FESPA WORLD Issue 49 - English

FESPA World The Magazine for Digital AND Screen Printers

AUTUMN 2007

NO.49

€15

Translations available at www.fespaworld.com

Handmade with love Why Roland’s new printers are the bespoke option

AUTUMN 2007

Cash out of Chaos How one digital print

provider found its niche

FESPA World Expo

India

Maximising new opportunities ISSUE 49

Promoting Screen Printing and Digital Imaging

Bookmark Screen

: C V U k c a p a r t l U Excellent Resistances, Wide Substrate Range Look at .com www.marabu-inks

The Marabu Choice for Container Printing

Booth 2530

Editor’s Letter

NEWS ROUND-UP

N

o sooner are we all back from a well-deserved summer break, than it is time to gear up for another round of exhibitions and industry events. It is also time to welcome some new readers, as this issue of the magazine is being distributed at the SGIA exhibition in Orlando.

FESPA too, is staging another show before the end of the year and if you are planning to go to FESPA World India, which is scheduled to take place at the Pragati Maidan Centre in Dehli on 7th-9th December, Marcus Timson’s Trip to Tirurpur, on page 38, is required reading. Marcus shares the insights he gleaned when he attended a textile workshop in Tirupur during August and provides an admirably succinct resumé on the current state of the Indian screen sector. On page 28, you’ll find news of another forthcoming FESPA Event, a Directors’ Marketing Forum in Budapest next February, designed to increase your profitability, whilst on page 30, Leach Colour, the company who won the Platinum Award in the Interiors Category of the inaugural FESPA Digital Print Awards competition, shares its recipe for success. On page 34, you can discover why there is a whole lot more to Roland DG printers than first meets the eye and on page 26, Grunig reveals how it celebrated its 40th anniversary. Our review of FESPA 2007 begins on page 44 and includes Peter Kiddell’s view on the latest screenprinting trends he saw there, as well as the Gold winners of the FESPA Awards that were judged during the show. Elsewhere, you’ll find all of our regular news sections.

One thing you definitely mustn’t miss is the invitation to enter the FESPA Digital Print Awards 2008 on page 24. Unlike the FESPA Awards, this competition is open to all digital printers and its scope has been further increased this year to embrace those from the Middle East and Africa as well as Europe. The closing date is 31st January, 2008 and the awards will be presented on the eve of FESPA Digital Print Europe in Geneva.

All in all, a lot to read and digest and a lot of events to visit between now and our next issue. Enjoy!

4 8

SUPPLIER NEWS The latest news from around the industry

Product NEWS New launches and innovations

14 Chris’s column What’s happening around the Associations

INFORMATION

19 DIARY DATES

FESPA’s regular guide to shows and events

20 FESPA NEWSLETTER

Published by FESPA Ltd Editorial office FESPA Association House 7a West Street Reigate, Surrey RH2 9BL Tel: +44 1737 24 07 88 Fax: +44 1737 24 07 70 E-mail: info@fespa.com www.fespa.com

42 Showcase

Publisher Marcus Timson – Group Commercial Manager Karen Pooley – Group Marketing Manager Tel: +44 1737 24 07 88

64 FESPA CONTACT LIST

Editor Val Hirst Tel: +44 1623 88 23 98 E-mail: elford@btconnect.com

66 Infringing

Printing The MANSON Group Ltd Reynolds House, 8 Porters Wood Valley Road Industrial Estate St. Albans, AL3 6PZ Tel: +44 1727 848 440 www.manson-grp.co.uk

28 PRINTING,

PERFORMANCE AND PROFIT IN BUDAPEST Marcus Timson explains how screen and digital printers can maximise their profitability

The launch of the 2008 competition

Advertising Michael Ryan – Group Sales Manager James Ford – Sales Manager Tel: +44 1737 24 07 88 Fax: +44 1737 24 07 70

Graphic design Kalligraphic Design Tel: +44 1293 77 64 68 www.kalligraphic-design.co.uk

Grunig host an Open Day to commemorate its 40th Anniversary

Awards 2008

Marcus Timson reports on his recent visit to India

The membership magazine of the Federation of European Screenprinting Associations Issue no. 49, Autumn 2007

CELEBRATE

24 FESPA Digital Print

38 A Trip to Tiripur

Val Hirst

26 SOMETHING TO

FESPA Events in 2008

a round-up of some of the latest projects

SPECIAL FEATURES

30 CASH OUT OF CHAOS Platinum Award winner Leach Colour reveals its recipe for success

34 HANDCRAFTED WITH LOVE

There is much more to Roland DG’s new printers than meets the eye

AND FINALLY… Intellectual Property Rights The pitfalls associated with the infringement of patents

44 FESPA 2007 – THE BLOCKBUSTER!

A pictorial review of the exhibition

52 THE PETER KIDDELL COLUMN

Peter Kiddell discusses the Screenprinting developments seen at the show

56 PURE GOLD

The Gold Winners of the FESPA Awards Competition judged at the show

FESPA World. Designed by Kalligraphic Design. Printed by the Manson Group Ltd. Editorial photos supplied courtesy of the companies they feature. The publishers accept no responsibility for any statement made in signed contributions or those reproduced from any other source, nor for any claims made in any advertisement. FESPA World is available to individuals who qualify within the terms of a controlled subscription and by subscription.

FESPA WORLD AUTUMN/07

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NEWS Round-up Supplier news

Appointments Xaar has appointed Ramon Borrell as Research and Development Director and a Director of the Company, whilst Steve Temple, currently Technical Director, will be stepping down from the board and from full time employment with the company at the end of September. He will, however, continue as a consultant and will be working with Ramon Borrell for the rest of this year to ensure a smooth hand-over.

Ramon Borrell, a native of Spain, will be joining Xaar from Hewlett-Packard where he has worked since 1994, most recently as Senior New Product Development Manager within HP’s Large Format Printing Division and previously as Director of Technology Strategy and R&D Chief Product Architect for the same division. He is a Member of the Imaging Science and Technology Society where he was elected as Vice President and Secretary of the Board of Directors in 2006.

Steve Temple, who has been with Xaar since its inception in 1990, has been the principal architect of its world-leading inkjet technology and, under his technology leadership, Xaar has registered more than 90 patents. More recently he has focused his attention on establishing a technology roadmap to enable Xaar to widen its range of potential markets, and is the inventor of Xaar’s unique Platform 3 product, which was launched earlier this year.

Debbie Hernandez has been promoted to the position of Purchasing Manager for the M&R Companies. Since joining M&R in 1989, she has held a wide variety of positions within the company, most recently serving as M&R’s inventory and parts manager.

GMG has appointed Michael Haecker, who has a proven record of moving IT organisations to record sales and profit levels in very competitive environments, as Vice President, Sales. In this role, he will oversee worldwide GMG sales efforts. In a related event, Jawdatt Mawassii has been promoted to Vice President Strategy and Business Development, where he will be responsible for formulating future strategic direction for the company.

Michael Haecker has extensive experience of building sales operations and formulating and implementing successful strategies to grow market share and drive multi million dollar businesses forward. He has a strong background in graphics solutions, enterprise application integration, technical computing and volume solutions. Previously he worked for Fiberlink Communications Corp., a global networking solutions company, where he was General Manager, EMEA, responsible for complete regional revenues and P&L and also built a channel partner network. He has also held positions at Bea Systems Inc., Silicon Graphics and Hewlett Packard Co. Megaink is further expanding its sales team and has appointed Dr. Ingolf Kaspar to the role of Regional Manager. Ingolf Kaspar brings more than five years of experience in sales management, service and marketing from the alternative ink business, having previously been the Lyson Europe Territory Manager and, most recently, European Sales Manager at Digital Ink Company in Germany. Working closely with Alex Nussem, Dr. Kaspar will support and enhance the growth of Megaink’s distribution in EMEA region.

In Brief GMG, the supplier of high-end colour management and proofing solutions, reports that it enjoyed an extraordinary increase in sales during the first half of 2007. its continuous growth is reflected in the fact that in each month, the respective sales value of the previous year was surpassed.

To date, GMG has succeeded in boosting its sales in 2007 by just over 14% compared to the same period of 2006, with sales outside its native Germany rising rapidly and now accounting for well over two-thirds of total sales. Its growth in the USA, UK, Spain and Italy has been especially encouraging. l For further information visit: www.gmgcolor.com

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Contra Vision the inventor and licensor of one-way vision and other see-through graphics, has confirmed Shanghai Teckwin Development Co Ltd as its first Chinese licensee of Perforated Materials.

Teckwin is selling the industry-preferred “Replacement Liner” (sometimes referred to as “solid liner”) construction for imaging the windows of bus wraps, building wraps and point-of-purchase advertisements, under Contra Vision’s patents in 22 countries. l For further information visit: www.contravision.com

Supplier news

Esko and Artwork Systems become EskoArtwork Esko and Artwork Systems have announced the completion of their merger transactions.

The new combined business will go forward under the EskoArtwork brand, a name that reflects the strong heritage and broad customer base of the founding companies.

EskoArtwork is a global market leader for innovative design, pre-production and collaboration solutions to the packaging industry and also provides a broad range of workflow solutions to the commercial printing market, as well as the Enfocus suite of PDF

tools for graphic designers and print production professionals.

Esko Artwork reports that by bringing together the best products, people and practices of the integrated companies, it is ready to support its customers’ needs through a global sales and support network, including distribution partners, backed by its 1,000 strong-staff.l For further information visit: www.esko.com

API Laminates achieves FSC Accreditation API Laminates has become the first provider of laminated boards and papers in Europe to be accredited with the Forestry Stewardship Council Chain of Custody certification.

Paul Laskey, Business Manager: Europe for API Laminates, a division of API Group PLC, stated: “Ethical sourcing is a key requirement to satisfy the business and brand values of our clients in premium branded products. This accreditation means that we can support printers and converters in retaining ‘chain–of-custody’ if carton packaging is to bear the FSC logo. This is the only true way a consumer can be certain they are buying a product with appropriate packaging that has been sourced from managed crops.”

The FSC accreditation is also an integral part of API Laminate’s new PortaBio product range, a patent protected bio-laminate made from natural cellulose-based fibres sourced from managed forests with FSC Certification, which has been developed and launched in response to the increasing demand for sustainable, biodegradable packaging that is easy to recycle and compost.

PortaBio is processed and laminated to provide a high gloss metallic surface, which is ideal for specialist and luxury consumer packaging. l For further information please e-mail Paul Laskey at: paul.laskey@apilaminates.com

Saati targets Indian screenprinting market Autoscreen India has become a Division of Saatindia, and will be developing the Indian screenprinting market.

Autoscreen, which has been established for 15 years, is already a market leader in India, and has built a reputation for producing quality products, underpinned by technical expertise.

Anil Brahmbhatt, the former owner Autoscreen, has been appointed a Director of Saati India – Autoscreen Division.

A Saati spokesperson commented: “Saati and Autoscreen India share the same ‘Customer Satisfaction’ philosophy, making this the benchmark of their business activities. This agreement will thus offer customers the twin advantages of Saati’s global experience, combined with Autoscreen’s local knowledge, providing Indian screenprinters with the best of all worlds. l For further information visit: www.saati.com

Partnership plans for Caldera and HumanEyes HumanEyes Technologies and Caldera Graphics, have announced an agreement to form a close technology and commercial partnership.

the world, which will provide HumanEyes with global access to Caldera’s installation base. l For further information visit: www.caldera.eu and www.humaneyes.com

It is proposed that Caldera Graphics will become a global master distributor for HumanEyes lenticular and 3D software products and that modules based on the HumanEyes technology will be integrated into the Caldera RIP and workflow solutions.

As part of the agreement, a flip generation and interface module, using HumanEyes technology, will be integrated into Caldera’s next version of software as part of an OEM deal. This will enable customers to enter the lenticular arena smoothly and easily, as they will be able to produce basic lenticular effects from the one software interface.

Caldera Graphics has offices in France, the US and the Middle East, as well as a significant number of key distributor partners around FESPA WORLD AUTUMN/07

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Supplier news

GWG celebrates its fifth anniversary “The Ghent Workgroup (GWG) has become one of the world’s most respected graphic arts best practice organisations”.

So asserted Chairperson David Zwang on the occasion of the Group’s fifth anniversary.

He went on to attribute the international association’s viability and solid credibility to the work of the group’s

45 members, all of who are recognised as technological leaders and experts, and contribute their time and efforts on a completely voluntary basis.

Zwang continued, “The main reason for the success of the GWG is that the development of each of the specifications and best practices continue to be consensusdriven and address the key

problems being experienced in the field. This is possible because the working members in each of the focused subcommittees include many of the top industry experts from around the globe.”

While the GWG initially created PDF preflight profiles, the work of the group has grown to include many other areas of interest. To date, the GWG has released PDF

profiles (currently at Version 3) to address a wide range of print production processes.

These include preflight specifications and best practices for magazine and newspaper production, print advertising, commercial printing, silkscreen, wide-format printing, office document printing, and packaging. l For further information visit: www.gwg.org.

Esko to distribute in South Africa

Xaar ramps up production

Esko has signed a distribution agreement with Kemtek in South Africa.

Xaar’s new high-tech production facility in Huntingdon, the first in the UK, is now fully operational and is producing the Xaar 1001 printhead.

This will result in Kemtek becoming responsible for selling and servicing the complete Esko product range in South Africa and the surrounding countries of Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya and Mauritius, as well as the computerised labelling and bar coding sectors.

Founded in 1988, Kemtek complements its product offering with technical support and after-sales service.

The agreement will enable Kemtek, a national enterprise based in Johannesburg and targeted at the wider printing industry, to strategically

expand its offerings in the packaging market, while growing the Esko brand.

Gavin van Rensburg, Chief Executive Officer of Kemtek Print Solutions, commented: “We have a significant regional market share with Flint polymer materials, but have lacked a brand leader in terms of imaging and workflow solutions for the packaging markets. Esko is a highly regarded brand in our market and its solutions are an ideal match for the needs of our customers.”

The new partnership was introduced with a series of co-hosted road shows in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town.l For further information visit: www. kemtek.co.za and www.esko.com

The company has also successfully completed certification of its Quality Management System to the international quality standard ISO 9001:2000. This is designed to provide customers with complete confidence in the quality of a supplier’s products and services and demonstrates Xaar’s ongoing commitment to attaining a consistent level of quality and making continual improvements in its business processes.

The 1001 printhead, designed for high-speed, single-pass applications, is based on Xaar’s patented Hybrid SideShooter, TF Technology. Producing dynamically variable drop sizes, this new printhead architecture combines advanced piezo technology with Xaar’s patented ‘through flow’ design. Key features that are attracting manufacturers from inkjet and Industrial markets worldwide include: a high performance specification; excellent drop placement accuracy; variable dynamic drop sizes, self-priming and self-cleaning; superb repeatability and reliability. The unique TF architecture provides a wide operating window to give unparallel flexibility to handle a wide variety of inks and industrial fluids.

For further information visit: www.xaar.co.uk

Hexis establishes German subsidiary Adhesive film manufacturer Hexis has opened its first subsidiary for direct sales in Germany.

Based in Hilden near Düsseldorf, the new company, Hexis GmbH, will offer the entire Hexis product line, together with technical support services and regular one and two day training sessions for customers.

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The new Hexis Catalogue 2007 is published in both English and in German and is available on request directly from Hexis. l For further information visit: www.hexisgroup.com.

The ultimate technology in large format multicolour screen printing

Extraordinary production capacity at minimum manpower: • • • • •

Printing capacity Print size Substrate thickness Set-up time Operational availability

up to 3000 m²/ h up to 78“ x 130“ / 2000 x 3300 mm up to 0.39“ / 10 mm < 5 minutes per printing station > 95%

THIEME 5000 XL THIEME KPX LTD. Upper Bankfield Mills Almondbury Bank Huddersfield HD5 8HF West Yorkshire · England

Tel. +44 (0) 1484 511333 Fax +44 (0) 1484 541799 E-Mail: sales@thiemekpx.co.uk www.thiemekpx.co.uk

THIEME GmbH & Co. KG Robert-Bosch-Str. 1 D-79331 Teningen www.thieme-products.com

NEWS ROUND-UP PRODUCT NEWS

Inca receives Contra Vision approval

Inca Digital has won a ringing endorsement for its digital inkjet flexibility and results from see-through graphics specialist Contra Vision.

Contra Vision is the developer of the patent protected system, which enables one-way large format graphics to be printed by digital UV inkjet and displayed on transparent surfaces, such as glass or Perspex. The effect produces a stunning graphic on one side of the material, with the ability to see through it from the other side.

Contra Vision Digital UV can be made

by Contra Vision licensees with virtually any UV printer equipped with white ink, but Roland Hill who invented the Contra Vision system, believes that Inca Digital’s Spyder 320+White printer is particularly well suited. He says: “I can say without

any doubt that everyone I have shown these Inca samples to has been amazed and agrees with me that the results are better than we ever anticipated.”

Other Contra Vision licensed technologies for see-through graphics include perforated vinyl films, but these do not have the same durability or visual quality. The new Contra Vision system allows see-through graphics to be printed either onto transparent films, such as polyester, or directly onto rigid substrates, such as glass, acrylic or polycarbonate, cutting out several stages in the process.

Essentially, the system works by laying down a print pattern of shapes, usually lines, across the surface. Contra Vision provides two basic products. In the first, an opaque print pattern is made up of a sequence of a black layer, a white layer and, finally, the image layer. Light can penetrate between the printed lines so that people

can see through the reverse (black) side, while the front (white) layer has the image printed on it so that it can be clearly seen from the front. The second product, Contra Vision BACKLITE, Digital UV, is a backlit version where the print pattern comprises a translucent white layer, with the image superimposed on one or both sides of this, producing a graphic that can be backlit from either side.

The key to a perfect Contra Vision result is printing the image layer - in as near perfect position as possible - on top of the white and black layers. Hill reports that it’s the Inca machine’s good edge definition and registration that achieves the optimum results that have so impressed him.

Damian Middleton, applications specialist for Inca Digital, adds: “Contra Vision is a perfect added value application for the Inca printer. By working closely with Roland and his team we have produced a very effective and easy to use interface with the Inca Spyder, which provides companies with a flexible choice of Contra Vision products.” l For further information visit: www.incadigital. com and www. contravision.com

Upgrade for Avery 800 Users of Avery 800 Premium Cast Films can now look forward to additional functional performance features in direct response to market demand. The films, which are formulated for demanding applications requiring up to ten years’ durability, such as vehicle graphics, retail signage, decorative graphics, outdoor advertising, and architectural signage, feature enhanced adhesion characteristics. Critically, low temperature performance has been improved and initial tack is higher, as are adhesion build-up and final bond. Together, these factors

result in improved efficiency and better long-term adhesion over corrugations and curves. What’s more, the films’ higher adhesion levels on glass now ensure really smooth application to this challenging substrate. Removal is quick, easy and clean.

Avery 800 Premium Cast Films are available from Avery Graphics distributors throughout Europe, in 81 standard colours, including high gloss, matt and metallic qualities, plus the option of custom colour matches. l For further information visit: www.averygraphics.com

New, improved Fiery XF EFI has launched the new EFI Fiery XF RIP, version 3.1, which supports all of the UV VUTEk superwide format printers. The Fiery XF software already offers exclusive connectivity to the EFI product portfolio and now also delivers high-speed processing, exceptional colour quality and increased productivity.

New features include Clean Color and Full Gamut Technology for brilliant print results for both production and proofing

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purposes in a complete cross-platform application. The new Clean Color feature directly addresses the production market’s specific needs for vivid, saturated colour with pleasant modulation and clean appearance. It can be run in either automatic or custom mode or be switched off completely. Full Gamut profile, exploits the maximum colour gamut of printing equipment, thus enabling primary colours to be reproduced perfectly and with

unlimited colour rendering.

Additionally, Fiery XF 3.1 serves a wider range of printing establishments with the new XF Server on Macintosh OS X, providing a complete cross-platform application for Windows and Mac environments. l For further information visit: www.efi.com owners.

PRODUCT NEWS

Epson launch Stylus Pro 11880 Epson’s Stylus Pro 11880 is the first 64” large format printer to include the latest Micro Piezo Thin Film Piezo (TFP) printhead for superior printing performance and to be optimised for pigment ink technology.

The printer features an eight-colour inkset offering a new formulation of UltraChrome K3 with Vivid Magenta to widen the colour gamut. It also incorporates nine 700ml high capacity individual ink cartridges, with automatic switching between

Photo and Matte Black inks. Each cartridge also features ink status LEDs. The new Gigabit Ethernet interface delivers fast data transfer speeds, coupled with the on-board data processing module, whilst Epson’s Super Halftone technology, a new screening algorithm, further improves image tone and definition. l For further information visit: www.epson.com

3P Inkjet Textiles offer good “Value’ 3P Inkjet Textiles used the occasion of the recent Shanghai International Advertising and Sign show to successfully launch its products into the Chinese marketplace.

The company’s latest Value range is made from 100 percent polyester and is further characterised by its excellent price-performance ratio, ecofriendliness, and universality. Primarily designed for use with transfer and direct sublimation printing, when they achieve brilliant colours, clear contours and authentic colour reproduction, Value fabrics also produce acceptable

results when used in conjunction with solvent and UV-curable inks.

They can be used for a wide range of indoor and outdoor applications, such as signs, banners, point-of-purchase displays, tradeshow graphics and interior decoration. There is a choice of eight different fabrics, all of which are available in 60”, 98”, and 122” roll widths. The knitted flag fabrics are also available in 42”, 54”, and 72”. l For further information visit: www.3P-inktextiles.com

Easy peasy prints

FUJIFILM’s popular ImageHunter RIP has now become even easier to use following the introduction of the EPI (Easy Printing Interface) version. In addition, the updated system is, according to FujiFilm, affordable, extremely profitable, and highly versatile.

Compatible for use with both PC and Mac computers, it retains all of the facilities necessary to ensure perfect results. These include advanced colour management and automatic selection of the appropriate ICC settings, without the need for operator intervention.

The user simply clicks through five options: loads the images via a standard browser, determines the print layout, manipulates the image, selects the required media and chooses the requisite number of copies before pressing the print button. The ImageHunter EPI, which can easily be upgraded to a full RIP, can be used in conjunction with the latest EPSON Stylus Pro, HP Z-series and Canon IPF photo printers, while ICC profiles for all FUJIFILM Professional Inkjet media is integral to the system. l A full video demonstration can be viewed at www.fujifilm.eu/video_feb

New application potential for Matan printer Matan Digital Printers has found an exciting new application for its Matan SprinG3 printer – membrane switch overlays.

The SprinG3 is a 12’’ wide (300mm) thermal transfer digital printer, which was originally designed for applications such as industrial markings; labels and decals production; nameplates and window decorations; doming platforms and product identification labels; but Matan is now

claiming that its durable, full colour, opaque white-backed printing on to a range of polyesters and polycarbonates also makes it ideal for the broad range of membrane switch applications too.

Accordingly, the company has now joined forces with some of the world’s leading polyester and polycarbonate manufacturers in order to promote this newly discovered capability. During initial tests, four main parameters were examined: the ink layer’s thickness; ink adhesion to media; switch life testing and durability

through a die-cutting process. When compared to traditional screenprinting methods, it was found that the SprinG3 produced an ink layer thickness of less than 2m, with no discernable ink loss after two and half million actuations.

When traditional screen methods are used, ink loss is common after one million actuations. l For further information visit: www.matanprinters.co

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PRODUCT NEWS

New version of Alwan’s CMYK Optimizer Alwan Color Expertise is releasing Version 3 of CMYK Optimizer. CMYK Optimizer is its software solution for colour preflighting, standardisation and optimisation for CMYK separations and data and enables users to achieve optimal print quality and proof matching while, at the same time, reducing print costs.

Version 3 further expands on the CMYK Optimizer’s technological advantages, thanks to its full support of the latest ICC colour management system,

New vinyl sticks to anything Hexis has introduced a new high tack vinyl film that is designed to stick to low energy surfaces such as Polyethylene, Polypropylene, Polycarbonate and ABS. These materials are commonly used for items as diverse as trashcans, canoes and motorcycle fairings The first of the two new inkjet printable products is the VCR3000WG1, a 100m gloss white, intermediate PVC, with a special high tack clear permanent solvent-based adhesive, coupled with a 145g/m PE-coated liner.

It offers a four-year outdoor durability. The second new product is VCR200WG1, a 70m gloss white high performance PVC, which also features a special high tack clear permanent solvent-based adhesive, this time on a 145g/m PE-coated liner. This material promises an outdoor durability of up to eight years.

Both products are available in rolls of 1370mm or 1600mm wide by 45m, 100m or 200m long and are suitable for use with solvent and eco-solvent inkjet printers. l For further information, including data sheets and evaluation samples, visit: www.hexis.net

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Adobe PDF v8 library and Alwan Dynamic DeviceLink Profiles. l For further information visit: www.alwancolor.com

In Brief

Leading ventricular 3D software developer, Human Eyes Technologies has announced the certification of the Océ Arizona 250 GT flatbed UV printer to produce ventricular and Lens Free effect prints, using Human Eyes Technologist’s market-leading ventricular software solution, Printer 2.0.

This certification marks a first step in the cooperation between the two companies to promote the ventricular opportunity among Coe’s flatbed customers. l For further information visit: www.humaneyes.com Esko, has launched Flex Proof/E, a new proofing output solution and the result of a product development and new distribution partnership with EFI. The new output module, incorporating high quality drivers powered by EFI Bestcolor technology, is able to output to a wide variety of inkjet proofing devices, ensuring contract proof print quality.

With the integration of EFI Bestcolor technology, Esko FlexProof/E drives the inkjet devices directly without the need for an additional software RIP. The operator can thus be sure that the proof from Esko FlexProof/E will be created from exactly the same data used for the final production plate. l www.esko.com

Wit-Color Digital Science & Technology, which is based in Shanghai, and manufactures the Ultra range of digital printers, has achieved Xaar ‘Approved’ status for its range of WitColor solvent inks for use with Xaar 128 printheads. This is the latest Xaar approval of a Chinese solvent ink manufacturer, which recognises that Wit-Color ink produces consistent jetting performance when used with the Xaar 128 printhead.

In order to gain Xaar ‘Approved’ status, Wit-Color’s solvent inks were subjected to a comprehensive range of tests, including materials compatibility, printhead lifetime testing, print performance and extended reliability testing.

Xaar has also recently approved Chinese ink manufacturer, Shiny Color’s SCX128 range of solvent inks for use with its 128 printheads. l For further information visit: www.xaar.com J-Teck3 recently showed its exclusive range of disperse digital inks at the ITMA textile show in Italy. The inks, which are designed to be used on polyester fabrics, feature the innovative Nanodot Technology that reduces the disperse pigment into nano particles. The company offer four ranges in total, all of which should be used in conjunction with piezo head printers.

They are: J-Eco Subly Nano for transfer printing; J-Eco Flag Nano for transfer and direct printing; J-Eco Print Nano for direct printing and J-Eco Print Nano HF for direct printing outdoors. l For further information visit: www.j-teck3.com

PRODUCT NEWS

New disc decoration solution

Project 37D, is a new a single pass UV inkjet printer from Sun Chemical, which is designed to offer CD/DVD duplicating companies an even more affordable digital system for the decoration of optical discs.

Project 37D complements its sister product, Project 37, which was launched in June 2006, to provide a similar digital print capability for higher-volume disc replicators. However, this new version has been engineered to be more compact and economical, in order to meet the requirements of the duplicating industry.

As well as offering an exceptionally low cost per disc, just 0.015 per unit or lower depending on image design, Project 37D is at least three times faster than its nearest inkjet competitor at high resolution, according to Robin McMillan,

Sun Chemical’s Marketing Manager for Industrial Inks.

The set-up process takes only a few seconds between jobs, making Project 37D the ideal system to achieve the profitable printing of up to 1,000 discs per hour.

Once printed and cured, Sun Chemical UV inkjet inks provide a durable, highgloss finish, and are resistant to humidity or ambient conditions. They do not require any post-press processing, such as varnishing.

Project 37D achieves an apparent dpi of 800 using eight levels of greyscale.

The system has a compact footprint of 2600mm x 990mm x 1600mm, so can easily be installed in an office or digital pre-press environment. It incorporates a unique fixed inkjet array using Xaar’s

OmniDot piezoelectric, drop-on-demand heads. The Project 37D system also negates the need for more complex screenprinting and associated pre-press processes. It uses pre-coated white recordable discs that are simply loaded onto high-capacity spindles, and the bespoke RIP and colour management technology offers photo-like print quality, minimal ink usage, ‘right first time’ image reproduction and ease of use.

Both Project 37D and the larger Project 37 inkjet printers have been developed

by Sun Chemical in association with Cambridge based specialist manufacturer Copytrax Technologies. l For further information contact Robin McMillan at Sun Chemical, Europe at Robin.Mcmillan@sunchemical.com

Perfect packing prototypes made easy PerfectProof has added a new and innovative solution to its software portfolio.

Pakready offers designers the ability to produce complete packaging prototypes in just a fraction of the time it usually takes to produce mock-ups. Packaging prototyping is usually either a tedious manual process or extremely expensive. However, according to PerfectProof, Pakready offers a completely automated production suite, encompassing everything from creation to cutting and trimming, at an affordable price level.

The Pakready solution is built 12

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around design, printing and cutting tools in combination with a unique set of consumables. Designers can create and import existing designs or choose from a series of adaptable design templates. Once the design is created, it can be viewed as an animated 3-D object, giving a realistic impression of what the package will look like. 3-D objects can also be sent to customers for review and approval, saving time and

cost before even a single piece of paper is printed or cut. The final design is then printed onto a specially developed image transfer sheet, ready for transfer onto a chosen substrate. To assure a good match with the production model, colour management and image quality are handled by PerfectProof’s ProofMaster colour engine. l For further information visit: www.perfectproof.com

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Chemicals in action.

News Round-up Chris’s Column

Chris’s Column Chris Smith’s regular round-up of all the latest FESPA and Association news There’s a lot to cover in this issue so let’s get to it without any further ado!

FESPA 2007 Although FESPA Berlin has long since passed, I want to reflect on a couple of significant events that occurred during the show, which many of you might be unaware of.

Visitors to FESPA stand On the FESPA stand we welcomed a huge delegation from Sweden on the Swedish National Day (6th June). The group also came along to show its support for new FESPA President, Anders Nilsson.

On another day we welcomed a very friendly group of 55 from Czech Republic/ Slovakia, who had travelled to FESPA by coach, and an equally large group from Norway, with another from Finland. We were also delighted to welcome fairly large delegations from Japan and India along with our newest FESPA member, Korea.

Many members from nearly every other FESPA National Association visited the

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FESPA WORLD AUTUMN/07

stand at some time during the show and it was a real pleasure for all of the FESPA team to meet them and to hear about their hopes and aspirations for the future.

I think everybody who visited us enjoyed themselves – they certainly all seemed to have a good time!

We also welcomed Melissa Djukic from Australia to the show. Melissa won the Glen Crerar Memorial Scholarship this year and for her prize chose to visit FESPA. The Scholarship was established by industry colleagues in Australia in memory of an outstanding man, whose untimely death, at age 60, in 1990 occurred whilst he held the office of Federal President of the Screen Printers Association of Australia.

Melissa recently wrote to me about her FESPA visit as follows: “FESPA, Wow what an experience.

I had never been to Europe before and was blown away with the scale of FESPA and the community within the Industry.

The FESPA family welcomed me with open arms with invites to dinners, where I sat next to the great Michel Caza, the presentation of a Sensations book and many introductions to important people, who are now mentors to me.

There was a great energy to FESPA, with visitors from many countries and I was fortunate to meet many screenprinting professionals, some from parts of the industry that I had never heard of before!

It was a great learning adventure for me, reinforcing my passion for screenprinting.”

It was also a great pleasure for us to meet Melissa and we wish her every success for the future.

E-learning Also during the show, we presented the very first certificates for the FESPA screenprinting e-learning course we launched last year. Five Norwegian students had successfully completed the course

Chris’s Column

3D Printing Close to the FESPA stand the Slovenian Association was promoting 3D printing.

This process has developed rapidly over the past year and I was surprised to see that faces were now being scanned to produce perfect models. President Hellmuth Frey and Vice-President Anders Nilsson both willingly sat for the scan and, as you can see from the picture of Anders, the likeness is uncannily accurate. Many people volunteered for

(which is also currently available in Italian, German, Finnish, Spanish, Polish and Portuguese) and former FESPA President Hellmuth Frey was delighted to present their certificates. Hellmuth said: “It is pleasing to see that our big investment in e-learning has proved to be worthwhile. Many visitors I have spoken to have seen the course being demonstrated on the FESPA stand and have been surprised at the extent of its content. I am sure more and more companies will soon realise the value of acquiring proper skills and will enrol their staff for this course.”

scanning, including FESPA team member Lynda Sutton (also pictured). The process requires a number of reflective sensors to be attached to the face and a hand held infrared scanner is used to scan the head.

The scanned image is then made into a computer model and this can be printed using a 3D printer, either in skin tones or other colours. For more information on this fascinating process, please contact CeSDT at www.all4print.net

Sensations We have been amazed at the response to the Sensations special effects book, with orders coming in from around the world.

Many Associations have been promoting the book and we also plan to promote it at all events and exhibitions where FESPA has a presence. If you haven’t yet seen a copy, it is worth every cent of the price, even at the non-member rate of €175! To find out more, visit www.fespasensations. com where you can order your copy via our secure sever.

OTHER ISSUES Dictionary of Terms I think that it is fantastic that we now have a dictionary of screenprinting technical terms covering 10 European languages, to which we have recently added the Thai language. Our aim is to update this to include all European languages, but at present we have Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Serbian, Slovakian and Spanish. Some have been available for a while, but our thanks go to the Romanian, Serbian and Slovakian Associations for recently undertaking the translations necessary to complete this.

Our Thai Association undertook this work in record time, so congratulations to them FESPA WORLD AUTUMN/07

15

Chris’s Column for doing an excellent job. The spreadsheet is available to everybody on the FESPA website under “Glossary”, but will probably be moved to the members’ area once the website is updated.

News from the FESPA General Assembly As we go to press, the FESPA General Assembly in Athens has just ended. Though a full report will appear in the next issue of FESPA World, together with all the Association reports, here are a few issues that may be of interest.

President’s Aims for the next three years Anders Nilsson’s presentation set out his aims and objectives for the next three years of his presidency. (This will also be covered in full in the next issue of FESPA World.) The full FESPA team and the FESPA Board all look forward to working with Anders and helping him to realise his vision for the future.

Vice-President Gyorgy Kovacs (from Hungary), who has been a FESPA Board member since 1996, was unanimously elected as Vice-President and will follow Anders Nilsson as President at FESPA 2010 in Munich. Gyorgy said: “It is a real honour to be elected and I will be proud to work with Anders and other Board members in delivering the ongoing programme of change FESPA is undertaking. These are really exciting times for FESPA and the industries we promote”.

Code of Conduct As part of our objective to become more professional in our approach and activities, all FESPA Associations have unanimously agreed to adopt a code of conduct in respect of their dealings with us and with their own members. This applies to both National and Associate members. This is intended to protect members of National Associations and to ensure that consistent standards are applied by all of the FESPA Associations.

The code aims to ensure that member companies receive the best possible service from their FESPA National Association, and that everything provided from information and advice, through to the supply of goods and services and the handling of any complaints, are dealt with professionally, speedily and courteously.

The code of conduct will be displayed on the FESPA website and we are recommending that all FESPA Associations also display the code on their own websites and in their offices.

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Swedish 50th Anniversary I was honoured to attend the 50th Anniversary celebrations of the Svenska Screen & Specialtryckares Förening at the end of August, which was also attended by Nigel Steffens. The Association held a meeting on Friday afternoon at which both Michel Caza and Christian Duckyearts were guest speakers, and this was followed by a boat trip and a buffet dinner in a jazz club with music provided by two

Standard Terms and Conditions Another new initiative, also approved by the General Assembly, but now being circulated to Associations for consultation, is a set of Standard Terms and Conditions of Business, which we hope can be applied by printers throughout Europe. With more business now being conducted across borders, we believe that the adoption of standard terms will help to simplify things.

If approved, these terms will be translated into all FESPA languages, so wherever you are, and regardless of the language you speak, the terms in the contract will be understood and recognised by all. During the consultation exercise, the terms will be available in English in the members’ area of the FESPA website.

Website Update Probably the biggest decision recently taken relates to an investment in the FESPA website. We have considered a number of proposals submitted by web service providers and have started to redesign and update our site. The aim is to enhance and improve all content, expand the members’ area and introduce the latest technology with live streams, videos and a FESPA Community etc. This is a big investment for FESPA, but

bands – one jazz and one 50’s rock and roll. On Saturday we enjoyed some sightseeing in Stockholm, with a visit to the Summer Palace followed by a gala dinner with great food, some amusing speeches, dancing and a spectacular firework display to end proceedings.

We had a superb time and offer our congratulations to the Swedish Association on reaching 50 and wish them well for the next 50 years!

everybody will benefit. Keep a check on what is happening by clicking on www.fespa.com

Further travels As for my travels, after the General Assembly in Athens, James Ford and I visited Finn Visual in Jyväskylä, and Marcus Timson and I attended the third Slovak/ Czech seminar in Piestany. Detailed reports will be available on the FESPA website.

Meanwhile, in conjunction with AEDES in Spain, FESPA is organising a conference in Madrid on 15th November. More information can be found on the AEDES website at: www.asibnet.org More projects are being submitted and approved with 104 having been considered between 1st April 2006 and September 2007, of which 75 have been approved. Projects range from e-learning, to translations; from conferences to website support; from production of handbooks to practical workshops – in fact anything which is considered to have value to either an Association, or members generally, can be considered.

So ends another fairly full report from me. However, if you want to find out more about FESPA projects, please contact me at: chris.smith@fespa.com l

Association News

Fespa welcomes Japanese screenprinters

FESPA has furthered its international reach by welcoming the Japanese Screen Printers Association (JSPA) as an Associate Member.

Formed in 1972 and headquartered in Tokyo, the JSPA itself consists of 11 regional associations representing over 200 print service providers. It undertakes a wide range of activities on behalf of its members, such as liaison with government agencies, promotion of government measures for assisting small-to-medium sized

companies, as well as education and the exchange of information between overseas organisations. The JSPA’s links with other trade associations in Japan provides a key resource to the country’s thriving screen printing industry.

“At the JSPA we pride ourselves on the ability to provide our members a wealth of information and resources,” said JSPA Chairman Mr. Tokuo Uchida. “Now, as an Associate Member of FESPA, we will be able to offer even greater value, thanks to the international links and expertise that FESPA stands for.”

Mr. Uchida is supported in his role as Chairman by five Vice Chairmen, i.e. Mr. Masayoshi Hayashi, Mr. Hiroshi Yoshida, Mr. Yuichi Nishida, Mr. Norio Kunieda, Mr. Tadayoshi Kunita, and also by the Executive Director Mr. Hideki Iijima and the Secretary Mr. Takeshi Yoshino. Communication

with Overseas Organisations such as FESPA, ASGA and SGIA is the responsibility of the International Committee, the Chairman of which is Mr. Yuichi Nishida, assisted by the Vice Chairmen Mr. Toshio Yamashiro and Takeo Teraoka, and by the Committee Members Mr. Tsuneo Midorikawa and Mr. Kohei Kono.

The JSPA’s members will now have access to FESPA’s range of educational, training and best-practice development tools, and have the opportunity to participate in many international projects currently in development. In turn, FESPA will benefit from stronger links with the Japanese printing industry, making the information exchange on new technologies/applications, new products, environmental regulations and market trends easier. l For further information visit: www.jspa.org.

CSGIA Elect New Director Board and Chairman CSGIA recently hosted its fifth National Membership Conference in Weihai, Shandong province, which was attended by Mr. Yu Yongzhan, former Vice-Administrator of the General Administration of Press and Publication and the Chairman of Printing Technology Association of China; Mr. Zhang Jingyuan, the former deputy secretary-general of State Council China, together with 192 countrywide representatives.

Mr. Song Yuzhe, Chairman of CSGIA reported on the work of the Board over the last five years, paying tribute to all of the Board members for their hard work and the efficient way that they had discharged their duties, which, he said, has also provided the Chinese screenprinting sector with much fresh impetus and inspiration.

A new Board was duly elected and Mr.Song’, who has been the Chairman of the CSGIA since its foundation in 1983, was made an Honorable Chairman in recognition of his considerable contribution to screenprinting over the last two decades. Mrs.Pei Guifan, the General Secretary of CSGIA since 2001, was elected as the Association’s new Chairman. The occasion was also used to elect 51 Board Members drawn from Chinese printers, manufacturers and sellers.

At the first meeting of the new Board, Mrs. Pei first paid tribute to Mr. Song Yuzhe and the previous Board for their achievements, which will provide a solid foundation for future CSGIA developments. She added that the new Board would now focus its attention on serving its members, initiating new enterprises and managing the association democratically. l For further information, please visit the website: www.csgia.org.

BVDM publications available in English for FESPA members The “roman16” reference images have now been developed and published by BVDM in cooperation with several technical experts. They are specially created test motifs for visual assessment, processing and output in pre-press and printing, which allow comprehensive statements to be made about colour and image reproduction during the production process.

The package includes two DVDs with 18

FESPA WORLD AUTUMN/07

the 16 images in different file formats, an instruction booklet and an A6 folder with the printed images. FESPA members can order the package at a reduced price, from the website: by visiting: www.roman16.com/en/ Other publications also available in English can be downloaded for free from the BVDM website. These include the “Media Standard Print 2006” – technical guidelines for data, proofs and films. This 2006 edition comprises ISO

standardisation developments and their practical application. A standard printing condition for gravure printing (HWC paper) and information about the “ECI/ bvdm Gray Control Strip”, for visual grey balance control in production printing, is also included for the first time as is another publication, “The standard data format for print production PDF/X-3”. To download,visit: www.bvdm-online.de/ Aktuelles/Downloads.php l

Diary Dates 2007/2008

Diary Dates 2007/2008

If you would like your event to feature on this page, please send the full information via e-mail to Val Hirst at elford@btconnect.com

SGIA ‘07

Fespa World Expo India 2007

DRUPA 2008

7th-9th December 2007 Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, India Organiser: FESPA/ James Ford Tel: +44 1737 228 354 Fax: +44 1737 240 770 e-mail: info@fespa.com www.fespa.com

29th May – 11th June 2008 Dusseldorf, Germany Organiser: DRUPA Tel: +49 211 4560 600 Fax: +49 211 4560 8558 Email: tr@messe-duesseldorf.de www.drupa.com

24th–27th October, 2007 Orange County Convention Centre Orlando, Florida, USA Organiser: SGIA Tel: +1 220 313 489 Fax: +1 703 369 1328 e-mail: Sylvia@sgia.ord www.sgia.org

Visual Communication 2007 8th – 10th November 2007 Milan, Italy Organiser: Reed Exhibitions Italia srl Tel. ++ 39 0744 400544 Fax ++39 0744 403708 e-mail: visualcommunication@reedexpo.it www.visualcommincation.it

FESPA Business Conference 15th November 2007 Madrid, Spain Organiser: FESPA Tel: +44 1737 229 727 Fax: +44 1737 240 770 e-mail: info@fespa.com www.fespa.com

Glassprint 2007 21st – 22nd November 2007 Frankfurt, Germany Organiser: ESMA Tel: +44 1342 871224 Fax: +44 1342 871 225 Email: cbm-ltd.com www.glassprint.org

Fespa Directors Forum 28th-29th February 2008 Corinthia Hotel , Budapest, Hungary Organiser: FESPA/ Lynda Sutton Tel: +44 1737 228 350 Fax: +44 1737 240 770 www.fespa.com

Fespa Digital Printing Europe 2008

FESPA World Expo AsiaPacific 2008 27th – 29th November 2008 BITEC Centre, Bangkok, Thailand Organiser: FESPA Tel: +44 1737 229 727 Fax: +44 1737 240 770 e-mail: info@fespa.com www.fespa.com

1st-3rd April 2008 Geneva Palexpo, Geneva, Switzerland Organiser: FESPA/ Lynda Sutton Tel: +44 1737 228 350 Fax: +44 1737 240 770 e-mail: info@fespa.com www.fespa.com

FESPA WORLD AUTUMN/07

19

FESPA Newsletter

FESPA Newsletter FESPA World Expo Asia Pacific has already attracted a number of leading brands to exhibit in Bangkok in November 2008. Val Hirst asks Marcus Timson, Event Director and Pirach Thampipit, the President of TSGA, FESPA’s member association in Thailand, to explain why this event is so important and to disclose what visitors can expect to see at the show.

Marcus, why has FESPA launched another show? Don’t you run enough shows already?

As an organisation, FESPA is growing in line with the demand for quality exhibitions.

This show covers an entirely new region for FESPA and presents exhibitors and visitors with a unique opportunity to do business.

Perhaps, more importantly, printers are demanding a quality FESPA event in this geographical area.

Why are FESPA shows any different from those produced by other organisers?

FESPA’s motive for launching events is unique in the imaging industry, as its intention is not purely to generate profit to satisfy the demands of shareholders.

Its target is to stimulate the market, provide access to quality education and to inspire printers to improve their profitability and performance. This naturally provides exhibitors with a fantastic opportunity to make contact with buyers who want to grow their business – the best kind of buyers! It also offers exhibitors a new way to promote their brands in the Asia Pacific region and to sell their products to companies that they may never have met before.

What will the show feature?

All FESPA exhibitions are highly focused events, which are synonymous with quality and inspiration and this show is no exception. It will feature the leading global brands, new innovations, industry experts, and the global imaging media. The three key imaging sectors, screen, digital and 20

FESPA WORLD AUTUMN/07

textile/industrial will all be well represented by the leading names from the world of imaging and it is anticipated that the show will attract printers from the whole Asia Pacific region, who normally only have access to this type of event if they travel to Europe.

Pirach, why is Asia Pacific such an important region?

Thailand itself is a very welcoming, professional and hospitable country and the Asia Pacific region as a whole is both exciting and dynamic. Further, Thailand, which is currently enjoying unprecedented economic growth and is realising excellent GDP, is also the main travel hub for the area, which makes it the perfect place to host the show. However, the whole region comprises a number of key economies that are also growing rapidly. The rise of China and India are well documented, but Asia Pacific offers many exciting new business opportunities too.

Marcus, how many exhibitors can we expect to see?

Up to 200 of the leading names from the screen, digital and textile printing sectors will be showing their products to a market which has never previously come together in one place, at one time.

And visitors?

The target is to attract 7,500 visitors to the show. We anticipate around 60 percent of these will come from Thailand and the rest will come from Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.

What will be different about the show?

The show itself! FESPA is different from other shows in terms of its content, passion and commitment and this will all be on display in Bangkok. The show will quite naturally be different to other FESPA events, as we always try to accurately reflect the characteristics of the individual market and, since the Asia Pacific market has never come together in this way before, we expect this event to fulfil a specific need and inspire visitors to achieve greater things in future.

Pirach, what kind of educational content can we expect?

The TSGA has undertaken a lot of research amongst printers and believes that there is a need for quality education for this growing market. Thailand has the reputation of being ‘screen valley’, but as well as screenprinting, we are also seeing a huge increase in the deployment of digital printing amongst our members and textile printing is a massive market throughout the region.

FESPA Newsletter Marcus, How will you produce an event in a region you have never worked in before?

FESPA is a well-known and trusted global brand and, in addition to our Thai member, we also have association members in China, Japan and South Korea. These key relationships will enable us to attract all of the right people throughout the region.

How will you be marketing the show?

Thorough research and development will ensure that the show will offer sufficiently compelling content to attract visitors and we already have excellent databases available. However, we are also investing in further database development to ensure that we can contact all of the printers active within the region. As well as using the promotional opportunities offered via the association network, we will also be running a comprehensive marketing campaign, which combines all of the elements that have helped to make our shows in Europe and India so successful.

Why did you choose to hold the show in Bangkok?

Surely there are a number of other destinations you could have chosen?

It was an easy decision really, as Thailand is an exciting dynamic and cosmopolitan city and a highly desirable travel destination, which is also well known for its professional approach to business tourism and exhibitions. It also offers the benefit of superb transport links.

Added to that, there is no doubt that the Thai market is booming, thus providing lots of potential visitors.

Can you tell me more about the venue?

BITEC, a state of the art exhibition centre, which is as good as any venue in Europe, is the perfect location for the show. It is perfectly situated mid way between the International airport and the city centre and, most importantly, the BITEC team has won awards for its operational expertise.

We think that companies who are exhibiting in the region for the first time will be pleasantly surprised by the ease with which build-up and breakdown can be achieved!

Thank you gentlemen, it appears that we can look forward to quite a show! l

FESPA World Expo Asia-Pacific will take place on 27-29 November, 2008 22

FESPA WORLD AUTUMN/07

FESPA Digital steams ahead

S

uppliers of digital equipment and consumables are substantially increasing their stand space reservations at FESPA Digital 2008, compared with the 2006 exhibition, with some even doubling their stand bookings!

Enquiry levels are buoyant, with many blue-chip manufacturers endorsing FESPA’s role as a premier forum for the digital and screenprinting community. With six months to go until the exhibition opens, confirmed space bookings already match the 16,000m2 occupied by the inaugural event in Amsterdam 2006. On this basis, FESPA expects the eventual floorplan to show a significant increase in the total size of the show, facilitated by the flexibility of the Geneva Palexpo exhibition centre, which is designed to allow the event to grow organically around the original core.

Managing Director for FESPA Events, Frazer Chesterman explains: “The exhibitors that have increased their stand requirement for FESPA Digital 2008 tell us that the additional investment is more than justified by the sales successes that they generate at FESPA shows. This is backed up by the feedback we had from exhibitors at our flagship FESPA 2007 exhibition in Berlin, 92 percent of whom said that the exhibition had met or exceeded their expectations.”

According to Chesterman, exhibitors at FESPA Digital 2008 intend to show a larger portfolio of products than before, and they see next year’s Geneva show as the principal international showcase for wideformat digital printing technology in 2008.

Luis Christophe, EMEA Large Format Printing Marketing Manager at HP, Corporate Sponsor of FESPA Digital 2008, commented: “For HP, the FESPA Digital exhibition is a crucial event, as its ability to attract a large, yet targeted audience is second to none. It is the perfect forum for exhibitors to reach key decision makers and we will thus be demonstrating the full HP product portfolio. We are also delighted to continue both our corporate sponsorship of the show, as well as our support of Digital Print Awards in 2008.”

Jane Cedrone, Marketing Communications and PR Manager at EFI VUTEk, added: “Like all FESPA exhibitions, FESPA Digital delivered good quality visitors from a wide geographic area in 2006 and next year, we plan to increase our stand size by more than 100 percent

and will be exhibiting an extended range of our superwide format inkjet printing solutions.”

Andy Voss, Managing Director of Madico Graphic Films, echoes this support.

Saying: “Quite simply, FESPA is consistently good for winning new clients, since it attracts visitors who are ready to buy and have a genuine interest in new, innovative products. We will be taking twice as much stand space this time around in order to display a larger range of our graphics, window and protective films.”

Frazer Chesterman concludes: “The fact that leading vendors consider FESPA Digital 2008 as the global showcase for their digital product offerings is great news for visitors to the show, who will have the opportunity to see the full breadth of industry innovations under one roof, in a concentrated and compact format, over just three days.

“We are also busy planning a comprehensive programme of knowledgesharing initiatives designed to help visitors evolve their businesses and develop a clear competitive advantage, so a couple of days in Geneva should be all the inspiration they need to take their enterprises to the next level.” l

FESPA Digital 2008 will take place at Geneva Palexpo, Switzerland, April 1st – 3rd 2008.

For further information visit: www.fespadigital.com

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FESPA Digital Print Awards 2008

Bigger and Better!

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Some of the Platinum winners of last year’s competition

For further information visit: www.fespadpa.com

24

FESPA WORLD AUTUMN/07

ollowing the success of the inaugural competition, FESPA has launched FESPA Digital Print Awards 2008, with the continued support of HP. What is more, the new event promises to be an even more attractive proposition, featuring as it does, a new category, an interactive element and a much wider catchment area.

Designed to recognise and reward best practice in the digital printing sector, the competition judges entries not simply on their print quality, but also on their creativity and the use of digital technology to deliver definable advantages to the client concerned.

Now, for 2008, the Awards programme is being simplified and further energised with the launch of a new, interactive web site, which will function as its fulcrum, providing printers with access to essential information and terms and conditions for entry, as well as an easy to use online entry mechanism.

Further, for the first time, entry to the Awards will be completely free of charge, thus making participation a feasible option for even the smallest digital printing businesses.

Entries received via the web site will be automatically showcased in a stimulating live, online Gallery of entries, and printers everywhere are encouraged to interact by scoring entries using a secure online rating system.

As last year, the entry categories will include: Vehicles; Interior; Exterior; Décor; Flexible Packaging; Textiles and Manufactured Goods, but this year there is a new category covering Fine Art, in recognition of its growing significance for wide-format digital imaging.

The Awards also continue to embrace printers from across Europe, regardless of their choice of printing engine or consumables, but is further extended to encompass printers from the Middle East and Africa, in recognition of the high standard of digital print being produced in these developing regions. Additionally, there will be no regional sub-categories this

year, thus giving printers from any country in Europe, the Middle East and Africa the opportunity to be benchmarked against the industry’s best.

CEO of FESPA, Nigel Steffens said: “We now aim to open the Awards, to the widest possible community of digital service providers, embracing commercial and industrial printers from more regions and incorporating growing applications, making them a ‘must-enter’ scheme for any ambitious printer.”

François Martin, HP Graphic Arts Marketing Manager added: “We are pleased to continue our support for the Awards which highlight how digital technology can help print service providers to do more, to do it better and to do it differently.”

The FESPA Digital Print Awards 2008 web site will be open for receipt of entries until January 31st 2008. A shortlist of commendations in each of the eight categories will be judged by a jury of digital printing experts, in early February 2008, and the category winners will be informed in writing.

The eight category winners will attend a VIP evening prize-giving ceremony in Geneva, Switzerland, on the eve of FESPA Digital 2008 (April 1st-3rd 2008), when the overall Platinum Winner of the Awards will be announced. All category winners will receive a prize package comprising a return flight to Geneva, two nights’ accommodation at a first-class hotel in Geneva, participation at the winners’ event on 31st March 2008, and VIP entry to the FESPA Digital 2008 exhibition at Palexpo, Geneva.

The Platinum winner and all category winners will derive optimum exposure and tangible commercial benefits from their success. All winners will also be presented to the international trade media at a press champagne reception during FESPA Digital 2008, and will be the subject of detailed business case studies. In addition, the Platinum Winner will receive prominent promotional coverage in an influential vertical market magazine in their home market. l

FESPA digitalprint awards 2008

europe:

Supported by

Create a reaction Digital innovation : Digital achievement

Do you produce exceptional, attention-grabbing digital print?

Now is your chance to win a respected Award that will turn heads towards your business.

FESPA’s Digital Print Awards, supported by HP, recognise and reward the very best digital print in a range of commercial and industrial applications, produced on any digital printer or substrate.

Vehicle or building wrap, signage or point-of-sale, textile or packaging, fine art or interior décor… it's simple to enter the Awards, it costs nothing, and success could really put the spotlight on your business.

From all the entries, our expert jury will select winners in eight categories. Their reward will be VIP travel and accommodation at FESPA Digital 2008 in Geneva, and targeted promotional support for their business.

One printer will be singled out for the ultimate accolade - The Platinum Award - rewarding outstanding quality, creativity and tactical innovation.

So hurry! The deadline for entries is 31.01.2008.

www.fespadpa.com

Your work will be showcased in the Gallery on the Awards website at www.fespadpa.com, and rated online by your industry peers.

FESPA is a trade association promoting screen and digital printing through its 28 National Association members.

HP provides world-leading digital printing solutions across every format: from HP Indigo digital presses to HP Designjet wide-format printers, to HP Scitex super-wide-format printers.

Events

Something to Celebrate This summer Grunig Interscreen AG, the Swiss-based manufacturer of screenprinting equipment, celebrated its 40th anniversary with the inauguration of a brand new production hall and the launch of several new products. Val Hirst reports

O

ver the last 40 years the screen process has undergone many changes, characterised by the introduction of technological innovations, and the ever changing needs of screenprinters and their customers. During that time, Grunig Interscreen AG has also evolved from the original one-man business that it originally was, to become a highly regarded producer of screenprinting equipment, something it chose to commemorate with the introduction of a new logo, which serves as a visible reminder of the more fundamental changes it has undergone.

These included the G-Sretch 270, which combines all of the advantages of mechanical and pneumatic stretching devices. It features motorised stretching

Grunig, whose core competencies lie in the production of screen stretching, coating and washing equipment, held a high profile event over three days at the end of August to celebrate its anniversary and mark the official inauguration of its new 1400 m2 manufacturing hall. On the first day, its guests were 30 of its resellers, who operate in 20 different countries. They were treated to a series of special workshops, which enabled them to preview all of the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest product launches.

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FESPA WORLD AUTUMN/07

beams, which operate according to preprogrammed stretching parameters and can be telescopically adjusted to facilitate optimum handling possibilities.

Another new product was the G-Prep 370, a new compact frame cleaning system, which offers an efficient solution to the problem of frame cleaning and marks a major step forward in the standardisation of screen preparation processes. Highpressure water nozzles remove all of the mesh and glue residues from the frame profiles, thus minimising damage and optimising reproducibility.

Events

G-Bond UltraCure, a stretching and handling system, is the result of a partnership between KIWO and Grunig and combines Grunig’s know-how in the area of machine construction, with KIWO’s UV UltraCure glue and exposure unit.

This unique system fulfils the demand for better quality, increased productivity and improved reproducibility. All of the stretching and gluing processes can be programmed and memorised via a touch screen terminal, whilst the short reaction time of the UV glue, helps to increase productivity by freeing the operator to concentrate on more important tasks.

The final new product was Grunig’s G-Coat 404 US Coater, a special low-price coating machine, which it will be showing for the first time at the forthcoming SGIA 2007 exhibition in Orlando. The machine has been especially finished with a replication of the American flag for the occasion, and will add a topical touch and bright splash of colour to the Grunig stand. It can automatically coat screens up to 49“x59“, features coating troughs with an exchangeable edge and facilitates the pre-programming of the desired coating parameters.

There was also time for the resellers to enjoy the stunning Swiss mountain scenery, together with an impromptu concert, which included both Alphorn players and yodelers, making their visit a truly unforgettable experience!

The following day saw the inauguration of the manufacturing hall, in the presence of some 200 guests, including suppliers, representatives of the local authorities, Grunig staff members and the international trade press. Marcel Grünig and Andreas Ferndriger, welcomed the guests, whilst Hans-Ueli Grünig provided a brief resumé of the company’s history to date, before declaring the new hall open. The guests were then treated to a guided visit of the facility before a full programme of social events took place during the evening.

On the final day, Grunig played host to the local village population, many of whom had little idea as to the nature of its business. Nearly 600 people from the local community took the opportunity to visit the company and asked numerous questions about its production processes.

Others were keen to know whether it offered training possibilities for young people – in fact, Grünig offers apprenticeships for automation specialists and poly-technicians. Everyone was then invited to tuck into a splendid lunch.

Grunig reports that according to the feedback it received from both its international visitors and the local community, all three days were judged to be highly successful, and it is now aiming to repeat the whole exercise when it marks its half-century!

For further information visit: www.grunig.ch

FESPA WORLD AUTUMN/07

27

INNOVATIONS

Printing, Performance and Profit in Budapest Marcus Timson explains why screen and digital printers must become marketers too, if they want to grow and prosper

W

hy do print management companies exist? Now that is a controversial question! The answer, I believe is because the communication gap between client and buyer has become so wide that the client responds favourably to an engaging, proactive approach from a print management company. The “transactional” exchange between client and printer has provided print managers with an opportunity, role and niche and they have exploited this to the full.

But can we fight back?

Can we take the moral and technical high ground and deliver extra value for our clients and extra profit for our business?

The answer is a massive YES! But we must evolve our thinking and our behaviour and this starts with a cunningly simple plan, because if we fail to plan now, then we may as well plan to fail later!

According to FESPA’s Wide Survey, 31 percent of printing companies do not have a sales or marketing department. If we estimate that there are 100,000 screen and digital wide format printers in Europe alone, this means a staggering 31,000 printing businesses do not see sales and marketing as an important enough element to employ a dedicated sales or marketing person. This means a huge amount of business is either being lost to other more

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FESPA WORLD AUTUMN/07

“marketing savvy” printers or, worse still, to other types of media.

The Wide Survey (which will be covered in more detail in the winter issue of FESPA World) also asked printers what they thought their customers rated as

completely different. In fact, they expect high quality, quick and efficient turn around, competitive prices and new ideas as a matter of course.

So expectations are higher now than ever before and buyers are demanding real value from the relationship they have with their suppliers, so we need to explore how we can deliver this.

1

Step

the most important factor when buying print. The overwhelming winner was quality, followed by speed, efficiency and service. New ideas limped in at a paltry 8%.

However, when you pose the exact same question to print buyers their answer is

Get a marketing plan!

What will a marketing plan do for your business? Put yourself in the shoes of your customer. Most likely, they are trying to promote a product and to encourage their potential audience to invest their hard earned money in it. In the printing world we talk about overcapacity.

Well, throughout the supply chain there is overcapacity and we all have a number of choices.

What will make the difference between selecting one supplier over another? The final factor that clinches the purchase is relatively small – think of yourself as an athlete or a highly tuned Formula 1 car – at the top level in sport, the difference between winning and coming second is “tenths of seconds”, or small percentages. And this is as true in business – the small factors add up to one big factor and that makes the difference between clinching the deal and developing

INNOVATIONS

Double celebration for Norwegian screen company

Febelgra welcomes new Secretary

- for UV, solvent based and water based inks - for combined dr ying

exposure units for stencil's making - with immediately start

for textile printing

- carousels, intermediate dr yers, dr yers

dr yers for offset varnishing - quality of screenprinting, capacity of offset

built-in dryers for offset - effecienty dr ying of inks and disperse varnishes

dryers for web offset

- for UV or conventional inks - parameters under request

complet know - how, of fset and screenprinting laborator y for technology development and demonstration

2

dryers for screenprinting

Dr ying and curing equipment

a mutually beneficial and rewarding I don’t have to travel far away from FESPA business relationship, or losing out to a to see a working model that is delivering competitor. If a supplier relationship can excellent results. help a marketing person to enhance their Print and Display in Belgium is performance, or beat their competition, a company that has, in recent years, they will certainly want to come back for experienced astronomical growth. And its more! success is down to a couple of key factors.

And don’t always assume that 1 A cohesive marketing plan, team and brand. marketers know what they want! They 2 The right technology that facilitates the production want to be inspired by an idea, a new way of inspirational products for its customers. of thinking, a different format and need to know the possibilities available to them.

General Manager and FESPA Board We, as creative printers, can give them that member, Christian Duykaerts explains: value by making it as easy as possible for “Thinking outside box is as them to make a buying the decision, bypart fully Don’t Due to space restrictions, second forget to enter of thethe FESPA awards important as investing in theus right understanding theirfrom marketing objectives entry of the REACH report Paul Machin forms are available from at technology. combining creative from willand be inspiring held overthem. until the next edition of Reigate and canBy also be downloaded with technical expertise we have FESPA World, but since REACH will affect thethinking FESPA website, www.fespa.com theshort buyer been able to grow our business and benefit all printers, we Understand are organising for typical “profile” of to a from the fact that customers often presentations inThe English and German Finally, if you have any ideas asneed to printer is quite different to thatyou extrawould bit of imagination outshine takeStep place in the seminar theatres during what like FESPAtoto do to of the marketer, printcan buyer their competitors.

Out of home thethat show, so that everyone get or as brand. help you, please contact youradvertising The technical ability of printers and POPAssociation print are growing business sectors much advance warning as possible of isits National secretary. and printers are inherently and very competitive ones too. We cannot trueunquestionable impact. brilliant at managing resources and getting afford to sit back and rely solely on our the best out of their printing machines, printing capability. We are being forced solving problems, producing efficient to provide excitingone print Norsk Filmtrykk, of solutions the majorfor production models, understanding our customers as well as in anNorway, end to end screenprinting companies technical challenges and printing. service, which their lives easier, and recently had two makes excellent reasons to Marketing people aren’t similarly inspired throw the aresults us have, so far,in been very party.for First established by the technical attributes of a machine or Stavanger satisfying.” in 1946, the company, which process, but what they do get excited about specialises Well,inthe future asmarking far as FESPA is industrial products, is what the machine can produce. So show shared concerned, simple. We all need to its 60thisanniversary celebrations them examples, prototypes and creative change thinkingBjørn in order to stay in with seniorour employee Helmichsen, applications that will help to fire their touch with a at rapidly evolving was market, whose 50 years the company (from l to r): The County creative thinking. whichwith is constantly throwingofup new marked the presentation the Governor of Rogaland, WhatBjørn makes the difference is the opportunities. highest possible accolade, the coveted Tora Aasland; Helmichsen abilityand to Norsk innovate, aligned with a deep will be speaking at GoldenChristian SqueegeeDuykaerts of NF! The presentation, Filmtrykk’s Managing technical knowledge of how to get the best which the first Directors’ Marketing was FESPA made by Tora Aasland, the Forum, Director, Tore Jensen. out of that machine. The recent Sensations County whichGovernor takes place 28th-29th February of on Rogaland, took place book and the winners of the HP Digital in Budapest, Hungary and you are at a2008, special Gala evening that was Awards clearly demonstrate that creative very welcome to joinincluding us. attended by 60 guests, the people respond to the creative ideas of If you24are interested in employed discovering company’s staff, who are at others. They will see the possibilities and its three more, Stavanger learning how can help to andyou Oslo printshops. want to invest more into their printing inspire your clients and enhance your campaigns. marketing performance, as well as taking By adopting this dual pronged the opportunity to network with other consultative approach, your customers will leading printers, then e-mail Lynda Sutton, begin to see you as a solution provider, at lynda.sutton@fespa.com for further rather than simply that information Valérie Vercammen is the the organisation new Secretary of Febelgra, the printsScreenprinting for them. ThisAssociation. means that you Belgian Valérie, who livesGo inon, you know you want to! elevatespeaks the status of English your business in their Budapest could well be the first step on a Brussels, fluent and also has a good eyes and become part of their Spanish collaborative journey that will lead you towards greater working knowledge of German, and Italian. team; on the design profit. And I look forward to meeting you Following a equal degreepar in with Economics from the VLEKHO agencies (who, on whole,she don’t know there!

School of Business in the Brussels, began her career in l anything much print, typically insurance and was about in charge ofbut a legal protection unit enjoy a closer with the client) that focussed on relationship accident insurance regulation.

She will you getting ashe bigger percentage be and using thestart experience gained there, inofterms of staff their business as a result. training, supervision and appraisal together with project It’s simple.

You will bein onher thenew roadposition to management, to good effect at more profit!

Febelgra, where she will be responsible for training and And as being a technical and education, wellboth as economic and statistical research. marketing expert isn’t impossible. In fact,

FESPA WORLD SPRING/07 15

FESPA WORLD AUTUMN/07

29

Innovations

C h s a o Cash out of Chaos o Cha s

One company that hasn’t been afraid to keep pace with the changing times, is digital print provider Leach Colour. The winner of both platinum and bronze accolades in the FESPA Digital Print Awards 2007 competition, it reveals how it specialises in making cash out of chaos. Val Hirst reports

right: Graham Evans

L

each Colour may have the distinction of being the oldest professional photographic lab within the UK, but that isn’t to say that it hasn’t moved with the times. In fact, over the last century it has effected several re-inventions, to emerge as a leading UK digital print company, producing 2,000 sq. metres of digital output per day! But what hasn’t changed is its entrepreneurial approach and the emphasis it places on quality. First set up to service the developing needs of professional photographers in 1891, its original price list makes fascinating reading and neatly illustrates that although print methods might have changed over the last hundred or so years, there was just as much demand then for reproduction on a wide range of different media, as there is today.

A true family business, which is currently run by Richard Leach, the great grandson of the original founder, Leach Colour has always believed in investing in the latest technology, which is why, when it saw how the photographic sector was beginning to evolve in the l930s, it became the first UK company to purchase one of the original Durst Lambdas, the iconic, automatic film processor, which 30

FESPA WORLD AUTUMN/07

heralded the emergence of the modern day photo labs and repro houses. Accordingly, when the photographic sector underwent another sea change, a decade or more ago, following the advent of digital printing technology, Leach Colour acquired a Durst Rho 350 and has since gradually morphed into an all-round digital print provider.

However, the company is shrewd enough to recognise that it is now operating in an arena where it is imperative that it differentiates itself not only from its old rivals from the photo labs and repro houses, but also from a whole host of new competitors, who come from such diverse areas as screen and commercial printing, signmaking and even shop fitting. Graham Evans, the company’s Sales and Marketing Director feels that in order to stay ahead of the game, Leach Colour has had to draw on all of its previous resources, whilst also becoming infinitely adaptable and flexible in order to satisfy the increasingly varied demands of today’s ever more exacting clients.

Graham gives me a whistle stop tour

of the company’s splendid, purpose built 30,000 sq.ft. facility, which it moved into two years ago. On the print floor, the two Lambdas and the Rho 350 have been further complemented with a Rho 160 and a VUTEK PressVu 320, and, most recently a Kongsberg i-Cut from Esko. “We are still getting to grips with this,” he comments on this new addition, adding: “But already it is making a huge difference. We can now cut graphics into any of the weird and wonderful shapes that clients ask for and in fact, we have recently completed a job for a regular client, which consisted of a whole load of reflective discs that formed part of a very complex retail display. There was no actual printing requirement, but the client was delighted that we could accommodate him”.

Perhaps a little surprisingly, Leach also has a very well equipped tool and workwork shop, which is primarily used for finishing purposes. Graham says: “Very often finished prints require mounting in some way and to be honest, we find it easier to build any special housing unit

Graphics for the Arsenal Football Stadium which won the UK Bronze Award in the FESPA Digital Print Awards competition

Innovations needed, ourselves, in-house. Clients often commission graphics without considering how they are going to be hung and this facility means that we can solve that particular problem for them.”

In the same way, when undertaking commissions for its clients in the Museum sector, the company uses its tooling to provide any necessary signage and although vehicle liveries don’t really feature in the Leach Colour Portfolio of services, it does offer a vehicle wrapping facility, when a livery forms part of an overall project. “If we are producing other graphics for a client, then we are more than happy to provide a vehicle livery, or even a whole fleet of liveries, too,” says Graham. He adds that the small, but perfectly formed in-house screenprinting unit exists for the same reason. “It’s not one of our mainstream services, but it’s something that we can offer, as part of the mix, when required.”

Back in his office, Graham explains that if Leach Colour has a USP, it could be summarised as going the extra mile.

He elaborates: “We do a lot of work for companies in the retail sector, where despite the fact that the brief often arrives at the very last minute, everything has to be ready in time for a new advertising or promotional campaign. Thus, we know that our clients will be looking to us to provide all of those extra services that make the difference between everything coming together successfully on the day, or the whole thing turning pear shaped. If we can solve

all of the last minute problems that always arise when you are working to very tight deadlines, the client is very appreciative and much more likely to use us again.”

Sometimes the solutions for such problems also provide new opportunities too. Graham continues: “Sometimes we end up creating a whole new design concept for a client and when this happens, it often becomes one of our staple products, which we can then also use for other companies.” Of course it helps that Leach Colour has its own in-house genius, in the form of its mildmannered and modest Technical Director, Jim Parkin. According to Graham, Jim combines engineering know-how with real creative flair, to come up with practical and aesthetically pleasing designs, such as Clip, a nifty wall mounting display system, which literally jigsaws together to provide an unblemished graphic, but which is easily dismantled and transported. Other brainwaves from Jim include Clarity, a stunning translucent window treatment, which creates eye catching displays both inside and out and Backbone, a novel freestanding display unit that can be supplied in flat pack form and in any colour. Most prominent of all, of course is Stik, the magnetic graphics system for in-store use that can be quickly installed and changed and which also netted Leach Colour the

Platinum prize for the Interior Category of the recent FESPA Digital Print Awards.

But creative flair is nothing without operating efficiency and Graham reveals that the preparatory work the company undertook in order to achieve its ISO 9001 accreditation has made it even more effective. He says: “As in all factories, things were pretty much done in a certain way, simply because that’s how they had always been done, but ISO 9001 encourages you to reassess every area of your operation and to question the logic of what you are doing.” The result has been a complete overhaul in the company’s working practices and the changes that it has wrought have had the happy result of cutting costs and increasing productivity.

“It hasn’t necessarily been the big things that have made the most difference,” muses Graham, “but something simple such as ensuring that all of the tools that a machine operator needs – scissors, tape measures, sticky tape etc – are close to hand and are replaced in the same place every time they have been used. This cuts down no end on the frustration of constantly looking for things and the endless walking across the factory.” The same logic-based methodology has been implemented throughout all of the company’s administration and strategic systems too, with positive results. “We thought we were good before, but now we are better,” says Graham. He adds that Leach Colour is also blessed with a very loyal and committed workforce. “Apparently, between us

Leach Colour’s exhibition stand at the recent 100% Design show in London FESPA WORLD AUTUMN/07

31

Innovations

George at Asda,The Platinum Winner for the Interior Design category in the FESPA Digital Awards competition we have over 500 years of experience,” he laughs. “But the truth is, that mostly, people stay with us for a long time. Because we were established such a long time ago, I suppose you could say that we are a community-based company and that certainly helps when you are trying to forge a ‘can do’ business ethos.”

Whilst agreeing that there is much less need now for the photographic repro service that formed the core of Leach Colour’s business for so many years, Graham points out that there is still a niche for specialist services in this regard, such as ‘framed chunkies’ – photos which are reproduced on canvas, mounted on a substantial base and complemented with an attractive frame. The production of large bespoke digital prints is also another popular Leach Colour service. Photography however, has never been more popular and Leach’s next investment will be in a chain of photographic studios in the North of England. Although these will operate autonomously and will each be expected 32

FESPA WORLD AUTUMN/07

to generate profitable revenue streams, Graham anticipates that there will be some spin off business for Leach Colour too. “ It’s all about looking for new opportunities

Leach Colour's exhibition stand at 100% Design

and spreading the load,” he says.

It’s also about diversifying and although a good proportion of Leach Colour’s £6 million turnover is currently generated via the retail sector, Graham is eager for the company to use the expertise it has gained in both this area and that in the provision of exhibition and museum graphics to target the lucrative interior design market. He says: “The retail business is fast paced and exciting and provides the chance to get involved in some seriously whacky projects, but it is also highly competitive and everything is price driven.

On the other hand, in the interior design sector, creativity is highly prized and what’s more because many of the projects are one offs, price isn’t so crucial. It’s what I think of as an added value market, because clients are prepared to pay a bit more to get precisely what they want and lots of the ideas we’ve already developed could be easily adapted for interior use.”

The company already has a London based showroom and sales people who are well versed in the art of dealing with designers and specifiers. Graham says: “Good customer relationships often make the difference between success and failure and it’s easier for designers to deal with someone they have a real rapport with – we try, as far as possible to match our sales people to the type of clients they will be dealing with in order to interpret their needs and ideas as efficiently as possible.”

All ways round then, Leach Colour seem to have it sorted. You could say that it has devised its own recipe for success – start with a positive outlook, mix in a soupcon of ingenuity, be aware of changing trends and be prepared to go the extra mile.

Finally, enjoy with relish! l

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New launches

Handcrafted with love

Roland DG has recently launched three new printers, which are designed to further enhance its status as a leading manufacturer of digital printing equipment.

Val Hirst reports.

W

ith an installed base of some 190,000 digital printers world wide, and a current 46 percent share of the solvent inkjet printer market, Roland DG is obviously a force to be reckoned with. The company, which was first established nearly 30 years ago in Japan, as an offshoot of the Roland Music Corporation, originally built its reputation in the sign sector, selling cutting plotters and engraving equipment, before launching its first digital inkjet printer, the CJ70 in l997. The subsequent launch of its highly affordable VersaCamm series of entry-level eco-solvent printer/cutters was credited with fuelling the rapid growth of digital printing technology within the sign industry. More recently, in a bid to further broaden its scope and appeal, Roland DG launched a grand format printer, the AJl000 and, in so doing, endeared itself to many screenprinters and digital print companies, who have now also grown to appreciate the levels of machine craftsmanship with which all of Roland DG’s machines are synonymous.

Careful research has persuaded the company that the greatest potential for growth still lies within its familiar mid market solvent territory, and, eager to further cultivate all denominations of professional print providers, it has recently launched three new machines, all of which are designed to provide the robust levels of productivity that this sector of the market, in particular, demands.

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FESPA WORLD AUTUMN/07

However, for potential customers to really understand and appreciate what they are getting when they commit to Roland, they need to know a little more about how the machines are made, because the company operates a single cell manufacturing process, which is as fascinating to witness, as it is efficient and effective.

It you have ever thought at all about the printer manufacturing process, you could be forgiven for assuming that it involves several people working on an assembly line. However, at its 9,800m2, two storey factory, which is located in the Japanese town of Hammamatsu and cost a mind blowing Y2,300,000,000 to build, Roland DG practices something it calls ‘Digital Yatai’, which means that each Roland machine is, in a sense, a bespoke item, which is made, from start to finish, by a single person. Perhaps even more surprisingly, the 230 strong Roland workforce is predominantly female.

‘Digital Yatai’ came about as the result of an audit that was carried out to assess how human strengths could be properly harnessed to ensure maximum productivity. The audit concluded that whilst manual dexterity, motivation and curiosity are just some of our positive attributes, a whole kaleidoscope of sub-conscious thoughts and feelings can effectively sabotage our levels of attentiveness and concentration. In short, however intelligent we think we are, all human beings are inherently unpredictable and unreliable. The audit also recognised that the natural speed at which people process and use information also varies widely. Taking all of this firmly on board, Roland DG set about devising a way in which a computer could be used to help harness individual strengths, whilst also eliminating weaknesses.

In the first instance, it chose to employ mainly women workers, who apparently show a greater aptitude for work that requires nimble fingers, coupled with a high level of concentration. Each woman has her own work station, which is equipped with a computer and all of the component parts needed to build a printer.

She is guided through the manufacturing complexities by a series of prompts, which appear on her computer screen.

Component selection is also computer controlled, making it virtually impossible for any mistakes to be made and thus, each stage of the machine build is fully completed, before she is able to begin on the next. When the machine is finished, each woman, aided once again by a series

New launches of computer prompts, thoroughly checks her own work, before ‘signing’ it off. There are no arbitrary time constraints, with each worker taking just as long as she needs to complete the process. But despite this, production levels continue to rise, with the average machine build time currently running at around 20 hours – quite something when you consider that the most complex printers contain over 3,000 different parts!

In the first instance, it generally takes each woman around a week at her computer screen to become fully practiced, but during this initial training period, she is spared the extra stress of having to interact with a human supervisor, who may become impatient with her efforts. When the machine specifications change or new products are introduced, the computer is simply reprogrammed and the component trays refilled. This method also makes it easy to manipulate production schedules, by quickly switching workers to different products, if there is a sudden increase or slow down in demand.

The ambience in the bright and airy factory of lilac clad women, and the very few men, who are on hand to assist when any heavy lifting is required, is one of happy industry and there is no mistaking the fact that each woman derives much more job satisfaction and interest from the Digital Yatai process than the more usual assembly line set up. But as well as the novelty provided by a myriad of different daily tasks and the fact that Roland DG is a better than average payer, workers also appreciate another special ‘perk’. In a country where earthquakes are so commonplace that all utility services are run far above the ground to help minimise post quake chaos, the Roland DG factory offers an elaborate underground earthquake shelter, which provides a safe haven for workers and their families in the event of catastrophe.

Roland DG’s customers also get extra ‘perks’ too. In addition to well constructed and reliable machines –the company claims that its return rate is negligible – Roland DG is very big on after sales service, which includes full product training and, following on from the initial product warranty, a choice of different maintenance programs. It recognises that, even more than with its original signmaking customers, who may only use their printers intermittently, professional print providers simply can’t afford to have a machine that doesn’t consistently pay its way. This is also the reason why the company prefers to develop its own RIPs

and inks; by controlling all of the main elements, it feels it is able to offer users optimum results.

And optimum results is what Roland DG believe its first new launch, the AdvancedJet AJ-740, will offer. An addition to its established AdvancedJet line of industrial inkjet printers, the AJ740 offers high-speed printing of up to 81m2/h (872 sqft/hr), providing both the power and productivity needed for high-volume and rush jobs. At 74” wide, it supports the majority of media currently available and delivers brilliant six colour CMYK+LcLm graphics and a precision print mode of 44m2/hr (473 sqft/hr). Unlike other industrial level printers, the AJ-740 runs with very little maintenance and fine tuning, since automated routines eliminate the need for daily manual cleaning and ensure consistent, reliable performance.

It has also launched two new SolJet Pro III printers in 74” and 64” widths, which are the fastest SolJet’s to date, combining

exceptional print speeds with the ultimate in six-colour CMYK+LcLm image quality.

Precision engineered for the demands of a fast-paced, quality-driven marketplace, the XJ series printers offer maximum print speeds of up to 42.6m2/hr and stunning image quality in every print mode. Users can capture the fine details critical to indoor graphics, whilst also producing the dense, rich colours required for vivid, highimpact outdoor graphics.

High-quality imaging and Roland’s precision firing pattern make the XJ series ideal for indoor graphics, including posters, POP displays and fine art reproductions.

The XJ also excels at a wide variety of outdoor applications and supports a full range of coated and uncoated media, from vinyl and banner, to backlit film, canvas and a host of papers.

All of the new printers benefit from the Roland VersaWorks RIP, which offers advanced features including the new Roland Max Impact colour management FESPA WORLD AUTUMN/07

35

New launches

Vital Statistics Roland AdvancedJet AJ-740 • Produces billboards, banners, backlits, fleet graphics and more at a maximum print speed of up to 81m2/hr (872 sqft/hr) for high volume and rush jobs • Handles media rolls up to 100kg (220lbs) for long, unattended production runs • Automated maintenance system requires minimal operator intervention, lowering operational costs • Durable EcoXtreme Ink for extended three year outdoor durability • Easy to attach and detach optional mesh printing unit available for soft signage • Powerful Roland VersaWorks RIP software included • New Max Impact preset produces vivid outdoor signs with richer colour contrast • Roland Colour system provides colour charts and chips for spot colour matching

SolJet Pro III XJ Series • Superior overall performance • Unparalleled image quality, accurate colour reproduction and impressive maximum print speeds of up to 42.6m2/hr (458.61sqft/hr) • Support for a wide variety of applications ranging from durable outdoor signage and graphics to precision fine art posters and giclees • Support for long unattended production runs • Automated take-up system supports roll weights of up to 47kg (103.6lbs.)

• Easy loading and unloading of even the heaviest media rolls • Automated maintenance minimises ink, labour and downtime • Fast drying and scratch resistant EcoSol Max ink is virtually odourless

preset, the Roland Colour System for spot colour matching and Variable Data Printing for variable text and graphics.

The Max Impact preset produces deeper, more vivid blues and reds, the fundamental colours for outdoor graphics, whilst also preserving the overall colour balance required for photorealistic images. VersaWorks also includes more than 150 ICC profiles. Built on an Adobe Postscript engine, it is compatible with Windows XP Professional; 2000 and Windows Vista.

All of the new printers are attractively priced and thus offer screen and digital printers the opportunity to supplement their current capacity levels with robust machines, secure in the knowledge that they have been hand crafted with love! l

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Workshops in india

A Trip to Tirupur In anticipation of FESPA’s second India exhibition, which takes place later this year at Pragati Maidan Exhibition Centre in Delhi, FESPA Communications Director Marcus Timson travelled to Southern India’s Tamil Nadu to visit the town of Tirupur, where over 90 percent of India’s textiles are produced, to discover whether printers will be able to beat the skills gap and fulfil the demands being placed on them.

Indian garment printers at a factory in Tirupur

I

ndia is an amazing country. A trip to any major city in India is an assault on all of the senses and you are overwhelmed with its uniqueness, beauty and excitement, all in the time it takes to blink! The massive growth in wealth means that a huge part of the population is going to be pulled out of poverty and screen, digital and textile printers thus have a great opportunity to grow their businesses.

For example, Shripad Bhat, Editor of Screen, Sign and Digital Magazine, reports: “The National Manufacturing 38

FESPA WORLD AUTUMN/07

Competitiveness Commission (NMCC) estimates that India’s share in the global clothing and textile trade will increase from USD 51 billion to USD 110 billion by 2012, with India emerging as an important hub for sourcing labour-intensive textile products.”

Clearly this is great news for India, but print businesses in particular will need to wake up to the fact that it will also mean increased competition, as buyers across the board start to expect excellent quality as a matter of course.

FESPA launched and successfully ran the first FESPA event in 2005, ahead of any global exhibition organiser in the imaging industry. The show, now coming up to its second outing, looks set to beat the 2005 event in terms of both scale and attendance. As well as an increase in market activity in India, printing ability is improving and, as the clutch of FESPA Awards won by Indian printers demonstrates, access to FESPA’s inspirational heritage in screenprinting and its leadership in the area of digital innovation is helping printers understand what they need to do to satisfy current customer demand.

But despite these noted improvements, there is still a time lag in both standards and education for India’s printers. Aditya Sawant of Matoshri Graphics said: “The Indian print industry, does not just want newer technology; it also needs better education and training. Educational institutions offering textile chemistry and design courses would do well to visit FESPA India, not only to supplement their industry and technical knowledge base, but also to learn how they can offer a revised and updated curriculum. Indian printers need to be innovative, willing to adopt new technology and to possess up-to-date skills, so that they can become adept at managing the entire business process.”

So it was with interest that I travelled south, out of the clutches of Delhi, India’s regal capital, to Tirupur in Tamil Nadu to run a workshop for TEKPA, along with the SPAI President, Bhargav Mistry and my colleagues at Services International.

This educational workshop was especially designed to provide printers with a small foretaste of what they can expect to find at

Workshops in india FESPA World Expo India in Delhi, in December.

TEKPA members print T-shirts and garments and a large percentage of this work is for leading Western brand names.

But pressure is now being put on the printers to produce goods in a different way, in order to fall in line with new European legislation, such as REACH. And it is here that there is a real shortage of information. However, REACH is just one factor.

What is taking place in Europe is a nothing short of a green revolution. Recently there has been an incredible change in social attitudes with phrases such as “green credentials” and “environmentally friendly” becoming common currency and this isn’t just confined to the home. All of the leading retail brands in the UK have pledged their commitment to becoming carbon neutral, a sure indicator that a seismic shift has taken place in the social and business landscape. Further, any garment manufacturer who is seen to be flagrantly disregarding the green issue is castigated by the media and worse, sees their stock value fall. Green has now truly become “the new black” and T-shirt printers will have to fall into line if they want to prosper.

So, if you are a T-shirt printer in Tirupur and you are producing a similar product to the one you were producing 10 years ago, this may not be accepted by buyers in the West as inks, solvents, the T-shirt itself and working conditions all come under close scrutiny. For example, the uplift in demand for organically produced cotton is staggering and retailers are now using this commodity as a unique selling point.

What does this mean for the T-shirt printer in Tirupur?

It means they need to know all about these changes in order produce precisely what their customers want. If they don’t, the customer will simply go elsewhere.

I still think that India is amazing and the opportunities are massive. But there are clear growing pains as printers struggle to fulfil all of these new and bewildering demands, which is why all Indian screen and digital printers should definitely make a point of visiting FESPA World Expo India to discover how and why the industry is moving forward! l

ONLINE AUCTION Due to insolvency we are selling the inventory of the company

ROLF KRAUSE WERBEWERKSTÄTTEN KG Kiedericher Straße 45-47, 65343 Eltville (Germany)

SCREEN PRINTING MACHINES + WORKSHOP + OFFICE

LINE 1: automatic flatbed printing machine 3/4 “Thieme” model 3020, format 700x1000 mm; continuous flow dryer “Borghoff & Wilk” 1520/2L, total length 5400 mm; destacker “Svecia” SAP-A; LINIE 2: fully automatic screen printing machine “Thieme” Sakurai SC 102 DX, format 720x1000 mm; continuous flow dryer “Müller” 1200- UV, total length 6 m; destacker “Thieme” Sakurai ST 102 H;

LINIE 3: cylinder printing machine “Svecia” SMCY MasterCylin-

der; continuous flow dryer “Frankenthal” Alfra-Passart Turbo, with UV bridge module; plaiter “Mirus/Ziegler & Herzinger”;

LINIE 4: semic-automatic screen printing machine “Thieme” 530; continuous flow dryer “Svecia” SSJD, flow width 1400 mm; MISCELLANEOUS: cutter “Polar Mohr” 71 ST, cutting width 710 mm; vibrating table “Polar” 2B, dim. 1500x1100 mm; automatic ss screen cleaning/washing machine “Bühlmann” MBS; automatic ss screen decoating machine “Boos” Supra SR1; universal processing system “Heinrich Mantel” Data Screen, model 1816; plotter “Epson” StylusPro 7600 (2005); electric forklift truck “Clark” CTM 16 S (1996), cap. 3,3 m x 1,6 t; car “Skoda” Octavia 1,9 TDI Kombi (2003), 96 kW; exhaust-air plant “IUM” LR CleanMaster AC M30/2; workshop and office inventory; etc.

BID ONLINE UNTIL: 17 OCTOBER 2007, closing time between 3 and 4.30 pm CEST

VIEWING: 10 October 2007 between 9 am and 5 pm All lots with photo and description on our website

BID ONLINE: www.troostwijkauctions.com V ll 2 isit u s .2 -B 45 0

ha

FESPA World Expo India will take place at the Pragati Maidan Exhibition Centre in Delhi, from 7-9 December 2007 For further information visit: www.fespaindia.com FESPA WORLD AUTUMN/07

39

Workshops in india

The Tirupur Workshop

H

eld at the Hotel Velan, in Tirupur at the beginning of August, the evening workshop was attended by over 100 textile printers, the TEKPA President and TEKPA members.

The presentations examined the global change, pressures, opportunities and trends, with Bhargav Mistry discussing new screenprinting techniques, ideas and solutions and Yogita Wadhera, Project Head of Services International, reporting on the latest new developments with regard to FESPA World Expo India The event was a great success, with delegates showing much appreciative enthusiasm about the proposed content of the show.

With India now being asked to produce a massive amount of the clothing products required for Western markets, Indian printers need to learn how they can adapt to the exacting new standards. FESPA can help by providing local experts, such as Bhargav Mistry of SPAI, and a world class exhibition which is designed to help them source the best equipment and solutions for their businesses, together with access to the best information.

Mr TR Srikanth, President, TEKPA, said, “TEKPA sent a delegation to FESPA World Expo India 2005 and felt that it was extremely beneficial. This year, there will be even more of our members attending the show. We enjoyed the workshop very much and appreciated FESPA, SPAI and Services International coming to Tirupur to host this event. We are committed to providing our members with access to information, education and support and we look forward to progressing our excellent relationship with FESPA to the benefit of our members. We thank you all for your efforts”.

From FESPA’s perspective, I, on behalf of the exhibition team, would like to thank TEKPA for inviting us to run this workshop and look forward to working with them again in the future. We enjoyed the event very much! l

Delegates listen appreciatively

Bhargav Mistry of SPAI gave a presentation on screenprinting,

FESPA’s Marketing Communication Director, Marcus Timson opens the workshop

Mr TR Srikanth, President of TEKPA relays his appreciation

E-learning

FESPA has successfully launched the only e-learning screenprinting course available.

Designed to provide screenprinters with the theoretical tools required in order to avoid the mistakes made by others, the course has already produced a number of successful graduates who are now putting their enhanced skills into practice in print businesses across the globe.

FESPA will be providing more information on e-learning on its stand at the show. l

For further information on e-learning visit: www.fespa.com

40

FESPA WORLD AUTUMN/07

Showcase

Showcase A round-up of some of the high profile graphics that have hit the headlines recently

F

or the third consecutive year, HP was the official sponsor of and partner of the Cannes Film Festival in Digital Entertainment and Graphic Arts. It hosted an array of activities at the event, including a photography exhibition of black and white and colour images, capturing the glamour and excitement of Cannes, which this year, celebrated its 60th anniversary.

Seventy selected photos were printed on HP Designjet photo printers and displayed in the Croisette Gardens and the Cannes Railway station, using specially designed display cases.

HP also produced 500 fully personalised photo albums containing the exhibition images that were presented to film festival VIPs. In addition it used its Scitex printers to produce 500 sq metres of iconic banners for the red carpet at Palais des Festivals, together with ultra-large format photos, which decorated the central railway station. l

1985: A is for apple – NB: Studio

T

his year sees the half centenary of the much-loved Helvetica typeface, which, since it was first created in 1957 by Max Miedinger and Eduard Hoffman at the Haas type foundry in Switzerland, has been used in a great many applications, from the beautifully implemented New York subway signage system by Vignelli to the lowly ‘EXIT’ sign, thus giving it its own place in design history.

To celebrate the anniversary, Blanka, an online gallery devoted to celebrating the best in creative communication and Candy, producers of 10 pdf magazines, invited 50 leading artists and graphic designers to produce an image of one of the events that have taken place during Helvetica’s lifetime, which include such diverse occasions as the lunar landings and the first British nudist camp! In addition 42

FESPA WORLD AUTUMN/07

to the exhibition, each image was also produced in a limited edition of 50 prints, using an Epson Stylus Pro 7800 printer coupled with UltraChrome K3 ink. The exhibition took place during the summer at London’s Design Museum, followed by a stint at the Image Now Gallery for Design Week in Ireland. l

1998: We are the champions – Genevieve Gauckler

Showcase

F

S

chawk Los Angeles, in partnership with Universal Studios, recently produced a “green” outdoor advertising campaign for the recent release of the film, Evan Almighty, using EFI’s VUTEk BioVu inks. Universal is working to reduce its environmental footprint as Hollywood becomes increasingly green and, since it is believed that Evan Almighty is the first carbon neutral, comedy film production in the world, it seemed sensible to ensure that its advertising was similarly environmentally friendly. Accordingly, all outdoor advertising campaigns, boards in Universal’s Orlando and Hollywood parks, promotional banners for events and some in-theatre displays, were all produced using VUTEk BioVu inks and biodegradable BIOflex vinyl from Ultraflex.

Schwark Los Angels used one of its three VUTEk 5300 printers to produce the graphics. l

or twelve weeks, during the summer, the streets of London were turned into a Gallery – as around 30 full size recreations of National Gallery paintings were hung in the most unexpected and unusual of places, thanks to a collaboration between the Gallery and HP. Coordinated by creative agency The Partners, the Grand Tour, used HP’s wide format imaging technology to recreate realistic reproductions of everything from Caravaggios to Constables.

Celebrating the richness and diversity of the National Gallery’s permanent collection, the Grand Tour was designed to encourage people to visit the genuine works. Each picture was placed in a replica frame, and had an information plaque next to it – just as it has in the real Gallery. The plaques also included a phone number, which people could call to access a specially recorded audio guide to that particular painting, and its artist. l

FESPA WORLD AUTUMN/07

43

FESPA Review

Fespa 2007 – The Blockbuster!

F

ESPA 2007 which was held at the Berlin Messe in June, was a true, blockbuster event, breaking all previous records and bringing together 661 exhibitors and 24,232 individual visitors, a significant proportion of whom returned to the halls on consecutive days, resulting in over 37,500 visits.

Visitors were able to experience many brand new products and developing technologies and exhibitors were impressed not only with the volume of traffic to their stands, but also with the international profile of visitors and the attendance of decision-makers ready to make real purchasing choices.

FESPA 2007 also saw the launch of FESPA’s Sensations Speciald Effects book and enabled visitors to attend a full programme of seminars, demonstrations and special visitor events.

If you missed the show, the pictorial highlights provided here will provide a small taste of the FESPA experience and over the page you’ll find a whistle stop resumé of some of the companies who exhibited there. l

44

FESPA WORLD AUTUMN/07

FESPA Review

Fespa Vital Statistics Total Visitors: 24,232 Total Number of visits: 37,500 Total Exhibitors: 661 Number of Exhibitors attendees: 9,000 Countries represented by visitors: 125 Percentage of visitors from outside Germany: 60% Top five countries represented by visitors: Italy, Poland, Netherlands, United Kingdom, and Spain.

Percentage of visitors from Eastern Europe: 12%

FESPA WORLD AUTUMN/07

45

Fespa Review Esko and Sefar used the show to announce that Sefar has become a worldwide distributor for selected components of Esko’s Software Suite 7, which are to be integrated into Sefar’s end-to-end solution for the screenprinting sector. Under the agreement, Esko FlexRip and associated screening software will complement the

Augend Technologies launched the Augend RF20, a fully automatic UV-curing and multi-functional inkjet press, capable of printing on rigid (“R”) as well as on flexible (“F”) media. It accommodates rigid media formats with a maximum size of 2.1 x 3.2m, weighs more than 100 kg and has automatic loading capabilities up to 15 kg. It is equipped with a four colour printing engine that can either host 96 Spectra S-series jet packs with 80 or 30 picolitre nozzles, or 48 Spectra Nova twin jetting assemblies with two x 128 nozzles of 75

Sefar Laser Direct Screen system (LDS) to produce screenprinting stencils. Sefar LDS is targeted at printers of optical discs and at similar small and medium format applications, such as printing onto labels, cartridges and solid objects. l For further information visit: www.esko.com

picolitre and can achieve printing resolutions of up to 1.200 dpi. The company also used the show to launch of the Augend Xplorer 33UVs inkjet printer, a new UV curable offering in the company’s popular range of heavy-duty Augend Xplorer machines and a technically superior choice for super wide-format applications where UV curing inks are preferred, particularly those where substrates are used that are insensitive to solvent based inks. l For further information visit: www.augend.eu.

KUNSTDÜNGER the Italian designer and manufacturer of eyecatching off-the -shelf displays and fastenings found that its large print frame Monsterframe, attracted lots of attention, in common with its wide variety of information and guideline systems, brochure holders and banner displays. l For further information visit: www.kunst.it 46

FESPA WORLD AUTUMN/07

Fujifilm Sericol presented a whole selection of new developments on one of the largest stands at the exhibition – showcasing what it refers to as its ‘total graphic solution’.

On display for the first time was its new portfolio of wide-format digital products, including the new Fujifilm, branded Acuity and the Vybrant inkjet machines. However, it was Inca’s enhanced Columbia Turbo and its new Spyder 320 Q UV flatbed printer, which really fired the imaginations of visitors to the stand.

The Columbia Turbo, which prints on to rigid or flexible substrates up to 40mm thick, offers several new features, including a mid-speed print mode that delivers increased throughput, whilst delivering high quality print at speeds of up to 97 sqm/hr.

The Spyder 320 Q Fine Quality digital UV flatbed printer, which has been especially designed for high end and closely viewed printing,

features a new printhead, designed for and unique to Inca, that accurately delivers a fine resolution 10 picolitre drop size at production speeds of up to 37 sqm/hr and is ideal for applications where a crisp image, fine lines and sharp text is critical, Both printers were using several new primary colours, which have been developed

by Fujifilm specifically for Inca printers. l For further information visit: www.fujifilmsericol.com and www.incadigital.com

OYO Instruments LP and it’s European subsidiary, OYO Instruments Europe, launched its new Direct To Screen offering, Diablo, which uses OYO’s existing thermal print head technology to image a stencil onto a standard coated screen, using a thermal transfer ribbon system.

OYO claims that Diablo is the fastest and most flexible direct to screen system currently on the market and demonstrated how its full

width thermal print head can apply an image mask to conventionally coated screens in less than two minutes per frame, at up to 1200 dpi resolution. The washable mask is applied with a thermal transfer process that eliminates the use of film, ink, toner, and chemicals and accepts all frames commonly used in textile print shops. l For further information visit: www.oyo.com

KIWO presented a number of product innovations, such as AZOCOL Z 175-15, a solvent and water resistant diazoUV-polymer photoemulsion, which combines high solvent resistance (even against N-methylpyrrolidone, NMP) with high resolution, on both steel and polyester mesh; AZOCOL Z 180-05 NanoCoat, a photoemulsion, which is based on nanotechnology and AZOCOL S 390-05 Electra, a new conductible photoemulsion, which has been designed for use where

electrostatic build-up presents problems.

It was also exhibiting the newly available version of the KIWO ScreenSetter with 2.400 dpi resolution.

Another FESPA highlight, which was shown on the Grunig stand, was the G-BOND UltraCure-Unit, the result of a collaboration between KIWO and Grunig, which encompasses everything from stretching techniques to the automatic application and hardening of KIWOBOND UV screen adhesives, thus avoiding solvent emissions and increasing productivity.

The industrial version has been designed for frame formats up to 1.50 x 1.50 m. l For further information visit: www.kiwo.com

SEAL Graphics, showed a new vinyl that makes it easier for even unskilled operators to create bubble-free vehicle graphics and rigid indoor and outdoor display panels.

Inkjet Solvent Premier Vinyl Airmount is a gloss white polymeric vinyl, which has an adhesive with a unique internal structure, which incorporates fine channels that allow the air

to flow out in the application process and can be applied over flat or slightly contoured surfaces. The company also launched its new AquaSEAL 60 and 80UV Pro coating machines, which have been especially designed for high volume sign and display houses using inkjet and UV flatbed printers.

Both machines operate at variable speeds of up to 32 metres per second and the liquid laminate is instantly cured when passing under the inbuilt UV dryer. l For further information visit www.sealgraphics.nl

Led by its new successful management team, FESPA gave NUR the opportunity to debut the latest additions to its UV-curable printer family with the launch of its NUR Expedio 5000 Revolution and NUR Expedio Inspiration UV-curable roll-fed printers. In addition, the company also presented the

recently upgraded NUR Tempo Q, which offers enhanced features for printing direct to rigid materials. For the solventbased market, NUR introduced its entry-level Tango. l For further information visit: www.nur.com

1604 from Mutoh

A versatile n printer tio u l o s e r h g i h ics h p a r g e l b for dura t Durable indoor and outdoor prints on coated & uncoated substrates up to 1625 mm (63.97â&#x20AC;?) wide t Impeccable print quality every time with Mutoh new i2 technology, even with the most difficult images t Rapid return on investment thanks to versatile performance and attractive price t Easy to use and compact, with Eco-Solvent Ultra inks for problem-free printing in normal environments

Visit us @ Hall 8a Booth H02, H20

www.mutoh.be www.mutoh.eu

Adv ValueJet1604_viscom.indd 1

FESPA WORLD AUTUMN/07

47 10/07/2007 16:30:1

Fespa Review

HP showed its comprehensive range of digital inkjet printing solutions including the new HP Designjet Z6100 Printer series, which when used with HP Vivera pigment inks, is perfect for indoor and shortterm outdoor large format printing applications. Billed by HP as the most productive large format printer in its class, it is available in 107cm and 152cm (42- and 60inch) models and achieves print speeds of over 93sqm/hr (1,000sqft/hr) on plain paper and 23.4sqm/hr (250sqft/hr) on photo paper.

Its printed output resists fading for over one year unlaminated and over three years laminated, while interior display prints, away from direct sunlight, resist fading for over 200 years!

The company also took the opportunity to demonstrate its HP Designjet 10000s and Designjet 8000 printer series and the HP Scitex TJ8500, which has already proved very popular with printers seeking a machine with UV capabilities. *SRTIP_FW3°+immagini.qxd

Based on the same platform as the established HP Scitex TJ8300, it expands the range of supported media to include untreated materials such as offset and screen papers, as well as uncoated synthetic materials.

The new HP Scitex XL1500 DS (Dye Sublimation) upgrade demonstrated its many advantages, including high productivity and the ability to print 3m-wide applications with easy switching between pigment and dye ink types, thus enabling users to produce both traditional print and textile jobs using the same system. Finally, the HP Scitex FB6700 flatbed industrial digital inkjet press, was showcased with the new in-line GBC laminator option. l For further information visit: www.hp.com

03-09-2007

15:56

The MHM stand represented a true cross section of the wide range of machines and accessories the company offers, including its economic Synchroprint E-Type, the versatile Synchroprint S-Type and fully automated Synchroprint 4000, together

with accessories for rotary screen printing machines.

In addition, the company hosted application technology seminars and printing demonstrations. l For further information visit: www.mhm.at

Hexis showed an all-new line of cast vinyl films together with Hex’Press adhesive technology for vehicle wraps and fleet graphics.

Its HX100WG1 range carries a 50µm cast vinyl film and an adhesive compound, which ensures that it can be repositioned during application, and facilitates easy

elimination of air bubbles. It also features an embossed PE liner with a structured adhesive and extremely conformable vinyl formulation for fast and risk free transfers. Also on show was the KG10000 cast vinyl film for cutting plotters, available in 31 gloss colours. l For further information visit: www.hexisgroup.com.

Madico showed its extensive portfolio of solvent inkjet media options, including the ClearLite XUV range, which offers UV blocking properties and creates new opportunities for decoration, manifestation

and privacy graphics on flat glass surfaces.

The company also exhibited its Lumisty view control window film and its solvent printable, textured window film, TextureLite, which is inkjet printable and enables users to provide privacy by using decorative printed images on glass partitioning, windows and balustrades. l For further information visit: www.madico.co.uk

Pagina 1

TURN PAGE. WWW. VIRUS . BG . IT

48

FESPA WORLD AUTUMN/07

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Fespa Review

GBC Commercial Laminating Solutions Group showcased its newest inline laminating solution in combination with the HP Scitex FB6700, a high-productivity digital press for high-quality POP displays and short-run packaging.

GBC developed the new laminator specifically for use with the HP Scitex FB6700, enabling HP customers to maximise their productivity and add value with highquality inline lamination.

The GBC inline laminator is available as an optional module on new installations of the HP Scitex FB6700, or as an upgrade

Xaar demonstrated its latest inkjet printhead Xaar 1001 in a world first display of high-speed, high quality and reliability. The relatively simple system comprised a four-head CMYK configuration jetting Sun Chemical UVjet inks and supported by Xaar drive electronics. In non-stop *SRTIP_FW3°+immagini.qxd

to existing installed systems.

It can be fully integrated in a single-system workflow, from substrate all the way to final finishing, and seamlessly transforms traditional manual finishing into a fully automated process.

One of the key advantages of the GBC inline laminator is its ability to easily and efficiently apply GBC Accushield film, GBC thermal Octiva and 30 micron Scuff-free matt films. AccuShield is GBC’s cost effective and user-friendly alternative to liquid coating, whilst the Octiva range of films provides high clarity and rigidity for over lamination or encapsulation of digital color images. Both films ensure superb-quality final output while offering extra protection against wear and tear. l For further information visit: www.gbcfilm.com

Spandex (Brunner In Germany) announced at the show that its agreement with Mimaki has been extended to cover a wider geographic area. Spandex/ Brunner now operates as an authorised dealer for Mimaki in Australia, Austria, Canada, Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Switzerland and Benelux.

The company displayed

two Mimaki wide-format inkjet printing solutions as part of its extensive product line-up at the event: Mimaki’s high-speed, 1440dpi, JV5 Series wide-format solvent printer and the JF-1610 UV-curable Flatbed Solution, which provides high quality, direct digital printing even on large, uncoated substrates. l For further information visit www.spandex.com.

Sun Chemical Screen’s 10-year partnership with Lüscher AG, broke new ground at FESPA 2007 with the launch of a new technology, Lüscher’s new CTS development, JetScreen DX, which brings an end to the need for photographic film for stencil making. JetScreen DX is fully compatible with

Sun Chemical Screen stencil emulsions and Sefar meshes, saving on the cost of the special meshes and high-cost emulsions used by other CTS systems.

It currently offers image resolutions of 600dpi, 900dpi or 1200dpi.

For further information visit: www.sunchemcial.com l

Natgraph used the show to announce an agreement operation over five days, Xaar’s between itself and Sakurai ‘proof of concept’ system Graphic Systems Corporation, printed good quality at the rate which will enable Sakurai of 24m/minute. By the end of to manufacture Natgraph the event, the rig had produced Freestanding UV Dryers, a label strip 21.5km in length, (models 90 and 110), under equivalent to a half licence in Japan, and to sell marathon! l them outside the EU. l For further information visit: For further information visit: www.natgraph.co.uk www.xaar.co.uk 03-09-2007 15:56 Pagina 2

PREPRESS: HIGH CONTENT OF SENSIBILITY. WWW. VIRUS . BG . IT

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FESPA WORLD AUTUMN/07

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Ndjg eg^cih YZhZgkZ ^i# k^V B^aVcd!&) " ''%,% 6ee^Vcd <Zci^aZ 8dbd >iVan " IZa (.#%(&#.,&& BZbWZg d[ HVVi^\gdje

Peter Kiddell

The Peter Kiddell Column

The Peter Kiddell Column Following the plethora of screen related equipment and materials on show at FESPA 2007, Peter Kiddell reviews some of the latest developments and looks at how they can be used to further streamline the screenprinting process

W

ho said Screen Printing was dead? printed directly on to a coated mesh Whoever it was, couldn’t have using either ink or wax. Focused UV been at FESPA 2007. Assembled light superseded this, using the Texas there was the greatest concentration of Instruments DMD chip and, most recently. screenprinting equipment and techniques Luscher and Sefar have been respectively that have been seen for many a year. offering large format and small format Three exhibition halls full of optimism, direct laser. Of course, it was at least 10 innovation and success. years ago that Mografo looked as if it had Let us not kid ourselves, there was an a laser exposure system, but laser and explosion of digital printing equipment, computer processing technology had not but unlike the screenprinting technology developed sufficiently to make it viable. In on view, it is likely to be obsolete by the 2007 things are quite different and both next FESPA! In a current survey carried these techniques are viable options. out by the Digital and Screenprinting The approach Sefar takes with its Association in the UK (DSPA), a high Lds systems is to link the technique in percentage of printers considered that with the pre-coated mesh that it supplies screenprinting produced higher gross to an increasing number of users. The margins than digital printing, although advantage here is that the image created that is not to say they did not employ an by the laser is of a very high quality and increasing amount of digital technology in the controlled profile of the stencil assists their screenprint department. in producing excellent dot reproduction It is in the area of stencil production on the substrate. This is possible because that the greatest use of digital technology the pre-coated mesh is generally supplied can be seen, ranging from direct to screen for industrial and optical disc applications, imaging, to instrumentation that measures where the image sizes are smaller. Prethe image washed out on the stencil. coating large format screens could be cost The methods used in stencil exposure prohibitive, as generally, large format have been addressed in a previous issue, screenprinters will reclaim the mesh several but it is worth remembering the different times over. Whether that really makes methods used. Initially, the image was commercial sense is another discussion. *SRTIP_FW3°+immagini.qxd 03-09-2007 15:56 Pagina 3

SCREENPRINT:

“REALLY”

SPECIAL EFFECTS.

WWW. VIRUS . BG . IT

52

FESPA WORLD AUTUMN/07

Luscher DX is targeting the large format area where its Luscher JetScreen has held sway for several years. The DX is nearly twice as fast, but significantly more expensive. It can resolve a 20micron dot as against the 60-micron dot of the wax printing JetScreen. From a user’s perspective, it is necessary to decide whether to go for the Laser exposure system of the DX with no wax cost, or the cheaper JetScreen. In the DX the laser diodes have a life of 10,000 hours (that is a huge number of stencil exposures) and replacement of these must come into the equation. For high volume work, the Jetscreen DX maintains consistent light levels throughout the production run. The UV light source has a working life of 2000 hours. Cost of replacement over a period of time appears less than the laser diodes in the Luscher system, but all this equipment is still relatively new, especially the Luscher and overall cost and performance has yet to be properly ascertained. They are certainly a big step forward, each having proven RIPS to enable profiling for different applications.

KIWO (Kissel + Wolf) was one of the first in the field, with its KIWO ScreenSetter. Imaging at up to 15 square

The Peter Kiddell Column metres per hour with a DMD system. At a stencil. The screenprinter has not been resolution of up to 100 dpcm, this machine able to accurately measure the open area serves the high quality CD and industrial of the stencil. All that has been possible market. is to measure the photopositive and then Production speeds are dependant on measure the printed result. This indicates a range of factors, mesh colour, emulsion the dot gain or loss that occurs, particularly thickness, resolution etc. It in four-colour process is claimed that the laser printing. This is systems are less affected not magic: just by these variations, use but as with all such devices, you must carry out trials on your own stencil combinations before you make the purchasing decision.

Fortunately, you wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t suffer the highpressure techniques of some digital printing machine sales people, as all three companies have a high reputation to uphold.

It is developments like these that are the future of screenprinting as a production process. Shops are running these digital systems within their digital workflow structures that operate screen, digital and offset litho platforms.

An area where there has been uncertainty in process control is measuring the image on the *SRTIP_FW3°+immagini.qxd 03-09-2007 15:56 Pagina 4

a densitometer! To establish a profile for a given press, these measurements should be taken across the tonal range and then the results fed back into your software to compensate for the print characteristics of the press, the substrate and the ink. You also need to know the density and actual colour of the ink.

At this point, I should like to consider the instruments that are available to measure the actual stencil. For years it has

AUXILIARIES: USEFUL AND IRREPLACEABLE. WWW. VIRUS . BG . IT

FESPA WORLD AUTUMN/07

53

The Peter Kiddell Column How it differs from the Vipscreen is that it is actually a camera that images the stencil through its 3mm aperture, calculates the percentage open area and compares it against a standard, hence the dot gain or loss. As the ScreenReader is a camera, it also enables the user to view an enlarged image of the stencil on screen, via a PC. So you can look at the open area on the stencil and then see the printed result in the same magnification. This, to a printer is very useful. been possible to buy Plate Readers for Both instruments assist a user to Offset Litho plates; these have proved very linearise and calibrate the whole printing successful and are used extensively in the system. The Vipscreen is nearly half the industry. price of the ScreenReader, but the ability of For several years, Viptronic has the ScreenReader to show the stencil and sold an instrument that measures the the printed result is very attractive. This image on the stencil. The Vipscreen is a is just part of the story. Ink colours must densitometer and it compares light passing be consistent, ink rheology controlled, through an area of plain uncoated mesh temperature stabilised, machine set up as 0 percent and the solid emulsion as standardised and stencil profiles kept under 100 percent. When it looks at the toned control. image, it calculates the percentage dot A responsible screenprinter who and a comparison of the two gives the dot wishes to match industry standards percentage. This figure is compared against should have one of these instruments, a the percentage dot on the photopositive densitometer and a spectrophotometer as and the dot gain or loss is recorded. The well as a roughness tester, coating thickness Vipscreen will also measure the density gauge, standardised light source and of the emulsion on the photopositive. weighing scales. Add to these the ability to It is a useful tool for checking that the manipulate the separations in the drawing image on the stencil is consistent from package, which facilitates the profiling of one stencil to another. Several hundred the presses to give consistent results. There of these instruments have been sold and are companies, web based portals, that successfully used as a comparator. will do some of the calculations for you, At FESPA 2007 Ripware Limited, in cobut when it comes down to it, if you really operation with Laurie Mullanay Associates want to move forward, learn enough about Limited, launched the ScreenReader. It was the techniques required to do it yourself. very well received, to the extent that KIWO There appears to be a move in the are marketing it in their range of products. industry for screenprinters to match offset *SRTIP_FW3°+immagini.qxd 03-09-2007 15:56 Pagina 5

litho standards. Why? Surely screenprinters should be selling their process on the improved vibrancy and impact that they get from screenprinting rather than the reduced vitality of offset litho? Remember, the pigments used in offset litho inks are cheaper and have lower UV stability. When two images, one litho and the other screen are viewed from the correct distance, the screenprinted image will win every time.

Unless of course your opinion has been altered by the fact that you have just spent €8 Million on a large format offset litho press!

I have just been looking through the Sensations book. It really is a brilliant demonstration of the Special Effects achievable by screenprinting. If you haven’t got at least one copy, get your order in now before they are sold out.

The techniques demonstrated in this portfolio are within the scope of any screenprinter and open up a whole new range of opportunities for him to expand his business with highly profitable work.

Don’t just complain about the problems, take the opportunities presented to you.

Go to www.fespa.com and click on the SENSATIONS panel on the front page.

Once you have the portfolio you can customise it for your own company. The printer who gets to the client first with the portfolio will undoubtedly get the business – just do it! l

SQUEEGEE: THE HARDNESS OF THE CHARACTER. WWW. VIRUS . BG . IT

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FESPA WORLD AUTUMN/07

Consistently Better!

VFP Z.I. Le Vermeillet, Route de Montpellier, 30380 Saint Christol-lez-Ales, France.

Tel: +33 (0) 141 47 50 57. Fax: +33 (0) 147 99 51 52. www.vfp-ink.com FESPA WORLD AUTUMN/07

55

FESPA 2007 Awards

Pure Gold O

pen to all FESPA members, the FESPA Awards have established themselves as one of the most anticipated and attractive features of the exhibition, especially as visitors have the opportunity to view a gallery of the entries on the show floor.

Originally designed to showcase printing excellence across a diverse range of applications, the number of categories has significantly increased and this year the overall standard was higher than ever. To maintain the integrity of the competition, awards are only presented when the judges feel that a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;goldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; standard has been fully achieved, accordingly there were no gold winners in some of the 20 categories judged.

Over the following pages, we celebrate the winning companies, who accepted their accolades during a presentation ceremony which took place on the Thursday of FESPA 2007, but to check out the silver and bronze placings too, visit: http://www.fespa.com/general-content/fespa2007-awards-competition.html l

Category 1b Rig Persona and ADEX Print

Category 2a Augustus Martin

POP PRINTING ON PAPER AND BOARD

POP PRINTED ON ALL TYPES OF PLASTICS

Note: a categories are for entries using process colours, whilst b categories celebrate entries using either single or multi colours.

Category 2b Serimaster AS

POP PRINTED ON ALL TYPES OF PLASTICS

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FESPA WORLD AUTUMN/07

FESPA 2007 Awards

Category 3b FM Siebdruck Werbung GmbH

POP Plastic printing in sheets flexible or rigid including signage

Category 4a Midi Print

Calendars

Category 5a FM Siebdruck Werbung GmbH and Lorenz Boegli Postcards, Greetings and Christmas Cards

Category 5b Atelier fuer Siebdruck Lorenz Boegli Postcards, Greetings and Christmas Cards

Category 4b PASJA

Category 6b Domberger GmbH

Calendars

Posters, single sheets

FESPA WORLD AUTUMN/07

57

FESPA 2007 Awards

Category 9b CIB Communications

Fine Art Reproductions, Books Brochures Category 9a CIB Communications

Fine Art Reproductions, Books Brochures

Category 10b Schreiner Group GmbH & Co KG

Decals, Printed Labels, Fleet Marking

Category 11a ETF Tekstil AS

T-shirts and other garments, Caps, transfer printing

58

Category 11b ETF Tekstil AS

Category 11b KOKOLO

T-shirts and other garments, Caps, transfer printing

T-shirts and other garments, Caps, transfer printing

FESPA WORLD AUTUMN/07

The UV Market Leaders Now Available 3M™ Series 5400UV inks backed by the

3M™ MCS™ warranty.

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+31 23.56.22000 / www.colorspan.com FESPA WORLD AUTUMN/07

59

FESPA 2007 Awards

Category 12b IMABA

Category 13b Estastampa Srl.

Pennants, Banners, Tapestries and Draperies

Other Textile Products e.g. Bags, Scarves, Ties and Canvas

Category 14b Esanastri Srl

Category 15a Divine International

Glass & Ceramic, e.g. Tableware, Tiles, Glasses, Mirrors - Curved and Flat. Direct Printing, Decals and Backlit

Category 14a Woodpeck Deco

Glass & Ceramic, e.g. Tableware, Tiles, Glasses, Mirrors - Curved and Flat. Direct Printing, Decals and Backlit

Metal & Wood Products, Signs and Objects

Category 15b Studio Reya

Metal & Wood Products, Signs and Objects

60

Category 16b Matoshri Graphics

Category 16a Matoshri Graphics

Direct Printing on Three-Dimensional Products, Bottles, Mugs, Skis, Packaging etc

Direct Printing on Three-Dimensional Products, Bottles, Mugs, Skis, Packaging etc

FESPA WORLD AUTUMN/07

please visit us

FESPA WORLD AUTUMN/07

61

FESPA 2007 Awards

Category 17b FM Siebdruck Werbung GmbH Miscellaneous: Compact Disks, Credit and Phone Cards, Automobiles, IMD, Fascias, Dials, Nameplates, Signs, Gauges etc. Printed Circuits & Membrane Switches, Hybrid Circuits, etc.

Category 18a Graphique Media Solutions

Digital Printing Rigid material

Category 20a Domberger GmbH

Digital Printing – Speciality

Category 19a Stema Speicaltryck AB

Digital Printing on Flexible material

Gold Y008 DMI Mistry Institute - India

FESPA 2007 YOUTH AWARDS COMPETITION

The winner of Category 3a, POP – Plastic printing in sheets flexible or rigid including signage , was Krona. The winner of Category 8a, Original Serigraphies and Paintings, was Atelier fuer Siebdruck – Lorenz Boegli. There were no gold winners in the following categories: 1a;6b; 13a; 17a; 18b;19b.

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FESPA WORLD AUTUMN/07

63

Information

FESPA ‘Contact List’

The following list of Telephone, Fax and E-mail numbers will help you when you need to contact a colleague in FESPA. FESPA board Anders Nilsson – President Gyorgy Kovacs – Vice-President Hellmuth Frey – Past-President Ricardo Rodriguez Delgado Michel Caza Lascelle Barrow Enrico Steijn Christian Duyckaerts

Telephone 49 408 50 40 21 46 493 130 40 34 914 85 28 70 34 914 85 28 70 33 1 34 67 16 79 44 207 537 42 00 31 79 343 5353 32 34 57 90 20

Fax 49 408 504 930 46 493 121 20 34 916 73 1972 34 916 73 1972 33 1 34 67 28 89 44 207 531 12 77 31 79 343 5354 32 34 57 03 81

E-mail anders@gamlebyscreen.se hu@fespa.com hfrey@frey-siebdruck.de ricardo.rodriguez.delgado@gmail.com michelcazam@neuf.fr las.barrow@amartin.co.uk enrico@imaba.nl Christian@pnd.be

FESPA secretariat Kurt Sperisen – International Ambassador 41 44 910 5150 41 44 910 3866 Nigel Steffens – Chief Executive Officer 44 1737 22 97 22 44 1737 24 07 70 Frazer Chesterman – Managing Director, FESPA Events 44 1737 22 97 26 44 1737 24 07 70 Sheila van den Berg – PA to Nigel Steffens and Frazer Chesterman

44 1737 24 07 88 44 1737 24 07 70 Val Hirst – FESPA Magazine Editor 44 1623 88 23 98 44 1159 81 81 99 Chris Smith – Projects & Membership Services Manager 44 1737 22 97 20 44 1737 24 07 70 Mandy Goldfinch – Assistant Projects and Membership Services Manager

44 1737 22 97 23 44 1737 24 07 70 Michael Ryan – Group Sales Manager 44 1737 22 97 27 44 1737 23 37 34 James Ford – Sales Manager 44 1737 22 83 54 44 1737 23 37 34 Nova Abbott – Sales Executive 44 1737 228355 44 1737 23 37 34 Katherine Parkhouse – Sales Administrator/Credit Controller

44 1737 24 07 88 44 1737 23 37 34 Marcus Timson – Communications and Events Director (Asia)

44 1737 22 97 25 44 1737 24 07 70 Lynda Sutton – Marketing Assistant 44 1737 22 83 55 44 1737 23 37 34 Susan Hamer – Operations Manager 44 1737 22 83 52 44 1737 24 07 70 Claire Goodchild – Operations and Sales Assistant 44 1737 22 83 53 44 1737 24 07 70 Sarah Willcox – Group Accounts Manager 44 1737 22 97 24 44 1737 24 07 70 Mirela Agolli – Accounts Assistant 44 1737 24 07 88 44 1737 24 07 70

Secretaries of FESPA national associations Christian Handler Maris Gabrans Valerie Vercammen Evgeni Ivanov Mirjana Bjelan Vladimir Havel Finn Obbekaer Regina Aas Julie Chide Torben Thorn Kimon Papas Janos Buranyi Giacomo Cusano Cees Koedijk Jon Halvorsen Michal Kridel José Carragosela Marius Codirla Artem Nadirashvili Dusan Golubovic Ludovit Bartos Edo Sternad Pablo Serrano 64

FESPA WORLD AUTUMN/07

Austria Baltic States Belgium Bulgaria Croatia Czech Republic Denmark Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Italy Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain

Telephone Fax 43 15 12 66 09 43 15 13 28 26 19 371 750 11 41 371 750 11 42 32 2 512 36 38 32 2 513 56 76 359 608 400 35 359 608 4 00 35 38 51 45 52 327 38 51 45 52 327 420 723 070 222 420 487 726 355 45 63 12 70 00 45 63 12 70 80 358 40 5674385 33 144 086 422 49 611 80 31 15 49 611 80 31 17 30 210 52 39 41 6 30 210 52 48 23 7 36 28 51 66 15 36 28 51 66 16 39 02 71 04 05 98 39 02 71 09 24 46 31 20 5 43 55 56 31 20 5 43 55 35 47 33 07 15 30 47 33 07 15 31 48 12 296 03 85 48 12 656 01 32 35 12 18 49 10 20 35 12 18 43 87 39 40 722 28 21 22 40 264 59 71 39 74 95 232 99 65 74 95 365 38 96 381 11 2180 047 381 11 631 164 42 1 32 74 43 589 42 132 74 30 434 386 1 565 72 50 386 1 568 45 78 34 91 307 74 44 34 91 307 76 08

kurt.sperisen@bluewin.ch nigel.steffens@fespa.com frazer.chesterman@fespa.com sheila.vandenberg@fespa.com elford@btinternet.com chris.smith@fespa.com mandy.goldfinch@fespa.com michael.ryan@fespa.com james.ford@fespa.com nova.koying@fespa.com katherine@fespa.com marcus.timson@fespa.com lynda.sutton@fespa.com susan.hamer@fespa.com claire.goodchild@fespa.com sarah.willcox@fespa.com mirela.agolli@fespa.com

E-mail verb.druck.u.medientechnik@aon.at maris@sesoma.lv valerie.vercammen@febelgra.be ett@mbox.contact.bg mirjana.bjelan@zg.htnet.hr havel@sitotisk-serigrafie.cz fo@ga.dk regina.aas@suomeseripainoliitto.fi contact@gpsf.fr tt@bvdm-online.de apath@ath.forthnet.gr mszsz@vnet.hu segretario@siotec.it c.koedijk@kvgo.nl halvorsen@hortensadvokatene.no biuro@ssp.com.pl geral@apigraf.pt viking@mail.dntcj.ro info@midiprint.com sitologika@beotel.yu info@sietotlacovyzvaz.sk do@ib-procadd pserrano@aspack.es

Website www.druckundmedientechnik.or.at www.febelgra.be

www.sitotisk-serigrafie.cz www.ga.dk www.suomenseripainoliitto.fi www.gpsf.fr www.bvdm-online.de

giacomo.cusano@siotec.it www.zso.nl www.serigrafer.org www.ssp.com.pl www.apigraf.pt www.arsitd.homestead.com www.rspa.ru www.sietotlacovyzvaz.sk www.asibnet.org

Information Else-Britt Lindeborg Susie Matti Ibrahim Demirseren Olexiy Vlasenko Michael Turner

Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom

46 87 62 68 11 044 837 10 40 90 212 212 41 16 380 567 900093 44 1737 24 07 92

46 86 11 08 28 044 837 10 42 90 212 212 41 07 380 567 900094 44 1737 24 07 70

else-britt.lindeborg@grafiska.se sekretariat@vsds.ch ared@ared.org.tr usdpa1@gmail.com info@dspa.co.uk

www.screentryck.org www.vsds.ch www.ared.org.tr

info@s-p-a-i.org

www.s-p-a-i.org

clem@reidindustrial.com.au

www.sgiaa.asn.au

peiguifan@csgia.org

www.csgia.org

contact@thaiscreenprinting.or.th

www.thaiscreenprinting.or.th

intl-comm@jspa.org

www.jspa.org

spak@spak.or.kr

www.spak.or.kr

www.dspa.co.uk

FESPA Associate Members Mr Bhargav Mistry The Screenprinters Association of India

91 250 248 0998 91 250 248 0786 Mr Clem Johnson The Screenprinting and Graphic Imaging Association of Australia

0061 02 8789 7362 0061 02 8789 7387 Mrs Pei Guifan The China Screenprinting and Graphic Imaging Association

86 10 6401 5007 86 10 6403 4996 Mr P Thampipit The Thai Screenprinting and Graphic Imaging Association

66 2509 66 53 66 2509 66 54 Mr. Yuichi Nishida The Japanese Screenprinters Association

00813 3863 6901 00813 3863 6902 Mr. Dong-Rip Park

Screen Printing Association of Korea

82-2-2266-3056/7 82-2-2266-3058

Other associations Mike Robertson

SGIA

List of advertisers Aeroterm Agfa Anteprima BASF Basler Lacke Durst Endutex Eurodrop FESPA Fimor Gandi Giga Grünig HP J-Teck KBA Metronic Kiwo MacDermid Autotype MacDermid Colorspan Marabu Matan Matrix Frame Megaink Mimaki Mutoh Promodoro Quaglia Saatichem Saatiprint Sefar SGIA Spandex Spühl Thieme VFP Vivid Xaar Zünd

43 11 57 29 65 37 75 69 21,23 69 73 51 71 7 39 75 Outside back cover 73 19 Inside front cover 71 45 63 Inside back cover 63 55 67, 68, 70, 72 and 74 13 47 65 59 33 61 17 61 65 9 35

1 70 33 8513 35

1 70 32 73 04 56

miker@sgia.org

Magazine coupon for ordering FESPA World

All members of FESPA receive this magazine every three months free. If you are not a FESPA member and wish to order a copy, the annual subscription for four copies, including postage, is €63.00.

Please complete the following order form to ensure your copy for the future.

The magazine is published in English. Full translations in German, French and Spanish are available on www.fespaworld.com to members and subscribers.

I enclose my cheque for €63.00 payable to FESPA for issues 49, 50, 51 and 52.

Future issues: Issue 49 Autumn 2007, Issue 50 Winter 2007, Issue 51 Spring 2008, Issue 52 Summer 2008 (Block capitals please)

Name Company Address

Tel Fax Photocopy this sheet and send by post or Fax to: S. van den Berg, FESPA, 7a West Street, Reigate, Surrey RH2 9BL, UK Tel: +44 1737 240788 Fax: +44 1737 240770

FESPA WORLD AUTUMN/07

65

And Finally

Infringing Intellectual Property Rights Following the recent FESPA 2007 exhibition, one or two companies voiced their disquiet about the blatant infringement of patents that they witnessed on the show floor. Simon Rahimzada, of the legal firm TWM, explains the consequences of contravening the Intellectual Property Rights of a competitor

T

here is nothing more annoying for companies who have spent a small fortune on the creation and development of new products to find that, despite arranging costly patent protection, their ideas have been as good as replicated by a competitor and particularly one who is selling his version of a protected product at a much lower price!

In fact, the infringement of another’s intellectual property (IP), whether deliberately or inadvertently, can have a significant adverse impact on the business of the infringer, if the owner of the IP enforces his rights. And, since the screen and digital sectors are, by their very nature, IP intensive, it would thus be sensible for all companies operating within the sectors to remain fully aware of the rights of others.

IP is the generic term used to cover legal rights relating to the ideas that created the product and enables them to be treated in precisely the same way as if they were a tangible item such as property. The three categories of IP, which relate to screen and digital processes, are patents, copyright and designs. Generally, copyright protects material, such as literature, pictures, art, music, sound recordings, films and broadcasts; designs protects the visual appearance or eye appeal of the products; whilst patents protect their technical and functional aspects and processes.

Certain IP rights arise automatically, for example copyright and design right, whereas others require formal registration, necessitating patents and registered designs. Once the rights are granted, ownership of them confers varying degrees of monopoly over exploitation. In the case of patents, it is absolute, while in the case of copyright and design right, it is qualified. For instance, a copyright owner can prevent someone copying his work, but cannot prevent someone independently (without copying) producing the same or similar work.

IP rights are territorial and accordingly, it is possible that although one person owns the IP in one jurisdiction, someone else could well own it another. As such, the import or exploitation of it in another 66

FESPA WORLD AUTUMN/07

owner’s territory would be considered an infringement of his rights.

Unfortunately, to simply claim that you didn’t know about an existing registered patent or design is not an adequate defence. To minimise the risk of infringement, you should always carry out a thorough check of any relevant registers, before creating new products, investing in IP, or importing into, or exhibiting items in another country. This also offers the added benefit that it enables you to see what your competitors in the market are doing!

IP rights are valuable assets and as such, the owner has an interest in actively protecting them. In the event that an infringement is discovered, the owner of the IP has a wide range of remedies available. Such remedies include damages, account of profits and injunctions. In order to minimise the potential of serious damage, an owner may even seek an interim injunction, without prior notice to the infringing party. The injunction will restrain the alleged infringer from carrying out the infringing activity, until such time as both parties can appear before the court, whereupon a further injunction may be conferred until the date of trial. A claimant may also, without notice, obtain a search order, which allows seizure of infringing material and time to gather further evidence. Where it is believed that the infringer may dissipate funds, the claimant can also seek a freezing injunction to freeze some or all of the infringer’s assets.

An infringer can also incur contractual liability to other people, to whom he has supplied infringing material, or to those who have assisted in exploiting the material. In order to cover themselves against this eventuality, some companies stipulate in their contracts, either directly or implicitly, that the infringer should have the right to exploit the material.

Not only does an act of infringement expose the infringer’s business to liabilities imposed by the courts, as with other types of litigation, a claim can also be very time consuming and costly to defend.

The responsibility of policing an IP lies fairly and squarely with its owner, and his legal representatives, particularly when it

comes to infringements that take place at exhibitions.

FESPA, in common with all other exhibition organisers, would find it extremely difficult to remove or dismantle working machinery once a show is underway, especially when visitors are present in the halls.

However, it does have far greater power before the build up of the show.

When an exhibitor signs his contract, he is clearly warned to ensure that the products he plans to display aren’t breaching anyone’s IP. In cases where an IP holder believes that this might happen, he should warn the exhibition organiser well in advance, so that further enquiries can be made and the potential infringer referred afresh to the terms and conditions implicit in his contract.

At the same time, the IP holder should also initiate any necessary legal action.

Of course if, during the course of a show, a court order is obtained, the exhibition organiser is obliged to comply with it to the letter and this may well include removing an exhibitor from his stand and/ or seizing any infringing products as soon as it is safe to do so.

The best thing that any company can do to protect its IP is to remain constantly vigilant and to act immediately if it suspects any breach is about to take place, as in this way it can avoid the distress of seeing its products degraded by any infringer. A definite case of “Be prepared!”l

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