Sign & Graphics | Bi Monthly Publication of Signage Industry in India

Esko’s most versatile digital finishing
and software solutions showcased

At the recent Media Expo 2015 in Mumbai, Esko India showcased its line of i-cut Suite, Artios CAD software and a Kongsberg digital cutting table. Visitors witnessed the company’s entire workflow from design to prepress to versatile finishing at the company’s stand during the show. Esko’s range of Kongsberg tables brings world class solutions for cutting and creasing and short-run converting for professionals in the signage, packaging and label industries. The cutting tables are customers’ first choice for die-less digital finishing due to their robust build, their precise and fast performance and their smooth integration with Esko production software. Large number of options, varieties of tool heads and smart workflow tools of these tables ensure perfect finishing of a wide range of applications.

Software to let sign and display companies streamline their workflows, i-cut Suite of Esko pre flights and edits incoming PDF files, ensuring that jobs will RIP and print correctly.

It also helps build and edit sheet layouts, ensuring that jobs make the optimum use of substrates through intelligent true shape nesting and tiling. Shrihari Rao, sales director, Esko South Asia said, “The versatility that Esko’s digital finishing solution offers with i-cut Suite and ArtiosCAD software alongside the Kongsberg XN series is exactly what the growing retail and signage market in India needs.” He further mentioned that the sign and display market is growing very fast in India and customers understand that they cannot work manually any more as they are looking to digitize the whole workflow in which Kongsberg cutting table is a natural choice.

Mimaki Sb300 and Sb53 inks
approved for direct skin contact

Mimaki attains the OEKO-TEX accreditation for direct skin contact for its Sb300 series dye sublimation inks and Sb53 sublimation transfer inks. The OEKO-TEX criteria catalogue provides manufacturers in the textile and clothing industry with a scientifically based standard benchmark for the evaluation of potentially harmful substances in textiles. OEKO-TEX approved inks are suitable to finish skin-friendly clothing and other textiles for interested end users. This certificate thus constitutes an important decision-making element when purchasing inks for textile production. Mimaki has been awarded OEKO-TEX Standard 100. This concerns textiles and inks which, when used as intended, have a large part of their surface in direct contact with the skin, added advantage for the wearable textiles.

Stage set for second edition
of Retail Shop & Showroom Expo

Second edition of Retail Shop & Showroom Expo is going to open at Chennai Trade Centre from April 17-19, 2015 with a new thrust to showcase the latest solutions and trends in the retail world. Organised by Business Live, main showcases at this expo will include an array of products and technologies designed for in-store infrastructures pertaining to modern, space efficient, retail outlets and many others.

Retail Shop & Showroom Expo is a meeting ground for retailers, suppliers for complete in-store infrastructures, display graphics, structures, etc.

Manufacturers, importers, traders, distributors, converters and end-users in the retail and hospitality industry are the regulars among the hordes of visitors who by and large drop in at this three-day fair. At this upcoming Chennai edition of the fair, exhibitors from India and abroad will be participating to showcase products and technologies related to aluminium profiles, digital displays, props and decorative, stands, engraved signs, graphics & in-store communication, inflatable, LED displays, mannequins, POP designs, routed signs, store branding, window displays and many more. For more details, write in at: info@businesslive.in or visit: www.businesslive.in

Roland DG hosts second edition
of its worldwide contest for service engineers

Roland DG Corporation announces the second edition of its worldwide competition for service engineers (SEs). One technician will be crowned champion of the Global SE Awards based upon a demonstration of his knowledge and skills.

The finals of the contest will be held at Roland DG’s headquarters in Japan in October 2015 following local competitions beginning Spring 2015. Roland DG service engineers are engaged in the repair and maintenance of all Roland DG products, including wide-format inkjet printers, cutters, engravers, milling machines, and 3D printers. The goal of the Global SE Awards is to raise the quality and uniformity of maintenance services provided by Roland DG service personnel to the highest levels.

The SE Awards began in 2008 for service engineers residing in Japan. In 2013, the competition was opened up to service engineers worldwide. Twenty elite technicians selected from around the world gathered at the company’s HQ in Hamamatsu to compete for the world championship title by demonstrating their abilities and knowledge through problem-solving trials and written exams. All Roland DG Certified Service Engineers are eligible to take part in the Global SE Awards competition.

New SAi Flexi interfa ce delivers fast,
easy RIPing to HP Wa llArt 3.0 users

Reflecting its continuing collaboration with HP, SA International (SAi) has introduced a new interface for large-format print providers to operate the HP WallArt 3.0 custom wallcovering applications. WallArt 3.0 helps large-format print providers with HP Latex Printers, wallcovering manufacturers and designers to work more closely with interior decoration stores and e-commerce sites. Creation of wallpaper designs can be made from any location via the cloudbased HP WallArt application.

Customers and designers can place images and patterns to create custom wallcoverings that accommodate doors, windows and other architectural features of individual rooms.

Designs are uploaded to the Cloud from where large-format print providers download PDF files for printing on their large-format printers. WallArt 3.0 is free of charge for HP Latex printer owners. Once a new wallcovering design is uploaded, large-format print providers log on to the HP WallArt dashboard where they review and download jobs for printing. This process is now simplified and accelerated through the power of SAi Flexi’s user-friendly new interface.

Roland Texart printer enhanced speed via calender system

Roland DG announces a professional calender system for use with its Texart sublimation printer. Using the systems, the prints produced on the Texart RT-640 are sublimated at high speed onto a variety of materials for sports apparel, flags, banners, interior decoration and much more. Texart CS-64 is a sturdy 64” calender that satisfies the requirements of textile printers and sign makers. This user-friendly and attractively priced heat transfer machine is suitable for both beginner and experienced textile printers. The roller transfers prints from transfer paper onto materials containing polyester or fixes ink on directly printed textiles. Also, CS-64 has a practical speed of 40 sq m/hr and is suitable for both large volumes and smaller orders.

CS-64 calender is used in conjunction with the Texart RT-640 printer, which Roland DG launched in October 2014. The RT-640 is an advanced sublimation printer with innovative printing technology and powerful RIP software. The device works with original sublimation inks using either four (CMYK) or eight colours (CMYKLcLm + Orange + Violet). By adding the calender to the Texart range, Roland DG is now able to offer a complete solution for sublimation printing. Texart CS-64 is now available for shipping.

Matan and ORAFOL offer 10 years outdoor warranty

Abig breakthrough in traffic sign printing is that Matan Digital Printers and ORAFOL offer 10 years outdoor warranty in traffic sign printing. In a collaborative effort, an innovative clear layer has been developed, for the successful Matan DTS line of digital traffic sign printers. This clear layer provides an extended outdoor protection for the printed signs against fading and weathering. ORAFOL offers a 10-year warranty for signs printed on ORALITE Series 5900 High Intensity Prismatic reflective film, printed with Matan green and blue traffic colors and the new clear protective layer on top.

Matan’s DTS line of Digital Traffic Sign Printers are available at printing widths of 12”, 36” and 40” and use Matan’s dry ink printing, which is perfectly suited for all types of traffic signage applications. They can print 4 or 6 traffic colours simultaneously and support all grades and types of reflective sheeting.

FESPA returns to Amsterdam
in 2016 to celebrate 10th aniversary

To mark its 10 Years Anniversary, FESPA Digital 2016 will return to Amsterdam from March 8–11, 2016. The four-day expo will once again club altogether a series of landmark events viz. FESPA Fabric, Printeriors and European Sign Expo altogether on a common platform. Over the last ten years, FESPA Digital has firmly established its role as one of the most creative and inspirational exhibition platforms within the wide-format digital printing industry – not only in Europe, but around the world, attracting visitors from around 120 countries.

Amsterdam RAI, venue of the event, has seen significant improvements since FESPA Digital was hosted there in 2009. A brand new congress centre, which is due to open later this year, along with new cafés and eateries mean a much wider choice for both exhibitors and visitors. There are also more new hotels in close proximity to the exhibition centre. FESPA’s commitment to digital is stronger than ever as the show continues to reinvest back into the exhibition and global print community.

PwC predicts big shot in
digital advertising in one decade

In a recent research conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in South Africa revealed that digital advertising is expected to reach a new high within the next one decade. The prediction also dug up the fact that the medium will account for more than a quarter of all billboards as it is increasingly replacing traditional paper billboards in the region.

Also uncovered in the estimation study was about advancements shooting up in the generation of out of home (OOH) advertising, which comprise internet-connected digital screens that vary in size, provide advertising that is more effective to consumers through their flexibility and timeliness and that affords advertisers the opportunity to stream media and display dynamic graphics.

A catchy corrugated-board job!

All buzz around the stand of Sign & Graphics and sister publications at the recent Printpack India 2015 was for many reasons including an exciting one. Exciting for the fact that the sitting arrangement of a set of four tables and ten stools of corrugated-boards at the stand turned every passerby to see and those who took a seat never failed to make an enquiry on the making of the innovative woodless furniture.

The stools and tables branded with S. Media Group’s popular publications were prepared by New Delhi-based Megdhoot, a specialist in corrugated-boards converting 5,000 metric tonnes every month. The company boasts of its state-of-theart production facility equipped with HP Scitex FB10000 and HP Latex 3000 alongside a set of high-end Esko finishing equipments/tables.

HP Latex mobile apps for
smartphones now available worldwide

HP finally announces that its Latex Mobile application is now available for download worldwide. Unveiled around a few months ago at SGIA 2014 show in Las Vegas, the new large-format printing mobile app offers remote monitoring of HP Latex 310, 330 and 360 printers, including job information, print status and alerts.

With the HP Latex mobile app, PSPs can stay informed about the status of print jobs from anywhere in or out of office and can track projects through completion, as well as monitor print status and supplies to avoid surprises.

PSPs across the world, namely PressOn in the UK and Sprintout Digitaldruck GmbH in Germany, have already used the HP Latex mobile app, which is really useful in many facets. If a customer calls up for a last minute job, PSPs can give a fast answer because they know which material is on their HP Latex printers any time. Now the app is available for download for free from Google Play and Apple App Store. A version of the app designed for tablets will also be available in mid-2015.

GD Pred8tor installed at Colourmate Digital

New Delhi-based Colourmate Digital has installed a Gandy Digital Pred8tor. This newly adopted true UV flatbed printer with roll-to-roll option has enhanced the infrastructure of Colormate Digital to a new high. Pred8tor achieves print quality on all roll materials without compromising true flatbed capability and it can print 4x8 ft rigid material of two inch thick in 900 dpi photographic quality.

PID conference provides 360° view
of new world of interior decorations

Creative wall, floor and furniture designs present exciting opportunities for prints. This is what European Specialist Printing Manufacturer’s Association (ESMA) revealed a 360° view of printed decoration on different materials for wall and floor covering as well as textiles and furniture during the recent Printed Interior Decoration (PID) conference in Brussels. Peter Buttiens, CEO, ESMA said, “Looking at the printing market today, many traditional segments are under pressure from competition and this results in lower margins and less work. With a little help and expertise, many of the large-format printers can become important suppliers for printed interior decoration solutions.”

In his further statement, Peter mentioned that the large-format printers must have relevant equipments but need to gain some further knowledge and also build a new group of customers and professional partners. In this context, PID demonstrated that entering a different segment of the market, such as the creation of interiors, is not always an easy transition. The construction and the interior design world have their own standards and regulations. But it highlighted how printers should be the full contractor. A printer providing decorative glass, should work together with a glass fitter to ensure the smooth installation of the decorative glass as doors, walls or windows. Attracting over 150 participants who showed growing interest in the sector, PID was further supported by Euroshop, the world’s leading retail trade fair and the wallpaper association.