Here, Scott Morgan, Graphic Arts Magazine contributor and award-winning Student Representative from Ryerson University’s School of Graphic Communications Management (GCM) in downtown Toronto, walks the floor and gives us his insights from this year’s Graph Expo tradeshow in Orlando, Florida, which ends today.
One of the 2016 Must See’ems Award winners at Graph Expo, the Xerox Direct to Object (DTO) Inkjet Printer, was one that attracted quite a lot of attention on the show floor. There has consistently been a crowd around this printer, so I decided to check it out for myself. The press is quite impressive, capable of printing 30 objects per hour with up to 10 colours and coatings (CMYKW plus specialty).
It does all this while maintaining a rather small footprint, measuring in at a height of 90 inches, a width of 39 inches and a depth of 39 inches – making it quite accessible for shops of all sizes. This model was designed with smaller locations in mind. Not only does it have a small footprint, but it doesn’t require any external venting or cabling. Supported substrates include plastics, metals, ceramics and glass, to name a few. The printer opens up a range of new applications, but one that’s expected to be more prominent is the personalization of objects. Retailers, for example, could offer an additional fee to personalize any object that they sell. With a two-minute print time and small occupied space, this is quite a user-friendly option for both printers and for retailers.
Print MIS, EFI’s Nozomi C18000 and #AskAvanti
Yesterday, after listening to a press conference from EFI and speaking with representatives from Avanti Computer Systems Limited, it’s clear that graphic communications companies should be investing towards automation and web-based systems. Since its introduction, there has always been talk that the World Wide Web would significantly eat away at the profits of print companies. However, in the world of print today, we’re seeing those who do not take advantage of the web losing customers and money. With the web, we’re seeing the emergence of new customer segments where individuals can design, order and print products from the comfort of their home on whichever device they please. Web-to-print portals offer a huge convenience factor that all printers should look into implementing. With automation systems, the goal is to reduce the number of touchpoints that follow with any job. With fewer touchpoints, there is a significant reduction in operator error and confusion as well as an increase in turnaround times.
On the note of automation and streamlined systems, EFI’s Nozomi C18000 press looks to disrupt digital corrugated packaging by lowering costs and increasing productivity. This sheetfed press is capable of printing 9,000 80cm x 60cm boards per hour. Through integration with manufacturing execution systems and MIS/ERP workflow technologies, the press looks to elevate productivity and profitability that has traditionally been difficult in digital corrugated board manufacturing.
Lastly, we saw the launch of a social media initiative by Avanti. The #AskAvanti initiative looks to benefit the entire print community by publishing the many questions that get presented to their group of professionals on a daily basis. Director of Marketing, Joane Gore, stressed the importance of the initiative for the future generations of the print workforce. The large community combines the veterans of the industry with those just getting started, providing a comfortable environment to get conversations started which can often be one of the more difficult steps. The series of eBooks will ultimately become a great resource that will drive the development of new content such as infographics and webinars that can be referenced and used in training for years to come.
Keep an eye out for the duo of Konica Minolta and MGI
In my previous post two days ago, I mentioned that two have recently strengthened their alliances, with Konica Minolta increasing their equity in MGI from 10% to 41% as announced by Kevin Abergel of MGI at a press conference on Sunday afternoon. Konica Minolta will now begin distribution of four major products from the MGI portfolio. Here are two that caught my eye.
After previously being displayed at Drupa, MGI’s AlphaJet continues to impress as they make their North America launch. This powerful digital inkjet press can virtually print on any substrate including 3D objects. The racetrack-style set-up enables the press to produce 2D spot UV coating, 3D embossed varnish textures and embossed foil effects in one complete pass. The press is also capable of printing chipless RFIDs, making it a strong contender for the world of printed electronics.
Say goodbye to make-readies with MGI’s Artificial Intelligence Scanner (AIS). The smart scanner identifies key points on the substrate and compares them to the original file. The scanner makes upwards of 5 trillion calculations to adapt the file to the printed substrate. Every new sheet is custom registered as it goes through the press, resulting in minimal set-up time and waste. The scanner ultimately reduces the touch points for the operator. They simply have to push a button to start the machine and offload the final product. Since every sheet is custom registered, numerous different jobs can be run all at the same time using the same stack. This has tremendous promise, especially in variable-data printing where there are often numerous re-prints.
This technology can also really make an impact on the way jobs are being priced from the direct ROI point of view. We’re seeing the potential for make-readies to become an ancient term, resulting in quicker turn-around times for printed jobs with little to no waste. Plus, we could see more aggressive pricing estimates with the implementation of an AIS system in the near future.
Congratulations to YUL Technologies
Finally, a callout to Anne Groleau, Engineer at one of this industry’s newest Canadian companies, YUL Technologies based in Laval, Quebec.
YUL just made its very first sale and I’m confident you’ll hear more about this innovative supplier as it continues to sell the latest equipment, technology and solutions to the printing and graphic arts industry across Canada and beyond.
Live report: Who’s hot at Graph Expo 2016 – final day
