Space Asia Magazine Issue 3 - Dec 2015

F E R E N T D I F L Y K I N H T

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SPace Asia • ISSUE 03 • DECEMBER 2015

T E X T I L E C O N F E R E N C E • B A N G KO K • N OV E M B E R 2 0 1 6

Visionaries NOV

to s g a r riches

2016

Conference Outline

D AYO N E IT’S THE PUSH

Understand the factors that are pushing digital textiles and the drivers in the market. DAY 1 is all about what the front end of the market wants and how the leading edge of technology is creating demand. Best for marketeers, graphic and fashion designers, art directors, corporate design units, communicators, educators and those who understand that a complete overview of the industry is the only view worth having.

f e at u r i n g

the

glad rags show

d I G I TA L FA s h I O N F O R A N E w A s I A An evening, catwalk style fashion event featuring the work of the best student fashion designers from across Asia

Sponsor Packages are available contact sales@visionmagazine.asia for bookings or call +61 414 288 148

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SPace Asia magazine • digitally PRINTed decoration • issue 03 DECEMBER 2015

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creativity 41 events 47

space asia magazine the new frontier

Published by Vision Asia Media 92 Dumbarton Road Canning Vale 6155 Western Australia

publisher ed boyes m +61 414 2881 48 @ sales m +61 414 2881 48 @ editorial m +61 414 2881 48 @ circulation @

editor@visionmagazine.asia sales@visionmagazine.asia editor@visionmagazine.asia info@visionmagazine.asia

Disclaimer: The Publisher makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information in this magazine however technical specifications, information, performance data, corporate legal obligations, warranties and guarantees may vary from country to country and are subject to change without notice. The Publisher accepts no responsibility for inaccuracies, errors, omissions, inconsistencies, technical or typographical errors. Opinions expressed are not necessarily the views of the Publisher. The Publisher reserves the right to publish material at its discretion.

T E X T I L E C O N F E R E N C E • B A N G KO K • N OV E M B E R 2 0 1 6

Visionaries NOV

to s g a r riches

2016

Conference Outline

D AY T W O I T ’ S T H E P U LL

See how print service providers and technology users can best service the demand from DAY 1 clients. DAY 2 is about the user end of the market - what technology means to printers and how best they can use it. These are the pull factors, end users asking technology vendors to deploy the right equipment to service the pushy people. Designed for users and print technology consumers and those who seek the big picture.

f e at u r i n g

the

glad rags show

d I G I TA L FA s h I O N F O R A N E w A s I A An evening, catwalk style fashion event featuring the work of the best student fashion designers from across Asia

Sponsor Packages are available contact sales@visionmagazine.asia for bookings or call +61 414 288 148

WORLD VIEW

THINK :

how everyone else see things

WORLD VIEW Fespa Printeriors 2016 introduces ‘The Print Hotel’ concept

Printeriors

2016 will take place from 8-11 March, in Amsterdam, alongside Fespa Digital 2016, demonstrating how print can be used to create statement interiors.

This year’s event will offer visitors a visual and interactive experience. Presented in the form of a hotel, it will demonstrate the possibilities for print showcased in 16 room sets from lounges, bathrooms and bedrooms through to cafes, bars, meeting rooms and shops.

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This application-focused showcase will illustrate the expanding diversification opportunities available for wide format printers and aims to inform and inspire both the print and design communities to stimulate awareness in this area.

The showcase will be supported by a one-day conference on Thursday 10 March dedicated to printed interior design. During the conference, visitors will be able to hear from industry experts including interior magazine editors, branding suppliers, large format kitchen design specialists and ceramic printing experts. The sessions will focus on a range of topics including design for the workplace, vinyl applications for interiors, printed furniture and how to bring images to life with large format printing.

Roz McGuinness, Divisional Director, Fespa, comments: “Printed interior decoration is a strong diversification area for wide format digital printers and is making waves in the interior design and architectural industries. Textile for decorative applications was also one of the main growth areas highlighted in the Fespa Print Census.

“We know that an increasing number of our core Fespa Digital community already offer solutions in this field, and therefore want to ensure that we are proactively highlighting the opportunities to those who may still be considering the value to them.”

Print Hotel The concept behind the new Printeriors ‘Print Hotel’ is to create a hotel decorated entirely with print, from reception areas, to bars and restaurants, guest rooms and bathrooms, meeting and retail spaces and is a showcase event for interior designers and architects being held at the RAI Amsterdam from 8-11 March 2016.

At the Hotel, interior designers can experience a showcase that features decorated walls, floors, glazed and mirrored surfaces, fixtures, furniture, carpets, decorative textiles and accessories, all produced using the latest decorative printing techniques.

The creative concept has been developed incorporating key trend colours from the Spring/ Summer 2016 colour palette to create a unified aesthetic across 16 individual room sets, each being delivered by a different print service provider. The event gives visiting designers the chance to explore a living mood board, showing them how they can work with digital print to bring their designs to life quickly and cost-effectively for a wide spectrum of interior spaces, both commercial and personal.

The latest digital printing technology is capable of printing direct onto a range of materials including wood, glass, concrete, ceramic and textile. Stunning decorative effects can also be achieved using coloured and textured or printed vinyls, which can be applied to virtually any three-dimensional surface.

Printeriors director Roz McGuinness explains: “Digital print gives today’s designers and architects a revolutionary toolkit, enabling them to realise their creative visions in innovative, flexible and more sustainable ways. It empowers designers to produce interior concepts that are truly unique, incorporating images or design elements that are individual to a particular client or space, but without the excessive costs associated with some conventional decorative processes. For every type of space, decorating with digital print enables designers to respond to clients’ growing appetite for designs to be refreshed more frequently, in line with evolving tastes or even to reflect seasonal changes.”

Visitors wanting to learn more about printed interiors can also reserve a place at the one-day Printeriors Conference on Thursday 10th March to hear from expert speakers - including an interior design editor and several successful designers and specialist producers - about the exciting role print has to play in contemporary interiors.

“Print is creating a quiet revolution in interior design, but many designers and architects have yet to discover its full potential to help them produce high impact designs at lower cost, reduce timescales for time-sensitive design projects, and embrace personalisation”, says Roz McGuinness. “With a visit to the Printeriors ‘Print Hotel’, supported by insights from the Printeriors Conference, designers will discover ideas and techniques that could radically change the way they approach every brief.”

WORLD VIEW IDC: further decline in large format printer shipments

According

to new data from the International Data Corporation (IDC ) Worldwide Quarterly Large Format Printer Tracker, large format printer (LFP) shipments declined -4% when compared to Q3 2014. “The third quarter is often the slowest quarter of the year in the global wide format business while the fourth quarter is often the strongest, as many print-for-pay shops take advantage of aggressive end-of-year manufacturer promotions. While aqueous inkjet printer shipments declined, shipments of large format UV and ecosolvent printers grew in the third quarter based on some model-end clear outs and price cuts. While Latex shipments declined slightly worldwide in 3Q15 compared to 2Q15, Latex printer shipments grew 5% year to date in 2015,” said Tim Greene, Research Director, US Large Format Printer Tracker

Segment Highlights

Vendor Highlights

The large format CAD/Technical printer market segment was soft in 3Q15, with shipments down in every region when compared to the third quarter of 2014.

However, new products from the top suppliers were introduced in 3Q15 that should drive a recovery in this segment in the fourth quarter and into 2016.

There was no change in the ranking of the top five suppliers in Q3 2015, although some market share shift can be seen in certain product segments. The softness in the CAD/ Technical market impacted HP somewhat, but HP is by far the top supplier of large format digital printing systems worldwide. HP saw sales grow in the Latex and UV segments in Q3 2015.

On the large format graphics side, new large format graphics printer shipments declined -1% year over year in Q3 2015. The decline of conventional aqueous inkjet graphics printers was offset somewhat by nearly 20% growth in large format UV-curable printers when compared to Q3 2014.

Canon remained number 2 among large format printer manufacturers with market share of approximately 21% of worldwide shipments when Canon and Canon-Oce units are combined.

Epson also maintained its position as the number 3 worldwide supplier to the large

format digital printer market. Epson is seeing nice growth in the dye-sublimation and technical printer segments and re-launched its eco-solvent inkjet printer units at the recent SGIA show.

Roland DG is the fourth-ranked supplier of large format printers worldwide based on its strength in the eco-solvent market and growing presence in UV and dye-sublimation. Roland also recently launched the new SOLJET EJ-640, a new flagship eco-solvent printer.

Mimaki maintained its number 5 position among large format printer manufacturers even as the company has reorganised some of its key distribution channels.

Other Highlights Overall, large format printer shipments in the Latin America region grew 10% in 3Q15 compared to the previous quarter, but were still down by -7% compared to the third quarter of 2014.

Modest large format graphics printer shipment

growth in North America was offset by declines in the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region while Asia/Pacific and Latin America were essentially flat. Canon/Oce and Ricoh were the leaders in the worldwide toner-based printer segment where shipments declined -7.5% year over year as users continue to shift

to colour inkjet for their wide format technical print volume. IDC tracks A2-A0+ devices in the LFP market which includes single-function printers, as well as multifunctional systems (MFPs). Data for all vendors are reported for calendar periods.

InfoTrends: packaging leads digital opportunities in China

CONSULTING

firm InfoTrends has completed a new study relating to digital production printing market opportunities in China. The Chinese printing market is still growing in revenue, lead by the packaging printing industry.

That being said, if packaging is excluded, the market is in decline. Like the whole economy, the print industry is moving to a “New Normal”.

POD: China 2015 forecasts that placements of the colour/B&W production printers will slightly decrease in 2015 and after that, the market is expected to increase in 2016. A certain amount

of quick printers’ business is still growing, and demands for replacements will continue.

InfoTrends has also found that China’s print industry is changing, from rapid expansion to a mature period and this will cause commercial printing companies to start thinking about the next differentiator. This will be the same evolution as in developed countries like Japan and these changes will drive the penetration of digital printers.

Additionally, this study will: Size and forecast China’s digital printing market

in terms of expected device placements, volume growth, growth by customer segments, and application growth Identify market trends and demand drivers for digital printing Uncover local market trends through interviews with top digital production printers, distributors, and print service providers Identify and track top local printer manufacturers and distributor activities Provide a guide to the distributions behaviour in the changing local markets Discover second-hand printer market trends in China More information from InfoTrends.

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WORLD VIEW Direct product decoration: a growth market for industrial inkjet Article by John Corrall Managing Director of Industrial Inkjet Ltd, the official sales and technical support centre for the industrial division for Konica Minolta

Words Images

John Corrall, Managing Director of Industrial Inkjet Ltd courtesy of Industrial Inkjet Ltd

Direct

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product decoration is one potential new market that will be a feature at drupa next year for brand owners to explore new opportunities. The technology is still really in its infancy, which means it can be difficult to get right and requires technical expertise that is still rare, but it also means that there are a very wide range of possibilities to produce something new, attractive and exciting, while potentially saving significant costs. It’s a game changer!

While inkjet is being used to add new features to products or packaging – right now high-build spot varnish seems to be very fashionable - the main request from the market is for very short runs or full personalisation.

Of course personalisation and customisation do not require direct product decoration. A product can be personalised by adding a variable label or shrink-sleeve or even an in-mould label. One limitation of that route is obviously that the product isn’t really being customised at the last moment. The series of labels or sleeves must be printed first. So you couldn’t use that technique to make a one-off personalised smart-phone cover with a picture of your favourite kitten (and even if you did, would it be physically tough enough to withstand daily wear and tear?).

But direct product decoration is also taking off where the run lengths might be thousands or tens of thousands, for example printing bottles, or tubes. Right now we are working on a large number of projects with some major industry players. Direct print of tubes seems to be the “next big thing”, but why is that? The simple answer is economics. No new technology ever takes off unless the economics works.

So what makes direct print more economic than the use of a label or sleeve? We realised what was happening about two or three years ago. To a tube manufacturer, the difference in cost between a digitally printed label and printing direct to the tube is not simply the cost of the label material.

It’s actually the profit of the label convertor that makes the difference. The tube manufacturer buys his labels from an outside label print company. If he starts to print direct to the tube then this will be an in-house process. His cost now is only the ink used. Roughly speaking, we are seeing costs-perprint of between 10 and 30% for direct print over digitally printed labels.

In any application with very high volumes and no variation printing, digitally versus conventionally will end up more expensive. For every application we have to work out the break-even volume for the customer and make sure this makes sense to him. The good news is that with direct print the cost-per-print is much lower and so the break even volume becomes much higher. Inkjet stays economically viable into some serious run-lengths.

We’ve all seen what Coca-Cola did with printing individual names directly on bottles. And before that Stella McCartney offered perfume where every bottle was different, the image being printed by inkjet direct to the glass bottle. Although these examples are still unusual we already have one customer in a different market, who has fully adopted inkjet into their production. It’s an internet company where you can buy novelty goods, particularly mobile phone covers, and have your own photo or image printed directly on them. It’s hands-off production – no human intervention.

Robots pick the part that’s printed by inkjet. This is a run-length of one item!

There is a feeling in the “design” industry that the desire to buy expensive branded goods is fading.

What comes next is personalisation. So you don’t any more want a bag with “Gucci” on it – you’d probably prefer a bag with a picture of your kitten on it!

Car number plates, sponges, perfume bottles, ear defenders and coffee cup sleeves are other examples of direct product decoration.

Here at IIJ we have visitors coming to us every day who have no experience of inkjet – but think it might be useful for their production process. It’s our job to find out if that is true for them. As well as the obvious print sample work (we produce over £300,000 worth of samples every year alone!), we spend a long time talking about how the inkjet system would need to fit into their production line.

We talk about issues like pre-treatment of the material, ink adhesion, resolution and print quality as well as post-print curing of the ink.

We provide complete solutions for the successful design and implementation of Konica Minolta’s industrial printheads, renowned for high print quality and reliability and we offer advice on any aspect of the use of inkjet technology in industrial applications, with direct product decoration a recognised strength of ours

WORLD VIEW

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www.indoprintpackplas.com www.pack-print.de

WORLD VIEW

drupa - Global Insights Report 2.0

THE

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initial summary of drupa’s 2nd Global Insights Report “Touch the future – Applications that can create growth” has been released with a full report on the way soon.

The report spells out what that good management practice should be and gives case studies to demonstrate the results in practice, demonstrating that good management practice in planning, integration and marketing delivers, on average, an additional $175,000 of annual turnover and $63,000 of additional profit compared with those with poor management habits. drupa said that nearly 750 printers from around the globe - members of drupa’s expert panel, participated in the survey to explore what new print applications they had implemented and what their experience had been. There was clear evidence of the efforts being made to diversify with 26 different applications reported at an average 2.8 applications per printer.

Some applications offered a quicker payback on average than others and the differences were not explained by the size of the original investment.

So for example in the publishing market, short run batch book production took on average more than double the time to payback than on-demand book production. And in the commercial market, business stationery applications took double the time to payback than multichannel marketing investments.

However in every market and with every application there were both successes and disappointments. So the survey asked printers how they had gone about the task in terms of planning, integration and marketing. There was clear evidence that good management practices meant

that on printers invested on average $70,000 more but gained $175,000 extra annual turnover and enjoyed an extra $63,000 profit. This was true in all markets and applications except packaging, where in some cases the evidence was that the reverse ie: those adopting good management practices gained less than those who did not. This suggests making some new applications take off in the packaging market is more challenging than other markets for structural reasons such as the complexities of the supply chain.

In the report these findings are set against the backdrop of an analysis of changes in the global demand for print and how print must exploit the very digital technologies that are driving the way that people, brands, corporates and governments communicate.

The demand for print and the impact of digital communications The world population, while near static in many developed regions, will grow overall for many years still, particularly in Asia and Africa. Add rising living standards and demand for print in many developing countries will continue to grow.

Nevertheless overall global demand for print has fallen, in part because of sluggish economic conditions but largely because of the rapid growth of digital communications.

The growth of the Internet is staggering – penetrating last year to 42% of the world population with ever-wider use of both mobile phones and social media (51% and 29% of world population respectively). There are fundamental shifts in the way that consumers communicate with each other and expect brands, corporates and governments to communicate with them.

Print can be a key part in those multichannel communications, but only if print exploits the very technologies that are driving change. Hence print advertising has fallen over the last 5 years at 6% compound annual rate but consumer spending on print has declined by only 1.5% compounded annually.

Print must exploit new applications with print technology and automated workflow New digital technologies are not only changing the way consumers communicate, they are changing the way that print can and must deliver customer needs if it is to remain relevant and central to communications. There are now more mobileconnected devices than people on earth. Data is now the core driver of increased business and handling and manipulating data must be a core skill for all printers if they are to thrive in the digital future. Print is still at heart a manufacturing industry and must combine data and intelligent devices with intelligent systems and automation to meet market needs.

Whilst analogue print will remain for many years to come, digital printing whether toner or increasingly ink-jet will be essential for growth and that in turn demands automated workflows.

Printers’ business models must evolve in line with the changing technology and examples are given in the report such as on-demand publishing, digital packaging, textiles and interior decorations.

The full report will be released in English and the Executive Summary will be available in Chinese, German, English, French, Portuguese, Russian and at www.drupa.com

Ceramics TEXTIleS & GARMENTS

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THINK : DESIGN MY LIFE

case study Sydney custom textile printer Materialised forges the way to digital dye sublimation

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When the company has a one or two day turnaround time, they can print up to 200m of fabric in 22 hrs

Materialised

, located in South West Sydney, is a leading supplier of custom furnishing textiles across Australia and New Zealand and has been for the past 35 years. Specialising in the production of decorative furnishings for areas where performance fabrics are required, the company’s customers come mostly from the hospitality and healthcare industries – hotels, hospitals and nursing homes.

Gary Price, Owner of Materialised, has been using Roland printers for their dye sublimation process for a number of years. The main benefit of dye sublimation being that the exact same custom pattern can be replicated across a number of different materials, from waterproof upholstery, drapery, tablecloths and beyond.

Initially, the digital printing process was conducted by one Roland printer for sampling purposes only, with full-scale production replicated off-shore.

However, as momentum for the business has grown, Gary purchased three PRO4 XF-640s and has moved a portion of its large-scale digital production in-house, with the company looking to go 100% digital in the next few years.

The move has been a great success due to the increased productivity the company has been able to achieve.

The machines have been quick and reliable, as print operator Carla Yeung explains: “The Roland printers… print really fast and the paper dries

really quickly. The great thing is that we can leave our Rolands to go overnight and print gloriously!”

This means that when the company has a one or two day turnaround time, they can still meet this deadline, printing up to 200m of fabric in 22 hrs as opposed to 50m per day.

With the market for textiles and soft signage ever expanding, Materialised is leading the way in the transition to digital and Roland DG are proud to be a key part of this process.

Gary concludes, “We set out to make a difference, and having the right tools that function predictably… we can make a difference… and we consider Roland to be the right tool“

Ceramics

STRENGTH AND STYLE 3 SIMPLY POWERFUL

SUBLIMATION PRINTING

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SPORTSWEAR & APPAREL

SOFT SIGNAGE

SPORTS ACCESSORIES

NEW TEXART XT-640 SUBLIMATION PRINTER DESIGNED FOR STRENGTH, POWER AND DURABILITY. THE XT-640 DYE SUBLIMATION TRANSFER PRINTER DELIVERS STUNNING COLOURS DAY-AFTER-DAY AT PRODUCTION PRINT SPEEDS OF 41 - 63M2 /H*, AND HIGH SPEED MODES UP TO 102M2 /H*. CHOOSE FROM DUAL CMYK OR 8 COLOUR INK CONFIGURATION, INCLUDING ORANGE AND VIOLET**. COMPLETE WITH TAKE-UP UNIT AND THE FEATURE-RICH ERGOSOFT ROLAND EDITION RIP. DELIVER YOUR STYLE WITH THE STRENGTH OF THE TEXART XT-640. * Print speed will be dependent on suitability to the chosen application. ** OEKO-TEX certification for XT-640 print process in combination with Texart ink.

For details visit www.rolanddg.asia/xt or call 1800 500 119

FASHION

INTERIOR DECORATION

GIFTS & MERCHANDISING

TEXTILE products EFI Reggiani debuts ReNOIR NEXT system at ITMA 2015

sublimation and pigmented inks, giving it a good combination of versatility and speed.

EFI

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Reggiani debuted its new ReNOIR NEXT printer at ITMA 2015 in Milan, Italy along with a showcase of new, sustainable technology solutions and processes.

entry-level production device. Like other EFI Reggiani printers, its high quality sublimation inks are complemented by its ability for high-speed throughput with the lowest total running costs.

The new entry-level ReNOIR NEXT 1.8m printer is a versatile product that prints onto fabrics and papers using the same ink set with a beltless digital printing system. It joins the Reggiani portfolio of textile printing solutions and offers simplified material handling, compact footprint and lower acquisition cost, making it an ideal

EFI Reggiani also showcased: The TOP printer - available in both 1.8m and 2.88m widths is a heavy-duty, flexible, fully integrated machine and was demonstrated with reactive dyes printing direct onto cottons. This fast throughput machine can also be used with acid, disperse,

The Essetex 2m wide washing box, which is the ideal system for knitted and light fabrics, particularly where print washing is beneficial for delicate textiles and for post-dyeing of printed cloth.

All of these inkjet digital textile systems are based on new eco-chemistry, using water-based inks that, together with advanced and streamlined automation, provide a complete solution for textile businesses. The water-based inks are developed to be eco-friendly by significantly reducing pollution without compromising quality and speed.

Azon’s new Mirage wide format DTG textile printer

Croatian

headquartered Azonprinter has released the Mirage, a new wide format DTG printer designed for high volume production environments.

The Mirage is a solution for high volume printing in a 600 x 800 mm format on a wide range of materials like silk, cotton and polyester or premade garments such as T-shirts, sleeves, jeans, caps, aprons, sheets, dresses and cloth panels. The unit is an advanced, fully automated system with a maximum resolution of 1440 dpi and specially designed 300 x 500 mm dual platens that allows printing on different coloured garments - the platens can be quickly and easily replaced with a wider table.

Ink fixation on garments is done by heat press although time and temperature varies with the use of white ink. Garments printed with colour average 25 sec @ 180°C, while colour plus white average 90 sec @ 160°C. The Mirage features an improved LCD touch screen, larger 220 ml ink cartridges and a new Azon RIP plus, unlike the previous generation machines that use a belt system, the machine has

a servo motor and ball screw system that achieves maximum accuracy through precise backward and forward movement of the printed object.

Azonprinter says this combination of features means the Mirage delivers faster production and greater flexibility with higher efficiency in addition to all the company’s printers utilising green technology.

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http://www.efi.com/zh-cn/products/inkjet-printing-and-proofing

TEXTILE products Mutoh ValueJet 1938TX wide format and ValueJet 404GT desktop direct-to-textile printers The machines are designed for short run textile items such as fashion, swimwear, interior deco fabrics, home textiles, caps, bags and shoes

Mutoh

Belgium used ITMA 2015, held in Milan during November 2015, to introduce its new wide format direct-to-textile ValueJet 1938TX, a new 1910 mm wide, dual staggered head ,high quality, direct-to-textile printer and the ValueJet 404GT CMYK & ValueJet 405GT CMYK + White desktop direct-to-garment printers.

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ValueJet 1938TX

Key features VJ-1938TX

Developed in Japan, the new VJ-1938TX is a 75” (1910 mm) wide dual staggered head printer is specifically targeted at sampling of short run on-demand and local digital production of garments, upholstery, fashion, swimwear, interior deco fabrics, home textiles and flags. The Itma machine will be running Mutoh’s new water-based Ökotex compliant textile pigmented inks for direct printing on cotton fabrics, rayon or mixed fibre fabrics.

• Dual staggered head design - latest drop-on-demand piezo inkjet technology.

The printer features an integrated ink gutter and a newly engineered media feeding and take-up system. plus it can also jet Mutoh’s genuine DD-series direct disperse inks well as Mutoh DS2-series universal sublimation inks for direct printing onto polyester fabrics.

• Integrated gutter system for open textiles.

ValueJet 404GT/405GT

• Variable drop printing - wide range of droplets and three drop families. Small droplets are ideal for light fabrics and larger droplets ideal for thicker fabrics requiring higher ink loads.

• Print resolutions up to 1440 dpi.

• Head gap up to 6 mm to accommodate a wide range of fabrics.

• Typical high quality production speeds up to 40 m2/h.

• Newly engineered high end fabric feeding, front & back tensioning and take-up system for media weights up to 100 kg. Suited for both closed, open non stretch and two way stretch fabrics.

• Allows printing of both face-in and face-out roll media.

Inks Mutoh water-based pigmented textile inks. Green solution using heat fixation. No water required for post treatment (e.g. washing, steaming). Suited for printing on cotton, silk, rayon, mixed fibre fabrics.

Mutoh Universal Sublimation inks (DS2-series) for transfer and direct printing onto polyester (min.

80 % PES).

Mutoh Disperse Direct (DD-series) inks for direct printing onto polyester (min. 80 % PES)

The VJ-404 and 405GT are Mutoh’s first ever direct-to-garment printers.

The VJ-404GT is a CMYK model and the VJ-405GT has CMYK + White model with a dedicated ink circulation system for the white. The desktop printers have been specifically developed for direct printing on t-shirts, caps, canvas bags and shoes.

Both offer high print quality, have a wide print area, an easy-to-use LCD touch screen and can be equipped with different sizes of interchangeable print platens.

Key features VJ-404/405GT • Compact and robustly built direct-to-garment printer.

• Piezo drop on demand inkjet technology.

• Print resolutions up to 1200 x 1200 dpi.

• Mutoh’s water based pigmented textile inks allow printing onto high cotton blends and 100% cotton or 100% polyester garments. To ensure fabric compatibility and/or improve wash fastness, different genuine Mutoh pre-treatment liquids will be available.

• Interchangeable platens in widths up to 404 x 584 mm (S, M, L, XL, XXL).

• User-friendly design with 7” LCD touch screen display.

• Dedicated Mutoh printer installer & driver software for Windows included.

• Mutoh proprietary “layout & print” software tool for quick and easy operation.

TEXTILE products Konica Minolta Nassenger 10 and Nassenger 8 textile inkjets New systems are equipped with Konica Minolta’s recently developed inkjet printheads which have adjustable ink droplet sizes to large, medium or small

Konica

Minolta extended its lineup of high resolution, high productivity inkjet textile printers when the company released the Nassenger 10 high speed, and the Nassenger 8 medium speed printers at ITMA 2015 in November.

The Nassenger 8, Nassenger 10 and KM’s flagship Nassenger SP-1 inkjet printers all use a single-pass system that, along with a wide range of options, allows customers to choose a model that best suits the scale, production volume and budget of their business.

Features by model Nassenger 10 With high productivity, the Nassenger 10’s print speed of 580sqm/hr is ideal for customers looking for high volume printing combined with higher-quality image reproduction. Various print modes include: high productivity mode (310 sqm/hr); high image quality mode and high density/ high colour penetration mode.

Nassenger 8 The Nassenger 8 meets a variety of printing needs ranging from sample output to low-volume runs, making this model is the best choice for customers who require medium-volume production.

Various printing modes include: high productivity mode (240 sqm/hr); high image quality mode and high density/ high colour penetration mode.

Features common to the Nassenger 8 & 10 • Equipped with recently developed inkjet printheads which are also used in the high end Nassenger SP-1 • Printheads have adjustable ink droplet size (large, medium, and small) which, when coupled with the combination of Konica Minolta’s proprietary dark- and light-coloured inks, make printer models capable of high quality reproduction of colour gradients, thin lines and fine, repetitive geometric patterns that are difficult to reproduce on conventional textile printers • Empty nozzle compensation function and proprietary image processing technology tackle problems that previously could not be avoided even with scanning printing • Onboard head maintenance function (printhead cleaning and empty nozzle detection systems) achieves consistent production and reduced running costs • Conveniently designed for easily checking of head carriage movement and printing status - smooth error handling with quick component replacement • 8 colours standard (4 base + 2 special + 2 light colours) or 9 colours optional. Disperse-dye and reactive-dye inks with enhanced colour are an original Konica Minolta development • Konica Minolta’s reactive-dye ink has received GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certification

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TEXTILE products Mimaki TX300P-1800 textile inkjet printer

Mimaki

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Europe introduced a new direct-to-textile inkjet printer at the ITMA 2015 textile show.

The TX300P-1800is a 1.8 metre roll-to-roll, directto-textile, inkjet printer ideally suited to fast, high quality sample or small-lot production. Its predecessor, the TX2-1600, has been used for textile printing worldwide for the last 14 years.

Mimaki said the TX300P-1800, available with a variety of ink types, is designed to meet the demand for smaller lot sizes, faster delivery times and the ability to quickly produce samples.

Designed specifically for direct-to-textile printing, the TX300P-1800 8-colour inkjet printer features a new printhead that ejects ink droplets at high speed to ensure accurate ink droplet placement with a high head gap. This makes the printer ideal for printing high quality images on all types of fabrics, including thicker and textured materials.

The TX300P-1800 is commercially available in Europe now.

Other features • Print resolution of up to 1080 dpi with drop sizes ranging from 6 to 24 pl. Small droplets create high-resolution printing and large droplets are useful for high-speed printing.

• Print speeds more than twice that of a conventional printer at up to max 68 sqm/hour.

• Stable textile transport that maintains optimum tension, based on Mimaki’s unique and reliable techniques developed over years of textile inkjet printer research and development.

• A choice of sublimation dye, disperse dye, pigment, reactive dye, and acid dye inks to meet a wide range of application needs. Sublimation dye inks are available at commercial launch with other inks following soon. 2 litre ink packs are available for uninterrupted printing on longer runs.

• Uninterrupted printing with automatic detection and cleaning of clogged nozzles. The Nozzle Recovery System ensures that good nozzles are used as substitutes when clogged nozzles are not recovered after cleaning.

• A choice of digital front ends, including standard Mimaki RasterLink6 or the TXLink3 Lite. The latter offers simple RGB and CMYK colour replacement on raster and vector data to more accurately achieve corporate and other special colours, as well as the ability to produce different colour patterns.

• Production of large, seamless patterns from a single image, including repeat/mirror patterns.

• Simple creation of multi-colour ICC profiles using Mimaki’s unique profile Wizard.

Durst launches Alpha series super high performance digital textile inkjets

Durst

Alpha 180 TR

launched its Alpha series, a new generation of super high performance, multipass inkjet printers for the digital production of home textiles and fashion, at ITMA 2015. Durst exhibited its flagship Alpha 330, for industrial production of home textiles and the Alpha 180 TR, a dye sublimation printer for polyester and polyester blends - the Alpha 180 TR also has an optional ‘direct-print kit’ to complement its normal transfer printing function.

The Alpha series offers print widths of 1.9 to 3.3m and can be configured with up to 8 colours and 64 Alpha-S print heads that achieve a native resolution of 600 dpi and a print speed of 460 lm/h. Using these performance parameters Durst is positioning the Alpha series in direct competition to traditional screen-printing – with all the benefits of digital printing. Compared with

the single-pass trend, the Alpha series has the advantage of more economical, more efficient and more reliable printing technology.

The Durst Alpha series provides continuous ink circulation in all ink circuits in order to guarantee constant ink quality and reliable stand-by availability. In the event of a print head failure, an automatic emergency mode will deactivate the affected print head row and continue printing with the greatest possible number of print heads and Alpha-S print heads can be quickly replaced by an operator.

A new intelligent feed system has been developed for the Alpha series that adapts automatically to different textiles and roll diameters and an integrated spray system allows materials to be chemically pre-treated before printing.

Durst provides its own OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certifiable ink systems and a GOTS-certified reactive ink system. In order to give users greater flexibility and efficiency in production, Durst has also developed a new pigmented ink (Alpha Ink P) which can be used on a wide variety of textiles and which, after printing, offers an impressive feel. In addition, no pre- or post-treatment is required for standard materials such as cotton or polyester.

Besides excellent print quality, high flexibility, industrial productivity and scalability, the Alpha Series also offers process solutions.

The recently developed Durst Textile Workflow System simplifies precise colour reproduction on different fabrics and enables continuous quality control and one-step profiling for new materials and colour matching.

TEXTILE products

Kornit Digital Vulcan

Israeli

digital textile printing solution provider Kornit Digital, presented its newest high-productivity, low-cost-per-print Vulcan system at ITMA 2015.

The Vulcan is a digital platform that, Kornit says, will for the first time rival screen printing for midto-long runs due to its extraordinary speed and ink efficiency. Compared to the Company’s current systems, Vulcan users can reduce the cost per print by up to 40%. With the Kornit Vulcan, more textile printers and garment decorators can benefit from digital printing advantages which include drastically reduced turnaround times, mass customisation capabilities and the elimination of setup costs, coupled with significantly reduced labour and manufacturing space.

Kornit’s claims this new, direct-to-garment flagship, will be the fastest DtG printing system in the market, capable of producing up to 250 high quality garments per hour, with dark and light garments printed at the same speed. This marks a significant increase of productivity at more than double the effective throughput of previous Kornit systems.

The Vulcan will produce excellent photorealistic quality, featuring 60 new-generation print-heads with an advanced recirculating ink system in a sixcolor-plus-white configuration.

The system caters for multiple print sizes and configurations with a maximum print size of 70x100 cm.

Like all other Kornit systems, the Vulcan was developed around the company’s unique NeoPigment patented printing process. Kornit’s own water-based inks work on a variety of fibres (natural, man-made and blends) and allow for inline-pretreatment.

For the new system, the ink will be shipped in 4 litre bottles. After printing, garments are cured with a standard hot-air dryer. The inks are OekoTex 100 certified and GOTS pre-approved.

Kornit will be launching multiple beta sites and evaluations of the system over the coming months and expects general market availability by the middle of 2016.

Epson technology for interior décor products at Heimtextil

Epson

Europe will use Heimtextil, being held from 12-15 January 2016 at Messe Frankfurt to showcase its SureColor SC-F6200, SureColor SC-F9200 dye sublimation printers developed for the production of home textiles and decorated housewares.

Working in association with a young designer, the whole of the Epson stand will feature a customised design implemented across multiple media and products to showcase the considerable potential and opportunity that Epson technology gives to designers and home textile producers.

Included in the display will be curtains and bed linen produced on high-quality cotton and linen fabrics printed by the latest Monna Lisa Vinci and Monna Lisa Evo Tre digital textile printers, designed by Robustelli and based on Epson

technology, using Genesta pigment inks developed

by For.tex.

Both the SureColor SC-F6200 and SC-F9200 are easy-to-use, cost effective and offer flexibility for printers looking to produce small-to-medium volumes of high-quality bespoke interior décor products.

The SureColor SC-F6200 and SC-F9200 feature Epson’s PrecisionCore technology and TFP printheads for consistent and reliable results.

For large print volumes of home textiles with dynamic colour and clarity, the SC-F9200 64” printer works in tandem with Epson’s high-density HDK Black ink to produce deep, neutral blacks and dense shadows, plus the two high-capacity ink supply systems means longer, uninterrupted print

runs and less time spent replenishing inks.

The SC-F6200 44” printer produces a wide range of high-quality printed home textiles and is suited to sublimation onto hard substrates such as table tops, mugs, cutlery, vases and coasters.

During Heimtextil, Epson will also team up with DMI, the German Fashion Institute, to show textile designers and producers how they can create, proof – using an Epson Stylus Pro 4900 printer – and digitally print their textile colours all the way from mood board to the final product using SpringSummer 2017 trend colours.

Epson’s SureColor SC-F2000 direct-to-textile printer will also be showcased printing directly onto fabric for personalised aprons, cushions and other textile products.

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NEWS Konica Minolta opens textile innovation centre in Milan

Konica

Minolta Italy has opened a new 5 million Euro textile innovation centre at Como, near Milan, saying that state-of-the-art technology centre will help inkjet customers obtain first-hand experience in digital systems for textile printing.

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The Konica Minolta Textile Europe Demonstration and Training Centre at Bregnano, Como, features three of the world’s most advanced systems for the textile market with live printing is shown on the company’s Nassenger SP-1, Nassenger 10 and Nassenger 8.

The flagship Nassenger SP-1 (single-pass) system is a high-productivity, high-resolution inkjet textile printer employing a single-pass system. The Konica Minolta Nassenger 10 and Nassenger 8 models are scan-type high- and medium-speed inkjet textile printers.

Roland DG style showcase at ITMA 2015

Roland

DG reports that during ITMA 2015 in Milan held from 12th-19th November it has presented a number of digital textile solutions and samples in four application zones, featuring the company’s new Texart XT640 64” dye sublimation transfer printer. The XT640, is a high-production addition to the Texart range, designed specifically for textile print production. With a choice of 4 or 8 colour ink configurations and ErgoSoft Roland edition RIP, the XT-640 delivers productivity and print quality across a range of applications including fashion, sportswear, soft signage and home textiles.

In Roland’s Fashion zone, the XT-640 played a role in an end-to-end “real time” workflow, brought to life by designers, printers and a seamstress, model and photographer, a result of collaboration with students from a prominent fashion school in the Lombardy region of Italy where the students’ original designs are printed, pressed, sewn into finished garments and modelled live on the booth.

In the booth’s Sportswear zone, visitors could view a range of durable, quality applications made possible with digital technology on highperformance fabrics, kits and equipment from football shirts and running shorts, to snowboards, gloves and helmets.

Visitors could also see interior décor and home textiles in the Interior Decoration zone where a wide variety of soft furnishings and applications for the home, including curtains, cushions, tablecloths, bed linen and tablewear were on display.

The customisation zone showcased branded garments such as t-shirts, sweatshirts, caps and bags.

Roland’s ITMA 2015 textile survey results Roland DG used the ITMA 2015 show in Milan to undertake a ‘Texart Digital Textile Survey’ on its booth and has now made the results public.

The findings from the survey show that 80% of respondents who are textile printers, either currently using only analogue methods or already using digital technologies, are also considering digital textile print technologies. Textile print providers are also prioritising investment in digital with 49% of those intending to invest, planning to do so within the next year. Respondents said the main benefits of digital textile print technology over analogue production methods include flexibility, quality and speed.

Digital dye sublimation transfer printing is a popular option and used by over 40% of digital textile print providers surveyed, and there was a great interest in Roland’s Texart digital dye sublimation transfer range, particularly the new XT-640 64” printer.

Nearly 95% of textile print providers stating they were optimistic about the future of the textile print industry and over half of those using digital methods were confident that production levels this year will be higher than in 2014.

Roland DG management said that the feedback from international visitors via the Texart Digital Textile survey is extremely insightful as the company’s aim was to inspire visitors and demonstrate how Roland DG technology can give their business a competitive edge in terms of reduced set up times, low fixed costs and increased versatility of output.

The Roland DG display featured a ‘real-time’ digital workflow demonstrating each stage of the production process. Designs by students specialising in fashion and couture at the ACOF school were transformed into stunning garments. Visitors were able to follow the process step-by-step as the designs were printed by the Texart XT-640 and RT-640 dye sublimation transfer printers, pressed on the Texart CS-64 calender and sewn by on-booth seamstresses. A live photoshoot showcased models wearing the finished garments.

THINK :

TOUCH, FEEL, SEE

media

media+INK

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MEDIA + INK Epson PaperLab: world’s first office waterless papermaking system that turns waste paper into new paper PaperL ab rec ycl es by securel y destroying documents and turning them into of fice paper using a dr y process

seiko

Epson Corporation has developed “PaperLab” what the company believes is the world’s first compact office papermaking system capable of producing new paper from securely shredded waste paper without the use of water. Epson plans to put “PaperLab” into commercial production in Japan in 2016, with sales in other regions to be decided at a later date. Businesses and government offices that install a PaperLab in a backyard area will be able to produce paper of various sizes, thicknesses, and types, from office paper and business card paper to paper that is coloured and scented.

A developmental prototype of the PaperLab will be demonstrated at Eco-Products 2015 New window, an environmental exhibition that will take place at the Tokyo Big Sight (Tokyo International Exhibition Center) from December 10 to 12.

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The enduring universal appeal of paper lies in its simplicity as a communication tool. Information on the highly portable and always convenient medium of paper is easy to read, easy to digest, and easy to remember. Epson has been involved with paper used for its printer products and set out to develop technology that would change the paper cycle - PaperLab revalues wastepaper and stimulates recycling.

Office-based recycling process Ordinarily, paper is recycled in an extensive process that typically involves transporting waste paper from the office to a recycling facility but PaperLab shortens and localises the recycling process in the office.

2. Secure destruction of confidential documents Until now enterprise has had to hire contractors to handle the disposal of confidential documents or has shredded them themselves however, with PaperLab, businesses will be able to safely dispose of documents onsite instead of handing them over to a contractor. PaperLab breaks documents down into paper fibers, so the information on them is completely destroyed.

3. High-speed production of various types of paper PaperLab produces the first new sheet of paper in about three minutes of having loaded it with waste paper and pressing the Start button. The system

can produce about 14 A4 sheets per minute and 6,720 sheets in an eight-hour day.

Users can produce a variety of types of paper to meet their needs, from A4 and A3 office paper of various thicknesses to paper for business cards, colour paper and even scented paper.

4. Environmental performance PaperLab makes paper without the use of water.

Ordinarily it takes about a cup of water to make a single A4 sheet of paper so as a way of preserving global resources, Epson developed a dry process.

Recycling paper onsite reduces and simplifies the recycling loop so users can expect to purchase less new paper and reduce their transport CO2 emissions.

PaperLab technology Epson’s foundation of compact, energy-saving and high-precision technologies enables the company to achieve small, energy-efficient products that offer outstanding accuracy and performance.

Epson has a storehouse of ink and media expertise, as well as the ability to produce reliable, durable and stable systems

Dry Fiber Technology In addition, Epson has developed a new group of technologies for the PaperLab, the waterless Dry Fiber Technology. Dry Fiber Technology itself consists of three separate technologies: fiberising, binding, and forming.

Fiberising Waste paper is ingested and transformed into long, thin cottony fibers, a process that immediately and completely destroys confidential documents. Since the PaperLab does not use water, it does not require plumbing facilities this, plus its compact size, makes it easy to install in any back area of an office.

Binding A variety of different binders can be added to the fiberised material to increase the binding strength or whiteness of the paper or to add colour, fragrance, flame resistance, or other properties needed for any given application.

Forming Users can produce sheets of A4 or A3 office paper and even paper for business cards thanks to forming technology that allows them to control the density, thickness, and size of paper.

The PaperLab office papermaking system Features Dimensions (w x d x h)

2.6 x 1.2 x 1.8 meters (excluding projecting parts)

Paper production speed

14 sheets per minute (A4 sheets)

Paper sizes

A4 & A3

Paper types

Office paper, business card paper, and other paper of various thicknesses. Coloured paper using CMYK model and colours formed by mixing these colours

Paper that can be recycled

Ordinary copy paper (A4 & A3)

Commercialization date

2016

NOTE: These specifications are still in development and are subject to change without notice.

MEDIA + INK Visual Magnetics’ Magnetic Wallcovering shortlisted for Interior Design Magazine’s 2015 Best of Year Awards

M o d u Laye r is a prin tabl e m ag netic textile, M i n d Laye rs is V is u al Mag n etics’ take on the ‘stic ky ’ note

Visual

tactile wallcoverings, that change whenever you move the magnetic elements around.

ModuLayer is a printable magnetic textile, comprised of patterned backgrounds, and overlays in mixed colours and finishes to create modular,

MindLayers is Visual Magnetics’ take on the ‘sticky’ note, with a reusable dry-erase surface.

These accessories to the brand’s magnetic dry erase wallcoverings are available in bold colours, pastels and a variety of shapes, sizes and templates. MindLayers non-ghosting surface extends the life of these ‘sticky’ notes, and allows for unlimited ideas.

Magnetics has been named a finalist in two categories of Interior Design’s 10th Annual Best of Year Awards. ModuLayer and MindLayer, of the company’s Dynamic Spaces brand, are nominated in the categories of “Innovative New Material for Wallcovering” and “Unexpected Upholstery Surface”.

Both ModuLayer and MindLayers have seen great interest from companies and educational institutions that are rethinking how they could utilise wall surfaces to improve their work flow and early adopters have welcomed the ability to reimagine spaces.

A panel of industry professional selected finalists to receive BOY awards in October, and winners will be chosen by Interior Design’s Editor in Chief and a jury of other industry leaders.

Guyenne Decolov for signage and interior design Decolov is a nonwoven fabric based on polyester and polyamide fibres with a soft effect and a special feel, universally printable with colour inks, pigments, eco-solvent, mild-solvent, latex and UV.

France

based Guyenne, a manufacturer of paper, film and textiles for the graphic arts market since 1850, has introduced Decolov, a nonwoven medium for signage and interior decoration that is a material designed for general printing.

the product elastic, it stretches out easily and is perfect for making pictures, replacing the more expensive canvas.

The company noted that the wide range of applications of the product inspired the Guyenne marketing gurus to call it Decolov, a universal product for decoration and visual communication.

It can be stapled, folded and sewn, and a number of strips can be combined to enlarge the composition or multiply the layers and it is ideal for items such as making bags where the material can be individually printed, then cut and sewn.

Interior decoration

Signage

Decolov can replace canvas, tarpaulins and wallpaper and, at 130g, the textile is thick and it has a textured, puffed-out look which is an important advantage in the production of interior components like wallpapers.

Its good tear resistance means the product can be used as a light tarpaulin for interiors. Decolov can be crumpled and resmoothed or rolled up for presentations and is available in fireproof M1, allowing it can be hung and posted in compliance with French regulations governing fireproof materials. It can also be heated and have eyelets incorporated without tearing.

Decolov allows adhesive to be pasted on the back and, since the weave of the fibres makes

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MEDIA + INK Avery Dennison bio-based PE film for label applications

B io - bas e d PE s e l f-ad hesive laminates are avail abl e in a white and a c lear ve rs io n - t he re s i n is mad e from B o n s u cro Ce rtified S ugar Cane

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prior to certification. Both new products offer performance and recyclability comparable to standard PE85 resin. With the proper precautions and preparation, these films act as drop-in replacements, meaning converters can substitute conventional PE for a bio-based PE label film without investing in new machinery.

Avery

Dennison has introduced two bio-based polyethylene label films

continuing to benefit from the functionality and performance of a regular polyethylene label.

By using biomass to create a PE label film which contains more than 80% bio based resin, brand owners can reduce their dependency on fossil based packaging materials. The introduction of the bio based film is Avery Dennison’s response to their growing interest in using bio-based packaging materials.

The company says they are the first self-adhesive PE filmic labels with a face stock that includes more than 80 percent renewable content and offer brand owners the opportunity to meet their target on renewable resources in packaging, while

The bio-based PE self-adhesive laminates are available in a white and a clear version. The resin used for the new bio-based PE films is made from Bonsucro Certified Sugar Cane, which follows rigorous social and environmental monitoring

Avery Dennison worked with global resin producer Braskem and Belgium converter Desmedt Labels to prototype and test the bio-based PE label at the Belgium facilities of Ecover, manufacturer of ecologically sound cleaning products.

TechNiche HyperKewl+ ‘washable’ cooling fabric cooling. For HyperKewl+, this technology has been fine-tuned to greatly improve the absorbency rate of the fabric. In doing so, products manufactured from it are now able to be machine washed up to 40 times without detriment to the crucial high visibility of the fabric, as well as improving the hygiene, longevity and value of the product.

Following

the success of its leading HyperKewl technology based range of climate cooling apparel, TechNiche Europe, a supplier of climate control solutions aimed at worker welfare, has responded to customer feedback and is launching HyperKewl+, a brand new, fully washable version of its HyperKewl fabric. The new product debuted at the

recent health and safety exhibition A+A 2015 held from 27 - 30 October 2015, in Düsseldorf, Germany.

HyperKewl+ is based on the exclusive and patented properties of TechNiche Europe’s HyperKewl technology, which utilises a unique chemistry enabling the fabric to rapidly absorb and store water for up to 10 hours of evaporative

“This development is the latest result of TechNiche Europe’s on-going customer-centric approach to R&D,” explains James Russell, Managing Director, TechNiche Europe & Australia. “The nature of the work at an industrial business means employees’ clothes are likely to get dirty, be it from oil, paint or debris. This can damage the high visibility of the jacket, negating its purpose of keeping employees safe within hazardous environments. We developed the highly durable, flexible and hygienic HyperKewl+ to address this issue, which is the only one of its kind in the market, strengthening our position as the supplier of the largest range of cooling and warming apparel in Europe.”

The company’s flagship HyperKewl cooling system and TechKewl, a lightweight ‘Phase Change Material’ (PCM) system comprised of non-toxic carbon based liquid that freezes at 14°C and when inserted into specially designed TechKewl pockets within a vest, remains cool for 3-5 hours.

MEDIA + INK DaVinci Technologies Easy Image Wallcover

DaVinci

Technologies, USA, has released Easy Image Wallcover, a new development for printable wallcovering that offers attributes such as highly engineered nonwoven construction and a patent-pending adhesive system which, DaVinci says, is a combination of features that can reduce application time by up to 60% when compared to other methods of installation.

Easy Image Wallcover was developed to offer novice and professional installers alike the ability to easily hang digitally printed wallcoverings and installation can be completed in two simple steps - spray the wall with water, then hang the wallcovering.

Once applied to the wet wall, Easy Image is simple to reposition so that subsequent strips can be easily lined up to match the pattern or scene.

Easy Image is also dry-strippable - simply peel off the wall with no steaming and no scraping. This is made possible because of its highly engineered nonwoven construction. Unlike the limitations

of paper, fabric and vinyl, nonwovens can be manipulated to perform a variety of behaviours and take on many types of characteristics.Easy Image Wallcover was engineered to perform in areas where other substrates struggle.

fibres come from sustainably managed forests plus it carries a class “A” fire rating based upon ASTM E-84. HP has qualified Easy Image for its textilelike finish that prints well with HP Latex Ink, among other ink technologies.

Easy Image Wallcover is PVC free, odour-free, durable, breathable and dimensionally stable. All

Easy Image Wallcovering is available from DaVinci Technologies in 50” x 100’ and 50” x 300’ rolls.

Orafol introduces Oralite 6910T translucent film

Orafol

has released Oralite 6910T Brilliant Grade Translucent, a prismatic reflective translucent film designed for wayfinding.

The film is targeted at the traffic control market and the manufacturing of internally illuminated signs and traffic bollards or airfield taxi-way signs. 6910T provides a high level of diffuse light transmission from internal sources and a powerful reflective backup in case of light system failure.

6910T comes in a range of different colours including fluorescents and has a service life of 12 years for standard colours and 10 years for fluorescent colours and can be screen or UV digitally printed.

Arlon Ultimate PremiumPlus Chrome and Chrome Effects

US

headquartered Arlon, has added Chrome and Chrome Effects to its Ultimate PremiumPlus colour change line.

Chrome and Chrome Effects are premium quality specialty automotive films designed to enhance vehicle finishes and with new wider width rolls, both products can handle even the most challenging areas of vehicle wrap applications.

The Chrome Effects line consists of new finishes and six colours - Gold Chrome, Satin Gold Chrome,

Copper Chrome, Satin Copper Chrome, Bloodbath Chrome, Silver Chrome and Terminator Chrome, with several other creative developments launching in 2016.

This new generation of Chrome is noticeably more flexible and allows for enhanced repositionability during application keeping the original colour and finish of the unique effects consistent. With a precise mirror-like finish, Arlon’s Silver Chrome product will maintain both colour and finish on the

vehicle during and after application.

Silver Chrome made its official launch at the recent 2015 SEMA show in Las Vegas, accompanied by the first reveal of two other colours, Bloodbath Chrome and Terminator Chrome. Silver Chrome is available for order worldwide now.

Arlon other finishes include Ultra Matte, Matte Effect, Candy Colors, Carbon Fiber, Brushed Metal, Chrome and Chrome Effects finishes.

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MEDIA + INK EFI Reggiani and DuPont collaborate on Artistri PK2600 digital textile pigment ink

DuPont

Digital Printing and EFI Reggiani have introduced DuPont Artistri PK2600 digital textile pigment ink for EFI Reggiani ReNOIR digital textile printers. The new ink was developed by DuPont specifically for EFI Reggiani and is designed primarily for cotton textile roll-toroll printing that shows performance comparable to reactive ink results.

In addition to cotton textile roll-to-roll printing, Artistri PK2600 ink also has been shown to work well on a number of fabrics that cannot be printed with reactive inks including polyesters, viscose, cotton/polyester blends and non-woven materials.

Pigment inks offer a streamlined workflow, faster turnaround and greatly improved environmental attributes that mills and print specifiers are demanding. Artistri PK2600 ink provides these benefits while still offering true colour and the soft feel comparable to reactive printing, excellent

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fastness and best-in-class digital printing performance. Because Artistri PK2600 ink requires no steaming or washing production steps, job turnaround is significantly faster while water and chemical usage and costs are minimized.

quality printers for fashion and home furnishing textiles, with a comprehensive portfolio spanning the company’s original rotary screen technologies to the most advanced inkjet textile printers and inks in the industry.

Manufactured in a DuPont ISO 9001 certified facility in Ft. Madison, Iowa, DuPont produces and tests every batch of Artistri ink to an extremely tight tolerance, which helps ensure its exceptional colour saturation is repeatable.

DuPont Artistri and new Artistri Brite digital textile inks combine DuPont proprietary pigment dispersion, polymer and ink formulation technology. Because they are formulated with the same dyes and pigments used in conventional textile printing, Artistri inks offer superior results for digital textile printing - brilliant colours, excellent fastness properties and robust print reliability.

EFI Reggiani is part of EFI and is a leading technology provider of a full range of industrial solutions for textile manufacturing, including high-

Sun Chemical to launch SunTex textile and soft signage inks at Fespa Digital 2016

Sun

Chemical will use Fespa Digital 2016 being held from 8 - 11 March in Amsterdam, as the global launch for SunTex , the company’s newly developed range of inkjet inks designed for optimum performance in textile and soft signage applications. Sun Chemical will also be showcasing its Streamline range of printer compatible alternative solvent based inks.

SunJet will demonstrate its partnership collaboration in the development of new digital inkjet technologies by presenting its diverse product range of digital ink solutions. Central to the SunJet offering at Fespa will be the presentation of Aquacure, its next generation functional aqueous inkjet ink. This ink chemistry, developed proactively by SunJet, delivers significant performance and production benefits and provides a new development platform to meet the expanding needs of the wide format graphics sector.

Aquacure is SunJet’s new approach to ink development based on a unique aqueous chemistry which combines the best of waterbased and UV curing technology. Aquacure is a functional aqueous ink, offering optimum high

quality output, outstanding adhesion to a wide range of media, flexibility, an extensive colour gamut as well as low odour properties and a host of environmental benefits.

SunTex Sun Chemical will present the first global showing of SunTex, the new range of inkjet inks developed specifically for digital textile and soft signage applications. Two ink ranges will be featured, a dye sublimation ink for transfer print applications which combines bright strong colours, dense black and a tough highly resistant ink film. Also a direct print dispersed dye ink for flag and banner applications which provides ‘show-through’ for double sided output such as flag printing, where the image is viewed from either side and vibrant, strong colour and dense black reproduction, crucial for high visual impact soft signage. Both inks should be printed onto polyester and polyester-rich textiles and materials.

Streamline Sun will show off its Streamline range of solvent-

based compatible alternative inkjet inks, designed for wide and super wide format printers including Epson, Vutek, Roland, Mutoh and Mimaki. The Streamline range has been formulated to match or exceed the colour and physical properties of OEM products, providing an effective alternative choice for customers. On show will be Streamline ESL2 low odour eco-solvent ink, which combines high print quality output with ultra-low odour properties, developed for Roland Pro 4 printers using Roland Ecosol Max 2 inks. These inks are particularly suited to enclosed print shop environments where low odour is essential.

For the super wide format solvent print market, Sun will feature Streamline TBJ. Designed for the HP TurboJet, Streamline TBJ offers a host of production efficiencies, including significantly reduced energy consumption through improved drying performance, improved overall ink consumption and reduced overspray which removes the need for cleaning between print jobs.

Also featured will be Streamline SGX eco solvent, low odour inks series, developed to work with the high performance thin film piezo print heads for the Epson SureColor 70600 printer.

NEW PRODUCTS NEW PRODUCTS

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THINK :

NEW STUFF I CAN DO WITH THINGS

NEW products EFI releases VUTEk HS125 Pro, VUTEk GS3lx Pro LED, H1625 thermoforming printer and Armor Inkjet Coatings at SGIA

EFI

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used the SGIA Expo in November to debut its newly expanded inkjet production technology portfolio including two new high-end VUTEk Printers, the EFI H1625 thermoforming wide format printer, EFI Armor Inkjet Coatings along with the recently acquired EFI Reggiani soft signage textile printers and EFI Matan roll-to-roll printers.

Both the VUTEk HS125 Pro and VUTEk GS3lx Pro printers feature new UltraFX Technology, an advanced, inline clear print capability that enhances the visual impact of printed images and reduces the appearance of unwanted visual artifacts without adding time-consuming or costly steps to the production process.

The company also showcased reusable textile soft signage with EFI Reggiani technologies and waterbased dye sublimation inks. The EFI Reggiani ONE 180 soft signage printer, on display in the EFI/ NextWave booth, is a 1.8m printer for direct-totextile or transfer paper printing. The printer offers high speeds up to 310 sqm/hr, four colour printing with a wide colour gamut, ultra-high resolutions up to 2,400 dpi and four-level grayscale imaging.

A second Reggiani printer, a PRO 180, was on display at the EFI/NextWave booth printing transfer work on Coldenhove sublimation paper.

The PRO model prints up to 600 sqm/hr, providing superior quality and high productivity in soft signage applications.

The worldwide release of EFI products included: •

The EFI VUTEk HS125 Pro inkjet press - the fastest VUTEk product ever developed 3.2m, hybrid roll/flatbed product offering true analog replacement capabilities with quality approaching offset, production speeds up to 125 boards per hour, and a variety of automated material handling options including one for corrugated board

•

The new EFI VUTEk GS3lx Pro LED printer, a 3.2m hybrid, high-end printer offering high print speeds, high-resolution grayscale imaging and LED cool curing technology, along with maximum versatility to support higher volumes and shorter lead times

•

The EFI H1625-SD, an entry-level production, 1.65m UV hybrid printer with award-winning EFI SuperDraw UV ink for near-photographic imaging direct to thermoformable substrates.

•

EFI Armor, a new line of UV roll and water-based coatings that provide three- to fiveyear weather and chemical protection on customers’ high-value rigid, flexible and thermoformable inkjet graphics output

Fujifilm Uvistar Hybrid 320 Uv Press

Fujifilm

North America Corporation has announced the world-wide premier of the Uvistar Hybrid 320 UV press will take place at the SGIA Expo in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Uvistar Hybrid 320 is a 3.2m, combination flatbed and roll printer, capable of producing high quality output at speeds of up to 2,100 sqft/ hr. Utilizing Fujifilm Dimatix Q-Class printheads and Fujifilm Uvijet inks, the Uvistar Hybrid 320 prints full grayscale plus delivers a wide gamut of vibrant colours. The press is available in an eight channel configuration delivering CMYK, Lc, Lm, Lk and Orange inks. A nine channel configuration is Another innovation is the patented tri-lobal belt available that adds White ink. and six-zone intelligent vacuum system. This Fujifilm says that several innovative technologies system delivers unsurpassed media handling have been implemented in the Uvistar Hybrid, the and ensures that all types of substrates track first is the Versa-Drop technology of the Fujifilm accurately in roll or flatbed mode. Additionally, a Dimatix Q-Class printheads. These heads allow dancer bar with spreaders keeps even the most the press to image in grey scale with droplet difficult roll media from wrinkling before it enters sizes ranging from 10–30 pl which produce the the print area. Rear pinch rollers engage as rigid finest details at the fastest speeds. Taking full material transitions from the print area on to the advantage of eight ink channels, the Uvistar Hybrid exit tables.

320 produces outstanding image quality and the inclusion of orange ink increases the colour An additional innovation of the Uvistar Hybrid 320 gamut by 30%. The Uvistar Hybrid also combines is the continuous board capability that increases light colours (Lc,Lm,Lk) with Orange and CMYK to productivity when feeding multiple sheets of the dramatically boost performance to speeds up to same stock during production. This feature offers time savings between sheets as the print carriage 2,100 sqft/hr.

continues moving. No time is lost due to the carriage returning to its ‘park’ position, requiring the job to be started again.

The colour gamut of the Uvistar Hybrid 320 is made possible with Fujifilm’s Uvijet US ink including CMYK, Lc, Lm, Lk, and Orange in the standard ink set. The lights and Orange expand the colour gamut to match troublesome Pantone and corporate or branded colours. The highly opaque White provides excellent coverage, and the ink delivers excellent adhesion to a broad range of substrates.

Availibility - Global availability of the Uvistar Hybrid 320 will be early 2016.

NEW products HP Elite x2 tablet Productivity of a notebook with the convenience of a tablet

HP

have announced the HP Elite x2 tablet that blends the productivity of a notebook with the convenience of a tablet and is targeted directly at the mobile professional.

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The

tablet is crafted from milled CNC aluminum with a focus on aesthetics and, at 8.1 mm thick, weighs less than two pounds and has a built-in kickstand with 150 degrees of adjustability, allowing a user to set the device upright for viewing and keyboard typing or laying it back for on-screen typing. The 12� diagonal antiglare HD diagonal display has a 3:2 aspect ratio that automatically adjusts to different lighting conditions.

The unit has long battery life, features Windows 10 and is built with a 6th generation Intel Core M vPro processor optimised for high performance, power efficiency and SSD technology, enabling a fanless, virtually silent computing experience with no moving parts, plus the X2 has premium audio tuned by Bang & Olufsen and HP Noise Reduction Software.

Designed to pass MIL-STD testing it features added durability with Corning Gorilla Glass 4 screen and two grades of aluminium alloy to ensure the right balance between strength and weight.

Ports include both Thunderbolt 3 and USB-A ports with an optional, built-in 4G LTE modem offering the convenience of connectivity virtually anywhere without the need for tethering. The Qualcomm Snapdragon X5 LTE modem provides fast and reliable connectivity and supports all major 3G/4G networks.

To enable flexible content creation the x2 includes the HP Active Pen with App Launch as a standard feature. Based on industry-standard WACOM

technology, the pen has integrated pressure sensors to help control the width of lines when writing or drawing onscreen. The pen also includes App Launch, a programmable Bluetooth application launch button to quickly launch OneNote or any other Windows application.

There is a choice of two optional, enterpriseclass, full-sized, backlit keyboards leveraged from the HP EliteBook Folio 1020 and layered in a stiff aluminum base to create incredible torsional rigidity and stability that rivals a traditional laptop form factor. The Advanced Keyboard features an NFC sensor in the touchpad and a built-in smart card reader for log-in security. If the HP Advanced Keyboard is disconnected, the Elite x2 will automatically log off the domain to keep information secure. The HP Travel Keyboard offers users a thinner keyboard solution, adding only 395 grams in weight while still delivering a full 1.5mm keyboard travel and a true clickpad.

The unit includes three optional wired and wireless docking solutions. The Thunderbolt 3 port on the Elite x2 easily docks to the HP Elite USB-C Docking Station for dual 2K displays or the HP Elite Thunderbolt 65W Dock for dual 4K displays.

The Elite X2 can also dock to the HP Advanced Wireless Docking Station through WiGig technology that enables fast wireless connectivity to the network, displays and devices.8 And the power pass-through feature in the USB-C port on the device allows users to stay charged for a full work day, while also recharging their smartphones and accessories.

To address security and manageability, the tablet

is designed with a combination of BIOS-level security along with integrated HP Sure Start, manageability featuring HP Touchpoint Manager and an optional Intel Core M vPro processor, and easy onsite maintainability.

Built-in’s include HP Sure Start with Dynamic Protection, HP Client Security, TPM, and an optional fingerprint reader or smart card reader, all working together to protect the device, data and user identity. And with an optional Intel Core M vPro processor, IT can power on and remotely manage the Elite x2 over both wired and wireless networks along with other unique hardware enhancements.

The kickstand can be replaced by the user by simply removing two screws, and in the event that a device requires maintenance, the Elite x2 is designed for easy serviceability to reduce system downtime and keep users productive. If the device is dropped or needs more involved repairs, serviceable components -- like the battery, LCD/ touch module, storage, system board, and WLAN and WWAN modules -- can be easily taken apart and repaired or replaced by HP self-maintainers or service technicians.

Pricing and availability The HP Elite x2 1012 is expected to start shipping in the United States in early January 2016, however customers can pre-order now at a starting price of USD $899 which includes the HP Travel Keyboard and HP Active Pen with App Launch.

NEW products HP PageWide Web Press T1100S corrugated media printer

HP

have announced that DS Smith Packaging is the first operator to install an HP PageWide Web Press T1100S. The press, co-developed with KBA, is designed for corrugated packaging printing for high-volume, digital pre-print applications.

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HP say that digital printing is the fastest growing segment in packaging with a projected annual growth rate of 17% in a market expected to be worth $19 billion by 2019. Digital packaging solutions enable cost-effective short-runs and unlock the ability to make every box different.

DS Smith Packaging is the first customer to install the 2.8 metre width press, which can deliver significantly higher productivity and production flexibility than traditional analogue technology.

“We selected the new HP PageWide Web Press T1100S as the next step in our ground-breaking digital PrePrint programme,” said Stefano Rossi,

CEO, DS Smith Packaging Division. “Our codevelopment with HP has resulted in the first digital machine able to print at the speed and width we need for high-volume corrugated production. It will provide our customers with unprecedented short-run flexibility and quality consistency.”

linear metres per minute and 30,600 square metres per hour, the press allows corrugated converters to quickly take on new, complex jobs at speed.

The T1100S utilises HP’s Multi-lane Print Architecture (MLPA) that splits the web into multiple print lanes, so different jobs, with different box sizes and run lengths, can be printed in the individual lanes. Multiple ultra-short or short runs can be queued and printed together, with no make-ready in between jobs, while a long run is printed in another lane.

With enhanced priming options, including a combination of HP Bonding Agent, HP Priming Agent and four colour HP A50 aqueous pigmented CMYK inks, customers can print offset-quality on standard uncoated and coated liners from 80-400 gsm, for greater cost savings, versatility, productivity and quality with high colour saturation, dark black optical density and clean text. In-line and near-line coating solutions for HP Priming Agent and aqueous overprint varnishing also provide quality to meet brand standards.

HP MLPA, when coupled with digital printing, allows cost-effective customisation and personalisation of corrugated packaging, meeting the demands for shorter print runs without having to create inventory. With print speeds up to 183

Optional configuration features such as autosplice/turret rewind, primer and over-print varnish coating solutions, as well as the KBA PATRAS “Automated Paper Logistics System,” result in even greater efficiency of the overall solution.

ColorJet launch Metro and Fabjet-duo digital textile printers

ColorJet

, India’s largest manufacturer of digital inkjet printers, is introducing two digital textile printing solutions - the Metro and the Fabjet-Duo, at ITMA 2015 saying the company is the first Indian digital textile machine producer to participate at ITMA. The Metro is a versatile industrial grade digital textile printer which incorporates the latest textile printing technology and is compatible to with all types of inks such as reactive acid disperse and pigments. It accepts a variety of fabrics ranging from 0.1mm to 30mm including cotton, polyester, silk, viscose, wool, nylon, acetate and various blended fabrics.

At ITMA the Metro will be configured specifically to produce the best results with pigment inks.

Specially integrated VPC technology ensures smooth ink flow for uninterrupted production runs plus Metro delivers quality prints through its seven colours without compromising on speed.

Fabjet-Duo is a 3.2 metre digital printer that offers the ‘Power of Two’ - a dual ink supply system which gives the choice between any two of the three inks: Reactive, Disperse or Pigment. With just a flick of a switch the printer can become a reactive, pigment or disperse ink printer so users now have the option to use just one machine instead of two separate systems.

The Fabjet-Duo also creates the ability to print cotton and polyester fabrics on the same machine and provides a solution for sampling as well as

mass production. In addition, the 3.2 metre width is ideal for printing home textiles.

ColorJet Group was founded in 2004 and maintains operations through two manufacturing facilities, making it the largest manufacturer of digital inkjet printers in India. The company markets its products in 14 countries and has sales offices in seven countries including India , China, Bangladesh, UAE and Sri Lanka. ColorJet has over 4,000 instals in 315 cities globally and employs 278 staff of which nearly 100 are in technical related functions.

NEW products Domino M230i first i-Tech print and apply labeller

Domino

has launched the M230i print and apply labeller, the first M-Series unit to incorporate Domino’s intelligent Technology (i-Tech) features and QuickStep user interface. The system is designed for secondary and tertiary packaging applications across a wide variety of industry sectors.

The M-Series range of print and apply units offer a fully modular solution to meet the various case and pallet labelling needs of manufacturers. High resolution online coding allows for the application of barcodes, text and graphics on packaging labels, ensuring full GS1 supply chain compliance.

The M230i offers enhanced user capability and innovative new features, simplifying the whole operation from label creation right through to print assignment. Featuring the TouchPanel colour user interface and intuitive QuickStep software, end users will be able to navigate effortlessly through the various functions. The upgrade of the M-Series to i-Tech with the common QuickStep

user interface will result in reduced training requirements and fewer coding errors, especially where other Domino print technologies are already employed.

Domino management said that the M230i is the most compact print and apply unit available and offers new levels of equipment efficiency such as a 600m ribbon capacity - 33% longer than previous, and the innovative magnetic print head mounting system that allows tool-free replacement for minimum downtime. The new range includes many standard applicators such as Tamp, Blow, Wipe and Corner Wrap plus a higher print speed results in reduced cycle times for faster production lines.

Domino’s SureStart single button activation system ensures accurate print quality right from the first label and benefits from left and right hand versions being standard, as well as a more robust design to guarantee longevity and support for all printer orientations.

When this is combined with increased print head life, fast consumable and print head changes, full label area printing that reduces wastage and decreases consumable costs as well as improving print head life, it ensures operational efficiency is improved and results in a lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).

Roland DG Announces New SOLJET EJ-640 Inkjet Printer heavy rolls securely and a newly developed Feed Adjuster ensures the smooth progression of media through the printer and onto the take-up system.

A powerful heater and blower prevent ink from bleeding during take-up. In 4 colour CMYK mode, up to two litres of ink can be loaded for each colour which, when coupled with the Roland Ink Switching System, allows continuous overnight printing possible without worrying about ink running out. When the primary ink cartridge runs out, its backup begins supplying ink automatically.

Unattended operation is further facilitated by Roland OnSupport which sends and email to your smart phone, tablet or computer when a job is finished or ink is running low.

Roland

DG has launched the Soljet EJ-640 wide format inkjet printer.

The unit comes with dual staggered print heads, an integrated tri-heater system, rigid industrial design and high-capacity 1 litre ink cartridges available in 4 or 7 colour configurations.

of 35% over other printers on the market. In a mirrored CMYK ink configuration, the EJ-640 achieves speeds of up to 102sqm/hr. New Roland VersaWorks Dual RIP software processes both PDF and PostScript files, including files with transparencies.

The new EJ INK has been developed to reduce running cost, with Roland saying it offers savings

High-volume users have been accommodated with the provision of a rigid shaft to hold long and

The rail and frame structure has been reinforced to enable precise ink droplet placement for vivid image quality at higher speeds. Roland VersaWorks Dual RIP reproduces images with smooth gradations. In addition to dual CMYK, a seven-colour ink configuration consisting of CMYK plus Light Cyan (Lc), Light Magenta (Lm), and Light Black (Lk) is available for enhanced reproduction of greyscale gradients, natural skin tones and photographic images.

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NEW products Ricoh MP W7100/W8140 wide format digital imaging system for aec market

Ricoh

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Americas Corporation has announced the Ricoh MP W7100/W8140 wide format digital imaging system, targeted at the architectural, engineering and construction (AEC) market.

The Ricoh MP W7100/W8140 system is a single multifunction device with a compact footprint which allows users to capture, transform and share wide-format information quickly, conveniently and economically from a single device. Users can produce wide-format technical drawings, schematics, presentations with highquality black-and-white printing, copying and built-in colour scanning.

The small footprint units keep more mid-volume, wide-format projects in house that will print up to 14 D-size wide format monochrome documents per minute, or scan full colour originals and send to recipients. An intuitive 9“ colour VGA operation touch panel enables users to take advantage of thumbnail previews and check their work to avoid any errors before sharing it with colleagues and clients.

The Ricoh W7100/MP W8140 wide-format system features and benefits: •

Digitise information to speed up collaboration by distributing plans, maps and drawings electronically via high quality, built-in colour scanning to e-mail, USB drive, SD card, folder, FTP site or document server.

•

Smooth workflows with icon-based, one-touch control from a 9” wide, colour VGA operation panel, users can move between tasks and avoid lengthy downtime with animated guidance to help access paper jams or changing toner easily from the front of the device.

•

Protect information, secure more work with advanced encryption tools, including Windows Authentication and PDF encryption, help thwart threats to password-protected information.

DataOverwriteSecurity System (DOSS) overwrites latent images and data on the hard drive automatically. Jobs can also be held at the device until released by swiping an ID card or entering a password at the control panel.

•

Make adjustments to fit unique environments and preferences with the optional scanner separation unit which allows the printer to be separated from the scanner for big scanning and printing jobs that need to happen at the same time, minimising delays and keeping deadlines intact.

•

Manage the device from any location using Web Image Monitor which allows documents and job details to be viewed and managed remotely. Nearly any file, in many formats, can be printed easily, even when managing files created in disparate applications. With the optional Ricoh PrintCopy Tool, users can print jobs and build sets — including TIFF, CALS, PDF and more — via a web browser, wherever their work takes them.

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Powerful PC drivers enable precise, accurate reproductions of browser-based CALS, HP-GL, HP-GL2, PDFs, TIFFs, and even direct AutoCAD files.

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The Ricoh MP W7100/MP W8140 is Energy Star certified and EPEAT Gold rated.

Canon and the 3D market

Canon

a machine that creates both prototypes and small runs of the final product.

Using a resin-based system, which gives any modelled objects superior strength, it results in

While Canon have been secretive about details of the new system, the company has claimed the new concept produces the highest level of precision in the industry plus higher modelling speeds and faster setting times have reduced the need for time-consuming post-processing.

has used the Canon Expo Paris 2015 to introduce its first 3D printer concept developed entirely in-house and leveraging rapid prototyping and rapid manufacturing to make the production process quicker than ever before.

DECORATION THINK :

LET’S TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT

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DECORATION

decoration

Agfa Graphics prints World Heritage Japanese temple doors on Anapurna wide-format printer

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The moment I saw the completed door, I couldn’t withhold my tears. To see them reconstructed had been my dearest wish for twenty years

Agfa

Graphics Japan received a request to recreate the doors of an ancient Buddhist temple and embarked on a journey which required extensive printing, substrate and colour management expertise.

The Byodoin is a Buddhist temple near Kyoto, Japan, which is registered as Japanese National Treasure and World Heritage Site. It appears on the reverse of the Japanese 10 yen coin and its most famous part, the Phoenix Hall (Hoo-do) constructed in 1053, is the only remaining original building, .

As the paint on the original west doors to the Hoodowas fading, Monsho Kamii, chief priest of the temple, had a special team investigate them and collect remaining small amounts of paint in order to simulate the colours and the image, using the latest digital techniques. This painstaking effort cost the team about ten years. The chief priest then contacted Agfa Graphics Japan with the simulated image file and the request to reconstruct the doors.

The choice for Agfa Graphics was no coincidence since the temple team was confident that, as a 150 year old graphics company, Agfa would have the printing, colour management expertise and knowhow that was required. Ecology, health and safety were additional determining factors in the choice for Agfa Graphics. The chief priest felt comfortable by the fact that Agfa develop and manufacture its UV-inkjet inks in-house.

Agfa Graphics experts tried to match the expected colours as accurately as possible using in-house colour management technology and printing techniques. An Anapurna 2050i wide-format inkjet printer was used to print on the 400 year cold Japanese cypress wood that the two new doors are made of. It wasn’t a straightforward job though. As the 1.2m by 2.5 m doors weren’t flat, a special technique was developed to print on the curved surface of the frames with the help of a special tool that was created with a 3D printer. In

addition, a particular kind of white ink was used to imitate the original white parts of the door.

When the doors were ready, the Agfa Graphics team received high praise from the temple’s chief priest for the result they had achieved.

The reconstructed doors were exhibited at the museum of the Byodoin Temple with descriptions about the underlying efforts and processes of the restoration, including the investigation of the material, its structure, and the reproduction techniques. The doors are now mounted on new hinges in the temple, where they will stay for an indeterminate period of time.

Mr.Monsho Kamii, Chief priest of the Byodoin temple said: “The moment I saw the completed door, I couldn’t withhold my tears. To see them reconstructed had been my dearest wish for twenty years

decoration Pantone Color Of The Year Rose Quartz & Serenity

Pantone 13-1520 & Pantone 15-3919

COLOR

Of The Year is a symbolic colour selection, says Pantone, a cultural colour snapshot that serves as an expression of a mood and an attitude and, for the first time, Pantone has introduced the blending of two shades, Rose Quartz and Serenity as the Color of the Year 2016.

Pantone interprets Rose Quartz is a gentle tone that conveys compassion and a sense of composure while Serenity is weightless and airy, bringing feelings of respite and relaxation. As consumers

3 seek mindfulness and well-being as an antidote to modern day stresses, welcoming colours that psychologically fulfil our yearning for reassurance and security are becoming more prominent. Joined together, Rose Quartz and Serenity demonstrate an inherent balance between a warmer embracing rose tone and the cooler tranquil blue, reflecting connection and wellness as well as a soothing sense of order and peace.

The prevalent combination of Rose Quartz and Serenity also challenges traditional perceptions

of colour association. In many parts of the world we are experiencing a gender blur as it relates to fashion, which has in turn impacted colour trends throughout all other areas of design. This more unilateral approach to colour is coinciding with societal movements toward gender equality and fluidity, the consumer’s increased comfort with using colour as a form of expression, a generation that has less concern about being typecast or judged and an open exchange of digital information that has opened our eyes to different approaches to colour usage

Agfa Jeti Mira used to print tokens

In

April 2015, the Belgian printer b-token started evaulating Agfa Graphics’ Jeti Mira wide-format UV-inkjet printer to create personalised tokens that are used during events and as marketing tools.

The company services 60 countries and produces nearly 40 million printed or embossed, plastic, aluminium, metal or wood tokens a year. With the Jeti Mira, b-token found it could print at a much higher quality and with much more detail than before. The company also appreciated the productivity and reliability of the engine in addition to Agfa Graphics’ training and support service, subsequently the company plans to use the Mira for production of varnished braille tokens.

The flatbed Jeti Mira is a 6 colour and white UV inkjet printer that combines quality with productivity at print speeds up to 227 sqm/hr and is available with a dockable roll-to-roll option which enables printing on a wide variety of flexible media

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decoration

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Agfa Graphics 2016 calendar ‘A Year of Tempting Plates

Agfa

Graphics has created its 2016 calendar as a state-of-the art printed product directed at its VIP relations.

The calendar’s title is ‘A Year of Tempting Plates’, referring both to the company’s printing plates and to the calendar’s subject matter, as it features twelve dishes. The recipes for these dishes were sent in by the company’s employees from around the globe in a contest looking for favourite local food. The twelve winning dishes were refined by a top chef, as well as photographed and filmed. The dishes embellish the pages of the calendar, while the full recipes can be found in the cookbook accompanying it.

Agfa says that this year, the calendar not only stands out through its combination of photography, creative design, print quality and vivid enhancement techniques, the printed pages are also brought to life through augmented reality.

Augmented Reality As a graphic industry provider, Agfa Graphics made its 2016 Calendar into a sample of the Power of Print, using a number of different stateof-the art printing techniques and materials. All prepress work for the 2016 edition was done using the company’s prepress solutions, including Apogee workflow software, Azura chemistry-free plates, Avalon platesetter, and Sublima screening software. The calendar was printed on a selection of high-quality papers from Igepa—except for the colophon page, which was printed on Agfa’s inhouse developed and produced Synaps material.

Every page stands out through its design and the high-quality prepress make-ready, as well as through the use of extraordinary inks such as metallic or fluorescent ones, and in some cases even the complementary use of silk screen printing

The 2016 edition is more than just a calendar - each page is enhanced with the help of augmented reality (AR) software. If the cover of the calendar is scanned using a a tablet or smartphone with the Agfa Graphics AR app, a ‘making-of’ video will start playing when scanning. When scanning different pages of the calendar or cookbook, readers/viewers will get to see twelve instructional cooking movies to help them make the recipe.

Each month a new recipe, along with an instructional movie will be uploaded onto www. agfagraphics.com/calendar. The month of January 2016 will be a Brazilian recipe for Manjar de Coco and is available now.

Previous editions of Agfa Graphics’ VIP Calendar won awards in different countries, including the ‘Audience Award’ in the prestigious Dutch ‘Kalenderwedstrijd’ (calendar contest), and the silver award in the prestigious Gold Ink Awards from Printing Impressions magazine (USA).

More: www.agfagraphics.com/calendar

THINK : THIS MAKES MY LIFE EASY

CERAMICS SOFTWARE

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SOFTWARE TTP Meteor PDC-4GH2220 print driver card and Ricoh GH2220 printheads

Esko Belgium is rolling out ArtiosCAD 14.1.1 its latest release of the app, with the update showcasing Canvas Design which, thanks to a series of new features, significantly improves the workflow for anyone designing and producing multi-component displays and packaging.

UK

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based supplier of industrial inkjet printhead driving solutions TTP Meteor, has expanded its portfolio with the addition of the PDC-4GH2220 print driver card and Ricoh GH2220 printheads (pictured).

The printhead and electronics were shown at the InPrint Industrial Print Show in November 2015.

TTP Meteor works with printhead manufacturers to produce robust, cost-effective and flexible driver systems that meet client printing requirements and the new PDC-4GH2220 print driver card is a result of more than 10 years of research and manufacturing optimisation.

Ricoh subsequently released the GH2220 Printhead after choosing TTP Meteor as an authorised distribution partner. The GH2220 heads support both aqueous and solvent-based inks and, when coupled with the new PDC-4GH2220 Print Driver Cards, offer ease of integration and value for money in applications such as wide format graphics, textiles and coding and marking.

Meteor easily handles very high data rates and is expandable to any size of array. For example, a standard or industrial PC running Meteor’s print system software can drive up to 512 GH2220 printheads using Print Driver Cards (PDCs) connected via high-speed USB 2.0.

The PDC-4GH2220 Print Driver Card and the GH2220 Printhead are available now from TTP Meteor for selected OEMs.

EFI upgrades Fiery software and Fiery proServer DFE’s

EFI

has released upgrades to its Fiery software and Fiery proServer digital front ends for wide and superwide format production inkjet printing that includes major improvements in processing speeds for EFI’s Vutek printers.

The new Fiery software and Fiery proServer 6.2 bring performance gains to all Vuteks with average speed improvements of over 60% compared to previous versions. The company says that combining this latest software speed gain with EFI’s FAST RIP acceleration technology means customers using a Fiery proServer to drive their Vutek printers will now have the most productive RIP and workflow solution available for their printer.

New printer drivers for Agfa, Canon, EFI, Epson, HP, Mimaki and OKI devices are available in these latest Fiery product releases, increasing the supported printers in EFI’s Fiery offering to more than 700 wide and superwide format printer models plus new finishing enhancements provide smooth integration for cutters as well as faster

Esko ArtiosCAD

and more flexible file processing on jobs that feature cut paths.

Users can use the new Fiery products to establish end-to-end, automated production workflows that eliminate touch points while improving speed and accuracy.

A bidirectional job definition format (JDF) link included in these upgraded products provides information about the printer status, job status and consumables usage to EFI’s Midmarket Productivity Suite MIS workflow as well as to EFI Digital StoreFront Web-to-print software.

The upgrade to version 6.2 is available at no charge to all existing users who have a valid Software Maintenance & Support Agreement or an Enhanced Service Program in place. Others can acquire the products directly from EFI or from authorised channel partners.

More: www.efi.com

The company says that with this latest upgrade to ArtiosCAD, Esko has introduced significant improvements for designers of POP and displays, and multi-part packaging allowing them to work the way they want to work on a single design canvas, while identifying separate parts.

The new Canvas File in ArtiosCAD is a master design template so a designer can now create all the pieces on a single canvas and see how they interact. From that one canvas, they can now redirect those components that need graphics, separate the components based upon how they are manufactured and identify each part for reports, database searching or for integrating with a business system. ArtiosCAD maintains a unique board assignment for each part. Parts made on mixed substrates can be designed and viewed together. Unique database information is stored for each part, making them easy to identify and when parts are output, they can be done separately. Moreover, if a separate part file is edited, ArtiosCAD notes the change and allows it to be updated on the master Canvas File.

In the area of POP, display and multi-part package design, there are many areas where ArtiosCAD streamlines workflows. For example, the app makes it easy to tie into an MIS, allowing the business system to create unique parts for inventory and costing; or helping to run a bill of materials. If a display is created, only those parts that require artwork can be sent to the graphic design department – not the entire display, eliminating any possible confusion.

For manufacturing, companies are now able to separate the canvas into different parts and deliver only those pieces that require a specific manufacturing technique – for example, to a die maker or to a Kongsberg table. It’s even possible to add non-design elements such as a pallet for transport or assembly hardware to the workflow, which are then referred to as non-production parts.

Esko says that ArtiosCAD is the world’s most popular structural design software for packaging design. With dedicated tools specifically designed for packaging professionals for structural design, product development, virtual prototyping and manufacturing, ArtiosCAD increases productivity throughout a company. It is also the ideal product for all corrugated, folding carton, POP, and display designers.

SOFTWARE Xaar printheads UK basedXaar has announced a new family of piezoelectric printheads for printer manufacturers (OEMs) developing machines for coding and marking applications.

The new family of printheads, the first of which is to be available in late 2016, will all have a 17mm print swathe; this is an ideal width for high-resolution coding and marking applications such as printing barcodes, best before dates and other product identification codes onto a range of packaging. The new family of printheads will be manufactured in Xaar’s Huntingdon, UK fcaility.

Richard Barham, Chief Customer Officer at Xaar, comments: “We have set out a development roadmap of new 17mm printheads to support our coding and marking OEM customers over the coming years. The first of the new products, which we will launch towards the end of next year, will sit alongside the popular Xaar 128 and will also have 128 nozzles. This is an important market sector for Xaar, so we are delighted to announce a new range of printheads which underline our ongoing commitment to this sector.”

axaio MadeToPrint v 2.6.296 Axaio have released MadeToPrint 2.6.296 which now offers extra output efficiency so PDF export is even faster.

Specifically for InDesign document types that contain a large amount of InDesign master page objects, the MadeToPrint Export to PDF process has been accelerated, speeding up print production significantly. In particular, customers with high-volume data-processing will benefit from this MadeToPrint update as they can export larger amounts of documents in less time.

MadeToPrint has several applications: • axaio MadeToPrint Standard is a plug-in for Adobe InDesign, Illustrator or InCopy and an XTension for QuarkXPress allowing manual, oneclick, print and export from design documents to one or more output targets.

• axaio MadeToPrint Auto makes all functionality from MadeToPrint Standard available in a fully automated way using integrated hot folder support.

• axaio MadeToPrint Server is based on Adobe InDesign Server and can be configured remotely.

It guarantees higher reliability, stability and performance of all output workflows in InDesignbased environments.

The MadeToPrint Auto and Server versions include connectors for vjoon K4, WoodWing Enterprise, Van Gennep PlanSystem4 and Quark Publishing Platform and can be integrated with automation systems such as Enfocus Switch.

Callas pdfChip v1.1 - EFI merges CTI into a PDF creator that PSBU uses HTML EFI will merge Corrugated Technologies Inc (CTI) German headquartered Callas software, developer of automated PDF quality control and archival solutions, has released an update for its pdfChip product line. pdfChip works by converting HTML into standardscompliant PDF documents and the pdfChip 1.1 update adds a number of features that were identified in feedback from customers using pdfChip, especially when it was used to create long, dynamic documents.

New features include: V 1.1 lets users control the maximum number of pages in the generated PDF file making it possible to create single page PDF files in just one go instead of one PDF file with many pages.

As the destination PDF can now be defined in the Javascript code, a new PDF can be created when needed.

Error reporting, specifically for Javascript and when placing bar codes, has been improved in order to make it easier to develop complex PDF publishing applications.

Command-line variables can now be passed straight to the HTML template where Javascript can pick it up and use it to shape the resulting PDF file. The ability to pass this kind of small information to an HTML template adds even more flexibility to PDF publishing; compared to what was already possible with the highly dynamic HTML/Javascript architecture. “list collector”a new feature that allows content to be marked using simple CSS and stores information about this content in a JSON (Javascript data) file.

This information, for example, can then be used to automatically create a table of contents with page numbers for the generated PDF document.

This resolves the problem of long documents that included lists of references, such as a list of figures, list of tables or simply a table of contents. pdfChip 1.1 also adds support for the Device-N colour space. Device-N is an advanced PDF colour space that is essential for content where a number of different spot colours or a combination of CMYK and spot colours is used for page objects like images or vector graphics.

Placing of PDF files has been improved. Now pdfChip provides information about PDF files, such as detail about trimbox or bleedbox, that are placed in the HTML template where this information can then be used in Javascript to modify the placement.

Flavours pdfChip is available a number of different configurations pdfChip S, pdfChip M, pdfChip L and pdfChip XL, each has its own set of variables depending on client requirements. A fully functional time-limited trial version can be downloaded from the Callas software website.

into its Productivity Software business unit. CTI is a provider of manufacturing execution software for the corrugated packaging segment that has extended its offering in recent years to include business and management capabilities, creating a software offering for sheet feeders, sheet plants, and full corrugated box plants.

The EFI Enterprise Packaging Productivity Suite is an end-to-end productivity software solution for the packaging market, with a global market in the folding carton, tag and label, and flexible packaging segments. The addition of CTI technology and expertise will further strengthen the EFI software offering for corrugated packaging, helping companies adopt digital technologies.

CTI will become a part of the EFI Productivity Software business unit, joining its portfolio of MIS, Web-to-Print, Value Added Products and Business Consultancy Services. Headquartered in California, CTI brings global experience with operations in the US, Latin America and Europe.

Roland DG Rolandprintstudio v1.1 Roland DG’s first exclusive Mac OS RIP, Rolandprintstudio, has received an update, with the company saying the software is more than just a RIP, it is a feature rich solution for use with Roland printers, printer/cutters and standalone cutters.

Rolandprintstudio v1.1 contains a host of timesaving and efficiency creating features offered at a affordable price, enabling Mac OS X users working in the wide-format digital print market to quickly and easily manage the print production process.

Rolandprintstudios RIP software now comes with an installation guide and programme support in 12 languages including English, French, Spanish, Hebrew, Russian and Czech. Support for Mac OSX - v10.11 El Capitan is now built into the software, allowing a smooth transition for end users who wish to update their current equipment. Alongside this, integration with Adobe’s latest PDF engine, APPE 3.7, gives Rolandprintstudio high level compliancy with PDF files, making the printing process simple for customers who choose to use PDF files.

Roland said that, in response to the launch of its new Eco-Sol Max 3 inks range in Europe, Rolandprintstudio will host a full set of basic profiles, available from Roland DG’s profile centre as of the 28th of September 2015. Drivers for the Texart RT-640 and VersaUV LEJ-640 (double white) have also been included in the v1.1 update, offering full inclusion for many Roland DG end users.

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SOFTWARE Ricoh TotalFlow 4.0 production software: Chili publisher 4.5 Prep, Print Manager, Production Manager and Path

Chili has released Chili publisher 4.5, the online document editing solution that integrates seamlessly and transparently within a wide range of workflows and production platforms.

Publisher embeds into an application and is fully customisable so users can choose how to incorporate the software into workflows such as web-to-print, magazine publishing, packaging, brand management and yearbook applications.

The company has an installed base that includes a number of the world’s leading publishers, printers, graphic arts industry suppliers, agencies and brand owners.

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Ricoh

The ability to easily integrate with software from major industry developers such as Esko WebCenter; Agfa:Apogee Storefront; GamSys PartnerWeb; Chili Connector for Magento by PHPro (part of the Belgian Cronos group); Dalim Software; Enfocus; XMPie and Tharstern e4print Pro.

TotalFlow Prep 4.0: with a redesigned user interface, offers fast, efficient document preparation with intuitive access to capabilities such as imposition, tabs and finishing.

Ideal for small to mid-sized print service providers, it enables operators to create documents, edit and impose via a simplified, easy-to-use graphical interface. TotalFlow Prep can operate independently or integrate seamlessly with other TotalFlow production management solutions such as Print Manager and Production Manager.

New features include:

Europe has launched a portfolio of software products, including Ricoh TotalFlow Prep 4.0, TotalFlow Print Manager 4.0, TotalFlow Production Manager 4.0 and TotalFlow Path 4.0, designed to enhanced production printing operations. Part of the TotalFlow software suite and available in in EMEA from November 2015, the solutions have been designed to streamline job workflow, minimise errors and maximise productivity.

TotalFlow Print Manager 4.0 and TotalFlow Production Manager 4.0: provide powerful, centralised management for digital production print operations. They can automatically schedule and route jobs based on printer capabilities, media type and current workload. Using dynamic media catalogue discovery and device synchronisation, media changes are minimised to help drive productivity and cut overall costs and errors, as well as reducing downtime since jobs get to print faster and spend less time in the job queue.

Production Manager 4.0: adds advanced capabilities such as transforms from Postscript or PCL to PDF, printer pooling and an embedded pre-flight function provided by Enfocus Pitstop.

TotalFlow Path 4.0: built on an open workflow platform, is an easy-to-use, affordable workflow automation software that streamlines the cut sheet production print workflow. It intelligently connects software programmes and business applications like web to print and Management Information Systems (MIS), enabling them to communicate with each other during the production process. Using rules-based automation, and a drag and drop interface, clients create and customise linear workflows to meet specific job requirements. TotalFlow Path reduces common errors and speeds up turnaround times by minimising human touch points.

Version 4.0 brings new extensions for EFI Digital Storefront, Ultimate Impostrip, for advanced imposition, and support for the latest continuous feed and cut sheet devices.

TotalFlow Prep, Print Manager, Production Manager and Path, features: • Accurately take files from multiple sources, or in multiple formats, and create a print-ready PDF files • Preview files for accuracy as adjustments are made • Choose media, finishing options, printers and more • Use a preset for frequently used tasks so they’re performed automatically, and consistently, every time • Perform simple PDF edits, including logo replacement, text insertion, sizing and rotation at any time while the preview function ensures changes look exactly how they should, before printing • Manage print jobs such as scheduling, error recovery, printer status check • Build of an automated workflow through a highly intuitive drag and drop user interface • Enable file format conversion from PCL/PostScript to PDF, printer pooling and optional colour management and preflight integration • Integrate disparate applications into an end-to-end workflow to address workflow automation

Optimised 3D try-out Publisher offers users different versions of a document and to see how changes to one version affects other versions. For example, a user can view different sizes of an advertisement, and can see in real time how changes, like adding more text, will affect other versions of that advertisement.

Enhanced Copy Fitting Version 4.5 includes enhanced copy fitting features across multiple non-linked frames. This allows users to apply the same copy fitting style percentages to all of the text frames, ensuring consistent font sizes throughout the document.

Dynamic Image Updates A new Dynamic Asset Provider (DAP) framework enables the use of dynamic images from external sources via a “URL feed” in the Editor. A dynamic image is an image that is updated in real-time through variable information provided by the CHILI publisher Editor.

This allows users to have automatic updates of variable information such as charts or diagrams using numbers of percentages in an Excel file.

In this example data would come from the Excel file into the attached data field associated with the chart of diagram, saving time and ensuring the accuracy of the data presented in the chart or diagram.

In addition, version 4.5 also features several new characteristics that improve productivity and efficiency for users. These include: • • • •

Synchronising multiple servers Support for Google Drive API Folding and alternate layouts Additional information in HTML export

THINK :

why didn’t I think of that

artistry

CREATIVITY

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cREATIVITY San Francisco Museum of Modern Art acquires ‘Gemini’ Chaise with Stratasys 3D Printed Acoustic Skin left ‘Gemini’ acoustic chaise by Prof Neri Oxman in collaboration with Prof. W. Craig Carter and Stratasys, purchased by SFMOMA. Inner lining produced in 44 composite materials using Stratasys’ unique colour, multi-material 3D printing technology. Photography by Michel Figuet

above A still from Vocal Vibrations: Neri Oxman’s ‘Gemini’ Acoustic Chaise created with Stratasys 3D Printing

The

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purchase follows a series of Stratasys 3D printed art piece acquisitions by landmark museums, including MoMA New York, Centre Pompidou Paris, Science Museum London, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA) and MAK Vienna

London, Museum of Fine Arts Boston and MAK Vienna.

3D printing and additive manufacturing solutions company Stratasys, has announced that the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) has acquired for its permanent collection, the muchacclaimed ‘Gemini’ chaise designed by Prof. Neri Oxman.

Gemini is a semi-enclosed, stimulation-free environment designed to enhance vocal vibrations, which are thought to be healing, throughout the body. A biologically-inspired 3D printed skin lines the beautiful wooden chassis. The skin’s texture is an intricate design of tiny knobs, which provide comfort while maximising sound absorption. The combination of a CNC milled wooden shell and the 3D printed lining creates an ideal acoustic setting for a single individual.

The purchase of Gemini, designed in collaboration with Professor W. Craig Carter with the 3D printed skin by Stratasys, is the most recent in a series of 3D printed art accessions by museums across the USA and Europe, which also include MoMA New York, Centre Pompidou Paris, Science Museum

As the first project unveiled using Stratasys’ unique Connex3 triple-jetting technology, the 3D printed ‘skin’ that lines Gemini was created in myriad colours and materials. Combining three base materials - Stratasys’ rubber-like TangoPlus, rigid VeroYellow and VeroMagenta - the acoustic

cREATIVITY

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above ‘Remora’ by Prof Neri Oxman in collaboration with Stratasys produced using Stratasys’ unique colour, multi-material 3D printing technology collection of the Centre Pompidou Paris

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chaise included 44 different materials properties in varying shades of yellows and oranges with differing transparencies and rigidities, all produced simultaneously in a single 3D print. Surfaces that are more curved than others were assigned more elastic properties, thereby increasing sound absorption. The materials, shapes and surfaces of the 3D printed ‘skin’ enable a unique vibrational acoustic effect for a quiet, calming environment.

“No other manufacturing technology is able to provide such a variety of material properties in a single process. This makes Stratasys colour, multimaterial 3D printing technology very compelling for artists,” says Naomi Kaempfer, Creative Director Art Fashion Design at Stratasys. “And that’s just one influencing factor in the recent growth we are seeing in museums advocating 3D printed artwork. We believe that the technology has substantial cultural impact and expect it to

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above ‘Anthozoa: Cape & Skirt’ by Prof Neri Oxman in collaboration with Iris Van Herpen and Stratasys was produced using Stratasys’ multi-material 3D printing technology and is in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston

have a significant influence on buying habits and manufacturing industries. As museums strive for public engagement with art, this progressive technology provides an important cultural reference, which should be celebrated.”

Prof Neri Oxman also explored the concept of varying material properties in a collaborative project with fashion designer Iris Van Herpen, along with Professor W. Craig Carter, Keren Oxman and Stratasys. Anthozoa: Cape & Skirt, which creates movement and texture through the use of Stratasys hard and soft 3D printed materials, debuted at Van Herpen’s show “Voltage” at Paris Fashion Week Spring 2013 and now resides within the permanent collection at Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

MoMA New York, Centre Pompidou Paris, Science Museum London and MAK Vienna have similarly

incorporated Stratasys 3D printed designs from Prof Neri Oxman into their permanent collections in 2014, this time from the Imaginary Beings: Mythologies of the Not Yet collection, also produced in collaboration with Professor W. Craig Carter and Stratasys.

According to Kaempfer, the trend for museums adopting 3D printed design affirms the longevity of 3D printing as an artistic medium and reflects a wider movement of artists celebrating the unique capabilities made possible with this technology.

“3D printing is at the very cusp of innovation, and Stratasys leads the way with new developments of its technology and a wealth of diverse materials.

As such it provides an expression of novelty and a source of wonderment for many artists,” Kaempfer concludes

cREATIVITY Stratasys collaborates with artist Daniel Widrig in 3D ‘Descendants’ collection

Stratasys

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recently collaborated with artist and designer Daniel Widrig to create a futuristic 3D printed art collection entitled Descendants. The collection was unveiled at the ‘GLOBALE: Exo-Evolution’ exhibition, held at ZKM | Center for Art and Media, Karlsruhe, Germany on October 30th.

Exploring a futuristic context where technological development and computational capacities continue to spiral, Descendants addresses the increasing possibility of superior artificial intelligence and technological singularity, and how future synthetic bodies might look and feel. “With advanced technologies, such as 3D printing, already facilitating the customisation and enhancement of the human form, the concepts of a post-human era of non-biological intelligence is now much more conceivable,” explains Widrig.

“It is an inevitable yet exciting design challenge to begin to speculate on how new material bodies might be formed to face the real-world constraints of the future.”

The elaborate humanoid figures were developed by overlapping high resolution 3D scans of male and female figures with intricate digital compositions.

Bringing the digital images to life, the pieces were 3D printed using Stratasys’ colour, multi-material

at the ‘GLOBALE: Exo-Evolution’ exhibition, which focuses on the artistic use of the latest technologies and the new realities being shaped by the ongoing technological revolution,” says Naomi Kaempfer, Creative Director, Art Fashion Design, Stratasys. “Descendants is yet another perfect example of Stratasys’ core purpose in revolutionising the way things are made.”

3D printing technology. This enabled Widrig to produce the complex geometries of each piece in a range of materials, in life-size human scale (size: 1751 x 452 x 292mm [Female], 1848 x 627 x 342mm [Male]). Drawing inspiration from both human form and abstract futuristic structures, Widrig combined colour with rigid and flexible materials – achievable through Stratasys’ unique colour, multi-material technology – to create the fluid, human-like characteristics of the pieces, while also enabling Widrig to portray an alien presence.

Other artworks include lauded collections such as Wanderers from Prof. Neri Oxman, which comprises the world’s first 3D printed photosynthetic wearable developed in collaboration with Stratasys, recently presented at a TED Talk in Vancouver

“Widrig’s artwork forms part of Stratasys’ 3D printed collection that will be showcased

The pieces were 3D printed using Stratasys’ colour, multi-material 3D printing technology to produce the complex geometries of each piece in a range of materials, in life-size human scale

cREATIVITY Epson prints ACE Award winning artwork

The ACE Awards were set up in 2003 to draw attention to standards in art and design in religious buildings in Britain

A

piece of contemporary art installed on the west wall of St Michael’s Church, Camden, UK has won the ACE Award for Art in a Religious Context.

The winners of the 2015 Awards were announced at a reception held in the King’s College Chapel, London.

Designed and created by artist Maciej Urbanek, the large-scale artwork measures more than 60 sqm and was printed using an Epson large format printer and media.

A graduate of Goldsmiths College and the Royal Academy of Arts, Maciej is currently Photography Tutor at the Royal Academy Schools, while still developing his art practice producing large-scale printed works.

The ACE Awards were set up in 2003 to draw attention to standards in religious art and design and celebrate the successes and diversity of architectural and artistic projects in religious buildings throughout Britain.

He was introduced to Epson within the RA Schools’ Epson Digital Media Suite and has used Epson materials and equipment since he was a student so knows the technology well.

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“Epson were very generous in offering me the use of their print facility at Hemel Hempstead in order to produce the 27 pieces that make up the installation,” says Maciej. “Not only did they provide their facilities but also their expertise. It simply wouldn’t have been possible without their help and support.” The large scale photographic work impressed judges with its ‘drama and theology’ and its ability to ‘speak mysteriously and powerfully’. Maciej says: “I’m delighted with the finished piece and the fact that it has created a focal point for the whole community to enjoy. “I’m also very happy it has won the ACE Award!”

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cREATIVITY Savannah College of Art and Design: students take on 3D Paper Product Design Challenge

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Highcon

, the Israeli based developer of finishing technology and makers of the Euclid digital cutting and creasing machine for converting paper, labels, folding carton and microflute, invited students at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) to take part in a 3D Paper Product Design Challenge.

SCAD a private, nonprofit, accredited university with over 32,000 alumni worldwide, offered the challenge to students from all years, and from all of SCAD’s locations (Savannah, Atlanta, Hong Kong and students studying online) majoring in Graphic Design, Industrial Design, Jewelry, Illustration, Fashion Marketing and Management were invited to form teams to participate.

The aim of the challenge was to produce the most innovative, feasible, and applicable product that they could design, in a way that would demonstrate clearly the amazing benefits of the Highcon digital cutting and creasing technology. Different projects and ideas were researched and implemented on substrate supplied by Iggesund Paperboard and digitally finished on the Highcon Euclid. 62 teams and over 140 students participated in the challenge and submitted original designs.

Eshchar Ben-Shitrit, VP Marketing at Highcon said: “The SCAD students showed not only creativity but also a keen sense of design for the real world. We could see how their imagination and originality enabled the creation of products with

a strong “wow effect” but also an applicable use case determined by a market need. The winning products will be displayed on the Highcon booth at drupa - the print and packaging show to be held at the end of May 2016. “ Professor Trudy Abadie-Mendia, SCAD Professor of Graphic Design said “The Highcon 3D Paper Design Challenge was a wonderful opportunity for our students to collaborate in designing unique paperboard solutions in a short amount of time. This was a cross-campus collaboration using our online platform as the main form of communication. For many students, this was a first. We are quite impressed with the results of this Challenge!”

1st Place - Twisted Tea (top) A multi-functional tea package design that includes a box for the individually wrapped teabag, the wrapping is used to remove the tea from the mug, a box to hold all the teabags and a tear-off strainer.

2nd Place - Joyful vitamin box for children A package for daily vitamin tablets for children that is not only educational but also interactive and fun to collect and play with. Each individual pack folds into a character. The packaging was designed so the child looks forward to finishing the tablet in order to play with the character and add to his collection.

3rd Place - Galaxy Lightbulb A custom package for single LED light bulbs. The inset of the bottom panel floats and protects the bulb and acts as a base to stand on display shelves.

It also leaves the bulb threading exposed to allow consumers to screw the bulb into light sockets without removing it from the packaging. Pinholes in the shape of different constellations, pierced on each panel, projects a starry night when lit in a dark room.

Two other runners-up tied for 4th place for designs with great potential - a highly imaginative shoe box and a light puzzle projector.

EVENTS events

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THINK :

WHERE’S MY DIARY

EVENTS FESPA Awards 2016 are now open including: in-store; fine art print; decals, outdoor and vehicle decoration; special effect print; garment and wearables; interior decoration; and industrial and functional printing. There’s also a brand new category for non-printed signage.

Fespa

has launched its call for entries for its 2016 Awards, marking the start of its search for pioneering and innovative projects in the print industry.

Fespa’s annual Awards programme celebrates the achievements of print service providers globally, aiming to find the brightest and best print projects, demonstrating real innovation and precision.

This year the global competition consists of 15 categories covering a variety of application themes

Each category can be entered using either a digital print process, screen print process or a combination of any print processes.

Entrants have until the 29th January 2016 to submit their work which will be judged by an independent panel of global industry experts.

Outside of the application-led categories, there are three separate awards: Young Star, Best in Show and People’s Choice.

The Young Star award is open to an employee or

student in a print related discipline aged between 16 and 25. Best in Show is decided by the judges, across all the shortlisted entries, for the piece of work that offers the most outstanding example of print. The People’s Choice award is voted for online by the Fespa community. Voting will open on the 15th February 2016.

All shortlisted entries will also be exhibited at the RAI Amsterdam, The Netherlands, during Fespa Digital 2016 from 8-11th March.

The winners will be announced in front of an elite audience of global industry experts at Fespa’s Gala Night on Wednesday 9th March at the Beurs van Berlage in Amsterdam. For more information, the full list of categories or to enter the Fespa Awards 2016, visit: www.fespa.com/awards

drupa 2016 - tickets online January 2016

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Messe

Düsseldorf, organisers of drupa 2016 the world’s leading trade fair for print and cross-media solutions, have announced that the sale of entrance passes can be ordered online at www.drupa.com at reduced rates beginning January 2, 2016.

The event will take place from May 31 – June 10, 2016 at the fairgrounds in Düsseldorf, Germany.

The online price for a 1-day ticket is Euro 45 instead of Euro 65 on show site, a 3-day ticket

online for Euro 120 instead of Euro 175 at the trade fair and a 5-day ticket is available online for Euro 190 instead of Euro 290 when purchased at the show.

The drupa 2016 tickets can be used for free public transportation on all buses, streetcars, underground trains (U-Bahn), urban railways (S-Bahn) and German rail service (2nd class) within the Rhine-Ruhr regional network (VRR) of Düsseldorf and the Rhine-Sieg (VRS) transportation

network which includes the neighboring cities of Wuppertal, Krefeld, Dortmund, Bonn and Cologne.

In addition the German Railway and Düsseldorf Marketing & Tourimus (DMT) offer a deal especially for drupa visitors coming from outside these two transportation networks: train tickets for travel from any other German city to Düsseldorf for Euro 99 (valid for 2nd class tickets, must be booked three months in advance of drupa).

Dscoop EMEA: free open membership for HP customers

Newly

appointed Dscoop EMEA 2016 Chairman, Julian Marsh, encourages delegates to ‘Connect to Grow’ for continued success and profitability Dscoop EMEA today announced the launch of its new Open Membership scheme. Free to HP’s entire install base, this new scheme will provide access to all of Dscoop’s online content, including forums, reports and newsletters. Making the group even more accessible, will increase the number of companies and the number of individuals able to benefit from Dscoop’s online resources.

“There is a wealth of industry and technical information, business tools and community forums now available to all HP customers. At Dscoop, we see this initiative as a means to take the advantages of Dscoop membership both wider and deeper within the industry - enabling more companies to join the community, access these business-enhancing tools, and more individuals within those companies to utilise the power of the Dscoop network. As this happens, it is sure to have a significant impact on member companies’ profitability, education and business growth, which is always Dscoop’s ultimate aim.”

Dscoop EMEA also announced its 2016 Chairman today, Julian Marsh of Harrier LLC. Julian explained that he believes Open Membership will be a real game-changer for HP customers,

Dscoop will also be introducing a Premium Subscription option. For Euro 299 a year, Premium members will have access to exclusive services, such as educational and conferencing material.

These members will also benefit from unique offers, events and training, including a €100 discount on the upcoming Dscoop EMEA5 2016.

The Dscoop EMEA conference will take place in Tel Aviv on the 5th - 8th April 2016 and the theme will be ‘Connect to Grow’ and will be showcasing HP Indigo, Latex and Pagewide printing technologies, as well as partner workflow, finishing and substrate innovations.

The event will cover approximately 36,000 sqm nine times the floor area attendees saw in 2015 and with just under two months before drupa, this increased space, dedicated to technology innovations, will enable HP and the Dscoop community to be the first to see what will ultimately be presented at drupa.

EVENTS Labelexpo Asia 2015 Shanghai is record breaker there is an evident shift towards sustainability, particularly as the Chinese government is encouraging converters away from more traditional solvent-based printing technologies press platforms in line with the Chinese government’s commitment to a sustainable future for print.

In addition to the presentation area, the twoday conference program was also well attended - highlights including the keynote presentation given by UPM Raflatac and WWF China with guidance on how to improve operational efficiency and identify environmentally sound products such as the FSC Forests For All Forever branding which can help drive environmental awareness with consumers.

Other conference sessions included overviews of the latest available technologies and also the event’s first ever converter panel discussion.

James Samuel, events portfolio director at Labelexpo commented:

Labelexpo

Asia 2015 held in Shanghai from 1 - 4 December 2015, closed on a high last week after attracting a record breaking attendance of 22,104 visitors; an increase of 3.2% on 21,416 in 2013.

across China and South East Asia. There were also many new product launches which reflects of how the Chinese market is developing in response to and in line with global market trends and the latest technological advances.

The event showcased new innovations for the label and package printing industry and spotlighted the major trends facing the Asian label printing sector going forward.

Digital was a key trend at the exhibition and there was also a wave of new anti-counterfeit solutions unveiled with one exhibitor claiming it had received its highest number of enquiries for verification and track/trace vision systems.

The 300 industry suppliers exhibiting at the show announced strong sales and lead generation from

The show also saw a move towards flexographic

“This year’s Labelexpo Asia ended on a massively positive note. The market here is rapidly maturing and there is an evident shift towards sustainability, particularly as the Chinese government is encouraging converters away from more traditional solvent-based printing technologies towards using flexography. With a continued rise in visitor numbers, exhibitor feedback was extremely upbeat with many meeting new contacts from across the wider South East Asian region. “ The Asian market is experiencing an exciting time of change and we look forward to returning in 2017.”

Fespa Asia for Bangkok in 2017

Fespa

has confirmed that Fespa Asia will take place in February 2017 at the BITEC exhibition centre, Bangkok, Thailand.

The return of Fespa Asia has been welcomed by local association TSGA (Thai Screen Printing and Graphic Imaging Association):

Fespa Divisional Director, Roz McGuinness comments, “Our annual exhibition in China is now well established, so it is time for Fespa to return to the pan-Asia region with Fespa Asia, and our natural choice for host country was Thailand.

Our objective - to build demand for print by reinvesting in the print community - is matched by the enthusiasm of our regional associations, with whom we will be working closely. We will deliver educational programmes to support the advancement of print in the region, along with an exhibition which brings the leading global and regional suppliers of screen and digital print as well as signage to Thailand. Our aim is to leave a lasting legacy across Asia through various initiatives in the years to come.”

“Fespa is the largest speciality and creative printing federation with 37 member associations, and has the philosophy of reinvesting in the global print community for sustainable growth across the board. The Asean countries are joined together to form an economic zone called AEC, with a population of 700 million. AEC is the highest economic growth region in the new world, and as Thailand is located in the centre of this region, it is the perfect location for the return of this international exhibition.

“On behalf of TSGA, it is our pleasure to welcome Fespa Asia back to Thailand. We believe the event will bring greater opportunities, more success

and sustainable growth for the print and signage community in Thailand and the rest of the AEC region.” Phongdej Sajarattanachote, President, TSGA-Thai Screen Printing and Graphic Imaging Association “Csgia and Asga are delighted to welcome Fespa Asia 2017 back to Thailand. Fespa has demonstrated a real commitment to print professionals in the Asia-Pacific region, not only through their support of the National Associations in the region including Csgia, but also the development of the exhibition in China. The return to Thailand in 2017 will bring the community here real value to help take their businesses forward.”

Jennifer Shen, President, Csgia & Asga – China Screen Printing & Graphic Imaging Association & Asia-Pacific Screen Printing & Graphic Imaging Association.

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