Features

Nessan Cleary talks to users about how this package has evolved from being financial management tool to a vital part of the production system for the modern wide-format operation.

Management information systems (MIS) have become increasingly important to print businesses, partly because there’s more emphasis on automated throughput than there was, but also because the role of the MIS has changed. Traditionally such systems have been all about gathering financial information so that managers can make the best decisions for the smooth running of a business. But increasingly the MIS now sits at the heart of the production process, running everything from estimating and quoting to generating delivery notes and invoices.

If you’re looking for a sheet plastics distributor that can offer you a whole lot more, then you should be talking to Nick Warne and his team at NE Plastics. “Following our successful debut at FESPA in London, earlier this year, we have experienced a significant growth in sales; not only in our core business of flat sheet but also for our new roll media range and for trade fabrication work where good quality and fast turnaround is our mantra. “

Textile printing is said to be one of the fastest growing areas in wide-format, but you do have to tailor the applications around the available materials? 

There’s no doubt that digitally printed textiles is a huge and growing business. But this is partly because it is made up of several very distinct markets. The biggest of these is the garment sector, which itself can cover a huge range from high street fashion to the occasional promotional    T-shirt. This includes printing to various materials from cotton to silk, which require specialist printers with inks suitable to these materials, and plenty of washing before the garment is ready  to wear.

According to InfoTrends’ ‘Transforming Textile Printing’ report published at the start of this year, the global textile industry is worth approximately $1 trillion. While the digital textile printing market is tiny in comparison to the entire textile industry, it is growing rapidly from a global perspective. So are you in on the action?

Nessan Cleary takes a look at the machine that heralds Epson’s move into the textile printing market.

Late last year Epson announced its intentions to get into textile printing with two new dye-sublimation printers, one of which was the 64in wide Surecolor SC-F7000. This machine was subsequently officially launched at this year’s Sign and Digital show with quite a number now established in the field.

Jos Bastiaans, director of Netherlands-based textile print specialist Print Unlimited, has been involved in digital textile printing since it was merely an idea. He worked as a development and software engineer at Océ Netherlands before joining Stork, where he was part of team that developed the first inkjet plotter for textiles back in 1989. During the 1990s Stork set up a commission printing operation, which in 1999 became Print Unlimited. When this operation was hived off in a management buyout at the end of 2003, Bastiaans led the executive team responsible. And there he’s been ever since, so what he doesn’t know about textile printing isn’t worth knowing! Here are his thoughts…

Steve Malkin is CEO of Planet First, which specialises in bringing sustainability to SMEs. He has partnered with the Eden Project to launch The Planet Mark Sustainability Certification for Business. 

Understanding sustainability is often referred to as the brick wall stopping people, and businesses, from starting to tackle the issue. It is possible that this wall is blocking further progress in the print industry, which has long known of the importance in being able to produce with the environment in mind. 

How its latest investment in an Agfa Anapurna M2050 is expanding Key2 Group’s service offering and client list.

You know the score. There are marvellous examples of digital wide-format work out there that a service provider has produced but is unable to flag up and shout about because the client doesn¹t like it. Key2 Group, based in Portsmouth, is no exception when it comes to having this specific problem. A really lovely job undertaken for an end client of global, cosmetic, blue-chip stature will sadly have to remain off limits, but Mike Keating, the affable managing director of Key2 Group continues in an enthusiastic vein. 

Consultant Matthew Parker provides his top tips on how to retain valuable customers and build business on the back of their loyalty. 

Your kit and consumables suppliers have a vested interest in helping you succeed. So do you use them to best effect in helping grow your business? Tim Greene of InfoTrends thinks you should demand more. 

It may sound simplistic, but we [at InfoTrends] believe that there is a great case to be made that wide-format printing companies of all size could be taking a more aggressive approach to business growth and development by leveraging the resources of their suppliers.

Avery Dennison has announced the ‘GoForPro Contest 2013’, a competition co-sponsored by HP, Epson and Mimaki that invites print professionals to enter their best graphics projects by 15 December. Winners’ entries will be awarded trips to the sponsors’ training centres in Barcelona, Dusseldorf, Milan or Istanbul.

If it’s cutting creativity you’re after, look no further than an AXYZ CNC router which is capable of doing much more than just profile cutting of 2D letters and shapes. These CNC routers have been specially developed for both the signmaking and print finishing industries.