Wide-format & Signage - July 2018

Bringing Efficiency to Wide-Format • Today's Trends in Prepress & Color Management • Industry Insights

The Latest On UV Curable Printing

Instant Outcomes:

The Premier Source for the Visual Communications Industry

Philadelphia Zoo | Inflatable Billboard PrintingNews.com/12416647

July 2018

Table of Contents

July 2018

Instant Outcomes: mes:

What’s Happening in UV Curable Printing

8

Technological advances and application-driven requirements drive developments in the wide-format digital printing market.

By Joann Whitcher

12 Bringing Efficiency to WideFormat with Web-to-Print, MIS, and Workflow Software Printing companies have little time for hesitation or waiting around when customer demands pile up.

16 Application Spotlight: From Digital to the Smart Press Transitions in the industry give way to new trends.

By Dan Mahoney

Departments

By Manola Secaira

05 20

14 Today’s Trends in Prepress & Color Management Thinking outside of the bos in regards to cloud-based printing and digital production.

Printing Pulse New Products

Columns 04 Editor’s Note Staying on Trend

By Rebecca Flores

18 Industry Insights Sharing Key Findings

By Sean Holt

22 Industry Insights Tackling the Workforce Gap

By Lori Anderson

By Christopher A. Smith

Search for us...

@WideFormatSign

wideformatsignage

linkedin.com/ groups/1780044

PrintingNews

SOCIAL MEDIA & ONLINE CONTENT 2

Wide-Format & Signage

July 2018

PrintingNews com

In the Know

PrintingNews.com Social Media

Events:

wideformatsignage

CSA Summer Mixer / Tabletop Join CSA members for the 2018 summer mixer! Industry manufacturers will present their latest products designed to benefit your business.

July 18, Denver, CO

July 2018

The Premier Source for the Visual Communications Industry

@WideFormatSign PrintingNews.com

SignConnexion 2018 Mingle and take advantage of exciting seminars to give yourself a hand up in the industry, at SignConnexion 2018.

July 18-21, Biloxi, MS G7 Training - Clemson University This flexography based training for G7 Experts & G7 Professionals will be over three days full of extensive hands-on practical experience and live demonstration as well as in depth discussion on G7 methodology.

August 7-9, Clemson, SC

Featured Publication

Instant Outcomes:

The Latest On UV Curable Printing Philadelphia Zoo | Inflatable Billboard PrintingNews.com/12416647

Bringing Efficiency to Wide-Format • Today's Trends in Prepress & Color Management • Industry Insights

linkedin.com/ groups/1780044

W

ide-Format & Signage is the business and technology resource for corporate and senior management focusing on issues across the wide-format and grandformat markets.

Sister Publications Published by Endeavor Business Media, Inc. PO Box 803 • 1233 Janesville Ave Fort Atkinson WI 53538 920-563-6388 • 800-547-7377

July 2018

The Resource for Commercial, Sign & Digital Printing

DIRECT MAIL

Best Practices

Vol. 26, No. 7 • Direct Mail Insights for Your Business Needs

Group Publisher

• Executive Q&A with IWCO Direct's Karen Weil • Today's Trends in Prepress & Color Management

Kelley Holmes Kelley@PrintingNews.com | 800-616-2252 x8511

Managing Editor Rebecca Flores Rebecca@PrintingNews.com | 800-616-2252 x8506

PrintingNews.com

Using Pantone for Package Design PrintingNews.com/12417122

Contributing Writers Lori Anderson Joann Whitcher Manola Secaira

Sean Holt Carol Brzozowski Laurie Weller

Chris A. Smith Dan Mahoney

Since 1928, Printing News has focused on improving efficiency

Account Executive

and increasing sales and prof-

Paul Zimmerman Paul@PrintingNews.com | 800-616.2252 x8515

its in the print shop. Industry

Production Manager

experts share their ideas and

Connie Wolf CWolf@SouthComm.com | 800-616-2252 x1679

technical knowledge on ways to

Art Director

improve operations.

Barbara Pineiro BPineiro@SouthComm.com | 800-547-7377 x6316

PrintingNews.com—the web portal representing content from Printing News, Wide-Format & Signage, and Inkjet’s Age—is devoted to delivering you timely news and multimedia content on a daily basis.

Circulation Jackie Dandoy JDandoy@SouthComm.com | 800-547-7377 x1711 Focusing on Production Inkjet's Next Frontier

ENDEAVOR BUSINESS MEDIA

Exclusive Section

• Top Tips on Successful Print & Mail Marketing

CEO – Chris Ferrell

• Why White Ink is an Irreplaceable Tool for PSPs

VP, Production Operations – Curt Pordes VP, Technology – Eric Kammerzelt VP, Marketing-Gerry Whitty

Subscription Customer Service Wide-Format & Signage, Volume 26, Number 7 is published monthly (7 print issues: February, March, June, August, September, October, and December. 5 online ebooks: January, April, May, July, and November) by Endeavor Business Media, LLC. at 1233 Janesville Avenue, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538. Wide-Format & Signage print edition is distributed as a supplement to Printing News magazine. Printed in the USA. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recordings or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission from the publisher. Endeavor Business Media, LLC does not assume and herby disclaims any liability to any person or company for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions in the material herein, regardless of whether such errors result from negligence, accident or any other cause whatsoever.

The views and opinions in the articles herein are not to be taken as official expressions of the publishers, unless so stated. The publishers do not warrant, either expressly or by implication, the factual accuracy of the articles herein, nor do they so warrant any views or opinions offered by the authors of said articles.

PrintingNews com

For change of address or subscription information,

PLAYIN NG WITH INK & MEDIA A

call: 877-382-9187; fax: 847-291-4816 email: circ.PrintingNews@omeda.com mail: PO Box 3257, Northbrook, IL 60065-3257

Article Reprints

60-Second Super-Cool Fold of the Week #409 PrintingNews.com/12380206

Brett Petillo

Inkjet’s Age focuses on the issues

Wright’s Media 877-652-5295, ext. 118

surrounding

BPetillo@WrightsMedia.com

technology. It covers the indus-

inkjet

printing

try news, trends, products, services, and management issues that will help printers grow business using this technology.

July 2018

Wide-Format & Signage

3

Editor’s Note

Staying on Trend

T Rebecca Flores Managing Editor Rebecca Flores is an editorial professional with more than 7 years experience in content management, corporate communications, and leadership. With a demonstrated history of success in writing and editing, in addition to a keen insight for current trends, she brings an energized approach to coverage of the print and graphics industry.

Email Rebecca at Rebecca@ PrintingNews.com.

his month’s issue of Wide-Format & Signage is all about staying on trend. With the level of technological advances taking place in the marketplace, it’s easy to look away for a second and find that the latest and greatest have cycled out to the test of time. Luckily, we’re here to ensure you’re always in the know.

Technological advances and application-driven requirements drive innovation within wide-format digital printing. UV-LED cure technology (the subject of our cover story featured on pages 8-10) helps to offer more versatility, broadaning the range of potential. By leveraging this technology, PSPs can create results that traditionally would require two or more other inks to achieve. And who doesn’t want more efficiency?

On the subject of efficiencies, it has taken printing industry leaders decades to perfect accurate accurate color management. In pages 14-15, you’ll learn how to utilize the latest in prepress to make orders ruined by color variations a thing of the past.

Application Spotlight on page 16 outlines the latest in wide-format digital for all kinds of applications from magazines to the most complex

printing applications from concrete or corrugated packaging.

Finally, we think you’ll find that FESPA’s market research invaluable as Sean Holt shares the findings of their latest Print Census with readers.

The Census, which is the second iteration of this research, reflects ‘on the ground’ reality for print service providers, providing an up-to-date picture of real market conditions as experienced by our global speciality print community.

Let us know how you use the information within these pages to transform your business. Use wisely, refer oft , and print well.

More on MIS, Workflow, & Web-to-Print As our reporter Manola Secaira points out on page 12, the soon approaching holiday season and events like the World Cup remind us of how quickly customer demands can pile up.

When customers need wide-print formatted signage, there’s little time to waste.

Read about the latest trends in prepress software to help your business do it all.

Find this article at PrintingNews.com/12417541

4

Wide-Format & Signage

July 2018

PrintingNews com

Printing Pulse ONYX 18 Receives EDP Best Color Management Award at FESPA 2018 Onyx Graphics officially launched ONYX 18 software, the latest version release that includes new color technologies.

At FESPA Global Print Expo in Berlin, Onyx Graphics officially launched ONYX 18 soft ware, the latest version release that includes new color technologies for color accuracy, consistency, and conformance to standards such as G7 and Fogra that print service providers can prove to their customers. On opening day, ONYX 18 soft ware was honored with the 2018 EDP Award for Best Color Management soft ware.

The EDP awards are a judged by an expert Technical Committee from more than 21 trade publications covering 27 countries that reach more than 500,000 readers. The panel investigates the features and qualities of products and grants awards for the best products of the year. The EDP awards have become the “most prestigious and valuable technical award for the digital production business in Europe,” said Klaus-Peter Nicolay, President of the EDP Association. ONYX 18 emerged as a clear EDP award winner this year, which saw more than 120 entries in its twelft h year of granting these prestigious awards to industry leaders.

ONYX soft ware was also recognized as 2018 finalist for best Workflow Technology, Workflow Solutions as well as best MIS solution.

PrintingNews.com/12414985

Mimaki Recognized with Two Prestigious EDP Awards at FESPA 2018 Mimaki reported that the European Digital Press Association (EDP) has honored the company with two prestigious EDP awards. Europe’s 21 leading trade magazines with an editorial focus on digital print processes come together each year to honour the best technological developments among products and other developments announced or presented within the previous 12 months.

PrintingNews.com/12415179

PrintingNews .com

July 2018

Xaar 2001+ Makes Strong Impact at Ceramics China The Xaar 2001+ printhead with High Laydown Technology is set to make a powerful impact at Ceramics China, 30 May – 2 June 2018. Visitors to Xaar’s stand (K501, Hall 8.1) will have the opportunity to find out about the printhead’s capabilities, including outstanding special effects, which are revolutionising the ceramic tile decoration industry.As the most versatile printhead for tile decoration on the market, the Xaar 2001+ printhead has enjoyed an increasing rate of adoption by tile manufacturers around the world since its launch. Now Xaar is welcoming visitors to its stand at China Ceramics 2018, where they can inspect a range of tiles printed by the Xaar 2001+ printhead that demonstrate its superior print quality and special effects.

The Xaar 2001+ with High Laydown Technology enables manufacturers to produce more creative tile designs than ever before, meaning they can present their customers with exceptionally beautiful designs. With its 720 dpi resolution print quality, the printhead is capable of replicating, in extremely fine detail, the most intricate patterns such as rock veins and grains of sand, as well as the subtle gradients found in onyx and marble. The printhead’s 2000 nozzles also allow it to produce strong colours. For example, the Xaar 2001+ GS12C variant can deliver up to 40 g/m2 at 25 m/min line speed.

PrintingNews.com/12414659

Wide-Format & Signage

5

Printing Pulse

Think Patented Increases its Offerings with Versafire CP and Easymatrix 106 CS from Heidelberg Think Patented installed the Versafire CP and the Easymatrix 106 CS from Heidelberg to increase capacity and productivity.

With its customers’ needs growing, Think Patented of Miamisburg, Ohio installed the Versafire CP and the Easymatrix 106 CS from Heidelberg in order to increase capacity, productivity and offer new products for their clients.

After using its Versafire CV for 2 years, Think Patented needed to add an additional digital press to satisfy its customers growing digital needs. The company decided that the Versafire CP was the right digital press for them because it would continue to give them the top-notch quality and reliable color consistency all Versafires produce while also printing at speeds up to 130 pages-per-minute.

PrintingNews.com/12415810

SAi Appoints Bobby Fosson as Channel Sales Manager for North America

Higher Speed and Inline Finishing Make EFI VUTEk LED Roll-to-Roll Printer the Choice for ColorDynamics ColorDynamics hit the industry trade shows and purchased an EFI VUTEk 3r LED roll-toroll printer from EFI. When ColorDynamics decided to add wide-format printing to its repertoire last year, the commercial printing company acquired Superior Graphics, an established signage and graphics provider in Dallas. ColorDynamics also hired John Ehrenberger – a veteran wide-format graphics executive and the son of Superior’s founder – as an Executive Vice President. Looking to further accelerate ColorDynamics’ move into signage and graphics, Ehrenberger hit the industry trade shows to evaluate new equipment and purchased an EFI VUTEk 3r LED roll-to-roll printer from Electronics For Imaging, Inc. ColorDynamics had been researching super wide-format printers for several years, but company executives were wary of what they often saw in the evaluation process: printer manufacturers produce excellent results with their own demo files, but it did not always mean that the printer in question can produce consistent, reliable results day after day.

PrintingNews.com/12415904

SA International (SAi), the leading provider of soft ware solutions for the signmaking, digital printing and CNC machining industries, has announced the appointment of Bobby Fosson as Channel Sales Manager for North America.

The position will see Fosson, who boasts over twenty-years’ sign industry experience, drive and develop relations with SAi’s extensive dealer and OEM channel partners, focusing on the provision of commercial support and training to sales and technical staff.

Fosson’s breadth and depth of expertise is reflected in the various roles he has undertaken prior to his appointment at SAi. As well as spanning over ten years working in sales/support with sign industry dealers, this also includes two separate spells within business management – the first of which came directly upon graduation from high school when he created his own sign company. More recently, Fosson was owner and director of CS Sign Supply near Atlanta, GA. PrintingNews.com/12416305

6

Wide-Format & Signage

July 2018

PrintingNews .com

Printing Pulse Iraci Visuelle Medien Moves into Waterbased Textile Printing with EFI VUTEk FabriVU Soft Signage Printers EFI announced the first installation of the EFI VUTEk FabriVU 520 printer in Germany, at NeuUlm-based Iraci visuelle Medien GmbH. The new printer is the company’s third 5-metre EFI VUTEk device. Iraci visuelle Medien also prints textiles on a pair of VUTEk UV-cure, roll-to-roll printers, but with the new VUTEk FabriVU, the company can efficiently produce growing volumes of textile soft signage using the printer’s high-quality, aqueous dispersed dye-sublimation printing.

With its purchase, Iraci visuelle Medien, a company that specialises in largeformat textile printing, is expanding its existing dye-sublimation printing capabilities from 3.2 metres wide to over 5 metres.

PrintingNews.com/12414944

Drytac SpotOn Floor 200 Gains Class B1 Fire Rating in Addition to Global Slip Resistance Rating Drytac has announced that its SpotOn Floor 200 media has achieved a global Class B1 Fire Rating. This means Drytac’s removable film for f loor graphics can be used in public areas and other locations that must adhere to tight fire regulations.

SpotOn Floor 200 is an 8-mil printable PVC film with a unique Drytac-created removable adhesive. This adhesive has a unique dot-pattern that allows for easy, bubble-free application of graphics to most f lat surfaces without the need for tools.

PrintingNews.com/12414093

SwissQprint Nyala LED Wins EDP Award The Nyala LED impressed the judging panel in the category “Flatbed/ Hybrid Printers up to 250 sqm/h”.

The Nyala LED impressed the judging panel in the category “Flatbed/Hybrid Printers up to 250 sqm/h”. Summing up, they said: “Nyala LED is a state-of-the-art large format printer featuring a flatbed of 3.2 × 2 m and LED technology. It is precise and robust, extremely versatile and profitable, and it leaves a small environmental footprint.”

At Fespa 2018 in Berlin, where the EDP Awards were presented, swissQprint launched the third generation of its large format printers. These precision machines, developed and manufactured in Switzerland, are available in 40 countries via a worldwide network.

PrintingNews.com/12415708

Agio Imaging Turns to Durable Dibond for Permanent Structural Display Agio Imaging purchased approximately 2,056 square feet of 3mm White Dibond from 3A Composites’ distributor Agfa Graphics, of Aurora, Ill., including: 36 sheets in the 5-by-10 foot size for cladding the structure and eight 4-by-8 foot sheets for direct printing customer display panels.

The customer experience center is designed with a curved back wall installed between two flat end sections.

Two 65-inch LCD display screens were direct mounted to the Dibond end sections to incorporate multi-media presentations. The display was finished with vinyl décor graphics applied to the Dibond walls and to mounted acrylic sheets as well as custom painted acrylic lettering. A printed fabric graphic display suspended above the showroom designates the area as a “Customer Spotlight.”

PrintingNews.com/12415706

PrintingNews .com

July 2018

Wide-Format & Signage

7

KrstoBorozan/iStock

Epson SinoColor UV-740.

Roland VersaUV LEF-12.

Ricoh Pro T7210.

8

Wide-Format & Signage

July 2018

PrintingNews com

What’s Happening in

UVCURABLE

Wide-Format Printing?

By Joann Whitcher

T

echnological advances and application-driven requirements drive developments in the wide-format digital printing market. The printer-ink combination is typically limited to a specific set of applications—aqueous-based inks for indoor applications, dye sub for the textile market, latex for indoor signage, vinyl, textile and short-term exterior graphics, solvent for long-term exterior graphics and interior graphics, and UV for exterior applications. “Long-term water-based o environmental and gamut, but given UV’s resistance to weather conditions, it is a better fit ink offers a better ink set, in terms of e for outdoor applications,” acknowle acknowledged Mike Pruitt, Senior Product Manager, Industrial Markets, Epson. “UV is a better solution c “ than solvent, as it offers lower toxic toxicity.

While Epson offers a line of UV wide format printers—including the SinoColor UV-740 Series with the water cooling UV-LED lamp— Pruitt sees UV as having limited play in the wide format market, citing aqueous as a better overall choice and pointing out that when laminated, water-based is as tough as UV. However, advances in UV-LED based b cooler curing have broadened the substrates available av v to wide-format customers. With LED curing, wide-format wid d customers can print on thin or plastic substrates, subst r which would melt using a hotter cure.

PrintingNews com

Bridging the Gap “UV-LED cure technology (which uses lamps with light-emitting diodes as opposed to mercury lamps) bridges the gap between the technologies, offering more versatility in the process,” said Michael Maxell, Senior Manager, Mimaki USA. “Solvent and latex technologies often fall short on more involved applications that require white or light sources, such as back lit and static clings,” he said. Mimaki’s current products are based on a next generation UV-LED curable platform designed to broaden the range of potential applications, said Maxell.

As LED and ink technology have advanced, Sun Chemical responded with a series of graphic inks under the Crystal product range, which fully cure with LED-UV exposure. “Most of the inkjet inks we sell today for signage applications cover a wide spectrum of conventional UV curing technology,” said Peter Saunders, Business Director of Digital at Sun Chemical.

“However, we are seeing significant growth in UV LED with many bigger players in the market looking at UV LED because of its environmental and application benefits. Printers using

July 2018

Wide-Format & Signage

9

UV-LED curable leverage the technology to create products that traditionally would require two or more other inks to achieve. “We believe this will usher in a new era of wide-format printing with UV-LED curable taking the lead position in the market, surpassing even solvent,” said Maxwell.

“Mimaki’s curable technologies open up the possibility of printing on clear and colored media with more control,” he continued. Its newly introduced four-layer print technology lets Mimaki customers produce images that are altered when the light source is changed, creating a new space for target advertisements and retail applications. For example, a 3-layer print gives balanced control over an image that is intended to be front and back lit, where a 5 layer print give control of prints that require a different image on each side of the media. UCJV Series operators can create general signage, decals, and vehicle wraps with industry defining warranties, to more expansive products such as canvas prints, flag & banner, back-lit & static clings utilizing layered print technology with white ink.

Along with its printers, Mimaki has also developed Mimaki Original Inks for the UV-LED space. “Each ink has a unique set of characteristics and potential,” Maxwell advised.

Ricoh demonstrated the ability of its Ricoh Pro T7210 UV flatbed printer– as well as its full line of wide-format machines – with its Bianchi Corner, a simulation of a typical Bianchi shop, the high-end Italian bicycle retailer.

UV-LED cure technology (which uses lamps with light-emitting diodes as opposed to mercury lamps) bridges the gap between technologies, offering more versatility in the process.

Along with rigid display panels created by the T7210 UV flatbed, were rigid totems, cut out bike shapes and 2m x 1m and 3m x 2m wall boards, all on 5mm Forex, and bike details on 500mm x 350mm 4mm thick clear Plexiglass. Introduced in spring 2017, the T7210 UV flatbed printer is designed to meet the graphic needs of the industrial décor market.

In touting its UV curable product offerings, Roland DGA has shifted the conversation from technology to marketing. “Our mantra right now is to offer a strong approach to customization and personalization,” said Jay Roberts, Roland DGA’s Product Manager, UV Printers.

Shifting its paradigm shift around 18 months ago. Roland’s approach to the UV wide format market is to delineate different scenarios for approaching different markets.

“We are changing the philosophy of product; moving from overseas manufacturing of mass marketed products to personalized or customized products with the company’s or person’s info,” explained Roberts.

“Our RIP has variable-data capabilities that enhance the customization process,” he continued. “Customization adds value to the product.

Looking to the Future For Sun Chemical, UV LED, and UV inks are central to its research and development focus. “Performance is the key attribute our customers are looking for and it is at the forefront of what we offer,” noted Saunders.

Our customers associate our specially formulated inks with a high degree of enduring flexibility. Their equipment is running faster, and the inks need to cure on a wide range of substrates. Price is often a factor for our customers, but it is balanced off by their application needs and the versatility of the ink’s performance on many substrates. Ink performance is always the key. At FESPA 2018,

10

Wide-Format & Signage

July 2018

A regular lunchbox sells for $5; a customized lunchbox, personalized for the customer, is a $25 product.”

Roland offers an array of UV printers, from smaller series desktops to larger 64-inch flatbed for industrial printers. Its customers also span a wide range, from corporations who use its UV tabletop printers for internal use, to graphic arts shops that are printing 500 custom coasters on a flatbed.

In house at a corporation, for example, the human resources department might use the desktop model when onboarding a new employee, with personalized mugs, pens, hats, etc., with the new employee’s name, as part of a welcome package.

Large productions shops are using the RIPs variable data capability to print customized products for companies, let’s say an 100,000 gifts for customers customized with the company’s name. One Roland customer, PhoneGadget, based in Ringstadt, invested in a VersaUV LEF-12 – Roland’s benchtop UV flatbed – to produce printed covers with personalized photos and graphics.

PhoneGadget customers upload their favorite picture or graphics online, which are printed directly onto a smartphone or tablet cover.

California-based ARB Digital uses Roland’s VersaUV LEF-12 desktop flatbed printer to print on substrates like aluminum, steel, wood, tile and various papers. Clients such as restaurants and artists are excited about the ability to print on unique subtrates.

UV and LED inks will remain the chemistry of choice for the foreseeable future, said Saunders. “We see water-based ink technology as a great opportunity for the future perhaps but, for now, high performance UV will remain the mainstream, with a clear trend to LED cure.”

PrintingNews com

";r|;l0;u Ć’Ć? ĹŠ 1|o0;u Ƒġ Ć‘Ć?Ć?Ńś 1 oulb1h Ń´-1; Ň _b1-]oġ &"

Get the Strategies to Grow YOUR Business

! $ Ć?ŃśĹŒ$_; †|†u; o= ubmাm] bm (b0u-m|ġ bˆbm] oŃ´ou l;u]bm] |;1_moŃ´o]‹ĺ †vbm;vv v|u-|;]‹ĺ $_; 1omm;1াomv |o ]uo‰ ‹o†u 0†vbm;vvÄş Šr;ub;m1; b| -Ń´Ń´ Cuv|_-m7 -| |_; ;ˆ;m| =ou u;ˆ;m†;ĹŠ];m;u-াm] bmmoˆ-াomv -m7 voŃ´Â†ŕŚžomvĹŠ=o1†v;7 ;7†1-াomÄş +o† ‰bŃ´Ń´ ];| ;Š1Ѵ†vbˆ; -11;vv |o ;ˆ;u‹|_bm] ‹o† m;;7 |o uo‰ + &! †vbm;vvÄş • NEW! ;‹mo|;ġ -uh;াm] -m7 †0Ń´bv_bm] †u† ";|_ o7bm • NEW! o| $;1_moŃ´o]‹ †b7; |o |_; Š_b0b| Ń´oou • NEW! (bu|†-Ń´ !;-Ń´b|‹ Šr;ub;m1; • NEW! ;-umbm] Šr;ub;m1; $orb1v o1†v;7 om †vbm;vv uo‰|_ b]];u -m7 0;‚;u |_bm]v -‰-b| ‹o†ġ ‹o†u 0†vbm;vv -m7 ‹o†u ruoC| l-u]bmv -| ! $ Ć?ќĺ obm †v |o 7ubˆ; |_; ;mাu; bm7†v|u‹ om |_; r-|_ |o v†11;vvÄş

In 2017, more than 22,000 visitors came together in Chicago—making it one of the top 25 fastest-growing shows bm -‚;m7-m1; 0‹ Trade Show News Network.

! "$ ! $ +Ćť ! $;ˆ;m|Äş1ol Owners and Producers of PRINT

For more information, visit PrintingNews.com/12397774

Bringing Efficiency to Wide-Format with

Web-to-Print, MIS, and Workflow Software

By Manola Secaira

H

olidays like Thanksgiving and Black Friday are slated closely together, so printing companies have little time for hesitation or waiting around—customer demands pile up quickly. The beginning of the World Cup seems to be yet another reminder of this reality: when customers need wide-print formatted signage, they need it as soon as possible.

Enter web-to-print.

For many printers, the ability to order print online—particularly wide-format, an order that used to be especially tricky through the web since it has so much variance—has become an integral pivoting point in the last decade. Gone are the days of lengthy email chains or awkward phone calls.

Now, most customers seek a way to submit their orders at a moment’s notice. According to Ross Edwards, a Business Development Manager at Tharstern, that wasn’t a serviceable demand in the past.

“To manually compile and create the estimates and jobs to represent all the different combinations was traditionally a very manual and timely process,” Edwards said. “For some time now, we’ve been helping customers with this type of dilemma.”

That’s where the software comes in. While the particular software might vary from company to company, their missions are similar: consolidation and efficiency.

“The Tharstern API makes it possible to consume these files and automatically create the estimates and jobs,” Edwards says of his own company’s software. “Tasks that could take a

12

Wide-Format & Signage

July 2018

In tFLOW’s latest release, Aleyant upgraded the tFLOW product library.

This update enables users to complete jobs quicker for your customers by automatically handling preflighting, proofing and automated file prep for the additional products in the library provided.

day or even days, now take minutes.”

Still, there’s more to be done. In the decade since the birth of web-to-print storefronts, many printing companies have pursued other avenues of expansion. Steve Ciesemier of Aleyant’s sales and marketing department phrases it like this: “The focus today is not just having a web-to-print storefront but how do you handle all the rest of the things that are connected to that?”

The Software Revolution Before the internet, Executive Vice President Stephen McWilliam of Avanti says it was all “fat fingers”.

“Someone had to type something in based on a phone call,

PrintingNews com

an email, or a sales rep in front of a customer writing things down on a napkin,” he said.

McWilliam, particularly, would know; he’s been in the printing business since the 90’s, when the internet first began influencing the online storefront scene when Avanti was first created in 1994. In promoting the usage of online storefronts at the time, McWilliam remembers impressing the idea that sales representatives shouldn’t be responsible for the menial labor of writing down orders. Instead, their focuses could be directed somewhere more productive.

So, to the surprise of no one, printing companies jumped at the idea of being able to eliminate this tedious back-andforth with web-to-print software in the mid-nineties. Suddenly, salespeople weren’t tasked with ferrying information about print requests anymore.

Orders could be taken at a quicker pace and with more accuracy. The print shop could be open 24/7 and customers could check the status of their order at any hour of the night.

“Really, that was one of the great ideas that came out of the internet,” McWilliam said.

But as such expedience became the norm, customers began to demand more as well. This came especially in the area of wide-format.

When customers still had to call up print shops and wait days for their orders, “store refreshes”—in other words, when stores redo signage to keep up with promotional events or seasonal needs—were less frequent. Wide-format signage made up a majority of the printed product used in such refreshes as well. Inevitably, this became a new point of focus and software sought to offer more complex services.

“The biggest challenge is the plethora of software solutions that wide format printers have to address,” Tharstern’s Edwards explained. “Having to re-key between different systems or having little separate islands of workflows that circumnavigate the main system can be extremely time-consuming.”

Along with this change, more printing companies began to offer wide-format

PrintingNews com

workflows while capturing real-time progress,” Edwards continued. “However, when you get in to automating workflows, we then have the challenge of dealing with exceptions. Our new Layout Library tool is a great example of this, it allows printers to create personalized impositions for those layouts that don’t follow standard behavior.”

Finally, another major development mimics the shift that occurred at the beginning of web-to-print software.

Now, instead of having graphic designers check the images submitted by customers in orders (which, in order to work in a large wide-format sign, must be relatively good quality), the checking of flaws in orders is becoming increasingly automated.

In explaining Aleyant’s software tFlow, Ciesemier established that “tFlow actually goes in and finds those problems, it fi xes those problems, it automatically creates a proof and it automatically emails it the customer.”

Soft ware that can do the work of graphic artists not only frees up the time of those employees for other work but also speeds up the time necessary to complete the task of checking image quality. At Aleyant, “tFlow multitasks. If you have forty jobs coming in at the same time, within two minutes, they’re all done.”

Developments in technology, generally, must be taken account of as well—customers aren’t always sitting in front of desktop computers when they’re making orders. They want to be able to order wide-format signage at a moment’s notice, which could be from a tablet in a coffee shop or a mobile phone on public transportation.

So, as always, the pursuit of software that offers both precision and speed continues.

“What was acceptable ten years ago is barely adequate today,” Ciesemeyer said. “And I’m sure that ten years from now, what people are doing today is going to be viewed in a very similar way.”

services as well, essentially becoming “one stop shops” for their customers.

“If they say no, they’ll go down the road to someone who says yes,” explained McWilliam, explaining the shift and need for printing companies to expand their products.

However, consolidation and automation don’t mean lack of human interaction. Most printing companies have open phone lines for customer questions that can’t be answered online.

“The analogy I use is banking,” McWilliam said. “There are some things you want to go into the bank for like a mortgage, but there are other things that an ATM is perfect for. Same with web-to-print.”

Generally, the key is flexibility and ease of use.

In the decade since the birth of web-to-print storefronts, many printing companies have pursued other avenues of expansion.

“It’s really about helping printers get jobs more easily into the shop and get them through the shop,” McWilliam continued. “Our goal is to eliminate as many touch points in a job as possible.”

New Needs As software continues to evolve and wide-format is being further defined and integrated for online customers, Aleyant’s Ciesemier said “we’re all about connections.”

At Tharstern, this comes in dealing with particularities. One downfall of automation is the inability to easily account for exceptions in orders so printing companies must keep track of that as well.

“The MIS is the glue that pulls all this together and a good MIS provider will embrace integrating these solutions together to streamline administration and automate production

July 2018

Wide-Format & Signage

13

PantoneLIVE Dependent Standards are available for a number of important packaging substrates; all accessible in the cloud and from within many applications.

Today’s Trends in Prepress & Color Management

By Christopher A. Smith

O

ne of the more intricate and necessary components that can be found in the printing industry lies in the successful reproduction of digital imagery in the pre-press stages, especially color which is achieved through color management workflows.

Throughout the years, printing industry leaders have taken great pains to provide accurate reproductions, constantly coming up with new ways to put together color management systems that are in line with the times. The digital norm that we now live in has compelled these companies to think outside of the box

14

Wide-Format & Signage

with some remarkable success, especially with regards to cloud-based printing and production. PantoneLIVE is one prime example of how these initiatives have transformed this segment of the industry.

First created by X-Rite in 2012, PantoneLIVE is a color management system that is cloud-based and al-

July 2018

lows numerous companies and individuals in the global supply chain to have greater proprietary control over color standards from the Pantone library, and in turn gives them a better way to visualize and communicate those ideas of color. This system was also partially created to address the rise in legal cases that had color at the heart of them. As a platform, PantoneLIVE has three tiers of access for digital designers, for those working in digital production on a larger scale and a newer access level for those working in production for textiles, coatings, and plastics. PantoneLIVE

PrintingNews com

licenses are also available for designers; package printers / converters; and industrial manufacturers working with plastics, coatings or textiles.

ColorGATE, a renowned figure in color management has taken newer developments into account with their latest version of their RIP Software.

The software package on a whole is designed and calibrated to cooperate with the latest Adobe PDF Print Engine to preview and print PDFs and other documents at various stages of the print process with more efficient and accurate capability. These newer developments include archiving single print jobs for easier reference into a directory that makes it less trouble to organize.

Connecting The Dots This is also helped with a full list of spectrophotometers and other instruments which also include a wide swath created by X-Rite. Another key component to the current tools of color management that they’ve introduced to the industry is their Rapid Spectro Cube, which is an allin-one device that is able to provide elite ICC profiling from a number of sources ranging from very small ones and processing them with many compatible RIP software packages.

Other prominent features include a keen focus on ceramic printing with these accurate color profiles and the utilization of data to help reduce excess ink usage during printing jobs.

Ink suppliers factor in heavily when it comes to prepress, and it’s inevitable that companies with this as their focus would also endeavor to create new workflows in this regard. The Flint Group, through their Paper and Board division has recently released their own digital color management service known as VIVO Colour Solutions. This service is composed of two parts – the VIVO ColourSuite, which allows users to view color performance in real time through a dashboard that’s accessible across multiple websites and machines along with on-press spectral measurement of color per

PrintingNews com

application, and there’s a print wizard to help initiate those who were previously unfamiliar with printing in wide-format. And in keeping with the times, there is also a cloud drive that comes with the package that gives access to all pertinent data one would need such as storage updates and reports that give information on jobs being processed in real-time.

The advancements of technology as it relates to color management in the pre-press stages of printing have served to not only expand the horizons of the industry but also reinvigorate the conversation on how companies can observe color but how they can reproduce it. These new developments will undoubtedly serve as the bedrock for more innovation and ultimately a more robust prepress process.

job and the VIVO ColourSuite Viewer which generates vital reports using the data provided by the ColourSuite component to get a better handle on color management compliance and to sort out the factors in a job that could lead to non-compliance.

Innovation at Hand SAi has seen their outlook rise even further with these newer developments, which is best represented in their collaborative effort with HP, the FlexiPRINT software package. Flexi is their high-powered RIP engine that can handle a number of features like re-sizing, rotating, tiling and nesting for multiple print jobs within seconds. To dig deeper into the nesting aspect, there’s an option to handle it manually or naturally that’s provided. The software package also can be utilized on the go via their mobile

PantoneLIVE Visualizer packaging design software.

Banner and Canvas Finishing Tools allow for greater accuracy over manual marking and preparation of canvas jobs

July 2018

Wide-Format & Signage

15

Application Spotlight:

Thinkstock/iStock

From

DIGITAL to the SMART PRESS

Whether you’re using wide-format digital for glamour magazines or flexographic printing on corrugated boxboard, it’s likely you’ve seen presses rapidly transitioning. These transitional changes are all thanks to new technological advancements, which are creating several new trends in our business.

By Dan Mahoney

W

hether you’re using wide-format digital for glamour magazines or flexographic printing on corrugated boxboard, it’s likely you’ve seen presses rapidly transitioning. These transitional changes are all thanks to new technological advancements, which are creating several new trends in our business.

High-Tech Retrofitting

production analysis, peer-to-peer machine performance, and predictive maintenance. Coupled with the dramatic advancements in motor, drive and PLC technology, the entire motion control of the press can now be upgraded to a point where performance exceeds new.

The long-established practice of retrofitting has taken a decidedly high-tech turn, with the ability to extract production data from the press and feed it onto a network, whether they’re factory-centric or cloud-based.

Th is has enabled multi-national press builders and multi-location printers alike to monitor the performance of their equipment in real time for

16

Wide-Format & Signage

Inline Emerges Inline, an emerging concept of LECo

July 2018

(learning error compensation) is taking hold with our SIMOTION controller. The new self-learning LECo function compensates for periodic disturbance variables in the process, and quickly restores the process and product quality. Deviations, such as position errors of a process axis triggered by mechanical shock, are already largely compensated for after just one cycle.

In flexo printing, for example, streaking problems can result from drive control errors caused by unevenness in the flexo printing plate. As the press runs, the elevated surface deviations of speed and position are instantly captured and adjusted. Pre-control of speed and compensation of the

PrintingNews com

cylinder position is made possible within the next cycle or two, thereby maintaining consistently higher quality and approximation to the preset values. After one revolution of the cylinder, the drive control error has been “learned” and is immediately used for position compensation. The learned algorithm then continuously applies the compensation result, with other deviations that are not periodic or that have a different periodicity minimized by the active closed-loop control on the drive.

As the load torque continually changes, the result of the arrangement of the cylinder and unevenness of the printing plate, the quality of the image produced likewise changes, depending on the speed, contact pressure and other related factors. This load torque represents a disturbing variable for the printing plate cylinder drive and often results in drive control errors, which then result in poor appearance quality.

The learning error compensation here again learns and compensates these cyclic errors to increase quality immediately. Further, this self-learning behavior facilitates automatic adaptation in the process, even for new conditions after a format change.

Such advanced technology is provided by suppliers of motion control solutions and the integrators who service the needs of the end user community.

The full variety of printing press types is being enhanced by the rapidly advancing technologies in motion control and position sensing, especially “learning error compensation” .

Condition Monitoring Makes Technology More Intuitive Condition monitoring for the builders and end users alike has taken major steps forward in the last decade, especially with the introduction of cloud-based data streams, where press performance in-plant or across a global install base can be monitored, and predictive maintenance scenarios can be developed to keep presses running at peak performance and efficiencies.

Machine builders and end user all take notice when a machine fails.

Wouldn’t it be nice if machines were monitored for items such as vibra-

PrintingNews com

tion and higher than normal temperatures? Motor bearing failures, mechanical failures and other press performance factors are being tracked in today’s motion control and position sensing hardware. Th is technology is allowing the machine to “talk” to a supervisory control room or remote data center halfway around the globe. Th is is giving end user an advantage to protect themselves from downtime. It also enables maintenance and technicians to have more efficient predictive maintenance programs.

July 2018

“Digtial Twin” Creation For builders, the creation of a “digital twin” is now possible, allowing all types of construction and materials flow scenarios to be conceptualized and proven out in a virtual world, with only a PLC monitoring the “conditions” on the proposed press. A virtual commissioning can likewise occur, allowing more accurate estimating of time and materials, with the use of this technology.

Wide-Format & Signage

17

Industry Insights:

Sharing Key Findings

S

haring knowledge is at the core of FESPA’s organizational purpose, which makes market research central to our proposition to our members and the wider global print community. At our recent FESPA Global Print Expo (May 2018, Berlin), we announced the findings of our latest Print Census. The Census, which is the second iteration of this research, reflects reality ‘on the ground’ for print service providers, offering an up-to-date picture of real market conditions as experienced by our global speciality print community.

By Sean Holt Executive Director of FESPA Sean Holt joined FESPA in 2013 as General Secretary, coordinating FESPA’s support for its national associations, including the organization of educational, knowledge-sharing and networking initiatives funded through the Profit for Purpose program.

The fi ndings portray a truly global picture as, during the last year, we heard from businesses in 102 countries, with respondents including sign and display businesses, screen printers, commercial printers, textile and garment printing specialists and packaging printers.

The picture is a very positive one. We see a diverse community of thriving businesses enjoying sustained growth, responding to evolving customer expectations, and taking advantage of technology developments to expand and innovate their product and service offerings.

As in 2015, when we announced the fi ndings of our fi rst Print Census, we have distilled six key trends from the data, which the research shows to be shaping the industry over the long-term.

enues, and is forecast to grow to 53% of turnover within 2 years.

With continued growth comes more consistent investment in staff education and training. Half of the businesses surveyed revealed that they have invested in training for key areas such as design and colour management, a key factor driving and sustaining business growth.

Customer Demands Print’s ongoing redefinition as a customer-driven service industry is even more pronounced today than three years ago, as businesses meet the continued trend to mass customisation.

72% now report increasing demand for fast turnaround, 61% see growing requirement for short runs and 59% observe rising expectations of just-in-time delivery (JIT). The latest results paint a much stronger picture as no less than 95% of respondents said that these customer expectations are either growing or will stay as high as they are today.

Evolving Wide-Format Product Mix Textile print applications continue to offer growth potential and 39% of graphics producers are looking for textile printing capabilities when they invest. Photo courtesy of Epson, featuring the Epson SureColor F9200.

Maintaining Optimism

Find this article at PrintingNews.com/12417531

18

The 2015 Print Census gave a positive view of the mood of the industry and happily, the same is true in 2018. 83% of respondents state that they are optimistic for the future of their business (2015: 80%). This is well-founded, with business from digital wide format continuing to grow, and respondents reporting CAGR of 4.2% since 2007.

Today, digital output represents 44% of total rev-

Wide-Format & Signage

July 2018

The most popular signage and graphics applications remain consistent with 2015 – banners, signs and billboards – though contemporary options such as backlits are becoming a bigger part of the picture. Banners dominate the market, 68% regularly produce these and half of respondents see continued growth potential. The growing media versatility of the latest digital wide format technologies is creating other areas of opportunity too, including demand for printed interior décor applications.

74% of respondents today identify wallpaper and interior décor as a growth area for their business. POS displays are also gaining traction as 59% of businesses are experiencing growth

PrintingNews com

here. As businesses take advantage of the continuous developments in digitally printable self-adhesive media, more than half of businesses are now producing more self-adhesive applications, including vehicle wraps, vehicle graphics and decals.

Digital Technology Investment Back in 2015, it was already clear that digital was the main enabler of change for print businesses. Today, the 2018 Census tells us that print service providers (PSPs) need to manage growing demand for their products, while meeting customers’ challenging ‘just-in-time’ (JIT) delivery expectations. Print businesses continue to respond to sustained customer demand for fast turnaround, short runs and JIT delivery with strategic digital technology investments.

Due to volume growth, increased production capacity is now a key investment priority, with 54% of respondents citing this as their main motivation for capital spend. Cost reduction is also a factor for 53%, while diversification into new markets and product offerings remains a focus of investment for 53% of those surveyed.

Textile Textile print was the dominant growth trend in 2015 and the 2018 Print Census was developed to arrive at a more detailed picture of the growing textile segment. Today, textile print applications continue to offer growth potential and 39% of graphics producers are looking for textile printing capabilities when they invest. Garment products dominate across all textile businesses, with sports apparel, textile for garments and fast fashion topping the growth applications ‘leader board’. While digital print technology is driving growth in many areas, digital adoption for textile is slower than in other segments with production still led by analogue processes. However, among printers focused on textile, 56% have made digital investments,

PrintingNews com

74% of 2018 Census respondents identify wallpaper and interior décor as a growth area for their business. Photo courtesy of VitalBrand.

global community of print businesses enjoying sustained growth and responding to expanding capacity, as well as differentiating themselves with new products and services. The FESPA Print Census reflects the commercial reality for some 1400 print businesses, and we believe that this ‘grass roots’ insight - complemented by other FESPA research initiatives into key growth opportunities - can provide tangible benefit to our members by helping them make well-informed decisions to support their long-term growth. Many of the findings from our 2018 research were reflected through the feature programme at FESPA Global Print Expo 2018 through initiatives such as Print Make Wear for fast fashion, the FESPA Digital Corrugated Experience and the Printeriors showcase. This latest research will help us build on our member and event propositions moving forwards as we plan for FESPA 2019 in Munich and beyond.

The full 2018 Print Census report is available free of charge to members of FESPA national Associations or to FESPA Direct members. The cost of the full report for non-members is EUR 2000.00. For more information on joining FESPA Direct, visit: www. fespa.com/en/become-a-member.

and 19% plan to do so in the next two years, aiming to reap the benefits of reduced time to market, customised creative collections, prototyping, and a positive impact on environmental footprint by reducing water and energy consumption.

Environmental Demands In the 2018 Census we wanted to dive a little deeper into the subject of the environment to assess how important ‘planet-friendly’ printing is for PSPs. Responses show that environmental investments are heavily influenced by customer expectations regarding sustainable manufacturing and materials. 76% stated that customer demand for environmentally responsible products is shaping business strategy, with more than one in five affi rming this as a major influence. One in three PSPs has invested in energy-efficient or environmentally certified equipment to satisfy client demand. The good news is that 72% of PSPs have been able to invest in sustainability without increasing prices, which has preserved sales and maintained price competitiveness.

Looking Ahead We’re delighted that the 2018 Census findings once again show a buoyant

July 2018

Wide-Format & Signage

19

New

Products

Avery Dennison New Conform Chrome Series Covers Avery Dennison Graphics Solutions announced the launch of three new colors, a new finish and a larger width for the Conform Chrome Series of vehicle wrapping film. The new vinyl films, intended for accent wraps, are available in 53” width, and they include Violet, Rose Gold and Matte Silver.

Similar to previous Conform Chrome films, these new colors can be applied to simple curves, and they feature patented Easy Apply RS adhesive. Conform Chrome Matte Silver is the first film from the series to feature a matte finish, and it is recommended for full wrap applications as well as accent wraps with mirror-like finishes for an authentic chrome look. Conform Chrome Violet, Rose Gold and Matte Silver bring the series to a total of eight films, all of which are recommended for use in combination with Supreme Wrapping Film and MPI 1105 to highlight mirrors, spoilers and simple curves. Conform Chrome films also offer repositionability and slidability provided by Easy Apply RS technology.

PrintingNews.com/12416576

Mactac StreetTRAX Mactac launched its second outdoor floor graphic product, StreetTRAX, which passes ANSI/NFSI slip resistance/high traction specifications. StreetTRAX (STX1528P) is ideal for high pedestrian traffic areas such as marathons and races, parades, fairs, college campuses, sports arenas and entertainment venues, convention centers, and more. It has an outdoor application life of up to 2 months and is printable with solvent, eco-solvent, latex and UV-cured inkjet printers.

StreetTRAX is a 13.5-mil white PVC film that is top-coated with a non-skid printable clear aggregate, which allows for amazingly clean lines and crisp images. It features an aggressive, permanent pressure-sensitive adhesive that bonds extremely well to flat or slightly rough concrete and asphalt surfaces.

PrintingNews.com/12416555

Xanita Board

HP One Package Workflow Suite HP Inc. announced the HP One Package workflow suite for PageWide Industrial corrugated presses, the industry’s first ecosystem for digital corrugated printing. HP One Package offers soft ware and solutions from HP and partners to help converters maximize the flexibility of digital production.

HP One Package workflow streamlines submission and preparation of orders, allowing converters to take advantage of an array of digital value-added possibilities, including solu-

20

tions for brands’ consumer engagement and piracy protection using variable data, imagery and unique ID serialization. One Package’s production management and automation software also enhances operational performance and optimizes the supply chain. HP One Package complements HP’s growing portfolio of corrugated digital presses, including the HP PageWide C500 press for post-print and HP PageWide T1190 for pre-print.

PrintingNews.com/12416579

Wide-Format & Signage

July 2018

Xanita board is a lightweight, UV inkjet printable board. It’s unlike any other fiber board available in the market because of its closed-cell design, which makes Xanita board significantly stronger than visually similar honeycomb board products. Its strength and denser core enables Xanita board to be ideal for structural applications such as point-ofsale displays, custom trade show booths and signage.

Xanita board is designed to work with digital flatbed printers, hybrid printers and CNC cutters. It enables direct printing and can be used for curved surfaces, an advantage over other rigid boards. Quick to assemble, light and available as flat packaged, Xanita board is strong enough for the most durable requirements and afterwards, it can be reused or recycled. It’s a sustainable engineered fiberboard manufactured using fibers recovered from recycled paper products. Xanita board is VOC free, 75% lighter than MDF and significantly stronger than honeycomb boards. It is 100% repulpable and recyclable.

PrintingNews.com/12416027

PrintingNews .com

New

Products Komori Eight-color Lithrone G37P Komori America announced the introduction of an eight-color Lithrone G37P perfector capable of one-pass double-sided printing. Capable of both significant labor savings and high productivity, the Lithrone G37P sets a new standard in 37-inch presses.

The perfecting mechanism of this new press does not require any gripper change as the sheet is flipped; instead, the entire gripper mechanism rotates after taking the tail of the sheet from the vacuum cylinder. This design adds stability and reliability when turning the sheet, with a huge reduction in maintenance requirements. The simplicity of the Lithrone G37P delivers high quality output at high production speeds. The new eight-color Lithrone G37P will be debuted at Komori’s pre-IGAS (International Graphic Arts

Show) event at Komori’s Tsukuba Plant in Tsukuba City, Japan on June 14-15, 2018. It will also be exhibited and demonstrated at IGAS 2018 beginning on July 26.

PrintingNews.com/12416588

Signarama Custom Boat Graphics and Wraps Signarama can take your boat to the next level by offering a unique, lower-cost advertising avenue to get noticed on the waters, through vinyl boat wrapping and graphics, which add many benefits to your investment, including protecting your boat from the elements.

Company professionals can help you design a wrap or graphics package and different levels of coverage, offering everything from simple stern graphics with your boat name and port, to full-color, full-sized graphics for the sides of your boat. In addition to protecting the vessel from the elements, vinyl wrapping, which has a long lifespan and can be done in one or two days, has many other benefits. Cleaning only requires soap and water, the wrapping is reversible without damaging the boat’s original paint, and it is even a safe, eco-friendly alternative.

PrintingNews.com/12416544

Durst P5 Next-Generation Technology Platform Durst has launched a new printing platform – the P5 series. The P5 250 HS is targeted towards high volume industrial production, as well as one-offs in offset quality. P5 relates to five core features at the heart of this technology: productivity, reliability, workflow, versatility and print quality.

The P5 technology consists of a series of new generation printers along with newly, in-house developed soft ware and workflow solutions. The family also has state of the art, touch operation-based user-interfaces and leading-edge remote service capabilities. Everything is aimed and streamlined to maximize performance and uptime of the printing family, along with unparalleled flexibility in media and job handling.

PrintingNews.com/12415620

Mimaki Rimslow Series Mimaki Engineering Co., Ltd., Headquartered in Nagano Prefecture, Tomi City; President, Kazuaki IKEDA announced the launch of the “Rimslow Series”, their new pre- and post- processing equipment for digital textile printing comprising a new pre-treatment unit, two steamers and one washer newly added to their product lineup in October 2018. These products are from the Australian company Rimslow Global Pty. Ltd., which

PrintingNews .com

Mimaki acquired in November 2017.

For textile printing by an inkjet printer, it involves the following four processes; 1. Pre-treatment: Preventing ink bleeding by applying a treatment agent to the fabric, 2. Printing: Printing with an inkjet printer, 3. Steaming: Fixing the printed ink onto the fabric, 4. Washing: Washing off extra ink and treatment agent from the fabric.

PrintingNews.com/12416567

July 2018

Wide-Format & Signage

21

Industry Insights:

Tackling the Workforce Gap T

he numbers don’t lie. For the last few years, whenever ISA asks about the greatest concerns facing sign, graphics and visual communications companies, workforce is always at the top. At this year’s Leadership Congress, which brings together the ISA board of directors and members of three steering committees to confront the big issues, we asked again. The results were similar: 71 percent of Leadership Congress participants said workforce is their biggest issue. Of those, 45 percent say the challenge is in finding skilled workers, while the rest say that training is the biggest hurdle.

By Lori Anderson President & CEO of the International Sign Association Lori Anderson is president & CEO for the International Sign Association (ISA), which serves the international on-premise signage and visual communications industry. ISA’s programs include educational conferences, government relations, technology research, and the International Sign Exposition.

Find this article at PrintingNews.com/12417698

22

There’s no wonder: Between now and 2029, 10,000 Baby Boomers will retire each day. Many of them work in our industry—and in your shops.

This comes at a time when overall manufacturing is growing—production capacity is expected to increase 2.7 percent in 2018, building upon a 4.3 percent increase in 2017. Manufacturers—whether sign, graphics and visual communications companies or automakers—are fighting over a continually decreasing pool of workers.

You probably don’t need this litany of statistics to showcase what you can see on your shop floor or in your offices. But there are positive things happening to turn these numbers around. ISA Sign Manufacturing Day—held the first Friday in October—encourages companies to open up their doors to high school, vocational and community school students. In 2017, more than 3,700 students toured a sign, graphics and visual communications company.

But this is no longer just about one day. Instead, companies taking part find it can lead to ongoing relationships with schools—and their soon-tobe graduates. Some enterprising students have used it to ask for internships, co-ops or even job shadowing opportunities—and companies have responded by creating them.

Earlier this year, Eve Carroll started a co-op position at Mattatall Signs Ltd. “I’ve wanted to work with Mattatall Signs since Sign Manufacturing Day last October,” she said. She’ll have the opportunity to put what she is learning at Nova Scotia Community College’s Graphic & Print Production Program into practice. Mattatall will get a relationship with a potential new hire and her college.

These sorts of win-win opportunities exist in our industry—once we get students in the doors of our facilities. But we can’t keep doing what

Wide-Format & Signage

July 2018

we’ve been doing once we get them inside the doors. Younger people are driving changes in training. They have new expectations—including that they receive constant opportunities to grow and improve. Th is meets with a greater understanding of our brains and how they function—and that is transforming how training gets done.

The Leadership Congress earlier this year delved into this topic and some of the results were fascinating. Research presented showed that corporations are spending more money than ever on training. Yet 90 percent of new knowledge is lost within a year. So why bother? That may be the case—if the old methods continue to be applied.

Brain science shows that adult learners require a different approach. It means recognizing differences in backgrounds and helping them understand the context at which the training occurs. It means providing opportunities for them to discover things for themselves. Co-ops, internships and the like certainly capitalize on that.

But here is the most exciting aspect: the brain is able to constantly learn and adapt—meaning that it is never too late to learn something new. It is important that workers be challenged and kept engaged. But sitting in a daylong seminar is not always the best approach.

It’s time to think outside the box and find new approaches to confront these issues that pose a threat to our very existence and certainly limit our companies’ ability to grow.

Sign Manufacturing Day is a great place to start. I hope you’ll consider opening up your facility to students in your area. Your next great hire may just walk through your doors on that day. Learn more about participating by emailing workforce@signs.org.

PrintingNews com