Digital Printing-Wide Format - Roll to Roll

In early May, EMC Insurance Companies’ in-plant added a Canon iPF8000 with an Onyx RIP to its poster printing operation, making this the first wide-format printer utilized by the staff of nine. The company’s in-plant prints posters for several departments, including human resources, corporate communications, risk improvements and branch offices. “This was a huge step forward,” says Margaret Kling, graphic and production supervisor. “In the past, Graphic Services would design, print and piece together everyday-type posters. Top-of-the-line posters would be sent to an outside vendor by the requesting department.” But now, EMC’s in-plant is able to produce a variety of projects in-house with the iPF8000, including

GRAPH EXPO returned to Chicago last month, bringing printers together from all over the globe. Despite its earlier than usual start the weekend after Labor Day, the four-day graphic arts trade show packed a decent crowd. Granted, opening day attendance thinned noticeably around NFL kickoff time (it was the season opener, after all), but by day two McCormick Place was jammed solid. An impressive 640 exhibitors (including 120+ new ones) spread out across 460,984 net square feet of exhibit space. In-plants interested in wide-format printing or in mailing/fulfillment could go to special sections of the show floor where such equipment was clustered.

HP has signed a definitive agreement to acquire MacDermid ColorSpan Inc., a manufacturer of wide-format digital ink-jet printers. As a result, the company says it plans to provide lower-cost platforms and UV technologies to print service providers that are expanding into outdoor applications and more industrial workloads. Based in Minnetonka, Minn., MacDermid ColorSpan is a supplier of UV-curable ink-jet printers for display graphics. Its current president, Robert J. Wenzel, will lead the new product line at HP. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Upon completion of the acquisition, MacDermid ColorSpan will be integrated into the Imaging and Printing Group of HP. The deal also is

CHICAGO—More aggressive promotion to in-plants was part of the plan the sponsors of Graph Expo implemented to build traffic at the 2007 show. It’s still not known if that part of the effort paid off, but the Graphic Arts Show Co. (GASC) is projecting that overall attendance was up. While cautioning that official attendance figures are still pending, GASC Vice President Chris Price believes attendance was up slightly over last year. In 2006, the show company switched to reporting verified attendees, rather than all registrations. An impressive 640 exhibitors, including 120+ new ones, filled the sold-out exhibit hall. Along with the offset and digital printing equipment

FOSTER CITY, CA—Aug. 20, 2007—EFI, the world leader in color digital print servers, superwide format printers, and business management software, today announced it will hold the ninth annual Connect user conference July 29 to August 1, 2008 at the Wynn Las Vegas. This year’s event received trade media praise including the comment by Patrick Henry in the July issue of American Printer that “EFI Connect is in a class by itself.” Marc Olin, senior vice president/general manager, EFI Advanced Professional Print Software (APPS), said: “We’re pleased to announce the date and venue for next year’s Connect conference. Even with the focus on drupa, customers spoke

Wide format digital imaging is evolving at breakneck speed. Manufacturers are offering bigger, better and faster printers at lower prices, while substrate and ink manufacturers are giving us more choices. You can see the impressive array of printers in the Wide Format Pavilion at Graph Expo, taking place in Chicago, September 9-12 (www.gasc.org). There, you can talk with contemporary artist Jackson Collins about his experience reproducing originals using digital ink-jet imaging. In addition, a Wide Format Theater will offer you numerous educational sessions. Here’s a peek at what’s planned: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 10:30– 11:30 am Aqueous, Solvent, Eco-Solvent or UV Curable – Which

Chet Pribonic Will Bring History of Customer Satisfaction, Management Excellence and Product Leadership to Growing Superwide Format Market FOSTER CITY, CA—Feb. 28, 2007—EFI (Nasdaq: EFII), the world leader in color digital print servers, superwide format printers and inks, and print management solutions, today announced the appointment of industry veteran Chet Pribonic to the post of senior vice president and general manager for the company’s VUTEk® superwide format product line. EFI’s VUTEk operations in Meredith, New Hampshire deliver the industry’s leading digital printers and inks for the fast growing superwide segment of the professional print market. “We are pleased to have an executive of Chet Pribonic’s caliber

More coverage of Graph Expo product introductions . IT MAY be telling that the majority of presses in operation around the show floor of Graph Expo and Converting Expo 2006 last month were of the digital variety. Offset units were conspicuous in their absence. Digital presses have become part of the commercial printing mainstream, rather than being a specialty product segment or market niche. To emphasize this, Hewlett-Packard shared results from an InfoTrends study that surveyed a sampling of digital color printing buyers and producers. The research firm found that the percentage of color printing jobs with a run length

Visitors to Graph Expo and Converting Expo in October can attend free seminars to learn about opportunities in wide-format printing and mailing/fulfillment. The Wide Format Pavilion will gather wide-format ink-jet technology and supplies into one area. The Wide Format Theater will offer in-depth seminars discussing what it takes to get started producing profitable wide-format imaging, how to configure a system, how to manage the production process, how to offer value-added services to increase income and how to find customers. The Mailing & Fulfillment Center will show in-plants the latest equipment and software in action. Managers can learn how to use mail and fulfillment to add print

THE DEMAND for high-quality color graphics in larger sizes has risen dramatically as the availability of larger ink-jet printers has increased. How do you decide what kind of ink-jet printer you should purchase? As with any business decision, you weigh your demand for the product against the cost of the equipment, materials and labor involved. If your customers are only interested in the capability of printing 13x19˝, then purchasing a 60˝ wide-format printer may not be a good choice. However, you should try to purchase above your current expectations so you can handle future growth or expand the services you currently offer.