Features

Wide-format launches set to thrill

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This year's Sign and Digital UK show takes place at the NEC from 13-15 April, around a month before the focal point of the print calendar, Ipex. But that doesn't mean that exhibitors are going into it half-heartedly. There will be plenty of new applications on display, all designed to assist visitors in making the most of the sign and display sector. Indeed, not only are some of the big players exhibiting their latest products, but they're also using the show to launch brand new kit to the UK and European markets.

This is indicative of just how highly regarded the wide-format sector is right now. Leaps in technology have improved image quality, while costs in digital print have made it a more accessible market. The sector has grown thanks to an increasing number of commercial print houses offering wide-format services; the creation of more one-stop shops has benefited kit suppliers and allowed them to broaden their offerings to this sector.

Traditionally, Sign and Digital UK has been viewed as a ‘selling show’, according to Fujifilm euromedia sales director David Burton. People generally go there to make decisions, he says. It is more of an active sales event for exhibitors.

Flatbed developments
At this year’s event, Fujifilm will be unveiling its latest flatbed UV printer, the Acuity Advance HS, to the European market. The Advance HS is a new addition to the range and, claims Fujifilm, achieves near-photographic quality images at speeds of 40sqm per hour. It also has a new ‘express’ mode which prints at 65sqm per hour and has a white ink option.

The HS is the next step up for sign and digital printers, says Burton. It’s a flatbed machine so it prints directly onto the substrate and saves money on consumables.

Océ is also showing its very latest technology. According to Dominic Fahy, UK and Ireland business group director for Océ Display Systems, the manufacturer will be exhibiting its new addition to the Arizona range – the 550GT flatbed. Also on show will be the Arizona 350GT.

Our range of flatbed printers is getting broader with bigger beds plus higher speeds targeting the higher-volume segment, he explains. Last year’s show was less crowded, but we found there were more serious visitors. The challenge they face is making the right buying decisions.

Right now those buying decisions are based on what will make their business more money in the long run. According to Burton, many will be at Sign and Digital UK to cement their existing supplier relationships and gear themselves up to make an investment.

Most of the interest in the market surrounds stability – it’s about the long term, he explains. We are finding that there is plenty of interest in our flatbed devices and it’s about investing in the right hardware. However, they don’t want to change their business recipe too much as it can be expensive.

There are, understandably, tentative steps towards buying equipment with the recovery still fragile. Alongside the hardware, specialist wide-format printers are shifting some of their focus to software. Colour management, workflow and MIS have taken on more importance for the commercial print market for many years but now the message seems to be getting across to the sign and display sector.

They are right to start thinking about this, adds Fujifilm’s Burton. MIS and workflow is quite a strategic investment. It’s an area that’s less established in the sign and digital market, but that is changing. It’s about using the right machine with the right media with the right profile. All of these things go together.

Océ’s Fahy concurs: Colour management can be a challenge. You have to have the right profile with the right inks to get a good quality result result. If you can get that spot on then you can add a premium. We have software applications to help the workflow from printing to cutting. The end-result is that it saves labour and waste as well as improving turnaround times.

Niche work
Adding value isn’t a new concept, but it’s certainly a topic that many exhibitors are keen to highlight. Roland DG’s latest eco-solvent printer is the VersaCamm VS-640, which is making its debut at Sign and Digital UK. The machine is a response to customer demand for a 64in print-and-cut device and can produce vehicle wraps without joins. The value-added bit comes in the form of metallic colours that, according to Roland, can be lucrative for those producing high-end retail work or vehicle wraps.

But adding value isn’t just confined to the wide-format sector. Océ’s Fahy notes that commercial printers are now muscling into the market. What they are doing is looking at the wide-format market as a potential niche to add to their portfolio, he says. We are having more discussions with general printers looking to enter the market.

And this trend is having a positive knock-on effect for some. Richard Lawson, managing director of Display Makers UK, is a first-time exhibitor at the show and is aiming to take advantage of this trend. His firm is launching the ISOframe Wave, a product it claims is the world’s first fully flexible display system for exhibition graphics or plasma screens. The aluminium frame can be assembled without tools and all of the panels are 800mm wide.

It’s the first time it’s being exhibited in the UK, says Lawson. Ten years ago, pop-up displays were popular. While they looked great they were a fixed shape and couldn’t work in any space.

Interest in the system has come through printers and Lawson adds that a lot are being sold to this market. But what has really helped accelerate his company’s growth is the level of interest from commercial printers. Firms that have a litho core are now branching out.

The reduced costs of getting into digital large-format makes it appeal to a broader number of players, he observes. The market is converging and people are dipping their toes into this sector as jobs are coming down in price. We’re no longer selling to just traditional sign and graphics printers.

Exhibitors will no doubt be encouraged by new players getting into a mature market. With several giving debuts to the latest equipment, the show is being taken seriously by manufacturers. The signs are that it’s a wise move as visitors are likely to come armed with knowledge and, perhaps, chequebooks. Only time will tell if this year’s Sign and Digital UK is the prelude to a more confident market.

 

 

SHOW DETAILS
Organiser Faversham House Group
Website www.signuk.com
Venue NEC, Birmingham
Entry price free|

Dates and times
  Tuesday, 13 April 10am-5pm
  Wednesday, 14 April 10am-5pm
  Thursday, 15 April 10am-4.30pm

How to get there
By road Birmingham is at the hub of the UK motorway network, enabling visitors to travel directly from the M42, M5, M6, M6 toll, M1 and M40. The M6 toll is an entirely new motorway, north and east of Birmingham. The motorway is a 27-mile, dual three-lane carriageway between Junctions 4 and 11 of the M6.

By train Virgin Trains offers direct services from London Euston to the NEC with a journey time of approximately 90 minutes.  Visitors must alight at Birmingham International for the NEC. This station is linked directly to the NEC by a covered walkway and the halls are clearly signposted.

 

 

SEMINARS AND FEATURES
This year’s event incorporates the Demo and Software theatres designed to help visitors and exhibitors to interact more effectively. In addition there’s the Adobe and Apple Seminar Theatre, which will feature topics ranging from Adobe Photoshop and InDesign to Snow Leopard and Adobe Illustrator. There’s also the Corel Seminar Theatre which gives presentations on products including the CorelDraw Graphic Suite and Corel Painter 11.

There’s also free internet access for visitors at the Sign Makers Bar, which returns to the floor plan, and a Sign and Digital UK visitor competition, where pre-registered visitors will get a chance to win a prize on each day of the show. Last year’s winners won tickets to the British Grand Prix.