Features

We’ve seen a substantial amount of new kit launched this year but it's worth looking at where there’s still room for improvement. Nessan Cleary reports.

Looking back over 2013 there’s been a good smattering of new printers released so it’s easy to focus here. But perhaps the most striking developments have been in the area of workflow. Up to now the wide-format sector has mostly relied on whatever Rip happens to come with the printer but, clearly, quite a few vendors believe that there’s room for something more sophisticated.

Nessan Cleary asks users for their feedback on this cutting table, which was introduced by Esko at Drupa last year.

Most people who invest in a UV flatbed printer quickly find that a cutting table is an essential accessory to keep jobs moving through production and prevent bottlenecks. These tables can handle most materials from vinyl through to acrylic and many now sport powerful routing heads for dealing with the tougher substrates such as aluminium. There are several to choose from but Esko's Kongsberg tables have established themselves as one of the market leaders. Esko has a bewildering array but the XN series, introduced at last year’s Drupa show, has proven popular.

Hollywood Monster is well known for their innovative and dynamic approach to wide format digital printing. A visit to their facilities on the outskirts of Birmingham is enough to impress even the most hardened veterans of the signmaking community. When you step out from the offices onto the staired platform above the printing and finishing plant, you’d better hold on to your hat – it goes on for miles.

Nessan Cleary takes a closer look at this range of printers, with which Hollanders continues to single-mindedly pursue the textile market.

Dutch manufacturer Hollanders was set up in 2003 specifically to make large-format textile printers. Almost uniquely, Hollanders has opted to concentrate its efforts at the communications market, including soft signage, rather than the growing garment industry.

Image Reports’ annual Angel Awards recognise products that have been introduced to the UK during the last year, and which it considers the most innovative and likely to have an impact in the wide-format sector. We reveal the winners of 2013…

Image Reports speaks to David Nicholas, MD, Fosco Hayes and Hurdley.

Chime communications’ company icon has undergone the rigorous assessment required to become BS OHSAS 18001 certified. What about you?

Using UV-curable inks has become the de facto way of bringing versatility into the overall productivity of wide-format print houses, display producers and sign-makers. However, there’s now an additional way to add to the investment benefitsof a new printer in the form of LED curing that brings extra flexibility, lower running costs and results in a greener working environment. 

There's trouble ahead in the wide-format supply chain according to Time Greene, Consultant at InfoTrends, which is researching a report called 'Disruptive Supply Chain Strategies' that will be published in 2014. Here's his heads up.

There are multiple dynamics at work in the wide- format digital printing supply chain that InfoTrends believes will result in a big shake-up. On the one hand, wide-format print buyers frequently wait until the last minute to place their print orders. You already know that print buyers also often shop for the best price and service, so the printers that can do jobs for the lowest price and the fastest turnaround are the ones that will win the work. 

Nessan Cleary talks to two users about their experiences with this high-volume flatbed printer.

Konventional wisdom has it that screenprinting is better suited to fast throughput than inkjet but there are several digital printers that challenge that. This month we’ve been looking at one of these - HP's FB7600. Naturally print quality and the ability to handle multiple substrates are still key considerations but these printers are all about productivity, so the loading and unloading systems are just as important.

Well, when it comes to environmental considerations in the manufacture and distribution of wide-format inkjet printers, many vendors are still standing on the apron though their engines may be running. Nessan Cleary reports.

We know that for many businesses, particularly retailers, it’s important to be seen to be green and that increasingly that means looking to their whole supply chain and making sure that it reflects their own environmental policies. The knock-on effect is that large-format print providers are going to have to be in a position to demonstrate to their customers that their business fits the bill. And that in turn means taking a long hard look at the suppliers they use and the equipment they buy. In commercial print and in packaging this is already de rigueur but it seems that the large-format sector is lagging behind.