News

At Drupa Screen will show an enhanced specification Truepress JetSX full-colour, B2, variable-data sheet-fed inkjet press. The company will showcase the device’s ability to handle inkjet and offset papers and boards up to 0.6mm thick in a bid to market it as a variable-data / print-on-demand solution for packaging.

EFI has launched Fiery Dashboard, a cloud-based service that provides 24/7 access to real-time production data from any Internet browser, including mobile phones and tablets.

Bordeaux CEO Moshe Zach has said the company “will reveal new products at Drupa for emerging technologies for the wide-format inkjet market, including inks formulated for the latest ink technologies and solutions to help printers grow their business”.

Following its restructure and the departure of its chief executive Terry Watts at the end of March, a leaner Proskills has a new business plan that sees it ceasing to be a Sector Skills Council by 30 June 2012. Instead it will continue as the Standards Setting Organisation and National Skills Academy for eight industries in the Process and Manufacturing Sector.

New from Scodix come S52 and S74 print enhancement machines to support B2+ and B3+ size applications. The units, to be unveiled at Drupa in May, use jetting block and multiple independently controlled inkjet nozzles to deliver Scodix's proprietary PolySense clear polymer in small drops and multiple layers.

Graphtec GB has cut the price of some of its key plotter/cutters to sign and graphics producers by as much as 30%. Typical new pricing starts at £850 for the CE5000 and £2,795 for the higher specification FC8000 machine.

Tower Printing is the first UK printer to invest in the GMG ProductionSuite wide-format colour management and workflow solution. The London-based business signed the order at Sign and Digital 2012.

Anton Schaaf is to be president and CEO of Océ, succeeding Rokus van Iperen who becomes president and CEO of Canon EMEA, responsible for Canon sales and marketing activities in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Agfa Graphics will use Drupa to launch Apogee StoreFront, a cloud-based Web-to-print system that makes it easy to set up online stores or ‘storefronts’ for both printed and non-printed products.

Spirit Displays, the London-based manufacturer of banner tensioning systems, has added Spirit-Tex to its range in response to calls for a sturdy, easy-to-use frame for lightweight textiles.

UK artist Insa commissioned BAF Graphics to digitally print and install fabric-backed wallcovering to showcase his one-night installation ‘Self Reflection is greater than Self Projection’ in London’s Shoreditch area. The exhibition featured 160m2 of wall covered in Digimura 2.1 Smooth and 60m2 of Aslan floor vinyl with anti-slip laminate, both printed with Insa's work. The entire installation process was carried out by BAF and documented from start to finish.

CWES has been appointed sole UK HP reseller for GMG new wide-format colour management and workflow solution, GMG ProductionSuite. The alliance was sealed at Sign and Digital 2012 and is effective immediately.

John E Wright signed a contract at Sign and Digital UK for an Océ Arizona 360 XT printer. Tony Barnett, a fourth-generation owner of the Midlands-based business, said: “The Océ Arizona XT 360 is a fantastic product to fill a gap we had in our signage and graphics business. It will be based in our main graphical operation in Nottingham. We have had an extremely busy time recently, winning important new contracts in key areas including retail, fashion products and general signage. This is just the first - we expect to buy other Océ systems going forward.”

The winners of the ten Sign and Digital UK Awards have been announced. They are: