One of the most well respected brands on the show floor for sign and display that saw intense activity was Antalis, which had set-up a funky coffee-shop themed stand that was entirely constructed from its own range of wall, floor, vehicle wrapping, and general graphics media products. The stand was split into showcasing its four main pillar brands of Coala, Drytac, Orafol, and 3A.
“We have a very broad range of products om show as we wanted to highlight genuine end-user applications of our range that are relevant and how they can be used creatively in the real world. We are working very hard to showcase our capabilities as a supplier, offering both a breadth and depth of products that are backed up by a huge stock and comprehensive logistics capabilities to deliver them when the customer needs them,” says Mike Bennett, marketing manager at Antalis UK.
Watch our special Sign7 News video report from day one of Sign and Digital UK
He continues: “We want to work with customers to make the most of the technologies that we offer, and to help that mission we have set-up initiatives such as our Digital to Business Academy that helps them diversify and make the most of the printing and finishing technology they have in their business.
Some suppliers are very focused on a narrow product range. We provide a whole tool box for a sign-maker or printer, and then teach them how to use those tools to maximum effect”
“Some suppliers are very focused on a narrow product range. We provide a whole tool box for a sign-maker or printer, and then teach them how to use those tools to maximum effect.”
Indeed, the stand's floor graphics were Drytac Scuff Guard, while some of its interior wall graphics were printed on Drytac Easy Apply wall graphics media. All of the coffee-shops tables were then digitally printed and wrapped in Polar vinyl from Drytac while 3A rigid Dispa media was used to create the artistic light-fittings and installations hanging from the 'ceiling'. In addition its Orafol products were used to create window graphics while most of the internal walls were created using its own-brand Coala wall covering range, which is available in three different finishes.
Every inch of the Antalis stand was covered in its product range
A kaleidoscope of creativity
Grafityp was another key hive of activity on day one of the show, and it was most excited to show off its Colibri brand, a range of ecological non-PVC vinyl self-adhesives, that the company has launched as a green alternative to PVC laminates for use on all types of digital large-format printers. Ranging from Roland DG machines, including the new Texart RT-640, to GCC laser cutters and engravers, to heat presses from Siser, Grafityp showcased a broad overview of all of the different sectors of the market sign-makers can get into.
Graham Jones, design and marketing for Grafityp, says: “Two years ago it was more about textiles and last year it was more about print media, vinyl, and automotives. We always have really good enquiries for our Roland machines and hopefully we'll see more for the heat presses now.”
Perfect Colours, as they do every year at Sign and Digital UK, also had an array of special show offers that will be running throughout the duration. For example, for £109,995, Perfect Colours are offering full installation, training, and two years warranty on its Jetrix KX7 UV flatbed printer, which prints at 30sq m/h. Jon Telling, sales director at Perfect Colours, highlighted the new GoTx 2600FX as a stand out piece of kit, which is exclusive to the company, designed for uninterrupted production. Bringing a touch of style to the stand was a range of beautifully printed textiles, including an armchair, curtains, and lamps, all printed using HP Latex technology.
HP's stand was also brimming with excitement as major pieces of technology dominated including the HP Designjet 26800, HP Latex 330, and HP Scitex FB750 industrial printer, designed for printing on rigid and flexible media. A brightly coloured display showcased the many different materials that the HP Scitex 9000 can print onto, including compressed cardboard and foam board.
Another very interesting facet of Sign and Digitial UK was the number of hands on demonstrations that were dotted around the hall, causing crowds of interested visitors, were areas such as the Sign-makers Workshop and the Wrap Expert Workshop. Sign + Digital headed up the Wrap Expert Workshop, where Justin Pate and Ole Solskin put their skills to the test wrapping a Fiat 500 using Oracal 970RA premium wrapping cast, a film designed for long-term vehicle wraps in solid colours. Pate says: “I've been wrapping cars for 20 years and it never gets old. A lot of the time I work by myself because these techniques don't always require someone else.”
Sign + Digital headed up the Wrap Expert Workshop, where Justin Pate and Ole Solskin wrapped a Fiat 500 using Oracal 970RA
A pick and mix
Another key trend played out on the show floor was the sheer breadth and depth that the modern sign industry encompasses. From CAD sewing machines to industrial print beasts, there is something for everyone. And if you like your sweets then look no further than SignLink's very own stand and its free pick and mix dispenser. The stand this year carries an Only Fools and Horses theme, as we seek to draw on the passion and 'do or die' inspiration of Del Boy to urge the industry on, after all, this time next year... You can also grab a selfie with Del Trotter, Uncle Albert, or Rodney Trotter themselves as they teach those visiting the stand how to fight adversity and come through smiling.
With business diversification in mind, if you are in the market
for a unique piece of finishing equipment then look no further than
Friedheim International's stand. Roger Cartwright, sales manager binding
and converting at Friedheim International explains why they decided to
bring the 2.5 x 1.7m Lasercomb ProDigi NEO cutting table to this UK
exhibition for the first time: “Without this type of machine we probably
wouldn't be here, but we are here to show our presence in the market
and to get as many sales and leads as possible.” The company is offering
five years parts and labour warranty as a special show deal.
Roland DG has also come out at Sign and Digital UK 2016 will all guns blazing and its new TrueVIS range of print and cut devices. The firm's UK marketing manager, Sarah Lyons, explained the key facets of the new technology: “The VG640 had new print heads which applies droplets in 7 different sizes, new ink technology, a new cutter with 500g of force, a new chassis, new RIP, and new LED lighting for the maintenance carriage area.
Roland DG's Sarah Lyons explained that the True VIS range is a revolution for the company
“The TrueVIS ink is proprietary, and it is that new ink and the printhead that gives you extremely crisp bright graphics. There are also two ink configurations, with 4 and 7 colour to suit your business needs.
“The machine itself has a new sleek modern design and really heralds the direction we are going in for our printer cutter machines. Everything works in harmony together, the ink technology with the printhead and cutter to give you the future of print and cut technology.”
Another key player on the floorplan that has launched its own cutting-edge eco-solvent wide-format print technology is Epson, which has very much played to its strengths by offering the very best photographic quality on the market combined with what now seems to be the lowest overall cost of ownership on offer. Its stand was also a refreshing site to behold, with a throne room-like chamber in the middle of its exhibition space that had huge bolts of fabric cascading down from the ceiling to showcase its new dye-subimation print capabilities.
“We launched the new eco-solvent Sure Colour range in January and one of the key developments is the significantly reduced total cost of ownership for this technology. An example is that a 700ml ink cartridge used to be £117 and now is just £74. Its new ink set is also a key strength of this new series, as its chemistry has seen a significant improvement, and in addition to the ink costing less, the machine uses less. In fact we are seeing about a 15 percent reduction in ink consumption. The overall result is a signficant reduction in the costs of running this machine, which a sign-maker or printer can then used to increase their competitiveness or increase their profitability.”
Epson's Phil McMullin stands proudly in the company's 'throne room'
Colourbyte also showcased the Epson SureColor S60600 on its stand and Tim Stockley, director at the firm, explains how it is the ideal entry to market machine for those looking to get into wide-format. As the first sign show Colourbyte has exhibited at, the company, which is already known in the gift and photo, and commercial print market, hopes to gain more signage contacts from the show. Stockley was also keen to note the easy to apply nature and affordability of its window films, particularly the TM330 Crystal Clear Window Film, and the durable nature of its Glass Fibre Textile Wallcovering.
Wide-format print technology has become an ever-more dominant facet of Sign and Digital UK, and now sees pretty much every single major global manufacturer and UK distributor or re-seller on its floor plan. One of the most dominant of these firms is Hybrid Services, which is the exclusive distributor for Mimaki in the UK and Ireland. Its stand was jammed with its entire range of technology, from desktop 3D object printers, to entry-level print and cut, through flatbed, to its textile printing arsenal. But the new cool kid on the Mimaki block is the UJV55-320, which is well worth a look if you are heading to the show on day two or three of the event.
“I think the whole package ticks all the boxes in the same way that the JFX-200 did for the flatbed market,” says Stuart Cole, marketing manager for industrial products at Hybrid. He continues: “The benefits of LED UV printing are already clear, cool-cure lamps, instant start, and lower energy consumption. Then you can add to this that it is very affordable to a lot of people who would not consider a 3.2m machine. You then also have the speed, the quality, and the cost of ownership that is very low with ink at only 8p per milliliter.
“So, the overall return on investment is the real attraction. It is £60,000 and at that price point for its capabilities it is on its own, with Mimaki's reputation to back it up.”
Fancy an ice cream? Well you can grab one on the Hybrid Services stand while checking out its cool new UJV55-320
Cole also explained that the UJV55 also has some very clever additional tricks up its sleeve, such as its Logical Seek function. This essentially means that the RIP software analyses the print file to look for white space, and then in the x direction it skips out white space and feeds the media forward, rather than needlessly passing the print head over the white space with no ink being laid down. It then also does this in the Y direction and will skip out any white areas within an individual piece of the graphic and accelerate the print head over these areas. This essentially means it can actually achieve a productivity and speed for real-time printing that exceeds the stated speed capabilities of its own print heads.
Finishing technology is also being very well catered for at Sign and Digital UK 2016 and sees the likes of AG/CAD with its DYSS technology bring two of its models to the show. Speaking to the firm's managing director Andrew Boulton, he is emphatic about why their stand is worth a visit: “One of the most important pieces of technology we have on the stand is Kasemake V11, which makes the control, set-up, and use of the machines very much easier. And in addition to that we have seen a lot of interest around our X724C cutter, which features the Superhead, making it ideal for the sign-maker that wants to cut acrylic, dibond, or foamex.
“We also have one of the fastest cutters at the show in the form of the X5, which has semi-automation features on it. This type of technology is really hitting a sweet spot in the market, and a case in point is Daytona Visual, which recently purchased one with its board feeder attachment to help remove bottlenecks in its finishing department for the large number of short-run jobs they cater for.
AGCAD fielded two of its impressive DYSS cutters, which have gone down a storm at the show
Impact Design and Print director Matthew Parish was also paying a visit to the AG/CAD stand after buying a DYSS X7 1630 C a couple of weeks ago after seeing it at Sign and Digital UK 2015.
“There is a lot of choice on the market, but what we really like was the perfect edges that come off the machine, you don't even need to flame polish acrylic afterwards, I just don't know how they achieve it,” says Parish.
The company's director, Massimo Chiossone, also pointed out why he had made the investment decision: “There is no clumsy high gantry on the X7 and its immense vacuum power is a huge plus. A lot of other products are hugely over complicated, but this is just right for our needs.”
Softer options
Another very important trend witnessed on day one of Sign and Digital UK was the huge upswing in textile printing/finishing machinery and media suppliers showcasing their ware. A key player in this regard is Atech, with its international sales manager Julia Smithers explaining what is behind the trend: “At Sign and Digital this year we are really concentrating on showcasing the profit generating potential of soft signage media, in addition to highlighting our range of brands such as Ritrama, Neschen, and out own Atech brand.
“We have been very happy with Sign and Digital today, it really is a wizz of a show for us and one of the biggest trends is the huge increase in awareness and demand for soft signage media. Customers like car showrooms aren't buying vinyl banners any more, they want beautiful tear-drop flags next to every car, and it is this type of demand that is driving the market.
It was all about sift signage media and finishing on the Atech stand
“At Atech a real strength is that we are always thinking outside the box and as the market changes we move it with. In addition, we always happy to source materials and technology for our customers if we do not immediately cater for it.”
A flat horizon
Interviewed for SignLink's sister platform Sign7 News today (See above), Agfa showcased the might of its Jeti Mira HS and was closely followed by its key market competitor in flatbed printing Inktec, which had brought its KX6 system to the show.
“The market for our technology is so varied and a good example is that the Oxford University Museum of Natural History is using our KX6 Jetrix flatbed to print an entire series of artworks for its Microsculpture exhibition which run from May 27th to October 30th, which shows insect specimens at micro-scopic detail blown up onto huge canvasses. So the print quality has to be exceptional,” says the firms sales manager, Ben Woodruff.
He continues: “The KX6 is one of the fastest 8 x 4' printers at the show at 55sq m/h, and this is because it runs a double head configuration which also allows for 4 white ink channels. This makes it unique in that you can print white ink as fast as CMYK.
Ben Woodruf of Inktec was buoyant about the capabilities, price point, and speed of its KX6 flatbed print technology
“Other clever features are the ability to print onto correx and acrylic due to the in-built primer in the ink. Intec's mission at Sign and Digital UK is to show how we set ourselves apart by giving customers access to cast-iron and unparalleled levels of customer service. Just little things like our remote dial in software that allows us to instantly fix issues without a customer having to wait for a service engineer, a three year warranty, roll-to-roll option, the lowest running costs on the market at 50p sq/m, some 25 to 50 percent lower than core competition, and an overall very competitive price point for machines like the KX6.”
From just the handful of exhibitors we have spoken to today, with plenty more to feast our eyes upon tomorrow and Thursday, it is clear that the sign industry is growing as more companies from connected industries, such as print, are using their products to appeal to sign-makers looking to diversify.
