Bring it on!

I can hardly believe that once again we are building up to that shindig of all things sign at Birmingham’s NEC. This year Sign and Digital UK (SDUK) takes place from March 24th to 26th and, at the time of going to press, had 187 exhibitors signed up. This impressive hall reflects a trend that is seeing a real feeling of positivity and confidence return to the sign and wide-format print industries.

While the show is staging post and launch platform for a huge range of technology from the latest 4K digital screens through to solutions for garment marking, it also acts today as an education and business intelligence provider. 

Indeed, the ever-popular Adobe Theatre will feature five workshops daily, focusing on practical tips and advice for mastering their software packages. This includes the ‘Creativity Overload’ session, designed to help people refine their Photoshop editing skills, and the ‘Don’t break the grid’ session, where attendees will be taught countless workflow improvement tips and timesaving tricks. Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Bridge are some of the other software packages the work-shops will focus on and share hands-on tips and advice about.

Weighing in on the motivation for setting up its extensive seminar and education zones, Rudi Blackett, event organiser for SDUK, explains: “Learning and business advice is at the heart of the show. With so many exhibitors showcasing all of the newest technology, the event is a fabulous place to find out about the latest products and trends. But this is just the tip of the iceberg, we want our visitors to have as many opportunities for learning as possible.

“This is why the show features four educational theatres as well as a series of workshops, with 35 daily sessions offering top advice and new business ideas.”



Blackett continues: “There are three software theatres and the Sign and Digital UK Business Theatre will offer presentations, talks, and interactive learning for business owners looking to expand and improve their services in 2015. There will be a range of topics presented on new revenue streams and sign and print applications. Also, The British Sign and Graphics Association will be running two workshops on the latest legislation to affect sign-makers.



“Paul Hughes will also be returning with the ever-popular Sign-makers’ Workshop. Paul will demonstrate to visitors of all experience levels, how to get to grips with some of the most in-demand skills and techniques for vinyl application, vehicle livery, and making a sign-board.

“Finally, in order to help visitors discover the industry’s biggest market opportunities and emerging revenue streams, we have introduced new exhibition trails. The Retail Route and Material World trails, will join the returning Textile Trail to guide visitors to stands showing state-of-the-art products and services in retail POP/POS display systems, the very latest materials, media and substrates, and textile printing and finishing systems.”

No soft touch

The software theatres mentioned by Blackett are a key part of the show’s offering, as with wide-format print and finishing equipment so closely matched across competing manufacturers, a key way to gain a competitive edge is what runs and feed these work horses.  In addition to the Adobe theatre, the Corel Theatre is the second of these and will combine a range of practical workshops and product demonstration and has been focused on helping those in the design, sign-making, and printing, embroidery, as well as the promotional items sectors get to grips with how such software can improve their creative output and efficiency.



The seminar sessions include a practical step-by-step guide to creating various items including business cards and posters with CorelDraw Graphics Suite X7. Attendees will also learn how to create and customise their own web-store and how shoppers can customise products using DecoNetworkTM. For those working with apparel and promotional items, garment printing, embroidery and appliqué, they will have dedicated sessions in the Wilcom DecoStudio e3 workshop.



In the SignLab theatre, wide-format design and production software specialists, CADlink Technology will present a series of seminars focusing on best practice print and cut, sign and display design, and production work-flows. Session highlights include an introduction to using dedicated sign-making software packages, including tips and shortcuts on the most common tools used in day-to-day design and production environments. The ‘Sign-Lab for Mimaki’ session will also look at boosting design and production workflows with Mimaki printers.



Some of the key areas to be explored will include print and cut set-up, utilising time saving tools, supersizing images, and easy to use special effects features. In addition, the ‘SignLab for Versaworks’ session will focus on features that enable Roland users to maximise the benefits of Roland’s print and ink technology. Practical skills covered will include contour cut-lines, working with VersaWorks colour palette, and working with Roland colour profiles and metallic and white ink sets.

Buying bonanza

Looking ahead to the next instalment of SDUK, it is perhaps important to stop and reflect that last year’s show was hugely successful for the event and could even be described as a landmark year. This is primarily because a mix of factors from a recovering economy, to multiple launches of new wide-format print equipment, to long overdue investment decisions being made by visitors.



Talking to Blackett about the spirit that drives the event and what stood out to him from last year’s SDUK, he says it less one launch or trend, but more the overall ethos of the event: “The core to our success is that we simply bring buyers and sellers together, it is a ‘buying’ show. Suppliers exhibit to sell volume units, launch new products and maximise PR. Visitors wait for the show to compare products and benefit from show offers. Because of the amount of money visitors are committing, the face-to-face element is absolutely crucial.



“People buy from people and it is important to make direct connections and know exactly who you are dealing with. Products are now often sold on finance packages and the show gives exhibitors the ideal forum to explain to customers the opportunities available for funding a purchase.”


Blackett continues: “For competitive big brand manufacturers and reseller networks it is a battle for market share and volume sales and the real quest is for game changing technology. The show sees many launches and exclusive offers and suppliers promotional campaigns are ramped up to give the maximum opportunity to shift units.

“Above all, with so many companies vying to wow more than 6,000 visitors, SDUK has become the showcase for everything that is new and exciting in our industry.

O Factoid: A record for the company, Sign and Digital UK 2014 saw HP and its resellers sell more than 90 of its new Latex 300 series wide-format printers direct from the show. O

“I get so much feedback from people saying how much they enjoyed the show, as it has a great, friendly vibe as well as a really buzzing, competitive edge.”

Technology core

SDUK caters for an immense range of sign-making technology each year must be one of the most representative trade shows of an entire market sector in existence, but out front and centre are always the wide-format print technology titans. Indeed, last year the show even scooped the European launch of HP’s new latex 300 series, while this year will see Hybrid Service and Mimaki, along with their resellers, field no less than ten new pieces of technology. This has meant that for this element especially it draws in visitors from around Europe who want to get a good deal and experience the very latest cutting-edge kit in the flesh. 

Blackett explains the strategy that has driven this trend: “Our focus has always been to develop the show as a business transaction event, as well as an opportunity to learn, network, and gain valuable advice, making the show essential for everyone working in the industry, including business owners, technical, and production staff.”

Softer horizons

One of the key players that will return to SDUK this year with its brand new Texart RT640 dye-sublimation printer for producing soft signage and textile print-based products is Roland DG (Stand F34 and G30). Its approach is a good example of what makes the show work, as supported by a large reseller network it can meets its market place face-to-face and actually demonstrate its full technology spectrum rather than just talking about it.



The company will showcase its full print and cut range including its flagship VS640i and XR640 models, its print range which top out at the RS640 and XF640, as well as its UV-LED range, which includes the desktop LEF 20, as well as the hyrbid LEJ 640, and dedicated flatbed LEJ640F. Indeed, over the last few years Roland has used SDUK to launch and showcase its diversification from its print and cut core out into these myriad of technologies. Indeed, with all of its kit and demonstration zones revolving around its hospitality hub, the Roland Café, 2015 will see the firm field a second entire stand dedicated to its new textile print offering.



“The Roland chassis has been used in dye-sublimation print technology for a number of years by our partners. But with the Texart RT640 we are responding to demand directly from our customers, who want to diversify into creating soft signage, as well as products for the promotional and sportswear apparel market,” explains Gillian Montanaro, head of marketing at Roland DG UK.



She continues: “We have looked at our core market and customers and thought, ‘what can really add value to it?’. This is what the show platform is all about, demonstrating new ideas and ways to make money.



“This is why we have also put the RT640 forward for the Sign and Digital UK Grand Prize Draw, because it is technology that is very important for today’s sign-maker as they seek to stay ahead of the curve.”



Montanaro explains that Roland saw the need to create an affordable solution that would allow sign-makers to bring the production of textile print in house. Indeed, the company did the very same thing back in the day when it launched the very first VersaCamm print and cut device to service the boom in demand for PVC-based products such as banners and sign hoar-dings. And this is again what makes Sign and Digital UK such an interesting event, as it is a direct mirror of the market forces that are shaping the industry itself.



Montanaro concludes: “We exhibit at Sign and Digital UK because the majority of the sector visits it every year. Looking forward to this show I think a big pull for us will be the Texart RT640, because we have stolen a march on some of our competitors by producing a machine that has struck an ideal balance between productivity and affordability.”



Level playing field

One of Roland DG’s resellers that will also be coming to the show is Nth Degree Imaging (Stand K24). Formed in 2008 it is headed by none other than professional rugby player Phil Dow-son. Currently playing for Northampton Saints, Dowson has transposed his hardworking sportsman’s ethic into the world of wide-format print technology. In terms of SDUK however, the company is a classic example of why the show works for the vast majority of its smaller exhibitors. This namely that it creates a level playing field that allows companies such as Nth Degree, which is also an Epson re-seller, the space to demonstrate why you should give your hard earned pounds to them.



With a background in colour management, technical director of the firm Matt Crowther explains what they will bringing to the show and how the firm will differentiate itself in a crowded market: “We are really proud of our stand design, which will incorporate augmented reality technology that will see the stand come to life before your eyes with 3D animations when you scan it with a tablet or smartphone.

“While this is some entertainment and fun, it is also to demonstrate how we can help customers really add value to their printed products through technology such as this. We have also created an app that makes the research and buying process from us far simpler, as you will just need to scan a machine for all its stats and features to come up.”



Explaining the kit that will be on show, Dowson weighs in: “We will be very much focusing on Roland technology for the show, especially the LEF 20 which is just a fantastic ready-made business. It gives sign-makers the scope to create everything from repeat orders of corporate gifts for hotels and supply businesses, to personalised mobile phone covers for the estate agent you have just done a vehicle wrap for.”

Dowson continues: “We will also have the VersaCAMM VS-i Series printer/cutter on the stand hooked up to a full workflow system so we can showcase how we are so much more than box shifters. Because Matt and the team have in-depth software and colour management knowledge, we will also be demonstrating just how much of a difference the right solutions can have on a sign-maker’s business. For instance, our Puzzleflow workflow system can process up to 5,000 individual PDFs at any one time.”


Concluding, Crowther explains how the business will use Sign and Digital UK to grow its market share: “We are not in the business of selling a printer and walking away. Our approach is to sell a full solution to the customer that also includes RIP, media, workflow software, training, and business sup-port. We are not trying to be the cheapest, we are trying to be a provider of a solution that will allow your business to achieve the very best performance and results it can.”



For Nth Degree, it is Sign and Digital UK that will ultimately give the company a real chance to fight for market share over and above its current customer base. And it is this factor that Blackett concludes is perhaps one of the most important factors that makes the show so attractive to both visitors and exhibitors:  “As technology moves so fast SDUK gives suppliers and manufacturers the unique opportunity to put their products in front of thousands of potential customers. For suppliers to be able to gain high volume sales of launch products actually at the show is a very powerful package. For visiting companies, it gives choice and a real chance to make informed buying decisions.


“It really is a magical mix that works for both exhibitors and visitors, and explains why we continue to attract so many product launches. With the impersonal digital world, with business e-mailing being so dominant, spending time at SDUK is a fantastic unique opportunity to meet face to face with suppliers and to find out where the industry is heading. And if you are looking to buy, there are some great show offers.”



Your text here...