This year's SGIA Product of the Year competition was held at the 2014 Expo in Las Vegas, October 22-24. The contest showcased the best printers, technologies and consumables from the specialty imaging community. "Whether they were a seasoned company or an industry newcomer, each and every entry came to win," said Ray Weiss, SGIA’s digital imaging specialist.
Attendees from around the world packed the Fujifilm booth at SGIA Expo 2014 to see all-new technology. Fujifilm was showing off the all-new Inca Onset R40i and the Acuity F printers, each making their North American debut on the show floor, along with the Uvistar Pro-8W, the Acuity Advance Select and the Acuity LED 1600.
The high-speed Truepress Jet W3200UV HS, from Screen USA, delivers wide-format printing at a speed of 1,614 square-feet/hr., and incorporates a robust industrial build, pop-up register pins, auto-cleaning heads, and a head-crash detection system.
When pricing their wide-format digital printing services, more than half of in-plants surveyed say their number one challenge is "determining real costs and overhead." This detail was discovered in a recent research study conducted by InfoTrends and In-plant Graphics. The study was designed to produce benchmarks and gather insights on how in-plants are operating along with the challenges they face in pricing wide-format services.
Often when wide-format printing is discussed, the immediate connotation is of posters and banners. But a little creativity can go a long way, and with advancements in printer, ink and substrate technology, in-plants around the country are finding innovative ways to serve their parent companies with wide format, beyond posters and banners.
Six new models have been unveiled by Canon U.S.A. in its imagePROGRAF lineup that include four new five-color, large-format inkjet printers, and two new large-format imaging systems. These devices offer faster printing speeds, lower operation costs, along with upgraded software for an enhanced user experience particularly in mobile and cloud-based printing applications.
Mac Papers is now a full line distributor for Mutoh wide-format equipment and consumables. Through this partnership, Mac Papers now complements its existing wide-format offering with Mutoh’s full line of solvent and eco-solvent printers, UV curable printers, inks and media for customers across the Southeast United States.
In its latest report, Smithers Pira examines the current state of the wide-format printing industry. The report reveals that the emergence of electronic displays based on flexible electronics is, potentially, one of the most significant threats to the wide-format printing industry.
Canon Solutions America, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Canon U.S.A, outlines the top five questions that a printer should ask when selecting media for a wide-format printer. The white paper “Smart Media Decisions for Your Wide Format Printer,” is also presented.
Rita Kirkeby, head of the sign shop for Mammoth Mountain Ski Area (MMSA), smiles when people assume she takes the summer off.
