Two to go to

Will you be driving to Birmingham for Sign and Digital UK or flying to Berlin for Fespa Global Print Expo 2018? We bring you the low-down on both to help you make the call.

At A Glance

Sign and Digital UK

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Fespa 2018

Yup, it’s that time of year again. Sign and Digital UK and
Fespa Global Print Expo 2018 are practically upon us.
So are you going to one, or both? No doubt you can get
online to check the basic info about each show’s format
so I won’t duplicate it all here, but there are a few things
worth pointing out to those of you still wavering about
attending.

First show first then – and you’ve got to give it to
the organisers of Sign and Digital UK for nabbing
Mary Portas, ‘Queen of Shops’, to deliver the keynote
address in keeping with the show’s 2018 theme
‘creativity brought to life’. The retail/branding expert
– who will take part in a subsequent Q&A and tour the
show floor on the opening day – says that “with my
Sign and Digital UK audience I will aim to cultivate
a new confidence in diversification. I look forward to
rallying with business leaders from these adapting
sectors and offering advice among small business
owners who are looking to explore ways of getting
ahead of their competitors.” Get in there.

This year Sign and Digital UK is also introducing a
TV studio for a series of practical, interactive sessions,
panel debates and keynote talks will take place in the
Sign and Digital Live space. And there are three new
demonstration areas – Spandex will run a Vehicle Wrapping
Live demonstration, Antalis a Decor Live demo and Hybrid a
Textile Printing Live demo.

Surprise, surprise, Fespa 2018 too will have new show
features! In line with what Fespa CEO Neil Felton says is its
duty to ”inspire, educate and grow the speciality printing
sector” we will see a new ‘Print Make Wear’ fast fashion/
garment printing showcase/seminar programme, as well
a new ‘Digital Corrugated Experience’. Both are designed
to encourage new visitor types to the event and have been
earmarked as natural tangential markets for the Fespa
community

‘Print Make Wear’ will take form of a live production
environment highlighting every step in the screen and digital
printing production process, from initial design to finished
product. A fashion catwalk will provide the ‘wear’ part of the
equation. Non-fashion textiles production kit will be spread
throughout the main show.

The ‘Digital Corrugated Experience’ will combine short
seminars and business-building discussions with suppliers
to the sector.

Fespa 2018 will also boast a new Printeriors format to
better showcase possibilities in printed decor. Drawing on
the show’s ‘take off’ campaign, it will be themed ‘airport
lounge of the future 2030’ and take the form of room-sets
in the atrium of the Messe Berlin.

Fespa has also amalgamated the seminar streams for
the 2018 event. The whole programme of free talks will this
year take place in one location – the Trends Theatre.

Off site, Fespa will announce the winners of its awards
at a gala dinner on 16 May – entries will be on show at the
messe. European Sign Expo – for non-printed signage – will
again run alongside the main event.

New and Novel

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AXYZ (Stand F20)

The Trident hybrid CNC combined routing and cutting print finishing system will be shown by
AXYZ International, which will also showcase its 24/7 tools and accessories online resource.
This constantly upgraded facility accommodates the requirements not only of AXYZ and Pacer
routers but also virtually any other machine regardless of make or country of origin.

Esko (Stand J10)

Alongside its Kongsberg C64 and Kongsberg X24 cutting tables finishing specialist Esko will
demonstrate its software portfolio – Studio structural design software and ArtiosCad for 3D
projects, i-cut Suite to optimise prepress production and Automation Engine Quickstart for
Sign.

Graphtec (Stand A50)

New and recently launched plotter/cutters will be running on the latest Graphtec Pro Studio
dedicated software. This is based on the FlexiSign family of design and production software
developed by SAi for which Graphtec GB is a preferred business partner and distributor in the
UK and Ireland.

A new addition to the CE series of roll-fed machines will be the entry-level CE Lite-50. It
has a cutting speed of 500mm/sec, a 50cm-wide roll media handling facility, and incorporates
Graphtec’s latest proprietary Version 7 of ARMS (Automatic Registration Mark Sensing)

Hybrid (Stand E10)

For the first time, Mimaki distributor Hybrid will show the entire range of Mimaki’s UCJV
Series LED UV printer/cutters alongside solvent printers and printer/cutters. In addition to its
main stand, Hybrid will also be running the Textile Printing Live Demo feature in hall 18.

Inktec (Stand G22)

The show will act as the UK launch platform for the Jetrix KX6U-LED printer which Joey Kim,
MD, InkTec Europe, says: “heralds the arrival of a new suite of LED printers where we are
looking to offer a range of various sizes and formats.”

The KX6U-LED supports rigid media up to 2,440 x 1,220mm and 100mm thick. Using
Konica 6pl printheads it has a top resolution of 1440 x 720dpi, and can print at up to 28m2/hr.

Neschen (Stand F42)

Neschen and ArtSystems are teaming up to provide a retro garage look to the stand and
promote media’s potential for point of sales signage and interior décor applications

QPS (Stand K2)

As a Roland DG reseller QPS will provide the first UK demonstrations of the new VersaExpress
RF-640 with ID-64. The 64in-wide printer uses a UVL ink to produce instantly dry output.
Chris Bailey, QPS MD, says: “Thanks to its low power requirement, lower ink costs, and
non-consumable printheads, it comfortably returns savings of around 65% when compared
directly with latex output.”

As the main UK distributor for Nazdar inks, QPS will also host the company’s Ink Answers
Live at the show

Soyang Europe (Stand F44)

“Getting back to basics with our Print Collection will be a real focus on our stand this year,
says MD Mark Mashiter, pointing out that speciality products such as SoDecor printable wall
coverings and G-Floor are now included. Artist Emily Campbell of Blue Butterfly Flooring will
be at the show to highlight the creative side of the latter.

William Smith (Stand L36 and L40)

The recently renamed William Smith Group 1832 will have two stands: stand L36 will be
divided to provide demonstrations of the latest vehicle wrapping and architectural decorative
and special effect films; on stand L40 the recently formed Smith Sign and Display division will
showcase the service and manufacturing capabilities available to the trade.

Zund (Stand K30)

Zund will be running one of its S3 M1600 cutters for roll and rigid materials on the Canon
stand (H10) to demonstrate workflow capabilities with its printing equipment.

The finishing specialist will also have its own stand where it will show three cutting tables
configured for different applications: a G3 3XL1600 will demonstrate textile finishing; a G3 L2500,
fitted with the RM-L 3.6 kW router module, will highlight routing and polishing capability; a S3
L1200, fitted with a robotic arm, will flag-up automation developments.

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Aleph (Stand A40)

At Fespa 2018 gold sponsor Aleph will present its LaForte Studio Paper 340, a machine designed
to fulfill what it sees as a demand for the use of dye-sublimation paper on wider format. It
reaches a speed up to 600m2/h at maximum resolution and features a patented rotary belt with
air vacuum system.

Aslan (Stand B27)

Aslan will introduce a new glass decoration film – EtchedBoard Dyrapply Aslan EBL 300. This
combines two functions in one – due to its surface that can be written on any number of times
with whiteboard markers, the film can be used to create decorative privacy screens as well as
presentation and communication surfaces.

Aslan is also extending both the UltraTack digital printing series and the WrapTheHouse range
of digital printing films for rough interior and exterior walls. New protective laminates include
EcoSoftTouch Aslan SL109 and Aslan UV-PrintProtect.

Esko (Stands C48 and D30)

Expect to see intuitive integrated hardware and software solutions developed to boost shopfloor
productivity on both stands.

Stand C48 will host workflow from design request through to finished and shipped product.
It will demo Automation Engine QuickStart for Sign software – a turnkey workflow solution that
automates prepress that enables companies to handle more jobs faster. Kongsberg’s Automate
solutions will also be shown as will a Kongsberg C60 cutting table equipped with a feeder and
stacker.

On stand D30 the focus will be on solutions for the digital corrugated sector. For the first time,
Esko will demonstrate its ‘WebCenter QuickStart for Corrugated’.

Lintec (Stand A10)

Lintec Europe hopes to raise awareness of sustainable manufacturing practices and will
highlight Re-Pop RE505S Recycled – a clear, lightweight, dry apply film aimed at the POS
and retail markets for short-term promotional campaigns. Re-Pop is Lintec’s first film to be
manufactured with a minimum of 80% recycled PET material.

Mimaki (Stand D20 and D30)

Mimaki will show three new UCJ300 series printer/cutters – the UCJV300-75, UCJV300-107 and
UCJV300-130 – with print widths of up to 80cm, 109cm, and 136cm respectively.

The new models print up to 1200dpi and have a four or seven-colour (CMYKLcLmW)
configuration. They use Greenguard Gold certified LUS-170 LED-UV inks, have a new ID Cut
function for automatic cutting of consecutive jobs via barcode, and four-layer day and night
printing to allow designers to build layered, transformative graphics for backlit applications.

Roland (Stand B20)

Last year Roland DG introduced a new generation of professional vinyl cutters to its Camm1
series, the Roland GR-640/540/420. The GR series has been totally redesigned to deliver
increased accuracy, speed, media versatility and more cutting features. Models (available in
1651mm, 1397mm and 1075mm cutting widths to allow users to pair them with inkjet printers in
use) will be on show.

Zund (Stand B50)

See the new Over Cutter Camera OCC, which provides fully automated registration that adjusts
for position, stretch, or distortion in seconds.

Zund will also show the G3 3XL-3200 digital flatbed cutting system in combination with the
LM 100W Cut and Seal Laser Module. The system can handle rolls of fabric up to 3.2m wide.
For automated processing of large-format rigid substrates Zund will show an integrated
production line with a D3 cutter and the Board Handling System BHS. Zund will demo fully
automated routing technology too.

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