Automation and Wide-Format: Where Are We?
By Richard Romano for WhatTheyThink magazine (USA)
Whether it’s only a select few tasks or an entire production workflow, automation is slowly but surely coming to wide-format printing. How is that possible?
Tips for Maintaining a Clean Printing Environment
From Digital Print Media magazine
Keeping your print facility clean provides a variety of benefits. High levels of particulate matter such as air borne dust mites can damage or shorten the life of equipment and negatively affect the quality of prints. We have compiled a short list of items that can help keep air clean in your printing facility.
3D’s Place in Commercial Printing
An interview with Rainer Gebhardt, by Steve Duccilli for Big Picture magazine (USA)
Visitors to drupa’s Innovation Park were surprised to see a collection of realistic seashells ranging in size from a half inch to more than 5 feet tall, all 3D printed in a variety of materials from plastic to metal.
MIS: Is Your System Working For You or Against You?
By Carol Andersen, Chairman, Enterprise Print Management Solutions for SignIndustry.com (USA)
Implementing print management systems is not a democratic activity. What you need to become is a dictator to ensure proper implementation.
Understanding the basic pros and cons of dye sub printing
Magnus Mighall of RA Smart (UK) for Graphic Display World (UK)
Dye sublimation is the most versatile textile digital printing process and while it is not suitable for every textile substrate, it is certainly the best route for signage professionals to dip their toe in the world of printed textiles, and potentially other rigid materials with the same hardware. Here textile printing expert Magnus Mighall of R A Smart explains how.
Cost saving with colour management
Written by Graphic Display Community (Europe)
How many people working in large format digital printing are aware that the use of professional colour management technology can significantly reduce costs to their business? Graphic Display Community finds out more from Italian colour management expert Barbieri electronic.
Traditional Die Cutting Versus Digital Die Cutting
By Renee Simpson, Associate Editor, SGIA for SignIndustry.com (USA)
With increasing demand comes the growing need for better and faster technology in all sectors of the trade. This includes die cutting, a constantly evolving finishing technique that relies heavily on its relevance in the field.
Can Print Shops Benefit from 3D Printing
By Eileen Frtitsch for Big Picture magazine USA
Expect to see some big innovations at drupa 2016
Trade Print Economy
Rob Fletcher, Sign Link UK
With the industry proving more competitive than ever, Rob Fletcher investigates how companies can gain an advantage in business by branching out into the trade print market
Looking into the Future
By Craig Miller for Big Picture magazine
Our industry's crystal ball says to focus on value added services that put a premium on knowledge, skill and experience.
Making material gains?
Imagereports (UK)
A great deal has been written about the potential opportunities for profit from digitally printing images to textiles. Most of this is meaningless to anyone working in the display graphics business because the figures deliberately conflate the garments and home furnishings markets together with signage and confuse different geographic areas.
A Closer Look at Digital Dye-Sublimation Printing
By Richard Romano for WhatTheyThink magazine - USA
There are a number of different printing technologies used to print fabrics and textiles. One of the most common—and the one that is getting the most attention these days—is dye sublimation. What is dye sublimation printing, and what do you need to take advantage of the technology?
Understanding the Best Ink Options Available for Wide-Format Digital Printing
By Ray Weiss for Printing Impressions (USA)
The cost of ink is a large consideration when deciding which ink set to purchase, but there are also the considerations of durability, adhesion, color brightness and coverage. Before you dive into a new wide-format printer, you must carefully consider what you want to accomplish and which ink set will help you get there.
Considering Alternative Inks?
By Ed McCarron, Vice President of digital imaging for Coveris Advanced Coatings for Signindustry (USA)
Have you ever considered using alternative inks? As the inkjet market continues to mature and users become savvier, the trend of alternative inks is growing.
Printhead technologies explored
Written by Nessan Cleary for FESPA
Printheads are a key component of any wideformat printer, so it’s important to understand how they work.
There are many bits of technology that go into making a large format printer, but arguably the printhead is the beating heart of the machine. It is the thing that pumps the ink directly to the media and it’s the printhead that determines the defining characteristics of the printer.
How to cost a job? Why companies are missing the plot (Part two)
By Bob Glenister (Roland DG South Africa) for Practical Sign & Digital Graphics (SA)
In the previous article, I asked you what your time is worth, in this section, I outline Positioning and Differentiation.
Understanding HP PageWide Technology
By Laura Celada for FESPA
HP Senior Technical Specialist Dr Ross Allen explains how PageWide was born and how it stacks up against the competition.
Wallcoverings' Creative Awakening
by Eileen Fritsch for Big Picture magazine
Digital print providers continue to make inroads into interiors with wallcoverings whose custom patterns, realistic textures, and next generation technology promise not only an opportunity for PSP's, but a world where the walls really can talk.
Want to Become a Lenticular Printer? Just do it!
By Izzy Bromberg for www.signindustry.com
For both sign makers and wide format printers, lenticular can be a valuable differentiator, an additional value-added service and best of all, a profit generator.
How to cost a job? Why companies are missing the plot (Part one)
By Bob Glenister (Roland DG South Africa) for Practical Sign & Digital Graphics (SA)
"This is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you." Carl Sandburg
The Signs Are Promising: Looking at Developments in the Sign and Display and Large Format Markets
Sarit Tichon, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Sales at SAi for SignAfrica.com
This lady, whose job it is to keep her finger closely on the pulse of the world wide industry offers her opinion on the various challenges and opportunities faced by today’s sign making companies and large format print businesses.
Reworking Your Production Workflow
By Eileen Fritsch for SignIndustry.com (USA)
Getting the right combination of workflow automation software, computing power, and digital printing equipment in place now can lay the foundation for future growth.
Improving textile substrates support digital growth
FESPA
Textile printing is becoming more popular as the range of available substrates expands.
We’ve been printing to textiles for some years now and the number of applications has grown steadily, greatly increasing the business opportunities for wide format printing. There are three main areas – graphics, home furnishings and garments.
Wide format digital inks: When should you consider other suppliers?
FESPA
Wide format vendors want you to use their inks but could switching to a third party ink lead to savings? It costs money to keep a wide format printer running so the obvious temptation is to cut costs by using cheaper consumables, such as switching to a third party or after market ink.
