Sign and Digital UK: day two show report
Having fought the Birmingham traffic to arrive for Sign and Digital UK 2015’s second day, SignLink reporters Sophie Jones and Jo Golding, have been finding the halls busier than ever, the launches more glamorous, and the mood at an all time high
Wednesday, 25 Mar 2015 18:30 GMT
Day two of Sign and Digital UK 2015 saw a range of sing-making supplies and machinery rubbing shoulders, from the most modern technology, to traditional high quality trade supplies, such as displayed on Signs 2 Signs' stand
First off, ripples were made with Canon showcasing the new Océ ColorWave 700 and the Océ Arizona 480 GT. They also brought an older compact device, the Canon imagePROGRAF iPF8400SE, a six-colour printer with LUCIA EX pigment inks.
The result is vibrant posters that dry instantly after being printed, enabling companies to offer a print on demand service to their customers. The device, going for £5,000, can easily compliment existing pieces of kit.
Though Canon’s new Oce Colorwave was the talk of the show, also bringing in the crowds was the vibrant little imagePROGRAF iPF8400SE
It was not just the coffee van, wrapped in a coffee bean design by Jason Price at Corbeau Seats, that was drawing people to the Hybrid Services stand. There was an abundance of Mimaki launches including the CJV150 Series, CJV300 Series, CFL-605RT, which is now available in a combination package with the popular existing UJF-6042 flatbed LED UV printer.
The UJF-3042HG UV printer, an A3 flatbed LED UV printer with rotary attachment, prints with up to 1,440 dpi resolution on a 300 x 420mm print area. The device has been on the market for a few years, but is still popular unsurprisingly due to its affordability (£24,995) and compact nature.
Walking on air
We spotted one of Soyang Europe’s show products on the ground while walking down to the NEC, and learnt more about it at its stand. AlumiGraphics is an entirely recyclable aluminium substrate for external graphics and comes in AlumiGraphics Grip, for asphalt, brick, and concrete walkways, and AlumiGraphics Smooth, for all kinds of external walls. The substrate naturally conforms to textured surfaces, with no additional adhesive required, and can be removed with barely any residue. Soyang's stand, however, featured G-Floor, a hygienic flexible PVC material that is easy to apply to flooring as an alternative to wood.
Mark Mashiter, managing director of Soyang, was excited to show off two new products, SoNetic and Sealwise. SoNetic consists of a magnetic lining fixed to a wall that can be over-laid with drops of wallpaper. Starting out first with polyester, they are moving towards textile magnetics as this market grows.
Hybrid Services was the talk of the show, as it showcased a wrapped tuc tuc, with vinyl printed on its Mimaki machines, serving delicious coffee to flagging visitors
Sealwise, the second new product, is 100 percent recyclable. With a list of qualities including being lightweight, tough, and waterproof, Soyang is pleased to bring this rigid substrate to the market.
In other big news, Premier Paper has announced that it will be distributing Vivid Laminating Technologies’ Boss range of laminating films. The firm will add the 80 to 100 micron laminates to its recently launched range of aqueous, solvent, eco-solvent, UV and latex media.
Things were racing along at William Smith’s stand, with wrappers from 3M and Arlon showing off their new colour ranges on two Smart cars. Crowds gathered to watch the spectacle as the two cars were fully wrapped before their eyes (and before lunchtime), with supplier William Smith advertising its ‘learn to wrap’ courses for sign-makers looking to move into the market.
Also on display were William Smith’s trade manufacturing products, with recyclable and vandal-resistant films making a lot of waves with visitors.
Phil Dowson, managing director of Nth Degree and England rugby star, brought a little glamour to its stand by featuring the Aviva Premiership Cup
As vehicle wrapping is such a big presence at the show, management information system (MIS) provider, Shuttleworth was keen to let sign-makers know about one of its new features, ‘kitting’ which has been specially designed with vehicle wrapping in mind.
The development, says Bryan Aplin, business development manager, has been based around the specs of different cars, taking into account the different elements involved in calculating costs of a wrapping job, how much material is needed, and how many man-hours for a job, a potentially fortune-saving feature for first-time wrappers.
Trophy stand
One key launch in the world of software was at Nth Degree’s stand, and not only because managing director and former England rugby star Phil Dowson had brought along the Aviva Premiership Cup for all to see. Sales manager, Ian Prosser, has already recorded huge interest in the simplicity of its augmented reality app, the first of its kind in the industry. Prosser demonstrated how the prototype app worked, as simply pointing a tablet or smartphone camera at any one of the Roland machines on the stand (the VersaCam, VersaCAMM, VS 540i, LEF 20, or XR-640) would immediately draw up the machines’ user manuals and list of consumables.
Signs 2 Signs’s striking traditional built up lettering was garnering a lot of attention across the show
Meanwhile, over in the world of traditional signage, Manchester trade supplier Signs 2 Signs reported a lot of interest in its eye-catching stand, which sported examples of traditional built up lettering, as well as its 30ml LED illuminated signs, which they say are made with strip LEDs in a sealed unit.
Complete CNC Solutions, on the other hand, was demonstrating some of its biggest, newest technology, with the Unico TT 3020 Routing and Print Finishing System from Protek showing off its fine finishing abilities, and the Tekcel VSR 2000 x 3000, which can cut practically anything from foam and Corex, to wood and plastics. Mark Godden says many visitors have said they only came to the show to look at routing machinery, suggesting that a lot of sign-makers are looking seriously at adding value to their output.
CNC’s new Unico TT Routing and Finishing System from Protek was on display, promises flawless cut edges on a range of substrates
Finally, flying the flag high for digital signage, an option that many sign-makers are looking to take a leap into, is Fairfield Displays and Lighting, which has been demonstrating the versatility of its biggest launch in recent years; Pixalux. The world’s first frameless LED light panel has garnered a lot of attention from visitors, as well as Fairfield’s suspended displays and wall-mounted acrylic pocket/panels, which have been particularly popular with estate agents.
It has been, if possible, an even more hectic and exciting day at Birmingham’s NEC, with the range of companies and stand designs still impressing the punters. We can’t believe tomorrow is the final day, but rest assured we will be out and about with the people reporting till the bitter end.
Karis Copp presents a Sign7 News special report from day two of Sign and Digital UK 2015
