Month: March 2014

Canon will demonstrate its capability to offer customers a single source for all their wide format solution and service needs at FESPA Digital. Visitors to the stand (Hall B1, Stand 310) will be able to learn about the array of large format printers, software and substrates that, supported by outstanding service, represent the full breadth and diversity of Canon’s offerings to the market.

Committed to inspiring customers to achieve business growth and driving innovation in wide format printing, Canon Europe will also be showcasing a variety of customer success stories and applications, including bespoke printed wallpaper and laminated flooring, all enabled by its wide format technologies. Canon customer, Marco de Wert of Sanders Group (www.magnetservice.com) will also be explaining to the Digital Conference Theatre audience (at 15.00-15.30 on Thursday 22 May) how wide format printing transformed his business.

With Océ’s expertise and technology now fully integrated into its wide format portfolio, Canon is better positioned than ever to help Print Service Providers (PSPs) to extend their service offerings and become exceptional service providers.

Whatever a customer’s core business, the Canon stand will provide the inspiration and innovation to help them identify areas in which to grow their business across the fast-growing wide format market. It will demonstrate to visitors how the combination of Canon’s imaging heritage with industry-leading Océ technology provides customers with the ultimate business partner.

The portfolio of wide format solutions being exhibited on the Canon stand will range from roll-fed inkjet and UV flatbed printers, through workflow solutions and digital cutting tables, to the full range of Canon substrates. Highlights will include:

• The Océ Arizona 480GT, the market’s most versatile UV flatbed printer, with eight independent ink channels and the capability to print a decorative varnish or white layer on a large variety of substrates, including glass, laminated flooring and membrane switch overlays. It can create exciting and high value applications for Point-of-Sale (POS), signage and specialty applications
• The Océ ColorWave 900, which, thanks to raw speeds of up to 1,000 square metres per hour and powerful workflow, offers unprecedented large format colour production capabilities
• The Océ ColorWave 650 Poster Printer with its Océ CrystalPoint imaging technology for instantly dry poster prints for cost-effective, high-quality POS prints delivered on demand on a wide range of media
• The Océ ProCut digital flatbed cutter – an automated cutting system that can streamline wide format digital printer workflow from prepress to finishing, delivering exceptional cut quality, versatility and productivity for all display graphic applications
• The Canon imagePROGRAF iPF9400, which incorporates LUCIA EX, Canon’s innovative 12-colour pigment inkjet system with image processing technology, to give the finest results for production, photographic and fine art applications.

Duncan Smith, Wide Format Group Director, Canon UK & Ireland, comments, “The wide format market is one sector of the printing industry that is continuing to expand because of the growing number and variety of exciting applications that can be realized on wide format digital printers. Thanks to the unrivalled combination of printing and finishing systems, RIP and workflow software, substrates and services we can offer customers, Canon is ideally positioned as an expert source to satisfy all indoor and outdoor graphic arts wide format demands and to support companies in the long-term growth of their businesses. We want to help our customers to become exceptional service providers, so I’d invite them to come and find inspiration on the Canon stand – they won’t be disappointed.”

Following the introduction of the Mimaki SUV printer range, Mimaki’s UK and Irish distributor, Hybrid Services Ltd., has announced the appointment of authorised “SUV Demo Centres” to enable prospective customers to view the printer and assess its creative and commercial advantages first-hand.

Hybrid used a strongly-attended reseller forum event held in March at Rookery Hall Hotel in Cheshire to launch the printer to its network, with sessions that included technical training, intensive insights into the product and RIP software and an engaging talk from Mimaki EMEA’s general manager of marketing, Mike Horsten, who had flown in from Amsterdam before heading to the FESPA Summit in Munich.

Granthams, Graphic Printing Technologies, PaperlinX, Signmaster, Xpres and Your Print Specialists all have demonstration machines available for customers to view in their showrooms in mainland UK, and Reprocentre (in Dublin) and Dennis D Evans (in Belfast) offer similar opportunities for prospective Irish and Northern Irish customers.

“Getting such a strong group of highly regarded resellers in one room to look at this exciting new product in detail was important for us,” says national sales manager at Hybrid, John de la Roche. “The Mimaki SUV Series delivers a completely unique print result and we genuinely believe that when people see the output they’ll truly appreciate the extensive benefits the printer can offer their company. By offering a network of highly qualified, specialist resellers around the UK and Ireland with demonstration facilities, we can make this as easy as possible.”

The new Mimaki printer is available in 1.3m and 1.6m widths and produces an instantly dry, vibrant and robust print onto substrates such as wallpaper, vinyl and banner, making it suitable for indoor and outdoor durable jobs that, in a lot of instances, will not require lamination. “Even if an over laminate is deemed necessary, it can be finished immediately after printing as no gassing off is required,” says de la Roche. “A big feature alongside the glossy print is its incredible durability and scratch resistance – we’d really like customers to see it for themselves to fully appreciate how different it is to anything else out there!”

With prices starting from £17,995 and including a one year, gold warranty along with fully featured RIP software, the Mimaki SUV is expected to find homes with signmakers as well as display print providers looking for something to set themselves apart from the standard fare. “Increasingly, customers are looking for a point of difference and the new Mimaki gives graphics companies a chance to offer them that,” concludes de la Roche.

For more information, please visit www.hybridservices.co.uk/suv

Reprocentre has installed the first HP FB700 in Northern Ireland at Minprint, a well-established design and production company based in Belfast. Minprint, which prod

uces a huge variety of printed material for customers including promotional products, signage, exhibition stands and banners, purchased t

he printer from Reprocentre in February 2014. The new machine will enable the company to expand into new markets.

Jamie McMinnis, Digital Director at Minprint comments, “This is a significant investment for us. We decided some months ago that we would expand our product offering and produce more specialist packaging and point of sale material. We needed to purchase a machine that had a high level of productivity and versatility and would provide a long-term solution for our business. The HP FB700 was the one that came out top for us. We can print on a wide variety of rigid or flexible media such as Correx, Forex, composites, banners, vinyls, display films and even wood.”

Jamie continues, “Having worked with Reprocentre over the past few years, purchasing numerous items of finishing equipment from them, we had no hesitation in asking their advice on this new purchase. The HP flatbed was coming pretty high on the list of our options and Reprocentre advised us to go and view the product in the flesh. We went to the HP demonstration centre in Barcelona and were overwhelmed with the experience. The team guided us through the whole process and we were able to test the product first hand. We were delighted with the quality and speed of the machine. The support and training we’ve had from Reprocentre has been brilliant too and having their technical expertise on hand is invaluable.”

Bill Forde from Reprocentre in Northern Ireland, who worked closely with Minprint on the purchase of the printer, comments, “People are so busy these days that it’s really quite difficult to persuade them that it’s genuinely worthwhile to go and see the machine they’re interested in buying, and test it’s capabilities in terms of quality and speed of production prior to purchase. We were really pleased with the flexibility and commitment Minprint showed in working around the limited slots the demonstration centre in Barcelona had available. We’re sure the time and investment Minprint have committed to this purchase will pay dividends for them in the long-term. We’ve sold several HP FB700 printers to customers in the south who are delighted with them, and we’re sure this first installation in Northern Ireland will also be a great success.”

With several election campaigns coming up in Northern Ireland this year, the Minprint team are going to be extremely busy producing signs, banners, leaflets and other promotional items for the political campaigns. The HP FB700 complements the equipment Minprint already has in-house and will ensure rapid production of the materials required.

Gordon Morrow, Digital Development Manager at Minprint is project managing the HP FB700 installation. Gordon recently managed Minprint’s Xerox Color1000 Press install. He commented, “These are very exciting times for Minprint, we have a superb client base and workforce keen to test the wide selection of materials and products the new FB700 offers. We’ve already seen some great results from the new press and look forward to showing our customers the quality and clarity of the print”.

Initially, Minprint plans to promote the new products it can now produce with the HP FB700 to its existing customers, who are made up of a diverse range of companies from multinational blue-chip organisations to small independent companies. Specific market sectors Minprint will target include the retail and security markets.

Jamie concludes, “We expect the HP FB700 to propel our company forward and help increase sales considerably over the next few years. The team here are really excited about the new opportunities it opens up to our business.”

[Image shows Gordon Morrow, Digital Development Manager and Jamie McMinnis, Digital Director, Minprint with HP FB700.]