Ricoh’s approach to sustainability, which is something both companies embrace. We have taken a logical and systematic approach to our environmental management systems and we are proud to have 100 per cent of our sites now Toitū Enviromark Gold Certified and more recently Carbon Reduce Certified.

“Other important certifications are Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Chain of Custody Certification, the Program for Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), and for Blue Star Wellington, HACCP and GMP Food Safety Management, which allows us to manufacture paper and board based packaging solutions for use in the food industry.

“All our key suppliers are ISO14001 certified. Ricoh has not only received ISO14001 certification but is also Toitū net carbonzero organisation certified. Blue Star Group actively recycles toner

bottles. So far, over 3,500 bottles have been diverted from going to landfill.

“Sustainability also involves our customers and our partners so we need to have that as we attempt to balance sustainability as an economically viable strategy.”

Like Ricoh, Blue Star Group sponsors and supports numerous local charities and organisations. Craig says, “On a nationwide scale, we have long-term community projects running with organisations like Paralympics New Zealand. However, we see the value of our individual sites being involved with more local projects and we encourage them to get across local organisations and charities.”

Ricoh Pro C9210

With its flagship Pro C9210 press, Ricoh says it has tailored a solution to meet the needs of even the most demanding production environments. Mike Laursen, national manager for Ricoh Graphic Communications, says, “The Ricoh Pro C9210 delivers a number of benefits to our customers. Firstly, the print quality

is comparable to Offset. Second, it has proved to be highly reliable for long runs with generous paper capacity and expansive media support. Lastly, it is easy to operate.

“Commercial printers like Blue Star Group are maximising their profitability and return on investment with this machine. Its benefits include:

• Consistent, repeatable, superb colour and image quality.

• Long runs achieved efficiently and cost-effectively.

• Capability for high-margin applications using diverse sizes and types of media.

• Higher uptime and asset utilisation with advanced automation and usability.

• Flexibility to handle changing market conditions and customer requirements.

With the partnership being so successful in New Zealand, IVE Group Australia, one of Australia’s largest printers has recently installed a similar platform of Ricoh engines.

Ricoh Pro C9210 delivers high quality print and high volumes

Enabling print companies to achieve their digital objectives using the innovative features of the RicohPro C9210. Ricoh lists its benefits and advantages:

• Saddle stitch booklet finishing and 100-sheet stapling using the SR5060 Booklet Finisher. Additional commercial finishing options are also available.

• High Capacity Stacker SK5040 allows you to keep jobs running continually. Up to 5,000 sheets can to be stacked and moved with the Roll Away Cart. Up to two stackers can be configured in one system.

• In line sensor ensures real-time colour analysis with automatic adjustment and correction during printing.

• Automatic front to back image registration with an inline sensor provides the data used by the system to adjust image position and shape.

• Oversize sheet printing capabilities allow you to print up to 1,260mm simplex and 1,030mm duplex.

• Operator productivity increases as each operator can customise the new 43cm Smart Operation Panel, which displays the entire device configuration.

• Image Calibration System scans image density to make any necessary corrections prior to maintain image gradation quality.

• Enhanced Graphical Media Library lets you easily create paper settings and select desired papers.

• Vertical cavity Surface Emitting Laser VCSEL beam technology and 2400dpi x 4800dpi print laser resolution provide output that compares favourably with Offset.

• Vacuum Feed Trays ensure the paper feeding ability of Coated Media up to 470gsm maximum. Up to three units can be added to increase the feeding capacity to 18,100 sheets.

• Media Management Tool enables operators to share the media catalogue among multiple Pro C9200/C9210 digital presses

• Variable data processing (VDP) capabilities enable personalised, versioned and customised printing.

• Colour management capabilities offer industry standards, calibration methods and G7 certification.

• TotalFlow Suite of software automates and streamlines tasks related to makeready, ticketing, scheduling, creating workflows, reporting and more.

Craig Loveridge, head of commercial for Blue Star Group New Zealand

Mike Laursen, national manager for Ricoh Graphic Communications

AccurioPress accelerates production for Banner Express

business cards. We can duplex with that as well. A lot of other machines can only do simplex on the heavier stock.

“Another important point I want to raise is the technical support we get from the Konica Minolta team. We have never had a Konica Minolta machine before and they have responded really well with any issues, reducing downtime. I think the Konica Minolta support is fantastic and their communication is very good.

“Right now we are really busy but we are keen to explore new products with the improved production capabilities and finishing options of the AccurioPress C12000; that is the next step, sometime next year.”

Web to print

Recently, Auckland-based web to print specialist Banner Express installed a Konica Minolta AccurioPress C12000.

Raymond Kho, owner and director at Banner Express, says, “We had another machine and the lease had expired, so it was time to upgrade. I had been talking to Rob Whiting from Konica Minolta New Zealand about the AccurioPress.

“I told Rob about the issues we were having with our old machine, and then we started to engage with their ideas. Rob was quite helpful and when he showed me the machine, it ran really well. I liked the colour quality and after discussing pricing, we got a great deal from Konica Minolta. Now, the AccurioPress C12000 is delivering high quality print for us.”

Konica Minolta’s IQ-501 is a fully automated, closed-loop quality management tool that performs automatic density correction and front-to-back registration prior to printing. This unit inspects colour density and registration accuracy on a sheet-by-sheet basis throughout the print run taking remedial action if it detects any deviation. It does all of this, and more at the full rated speed of 120 pages per minute.

Raymond says, “I would like to mention a few key points about how the IQ is helping

us. Firstly, we have long term customers with repeat jobs and we used to spend a fair amount of time adjusting colours. Second, we used to have to do a lot of printing to get the alignment right. The AccurioPress has put an end to those issues.

“Most of our work is booklets, flyers, brochures and business cards. Not having to worry about manual colour adjustment and registration is a major benefit to our business. I would say production has improved 25 per cent; we are simply doing more work in the same amount of time and that is not just because the AccurioPress is printing much faster than our previous machine.

“It is interesting because I try not to have to do overtime. Previously, the team would have to stay at work to get the long run jobs done but now, we can finish the jobs on time.

“Also, having the alignment basically spot on is also vital for print finishing. For example, folding and die-cutting require accurate registration and we have that with the AccurioPress C12000. It is a seriously good machine and we are running it pretty much constantly.

“One really cool feature of the AccurioPress is its ability to handle media up to 450gsm at the rated speed, enabling us to do thick cards and premium

Immigrating to New Zealand in 2014, Raymond Kho saw an opportunity for web to print.

He explains, “I had owned and run a print company in Singapore, although I am originally from Malaysia. I started Banner Express in 2013 because I saw the possibilities for web to print as a niche print business. We initially focused on designs but later we moved to digital printing.

“We have been able to go nationwide because we have such a strong web presence, and that goes back to when I started Banner Express.

“While we lost 40 per cent of business during Covid-19, we also had long term customers who stayed with us. We are actually busier now than pre-Covid and our Customer base has grown. We did not lose any staff. In fact, after Covid we have employed more staff.

“I am appreciative of the 10 staff members here at Banner Express. For me, the people around me are important. Any company can come up with the same pricing and product but it is the service level that we provide that makes the difference.

“It is a fact that our staff are a significant factor in the success of this business and its survival through the worst part of the pandemic. Their support certainly helped us get through a difficult time.”

Konica Minolta AccurioPress C12000 delivers quality, accuracy and productivity gains

Lily Bong, digital print supervisor at Banner Express and Rob Whiting, production print specialist for Konica Minolta with the AccurioPress C12000

RETHINK EFFICIENCY

WITH THE ALL NEW ACCURIOPRESS C14000 SERIES

The digital revolution continues with the highly evolved, all NEW AccurioPress C14000 series designed to ensure you never stop printing. These high speed digital colour presses offer next level automation for ultra-efficient, high volume colour printing. Packed with an array of impressive features, powerful inline finishing options for high productivity and with in-built technology, they offer unparalleled quality and consistency print after print.

To rethink efficiency, simply visit konicaminolta.co.nz/AccurioPressC14000series

HP Indigo 10000 Digital Press raises B2 quality at Benefitz

New press delivers impressive quality, consistency and speed

Support and success

Currie Group provides comprehensive service and support for all its solutions. Kent says, “The inner workings of the machine are pretty sophisticated and can be intimidating, but the software and the technical backup is solid.

“We have had a long relationship with Currie Group and Craig Paul, the country manager. They have supplied us with various bits of Horizon kit over the years and so now, with the HP Indigo 10000 Digital Press, we just see them all quite a bit more. Currie Group’s team members are always happy to help and go that extra mile; we just keep them supplied with coffee and cakes.

Based on Auckland’s North Shore, diverse media company Benefitz offers a comprehensive range of services and products including commercial print, sign and display, as well as design and web.

Last year, Benefitz installed an HP Indigo 10000 Digital Press, supplied through Currie Group. Kent Bowyer-Sidwell, from Benefitz, says, “Having had a B2 digital press for nearly 10 years, this was a natural step for us. For the installation, Chris Bennett, senior HP Indigo engineer, and the team at Currie Group did a great job. We were up and running in no time at all. There was plenty for us to learn, despite being familiar with B2 digital. The HP Indigo 10000 Digital Press is a very different beast.

“The press is very flexible but we use it predominantly for collated book blocks. This has been a large growth area for the business and is complemented with our Horizon PUR binder, case maker and three knife trimmer. This saves on a lot of folding and keeps our binding in house.

“The HP Indigo gives us speed and enormous production capacity. We are printing jobs in hours on the large sheet, which took us literally days on the SRA3 toner machines, and the results are much closer to offset quality.

“Our book and brochure covers are much easier to produce multiple up on a large sheet with the correct grain direction, and much less curl. We can also use normal OPP lamination, not digital lamination. This further reduces costs while increasing efficiencies and speed.

“The quality is superb. We are staggered at how easily it can print some very difficult work. The results are more often than not as good or better than offset. So everyone is happy; most importantly, our clients.

“We also love the Enhance Productivity Mode (EPM), where we can really push up production efficiencies and reduce costs. We wish we could run EPM on the offset or the toner presses.

“Another notable benefit is our paper usage has dropped dramatically per job. With most jobs on the new press, the first print sheet off the press is good to go, so we are using up to 95 per cent less makeready paper per colour lay than our offset presses, which over a year is really significant in dollar value and results in far less waste paper.

“The machine is very much at home at Benefitz. It complements our existing B2 Litho presses and our two toner presses. So we can mix it up to get larger multi element jobs through, while maintaining consistency across a client’s branding.”

“Currie Group understands what we want from the press and that is important. In the end, it’s a partnership; the more the machine is a success for Benefitz, the more it’s a success for Currie Group.”

Currie Group and HP Indigo also provide ongoing training support. He says, “We had three operators train up immediately for the new press. Two ex–litho operators and one prepress/toner operator, who also had some experience of an early SRA3 HP Indigo Digital Press. They all took to it like ducks to water.

“Benefitz has great staff who are flexible in many areas of the business, so they can move into areas where they are needed. We offer a diverse range of printed products with the variety of what we do here and what we can deliver to our clients. The HP Indigo 10000 Digital Press is a very important addition to that offering.

“While Benefitz has had a B2 digital press for over 10 years, the HP Indigo 10000 Digital Press is a massive step up in quality and productivity.

“We know we can pretty much take on larger digital run jobs without clogging up production. Seriously, the quality, consistency and the speed of what it can chomp through at B2 and SRA2 sheet size is impressive.”

He concludes, “It’s been a good first year and we are looking forward to pressing on this year with the knowledge, and tricks, we have acquired.”

The HP Indigo 10000 Digital Press at Benefitz, from left: Rob Gunston, general manager Benefitz with operators Rob Moore and Leighton Hill

See which part of your brain drives your decision making

goal. SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. In the case of equipment purchase, your plan would be based on the specific purpose of buying the press. It would have measurable benchmarks such as return on investment, increased throughput, reduced overtime and so on. And it would be achievable in your financial position and relevant to your business operations. Lastly, it would have to take place in a reasonable timeline.

For the next step, a form of Cartesian Logic is an excellent way to work through the situation. This method uses four lenses rather than one to view the problem. You achieve this by asking yourself a question posed in four different ways:

MICK ROWAN

Ever wonder how CEOs and other business leaders make decisions? It’s not all based on logic, despite what you may think. In fact, a lot of it has to do with the way our brains are wired.

Let’s create a scenario to put this in perspective. The world has been effectively shut down for a couple of years after governments worldwide have massively overreacted to a situation. The world finally awakens, and it’s obvious that we all need to be more adaptable in how we do things, because rapid change has become a permanent reality of life on earth!

After a couple of years of inactivity, there’s a lot of new equipment on the market. You pop over for Labelexpo and, after walking the halls and talking to everyone, you’ve set your sights on the new HP Indigo V12, delivering 120 linear metres per minute with 1600dpi image resolution!

To get that goal to the next stage, you’ll need to light up all three regions of your brainstem, with the hind-brain, midbrain, and fore-brain all playing a role in your decision making process.

The hind-brain, or reptilian complex, is

responsible for our basic instincts, such as fight or flight. This part of the brain is often associated with risk aversion because it helps us to avoid dangerous situations. In business, the reptilian brain might lead us to play it safe and avoid risks that could lead to loss.

The mid-brain, or limbic system, is associated with emotion, which is the part of the brain that gives us feelings of pleasure and happiness. The mid-brain is often influencing our decision-making without us even realising it. When you make a purchase simply because it makes you feel good, that’s your limbic system at work! In business, the limbic system can be a powerful tool for marketing products and services. If we can tap into positive emotions like happiness and pleasure, we’re more likely to get people to buy what we’re selling. But for significant purchasing decisions, acting on feelings and emotions alone can be disastrous.

The fore-brain, or neo-cortex, is responsible for higher level thinking, such as language and abstract thought. This brain part helps us see the bigger picture and make long term plans. In business, the neo-cortex is often used for strategic planning and deciding where to allocate resources. However, because this part of the brain is so analytical, it can sometimes lead us to overthink things or get bogged down in the details.

Knowing how the brain works can help you plan a strategy to cover all bases. And one of the best ways to get a project underway is to start with a SMART

What will happen if I get the HP Indigo V12? I’ll be able to produce more high-quality work in less time. What won’t happen if I get the HP Indigo V12? I won’t miss deadlines or worry about the quality of my work. What will happen if I don’t get the HP Indigo V12? I’ll continue to be stressed and miss the opportunity to win higher-value jobs. What won’t happen if I don’t get the HP Indigo V12? My business won’t grow, and I’ll stay in the same position I’m in now, underresourced and working hard to keep up.

Using a SMART framework and Cartesian Logic will remove the fear from the reptilian brain because it no longer seems so risky. The limbic system still influences our decision making, but we are fully aware of it and have planned our decision on more than just emotion. And finally, the neo-cortex has the details it needs without being bogged down.

So, the next time you’re faced with a business decision, take a moment to consider which part of your brain is driving that decision. Is it based on logic or emotion? Are you playing it safe or taking risks? Decision making varies depending on what’s best for your situation. But by understanding how your brain works, you can make more informed choices that will help you achieve your desired results.

Mick has spent the past decade building printIQ into one of the most recognised software brands in the printing industry, and with over four decades of experience, Mick truly has ink in his veins.

Understanding your decision making.

Knowing how your brain works can help you devise an effective strategy.

Stickr goes to Colorado for wallpaper and decals

Aarque Group helps Stickr bring a new print concept to New Zealand

From its Henderson base, Stickr offers around 120 designs for its self-adhesive wallpaper, which customers can order online. The e-commerce operation despatches orders within three to five working days, printing everything on the Colorado 1650.

Jaimee says, “The Colorado 1650 is the ideal solution for Stickr, allowing us to print in-house and keep our customers happy. Having the Colorado 1650 means we can pump out high quality wallpaper. The colours the Colorado produces are vibrant and dynamic with no dull patches. It delivers high print quality.

“For ease of operation, the Colorado 1650 is intuitive and very user friendly. I don’t have a background in printing but I find it easy to use. We provide a library of 120 designs, which gives our customers plenty of variations and the Colorado 1650 gives them the wallpaper they want. In addition, we roll and fold our samples and that doesn’t damage the print finish.”

“The prospects for Stickr in the New Year and beyond are quite exciting. As a Kiwi company, we are looking to work with some New Zealand artists and designers.

“The Colorado 1650 allows us to be bold when we choose new designs because we know we will never have to compromise on the colour quality.”

She adds, “The Colorado 1650 is doing a great job. To learn more about Stickr, jump online to www.stickrshop.com.”

Independent analysis

When independent testing agency Keypoint Intelligences analysed the Colorado 1650 roll to roll printer, it obtained “exceptional results”. The assessment, across three categories of image quality, usability and speed, concluded that “as an all-round impressive performer, the Colorado 1650 is a standout choice for virtually all wide format printing applications”.

Stickr began in 2020, when two friends went in search of simple, affordable and beautiful wallpaper decals to liven up their little ones’ nurseries. When they came up emptyhanded, they saw the chance to launch their own.

Using their 15+ years of experience in commercial interior graphics, the friends created Stickr, a collection of affordable, premium, high quality, and on-trend decals that are produced on a PVC Free peel-and-stick wallcovering product, making it easier than ever to bring any room to life.

Subsequently, Stickr installed a Canon Colorado 1650 roll to roll printer through Aarque Group. Jaimee Aislabie, brand marketing specialist for Stickr, says the Colorado 1650 fits perfectly with the startup’s business model.

She says, “The understanding that you can have your own self-adhesive wallpaper is new to New Zealand, but Kiwis have been quick to pick up on the concept. Our customers are amazed that we can produce these wallpapers here in New Zealand and they love the quality we deliver.”

Steve Wilton-Jones, national equipment sales consultant at Aarque Group, says, “The Colorado 1650 offers a truly impressive application range, thanks to two additional technologies: the more flexible and stretchable formulation of the UVgel 460 inks and the FLXfinish+ technology. The UVgel 460 inks provide perfect image stability even when folded, bent and wrapped. And with the FLXfinish+ technology, you can print your applications both with a flawless glossy and a luxurious matte finish, independent of media finish.”

Recently, Stickr expanded its offering to include decals. Jaimee says, “The decals are peel and stick wall coverings but on a smaller scale. We offer many designs for families that don’t want to do an entire wall. The decals have a range of applications, for example emergency vehicles such as fire and police. Also, with the right preparation and a good quality surface, the wallpaper and decals are removable. Recently, I removed a wall covering, that had been up for 18 months, with no issues.

“Right now, we are busy with a number of jobs going on as we move into Christmas, and the Colorado 1650 has no difficulty in keeping up with our production schedule.

Steve says, “The Colorado 1650 was found to be three times faster than the competitive average across each quality mode tested. In addition to its speed, the printer’s automatic maintenance, user replaceable components and on the fly ink replacement features were all recognised as contributing factors for increased uptime and faster turnarounds.

“The technicians highlighted how the Colorado 1650 can produce both gloss and matte finishes without the need to change inks or media. In switching output finish, there was no impact on image quality, even at the most productive speeds.

“The machine’s FLXfinish curing technology enhances the printer’s handling of porous materials such as soft signage and uncoated media because its UVgel technology ensures that each ink droplet is immediately fixed on the media, allowing for highly controlled dot gain and more precise image quality.”

“Given its highly accurate dimensional stability, modular design and matte finishing capabilities, the Colorado 1650 roll to roll printer is the perfect solution for producing digital wallpaper.”

Kris Hassett, co-owner of Stickr, with the Canon Colorado 1650 roll to roll printer

Epson achieves excellence for deSotogi fine art reproduction

deSotogi Fine Art gains quality and speed partnering with Fujifilm Business Innovation

get someone to do the colour profiles but I find the Epson software is excellent.

“This is my first involvement with Fujifilm and the team there is great. Firstly, Patrick Crosby steered me in the right direction. Also, when the Fujifilm technician Ryan set it up, we talked the whole time. I was able to learn it quickly. One time I texted him at 9pm to ask him if it necessary that the printer was self-cleaning. He replied straight away.”

Founding deSotogi Fine Art in 2005, artist Dave Sotogi had an intention to make prints from his original paintings and sell them.

He explains, “I was painting a lot and wanted find a way to reproduce the artwork that would do it justice. It took off and we began wholesaling them nationwide. I hired staff to do the canvas stretching and other jobs. At one stage, we had nine in the company but in the last six years we have re thought the business. Now it is just my wife Valerie and me.

“We roll the canvas up now; it is easier to send that way. Looking at our analytics for this year, we have sent about 30 per cent to Australia, five per cent to other overseas countries and the rest across New Zealand, and interestingly to places I have never heard of.”

Recently, deSotogi Fine Art installed an Epson SC-P9560 printer, supplied through Fujifilm. Dave says, “This is our fourth Epson; we bought our first Epson printer in 2005. Previously, I had run a 64 inch Epson printer for nearly 10 years, which I had bought from the US. It was time to upgrade.”

Fujifilm says that, designed for the world’s greatest artists and photographers, the

UltraChrome Pro12 all-pigment aqueous inks add Violet to produce a wider colour gamut, up to 99 per cent coverage of the Pantone Formula Guide solid-coated standard. The Epson SC-P9560 is ideal for premium photo, fine art, proofing and packaging design, delivering vibrant, long lasting prints that captivate and inspire.

Dave says, “It is unbelievable how good the Epson SC-P9560 is. It is fast and the printheads are great. It has features that I always thought printers should have like the LED lighting inside that enables me to look inside the printer to see how it is going Also, the way the paper roll cover seals to stop dust getting in and the big LED touchscreen is easy to use.

“But the main thing is its speed, which is important. I had not previously thought about it but it is mind blowing the difference between this and the last one. When it arrived, I was backlogged on orders. As soon as it came, I was able to print all the backlog in one weekend.

“The print quality is beautiful. I am used to printing at 1440dpi but I had to change the settings because it was laying down too much ink. I don’t need to run it at the highest setting. It delivers museum quality prints. I am using the Epson profiles for colour management. I used to

Dave’s paintings can sell for between for $8,000 to $40,000. He paints in oils and the artwork predominantly has a New Zealand flavour. He says, “I get a lot of expats who want the prints. I am not doing so much painting now, just commissioned work. The printer is really the bread and butter for the business. I don’t print anyone else’s art but my own. That is the model we have stayed with and it has worked for 20 years. I enjoy printing. This year marks 17 years of printing and the process still blows me away. The technology is incredible when you see it in action.

“The biggest challenge I am facing in the business right now is trying to keep up. Right now, the supply chain is an issue. Trying to get canvas is difficult.

“What is great is that the new Epson SC-P9560 printer frees up my time with its speed and efficiency; it’s just cranking them out. The customers are happy getting quality.”

Dave Sotogi with the Epson SC-P9560 printer

deSotogi Fine Art has a predominantly New Zealand flavour

Updated unit standards focus on new processes

that, and top of mind for many, was Installation, which has become its own specialised part of this industry. It numbers among many sign making processes that have developed over the past few years.

As a result, a new strand for Installation of 400 hours (40 credits) was developed. Traditional remains but has been reduced to 100 hours (10 credits). It has also been absorbed into other standards throughout the sign qualification.

Another change involved correcting the context around the questions asked in the unit standards, ensuring that they are fit for purpose for the scenario, the learner and the outcomes.

Together with a small working group of passionate sign makers, the NZSDA has revised and reshaped the sign making unit standards for apprenticeships. And, working with the Hanga-Aro-Rau Manufacturing, Engineering and Logistics Workforce Development Group, a new sign making qualification that focuses on new processes and practices has been developed.

One major change is in the Traditional specialisation strand, which has not

received any enrolments over the past three to five years. The time had come to rethink how to incorporate this strand of 400 hours (40 credits) into the qualifications without losing its significance. For sign makers, this is where they have come from.

Many sign shops find traditional sign writing hard to teach. There is little opportunity to practice this work, especially for apprentices –certainly not 400 hours. Alongside

Changes to the qualification have been published on the NZQA website, www. nzqa.govt.nz as well as the specialisation units, with the addition of the Installation strand. The changes have been approved, and now the programmes for the learners must be developed with Hanga-AroRau Manufacturing, Engineering and Logistics Workforce Development Group and Competenz.

The timeframe for the new standards to be made available to new apprentices is yet to be confirmed, but looking like early 2024. The current unit standards will remain until 2025.

Secretary Update – taking action on mental health and well-being

COUTTS Secretary NZSDA

However, those struggles, plus a host of other pandemic-related issues like inflation and cost of living are still here; they are real and not going away anytime soon.

Stress levels are high. Businesses that don’t take this seriously risk the knock-on effects of loss in productivity, recurring mistakes and increased absenteeism.

To find out more about what the association can offer with this pathway, go to the members’ section on our website. You will see the Safety Charter Health, Safety and Well-being workshops, toolbox resources and peer-to peer advice groups. There is an insurance group discount for staff and their families with the nib Health Insurance Association Scheme, plus discounted EWP courses with Goleman Training.

Last month, we featured NZSDA’s efforts to address mental health and well-being, which can lead to burn out for employees and employers alike.

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought these issues into focus as we have seen its heavy effect on economic activity, employment and the way we work. Many employees managed to struggle through the prolonged uncertainty of the future, job security, lockdowns and isolations.

NZSDA has engaged with new partnerships that offer valuable knowledge in health, wellbeing and safety. We are encouraging employers to look at their workplace culture to address how to support mental health and protect people. Offering benefits, advice and support to staff members helps them feel valued. They can learn to adopt behaviours that will improve their wellbeing which will assist in maintaining a happier, healthier and more productive workplace environment.

Our newest partnership is with Business Advantage, which is helping with workshops and advice on creating good cultures, looking after your people, succession planning and other business practices Workshops will begin in our regional meetings and be made available online. We have the tools to help you, as a business owner, to get started on helping your staff with their health and well-being.

MELISSA

The new sign making qualification incorporates new processes and practices

TALES FROM THE PRINTERVERSE

Help your print customers to buy more of your products

to help professional print customers, the infiltration of print management services is imminent.

The situation for printers when print management services (PMS) take over is more complicated. Some printers benefit and can get more work from the network if they can print at the price required. In many cases, they can’t afford to print at the required pricing for PMS companies to profit and they lose work they may have had for years. Work that they counted on to keep the lights on.

Making print sales isn’t easy these days. Supply chain issues are disrupting the process, as is the ability to promise everything will be okay with 100 per cent certainty. This situation can make even the most seasoned print customers nervous especially if they work as a print producer at advertising agencies, brands, or corporations that plan their print marketing and media placement strategy well in advance.

I recently reached out to a friend who is the director of production of a specialised, full-service production agency with a roster of clients that includes other ad agencies in this space. When he didn’t answer, I followed up and this was his reply:

“Sorry Deborah. My department is haemorrhaging. Three rounds of layoffs and now three more people resigned. I went from 17 people down to three, and I’m working 65 hours a week. I’m literally just trying to survive.”

He is one of three overworked and overwhelmed print producers responsible

for every job from every client at this agency. Think about that. Professional print producers can be pains in the ass, but we cannot let them go extinct. Our world without them is only about price. Craft transforms to commodity and then game over in so many ways.

What you can do right now is stop bothering these clients unless you have something specific to discuss. If they need your help, they will find you. You can send a ‘checking in’ email, text, or social media messages to remain top of mind without any expectation of a reply.

Review their past work. If they always do a mailing in June, don’t wait on them to contact you. Figure out how to get the paper and when it can arrive, share that information and a quote with the customer now. Repeat that process or everything you can think of to pre-empt a quote request and be super attentive to being super proactive, especially with paper and postage.

Inform your customers now and help them create a plan to print everything they can before it happens. Provide a list of projects they have printed in the past; suggest how they can be improved. Provide estimates for all scenarios with very clear caveats around securing supplies and the pricing and payment terms. The fine print is critical.

Unless we figure out a workable solution

My counterproposal is this: create your own PMS. Find a freelance print producer to work for you remotely. The cost of professional PMS (plus your mark-up) can be built into the job as a line-item option on the estimate. If they need help, you have it. The opportunity to discuss what this service is, and entails opens with every quote you send out.

Your print producer functions as they would in the agency – presenting project options to creatives and account management, developing specs, and getting an estimate. But instead of just sending back a quote, your print producer is also part of the customer team. They manage the projects for the customer and liaise with a CSR and/or salesperson in the print shop.

Your print producer has worked with project management and purchasing systems during their career. And, they can learn new ones quickly to navigate internal job scheduling and secure agency approvals.

You can also consider offering this service on an ongoing basis. It’s less expensive for agencies to pay for help job-by-job.

Please take some time and consider how you can help your professional print customers do their jobs, literally. It just might save yours.

Deborah Corn is the Intergalactic Ambassador to The Printerverse at Print Media Centr, a Print Buyerologist, international speaker and blogger, host of Podcasts From The Printerverse, cultivator of Print Production Professionals, Head Girl in Charge at Girls Who Print, host of #PrintChat, the founder of International Print Day and the founder of #ProjectPeacock.

print customers do

DEBORAH CORN

Craft will eventually transform to commodity and then game over in so many ways without professional print producers

President Post – working to live

to identify and deal with mental health issues in the workplace.

Mental health issues can be brought on by any number of reasons, from personal life problems, workplace bulling, cyber abuse, bias, and just plain old boredom. The key to dealing with this is to maintain communication. Get to know your employees, and yourself, so you can better identify potential problems before they become major issues. Take time to listen, and be attentive and reactive to feedback from your staff.

We spend more time with work mates than we do our partners in a lot of cases.

Benefits from a positive mental health environment include:

To admit being stressed is seen as some kind of weakness; a shortfall in our personality; something to be ashamed of or embarrassed by. In my career, I have had to learn how to deal with stress. As a result, I am open about this when talking to my peers. What works for me is creating a healthy balance between work, family and myself.

• Greater staff retention. Boredom and feeling stagnant in our careers strongly contributes to resignations. Offer your staff opportunities for change and promote training to create job satisfaction.

Running a modern sign shop comes with its ups and downs, physically, financially and emotionally. I believe balancing these ups and downs into a manageable lifestyle is the most important part of staying successful.

Creating a healthy work environment involves workplace safety and health conscious production systems. Part of that involves facing one of the most important and most neglected health issues, mental wellness and in particular, how we deal with stress and depression.

In 2020, New Zealand lost 7.3 million working days and $1.8bn due to workplace absence. A large percentage of these loses were due to mental health issues.

We simply can’t ignore mental health in our workplaces and as employers, we need to take greater responsibility for our mental health and that of our employees.

In my workday, the word stress brings on a strong reaction from people. I hear them say, “I am not stressed, I just have too much to do”, as they slam down the day’s 10th coffee and bark at the apprentice when he misses that bubble.

We all have that mate who, when you drive by his or her workshop at no matter what time of the day or night, you see his lights are on and production is in full swing. Why does it seem to be these guys who end up with health issues and relationship issues? And after 20 years in their careers, they look back at their family life with huge regrets.

Ask yourself, “Is it really going to make that much difference to get that job out today? Is it really going to change that apprentice’s attitude to give him grief about his mistake?” Generally, the answer is a resounding ‘No!”.

I don’t work weekends, ever. If it’s a decision between finishing a job or going to my son’s soccer final, the job waits. Above all, I don’t expect my employees to do anything I wouldn’t do. There will always be another client but you only get one family.

These rules work for me. Everyone has different priorities and different ways of managing their stress. It is vital to develop a mental health plan and a system and implement it. If you don’t know how, get some help. Talk to others. Learn their ‘de-stress’ secrets, and share ideas on how

• Increased productivity. An employee who feels happy, valued, and recognised as a person is proven to be more productive and also a positive influence on others. Listen to your employees, recognise their individually and promote diversity in the workplace.

• Reduced employer stress. Research shows 56 per cent of business owners cite staff management as their main cause of workplace stress.

Finding the balance between productivity, workplace mental health, financial success and work and personal life is a battle worth fighting. It can give you great personal satisfaction and over the years, you will win some and lose some as I have done.

The mantra ‘Work to live, don’t live to work’ is worth pursuing.

Admitting you are stressed is not a sign of weakness

Creating a healthy work environment provides massive benefits to you and your staff

ANDY LOWE President NZSDA

Are you living to work or working to live?

Get it right the first time

Our members have the right knowledge and experience, so to get more kiwis trusting your business become a member today!

Right people, job done well!

CCG partners with Epson for garment and fabric printing

Proven solutions for growing print sector.

Supplying Epson printers enables CCG to help its customers take advantage of the burgeoning print on demand for garments.

CCG directors Bryan Simpson and Mark Oudney say the Epson solutions allow for both direct to film (DTF) and direct to garment (DTG) printing. Bryan says, “This market continues to grow, so it makes sense for printers or decorators to offer DTG as well as DTF prints. They have applications across a variety of fabrics and that allows you to achieve some impressive results.”

The two Epson printers the company supplies are the Epson SureColor F2160 5C Desktop DTG/DTF Printer and the Epson SureColor F3000 5C Floor DTG/ DTF Printer.

High productivity

The Epson SureColor F3000 delivers high productivity using dual 2.6” PrecisionCore TFP print heads for true single-pass production. High speed networking enables rapid file transfer with 4GB RAM for job queuing.

New hanger platens and auto height adjustment in the F3000 enable faster loading with optional grip pads for frameless placement. You can produce a light-coloured shirt in as little as 14 seconds and a dark shirt can take only 26 seconds.

High print quality comes from using Epson Precision Dot technology. Bryan says, “It delivers solid and consistent colour with enhanced brightness and gamut along with superior gradation and detail. Ink-less nozzle status monitoring

and advanced auto cleaning ensure consistent output with minimum wastage.

The Epson F3000 supports a wide range of fabrics in light and dark colours containing a mix of natural and manmade fibres. Different platen options are available to support a variety of production applications and garment sizes with easy height setting with auto fine adjustment.

It comes with Epson Garment Creator software that enables production of complex high-quality images containing a mix of text and graphics; Epson Accounting software for cost control; and Epson Total Solution Port cloud-based software for enhanced management and operational support. It also supports third party software.

A large fabric-based head wiper and a bulk ink supply system that uses costeffective bag-based ink contribute to a low running cost. Other factors include the fact that consumables last longer, requiring less frequent replacement and less waste. Also, the printer requires minimal maintenance, has advanced self-monitoring and integrated help with QR-code video assistance.

Flexibility and customisation

The Epson F2160 offers enhanced productivity using faster frameless loading and an improved print speed. It can produce a light-coloured t-shirt in as little as 15 seconds and a dark shirt in as little as 52 seconds.

For enhanced print quality, it offers finer height adjustment for improved ink application and upgraded VSDT (Variable

Size Dot Technology) for superior imaging with reduced grain, an enhanced colour gamut and smoother gradation.

Like the Epson F3000, the F2160 is supplied complete with imaging software. New features enable more flexible editing and arrangement, addition of customised text, as well as presentation and finish adjustment. It also uses an upgraded head design and improved ink management system; a self-washing capping system with dedicated cleaning cartridge for simpler operation and reduced maintenance; auto height sensing and checking; and a large colour LCD control panel with in-built help and improved thumbnail viewer.

Supporting a wide range of fabrics containing a mix of natural and manmade fibres in thicknesses up to 25mm, the Epson F2160 offers platen options that enable a variety of production applications and garment sizes and types. It offers a choice of two configurations. High speed 4C targets high volume production on light coloured fabric and 5C aims for flexible production on a mix of light and dark coloured fabric. With a simple setup, small footprint and all front-loaded consumables, the Epson F2160 is easy to operate.

As a one stop shop for garment and fabric printing, CCG supplies a range of solutions including print and cut, film positive printers, dye sublimation printers as well as direct to garment, direct to film printers.

Bryan adds, “We focus on providing multiple solutions that actually work, for low to high volume users, with the best brands, with full technical support. Visit our website www.ccg.co.nz/ decorative-apparel or call me on 021 955 538 (email bryan@ccg.co.nz) to discuss how we can help your business.”

The Epson SureColor F2160 5C Desktop DTG/DTF Printer

The Epson SureColor F3000 5C Floor DTG/DTF Printer

PRINTING UNITED

Printing United Expo displays a diverse industry’s potential

Major US show evens the odds for industry professionals in Las Vegas.

in print.

Mark J. Subers, president of the Printing United Expo, says, “The powerful emotions felt in Las Vegas were like nothing you can put into words. I have truly never seen this amount of engagement from a show. In the words of so many attendees and exhibitors we spoke with, it was like a global reunion of sorts. What the event did in terms of bringing the community together is that it has revitalised the industry. The smiles, enthusiasm, and energy were simply off the charts.

Delayed twice, the Printing United Expo made it third time lucky at the Las Vegas Convention Centre when it opened its doors on October 19.

The three-day show fulfilled its promise to host a massive yet diverse marketplace for the latest print, and print-related, technology and solutions. With a major and intended focus on ‘convergence’, the expo incubated concepts, trends and new pathways that owners, managers and shop floor professionals could easily identify with and promote within their own businesses and organisations.

Without doubt, the three common question asked at seminars, presentations, and on the stands were: “What can we expect to see with ongoing supply chain difficulties?” and “Will labour shortages continue to challenge the economy?” followed by “How badly will inflation affect our businesses and the industry?”

Suppliers’ and manufacturers’ representatives offered reasoned responses mostly based on the fact that these challenges are largely out of our control. However, the industry has for the most part kept busy since the advent of Covid-19 and companies continue to trade; all the while adapting and looking for ways to survive and then prosper.

Organisers say designers, dreamers, technicians and manufacturers have also

kept busy since 2020 began, preparing new advancements in technology and laying the ground for new possibilities in the print, signage, labels, packaging, and associated industries.

Printing United Expo arrived at just the right time for many of the companies exhibiting and looking to invest. Among numerous sales successes, Durst sold its first P5 350 HS – D4 in Oceania to Sydney-based Cactus Imaging. Also, EFI announced the sale of a Vutek FabriVu 340+ soft signage printer, the 300th FabriVu printer installed worldwide.

In offset, RMGT reported inking deals on two four-colour and one each of its five, eight, nine and ten colour presses during the show, with more likely to follow. The RMGT 9 Series was one of two offset presses running on the floor of the show; Heidelberg’s CX 104 Speedmaster being the other.

United in print

The Printing United Alliance organises the show. It reports that 701 exhibitors from around the world occupied 93,000 square metres of show floor space at the Las Vegas Convention Centre.

Visitors came from 121 countries, including New Zealand, to see new product unveilings; listen to keynote education, and experience new concepts

“Printing United Alliance built the platform, but each and every attendee and exhibitor that engaged with the Expo are the ones responsible for the incredibly overwhelming success enjoyed by all. The product launches, the live demonstrations, the keynote presentations; all of it contributed to such a positive experience for everyone. A very special thank you to title sponsor, HP, whose complete hall takeover showcased the company’s support of the event as well as a reflection of its endless end-to-end solutions being shown, sold, and unveiled!”

Visitor attendance rose seven per cent on site over the inaugural show in Dallas in 2019. Mark adds, “One of the tremendous reasons this year’s event was so successful is because of all of the equipment running multiple substrates and soft goods on the show floor. This is what attendees have indicated they wanted to see and experience, and the exhibitors delivered. The expansion of substrate companies made it a well-rounded show.”

Next year’s show takes place in Atlanta from October 18-20. Over 80 per cent of the floor space has already been reserved. We will have more coverage of the show in our December issue of New Zealand Printer Magazine.

Printing United Expo welcomed visitors from 121 countries to Las Vegas in October

Kiwis at Printing United Jason Bult (l) and Darren Weir from Aarque

Agfa shows next-generation technolgy at Printing United

the digital route, confident they can print high quality long runs with consistency and reliability.

Tim Cloots, director of industrial inkjet at Agfa, said, “We are committed to contributing to a strong digital printing industry with solutions for both sign and display and industrial applications. Visitors that were looking to step up their game dropped by our booth to explore our offering and we believe they found the solution they were looking for,”

Agfa took to Printing United again this year with an offering that was bigger and bolder than anythng it has done before. It showed a broad range of large format inkjet printers, as well as several software solutions for inkjet and offset printing.

After the announcement that Agfa won five Pinnacle Product Awards this year, four for the Jeti Tauro family and another one for the new Avinci CX3200 dye sublimation textile printer, it was clear that Agfa is a force to be reckoned with. Agfa is the first digital inkjet company to win five awards at one show.

Mike Horstern, global business manager for Interiojet at Agfa, said, “Our inkjet solutions have won five Pinnacle awards from the Printing United Alliance. This is testament to our dedication to deliver innovative technology with superior performance and reliability.

“We see great possibilities for our inkjet solutions in Australia and New Zealand, especially in the big population centres where there is a lot of retail going on. Textiles is a growth market and the Avinci has good possibilities. At Agfa, we are a full service provider. We build the inks, the machines and the software. On top of

that, we have great international service. Agfa has a great heritage in software; you can build high end workflow into your systems. For us, covering everything is important. These big presses are major investments and our machines have high uptimes that is extremely important these days.

“We also have a heritage in offset and we have translated those offset attitudes into inkjet as we look to get an equal offset quality on inkjet. But most importantly, we have an honest relationship with our customers.”

Agfa had several of its presses on display, including those from Inca Digital Printers, the UK-based manufacturer of flatbed inkjet printing technology that Agfa acquired in May of this year.

The OnsetX3 HS was showcased with a full-fledged robot feeding system. This printer can produce 600+ full sized boards (1600mm by 3200mm) per hour, or 1440 square metres per hour.

The OnsetX3 HS features three CMYK ink channels plus the choice of white or orange, sitting at the pinnacle of productivity. With this printer, users of analogue screen printing lines can take

Agfa also showed two of its Pinnacle Product Award winners at the booth, the first being the Avinci CX3200, a 3.2m dye sublimation printer. This roll to roll solution prints directly on a wide range of polyester-based media, as well as on transfer paper. Agfa says it lets users create vibrant, high-quality prints on polyester-based fabrics up to 3.2m wide, to be used for a broad range of indoor and outdoor soft signage applications, as well as interior decoration.

Mike added, “A rich colour gamut with deep blacks and vivid reds makes this printer the perfect solution for making retail banners and other instore advertising.”

“The new Avinci inks allow you to have perfect solids, accurate spot colour mapping and smooth tonal rendering that is particularly noticeable in skin tones, at high printing speeds. Through the process of dye sublimation, soft signage prints look amazing and are produced sustainably. In addition, they are easy and efficient when it comes to transport.”

The company also demonstrated the Jeti Tauro H3300 HS with varnish. This high speed UV LED wide format inkjet hybrid printer is capable of printing full flood varnish at 75 square metres per hour, and can be used to print on a range of rigid and flexible media.

Producing detailed prints up to 3.3m wide at up to 600 square metres per hour is possible. The company said this is thanks to the UV LED curing technology of Agfa’s signature high pigmented UV inks and the smart colour management features of the Agfa Asanti workflow software.

At the Las Vegas exhibition, Agfa had a range of its large format inkjet printers in action, as well as several software solutions for inkjet and offset printing on show

(l-r) Agfa’s Mike Horstern and Dries Hublin with the Agfa Avinci CX3200

Durst redefines excellence at Printing United in Las Vegas

was showing three of its latest additions in its UV and die sublimation ranges. The high calibre of customers was incredible.

“There were so many visitors from A/NZ and to have Cactus Imaging purchase the first P5 350 HS – D4 in Oceania was the icing on the cake for me.”

Durst has showcased the calibre of its technologies at Printing United 2022, with the company winning several product awards for Durst and Vanguard Digital Printing Systems, as well as selling its first P5 500i in the US to AMI Graphics and the first P5 350 HS – D4 in Oceania to Cactus Imaging.

The company received seven coveted Printing United Alliance 2022 Pinnacle Product Award across multiple output device categories.

Output devices are judged by measuring colour charts and then comparing them to industry specifications.

“This is the only competition I know of that reports on the percentage of Adobe RGB a printer can hit. Some categories were decided by tenths of a point, so fierce was the competition this year,” Printing United Alliance programme manager for the Pinnacle Awards Dawn Nye said.

“The Pinnacle Product Award competition represents the best of the best among commercial hardware, software, consumables, and industrial and screen equipment. Congratulations to all the winners.”

The following Durst and Vanguard Digital Printing Systems products won the 2022 Pinnacle Product Awards:

• Durst P5 Tex iSub: awarded Roll-to-Roll Direct Disperse Ink on Textile category

• Durst Delta SPC 130: awarded Single Pass printer category

• Vanguard VR6D-HS: awarded UV/ Latex Flatbed ($100K-$200K) category

• Vanguard VR6D-HS: awarded UV/ Latex Flatbed + White ($100K-$200K) category

• Vanguard VR5D-E: awarded UV/ Latex Flatbed (under $70K) category

• Vanguard VKH900-HS: awarded RTR/ hybrid/flatbed new technology category

• Vanguard VKR3200: awarded Rollto-Roll UV (over 80-inches) category

Durst North America marketing manager Becky McConnell said, “We are always happy to take part in the Pinnacle Product Award competition, as it allows us another opportunity to highlight our exciting technologies – and we couldn’t be prouder to have won so many awards this year”.

At the tradeshow, Durst sold its first P5 350 HS – D4 in Oceania to Sydney-based Cactus Imaging. The company’s general manager of operations Keith Ferrel was at the tradeshow to purchase his machine.

When asked why he invested in this high-speed hybrid press, Ferrel responded by saying it was because of its versatility. Speed (708 square metres per hour in two-pass mode) was the next reason, quickly followed by the super easy way the machine can be switched between a roll-to-roll and flatbed application (10 seconds).

“We’ve been looking at flatbeds for years, but they were printing at 20 square metres an hour and that was just a waste of time for us,” Ferrel said.

“This one will do up to 700 square metres an hour but the beauty of it being a hybrid means we can print billboards, street furniture, vinyl, and a multitude of things so it is versatile and diverse in what it does. It is the first one in this part of the world too – in fact I think it is only the second one anywhere in the world.”

Durst Oceania managing director Matt Ashman said, “It was so good to see such a busy Printing United with so many great customers from all around the world. Durst

Durst also sold its first P5 500i in the US to AMI Graphics, a US-based large format print manufacturer. Investing in its second Durst printer, the increased demand for high quality branded signage, quickly, led AMI Graphics back to its trusted partner, Durst.

AMI Graphics president Peter Wensberg said, “Durst makes industrial equipment that’s designed and built for 24/7 production.

“We went with the P5 500i because of the mesh printing capabilities and speed. Its double-sided and multi-roll printing capabilities will allow us to continue to maintain the highest quality products and speed to market to meet the needs of our customers”.

The Durst P5 500i is built on the awardwinning P5 platform and has added a Superwide Format to the portfolio with a printing width of 5.25m.

“We are incredibly pleased that AMI has invested in the new P5 500i. AMI purchased the P5 Tex iSub last year and have now added our new 5m printer to their fleet,” Durst LFP and fabrics director of sales Larry D’Amico said.

“We find with many customers, once they experience a Durst printer, they understand the true value that we bring to the table.”

The company received seven coveted Printing United Alliance 2022 Pinnacle Product Awards and sold its first P5 350 HS - D4 in Oceania to Cactus Imaging

The P5 500i is built on the P5 platform and has added a Superwide Format to the portfolio with a printing width of 5.25m

Cactus Imaging’s Keith Ferrel with the P5 350 HS – D4 at Printing United

EFI showcases expansive offerings at Printing United

The in-line fixation feature on the VUTEk FabriVU 340i+ model eliminates the need for a separate heat press in directto-fabric production.

The new soft signage printer is part of a broad portfolio of EFI display graphics inkjet solutions at the show, which included:

an enhanced vacuum, material edge guides and a dynamic roller subsystem for superior board throughput.

EFI partners LexJet and Nazdar

SourceOne also showed EFI Wide Format LED inkjet printers at their booths. LexJet’s exhibit featured the 1.6m EFI Pro 16h hybrid LED printer, a system with a low total cost of ownership that delivers high-quality output at speeds up to 44 square metres per hour.

Worldwide provider of products, technology and services, EFI has showcased its expansive portfolio of innovative display graphics solutions at Printing United 2022 including its production LED inkjet, dye-sublimation inkjet, and Fiery digital front end (DFE) and workflow offerings, giving signage and display graphics businesses a stronger, competitive edge.

The new EFI VUTEk FabriVU Plus series of soft signage printers, including the VUTEk FabriVU 340i+ printer with inline fixation was shown at the event, offering the next level of high-end dye-sublimation efficiency and opportunity.

EFI said soft signage is the fastest-growing application for many of its customers, including North America’s high-volume trade supplier Orbus Exhibit & Display Group – an industry leader that recently purchased the VUTEk FabriVU 340+ and currently owns four FabriVU printers.

The new printer, now running at Orbus’ Las Vegas facility, marks an important milestone for EFI as it is the 300th VUTEk FabriVU printer installed worldwide.

Designed for high-end direct-to-fabric or transfer paper production, the FabriVU Plus series achieves better saturation and more density for soft signage and flag printing – thanks to new electronics as well as eight high-performance printheads in a new CMYK x 2 configuration.

• The 3.2m EFI Pro 30h hybrid flatbed/ roll-fed LED printer, created for businesses targeting production sign and display graphics as a growth opportunity. Running at speeds up to 230 square metres per hour, it features four colours plus dual channels of white as standard, prints in resolutions up to 1,200dpi, and includes an EFI Fiery proServer Core DFE with FAST RIP acceleration technology.

• The 3.5m EFI VUTEk Q3r LED inkjet printer, which is EFI’s fastest superwide-format roll-to-roll solution in its class. It is part of a VUTEk Q series that also includes a 5.2m Q5r model. A new inline UltraClear Coat option for the VUTEk Q3r, Q5r and other EFI roll-to-roll LED inkjet printers offers superior protection for outdoor graphics and high-quality gloss or matte spot enhancement in premium POP work – capabilities that earned UltraClear Coat the 2022 Printing United Alliance Pinnacle Award for UV digital inks.

• The VUTEk h5, a highly advanced, high-productivity 3.2m hybrid roll/ flatbed LED inkjet printer which delivers top-tier image quality at speeds up 109 boards per hour. With its automated media handling options, including a ¾ automated media loading and stacker system and super duty winders, the VUTEk h5 is ready to drive efficiency in high-quality print. To meet growing demand for corrugated board printing, EFI has launched a new corrugated media management system for the VUTEk h5 printer featuring

The Nazdar SourceOne booth had the EFI Pro 30f, a dedicated flatbed printer with a large bed size for a maximum printable area of 3.05m by 2.04m. Operating at speeds up of up to 198 square metres per hour, this versatile flatbed system is the first EFI printer to give users the ability to print on media up to 10cm thick.

In Australia and New Zealand, working with a world-class partner, Currie Group, EFI has installed three VUTEk FabriVU machines, four Pro 30h hybrid flatbed/ roll-fed LED printers, a VUTEk D3r rollto-roll, a VUTEk h5 and a Pro 30f flatbed in the last few months.

The EFI stand at the Las Vegas tradeshow also included a preview of the next Fiery digital front end platform for commercial printing. This included new automation technologies that can allow operators to always produce accurate and consistent colour even with little colour management knowledge.

The Fiery preview also featured nextgeneration, highly accurate spot colour processing technology that delivers more accurate and cleaner brand colours, and a print scheduler solution to help operators better plan job sequencing for optimised production capacity. A new intelligence technology coming to EFI Fiery’s HyperRIP processing feature gets jobs out faster by automatically choosing the optimal processing mode.

EFI also took to the tradeshow to present its enhanced IQ cloud solution as well as its Fiery Prep-it display graphics workflow solution, and featured exhibits from two of the company’s newest acquisitions – Inèdit Software and CADlink Software.

The EFI VUTEk FabriVU 340i+ printer with inline fixation was shown at the event

Ken Hanulec, vice president worldwide marketing for EFI

Its production LED inkjet, dye-sublimation inkjet, and Fiery digital front end and workflow offerings were on display, giving PSPs a competitive edge

Heidelberg takes customers’ businesses to the next level

part of the manufacturing process via its Prinect Production Manager.

This integration gives customers the ability to control and optimise their production and business processes intelligently. Using cloud-based tools to drive print shop analytics and artificial intelligence to make performance recommendations, Heidelberg is helping its customers maximise both efficiency and output.

To integrate people into the mix, Heidelberg recently restructured its Print Media Center with a strong focus on training programs designed to build and grow the skills of current and future operators and print industry professionals.

With an innovative ecosystem of solutions designed to take its customers’ businesses to the next level, Heidelberg exhibited at the recent Printing United expo, featuring an end to end modular Smart Print Shop.

This Smart Print Shop, which integrates people, process and technology, demonstrated to customers the potential for digital transformation across the entire manufacturing supply chain.

Felix Mueller, president of Heidelberg North America, said, “Our customers today are facing a plenitude of issues: inflation, supply chain interruptions and a lack of skilled labour.

“At Printing United, we showed them that three elements of people, process and technology are key to surviving not only today’s challenges but whatever arises in the future.

“Heidelberg is invested in helping our customers thrive in these areas and accelerate their businesses to the next level.”

Highlighting its technology solutions, Heidelberg demonstrated a scalable Smart Print Shop, which includes the new Speedmaster CX 104, Versafire EP digital press, Polar N 137 Pro cutter, and Stahlfolder 66 SSP, all connected via Prinect Production and Business Manager.

The Speedmaster CX 104 was equipped with IST UV and the patented, navigated Push to Stop technology. The new press has quickly become popular amongst commercial and packaging printers due to its flexibility and key features that drive performance.

Offering a new format size and ergonomic design, the CX 104 includes the Heidelberg User Experience, which together with the Intellistart 3 system and a whole host of assistance systems, ensure short makeready times and the best possible support for operators.

The company also featured the Versafire EP with Prinect Digital Front End in its Smart Print Shop. The Versafire boasts high-quality digital print, versatile substrate range, and low cost of ownership.

Downstream in the Smart Print Shop, print jobs were finished on the Polar 137 N Pro cutter with image process visualisation, which aids operators even with complex cutting sequences, and the Stahlfolder 66 SSP.

The Stahlfolder SSP boosts process efficiency thanks to its three shafts for scoring, slitting, and perforating combined with folding and feeding from a flatbed feeder.

While individual products were available for demonstration, Heidelberg’s Smart Print Shop seamlessly connected each

The newly named Print Media Performance and Training Center, located in Georgia, US, officially opened its doors to customers earlier this year. Seeing training as an industry critical need, the company will offer most of the classes in the Performance and Training Center to participants for free.

Further efforts to build up the pipeline of new workers in the industry include Heidelberg’s active Apprenticeship Program. Additionally, at Printing United, the company donated $1.00 for every badge scan in its booth to SkillsUSA, a non-profit national education association that serves middle school, high school and college/post-secondary students preparing for careers in trade, technical and skilled service occupations, which includes graphic communications.

Clarence Penge, executive vice president of product management at Heidelberg USA, said, “Many companies in our industry have focused solely on developing technology and process solutions for their customers. What they’ve neglected, and what some would say is the most important element of the ecosystem, is people. As an industry leader, we are obligated to educate and train our workforce in a new way, from a manufacturing performance mindset, to ensure they know what is possible both now and, in the future.

ensure our customers’ success.”

Offset on show: Heidelberg’s CX104 Speedmaster

“It is our responsibility to link the people, process, and technology to

The company links the three elements of people, process and technology to its showcase to help its customers thrive

Epson solutions deliver a variety of applications at Printing United

the show

The SC-F6460H offers enhanced efficiency and features a new six-colour ink set. It is configurable for a choice of production applications.”

Epson says it has configured the SCF6460 for speed and optimised the SCF6460H for image quality and function. Both models feature a new pouch-based ink system. They feature Epson’s latest PrecisionCore printhead and upgraded image processing for faster production with enhanced quality at lower pass rates.

Showcasing its full line up of professional printing solutions at Printing United, Epson also boasted three Printing United Alliance 2022 Pinnacle Product Awards.

Epson also provided a pop-up coffee stand where visitors had the chance to enjoy a free gourmet coffee while viewing real-world applications. At its Seventy 5 Café, everything from the menus to the mugs and branded t-shirts was produced with Epson technology.

Epson displayed a range of printing solutions with a variety of applications, including indoor and outdoor signage, photography, graphics, and textile applications. Visitors saw new and mature wide format solutions in action and were able to check out print samples while speaking with product experts. Conversations covered a host of wide format topics but mainly focused on ways Epson can help grow print and sign businesses.

On the booth to explain the solutions was Tim Check, senior product manager with Epson USA. He said, “The new resin printers, our SureColor R-Series 64-inch roll to roll printers use water-based resin inks to provide consistent, repeatable colour for professional-quality vinyl, banner, vehicle wrap, and other traditional signage prints at remarkable speeds.”

Another solution that attracted attention was Epson’s SureColor V7000 UV flatbed printer. Tim said, “This flatbed offers a combination of image quality,

productivity, and convenience for printing outstanding quality outdoor signage, promotional goods and more.”

Epson ran its SureColor S-Series printers, which achieve print speeds up to 168 metres per hour and same-day lamination capabilities to meet demanding deadlines.

For photography and graphic arts printing, the SureColor P8560D features a new compact design and is engineered to achieve high quality and speed with innovative, automatic dual roll switching. The SureColor T7760D CAD/technical printer offers an optional stacker and features full-front operation to deliver posters, POP displays and CAD and technical drawings.

Epson also displayed its professional photo minilab: The SureLab D1060. The company says this printer takes Epson’s proven minilab technology for small format, photographic printing to the next level with a sleek, modern solution that seamlessly integrates into workflows for maximum profitability.

Also on display were the company’s new dye sublimation printers: the SC-F6460 and SC-F6460H. Tim said, “In the US, we call them the SC-6470 and SCF6470H. These printers expand your applications. They produce prints with vibrant colours and outstanding quality.

“The standard SC-F6460 delivers an enhanced colour gamut with better gradation and a significant speed improvement over its predecessor. It uses a standard four-colour ink set.

Epson has designed the SC-F6460 and the SC-F6460H specifically for dye sublimation printing. The company says the new printers combine single source design, manufacture, service and support resulting in a fully integrated solution with optimum image quality and maximum reliability. Both models enable configurable and flexible output to suit a variety of applications ranging from custom clothing and décor to soft-signage, hard signage and merchandise.

The company adds the new printers are quick to install, easy to operate and easy to maintain. It says they produce predictable, accurate and repeatable output quickly and efficiently to deliver cost-effective production with low running and minimum labour costs.

Epson says dye sublimation has increasingly replaced traditional screen printing in recent years as it produces bright, colourful and extremely durable images. It adds that the technology underpinning the SC-F6460 and the SC-F6460H enables quick and efficient job turnaround. Also, workflow digitisation enables easier image creation, editing and customisation.

Reed Hecht, group product manager, Professional Imaging, Epson America, said, “We have all missed the excitement and energy that Printing United brings to our industry. It was great to finally have opportunities to interact and showcase the latest Epson printers in action, live and in person.

“We were excited to bring our full breadth of solutions to Las Vegas where booth visitors can see printer demos, get print samples and chat with our printing experts about how they can grow their printing business.”

Wide format specialist brings a full breadth of solutions to

Frances Baze and Tim Check, from Epson USA; excited with the new dye sublimation printers at the show

HP Indigo dares visitors to imagine at Printing United

With over 1200 Series 4 presses operating in over 70 countries worldwide, more than 70 per cent of Series 4 customers use specific capabilities to create high value applications and develop new business opportunities.

Bill Anderson, chief executive and president of L+L Printers, a San Diegobased HP Indigo customer, said, “The HP Indigo 15K solution enables us to continue to provide the highest quality digital print products for our customers along with increased productivity.

“New capabilities such as thicker substrate support are a key driver for opening new applications and growth of our digital business.”

Labels backbone

At Printing United, HP Indigo showcased the upgraded HP Indigo 100K Digital Press alongside the HP Indigo 15K Digital Press and the HP Indigo 6K Digital Press.

Currie Group supplies HP Indigo in Australia and New Zealand.

Noamh Zilbershtain, general manager of HP indigo, spoke on the stand. He said, “As the market leader, HP Indigo is always one step ahead of the game, inspiring and enabling customers and brands to ‘Dare to Imagine’.

“It is exciting to see the endless potential growth of this market. Indigo customers grew six times faster than the market in 2021 (impressions wise) and although 2022 is not over yet, we can definitely share that this momentum continues. We enable our customers to dare, and that’s where the real growth is.”

“HP Indigo has reached its best B2 print volume record ever in 2022. Our LEP technology enables customers to remain ahead of the market with new print products, workflow driven productivity and business diversification.”

Two years since its launch, the HP Indigo 100K Digital Press has amassed over 120 presses in the field. HP Indigo says this

press is leading the offset conversion transformation, enabling improved productivity and efficiency for print service providers while maintaining the HP Indigo digital benefits, leading more pages to be printed digitally.

Over 50 per cent of the HP Indigo 100K install base have printed more than 100,000 impressions in one shift of eight hours (70 per cent net printing time), with some having reached up to 130,000 impressions in a single shift. This uptick in customer momentum is complemented by upgrades and new capabilities, which the company presented on the floor in Las Vegas. These included a fifth ink station for special effect inks (such as LLK and spot inks for brands), and an Auto Pallet Replacement (APR) system assuring continuous stacking, reduced labour, and an increase in overall press utilisation.

The ‘Yes’ press

The HP Indigo 15K Digital Press is the latest edition to Series 4 of B2 digital presses. HP Indigo calls it the ‘Yes’ press.

Tailored for commercial and photo printers seeking to grow their business, this machine offers broad versatility with a wide ink set (a range of 15 different HP Indigo ElectroInks).

Commercial printers are identifying the growth opportunities in diversification to labels and packaging.

HP Indigo highlighted the HP Indigo 6K Digital Press, calling it the backbone of the digital label market, with over 2000 active worldwide presses.

This narrow web digital printing press for labels and packaging production delivers high productivity, wide versatility, and intelligent colour automation. The company says it saves 80 per cent to 90 per cent setup media compared to flexo. Over 1400 label converters globally have at least one HP Indigo 6K Digital Press.

As well as the presses, HP Indigo featured a wide array of solutions covering production monitoring and management, workflow automation, colour matching, variable data printing, as well as service and support. Visitors got to see HP PrintOS, the company’s print production operating system, which now has more than 21,000 users.

Highlighting HP xRServices, the company pointed to a major milestone of 200 users. Developed to support faster and better uptime, the solution transforms the collaboration between press operators and HP customer care via mixed reality. It gives customers the autonomy to reduce machine downtime.

At Printing United, HP Indigo showed how it continues to open new business opportunities for its customers with a range of technology and solutions.

Noam Zilbershtain, general manager of HP Indigo, with the HP Indigo 100K Digital Press on the HP Stand

HP launches major large format offerings at Printing United

uptime and productivity, and to provide learning opportunities and support.

PSPs have a choice of two different HP Professional Print Service Plans – Basic and Plus – with each containing a portfolio of service and software solutions tailored to business needs. New and enhanced features include:

• Print Beat Live Production – giving users a single, real-time view of all jobs queued and in production across multiple sites. This helps the user monitor work, anticipate issues and save precious time

HP Inc. has launched new solutions to help Print Service Providers (PSPs) meet high levels of demand, optimise work processes, as well as grow their businesses by delivering innovative applications.

The company was at Printing United in Las Vegas, taking the wraps off its new HP Latex 2700 portfolio and HP Professional Print Service Plans which aim to improve margins without compromising on sustainability.

“To reach higher margins, PSPs are always on the hunt for efficiency gains, and technology that allows them to say yes to more jobs with the confidence to deliver exceptional results,” HP large format general manager Daniel Martinez said.

“Our latest offerings are designed to enable this. The HP Latex 2700 family delivers increased print quality, raw speed and white ink capabilities that will amaze customers. Meanwhile, our new Professional Print Service Plans give PSPs a range of ways to manage fleets and operations – improving workflow and maximising the potential of their business.”

The new 3.2m-wide HP Latex 2700 printers take production efficiency to the next level, offering vivid colours at up to 89 m2/hr via symmetrical double printheads, which come equipped with automatic printhead cleaning technology.

The roll-to-roll wide format printers are designed to tackle high-volumes of large format signage and decorative applications, ensuring high-quality printing.

Users can take on high-margin jobs with 30 per cent wider gamut at high speed, preserving media gloss and feel across a range of signage and décor applications – including thin films, vinyl and paper.

Meanwhile, the HP Latex 2700W printers aim to offer the whitest white ink on the market at speeds of up to 54 m2/hr, allowing PSPs to produce high-margin applications on pre-coloured and transparent media.

Automatic ink recirculation and white printheads that can be stored in an offline rotating chamber eliminates waste between white jobs.

All devices in the Latex 2700 series run on fourth generation HP Latex ink –bringing UL ECOLOGO certification, while also meeting UL Greenguard Gold and Toy Safety requirements. This allows PSPs to embrace jobs in even the most sensitive environments.

Additionally, the whole portfolio uses HP Eco-Carton, which involves cardboard-based ink cartridges that reduce plastic by using 100 per cent recycled and recyclable cardboard containers, as well as recycled plastics from HP’s closed-loop recycling process, including post-consumer beverage bottles and U-validated ocean-bound plastics.

HP also used the Printing United tradeshow to unveil its HP Professional Print Service Plans, which are designed to enable business agility, maximise

• Print Beat Jobs API – making printer data available to businesses’ external ERP/MIS systems. Users can monitor HP printers alongside non-HP hardware, automate processes and combine with other operational data for richer business insights

• HP Learn – a digital learning platform with free and premium training modules depending on the service plan PSPs choose, allowing users to upskill and keep ahead of challenges

• Enhanced HP Service Center –proactive troubleshooting to improve uptime, including smart diagnostics that alert your service representative when action is needed

The HP Latex 2700 portfolio is available in all major markets, with pricing available on request from local HP teams and partners. HP Professional Print Service Plans are also now available globally.

HP also announced that its HP PageWide commercial press platform has reached a milestone of 750 billion pages printed.

HP PageWide global head and general manager Annette Friskopp said, “This major milestone of 750 billion pages printed on PageWide commercial presses shows that our continued investment in innovation is paying off for our customers as they continue to utilise PageWide technology to meet their customers’ needs.

“Print Service Providers using HP PageWide Presses are printing almost double the annual market growth rate, which is a testament to the quality and reliability of PageWide presses.”

The new HP Latex 2700 portfolio and HP Professional Print Service Plans launched at Printing United can improve margins without compromising on sustainability

The new PageWide Advantage 2200 press

Oscar Vidal (l) and Brian Daniel with the HP Latex 2700 printer

Kornit Digital promotes sustainable, on demand printing

Textile printing specialist Kornit Digital extolled the virtues of sustainable on-demand printing at the recent Printing United Expo in Las Vegas. The company actively encourages retailers and brands to “be the change” by embracing digital production to succeed in a rapidly transforming fashion and textile industry.

Ronan Samuel, chief executive at Kornit Digital, said, “Kornit Digital can empower the industry to adapt for the new rules of supply and demand, unleashing unlimited creativity at the speed of e-commerce.

“Across the industry, the laws of supply and demand are quickly reversing. No longer must retailers and brands try to sell what’s already been produced, carrying unnecessary inventory and relying on supply chains that are often damaged or broken.

“High volume, on demand production effectively addresses this challenge, all while providing the highest levels of quality, efficiency, and sustainability. For the first time in three years, we’re very excited to be in Las Vegas live to showcase how Kornit is powering this industry change.”

The company showcased its complete portfolio of high volume digital production saying its direct to garment and direct to fabric solutions reflect the company’s dedication to ensuring brands and retailers can succeed in an industry often defined by waste and overproduction.

The Kornit Atlas Max targets high quality mass customisation for textile printing, for example, printing polyester and polyblended sportswear with vibrant colour, and custom fabrics for fashion, homedécor, and other applications. The Kornit Apollo platform delivers highly automated, digital mass production on demand.

Samuel said, “This end to end system ensures optimal total cost of ownership and the highest output per operator, with expected availability in mid-2023.

“The KornitX workflow solution enables the industry to realise the promise of on demand, end to end fulfilment and production. Our new Smart Curing solution targets highly durable and highquality finished products.

“Our integrated portfolio enables companies to adopt lean and agile, ondemand fulfilment more effectively, from pixel to parcel to doorstep.

“Through the power of high volume, on demand production, companies are now better able to adopt nearshoring. Massive overproduction is a problem with so much product thrown away to landfill, creating more pollution. The digital world enables us to change this situation. We can see a movement from large quantity offshore production in say China or Bangladesh, to keeping it onshore”.

In conjunction with the Printing United Expo, Kornit issued its second annual Impact Report, reinforcing a commitment to long term sustainability and underscoring its forward looking strategy across the environmental, social, and corporate governance framework.

This year’s report further expands the company’s long-term roadmap for evolving the world of fashion and textiles into one that is more sustainable and highly efficient with the aim of creating a better planet for everyone.

Samuel said, “This long-term sustainability strategy reflects our dual role as an agent of change and a driver of disruptive innovation. To achieve this, we’re committed

to not only enabling change via on-demand, sustainable production, but also being the change across business operations and employee satisfaction, green chemistry, and measurable reductions in energy.”

The company has achieved some key accomplishments and outlines these in detail in the report. In climate action and waste management, it reported that it has achieved a 16 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions intensity; a 39 per cent reduction in hazardous waste intensity; and a 57 per cent reduction in non-hazardous waste intensity.

In green chemistry, Kornit has achieved complete elimination of Acute Toxic Amines; 20 per cent reduction of VOC level in Robusto Inkset and 30 per cent of VOC in Eco Ink/Green.

Also in diversity, equity, and inclusion as well as community engagement, Kornit saw an increase in women in management, from 30 per cent to 35 per cent. The company reported 88 per cent of employees feeling respected and free to be authentic at work.

Propelled by an ambition to make a positive impact across all areas of its business and throughout the fashion and textile industries, Kornit has further adjusted its Impact Strategy this year towards more expansive, longer term goals and objectives.

Kornit’s refined strategy reflects its dual role as a change agent in the industry across two fundamental pillars: Enable the Change and Be the Change. It incorporates both social and environmental KPIs designed to meet the company’s goals and respond to stakeholders’ input, as well as industry and ecosystem needs.

At the tradeshow, the company showcased its high volume digital production portfolio, which focuses on sustainable, on demand printing

Kornit has made a commitment to achieving long term sustainability, underscoring its forward looking strategy

Kornit Digital’s Don Whaley and Ronen Samuel

An immersive experience with Ricoh at Printing United

Ricoh took to Printing United with a line up of services and solutions that elevate print output, designed to help organisations to expand into new markets and deliver more customer value.

Ricoh staffed its booth with experts highlighting applications and workflow processes that pair today’s most advanced digital technologies with print to unlock the power of information and uncover profitable new opportunities for business growth.

In addition to hands on, interactive demonstrations from workflow intelligence to holistic colour management, attendees explored market expansion opportunities with short-run digital packaging and special effect design.

They also experienced how augmented reality (AR) enhances campaigns by creating a custom video message with an AR Holotwin. This was particularly timely as the company attributed research which found that the AR market is expected to surpass US$50bn ($81bn) in the next two years with revenue expected to reach US$340bn by 2028.

Derrick Rankin, software and strategic solutions vice-president of professional services at Ricoh USA, said, “Bridging the physical and digital world to extend the reach of information is imperative to delivering a holistic customer experience that makes an impression and influences purchasing behaviour.

“There is a great opportunity for solution providers to use innovative technologies like AR to amplify print and empower their customers with more impactful and effective marketing campaigns.”

Attendees to Ricoh’s booth were also treated to an Inkjet Theater that showcased samples and virtual demonstrations featuring the latest inkjet innovations and trends in production automation, as well as conversations about the forthcoming Ricoh Pro Z75 B2 sheetfed inkjet. The company says the Pro Z75 will harness its efficient drying technology, auto-duplexing, reliable paper transport and a new digital front end controller architecture to bring high levels of productivity and speeds.

Ricoh says it achieves offset quality images through its own printhead, aqueous ink and dynamic drop size technology, providing a printing solution that will surpass clients’ expectations.

The press is about 12.5m long and handles standard uncoated offset papers from 60gsm to 400gsm, or 73gsm to 400gsm coated. It can also handle sheets down to A3 size. It prints in CMYK with a top speed of 4,500 sheets per hour straight printing, or 2,250 sheets per hour in perfecting mode.

Ricoh specialists discussed new routes to revenue, such as moving into high end luxury applications using the Ricoh Pro VC70000e continuous feed inkjet press.

The Ricoh Pro VC70000e joins the company’s award-winning continuous feed inkjet portfolio. This highly capable system is fully loaded with a suite of automation tools, a new Undercoater (UC8100) and the same cutting-edge features first introduced on the Ricoh Pro VC70000.

The Ricoh Pro VC70000e offers advanced technologies and automation tools, driving continual improvement and enabling users to pre-programme and run

makeready tasks unattended. It allows for the capitalisation of market trends with the speed and quality of offset for high quality short run jobs, personalised communications and on demand premium applications.

With selectively engaged undercoating, the Ricoh Pro VC70000e is designed to give printers an edge in the world of luxury applications, while the Ricoh Pro VC70000 is paramount for its ability to print high ink coverage jobs on offset coated stock at 492 fpm.

Visitors also explored how to boost productivity and control costs with Ricoh’s business software and professional services solutions. In addition, its specialists showcased Ricoh’s e-commerce and MIS platforms, as well as its award-winning production and workflow management software, which provide visibility into operational data to help produce consistent output more accurately and efficiently.

Rankin added, “It wouldn’t have been Printing United without a focus on enhanced printing techniques and embellishing technologies that can create impactful marketing materials.

“Ricoh highlighted the value of spot colour and blending specialty toners with the Ricoh Pro C7200X to deliver unique applications thanks to an expanded colour gamut. Additionally, visitors viewed the Ricoh Pro TF6251 wide format UV LED flatbed in action.

“Ricoh and Heidelberg also joined forces to show #PrintCares at Printing United again this year to support Ricoh’s partnership with Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) and Heidelberg’s collaboration with SkillsUSA.”

The Ricoh Pro Z75 is a B2 sheetfed inkjet press

The Ricoh Pro VC70000e continuous feed inkjet press can be used for highend luxury applications

Ricoh’s interactive booth at Printing United highlighted new opportunities

for business growth, market expansion and competitive agility through augmented reality

RMGT shows 9-Series at Printing United as part of its world tour

inline coating system that adds value to printed work, as well as many of the same features as the flagship RMGT 10, including state of the art sheet transfer technology and a function for quickly and easily checking the roller nip.

With various superior features such as high speed printing of 16,000 sheets per hour, one-pass perfecting printing, and inline coating capabilities, the press is said to meet the diversified need of printing companies.

Ryobi MHI Graphic Technology (RMGT), together with its North American distributor GSNA showcased the latest of its technologies at Printing United. This included the RMGT 9-series presses that it demonstrated live at the tradeshow, with the 970 model being exhibited for the first time in the region.

RMGT’s Printing United exhibition was part of a series of showcases held by GSNA, which it called its World Tour. This involved several open houses in major cities in North America, such as St. Louis, Minneapolis, Lancaster, Chicago, Denver and Los Angeles, as well as Printing United in Las Vegas.

It also includes the International Graphic Arts Show (IGAS) 2022 that will take place in Tokyo as the final leg of the tour, which is scheduled for the end of November.

Attendees at Printing United had the opportunity to learn more about the benefits of RMGT technology, the RMGT 9-series, and the future of offset printing.

The RMGT 9-series predominantly includes the latest A1-plus size offset press (the 970 model), as well as the popular SRA1 offset press, the 920 model. The presses can be configured further to meet specific business needs.

The new 970 model is based on combining the best know how of the 920 series and 1050 series presses. With the combined

technology, the series offers versatility, durability, a high level of automation and aims to further improve the profitability of its users.

The RMGT 970 is an A1-plus size offset press range that can handle a maximum sheet size of 650mm by 965mm. The range can perform a wide range of printing work, including printing of multi-page materials, posters and packaging.

Kate Milan, RMGT USA, said, “The 970 series can provide maximum versatility for printing companies. Firstly, the maximum paper size of 970 series is 650mm by 965mm which can be most suitable for several countries.”

With 650mm by 910mm being a very popular paper size in Australia, users can now print on this size without trimming.

Some of its other features also include a benderless plate clamp, feeder and delivery operation touch panel, and other automated functionalities.

The 920 model, it is a SRA1 offset press for sheet width up to 920mm (900mm printing area). This model enables printing of international A1-size posters as well as eight-up printing for international A4-size.

Some of its other capabilities include significantly lowered printing plate costs, power consumption, and space requirements than a B1-size press, an

Plus, the LED-UV dry to dry printing system with one module over the perfecting device and another over the delivery section enables one-pass four over four or five over five instant dry duplex production.

Like all RMGT presses, the 920 model comes with an optional newly developed press information display with a large 55-inch screen and tablet, which enables an operator to easily monitor printing quality and operating status in real time, both from the PCS-G console and within the vicinity of the press through the portable tablet.

RMGT said, “Following the world tour in North America, we already have some 970 orders and shipments scheduled for the region.

“Even in Covid-19 situations over the past years, we were fortunate enough to be able to exhibit our presses at several major exhibitions in North America like Print Chicago and Printing United, and these shows contributed to the success of our machines.

“We believe in the concept of ‘seeing is believing’, which has and will continue to strongly enforce the presence of RMGT in the global market and contribute to the orders and promotions of our products.”

RMGT also hosted an open house showcasing its 1060LX-6+CC+LD on the eve of the Printing United tradeshow in Las Vegas.

Cyber New Zealand distributes RMGT’s range of offset technology and solutions locally.

Kate Milan, RMGT USA, explains the benefits of the RMGT 9 Series presses

The RMGT 9-series’ 970 model was exhibited for the first time in North America at Printing United

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