Technical

When it comes to investment there’s a temptation to think mainly in terms of hardware, but it's the software that can really make the difference.

Software is often seen as a bolt-on extra like a printer driver or a Rip, or else as a solution to a particular problem, such as colour management or adding cutting lines to a design. But if we look at some recent announcements we can see a number of new trends emerging that suggest a different approach to organising a wide-format business.

Nessan Cleary takes a peek at this printer, which is new to the UK and aimed directly at the textile market, but available in various guises.

The Gunsjet R4 is a new series of wide-format printers which seems to have something for everyone, with the same imaging technology used to power solvent, aqueous and UV models, in both roll-fed and flatbed editions.

The Creative Place explains the significance of its AGFA Anapurna M2050 purchase.

In 2012 The Creative Place turns 20. Since its inception the company has seen plenty of change and now provides full creative, artwork, digital photography, large-format print production and installation, and four-colour printing (including short-run digital) from its purpose built facility in Watford. Yet, as a provider of design and branding solutions, the company was aware that it was not able to directly deliver all the requirements of a marketing communications campaign.

How image factory has invested its way into new markets. 

For more than 50 years, Image Factory has worked hard to offer its customers the latest services and cutting edge applications and, as you might expect, that’s meant significant investment in digital print kit. “In 2007, we made our first investment in digital printing technologies, so that we could offer a wider range of printing services,” says Tim Boore, head of digital technologies. “Throughout its many years in business, the company had earned a reputation for high-quality print and exceptional customer service. So when the time came to purchase a digital alternative to screen printing technology, it was vital that any investment reflected this.”

Nessan Cleary takes a look at this heavy duty UV flatbed, designed mainly to churn out pop materials day after day.

INCA DIGITAL, based in Cambridge, was one of the early pioneers of flatbed UV printers. Its entry-level model is the Spyder, currently available in two versions, the Spyder V, featured here, and the Spyder 320. 

As another year draws to a close it's worth reminding ourselves of some of the new kit we've seen and assess the long-term technical trends in the world of wide-format print.

In many ways the digital wide-format print market is a mature sector with the core technologies well established. However, there have been a number of interesting products launched this year.

Metallic inks can generate impressive effects, but you need a printer specifically designed to take them. Nessan Cleary takes a close look at Roland's VS series.

Metallic inks offer the wide-format print company the option to produce truly eye-catching special effects that can help differentiate it from its competitors and open up interesting markets such as labels and packaging. Several vendors offer metallic inks but here it’s Roland's VersaCamm VS series, specifically developed to handle these inks, that comes under the spotlight.

With finishing an increasing focus and a growing part of the investment budget Dave Howell reports on developments at the back-end.

Over the last few years the large-format sector has transformed from a specialist poster and display industry into a wide reaching service that now requires more advanced and innovative finishing technology – a trend both hardware and software developers have latched onto, leading to a plethora of new, improved and tweaked offerings aimed at making the back-end of the production process more efficient and fruitful.

This Mimaki hybrid printer promises the best of both worlds, handling both roll-fed and rigid materials with ease as Nessan Cleary finds out.

In the early days of UV printers hybrid devices did gain a poor reputation for quality with many manufacturers simply adapting existing roll-fed chassis as a quick, cheap way of getting to market. But Duncan Jefferies, marketing manager for Mimaki's UK distributor Hybrid Services, says that the UJV-160 has been designed from the ground up to be a hybrid device, noting: “Mimaki has an excellent reputation for build quality.”

Nessan Cleary takes a look at the automated cutting tables as they return to the UK market.

Many readers may remember seeing the DYSS X7 series of automated cutting tables when they were launched in the UK last year. However, the tables have been hard to get hold of since the original distributor, B&P Graphics, went into administration. But earlier this summer a new distributor, AG/CAD, took up the baton and has since installed a demonstration model at its Cheshire office.

This year’s Widthwise survey showed that when it came to R&D, you wanted manufacturers to place an onus on reducing the running costs of large-format printers. So are they?

One of the key findings in the technology section of Image Reports’ annual Widthwise survey was that when it came to where print companies most wanted to see printer manufacturers put their R&D spend, it was in reducing the running costs of the large-format printers they make. So of course, we asked a number of key players about where this issue currently figures in their R&D strategy and what they are doing to try and make the kit more efficient. Some where happy to outline their thoughts and actions, but from many quarters the response was a deafening silence which can only leave one to wonder about the kind of feedback potential customers get from suppliers when they ask the sam, increasingly asked, question!

UV has seemingly become the technology of choice – the fastest growing segment in the wide-format printer market – but where is it going?

The world, it seems, is in love with UV printing. The fastest growing segment in the wide-format printer market, there are an estimated 10,000 wide-format UV printers installed globally and the figure is rising. According to InfoTrends’ ‘Wide Format UV-Curable Inkjet Market Forecast’, the total system revenue from wide-format UV-curable inkjet printing systems, including hardware, ink, media, and service contracts, will reach $2.33 billion in 2013 from $1.1 billion in 2008, representing a CAGR of nearly 16%.

Have you a slick workflow that harnesses the full potential of your kit line-up or is there room for manoeuvre?

“When customers first look at investment they tend to focus on the biggest capital expense and how they expect that to add to their bottom line,” states Paul Bates, EskoArtwork regional business manager UK and Eire. “But what they often don’t consider is the added pressure this puts on all their departments and the potential bottlenecks this could introduce into their workflow.

Sophie Matthews-Paul looks at how developments have impacted upon inks and substrates for digitally printed textiles.

Perhaps it became a myth as the years passed that a textile coming under the digital heading is a material that has been used in conjunction with a machine which can print inks or dyes specifically for fabrics. Where this misconception originated is anyone’s guess but, depending on the end application desired, there’s no reason why many applications can’t be produced using other chemistries.