Epson to showcase eight SureColor inkjets together for the first time
The line-up will include its two most recent machines: the SureColor SC-F6000 and SC-F7000 dye-sublimation printers. The SC-F6000 prints up to 44-inches (1.1m) wide at speeds of 63sqm per hour and costs £4,795. The SC-F7000 prints up to 64-inches (1.6m) wide at speeds of 57sqm per hour and costs £15,695. A spokeswoman said: “The machines target the soft signage and sportswear market. These are the first dye-sublimation printers from Epson, and this is the first time every part of the printer has been manufactured by one company, from ink and printhead, to printer chassis. The printers use Epson UltraChrome DS ink, a specially developed new aqueous ink, which produces high-quality images with intense blacks, sharp contours and smooth gradations, said the company. “Dye-sublimation is ideal for printing and transferring scratch-resistant, photographic quality images onto a wide range of substrates that are difficult to print on to directly such as aluminium, steel, plastics, MDF board and ceramic tiles.” Over the past 18 months, Epson has launched eight SureColor inkjet printers. Also on show are three 64-inch SureColor SC-S printers for POS, signs and wallpaper graphics; and a 44-inch SureColor SC-T printer. According to Epson, the 44-inch, four-colour SureColor SC-T7000 with UltraChrome XD ink is good where speed and economy are paramount, such as CAD, GIS, custom banners, presentations and indoor signage. It costs £3,594 and produces an A1 print in 28 seconds. “The printer is fastest in its class and features software that gives users a large selection of pre-defined layouts, including themed graphics for fashion, groceries, travel, toys and more, making it ideal for short-term...
read moreEpson to show off eight SureColor inkjets together for the first time
The line-up will include its two most recent machines: the SureColor SC-F6000 and SC-F7000 dye-sublimation printers. The SC-F6000 prints up to 44-inches wide at speeds of 63sqm per hour and costs £4,795. The SC-F7000 prints up to 64-inches wide at speeds of 57sqm per hour and costs £15,695. A spokeswoman said: “The machines target the soft signage and sportswear market. These are the first dye-sublimation printers from Epson, and this is the first time every part of the printer has been manufactured by one company, from ink and printhead, to printer chassis. The printers use Epson UltraChrome DS ink, a specially developed new aqueous ink, which produces high-quality images with intense blacks, sharp contours and smooth gradations, said the company. “Dye-sublimation is ideal for printing and transferring scratch-resistant, photographic quality images onto a wide range of polyester-coated substrates, which are difficult to print on to directly. These include aluminium, steel, plastics, MDF board and ceramic tiles.” Over the past 18 months, Epson has launched eight SureColor inkjet printers. Also on show are three 64-inch SureColor SC-S printers for POS, signs and wallpaper graphics; and a 44-inch SureColor SC-T printer. According to Epson, the 44-inch, four-colour SureColor SC-T7000 with UltraChrome XD ink is good where speed and economy are paramount, such as CAD, GIS, custom banners, presentations and indoor signage. It costs £3,594 and produces an A1 print in 28 seconds. “The printer is fastest in its class and features software that gives users a large selection of pre-defined layouts, including themed graphics for fashion, groceries, travel, toys and more, making it ideal for short-term...
read moreH&H Reeds Printers uses council grant for apprentice training
The new faces, Ben Pearson, Alex Saunders and Daniel Jones, will receive specialist training in key processes in the company. Pearson, who’s 20, is an apprentice print finisher, Saunders, aged 18, is training to be a pre-press operator, and Jones, also 18, is an apprentice digital print finisher. The apprentices will undertake two years of training at the Penrith print company, which is based at three sites and produces leaflets, booklets, signs, displays and banners for the local authority and private-sector clients. The BPIF training scheme enables H&H Reeds Printers to offer them training, employment, and a “first rung on the ladder”, said joint managing director Andy Jackson, who received grants of around £500 from Cumbria County Council for two of the apprentices. “We offer diversity in training and want our apprentices to be ambitious. They will be given a grounding in business skills and marketing and learn about the individual divisions within the company. Each has been assigned a ‘buddy’ to help support their first steps in the business world.” H&H Reeds Printers is part of The H&H Group, based in Carlisle and dates back more than 140 years. Around 28% of employees are aged under 30, said human resources manager Margaret Irving. “We had heard there was funding available from the council, which is more likely to award grants to fund training if there’s a real likelihood it will lead to long-term employment. Our drive to employ apprentices is working very well. “We are tending to attract people who ummed and ahed about going to university and were maybe put off by the cost of fees and loans so decided to go down the route of vocational training. We’ve got some really good people. “The apprentices will receive support and specialist training, and they must complete standard specific training modules such as health and safety in the workplace. For the long-term partnership to continue they will then each have to demonstrate they can do their...
read moreHeidelberg lays down four-minute challenge
Heidelberg will open its National Showroom in Brentford, west London to sheetfed litho and digital printers and challenge them to achieve four-minute makereadies using tools such as Prinect Inpress Control, Intellistart, Colour Assistant and Analyze Point. Demonstrations will take place on four Speedmasters – a CX 102, XL 75, SX 74 and an SX 52 Anicolor – and Linoprint C digital lines. Showroom manager Paul Chamberlain said: “At a time when there seems to be some uplift in the market, printers need to prepare to output more from their equipment to meet tight deadlines, produce at speed without compromise to colour or quality. Open houses are a fantastic opportunity to look, learn and assess how to get one step ahead of the competition.” Heidelberg will also launch two machines to the UK market: the PFX feeder for the Stahlfolder TH 82 folder and the Polar BC330 three-side trimmer. According to Heidelberg, the TH folder with PFX feeder is the ideal piece of finishing kit for long perfector presses as it “applies Speedmaster technology to dramatically increase running speed” and reduces feeder stoppages. The BC330, meanwhile, is intended to up performance in short-run perfect-bound book production. There will also be a seminar with MIS guru Keith McMurtie who will extol the virtues of value-added estimating as a way of exploiting the real-time data available from the latest Heidelberg equipment to manage their business dynamically and ensure they are maximising their sales and...
read moreHeidelberg lays down four-minute challenge
Heidelberg will open its National Showroom in Brentford, west London to sheetfed litho and digital printers and challenge them to achieve four-minute makereadies using tools such as Prinect Inpress Control, Intellistart, Colour Assistant and Analyze Point. Demonstrations will take place on four Speedmasters – a CX 102, XL 75, SX 74 and an SX 52 Anicolor – and Linoprint C digital lines. Showroom manager Paul Chamberlain said: “At a time when there seems to be some uplift in the market, printers need to prepare to output more from their equipment to meet tight deadlines, produce at speed without compromise to colour or quality. Open houses are a fantastic opportunity to look, learn and assess how to get one step ahead of the competition.” Heidelberg will also launch two machines to the UK market: the PFX feeder for the Stahlfolder TH 82 folder and the Polar BC330 three-side trimmer. According to Heidelberg, the TH folder with PFX feeder is the ideal piece of finishing kit for long perfector presses as it “applies Speedmaster technology to dramatically increase running speed” and reduces feeder stoppages. The BC330, meanwhile, is intended to up performance in short-run perfect-bound book production. There will also be a seminar with MIS guru Keith McMurtie who will extol the virtues of value-added estimating as a way of exploiting the real-time data available from the latest Heidelberg equipment to manage their business dynamically and ensure they are maximising their sales and...
read moreRoland DG Academy to launch beginners digital programme
An introduction to digital print will run alongside the existing intermediate course run by the academy, based at Walsall College, and will look at software, basic colour management, materials and printing techniques. Costs and duration of the course are being finalised but it will be open to anyone in print. Roland Academy and creative centre manager Joe Wigzell said: “The course is aimed at people new to the industry or those who have maybe bought a smaller or second-hand machine. A typical course has up to eight people per class and we could be looking at the same numbers. “We found varying levels of experience on the intermediate course and felt, for some people, the intermediate level was a bit too far forward; it would be good to take a step back and be given a bit more of an overview of the industry as well as some hands-on work.” The Roland Academy offers a range of courses for printers and sign makers looking to either up-skill or refresh their technical and industry knowledge. Other courses include basic application and finishing and vehicle wrapping It also runs Roland Boot Camps, one-day training courses focused on teaching users how to maximise their investment in Roland products such as the VersaStudio BN20 desktop printer. Wigzell said he wanted to roll out these courses to newer equipment as and when launched. Based at Walsall College for seven years, the academy has educated hundreds of sign makers and printers and “is a core part of the commercial proposition at Roland”, according to Wigzell. Meanwhile, Walsall College has been awarded an “outstanding grade” by Ofsted. It is the first further education provider in the UK to receive the outstanding grading under Ofsted’s new inspection framework. For further information on upcoming courses visit www.rolanddg.co.uk/support/academy....
read moreComplete Studio Graphics move to UV ink with Colorific Lightbar
The firm, which is based at London’s Excel centre, installed a new Roland RE-640 roll-to-roll wide format printer in March and has followed the acquisition with the retro-fit of a Lightbar unit. The £2,250 unit, from Maidenhead-based wide-format digital ink specialist Colorific, uses its next generation UV-Light inks, launched last year, and enables printers that use Epson DX4 or DX5 printheads to move into UV inks without having to pay for a new machine. Alan Carter of Complete Studio Graphics said the combination of a new printer and the Lightbar was a better investment option for the business. He explained: “We needed a machine that would give us a faster way of working but at a low investment price, particularly as this is our first venture into UV-curable technology. We didn’t want to sacrifice quality or our attractive prices for our clients either,” he added. Carter explained that formerly, with jobs on flexible materials being produced using its solvent-based units, output was delayed between printing and laminating because of the risk of outgassing, but that with the Lightbar jobs were now ready immediately. “With Lightbar, we can print work and use it straightaway, which is something that’s impossible with solvent-based production,” he added. “We’re now far more flexible and versatile, and the saving on lamination is a huge saving on time and money.” Colorific’s business development manager Shaun Holdom said: “Complete Studio Graphics is a typical example of a graphics house that wants to transform its solvent-based print to UV-curable production, but without the huge learning curve and high investment cost.”...
read moreRoland DG Academy to launch beginners digital programme
An introduction to digital print will run alongside the existing intermediate course run by the academy, based at Walsall College, and will look at software, basic colour management, materials and printing techniques. Costs and duration of the course are being finalised but it will be open to anyone in print. Roland Academy and creative centre manager Joe Wigzell said: “The course is aimed at people new to the industry or those who have maybe bought a smaller or second-hand machine. A typical course has up to eight people per class and we could be looking at the same numbers. “We found varying levels of experience on the intermediate course and felt, for some people, the intermediate level was a bit too far forward; it would be good to take a step back and be given a bit more of an overview of the industry as well as some hands-on work.” The Roland Academy offers a range of courses for printers and sign makers looking to either up-skill or refresh their technical and industry knowledge. Other courses include basic application and finishing and vehicle wrapping It also runs Roland Boot Camps, one-day training courses focused on teaching users how to maximise their investment in Roland products such as the VersaStudio BN20 desktop printer. Wigzell said he wanted to roll out these courses to newer equipment as and when launched. Based at Walsall College for seven years, the academy has educated hundreds of sign makers and printers and “is a core part of the commercial proposition at Roland”, according to Wigzell. Meanwhile, Walsall College has been awarded an “outstanding grade” by Ofsted. It is the first further education provider in the UK to receive the outstanding grading under Ofsted’s new inspection framework. For further information on upcoming courses visit www.rolanddg.co.uk/support/academy....
read moreComplete Studio Graphics move to UV ink with Colorific Lightbar
The firm, which is based at London’s Excel centre, installed a new Roland RE-640 roll-to-roll wide format printer in March and has followed the acquisition with the retro-fit of a Lightbar unit. The £2,250 unit, from Maidenhead-based wide-format digital ink specialist Colorific, uses its next generation UV-Light inks, launched last year, and enables printers that use Epson DX4 or DX5 printheads to move into UV inks without having to pay for a new machine. Alan Carter of Complete Studio Graphics said the combination of a new printer and the Lightbar was a better investment option for the business. He explained: “We needed a machine that would give us a faster way of working but at a low investment price, particularly as this is our first venture into UV-curable technology. We didn’t want to sacrifice quality or our attractive prices for our clients either,” he added. Carter explained that formerly, with jobs on flexible materials being produced using its solvent-based units, output was delayed between printing and laminating because of the risk of outgassing, but that with the Lightbar jobs were now ready immediately. “With Lightbar, we can print work and use it straightaway, which is something that’s impossible with solvent-based production,” he added. “We’re now far more flexible and versatile, and the saving on lamination is a huge saving on time and money.” Colorific’s business development manager Shaun Holdom said: “Complete Studio Graphics is a typical example of a graphics house that wants to transform its solvent-based print to UV-curable production, but without the huge learning curve and high investment cost.”...
read moreNew Mimaki cutting plotters target productivity and profit
The CG-SRIII Series plotters, targeted at sign makers and especially businesses working with vinyl or garments, will be launched at Fespa next month in London, confirmed sole UK distributor Hybrid Services. The series, with speeds of 70 to 100cm/s, comprises the successor models to Mimaki’s CG-60SR and CG-100/130SRII cutting plotters. The CG-60SRIII has an effective cutting area of 606mm, the CG-100SRIII an area of 1,070mm, and the CG-130SRIII an area of 1,370mm. The three new plotters feature cutting pressure of 500g, increasing the range of materials that can be used. A doubled curve-cutting speed offers improved productivity and makes complicated cutting tasks easier, according to the manufacturer, and cutting accuracy is ensured with a continuous crop mark detection system to enable precise contour cutting. Hybrid Services marketing manager Duncan Jefferies said the series would be commercially available in the UK from the end of June and would cost from just under £1,000, making it an “affordable, faster high-quality plotter”. He added: “Cutting accuracy makes this kit stand out. Mimaki has always had an enviable reputation for cutting plotters. The brand is synonymous with high quality cutting.” Mimaki EMEA general marketing manager Mike Horsten said: “Their refreshed design and many new functions open up a wide range of new revenue opportunities for sign manufacturers while still keeping prices affordable.” Hybrid Services said to further improve productivity and ensure seamless unattended operation, the new CG-SRIII Series plotters offered remote monitoring where notification of completion of cutting or errors were e-mailed to ensure maximum throughput and uptime. Mimaki has been making cutting plotters for 25 year and models include the 60cm wide desktop CG-60 and a 160cm wide professional production model called the CG-SRII/CG-FXII....
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