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.
How confident are you of finding the tech you want, at prices you can afford, among the myriad advances being shown this year at the various print trade fairs - and beyond? No doubt there’ll be developments of note as there always are in an ever-evolving marketplace, but are there particular gaps you’d like to see filled sooner rather than later? According to a straw poll of some of the sectors key players there certainly are, and here’s where…
Nick Lindwall, co-director at Ottimo Digital articulates what many think when he says “technology moves pretty fast, and it’s hard to say what developments we’d like to see in the future without someone else telling us that they’re already here!”
But he continues: “Digital wide-format print is a mature industry, with a fairly stable ecosphere of equipment manufacturers and software developers. This has enabled us to build a fantastic, bespoke MIS and digital workflow. I think the next logical step is to link our machines, workflow and people into one seamless system.
“We’re very nearly there with systems like the Esko Automation Engine, but integrating live machine data into our MIS would enable us to reach whole new levels of optimisation and automation. Currently, even machines from the same manufacturer use different software formats, so a unified protocol across all machines could deliver huge productivity boosts.
“Wide-format print production means managing countless variables, from short, medium and long runs, to all the different kinds and compositions of substrates, inks and finishes. Being able to access and adjust these factors electronically would allow us to exert fine-grained control over costs, reduce wasted materials and time, increase our productivity, and boost our overall equipment effectiveness beyond what we’ve been able to achieve with today’s technology and our custom MIS.
At Raccoon director Richard Clark is also on the hunt for better software support. “Over the past two years we have updated and added to our large-format print capacity, replacing two HP Latex printers with the latest 800W model. The addition of the white ink has enabled us to be more creative with our output, especially with window graphics. In addition to the new Latex printers, we have also installed two Colorado 1650 UVgel printers, which provide great capacity and some great features, including double sided printing and the unique FLX finish which allows you to combine matt and gloss finishes within one print. This additional firepower has once again highlighted the one true bottleneck that still exists for nearly all large-format print companies, which is artwork preparation, pre-press and job submission.
“The industry is crying out for a software company to join up all of the dots and to provide an ‘out of the box’, affordable management system suitable for large-format and signage printers.
“We have had two frustrating years trying to implement such a system and are still nowhere near achieving our aims. The current software companies and third-party consultants just aren’t able to take a holistic view of the needs of a large-format print company and to bundle this into a easy to install and implement platform. They seem to lead you just a few feet away from the water and then disappear, leaving you to wonder what to do next.”
Software, and support, also continue to be issues for Ray Linford, technical manager at RMC, who says: “I think quality has reached its peak and speed is now king, which means more printheads, which means more costs and ever-increasing service support requirements. This needs to be addressed by the manufacturer, and not adapting a one cap fits all approach - more an individual customer-based system to suit individual in-house needs.
“Given the economic outlook I believe the time is right to invest in new technology to enhance your existing business and to open new revenue streams for future growth.
“Printer manufacturers are all pushing the latest tech, which is good and bad because the user needs a solid, proven workhorse that delivers customer orders on time and to the quality they expect, and with that the least amount of downtime - and that brings me to customer support, which to me is the fundamental cause of customer-to-manufacturer communication breakdown.
“The one issue I have with new tech is software reliability from printer launch to printshop - this needs to be addressed with swift updates and fast response to customer communication.”
For Mark Rose, operations director at MacroArt, “it would be great if recent significant advances in file processing software and print output devices - with increases in speed, quality and multi-use functionality of equipment that enable everyone to produce more print in shorter timescales - could be matched by developments in post-print activities in terms of automated devices.”
He continues: “Almost all the print we produce involves an element of finishing to transform it into a high impact and useable display. Currently, most of these enhancements are labour intensive, putting pressure on the post-production departments to match the increased output from the more efficient presses and processes. Thus, productivity is capped by the post-print element of any project.
“Addressing this imbalance in innovation will allow large-format printing firms to maximise the huge improvements in productivity being delivered by today’s new presses and software integration.
“There are several key areas in which advances would have a marked effect on overall production efficiency. Take lamination - there is both a strong requirement, and a keen commercial opportunity, for the introduction of presses with an in-line lamination capability, either as an integral part of the equipment, or a retrospectively fitted addition. Thus, two processes can become one, and a more seamless production more readily achieved.
“Then there’s the stitch finishing of textiles. Whilst there has been progress in this area of post-production, the development of new technology, similar to that used in digital die cutting, could potentially lead to the creation of an automated recognition system that knows where the fabric is and automatically feeds it, rotates, and feeds again until the product is finished, thus helping drive greater efficiencies in the process.
“Weld fabrication needs looking at too. With the increased use of sustainably conscious new materials, additional challenges are being experienced by operators using machines not designed to handle them, having, for instance, to add promoting tapes to achieve the desired strength in the joins, which creates a more labour-intensive process.
“Existing weld fabrication equipment has always been labour intensive, with fixed beds and moveable stamps which can only fix a small area at a time before manual movement of the stamp is required to progress along the length of a join. The development of a mechanism that could feed materials automatically through a fixed stamp would enable any length of substrate to be welded by way of a spooling system, and would dramatically improve productivity.
“Current digital die cutting equipment has, on the other hand, seen elements of innovation in recent years, offering multifunctionality and tool interchangeability. However, the sealed edge cutting of fabrics still presents problems, requiring a separate machine currently in the form of a laser cutting machine or hot knife. Again, the development of a digital die cutter that incorporates such a capability as standard would greatly improve productivity and efficiency in post-printing departments and would be a welcomed innovation.
“As mentioned previously, the increasing use of eco-friendly materials is a key element in the drive for sustainability that many in the print industry are pursuing. This strong progress needs continued innovation in the infrastructure for the treatment and re-purposing of materials to ensure that, as an industry, we can cope with both the capacity and the breadth of materials. Advancements here are a must and will ensure that businesses like MacroArt are able to provide the sustainable graphics and wide-format print our customers’ demand.”
Inks are a focus for Hollywood Monster CEO Simon McKenzie, who says: “When we think of our business, we would like to see the improvement of ink elasticity which would mirror those provided by the dye-sub machine. We currently spend too much time trying to colour match our 5m UV printer with our 3.2m dye-sub machine. These advances would increase productivity and allow us to package differently, reducing our carbon footprint when it comes to transport. We would like to see all inks become 100% VOC emissions free and widely available to the industry.”
Another very timely issue is brought up by Mark Bartlett, MD at Signbox, who points out that “unfortunately, this is the time of year most business owners dislike as it seems to coincide with their people looking for new jobs and handing in their resignation. This leads into the technology innovation that I would like to see most in our post-Brexit world and with the associated issues of finding, training and keeping good people. The more we can automate the better and I would happily invest if innovation in print, could replace the people we just cannot find.
“I know that HP produce some of the best large-format printing equipment on the market but also have a division selling 3D print technology. However, are the two aligned, and why not? If the production processes are similar then we could have one operator for both machines, effectively replacing our laser and router, which both demand separate skills and are on different platforms. The ability to ‘print and build’ from a single resource would be hugely beneficial for growth in our current employment crisis.”
Though wide-format print is now be deemed a mature market there’s clearly demand for ongoing technical development - and refinement in terms of how the technology is delivered and supported by manufacturers. Once the data is in from the 2023 Widthwise survey, currently being conducted by Image Reports, kit and systems suppliers will get a chance to respond to your technical concerns and wish list. Perhaps new introductions across the spring trade fairs will speak for themselves before that.