ProPrint April 2023

I wish to say a huge thank you for accommodating all our crazy orders over the past fortnight, your brilliant service made it possible to reach all the deadlines.

Lizzie

Thanks for your help with these cards. The parcel arrived yesterday and they look great! We’re looking forward to pushing the raised foil more this year so we’ll pass some more jobs across soon.

Doug

The Guide looks beautiful! Gorgeous print and colours, thank you again for organising the press check and paying such close attention to our work.

Caroline

The print is amazing - even better than I expected. Everything went so smoothlyyou were so prompt to respond to me, the tracker you have with the daily and update emails is fantastic, even the courier service you use has such good tracking info.

Ellen

The folders look fantastic. Thank you so much for your help and tireless efforts getting them through for us. You are such a legend and fill us with confidence knowing you’ve got our backs.

Sarah

Printing has already dispatched – thank you!!! I always feel confident sending an urgent job your way, and in this online world where you rarely get to deal with a real live human, I really appreciate that.

Mel

YOU

Colleen Bate

Here, there and everywhere

In the post-pandemic world, business travel is booming. And if you are anything like me, you may be itching to explore other parts of the world, if you aren't doing so, or planning to, already.

Business travel has proven to be a necessity for so many reasons, and travelling to attend a trade show is no exception. Once you are there, in amongst all the new tech, the people and vibe, you may find that the commute (no matter how long) will be worth the experience.

In our April issue we feature previews on two not-to-be missed trade shows that are set for this autumn: Visual Impact in Sydney from 3-5 May, and Fespa Global Print Expo in Munich from 23-26 May. We look forward to seeing you there!

Our team was out and about in March, and here we bring you a showcase of the FESPA Sydney Social, ORAFOL’s BMW unveiling of the latest BMW M4 Competition & Drive and the Kissel + Wolf Australia and Kornit Open House event.

Contents APRIL

6-10 Update

A round-up of all the major news from the non-stop world of print

12-13 Debrief

A recap of recent headlines featured on sprinter.com.au

16 Comment: Mick Rowan

Mick Rowan expands on his exploration into the world of garment printing

18 Comment: Charles Watson

The PVCA’s Charles Watson highlights the primary issues and impediments facing the VET and apprenticeship sector

COVER STORY

20-22 CMYKhub grows business with Currie Group installations

The line-up includes a new EFI VUTEk h5 superwide format hybrid inkjet printer, an HP Indigo 6K Digital Press and an ABG Digicon Series 3 label finishing line

STAR BUSINESS

24-25 Profile: Print Logistics

We profile Broadmeadows-based Print Logistics, which is adding hard case binding to its stable of services with the recent appointment of Geoff Montgomery

26 ProPrint Diary

Keep up to date with this year's industry events

27 Women in Print takes on Hobart

Sam Dobie steps up to take the position of Tasmanian patron for Women in Print

DOWNTIME

28-29 FESPA Sydney Social

This year's event attracted a crowd of just over 100 members of the printing community as they networked while enjoying delicious food and refreshing drinks

30 ORAFOL hosts BMW unveiling event

ORAFOL Australia hosted an event at the ORAFOL Creative HUB where, together with

Editor Colleen Bate, 0434 259 059, cbate@intermedia.com.au

National Sales Manager Carmen Ciappara, 0410 582 450, carmen@proprint.com.au

Design and Production Manager Sarah Vella, sarahvelladesigns@gmail.com

Managing Director James Wells, james@intermedia.com.au

Subscriptions (02) 9660 2113, subscriptions@intermedia.com.au

Printed by Hero Print Alexandria, NSW, 2015

Mailed by D&D Mailing Services Wetherill Park, NSW, 2164

Also featured is news you may have missed on Sprinter, articles from our regular contributors, the PVCA’s Charles Watson and printIQ’s Mick Rowan, our cover story on how CMYKhub is growing its business with Currie Group installations and a profile on Print Logistics – this month's Star Business.

Enjoy this issue as the cooler weather descends. And if you haven’t booked your travel to Sydney or Munich, it’s not too late to do so now.

BMW and Drive Creative it unveiled the latest BMW M4 Competition & Drive

32-33 Kissel+Wolf Australia & Kornit Open House

The event was a game-changer for the Australian DtG printing industry, with the debut of the Kornit Atlas Max DTG Printer

SHOW PREVIEWS

34-36 Visual Impact Sydney 2023

Set to run from 3 - 5 May 2023 in the harbour city, this will be the first iteration of the show for more than four years

40-41 FESPA Global Print Expo Munich

‘New Perspectives’ is the tag for FESPA Global Print Expo 2023, which takes place at the Berlin Messe from 23-26 May, and will run alongside European Sign Expo 2023

42-43 Durst FESPA Open House

Durst Oceania is organising a special Oceania two-day Event in Brixen on 21 and 22 May, and Australian and NZ visitors are invited to attend

The Intermedia Group Pty Ltd (the “Publisher”). Materials in this publication have been created by a variety of different entities and, to the extent permitted by law, the Publisher accepts no liability for materials created by others. All materials should be considered protected by Australian and international intellectual property laws. Unless you are authorised by law or the copyright owner to do so, you may not copy any of the materials. The mention of a product or service, person or company in this publication does not indicate the Publisher’s endorsement. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Publisher, its agents, company officers or employees. Any use of the information contained in this publication is at the sole risk of the person using that information. The user should make independent enquiries as to the accuracy of the information before relying on that information. All express or implied terms, conditions, warranties, statements, assurances and representations in relation to the Publisher, its publications and its services are expressly excluded save for those conditions and warranties which must be implied under the laws of any State of Australia or the provisions of Division 2 of Part V of the Trade Practices Act 1974 and any statutory modification or re-enactment thereof. To the extent permitted by law, the Publisher will not be liable for any damages including special, exemplary, punitive or consequential damages (including but not limited to economic loss or loss of profit or revenue or loss of opportunity) or indirect loss or damage of any kind arising in contract, tort or otherwise, even if advised of the possibility of such loss of profits or damages. While we use our best endeavours to ensure accuracy of the materials we create, to the extent permitted by law, the Publisher excludes all liability for loss resulting from any inaccuracies or false or misleading statements that may appear in this publication.

Copyright © 2023 — Charted Media Group Pty Ltd

PRODUCTION EXCELLENCE

P5 350/HS

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IVE rebrands Active Display Group and AFI Branding as Brand Activations

By Hafizah Osman

IVE Group (ASX:IGL) has rebranded its existing Retail Display teams, AFI Branding and Active Display Group – both of which it acquired in November 2021 – as Brand Activations.

According to IVE, Brand Activations will serve as a fullservice display, signage and

activation value proposition to the retail, events and exhibition spaces.

“We’re delighted to announce the launch of Brand Activations, a new and unparalleled offering in the Australian market,” IVE said.

“Brand Activations will bring together a full-service display,

signage and activation value proposition to the retail, events and exhibition industries.

“Brand Activations sees our existing Retail Display teams, AFI Branding and Active Display Group (both acquired in November 2021) come together to offer the most comprehensive onshore capabilities in Australia.”

The newly formed Brand Activations business includes in-house design teams, large scale print production including wide format and fabric, hardware manufacturing and fabrication, alongside a national installation network.

Its production facilities are in NSW and Victoria. The business will serve a client base of Australian and global brands.

Prior to the acquisition by IVE, Active Display Group had a strong retail point of sale and visual merchandising history while AFI Branding had built a solid reputation in the event, exhibition, fabric printing and signage markets.

The acquisitions were reported to contribute annual revenues of around $45 million, additional EBITDA of $6.5 million and NPAT of $4 million post the full integration of both ADG and AFI into IVE’s existing operations.

Brand Activations will serve as a full-service display, signage and activation value proposition to the retail, events and exhibition spaces.

Reacon Group acquires insolvent business mmw3degrees

By Hafizah Osman

Reacon Group (which was formerly known as Bridgestone Group) has acquired mmw3degrees, a specialist direct mail and data-driven communications service provider that went into administration at the end of last year.

The acquisition took place on 24 February, upon the conclusion of the second creditors meeting held under the auspices of Helm Advisory at the mmw3degrees Sydney headquarters.

mmw3degrees was one of Australia’s oldest direct marketing companies. The business was taken over by Jennifer Slarke on 10 November 2022 when its founder and former managing director Laurie Griffiths passed away. Slarke is Griffiths’ ex-wife.

However, within weeks of a change in ownership, the company filed for administration.

Reacon Group said as it offers marketing execution services by partnering with global brands, the addition of mmw3degrees to its group will now benefit existing and future clients who will now enjoy an expanded product offering, centered around technology innovation, regional production and fulfilment capabilities, measured against

international standards, namely ISO 27001, 9001, 14001 and PCI-DSS, to deliver omnichannel campaigns.

Reacon Group CEO Jahangir Khan said, “Today ushers in a new dawn for Reacon, boosting our stronghold within the omnichannel marketing domain in Australasia.

“Not only will mmw3degrees enhance our direct mail distribution and production capabilities, but also bolster our digital, data-driven communications and fulfilment

services offering.

“Together our mission will be to create a great place for people to work, act responsibly to assist local economies, innovate to create new channels, products and partnerships to support our clients and suppliers across the markets we serve”.

Reacon added that it will look to build on the “strong workplace ethos” of mmw3degrees with a view to improve stability and control by emboldening key staff to work towards a better client experience.

Reacon Group CEO Jahangir Khan

Durst implements electric car fleet to meet sustainability goals

By Piotr Wnuk

“I am proud to announce that all company-owned vehicles at Durst Oceania are now 100 per cent electric. I think we are the first in our sector to do so,” he said.

“The transition to an entirely electric fleet of company cars represents the first phase in our path to sustainability and brings us in line with the strategy of the Durst Group, to explore all ways to become more sustainable.

staff and visitors to buzz around on errands locally.

“On the roadmap is a more sustainable larger building for our new premises that will also meet our expanding needs as we enter new markets; however, we will remain in Melbourne.

“Due to the global nature of the business and the huge distances we must transverse, we will still be flying, and renting cars locally, but this is the first of many steps we are actively pursuing towards neutrality.

Durst Oceania has confirmed it will use an electric-powered car fleet to pursue internal sustainability targets, with a move also planned in the next 24 months to a bigger and more sustainable local headquarters.

Durst Oceania managing director Matt Ashman told Sprinter the new fleet of electric cars has been deployed in the Australian market.

“Currently, we are also using an electricity supplier that guarantees electricity from renewable resources. However, the next phase of our path to sustainability and reducing pollution will also be inspired by our head office in Brixen, Italy, and this will be to move to new premises with electric charging stations fed by solar panels, as well as battery storage on site.

“Our head office in Brixen already offers car charging using energy from solar panels with gigawatts of power stored each year, as well as e-scooters free for

Ball & Doggett installs HP Latex at Super Signs

The design manual helps designers and design students understand what’s really being asked, providing resources and ideas that will help you become everyone’s favourite designer.

By Hafizah Osman

The design manual helps businesspeople commission and work with designers by demystifying the process, explaining things to give you a competitive advantage.

The design manual supports design teachers and academics by backing you up, pointing to additional resources you can trust, and filling any gaps in your already crowded curriculum.

The design manual is an indispensable and comprehensive reference for digital and traditional publishing. The design manual provides essential information on conceptual approaches, planning and project development techniques for web, branding, multimedia and print production for all in the industry, from beginners to professional designers, clients to allied professionals. The first edition won an Australian Award for Excellence in Educational Publishing.

The design manual has become a standard reference for anyone involved in or interested in design over the 22 years since its first edition. This newly revised and encyclopaedic edition provides more checklists, practical tips and fresh international perspectives on graphic design.

Ball & Doggett (Conect) hardware sales manager Mike Callander and Super Signs MD Paul Taylor

The design manual author, Australian designer David Whitbread, has won an Industry Award for Excellence and numerous other awards over a 40-year career in graphic design.

Victoria-based full service sign business Super Signs

The design manual aims to help anyone –student, designer, client or printer –produce visually engaging solutions that work both aesthetically and as good business.’

– Angelynn Grant, Communication Arts (on first edition)

The new edition content is very considered and well-written, and would be a must-read for anyone starting out or emerging in our industry.’ – Tess McCabe, author of Graphic design speak

Australia has been able to deliver on high quality output since its recent install of a HP Latex R2000 Plus printer with dual extension tables by Ball & Doggett (Conect).

Following the November 2022 install, the company has been able to make good on its

promises of quality and the ability to meet tight deadlines. It has given the team the production capability to squeeze in little jobs that help maximise investment.

“Our transport policy will encourage staff to think twice about the options for local transport options, and if the trip is 100 per cent required. This also feeds into our global aim to have as near to zero unplanned service interventions, using a combination of great hardware with outstanding reliability and remote monitoring software, Durst Analytics, installed on all new machines and being retrofitted to older units.

“This software enables us to monitor the machine at a sensor level to ensure maximum uptime and works in combination with smart algorithms and AI to predict when an intervention will be needed”

extension tables allows you to print on oversized sheets up to several metres in length.

ISBN 978-0-646-86312-2

Proactive alerts and preventive services ensure more productivity and the ability to meet production peaks as well as to generate new business.

9780646863122>

Durst Oceania MD Matt Ashman

SCREEN Truepress Jet 520HD with SC inks – the digital inkjet press that prints superb colour on standard offset stocks.

SCREEN Truepress Pac 830F Digital flexible packaging using aqueous inks across 830mm web.

SCREEN Truepress Jet L350UV SAI digital label press. Up to 7 colours inc. White & High Opacity White. 60 m/min across 350mm web.

SCREEN PlateRite 8600NII New generation 8-page thermal CtP with fiber laser diodes. Up to 32 B1 plates/hour.

TMA extends print capabilities with Spotpress heatset acquisition

By Hafizah Osman

TMA Group of Companies has acquired the catalogue and magazine (heatset) division of Marrickville-based printer Spotpress.

TMA Group executive chairman Anthony Karam said the acquisition of Spotpress will provide the business with a greater opportunity to extend its print management capabilities.

“Spotpress will continue to operate from the current inner west (Sydney) site.

Previous owners John and Dimitri Georgantzakos as well as all their current staff will be retained under TMA’s ownership,” Karam said.

Spotpress managing director John

Georgantzakos added, “This deal delivers great synergies for Spotpress, allowing it to become more competitive whilst gaining access to resources to help increase the value proposition for all our customers”.

Spotpress has been in operation for over 40 years and provides print, distribution and related services for magazines, catalogues and newspapers

for a variety of industries as well as commercial businesses and government agencies throughout Australia. Many of its highly skilled staff members have been with the company since inception.

TMA Group of Companies is an Australian-owned multinational print, print management, technology and logistics company.

We specialise in helping businesses, not-for-profits, and start-ups create a compelling vision, brand identity, and value proposition so powerful that people can't help but become die-hard fans!

But we don't just provide solutions; we empower people to find them themselves. Our goal is to help organisations see things from a different perspective so they can decide what comes next on the journey towards success!

A product or service? No, it's an experience!

TMA Group executive chairman Anthony Karam

It takes more than just motivation to succeed; that's why we're here

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PrintIQ does the work for you. All our key software modules are fully integrated into one core ecosystem, making managing every aspect of your business much easier, and allowing you to consolidate your objectives across all areas of operations efficiently and intelligently.

To see how PrintIQ can help your business, simply scan the QR code and book a 30 minute discovery call at a time that suits you.

Debrief

Former QMS

Print CEO

Nathan Sable has left the business after 21 years at the helm but remains in the visual communications industry with the launch of a new business, SIXP.

“My time at QMS Print (Omnigraphics, MMT and BMG) has been so rewarding, providing me with the opportunity of establishing great businesses whilst forming lifelong friendships and relationships,” Sable told Sprinter.

“SIXP intends to provide a service whereby the print industry will be integrated with other forms of marketing and branding whilst having a particular focus on sustainability,” said Sable, who created SIXP with George De Crespigny.

SIXP’s head office is in Melbourne, but the company has representation throughout Australia and New Zealand, as well as key relationships in Asia.

The Print & Visual Communication Association (PVCA)’s Industry Skills Report reveals that industry is struggling with labour supply and skills needs across all sectors of the industry.

Since announcing a commitment to reviewing the vocational training and labour related skills issues facing the industry in late 2022, the PVCA has led an Industry Skills Survey which reported into government early this year.

The study was open to all industry stakeholders and received responses from businesses of all sizes and sectors across Australia.

The PVCA immediately utilised the results in their liaison with government across the apprentices and successfully returning nine apprenticeships training courses back onto the AAPL.

However, the association reports, this is only the start of the Industry Skills Review.

Fiery, a provider of digital front end (DFE) technology for production and industrial printing, has separated from EFI. It will operate independently as a separate company while remaining owned by EFI’s owner, Siris Capital Group.

As separate companies, EFI and Fiery will have distinct areas of strategic focus, with EFI as an industrial inkjet specialist and Fiery as one of the leading DFE providers.

Jeff Jacobson, a 35-year veteran of the digital imaging sector who led EFI as CEO following its 2019 take-private by Siris, will remain executive chairman of each business.

Toby Weiss, long-time chief operating officer and general manager of Fiery, will continue to lead the business as CEO of Fiery. EFI has also appointed Frank Pennisi, a veteran of the industrial and technology sectors, as chief executive officer.

The Print and Visual Communication Association (PVCA) has been calling on government to include print across all communications related to the Voice Referendum working with other parties to facilitate equal access to information for all Australians.

The advocacy had highlighted the important role print plays across social inclusivity of all citizens, reach to all audiences and readership groups, economical contribution and the environment in its arguments.

In the letter sent to the prime minister, PVCA highlights the digital divide across ability versus literacy, accessibility and affordability in Australia, which sees the most vulnerable citizens are those most disadvantaged when digital options are implemented and print is removed.

E-waste is also outlined in the report, with the PVCA arguing digital channels carry an impact.

Opal Australian Paper has made the final decision to stop the manufacturing of white pulp and paper at its Maryvale Mill, with the site producing its last ream of copy paper on 21 January.

Having seriously considered this option and consulting with team members and Unions on this matter, Opal said it would consult further on the impact of this final decision.

Following that consultation, the process will then move through redeployment considerations and into a redundancy process.

This will be in accordance with Opal’s legal obligations, which it outlined in January.

“Opal is committed to working closely with our key stakeholders to achieve a successful turnaround at the Maryvale Mill by transforming the site to meet the growing need for fibre packaging in Australia and New Zealand,” it said.

13 FEBRUARY - Industry struggles with labour shortage across industry

9 FEBRUARY - PVCA calls on government for voice to be in print

15 FEBRUARY - Opal ends white pulp and paper manufacturing at Maryvale Mill

1 FEBRUARY - Nathan Sable exits QMS Print; launches new biz SIXP 31 JANUARY - Fiery and EFI part ways to operate independently

Self-adhesive

material manufacturer Metamark, distributed by Ball & Doggett, and Australian motor racing team Erebus Motorsport have renewed their sponsorship partnership.

The companies said the renewed partnership provides the opportunity for Metamark – through Conect Enterprises and Ball & Doggett – to continue to expand its reach to new markets and strengthen its relationship with existing customers, while Erebus Motorsport will benefit from increased visibility and brand recognition.

The partnership will also provide continued opportunities for collaboration and growth for both companies.

Erebus Motorsport recently debuted its Coca-Cola naming rights for 2023 at Movie World at the Gold Coast. The red design is centred on a black PPG base wrapped in Metamark.

Print Junction is a national finalist in the Telstra Best of Business Awards in the category of Indigenous Excellence, and owners Sheila and Leon Torzyn couldn’t be prouder.

“The Telstra Awards are held over several categories, and because our little print shop is indigenous owned, it falls into the category of Indigenous Excellence,” Leon said, adding that he is looking forward to attending the Telstra Best of Business Awards where all the winners will be announced at a gala event in Melbourne on 23 March.

“We are honoured to be representing both South Australia and the printing industry at the event, as a printer.

“Let’s hope we go a step further and win the top award in our category.”

Print Junction also won the Supply Nation, Certified Supplier of the Year Award in 2012 and the Supplier to Corporate Partnership of the Year Award in 2016.

Ball & Doggett has announced a new partnership with global sign and graphics franchise company, Signarama.

The partnership brings together Ball & Doggett’s extensive range of services, printable materials and wide format printing equipment with Signarama’s design, manufacturing, and installation expertise.

Ball & Doggett said by leveraging each other’s strengths, Signarama will offer its customers a one-stop-shop for all of its printing and signage needs, including printing on paper, vinyl, and fabric, as well as signage and displays for a variety of applications. In turn, Ball & Doggett will benefit from Signarama’s expertise in the signage industry, as well as its extensive network of franchise locations around Australia. “We are thrilled to be partnering with Signarama,” said Ball & Doggett sign, display and digital GM Rob Brussolo.

Ashley PlayfordBrowne has joined Currie Group as its business development manager for sign and display products in NSW and Queensland, adding to the strength of the company’s team.

The industry veteran, who started his career as a qualified pre-press operator, has worked across technologies from pre-press, to offset, digital, direct mail, textiles and wide format, moving from operational roles in recent years to sales and senior management roles with a number of leading supply companies.

Currie Group moved into the sign and display market in 2021 when it became a channel partner for EFI, marketing its roll-to-roll, flatbed and hybrid inkjet printers to the Australian market.

Currie Group said it has become a strong performer for the company, and the addition of Playford-Browne’s expertise and experience is set to drive that success even further.

IVE Group has signed a Heads of Agreement with Iberdrola, one of the largest renewable energy companies globally.

The seven-year contract, expected to commence in January 2024, will see the group using electricity generated from renewable sources (primarily wind).

IVE, a significant energy user across its operations has focused on market volatility and cost perspective and, more recently, with an ESG lens as it develops its targets to transition to 100 per cent renewable energy.

“The review and negotiation of the group’s power purchasing agreement comes at a time of well-publicised and unprecedented increases in the cost of electricity and gas.

“We expect to finalise that contract with Iberdrola in the coming four to five weeks,” said IVE Group CEO Matt Aitken, at that time.

Hilton Laminating announced its latest business venture, the addition of Rilecart Binding Australia.

The company, which currently offers binding products to the industry, believes that the expansion to include Rilecart’s range of automated binding and production equipment is a great fit.

Rilecart Australia’s Gary Disney will stay on at Hilton Laminating to ensure a smooth transition for customers.

He said, “I have had the pleasure of knowing John Peck for several years now, and I can confidently say that there is no one better suited to take over Rilecart Australia. While I am saddened to be leaving, I am relieved to know that my customers will be in good hands moving forward.”

Pleased with the transfer, the two parties look forward to assisting Hilton Lamination customers with all their binding needs.

20 FEBRUARY - Metamark renews partnership with Erebus Motorsport

21 FEBRUARY - Ashley Playford-Browne joins Currie Group

22 FEBRUARY - Print Junction is Telstra Best of Business Awards national finalist

27 FEBRUARY - IVE signs seven-year energy contract with Iberdrola

1 MARCH - Ball & Doggett and Signarama ink new partnership

2 MARCH - Hilton Laminating acquires Rilecart Binding

discontinued.

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Conqueror, Curious and Keaykolour is no longer manufactured by Arjowiggins and is now

You can take a person out of the printing industry, but…

Mick Rowan 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.

Enter UltraColour. It uses a new technology supplying the trade with heat transfers with the look and quality of screen printing. UltraColour was a Sydneybased business that moved to Brisbane in 2020, doubling the size of its floorspace in the process and investing over $600,000 in additional equipment.

Combining the latest technology with some traditional methodology, they produce tens of thousands of transfer orders daily for their trade-only customers. Their selfdeveloped process involves a HP Indigo 7600 Digital Press printing digital sheets, bolstered by Ino screen printing lines, adding a layer of white ink before applying powder glue and an essential drying step.

After a four-decade journey in the print industry, I decided to turn the page and explore a new chapter. Saying goodbye was bittersweet. I had beautiful memories made with remarkable people doing extraordinary things the world over, but it was time. So, I sold my shares in printIQ and undertook a much-needed break from work to decide which story would begin next.

I wanted to challenge myself and do something inspiring, so I sat down and created an exhaustive pros-and-cons list. My only musts were that it had to be creative (check) and involve writing/ branding/marketing (double check). But there was another layer too; I wanted to design something I could source locally. So not only could people get their hands on a unique product, but they’d also like to buy it out of admiration for its idea.

Driven by my passion for running, I decided to enter the game. So, I drafted a plan to develop an activewear range with products I could design and test out on the track. It was perfect; it allowed me to pull together my skills and set off head-first into developing a brand narrative, building a marketing strategy, and pounding that pavement. IAM was born, a local activewear brand crafted from nature’s finest fabrics.

But that’s where my story of leaving the print industry stopped.

After sharpening my Illustrator skills during my years in prepress, I was fully prepared to take on the challenge of designing garments. Not one for settling with mediocrity; it took some serious tweaking until I’d achieved the level of quality that I was chasing.

Next came the fabric selection, and I soon decided on Merino wool for its moisture-wicking, temperature-regulating, and exceptional comfort. With all of that taken care of and checked off the list, production could finally commence.

I had prototypes of my tanks, tees, long sleeves, tights and even a fleecy jacket and my logos designed and ready to have screens made for printing. However, I soon hit a roadblock. Screen-printing my expensive Merino fabric in low volumes was problematic, to say the least.

But when one door closes, another opens. I soon found myself navigating through an unfamiliar realm of garment printing techniques: Direct-to-Garment (DTG), Direct-to-Film (DTF) and Direct-to-Vinyl. I had spent much of my career in R&D, so researching new technology was right up my alley, and I loved every minute of it.

The result is nothing short of magic. Their innovative take on technology has revolutionised how short-run custom work is done – streamlining setup and eliminating downtime.

After being astounded by the quality of the product, I decided to get in on the action and become more than just an admirer. So, with two heat presses added to my sewing arsenal, I was back at it as a bona fide manufacturer.

Who knew it would ultimately lead me back to it when I decided to shake up my life and leave the print industry?

UltraColour’s heat transfer technology has made my activewear line even more exciting, bringing new colours, designs and endless possibilities!

By exploring this new medium, I’ve learned something new while developing and creating something exciting of my own! This venture to make locally designed, sourced, and manufactured activewear certainly hasn’t been easy, but I can proudly call myself a local manufacturer again.

My journey back to print gives me a chance to paraphrase the adage: you can take a person out of the printing industry, but you can’t take the printing industry out of a person.

Making a lifelong journey in print

Industry training and apprenticeship issues

The PVCA’s Charles Watson provides a synopsis of some of the primary issues and impediments facing the VET and apprenticeship sector, and

The Apprenticeship and Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector plays a critical role in preparing the workforce for employment, and for providing new entrants into our industry. However, the sector continues to face numerous challenges that need to be addressed by all relevant stakeholders. The breadth and scope of the related issues are an interconnected web of ecologies which, when put onto butchers’ paper, make the situation look like a wall in a conspiracy theorists’ basement.

BACKGROUND

According to the National Centre for Vocational Education Research ('NCVER'), the number of apprentices and trainees in training has declined by 43.3% between 2012 and 2020. This decline is due to numerous factors, including changing industry requirements, a lack of industry visibility, decreased government support, and an increased number of students failing to complete their studies.

It is uncontroversial our national industry has faced a declining availability of trade qualified workers for over 15 years. The corollary is the declining number of new entrants into the industry within apprenticeships and traineeships across the various trades throughout that period has increased the shortage. The current shortage, particularly in the new entrant stream, has only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic of the last three years.

SECONDARY EDUCATION

Changes to government education policy that generally makes the completion of Year 12 or equivalent compulsory has, for the past 15 years, resulted in secondary students being directed away from traditional VET pathways. Although federal and state governments and education systems promote VET studies as part of completing secondary education, the reality is a very limited scope of VET subjects.

This is, in part, due to a shortage of teachers available to teach those subjects and that most available VET subjects in

high school do not contribute towards a tertiary entrance score. Further, a perception has solidified over the last few decades that VET is a second choice for students who cannot gain entry into university. This negative and erroneous perception of the VET sector has exacerbated the decline in the number of students enrolling in VET subjects. Additionally, over that time the university system has applied considerable marketing resources, made entry into university easier, and gleefully grabbed the traditional student cohort that would otherwise have considered a trade-based study and career path.

FUNDING CUTS

Over recent decades, successive governments reduced funding to the VET sector, both TAFE and private training providers. This reduction has made it harder for students to access the training they need to succeed in the industry. Further, many students and employers have reported the skills and knowledge gained from VET courses are not as relevant to industry needs, which has led to a mismatch between the skills of graduates and the requirements of industry.

To address this issue, the Australian government needs to develop policies that support the overall apprenticeship system and invest more in the VET sector. The current federal government is making efforts to turn things around, but they are trying to make up for decades of neglect and an unedifying preferential based system. Beneficially, the government could provide more evenly distributed financial incentives for businesses that take on apprentices and provide additional support for apprentices.

LIMITED REPRESENTATION

From a production related perspective and given the highly specialised training and skill requirements to enter or move within the industry, there is a limited source of immediate candidates for advertised roles. Further, there is limited ability to source candidates from other industries and skilled migration is limited,

costly and administratively burdensome. Additionally, over at least the last decade there has been a greater representation of women in management, sales, and specialist roles. However, from a production/trade skills perspective the industry continues to be viewed as male dominated. Our industry needs to apply more effort into attracting and retaining female entrants particularly in trade-based roles.

STAKEHOLDER CAUCUS REQUIRED

As an industry body, the PVCA has recently taken some solid steps to address various aspects of these complex and interconnected issues. We are committed to take even more decisive actions to address these issues. Additionally, industry training providers, skills councils and individual businesses are all committed and working hard on these issues. However, and to overcome the entirety of the problem, we need to collaboratively harness the collective power of all industry stakeholders. By working together, we will ensure workers have access to the skills and training they need to succeed and the long-term success and sustainability of our dynamic industry. We look forward to you answering the call.

Charles Watson

GM – IR, Policy and Governance, PVCA

This article is of a general nature and guidance only and does not constitute legal advice.

what we as an industry need to address.

By working together, we will ensure workers have access to the skills and training they need to succeed

CMYKhub grows business with Currie Group installations

Included in the swag of investments is a new EFI VUTEk h5 superwide format hybrid inkjet printer, an HP Indigo 6K Digital Press and an ABG Digicon Series 3 label finishing line

Australian trade printer CMYKhub is going from strength to strength as the company beefs up its offerings in the local market. The business made a series of strategic investments last year with Currie Group, and with the machines now recently installed, is maintaining its leadership as one of the top printers in the market.

Included in the swag of investments is a new EFI VUTEk h5 superwide format hybrid inkjet printer, an HP Indigo 6K Digital Press with an ABG Digicon Series 3 label finishing line to complement. With the new EFI VUTEk h5, CMYKhub has expanded on its wide-format capabilities, and with the HP Indigo 6K Digital Press and the ABG Digicon Series 3 label converting line, has made its first foray into labels and packaging applications.

CMYKhub managing director Trent Nankervis said, “We’ve recently invested in additional equipment from Currie

Group. One area of investment was wide format as we found that our machines were a few years old and speeds and quality of wide format machines had changed in that time.

“Within our business, we found good, steady growth in wide format in the last six months to 12 months – our work performance grew by 30 per cent. This meant that we needed much more capacity, so we bought the EFI VUTEk h5 to cater to it.

“The EFI VUTEk h5 is possibly one of the fastest wide-format machines in the market and our goal is to have more consistent quality and to be able to output a lot more work without a strain on staff. This printer delivered on all of those needs.”

According to Trent, the EFI printer, will see the company increase its productivity by about eight times.

CMYKhub CEO Dayne Nankervis said the HP Indigo 6K Digital Press and the ABG Digicon Series 3 combination, along with its entry into the labels space, comes in response to surging customer demand.

“We’ve supported our customers previously by outsourcing to other label businesses or referring customers on, but this is our first foray in-house into labels. We are getting a lot of work coming through now, so it was time to have our own capability,” Dayne said.

“Our business is quite diverse. We're very strong in digital printing and wide format but needed to diversify a little bit further so labels has become another significant part of the business. With these two machines, we’re adding product and service capability. So, the speed of the machines fit what we believe we need.

“Labels is a new department product line that we're entering into, so that will start

Mark Daws and Molly Mathers (Currie Group) with Shannon & Trent Nankervis (CMYKhub)

in Melbourne but it will be supplying nationwide to all our customers. It will follow our historical process whereby we will open up in other states thereafter and we would expect to have label machines in all of our states within the next few years.”

CMYKhub will be printing a variety of roll labels on the machine, with Dayne saying that the company will focus on the selfadhesive market.

“It’s going to be printing roll labels, such as self-adhesive labels, which caters to a low-run, low-quantity label market for the trade industry. We’ll be concentrated on a streamlined product range which is standard to our product model and will be constrained on fast turnaround and fast quoting,” he said.

“We believe we will offer the fastest turnaround time in the market with this press.”

A ROCK-SOLID PARTNERSHIP

Dayne mentioned that the company invested in the trio of kit as it has had a longstanding relationship with local supplier Currie Group. For example, the install of the HP Indigo 6K Digital Press marks the ninth HP Indigo that CMYKhub has purchased from Currie Group.

The list includes two HP Indigo 100K Digital Presses, two HP Indigo 7r Digital Presses and a HP Indigo 7800 Digital Press which are located across the country.

“The technology for Indigo is quite wellknown in the industry. It’s a respected brand and sells itself. It’s a brand we already know how to operate,” Dayne said.

“It also has a very high quality image and print that is well-known in the industry.

So, entering this new market with a machine that is already widely accepted was important to us.”

The ease of training up staff on a common platform was another reason CMYKhub chose the machines.

Trent said reliability is critical to CMYKhub’s operation and its relationship with Currie Group was integral in each of the purchases.

“Uptime and serviceability are critical to us so Currie Group’s ability to keep these machines running is a big plus. We have an extensive relationship with Currie Group and in terms of the quality of the products, we already have belief in the systems,” he said.

“From a maintenance and relationship perspective, we’ve always had the comfort in Currie Group being able to service and maintain our machines quickly and efficiently because our priority has always been to get jobs to our customers as quickly as possible.”

Currie Group sign and display business unit manager Paul Whitehead said, “With the increasing higher demand in wideformat for faster turnaround times, it was critical that our service response time matched that which we currently offer on our existing HP Indigo fleet.

“This level of service is not typically seen in the wide format arena; however given our experience in the short-run, higher demand markets that we typically service, Currie Group is able to cater for this need.”

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE MACHINES

The EFI VUTEk h5 is a 3.2m hybrid roll/ flatbed LED inkjet printer platform that has a print resolution of up to 1200 dpi.

It comes with eight colours plus white, with a dual CMYK mode option for productivity levels of up to 109 boards per hour, and has an up to nine-layer print capability.

In addition, it has UltraDrop Technology 7pL grayscale printheads; EFI LED technology; 3/4 automated media loading and stacker systems; EFI Fiery proServer Premium digital front end with Fiery Command WorkStation, FAST RIP and enhanced colour management and screening features; as well as Cloud and diagnostics services.

“Being a true hybrid the EFI h5 will not only significantly increase the rigid output by means of continuous feeding and automatic pallet stacking, but will also allow the production of the full gamut of flexible applications with extremely short changeover times,” Whitehead said.

The HP Indigo 6K Digital Press is the marketleading narrow-web printing solution for digital labels and packaging production, delivering high productivity, wide versatility, and intelligent colour automation.

Any colour can be reached consistently through its unmatched versatility and media, inks and applications. The press’ combination of tools, support, technical capabilities and continuous improvements add up to an unmatched quality and performance.

The press prints efficiently at speeds of up to 30m/min in 4-colour mode, up 40m/min in enhanced productivity mode and up to 60m/min in 1- or 2-colour mode. Special inks available for use include ElectroInk Premium White for Sleeves, Spot or Custom colours, Silver, Fluorescent pink, green, yellow and orange, Fade Resistant inks, and Invisible yellow and red for security applications.

CMYKhub staff working on the ABG Digicon Series 3 label finishing line

CMYKhub’s Dayne Nankervis with the HP Indigo 6K Digital Press

In addition, it allows printers to diversify their businesses and gain new revenue streams by producing a variety of labels or packaging applications such as pressure-sensitive labels to sleeves, IML, wrap-arounds, flexible packaging and folding cartons.

Currie Group director – labels and packaging A/NZ Mark Daws said, “The HP Indigo 6K Digital Press offers endless opportunities for our customers to grow. Our flagship and most widely used digital label press in the A/NZ market, the HP Indigo 6K, allows our customers to tap into new markets with maximum production efficiencies which meet the ever-increasing time-to-market needs of brands.

“HP Indigo offers the widest range of ink portfolio of any other digital press, with a broad range of customisation and unique embellishments for higher value applications.”

As for the ABG Digicon Series 3 label finishing line, it is designed for any digital printing application and can be used roll-to-roll or roll-to-sheet.

Some of its key features include:

• Die plate loading and unloading

• Fast Track Die Cutting – the world’s fastest semi-rotary die cutting system – able to run at 180 metres per minute and work in-line with the world’s fastest digital print engines

• Gap sensing and knife setting – to save time on set up and changeovers

• Big Foot 50-ton capacity hot foil and embossing module – with multiple foil feeding across and along the web – to create new effects and finishes that will give you a competitive advantage

• Flatbed screen printing module – to add value with relief varnishes or vibrant screen inks

• Crossover module – to create multilayered, novelty or promotional labels, digitally

• Lamination in register module –enables pre-printed web to be laminated to the main web in perfect register

• DigiJet – digital embellishment module to create high quality digital embellishments

Dayne said the ABG converting line could connect to the HP Indigo 6K Digital Press, but for CMYKhub’s purposes, it will be kept separate in a near-line formation.

“We will run it near-line and we will always run near-line. We will end up with multiple finishing lines for this,” he said.

THE GROWING CMYKhub BUSINESS

All three machines are installed at CMYKhub’s new Melbourne premises, which the company has moved to in the interim before relocating to an even bigger space next year.

“We are in the transition of moving factories and Currie Group has been very good to accommodate us in our current factory constraints and environment. We have a smaller footprint than we would like but Currie Group has managed to fit in all the installs,” Dayne said.

In the future, CMYKhub envisages itself to continually add on new departments driven by customer demands, and looks to continuing its long-standing relationship with Currie Group.

“This means we need the right equipment, and Currie Group has been and will be key in facilitating that. As of now, the new EFI machine ensures that we’re increasing our range of products, quantities and volumes that we offer customers. At the same time, the reach into the labels space allows us to provide more to our current customer base,” Dayne said.

“As we look towards growth, we only foresee Currie Group to be supportive of it and we’re confident in its ability to continue to service our business’ needs.”

“As Currie Group’s portfolio continues to expand in line with market demand there will be greater opportunities for the relationship with CMYKhub to further expand,” Whitehead said.

“As a long-standing supplier to CMYKhub, our relationship allows us to work together as partners on a range of new projects and investments. It’s partnerships such as these that encourage us to evolve as a leading technology solution provider, ensuring that we can offer our customers the widest e2e portfolio to meet industry needs whilst maintaining high levels of service and technical support to match,” Daws added.

Molly Mathers (Currie Group), Shannon Nankervis (CMYKhub) and Paul Whitehead (Currie Group)

CMYKhub printer concentrating on the self-adhesive labels category with the new HP Indigo 6K Digital Press

Print Logistics enhances book printing with hard case binding

Broadmeadows-based Print Logistics, an end-to-end printing and design service, is adding hard case binding to its stable of services with the recent appointment of Geoff Montgomery.

By Colleen Bate

The well-respected Victorian company which, since 1998, has been helping businesses such as Singapore Airlines, Pacific Brands, University of Melbourne, and Louis Vuitton with their digital, offset and large format printing, book printing, creative design, finishing and embellishment, direct mailing, print management system, warehouse and logistics needs, continues to evolve.

“Australia wide trade services with complete customer confidentiality agreement, professional service, exceptional craftsmanship and a true knowledge of all aspects of print media are at the core of what we provide to our clients, so It makes sense for us to expand our offerings,” says Turkish-born Nej Dumanli who owns the family run company, together with his wife Nikki and son Sinan.

With the appointment of Montgomery, a specialist in hard case binding who has taken up the role of production manager, Print Logistics has invested in top-ofrange equipment to produce premium hard case binding products to suit the needs of the company's customers, and to attract new business.

“Since offering these services, we have produced a range of interesting book

Ramona Pascal, production supervisor, proudly displays a finished hard cased book

projects,” says Dumanli, pleased that he is able expand the company’s range of services, and that he and his staff are learning another skillset under the guidance of Montgomery.

Montgomery has had a long career in the industry – he started out as an apprentice in 1981, which he explains involved running folders, the perfect binder and guillotine. “I learnt about case binding then as we would prepare all the books to go interstate for finishing,” he says.

After completing his apprenticeship Montgomery worked at Bradford Printing for seven years where he rose to the role of supervisor.

“From there I worked as the bindery manager for Impact Printing for 23 years, before moving on to The Bindery as

production manager, where I worked for seven years,” he adds.

Montgomery says the process of hard case binding process is quite involved, explaining that it includes thread sewing (to join the sections of book), or PUR (polyurethane reactive glue) to create a book block, making the hard cover and finally putting the cover around the book block and casing it in.

“The hard cover can be pre-printed and/or embellished as needed and customers can select the thickness of the board required for the cover,” he adds.

Print Logistics has clearly had a successful run over two decades of being in business, and Dumanli attributes much of this to the people involved, saying that, “No matter what industry you are in, it is all about

people. My motto is people first, whether it’s staff, customers, family – if you don't look after your people and communicate effectively and respectfully, you don't have a business,” he says, emphasising that the company's staff is renowned to go above and beyond for its clients.

“My other motto is to constantly adapt to change and be flexible in all areas of life and business. Evolving our services to better the printing experience is what we do well,” he adds.

Clearly these philosophies have served him, the company and its clients well and are set to continue to do so.

“We are very grateful to have Montgomery join our team, and to offer hard case binding services to new and existing clients,” he says. “Our future continues to look bright.”

WHAT CUSTOMERS SAY

“You hit it out of the park yet again! Thank you for another outstanding project!

– John (Hawthorn, Victoria)

“I contacted Geoff at Print Logistics with a small request – I wanted five copies of my book to be printed, in hardback, along with a dustcover which I had designed. Even though the company appeared to be geared up for much larger jobs, they didn’t bat an eyelid when my measly number of copies was mentioned. In fact, they showed me the same service levels and courtesy that a client with a much larger order could have expected. The quality of finish and the materials used has impressed all to whom I have showed my book. I will use them again for my next book.”

- Philip (Canterbury,

Victoria)

Nej Dumanli assembling a book before it is hard cased

(l-r) Geoff Montgomery with Ramona Pascal and Nej Dumanli

Print Logistics has produced a wide array of book projects since adding hard case binding to its range of services

EVENT

Visual Impact /Label & Packaging Expo

Dscoop Edge World Expo

Kissel+Wolf Kornit Open House

Durst, CEC tour with all printers showcased

FESPA Global Print Expo 2023

EcoPrint Summit: future of sustainable printing

Labelexpo Europe 2023

FESPA Australia Conference

ProPrint Awards

LOCATION

Sydney

St. Louis, USA

Melbourne

Brixen, Italy

Munich, Germany

Geneva, Switzerland

Brussels, Belgium

Sydney

Sydney

DATE

3 - 5 May

7 May

9 - 11 May

21 - 22 May

23 - 26 May

6 - 7 June

11 -14 September

3 November

3 November

Hosting an event? Send an email to the editor Colleen Bate cbate@intermedia.com.au with the details

Women in Print takes on Hobart

Sam Dobie, creative director of Inclusive Creatives and former chair of the Diemen Awards, has gladly stepped

This new chapter for Women in Print and the Breakfast Series will see another day added to the event list, making a total of six events running in the month of May from 16 – 30 May.

“The opportunity to champion the exceptional women in our industry is not one I take lightly. I was honoured and humbled to be offered the role, and I hope to work closely with both our current leaders and future stars to foster our community. Tasmania punches so far above its weight in so many sectors, that it’s time for our industry to step confidently into the light, and who better to lead that growth than the extraordinary women who live and breathe it every day,” said Sam Dobie, Tasmanian print patron.

The industry body is expanding its focus and hearing what members are asking for, along with Women in Print matching that focus to deliver an elevated experience starting with Hobart.

“Women across our industry are growing in numbers which allows a wonderful opportunity to offer the Breakfast Series to each and every State. I could not be happier to be part of this announcement and look forward to sharing the Women in Print program with our industry in Hobart,” added Kellie Northwood, CEO, Print & Visual Communication Association and Women in Print, Honorary Secretary.

Danielle Dobson, who will headline the Series, will be exploring her book ‘Breaking the Gender Code’, which she explains came out of inquisition and investigation.

Dobson is a speaker, author, facilitator and mother. And as a Certified Practising Accountant with extensive corporate experience, Danielle wanted to make a difference and commenced a two-year research piece across male and female leaders coping with professional work-life balance.

Her findings formed a book, ‘Breaking the Gender Code’, which will be the topic for discussion in this year’s series.

Dobson will hone in on how the gender code can hold back women in their professional and personal lives, as well as unpacking why women feel the constant

pressure to keep up a juggling act with so many balls in the air, without seeking support or assistance.

“Often women feel they are failing if they reach out for support and approach their professional lives with an invincible attitude. Breaking the gender code is about assessing that and looking to how we can equip ourselves with skills to feel empowered, recognising our contributions and feeling valued in what we do. I think it is very topical and one our Women in Print community will be able to walk away from the events with skills they can start using immediately,” said Susan Heaney, Chair, Women in Print.

Other topics from Dobson’s novel include: why the gender code can put you in a box and how to break out of it; how you can use what you already have to get more of what you really want, in life, in business, every day; how you can get more of what you really want, with what you already have; and how to build your own unique career pathway by breaking the gender code and avoiding burn out.

The series continues to gain momentum with sponsors new and incumbent, helping support Women in Print and their cause. Confirmed Partner sponsors for the Breakfast Series are ongoing and longstanding supporters, Cactus Imaging, Media Super, IVE Group, Heidelberg, and the Print and Visual Communication Association. With the newest Platinum Partner supporter, Ricoh, joining the list

of industry leaders behind the program this year.

“Ricoh is a firm supporter of programs empowering women and supporting these industry initiatives that give so much back into the industry is something we are very proud to be part of,” said Tina Economou, GM – Sales and Marketing, Ricoh Australia.

Associate sponsors include Advance Press, Ball & Doggett, Bright Print Group, Boettcher Systems, Creative Juice SA, Future Now, Heaney’s Performers in Print, HP (Brain Sells), Konica Minolta, The Lamson Group, QLM Label Makers, Rocking Rose and Spicers.

Printer Media Group is proud to be a media sponsor of the event this year.

“I cannot thank our sponsors enough, Women in Print is a not-for-profit, grassroots industry program delivering real support, knowledge and a sense of community for women in print. Every dollar invested by our sponsors goes towards our next initiative and we cannot do it without the sponsors and partners. There are so many organisations who have been supporting Women in Print for many years, and I tip my hat in deep respect to you all,” concluded Northwood.

Women in Print sponsorship for the 2023 Series is still open with sponsorship closing end of March. Should any organisations look to support the Series contact hello@womeninprint.com.au

up to meet the demands of the industry and take the position of Tasmanian patron for Women in Print.

Speaker, author, facilitator and mother Danielle Dobson

Sam Dobie takes up the position of Tasmanian patron for Women in Print

FESPA Sydney Social achieves record of over 100 attendance

Following on from a successful inaugural event in 2022, this year’s FESPA Sydney Social attracted a crowd of just over 100 members of the printing community to the Sydney Rowing Club in Abbotsford, where they caught up and networked while enjoying delicious food and refreshing drinks.

Enda Kavanagh (Xmpie), Troy Cavanagh (Imagebox), Daniel Edwards (Posterboy Printing), Pranil Chanda (Next Printing)

Alfred David (Pozitive), James Sultana (Grand Print), Brett Wark (Smartech)

Jane Docherty (Fespa) and Jonny Rumney (Celmac)

Emmanuel Buhagiar (Imagination Graphics), James Sultana (Grand Print) and Patrick Bianco (Canon)

Shaun Holdom (Fujifilm) and Colleen Bate (ProPrint)

Sarah Moore (Visual Connections) and Peter Harper (Visual Connections)

Aaron Pryde (Select Textiles) and Ashley Playford-Browne (Currie Group)

Jason Kennedy (Fujifilm), Ryan Julleza (Fujifilm), Alex McClelland (ORAFOL)

Jonny Rumney (Celmac), Matt Ashman (Durst) and Shaun Holdom (Fujifilm)

Carmen Ciappara (ProPrint), Matt Ashman (Durst) and Emmanuel Buhagiar (Imagination Graphics)

Tom Leggatt (Avery Dennison), Jack McFarlane (Avery Dennison), Roger Corby and Patrick Bianco (Canon Production Printing Australia), and James Merhab (Ball & Doggett)

The Fujifilm Team - Jason Kennedy, Luke Wooldridge, Vanessa Chen, Troy Neighbour, Glenn Conyers, Shaun Holdom, Ryan Julleza

Chris Morrison (EFI) and Paul Wilcockson (Xmpie)

The Cactus Imaging Team - Ben Clarke, Marilyn Li, Chris Williams, Nadia Zuza, Glen Moffatt, Erica Tan, Sunny Cabrera, Nicky Asseraf and Nigel Spicer

Laurence Singh (IVE Group), James Merhab (Ball & Doggett), Paul Giannetto (IVE Group)

Marc Martello (Comcut), Rod Cumberland (Conect), Tatjana Ferguson (Ball & Doggett), Tony Bertrand (Ball & Doggett) and Steve Warn (Ball & Doggett)

Laurence Singh (IVE), Andrew Archer (IVE), Daniela Mastroieni (ORAFOL), Robert Ryan (HVG), Andrew Williams (IVE), Annette Santelli (IVE) and Paul Giannetto (IVE)

Paul Whitehead (Currie Group) and Yves Roussange (Soltect)

Richard Lucas (HVG) and Alistair Rathbone (ORAFOL)

Julian Lowe (Coritex), George Capetanakis (Catalyst Graphics), Sean Anderson (Catalyst Graphics)

Marc Martello (Comcut), Michael Punch (Australian Sign & Graphics Association) and Peter Harper (Visual Connections)

Michael Boogaard (Celmac), Michael Smith (ORAFOL), Sunny Cabrera (Cactus Imaging)

Nigel Davies (Fespa) addresses the crowd of 100 guests

Phil Rennell (Kornit) and Paul Wilcockson (Xmpie)

Richard Lucas (HVG) and Carmen Ciappara (ProPrint)

Troy Cavanagh (Imagebox) addresses the crowd about the Fespa Future Leaders program

Glenn Moffatt (Cactus Imaging), Nigel Spicer (Cactus Imaging), Matt Ashman (Durst) and Jonny Rumney (Celmac)

Paul Cavalier (Printstorm), Steven Vandenberg (Printstorm), Jenn Carter (Printstorm), Hayley Morrow (Printstorm)

Philip Trumble (Pozitive), Fred Uden (Flash Photobition) and Alfred David (Pozitive)

Russell Cavenagh (Mutoh), Romano Bacci (Epson), Ryan Warby (Epson)

Ron Gottlieb (Ricky Richards), Michael Smith (ORAFOL), Lee Liang (Ricky Richards)

Emmanuel Buhagiar (Imagination Graphics) and Carmen Ciappara (ProPrint)

Ian Parsonson (Hexis), Stella Lim (Hexis), Johnathan Meads (Hexis), Pranil Chandra (Next Printing)

ORAFOL hosts BMW unveiling event

ORAFOL Australia hosted an event at the ORAFOL Creative HUB in Erskine Park on 21 March, where, together with BMW and Drive Creative it unveiled the latest BMW M4 Competition & Drive. The vehicle was designed, wrapped and installed by Melbourne-based Drive Creative's Sam Rogers in partnership with the Australian BMW Driving Experience Team, using ORAFOL'S ORACAL 970RA premium wrapping cast.

ORAFOL Australia MD Alex McClelland kicked off the evening, saying it was a first for the company to host such an event at the ORAFOL

Creative HUB and thanking the Drive Creative and BMW teams in acknowledgement of their collaboration of time and effort on the project.

Drive Creative’s Sam Rogers then took to the floor, saying that the project was “a really exciting opportunity” for her and business partner Dan Sharples, and that they wanted to ensure that the design had some substance.

“We just want to appreciate that projects like this aren’t possible without the support from collaborative teams like ORAFOL, Pip and Doug from BMW, who have enabled us to wrap this M4 and with an open design brief.”

Trent Byrnes, Doug Geenslade, Alex McClelland, Daniela Mastroieni, Sam Rogers, Pip Genge, Dan Sharples

Alex McClelland welcomes guests

Before the great unveiling

Dan Sharples, Daniela Mastroeini and Sam Rogers

Carmen Ciappara, Chris O'Bryan, Colleen Bate and Nick Mawer

Glenn Govier, Mike Smith and Ben Ellis

Alex McClelland, Chris O'Bryan and Lee Dunks

Pip Genge, Sam Rogers, Simon Vella and Trent Byrnes

Ed Ziubrys, Greta Ziubrys and Andrew Mantilla

Peter Scalzo and Jonas Renz

Maddison and Alistair Rathbone

OPEN HOUSE EVENT

Kissel+Wolf Australia and Kornit Open House: game-changer for Australian DtG market

The recent Kissel+Wolf Australia & Kornit Open House was a game-changer for the Australian Direct-to-Garment printing industry, with the debut of the Kornit Atlas Max DTG Printer.

“Only downside… the Atlas Max wouldn’t fit in the back of the car.”

Kissel+Wolf Australia’s Sales director Jon Field said, “The open house event was a huge success, with attendees praising the level of expertise and knowledge provided by Kissel+Wolf and Kornit’s Australian team.

“The event provided an excellent opportunity for attendees to network and connect with other professionals in the industry, and to learn about the latest trends and developments in the world of printing”.

The Australian print community is buzzing with excitement following the Kissel+Wolf Australia & Kornit Open House held on 28 and 29 March.

This exclusive event brought together industry experts, business owners, and enthusiasts to witness the debut of the Kornit Atlas Max Direct-to-Garment (DTG) Printer, and the results were nothing short of spectacular.

The Kornit Atlas Max DTG Printer offers game changing technology and capabilities, making it a must have for anyone in the industrial garment printing industry.

It provides an exceptional level of flexibility, speed, and widest colour gamut, allowing for high quality printing on a wide range of garments and products, including t-shirts, hoodies, tote bags, cushion covers, and many other products.

At the recent Open House event in March, attendees were given an exclusive firsthand look at the Kornit Atlas Max DTG Printer in action. They saw for themselves

the high-quality prints that can be achieved with this machine, as well as its unparalleled speed and efficiency. Its XDI print technology offers exceptional capabilities that simulate stitch, sew, and high-build 3D printing with remarkable accuracy and quality.

With its ability to produce thick, textured prints that rival traditional screen printing, the Atlas Max is an excellent solution for businesses looking to save on setup and labor costs as well as offering customisation without compromising on quality.

The results were astonishing, leaving attendees in awe of the possibilities and new revenue streams that this machine could provide for their businesses.

Director and CFO of the Pattern Room Daniel Watts, said, “The team at Kissel & Wolf in conjunction with Kornit put on a truly inspiring presentation and demo of the Kornit Atlas Max.

“I know that digital printing on textiles is advancing quickly, but the Atlas Max challenges the status quo for DTG.

“It’s evident with this technology that you are only limited by your own imagination!

“It was great to meet the team at Kissel+Wolf and some other industry people over a coffee and some snacks. A truly great informative event!

Following the success of the event, Kissel+Wolf Australia is hosting its own Open House from 9-11 May, which will cover all segments of the printing market.

The event promises to offer a range of benefits for attendees, including extended warranties, bespoke consumable packages, the most flexible and competitive finance available, free educational sessions, special pricing and exclusive product demos.

The Open House will feature a wide range of equipment and services, including the latest products and machines for screen printing, digital printing, offset printing, packaging printing, garment printing, wide format printing, and workflow and software.

The event will be a great opportunity to compare equipment and services side-byside, and the chance to interact with experts in the industry.

Kissel+Wolf Australia has once again demonstrated its commitment to the printing industry providing high quality products and services, and by representing best-in-class, world leading manufacturers.

Don't miss your chance to experience the latest in printing technology at Kissel+Wolf Australia's Open House. Act fast to secure your spot, as availability is limited.

Register now and join us from 9-11 May.

Kornit’s Mark Harris demonstrates the stunning level of detail possible with this cutting-edge Atlas Max technology

Touch and feel the power of XDi printing: The Kornit Atlas Max's XDi technology creates a unique tactile experience that sets it apart from traditional printing methods.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScUVYD7wvYn_U-D-5Z-zS0k8hPqmRPfCGHC6E_sqVjL-_zAGA/viewform

Visual Impact set for Sydney

The countdown to Visual Impact Sydney begins! Set to run from 3 - 5 May 2023 in the harbour city, it will be the first iteration of Visual Impact for more than four years.

By Colleen Bate

Supplier association and show organisers Visual Connections is promising the latest developments in print, with Visual Impact not only able to provide businesses with the chance to see the very latest technologies in action, and to speak to product and technical specialists and business experts, but also provide a rich source of information, ideas and inspiration to help businesses work towards their success.

“The show theme, ‘Envision Your Success’, is apt for a post-pandemic market, with businesses still grappling with how to meet the changes wrought across the sector over the past four years,” Visual Connections business development manager Sarah Moore said.

“Change has always been a feature of the print, sign and display market, but the pace of that change is accelerating year on year,” added CEO Visual Connections Peter Harper, pointing out that the impact of the pandemic has changed the market.

“It has brought a significant amount of work back on-shore as buyers and specifiers recognise the advantages of local supply not just for communication and quality control, but also reliability and accountability.

“To meet market demand, and capitalise on these opportunities, businesses will need to maximise efficiencies and diversify their offering, while remaining profitable,” he said.

Some of the industry’s leading names in attendance will be platinum sponsor Roland DG, gold sponsors Epson, Euro Poles, HP, Pozitive, Spicers, Starleaton and Trotec, along with others such as CMYKHub, Ball & Doggett, Print IQ, Pozitive, Spandex, Alflex, Mutoh, Celmac, Mimaki, GJS, Wilenco/Rollover, Hexis, Graphic Art Mart and Smartech.

“We currently have more than 80 exhibitors and hope to get a few more in the next couple of weeks – final numbers will probably be around 90+ in total. This covers a broad cross-section of the

industry, from suppliers of equipment and systems, to pre-press, MIS and workflow solutions, finishing and display solutions, illumination, media and substrates, technical and business services, and more,” said Harper.

Sydneysiders and visitors from across the country that are keen to keep up with the latest in print, sign, display, wide-format, engraving, textile printing and more can expect to see many new technologies on display which just missed PacPrint and Visual Impact last year, and which are now landed and ‘ready to go’.

Visual Impact provides businesses with the chance to see the very latest technologies in action

Over 90 exhibitors are expected at this year’s Visual Impact in Sydney

“And in terms of the show itself, this year we will be focusing a lot on education, with an expansive seminar and forum schedule, as well as workshops in Channel Lettering. An entirely new section is being trialled at the show in the lead-up to PacPrint 2025, which is the Photo & Fine Art reproduction,” added Harper.

ASGA will be working with Hexis to run an exciting Wrap challenge, with the winner of offered the chance to go to New Zealand to compete in an Australia versus New Zealand wrapping challenge.

ASGA will also be partnering with Visual Connections, in an education program. This will involve some 100 Year 9 and 10 students attending the show to take part in a special ‘Try a Trade’ program with TAFE NSW and a number of exhibitors. Students will also lunch with current TAFE apprentices and industry leaders, to get an unique insight into the industry and career opportunities.

The show will run from 10pm to 6pm on both 3 and 4 May, and from 10am to 4pm on 5 May.

“Registrations are tracking well so far and are in line with our expectations at this stage of planning,” says Visual Connections event manager, Charly Blades.

“Overall, we believe attendance at the show will be similar to previous iterations, with thousands of visitors expected over the three-day event.

Sydneysiders and visitors from across the country can expect to see many new technologies on display which just missed PacPrint and Visual Impact last year.

“Most will likely hail from the ‘home city’ in Sydney, but a good contingent is also expected from regional NSW, Victoria, Queensland and Auckland – all of which are within easy reach – and a significant number from other locations in Australia, New Zealand and around the regions.”

To register, go to www.visualimpact.org. au/sydney-exhibition-2023

SEMINAR PROGRAM

Print and signage industry professionals can learn how to improve their productivity and profitability, attract top talent, better manage finances, and more, at Visual Impact Sydney’s three-day seminar in May.

Registration is now open for the wide format trade show, which will be held at Olympic Park in Sydney from 3-5 May, and includes free access to the seminar program, which runs for the duration of the show.

ASGA president Mick Harrold will kick off the seminar on 3 May, when he facilitates

a Sign Industry Education Round Table panel discussion featuring Visual Connections education committee chair and Starleaton CEO Ben Eaton, ASGA education committee chair Damian Nielsen, TAFE NSW’s Paul Richards and AusSIP’s John Watters.

PVCA CEO Kellie Northwood will then facilitate a leaders panel on the topic of “Business success for 2023 and beyond”, discussed by Eaton, Cactus Imaging’s Keith Ferrel, Resolve’s Sean Kelly and CV Media & Signage’s Damian Nielson.

The afternoon sessions include talks by Australian Business Lawyers & Advisors Kate Thomson, discussing key “to do” items focussing on being business compliant, as well as Velflex’s Ben Carroll, who will cover top tips for heat pressing transfers.

The program on 4 May includes one more session by Kate Thomson, followed by consultant Sandra Duarte who will provide guidance on attracting and retaining top talent.

In the afternoon, Keith Ferrel, Ben Carroll

and Sandra Durarte will share tips that can be implemented to give a business the best chance of success now and into the future. This will be followed by a session on visa and employment contract considerations related to the sign industry, presented by Hicksons Lawyers’ Warwick Ryan and Simonne Pengelly.

On 5 May, the program will round off with a Q&A session on Leasing and Business Finance, delivered by EcoLease’s Marian Taggart Holland and facilitated by Visual Connections’ Robyn Frampton.

The final session will feature a Q&A on the topic “Wrap Industry Trends – 2023 and Beyond”, facilitated by Grafico’s Damian Corney, Liberty Signs’ David Cross and Signageworld’s Derek Michalanney.

The Visual Impact Seminar Program will run from 10pm to 6pm on 3 and 4 May, and from 10am to 4pm on 5 May during the Visual Impact show at the Sydney Showground in Sydney Olympic Park.

The program is free for industry professionals to attend, but bookings are essential. The Visual Connections website has all the details.

Visual Impact will provide printers with the opportunity to speak to product and technical specialists.

Students can meet with current TAFE apprentices and industry leaders at Visual Impact to get an unique insight into the industry and career opportunities.

EPSON SAYS YES TO SUCCESS

CMYKhub TO SHOWCASE DESIGN DESK

CMYKhub will showcase its Design Desk and online subscription, graphic design and prepress platform at Visual Impact Expo.

At this year’s show Epson’s theme is, “Say Yes to Success” as the company demonstrates that the more solutions you offer your clients, the more work you can take on. Epson will also be showing companies how they can reduce their equipment footprint in smaller spaces and exhibiting the breadth and flexibility of their waste-reducing print products and solutions.

On display will be Epson SureColor T7760D, which combines high-speed production and flexible media handling in an extremely compact footprint, Epson SureColor S80660L will be showing why it was designed to produce durable images with maximum impact and format flexibility, quickly, easily, and at minimum cost.

Epson’s new resin range, the SureColor R5000L will also be on display. It i uses aqueous (waterbased) ink that is similar to latex but formulated for enhanced scratch resistance and a lower curing temperature.

Visitors can also view the Epson SureColor V7000 UV flatbed printer, which is powered by no less than eight PrecisionCore™ printheads and a new UltraChrome UV ink, as well as the Epson SureColor F6460 fourth generation 44-inch mode, made to suit a wide range of production applications from customised fabric and garments to quality décor and merchandise, premium hard and soft signage.

In addition, Epson will also be showing its latest solutions for direct-to-garment (DTG) and directto-film (DTF).

Epson Australia’s new product manager, Shuhei Sato will also join the Epson team at the show this year.

Design Desk was launched in 2020 providing the print industry with access to a whole team of graphic designers and prepress operators at the click of a button. Design Desk has also provided many businesses including designers and creative agencies the ability to scale quickly at a very low cost. It’s simply the most profitable way to sell design as a service.

The multi-level monthly subscription web platform connects the Australian Visual Media industry to CMYKhub’s team of qualified designers. Users simply select from the list of services, whether it be adding bleed to existing artwork or creating a printed product from scratch. Collaboration with the design team is easy via the Design Desk workflow. Anyone can instantly become a Creative Director to manage their artwork without any formal training.

CMYKhub’s National Communications Manager, Glen Francis explains that Design Desk was particularly useful to businesses earlier this year when the pandemic struck down much of Australia’s workforce.

“Design Desk never calls in sick and never goes on holidays, it is a

dependable resource. Many of our early subscribers have also utilised the service to be that extra half a staff member they need when they get busy or their designer needs to concentrate on a complex job,' he says.

Design Desk in numbers looks like this:

• Four Subscription levels starting at $239+GST per month

• Five days a week, 11 hours a day of qualified designers working on your artwork

• 45 days you can pause your account if business is quiet

• $50,000 per year saving when you compare the premium subscription to hiring a full-time designer

Attendees are encouraged to pre-book a demo or visit Stand F14 to learn how some printers are saving up to $50,000 a year on graphic design and prepress expenses.

“Visual Impact provides CMYKhub with the opportunity to share samples from its brand-new roll label department launching around the same time as the expo,” Francis adds. “Drop by to discuss trade label printing opportunities with the team.

Epson SureColor S80660L

WE’RE BACK FOR BUSINESS

Pozitive demonstrates streamline production at Visual Impact

Pozitive is an Australian owned and family run supplier for the sign graphics and wide format print industry, and a leader in hardware, software and consumable solutions. For over 30 years, it has been helping Australian manufacturers streamline their production.

The company’s in-house professional team can implement a complete, bespoke solution, from equipment advice and sales, installations, on-site training, colour management, to preventative maintenance.

Visitors to Visual Impact, which runs from 3 - 5 May at Sydney Olympic Park, can see the following technology in action at the Pozitive stand:

SUMMA F1612 FLATBED CUTTER

Summa’s professional F-Series flatbed cutting system is an innovative and versatile solution for producing a broad variety of signage, displays, samples, packaging applications, and more.

SUMMA S ONE AND S CLASS 2 SERIES ROLL CUTTERS WITH AUTOMATED BARCODE WORKFLOW

NYALA 4

This modular and versatile swissQprint flatbed printer has been the “undisputed leader” in Europe since 2015.

swissQprint says that its quality has been redefined with its Generation 4 flatbed printer, which combines the latest print head technology with technical sophistication.

Nyala 4 features high calibre print heads capable of resolutions up to 1350 dpi. This together with swissQprint's trademark high-precision droplet placement opens new horizons in output quality.

swissQprint is the only printer in its class with ISO certified energy efficiency, and also offers Greenguard Gold certified inks, low energy consumption with LED lamps and an amazing long life with low maintenance, making it the ideal flatbed printer for the future. The ‘Tip Switch’ vacuum makes working extremely fast, super simple and more light-handed, allowing full fingertip control of the finely segmented vacuum table.

It begins from the base unit, which offers five models that are configured with the modules and tools you need for your applications and the various media handling add-ons. Additionally, the included GoProduce software enables you to operate the cutter with ease and set up a productive workflow.

The Summa F Series includes several powerful elements to combine into your ideal cutting solution. The tools and options can be acquired at any stage. The multifunctional head can hold up to three modules at once, with the tools, knives and routers you prefer. Summa F Series is the world’s most versatile flatbed cutting system and is an industry favourite in Australia.

CALDERARIP

CalderaRIP is a complete RIP software helping print service providers streamline their production by using a single solution to drive all their printers and cutters.

RITRAMA PRINT MEDIA

European-produced Ritrama Print Media is a complete range of self-adhesive vinyl solutions for print and sign applications, and can be printed using solvent, eco-solvent and UV ink-jet printing techniques.

The Summa S One Series drag knife cutters have a vibrant colour touchscreen, fast and reliable ethernet connection and improved processing speed. The S Class 2 models offer a more robust design with dual drive motors and the option of a tangential cutting head. All Summa roll cutters can kiss cut and flex cut (through cut) pre-print printed material and include the barcode workflow. This allows the cutter to automatically read the barcode and identify the job to be cut, allowing for full automation. Summa roll cutters are renowned for their accuracy and reliability.

Customer service, quality, and making its heat transfer vinyl in Italy are the values that have always set B-FLEX apart.

The story of B-Flex is told through the company's products: not just the BF700A series, said to be one of the best Heat Transfer Vinyl on the market, and the GIMME5 series, which in just four seconds at 140°C can be transferred on the garment, but also the other 250 products in its catalogue and its industry-leading projects.

B-FLEX

Nyala 4 swissQprint flatbed printer: “undisputed leader” in Europe since 2015.

Summa F1612 Flatbed Cutter

Summa S Class 2 Series roll cutter

Customer service, quality, and making its heat transfer vinyl in Italy are the values that have always set B-FLEX apart

FESPA Global Print Expo 2023: will you be there?

‘New Perspectives’ is the tag for FESPA Global Print Expo 2023, which takes place at the Munich Messe in May, and will run alongside European Sign Expo 2023 and the all-new Personalisation Experience. Michael Ryan, head of Global Print Expo, FESPA presents the highlights of these not-to-be-missed events.

In just a few weeks, we’ll be opening the door to FESPA Global Print Expo 2023, European Sign Expo 2023 and our brand-new Personalisation Experience at Messe Munich, Germany, from 23-26 May 2023.

This year, our events carry the strapline ‘New Perspectives’. This highlights the need for businesses to move on from ‘survival mode’ by sharing and discussing ideas and experiences and looking at problems from different angles to see business opportunities, including new vertical markets and applications.

With more than 470 exhibitors already contracted as I write, FESPA Global Print

Expo, European Sign Expo and Personalisation Experience 2023 will offer our visitors a wealth of product innovations for digital, screen and textile printing and signage.

And we’re pleased to welcome back over 95 returning suppliers, including DP Solutions, eurolaser, INX, Lüscher Technologies, Marabu, SPS TechnoScreen, Vastex International and Vivid Laminating Technologies who were unable to attend the events in the last two years due to the pandemic and travel restrictions.

EUROPEAN SIGN EXPO 2023

European Sign Expo 2023 will showcase the latest developments in signage and

visual communications. Taking place in Hall A2, we’re looking to welcome 50 per cent more exhibitors compared with Berlin, with over 55 leading industry suppliers set to showcase innovative solutions for channel lettering, dimensional signage, engraving and etching, LED and sign tools, and more.

The popular Sustainability Spotlight material showcase, which was launched at FESPA Global Print Expo 2022, is returning, highlighting sustainably produced applications to help printers make more environmentally conscious choices.

World Wrap Masters is back too, with free training workshops, an expanded

At the time of press, 470 exhibitors had been confirmed for FESPA Global Print Expo 2023

programme of demonstrations and the live action wrapping competition. Visitors can see wrappers perform a series of timed tasks and battle it out for the title of 'World Wrap Master 2023' in what is always a high-energy final.

And for the first time since 2020, visitors will also be able to explore a gallery of the shortlisted FESPA Awards 2023 entries from printers worldwide.

PERSONALISATION EXPERIENCE

We’re very excited to introduce our new Personalisation Experience in 2023. The event will comprise an experiential showcase of personalisationenabling products and solutions from a range of suppliers, including Antigro, Brother, Dreamscape, Infigo, Optimus, Printbox, Print & Logistics, Taopix and XMPie, as well as a multi-day conference programme.

CONFERENCE PROGRAMME AND ‘PERSONALISATION ZONE’

Moderated by Richard Askam, TEDx speaker and FESPA’s personalisation ambassador, the conference programme will delve into the psychology of personalisation, how to implement customised customer experiences, and provide more detail on technologies enabling personalisation.

Geared towards brand owners, retailers, marketers, agencies, and membership and loyalty organisations, we’ll also

explore how businesses can harness personalisation and customisation to enhance or differentiate their offering.

Confirmed speakers to date, include:

• Dr Frank Piller – Professor of Management and Head of the Institute for Technology and Innovation Management at RWTH Aachen University

• Paul Currie – Chairman of YPP

• Justin Cairns – Head of Offline Production at Ogilvy

• Pascal Delfosse – Owner of Glaznost Print Production Agency

• Chloe Combi – Author, Brand Advisor and Researcher on Gen Z and Gen A

• Sabine Huijskes – Innovation Manager at Moonpig/Greetz Group

• Hannah Groom – Ecommerce Project Management at Tony’s Chocolonely

Visitors can also access the ‘Personalisation Zone’ which will offer a lounge and retail area where visitors can go through the process of defining, ordering, and collecting personalised items delivered by participating exhibitors.

Join us in Munich to gain a ‘New Perspective’ and explore how you can capitalise on trends such as automation, personalisation and sustainability, and address challenges, turning past problems into future opportunities.

For more information and to register, visit: https://www.fespaglobalprintexpo.com/.

For the first time since 2020, visitors will also be able to explore a gallery of the shortlisted FESPA Awards 2023 entries from printers worldwide

We look forward to welcoming the readers of ProPrint to Munich in May!

EXHIBITORS AND SPONSORS

Durst, Epson EFI, HP, Fujifilm, Agfa, Zund, swissQprint, Neschen Coating and Summa will be exhibiting at the show, along with many other major companies.

Durst and Surfex Interior Film are platinum sponsors of the event, while gold sponsors include Brother, Hanglory, HP and Mimaki.

Mike Ryan, head – FESPA Global Print Expo

JOIN DURST AT THE FESPA GLOBAL 2023 PRINT TOUR

Durst welcomes its Australian and New Zealand printers to join the company at its Fespa Global 2023 Print Tour and discover the latest innovations in printing technology.

In addition to the huge booth that Durst will have at Fespa in Munich, the company will be opening the doors to its premises in Brixen, Italy, where attendees will be able to explore the latest developments in digital printing, finishing and converting technology. While in Munich, visit Durst at its home!

Durst will be showcasing the latest of its technologies at its Customer Experience Centre, where attendees will take a factory tour, speak to its technical experts and enjoy a delicious lunch while seeing all of its printers in action. Durst Oceania will be organising a special Oceania Two-Day Event in Brixen on 21 May and 22 May.

See continuous live demonstrations of Durst’s top-of-the-line equipment, including the:

• P5 500i D4 – a press that maximises the productivity of the P5 UV series printing systems through the implementation of a double CMYK colour configuration.

• P5 350 HS – a hybrid solution for roll and board printing up to 3.5m and reaches a productivity up to 650 square metres per hour. Fast media change, easy maintenance handling and full safety render the printing process as way more efficient.

• P5 350 HS D4 with Automat –a hybrid solution with all the benefits of the P5 350 HS D4, plus Automat, which is a flexible automated inline solution which can manage up to two lanes with different board sizes – up to 3.5m width, 2.2m length and a loading capacity of 90cm.

• P5 TEX iSUB – a large format dyesublimation printer with an integrated inline fixation (iSUB) technology for a

one-step direct to fabrics printing process up to 337cm printing width. The integrated features of multi-roll and dual-roll printing make the printer very versatile and suitable for many soft signage and fabrics applications.

• TAU series – a platform that sets the benchmark in industrial digital UV inkjet label printing. Thanks to its outstanding performance, the TAU RSC platform is a game changer in short run production and transferring medium/long run flexo jobs to digital.

• Durst Alpha Wallpaper Edition – the most productive digital printing system on the market, with a production capacity of over 1,500 rolls per day or up to 1.2 million linear metres per year. In addition to productivity and outstanding colour consistency across the entire print width or run length, it also delivers on TCO.

Durst Oceania managing director Matt Ashman said, “Durst sits in the high quality and high production end of the market but

there are two sides to that story. First, we know people want to produce reasonable volumes quickly and at a high quality, but we are seeing that turnaround time is more important than capacity.

“There is also a misconception that Durst caters for only high-volume large companies. Nothing could be further from the truth. Across several print sectors, Durst solutions are ideal for businesses of all sizes. When you look at the production footprint and labour footprint of a Durst machine, you can see how having one Durst printer can free up people, who can be better purposed in other parts of the business.

“Durst builds the most technologically advanced printing machines in the world. It delivers a commercial business proposition with a return on investment that can’t be ignored. With a single operator, you can deliver a world class result. Durst provides automation and efficiencies with greater reliability. From the Durst entry level label printer to the wide format P5 platform, which

is designed for versatility, our solutions continue to surpass our customers’ requirements.”

Plus, at the Fespa Global 2023 Print Tour, attendees will be able to discover how Durst’s innovative printing technology and substrates can help them to reach their sustainability goals while providing unparalleled quality.

In addition to this exciting print tour, Durst is inviting attendees to experience the rich culture and history of Brixen. Take a stroll through the historic old town, admire the unique architecture of this dual German/Italian city, and indulge in local delicacies.

“Don’t miss this fantastic opportunity to network, learn, and explore. We look forward to hosting you and your team!” Ashman said.

Reserve your place today by contacting our Durst Oceania managing director Matt Ashman at matt.ashman@durst-group.com.

P5 500i D4

P5 350 HS D4 with Automat

TAU series

Alpha Wallpaper Edition

P5 350HS

P5 TEX iSUB

The new blueprint for wide format

The new blueprint for wide format

The new blueprint for wide format

A true flatbed with a unique and exceptional design.

A true flatbed with a unique and exceptional design.

A true flatbed with a unique and exceptional design.

A true flatbed with a unique and exceptional design.

The IF Design Award winning Acuity Prime offers high quality printing on a range of rigid and flexible media across five dedicated vacuum zones. Using our Uvijet HM LED UV inks and jettable primer, bold graphics and fine text can be reproduced with variable drop sizes from 7 to 21 picolitres for near photographic quality.

The IF Design Award winning Acuity Prime offers high quality printing on a range of rigid and flexible media across five dedicated vacuum zones. Using our Uvijet HM LED UV inks and jettable primer, bold graphics and fine text can be reproduced with variable drop sizes from 7 to 21 picolitres for near photographic quality.

The IF Design Award winning Acuity Prime offers high quality printing on a range of rigid and flexible media across five dedicated vacuum zones. Using our Uvijet HM LED UV inks and jettable primer, bold graphics and fine text can be reproduced with variable drop sizes from 7 to 21 picolitres for near photographic quality.

The IF Design Award winning Acuity Prime offers high quality printing on a range of rigid and flexible media across five dedicated vacuum zones. Using our Uvijet HM LED UV inks and jettable primer, bold graphics and fine text can be reproduced with variable drop sizes from 7 to 21 picolitres for near photographic quality.

Visit acuityprimeseries.com for more information or contact your local FUJIFILM representative to request print samples and organise a demonstration.

Visit acuityprimeseries.com for more information or contact your local FUJIFILM representative to request print samples and organise a demonstration.

Visit acuityprimeseries.com for more information or contact your local FUJIFILM representative to request print samples and organise a demonstration.

Visit fujifilm.com/au/en, scan the QR code or contact your local FUJIFILM representation to request print samples and organise a demonstration.

FUJIFILM Australia1300 650 504

FUJIFILM Australia1300 650 504

FUJIFILM Australia1300 650 504

FUJIFILM Australia 1300 650 504

FUJIFILM Business Innovation Australia 13 14 12

FUJIFILM Business Innovation Australia 13 14 12

FUJIFILM Business Innovation Australia 13 14 12

FUJIFILM Business Innovation Australia 13 14 12

FUJIFILM and Fujifilm Value from Innovation are trademarks of

FUJIFILM and Fujifilm Value from Innovation are trademarks of FUJIFILM Corporation. ©2021 FUJIFILM Corporation. All rights reserved.

©2021

All rights reserved.

FUJIFILM and FUJIFILM Value from Innovation are trademarks of FUJIFILM Corporation. ©2023 FUJIFILM Corporation. All rights reserved.

FUJIFILM and Fujifilm Value from Innovation are trademarks of FUJIFILM Corporation. ©2021 FUJIFILM Corporation. All rights reserved.

For enquiries, please contact: Carmen Ciappara, National Sales Manager Direct: 02 9833 4314 or 0410 582 450 | Email: carmen@proprint.com.au

SEEKS URGENT HELP FOR NEW HOME

We are the only live printing Museum in Australia and could potentially be out of a home in as soon as six months following the NSW Government’s proposed acquisition of The Penrith Paceway.

Do you know of someone who has space for us, preferably in Western Sydney?

We seek around 600 square metres that can accommodate us rent free for the long-term.

See our full story on Sprinter News.

Visit: http:www.printingmuseum.org.au

SERIES DIE CUTTER

PRESENTS

SERIES DI CUTTER

SERIES DIE CUTTER

The Insignia is a sheet-fed

The Insignia is a sheet-fed flexo magnetic die cutte for production-driven operatio

A TRUE GUIDE & GRIP REGI SYSTEM ENSURE SHEET-TO-SHEET

Automatic folder gluers for solid board & corrugated boards

INSIGNIA

INSIGNIA

INSIGNIA

INSIGNIA

Technofold Folder Gluer is designed to run max. speed of 300m/min with solid board ranging from 170-800gsm and3 Ply Litho-laminated cartons up to 20mm folded thickness

W/ RECEDING

INSIGNIAS W/ RECEDING

INSIGNIAS W/ RECEDING S

INSIGNIAS W/ RECEDING

INSIGNIA

Smartfold Classic Folder Gluer is designed to run max. speed of 400m/min with solid board ranging from 170-800gsm and 3 Ply Litho-laminated cartons up to 15mm folded thickness

Same machine as Box 1 but is upgradable to add the automatic continuous feeder PLUS an automatic delivery table

Same machine as Box 1 but is upgradable to add the automatic continuous feeder PLUS an automatic delivery table

A TRUE GUIDE & GRIP REGISTER SYSTEM ENSURE-SHEET TO-SHEET ACCURACY. SIDE PULL GUIDE CAPABLE OF PULLING EITHER LEFT OR RIGHT TO MATCH PRESS REGISTER EDGES.

A TRUE GUIDE & GRIP REGISTER SYSTEM ENSURE SHEET-TO-SHEET ACCURACY. SIDE PULL GUIDE CAPABLE OF PULLING EITHER LEFT OR RIGHT TO MATCH PRESS REGISTER EDGES.

ACCURACY. SIDE PULL GUIDE CAPABLE OF PULLING EITHER LEFT OR RIGHT TO MATCH REGISTER EDGES.

TRUE GUIDE & GRIP REGISTER S TEM ENSURE-SHEET TO-SHEET CURACY. SIDE PULL GUIDE IS PABLE OF PULLING EITHER LEFT OR RIGHT TO MATCH PRESS REGISTER EDGES.

A TRUE GUIDE & GRIP REGI SYSTEM ENSURE SHEET-TO-SHEET ACCURACY. SIDE PULL GUIDE CAPABLE OF PULLING EITHER LEFT OR RIGHT TO MATCH REGISTER EDGES.

A TRUE GUIDE & GRIP REGISTER SYSTEM ENSURE SHEET-TO-SHEET

ACCURACY. SIDE PULL GUIDE CAPABLE OF PULLING EITHER LEFT OR RIGHT TO MATCH PRESS REGISTER EDGES.

Smartfold Ultra X Folder Gluer is designed to run max. Speed of 500m/min with solid board ranging from 170-800gsm and 3 Ply Litho-laminated cartons up to 15mm folded thickness

OP SUCTION AIR FEEDER IS POWERED VIA A BUILT IN BLOWER PUMP IN THE ACHINE. AN OPERATOR CAN INDEPENDENTLY ADJUST OLUMES OF BOTH BLOW & SUCTION TO ADJUST FOR THE WIDEST RANGE OF MATERIALS POSSIBLE. INDEPENDENT

A TRUE GUIDE & GRIP REGISTER SYSTEM ENSURE SHEET-TO-SHEET ACCURACY. SIDE PULL GUIDE CAPABLE OF PULLING EITHER LEFT OR RIGHT TO MATCH PRESS REGISTER EDGES.

A TOP SUCTION AIR FEEDER IS POWERED VIA A BUIL T IN BLOWER PUMP IN THE MACHINE. AN OPERATOR CAN INDEPENDENTLY ADJUST VOLUMES OF BOTH BLOW SUCTION TO ADJUST FOR WIDEST RANGE OF MATERIALS POSSIBLE. INDEPENDENT SUCKER HEADS CAN BE ADJUSTED TO SHEET SIZE.

A TOP SUCTION AIR FEEDER IS POWERED VIA A BUILT IN BLOWER PUMP IN THE MACHINE. AN OPERATOR CAN INDEPENDENTLY ADJUST VOLUMES OF BOTH BLOW & SUCTION TO ADJUST FOR THE WIDEST RANGE OF MATERIALS POSSIBLE. INDEPENDENT SUCKER HEADS CAN BE ADJUSTED TO SHEET SIZE.

A TRUE GUIDE & GRIP REGI SYSTEM ENSURE SHEET-TO-SHEET ACCURACY. SIDE PULL GUIDE CAPABLE OF PULLING EITHER LEFT OR RIGHT TO MATCH REGISTER EDGES. A TOP SUCTION AIR FEEDER IS POWERED VIA A BUILT IN BLOWER PUMP IN THE MACHINE. AN OPERATOR CAN INDEPENDENTLY ADJUST VOLUMES OF BOTH BLOW SUCTION TO ADJUST FOR WIDEST RANGE OF MATERIALS POSSIBLE. INDEPENDENT SUCKER HEADS CAN BE O SHEET SIZE.

A TOP SUCTION AIR FEEDER IS POWERED VIA A BUIL T IN BLOWER PUMP IN THE MACHINE. AN OPERATOR CAN INDEPENDENTLY ADJUST VOLUMES OF BOTH BLOW & SUCTION TO ADJUST FOR THE WIDEST RANGE OF MATERIALS POSSIBLE. INDEPENDENT SUCKER HEADS CAN BE O SHEET SIZE.

A TOP SUCTION AIR FEEDER IS POWERED VIA A BUIL T IN BLOWER PUMP IN THE MACHINE. AN OPERATOR CAN INDEPENDENTLY ADJUST VOLUMES OF BOTH BLOW SUCTION TO ADJUST FOR WIDEST RANGE OF MATERIALS POSSIBLE. INDEPENDENT HEADS CAN BE O SHEET SIZE.

A TOP SUCTION AIR FEEDER IS POWERED VIA A BUILT IN BLOWER PUMP IN THE MACHINE. AN OPERATOR CAN INDEPENDENTLY ADJUST VOLUMES OF BOTH BLOW & SUCTION TO ADJUST FOR THE WIDEST RANGE OF MATERIALS POSSIBLE. INDEPENDENT HEADS CAN BE O SHEET SIZE.

A TOP SUCTION AIR FEEDER IS POWERED VIA A BUIL T IN BLOWER PUMP IN THE MACHINE. AN OPERATOR CAN INDEPENDENTLY ADJUST VOLUMES OF BOTH BLOW & SUCTION TO ADJUST FOR THE ATERIALS POSSIBLE. INDEPENDENT HEADS CAN BE O SHEET SIZE.

O SHEET SIZE.

RECESSED SCRIBE LINE ON HINES ONSISTENT DIE MOUNTING & ENSURES DIE OOLS ARE HUNG PARALLEL & CENTERED.

RECESSED SCRIBE LINE ON GNETIC MACHINES , CONSISTENT DIE MOUNTING & ENSURES

RECESSED SCRIBE LINE ON ACHINES

RECESSED SCRIBE LINE ON GNETIC MACHINES , CONSISTENT

HUNG PARALLEL

ONSISTENT

RECESSED SCRIBE LINE ON GNETIC MACHINES ONSISTENT DIE MOUNTING & ENSURES DIE ARALLEL CENTERED.

RECESSED SCRIBE LINE ON ACHINES

DIE MOUNTING & ENSURES

RECESSED SCRIBE LINE ON GNETIC MACHINES , CONSISTENT DIE MOUNTING & ENSURES TOOLS ARE HUNG PARALLEL CENTERED.

DIE MOUNTING & ENSURES DIE TOOLS ARE HUNG PARALLEL & CENTERED.

ALLOW FOR FAST, CONSISTENT DIE MOUNTING & ENSURES DIE TOOLS ARE HUNG PARALLEL & CENTERED.

TOOLS ARE HUNG PARALLEL CENTERED.

RECESSED SCRIBE LINE ON SINGLE MAGNETIC MACHINES ALLOW FOR FAST, CONSISTENT DIE MOUNTING & ENSURES DIE TOOLS ARE HUNG PARALLEL & CENTERED.

Megafold Folder Gluer is designed to run max. Speed of 300m/min with solid board ranging from 250-1200gsm and 3 Ply Litholaminated and 5 Ply corrugated cartons up to 25mm folded thickness

A PIN MOUNT SYSTEM ON MAGNETIC MACHINES ENSURE THE ALIGNMENT OF THE P SET OF DIE T OOLS. CYLINDERS ALSO HAVE BUILT-IN MICR ADJUSTMENT CAPABILITIES ENSURE MATING.

A PIN MOUNT SYSTEM ON DU MAGNETIC MACHINES ENSURE THE ALIGNMENT OF THE PAIRED SET OF DIE TOOLS. CYLINDERS ALSO HAVE BUILT-IN MICROADJUSTMENT CAPABILITIES T ENSURE MATING.

APIN MOUNT S YSTEM ON DUAL MAGNETIC MACHINES ENSURE THE ALIGNMENT OF THE P SET OF DIE T OOLS. CYLINDERS ALSO HAVE BUILT-IN MICR ADJUSTMENT CAPABILITIES TING.

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APIN MOUNT S YSTEM ON DUAL MAGNETIC MACHINES ENSURE THE ALIGNMENT OF THE PAIRED SET OF DIE T OOLS. CYLINDERS -IN MICROABILITIES TO

Scan to watch

A PIN MOUNT SYSTEM ON MAGNETIC MACHINES ENSURE THE ALIGNMENT OF THE P SET OF DIE T OOLS. CYLINDERS ALSO HAVE BUILT-IN MICR TMENT CAPABILITIES TING.

PIN MOUNT SYSTEM ON DU MAGNETIC MACHINES ENSURE THE ALIGNMENT OF THE PAIRED OOLS. CYLINDERS -IN MICROABILITIES TO

ULIC PRESSURE ASSEMBLIES ARE ADJUSTED K WHEEL. INFINITE ABLE UP TO 3,000 PSI CUTTING PRESSURE IS AVAI UGES ENABLE OPERATOR DETERMINE MINIMUM PRESSURES O EXTEND DIE LIFE.

ULIC PRESSURE ASSEMBLIES ARE ADJUSTED EASI K WHEEL. INFINITE O 3,000 PSI CUTTING PRESSURE IS AVAIL ABLE. UGES ENABLE OPERATOR DETERMINE MINIMUM PRESSURES O EXTEND DIE LIFE.

A PIN MOUNT SYSTEM ON DU MAGNETIC MACHINES ENSURE THE ALIGNMENT OF THE PAIRED SET OF DIE T OOLS. CYLINDERS ALSO HAVE BUILT-IN MICROADJUSTMENT CAPABILITIES TO ULIC PRESSURE ASSEMBLIES ARE ADJUSTED EASI K WHEEL. INFINITE O 3,000 PSI OF CUTTING PRESSURE IS AVAIL ABLE. UGES ENABLE OPERATOR T DETERMINE MINIMUM PRESSURES O EXTEND DIE LIFE.

ULIC PRESSURE ASSEMBLIES ARE ADJUSTED K WHEEL. INFINITE ABLE UP TO 3,000 PSI CUTTING PRESSURE IS AVAI UGES ENABLE OPERATOR DETERMINE MINIMUM PRESSURES O EXTEND DIE LIFE.

ULIC PRESSURE ASSEMBLIES ARE ADJUSTED EASI K WHEEL. INFINITE O 3,000 PSI OF CUTTING PRESSURE IS AVAIL ABLE.

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ULIC PRESSURE ASSEMBLIES ARE ADJUSTED K WHEEL. INFINITE ABLE UP TO 3,000 PSI CUTTING PRESSURE IS AVAI UGES ENABLE OPERATOR DETERMINE MINIMUM PRESSURES TO EXTEND DIE LIFE.

PIN MOUNT SYSTEM ON DUAL AGNETIC MACHINES ENSURE THE ALIGNMENT OF THE PAIRED SET OF DIE TOOLS. CYLINDERS ALSO HAVE BUILT-IN MICROABILITIES TO ULIC PRESSURE ASSEMBLIES ARE ADJUSTED EASI K WHEEL. INFINITEL O 3,000 PSI OF CUTTING PRESSURE IS AVAIL ABLE. UGES ENABLE OPERATOR TO DETERMINE MINIMUM PRESSURES O EXTEND DIE LIFE.

UGES ENABLE OPERATOR T DETERMINE MINIMUM

TO EXTEND DIE LIFE.

ULIC PRESSURE ASSEMBLIES ARE ADJUSTED EASI K WHEEL. INFINITE O 3,000 PSI OF CUTTING PRESSURE IS AVAIL ABLE. GAUGES ENABLE OPERATOR T DETERMINE MINIMUM PRESSURES TO EXTEND DIE

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT OUR HEAD OFFICE Unit 1G, 1-3 Endeavour Road, Caringbah NSW 2229, email: info@graph-pak.com.au

Toll Free: 1300 885 550 www.gra ph-pak.com.au

Enquiries: info@graph-pak.com.au

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT OUR HEAD OFFICE Unit 1G, 1-3 Endeavour Road, Caringbah NSW 2229, email: info@graph-pak.com.au Toll Free: 1300 885 550 www.gra ph-pak.com.au

Toll Free: 1300 885 550 www.gra ph-pak.com.au

Toll Free: 1300 885 550 www.gra ph-pak.com.au

G, 1-3 Endeavour Road, Caringbah NSW 2229, email: info@graph-pak.com.au Toll Free: 1300 885 550 www.gra ph-pak.com.au

Caringbah NSW 2229, email: info@graph-pak.com.au

The Insignia is a sheet-fed flexo magnetic die cutte for production-driven operatio an a ordable price point.

INSIGNIAS ACKER

The Insignia is a sheet-fed flexo magnetic die cutte for production-driven operatio a a ordabl pric point.

The Insignia is a sheet-fed, flexo magnetic die cutter designed for production-driven operatio an a ordable price point.

Folding gluing machine

The Insignia is a sheet-fed rota y flexo magnetic die cutte for production-driven operatio an a ordable price point.

The Insignia is a sheet-fed flexo magnetic die cutte for production-driven operation at an a ordable price point.

The Insignia is a sheet-fed, rotar y, flexo magnetic die cutter designed for production-driven operation at an a ordable price point.

Folding gluing machine with hand feeder and delivery table

TER GUIDE IS EITHER PRESS CAN THE TERIALS HINES TENT DIE & UAL ENSURE AIRED CYLINDERS TO EASILY INFINITELY OF ABLE. TO PRESSURES

ARALLEL & DUAL ENSURE PAIRED OABILITIES TO TED EASILY INFINITELY PSI OF AIL ABLE. OR TO PRESSURES