An innovative year

As we reach the end of yet another year in our great industry, it is fair to say that 2017 has truly been one for the books. Not only did we welcome a brand new event to the industry in the form of Signlink Live, we also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sign and Digital UK.

Aside from events, we have been kept busy by ongoing innovation in all areas of the sign-making market. From developments in wide- and large-format print, through to new advancements in digital and interactive signage, the past year has shown that there is plenty to be excited about in our industry.

Here, we speak with some of the leading innovators in the market to find out more about their last year in sign-making and how their latest innovations have gone down with the wider market.

Surpassing expectations

One leading wide-format print manufacturer that has been busy this year is OKI, which introduced a number of new products to the market—namely the OKI Color Painter E-64s and the Pro 8432WT. Andrew Hall, marketing manager at OKI Systems UK, says that although the company has endured a mixed year across its various markets, its new machines have been received well.

“The start of the year was unusually quiet for sales of both graphic art and wide-format print,” Hall says, adding: “However, the transfer print market has been performing well over budget all year.

“The Pro 8432WT A3 white toner device has surpassed all sales forecasts. Built on our reliable C800 engine, this device is proving to be a game-changer for the transfer print market with cheaper running costs than the Pro 7411 device and added A3 flexibility.”


Hall says the Pro 8432WT provides high definition-quality colour heat transfers for apparel, hard goods, and a lot of promotional materials. The machine, which was handed its debut at FESPA this year, can print in CMYK plus white at speeds up to 35 pages per minute and a quality of 1,200 x 600dpi.

Meanwhile, the Color Painter E-64s, which proved popular during The Print Show 2017, is a 64" wide machine designed for low- to mid-volume sign and graphics print shops. The device can run at speeds of up to 22.9sq m/h in fast production mode, and can be used to create both indoor and outdoor applications.

RGB UK, a reseller partner of OKI, is one company that can attest to the quality of the new printer, having sold a number of units at The Print Show, as Chris Hope, marketing director for RGB UK, explains: “The range of Color Painter machines from OKI offer some of the best features you will find in the market when compared directly to their peers. The machines offer a host of benefits to businesses looking to expand or replace their current range of outdoor print capabilities.

“It is always hard to predict the amount of interest you may get at a show, but The Print Show has yet proved again it is important to get in front of companies that are interested in purchasing new equipment, The Print Show allows you to demonstrate the benefits customers can expect to enable increased innovation, quality, and production.”

Explosive year
 
Another company that has been busy this year, and was also in attendance at The Print Show, is Hybrid Services, the exclusive distributor of Mimaki print kit in the UK and Ireland. John de la Roche, national sales manager, describes 2017 as an “explosive” year for both Hybrid and Mimaki, highlighting the launch of both the UCJV150-160 and UCJV300-160 as a key point for the company.

De la Roche expands: “The highlight in terms of the sign and graphics sector was undoubtedly the launch of the new Mimaki UCJV series printer/cutter, which made their UK debut at The Print Show. This was a highly successful event for Hybrid and for Mimaki; we launched the new Mimaki UCJV series printer/cutter to great acclaim and the interest from visitors was extremely positive, with orders being placed at the show.



“The Mimaki UCJV series printer/cutter is most definitely a future-defining piece of kit. It is available in two models; the four colour UCJV150-160 and the UCJV300-160 that can accommodate up to seven ink colours in cost-effective one litre bottles. Its benefits include ultra-low running costs, the ability to print to a broad range of materials, instant finishing, thanks to the unique properties of the machine’s LED UV ink and integrated cutting to name but a few.”

Such was the impact of the launch of both models at The Print Show that Hybrid was able to complete the first UK sale of each machine during the event through a number of partner companies. Printmax sold the first Mimaki UCJV300-160 to Environment Protection Limited, while Your Print Specialists (YPS) became the first company to finalise a sale of the new UCJV150-160 to long-term customer Printmaster.

Garry Brown, managing director at YPS, spoke highly of the new machine: “I’m not just saying this, but I really believe the UCJV150-160 is going to be a game-changer for the industry. We are going to see printers do great things with this piece of kit.”

Looking towards future developments, De la Roche anticipates growth across all sectors within the Mimaki reach, including textile and industrial as well as sign and graphics. However, what may really capture the imagination of the industry is the development of a new 3D printer that will soon hit the market.

He comments: “There’s a new 3D printer from Mimaki coming soon and an exciting new market to consider. We’re also excited to see how the UCJV continues to evolve the core sign and graphics sector, as it offers such an innovative new approach to sign, display, and graphics production.”

Consistently busy

Away from the print side of things, The Sign Group has also been busy this year, with production manager Graeme Hoole saying: “We’ve been consistently busy all year round which is great, and we have exceeded our targets again with a newly projected growth of 22 percent.”

In terms of the product that has captured the most interest this year, Hoole has no hesitation in singling out Neon Plus Digital for praise. After attracting a lot of interest during its pre-launch at Signlink Live in October, Hoole is expecting big things from those that invest in the technology.



Hoole expands: “Neon Plus Digital is completely unique in what you can do with it and the effects that you can achieve. The pre-launch of our Neon Plus Digital at Signlink Live has given us plenty of work to do since. It will launch in full next year, along with more videos and new literature.”

Other products and solutions that have also proved a hit this year are the new Golfball lighting kits from The Sign Group, which Hoole says are becoming very popular along with its Cabochon kits. In response to demand, and a positive response at Signlink Live, the firm has stocked up on new colours and higher quantities.

Keen for further success in 2018, Hoole offers an insight into what we can expect from The Sign Group next year: “We have three fantastic products we’re launching in the new year. Firstly, we have Neon Plus Digital; then we have NP Contour, and NP Flex, which are our own brand flexible faux neon alternatives for contouring buildings and making signage with. But the most exciting of all is a new solution for backlighting ultra slim lightboxes. Think Lightsheet ‘Plus’.”

This is but a small selection of the many new products that have come to market this year. Those of you that were in attendance at Signlink Live and The Print Show late this year will have seen many more examples of new kit on display.

O Factoid: Signlink Live took place for the first time this year alongside sister event The Print Show at the International Centre in Telford. The two shows attracted an audience of 5,335 visitors. O

Over on the Epson stand at The Print Show, the digital print heavyweight was showing off the new Sure Color SC-F9300 dye-sublimation textile printer. With digital textile print seen as one of the key growth areas both in print and sign-making at present, the manufacturer attracted a lot of interest in the machine. Featuring the new Epson Precision Dot technology for dye-sublimation, the SC-F9300 can run at speeds of up to 108.6sq m/h and has a high output quality of 720 x 1,440dpi.



Meanwhile, next door at Signlink Live, Applelec was showcasing its new LED letter range, Neon Lux, which Carl Eastwood, commercial director, says not only is very efficient for users, but also offers a strong option and is available in many different colours. He comments: “There has been an emerging demand for internal low level signage of this kind. It is ideal for retail, point-of-sale, and corporate branding.”

Buoyed by the level of innovation this year, the likes of Brand Stand UK gave us an insight into what 2018 may have in-store for the industry with Wave Light. New for next year, Wave Light is an ultra-bright LED backlit tension fabric display system that has been six months in the making and looks set to take the market by storm next year.



There is no doubt that innovation is alive and well in our great industry as the many manufacturers and suppliers continue to push the boundaries of what is possible with the technology we have at our disposal. With so much more being done each year, it really does beg the question as to how far we will have come by this time next year. It is certainly an exciting though as we prepare our plans for 2018.


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