What to Watch

Automating large-format print finishing - where are we, and where are developments taking us?

Software integration is where we’re told it’s all happening, but many PSPs are yet to be convinced that the benefits of investing in today’s solutions outweigh the headaches. Should we expect that to change anytime soon?

What is ‘middleware’, and why should large-format PSPs care? Well, as OneVision Software marketing manager Raphael Gruber, reiterates, everyone is talking about end-to-end digitisation of production processes, but what about the bit in the middle? We know that integration and connectivity are important, but so often systems do not properly ‘talk’ to each other. Middleware is intended to smooth out that problem.

Now that we’ve had the key trade shows for the UK’S wide-format digital print sector we thought we’d bring you up to speed with product introductions made in the first half of the year.

Given it’s trade show season, we asked a number of large-format print chiefs what technical advances they’d like to see that would improve their businesses. Here’s what they highlighted.

Eco and supply chain issues - how are they impacting large-format printer/finishing machine manufacturing and distribution strategies? We asked the companies that make them to bring you up to speed.

What will most impact the large-format print sector in 2023 and beyond? That’s the question we put to a broad range of suppliers to this sector. Here’s what they identified.

This has hardly been a year of major innovation when it comes to large-format finishing systems, but in a bid to bring you up to speed with the advances that have taken place in 2022 we asked suppliers to flag up what they’ve added to their offering, and also where they feel there is still the most need/scope for further development?

As remote operation becomes more widespread we ask manufacturers what they are doing in regards to printer diagnostics and other technological advances to keep devices running and help large-format PSPs operating lights off.

In conjunction with the newly published Image Reports Widthwise survey 2022 we asked a number of manufacturers how the findings reflect what they’re seeing within their own companies and in the wider market - and how they are tackling key issues flagged up by the poll.

We hear an enormous amount from printer manufacturers about the opportunities afforded PSPs by textile printing. Yet, our Widthwise survey findings show relatively little exuberance in this sector when it comes to the oft forecast moneyspinner. So should you be having another look at textile print kit?

Be clever and think smart. Software developments and integrations mean large-format PSPs have more opportunity than ever to gather and analyse data from across the whole of their operations, and to use that intelligence to make them more efficient and profitable. 

The volume of ‘eco’ consumables hitting the wide-format print market is impressive. But though the most visible, is the environment all that’s on the inks and media R+D spectrum?

What do PSPs still want in terms of technical development within the wide-format print sector? Here’s the grassroots response to the question.