The roll-fed, wide-format device, which uses five high-speed Memjet inkjet heads, was first pre-viewed in the UK at an open house in April this year, and is being shown at Fespa with inline folder from Rigoli. The machine has a native resolution of 1,600dpi and prints in CMYKK at either 1,000sqm/hour or 500sqm/hour, with a print width of 42in (106cm). Ink is supplied in two-litre and 10-litre containers. It uses Caldera’s Grand RIP Plus with a TG Plot workflow management system and can produce a single print up to 150 metres long. The device, which costs around £60,000, is primarily targeted at the architect, engineering and construction markets, that work with CAD systems. According to RTI’s UK-based EMEA business developer Peter Barton, however, its five-channel colour capability and its ability to print CAD or full-colour graphics at the same speeds makes it appealing to businesses that want to branch into POS displays as well. “We’re having great interest in Scandinavia and Holland so far and since the preview we’ve sold in Turkey, Israel and the UK,” he added. Canada-headquartered RTI employs around 70 staff globally with five in the UK. The Vortex 4200 is a portfolio diversification for the company, which traditionally supplies parts and cosnumables for high speed digital print. Barton said: “With this range we wanted to do something innovative, we didn’t just want to produce a “me too” product. There is a huge amount of interest in it, so it’s paying off.”...

The roll-fed, wide-format device, which uses five high-speed Memjet inkjet heads, was first pre-viewed in the UK at an open house in April this year, and is being shown at Fespa with inline folder from Rigoli. The machine has a native resolution of 1,600dpi and prints in CMYKK at either 1,000sqm/hour or 500sqm/hour, with a print width of 42in (106cm). Ink is supplied in two-litre and 10-litre containers. It uses Caldera’s Grand RIP Plus with a TG Plot workflow management system and can produce a single print up to 150 metres long. The device, which costs around £60,000, is primarily targeted at the architect, engineering and construction markets, that work with CAD systems. According to RTI’s UK-based EMEA business developer Peter Barton, however, its five-channel colour capability and its ability to print CAD or full-colour graphics at the same speeds makes it appealing to businesses that want to branch into POS displays as well. “We’re having great interest in Scandinavia and Holland so far and since the preview we’ve sold in Turkey, Israel and the UK,” he added. Canada-headquartered RTI employs around 70 staff globally with five in the UK. The Vortex 4200 is a portfolio diversification for the company, which traditionally supplies parts and cosnumables for high speed digital print. Barton said: “With this range we wanted to do something innovative, we didn’t just want to produce a “me too” product. There is a huge amount of interest in it, so it’s paying off.”...

“We really believe in data and analytics as a tool for driving business, so if we can give our customers the tools to help their customers, which we can now, then that’s great,” said chief executive Guy Gecht. SmartSign uses image capture in POS displays linked to facial recognition software that can identify consumer dwell times, gender and age to help brand owners and agencies measure the effectiveness of displays, according to Mark McGowan, EFI director of OPS products. “When it comes to detecting is someone is viewing a display its 98% accurate, gender is 85% accurate and age bracket it is 75% – this is an incredibly acurate tool,” added McGowan. SmartSign will be commercially available in August. The company is also using Fespa to highlight the benefits of its flagship 3.2m wide HS 100 Pro hybrid flatbed and also the milestone of 100 installations of Vuteks with LED curing. “We now have enough statistics to compare how users of LED machines perform like-for-like against mercury systems, and LED users are buying 50% more ink per machine on average, which proves that LED not only saves money, but it actually generates more business,” said Gecht. EFI is also using the show to highlight its UV thermo-forming inks, developed for the eight-colour plus white 2m-wide EFI Vutek GS2000 Pro-TF and 3.2m-wide GS3250 Pro-TF. According to EFI they’re ideal for custom-formed signs, packaging, POS, vending panels, vehicles and promotional items....

Fespa Africa is a joint venture with PP and will incorporate the latter’s established Sign Africa and Visual Communications Africa events. Fespa Africa will also be co-located with PP’s Africa Print show. The combined events will have a footprint of 13,500m2, with 150 exhibtors, and are targeting 6,000- plus visitors from Africa and Europe. Fespa managing director of events and exhibitions Neil Felton said: “Africa is a vital and exciting growth region, and in Practical Publishing, we have an experienced partner to help us establish Fespa there. “FESPA’s strategy is always to work with a partner who can blend FESPA’s brand recognition, organisational strengths and world-class content programmes with local knowledge to deliver something which addresses the unique challenges and opportunities facing that particular region’s printers.” Dyelan Copeland, Director at Practical Publishing added: “Sign Africa and Visual Communications Africa are successful, well-attended events but we know that, by partnering with FESPA, we can take them to another level. FESPA Africa will set out to deliver a new experience for African business audiences, at a time when they need global expertise and insight to help them embrace the opportunities of wide format.” The inaugural Fespa Africa event will take place from 2-4 July 2014 in Johannesburg, South Africa....

This week the company gained court approval for a number of steps that will be crucial to its successful emergence from Chapter 11. This included approval of the Disclosure Statement that will allow creditors to vote on its revised Plan of Reorganisation, and the court has also approved the Backstop Commitment Agreement and rights offering announced earlier this month. Voting on the measures can now commence. The committee representing Kodak’s unsecured creditors has recommended that these creditors should vote in favour of the plans. In court, Kodak’s lawyer gave a tentative date for the confirmation hearing of 20 August, with emergence possible by as soon as 3 September. Kodak’s secured creditors will be repaid when Kodak emerges from Chapter 11. Kodak has also agreed exit financing facilities of up to $895m (£584m) with JP Morgan Chase, Barclays Bank, and Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Chief executive Antonio Perez described the rights offering and new financing as “extremely important”, signalling “market and creditor confidence in post-emergence Kodak.” “We look forward to a renewed Kodak competing successfully again with market-leading technology and products in the commercial, packaging and functional printing markets it serves,” Perez said. The restructured business will have sales of $2.6bn next year, according to Kodak’s projections....