The new Roland DG 64" wide format inkjet printer VF2-640 features a new TR2 green ink, that when combined with vibrant orange ink as process colours enables “unprecedented gamut expansion.”

Keith Ferrel of Sydney wide format business Cactus Imaging told FESPA TV that automation is essential in ensuring that print service providers can keep up with the competition.

HP Australia’s latest Large Format Academy webinar, titled Make Colour Management easier with HP large format printers, will be held on Thursday 18 June 11am AEST/ 1pm NZST, hosted by specialist Jeremy Brew.

ASGA and FESPA Australia have released hundreds of photos of the entries in the sign industry’s major awards event - which was to have been held last month during the since-postponed Visual Impact Gold Coast trade show. An announcement on a new date for the awards dinner is expected soon. 

Screen's announcement that it will use its close relationship with Inca Digital to develop a flatbed folding carton/corrugated digital press was swiftly followed by an announcement by Xeikon (albeit lacking detail) that it too would release one. Both will use aqueous inks. However, there is already a surprising solution available from a source that is represented here in Australia by Kissel + Wolf. Andy McCourt investigates.

Large format WANTED posters with an image of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg have been plastered around Canada as part of an outdoor advertising campaign by watchdog group Friends of Canadian Broadcasting. The group has praised Australia’s recent decision to require that Facebook pay news organizations for content. 

Wrapping applications, whether on a vehicle, storefront window or interior wall, continue to be some of the fastest growing areas of opportunity in the sign, graphics and visual communication industry, according to a new white paper from the US-based International Sign Association (ISA) and researcher KeyPoint Intelligence. Free downloads are available.

Organisers have decided against rescheduling New Zealand’s premier printing industry awards event and will instead announce the winners in an online event on Thursday 25th June. The awards gala dinner that was due to take place in Auckland on May 8th – with 500 industry delegates expected - was postponed in March because of the COVID-19 restrictions. 

Sensient Technologies Corporation has entered into a definitive agreement to sell 100% of its shares and certain other assets related to the production of inkjet inks by subsidiary Sensient Imaging Technologies, to Sun Chemical and its parent company, DIC Corporation.

“These events have challenged us to think and action differently and become more innovative, creative and dynamic in our approach to our customers,” says Leigh Hooper, national manager display & visual, Ball & Doggett. "Ball & Doggett have an outstanding portfolio of media and substrates that are suitable across a number of COVID-19 signage requirements.”

As the earnings season winds down, industry researcher Keypoint Intelligence has reviewed a selection of quarterly earnings figures to measure COVID-19’s impact on printing and imaging manufacturers over the first quarter of 2020.  Revenues for Canon, HP, Konica Minolta, Ricoh, and Xerox all declined; however, "the general expectation is this next quarter will be the worst of it.”

“While Q2 has been challenging, we have seen the strategy areas of agencies planning for increased activity as COVID-19 restrictions are eased further into Q3 and Q4,” oOh!media CEO Brendon Cook told the company’s Annual General Meeting held virtually on Friday.

“Covid-19 has been incredibly challenging for all businesses and no-one will be immune from its impacts, but such crises create an environment for rapid innovation,” writes Alica Abrams of the New Zealand Sign & Display Association (NZSDA).

Roland DG Australia has announced big savings with its new EOFY specials – including up to almost $4,000 on the TrueVIS VG2-640 and VG2-540. Customers who finance equipment over $10,000 with Roland Rental can also pay nothing for 3 months**.

The inkjet print market is currently worth $80.4 billion and is expected to reach $118.2 billion in 2025, according to the latest Smithers’ report ‘The Future of Inkjet Printing to 2025’.  Smithers identifies key trends and drivers leading to inkjet printing growth.

The design and quality of the labels entered into New Zealand’s premiere printing industry event has wowed judges who said this year’s entries set a new benchmark. Labels made up the largest category in Pride In Print 2020, receiving almost double the number that were submitted last year.

In February, Fuji Xerox - soon to change its name to Fujifilm Business Innovations - completed its $140 million acquisition of IT and print facility provider CSG. As CSG is integrated into FXA, from May 25 on, a 'small number' of positions will be eliminated.

Any doubts about how well the industry would embrace its first virtual expo have been eclipsed with more than 1600 people visiting the Print, Sign, Display & Graphics Virtual Trade Show on its first day yesterday, and orders already notified by some exhibitors.

The industry’s first online expo, the Print, Sign, Display & Graphics Virtual Trade Show, has gone live, opening its virtual doors this morning to provide a wealth of resources on trends, technologies, innovations, product demonstrations, expert commentary and a full webinar program to industry professionals. 

HP and subsidiaries announced fiscal 2020 second quarter net revenue of $12.5 billion, down 11.2% from the prior-year period, with $0.4 billion returned to shareholders. “The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented global health and economic challenges,” said a company statement. 

The Australian Sign & Graphics Association (ASGA) has issued a bulletin to members titled 'The Casual vs Part-Time Employee Distinction ... Chaos Reigns!' that provides “important information for those companies which use casual employees” following the Federal Court ruling that ongoing casual workers are entitled to paid sick leave and annual leave.