Roland DG Australia has announced a fourth round of 2022 training dates for the company’s successful Roland Academy Online courses - including two sessions for VersaSTUDIO BN-20/BN-20A users. 

Jacob McClenaghan, awarded Apprentice of the Year 2022 at the recent NZSDA Awards, says he’s interested in working in the Australian sign industry to increase his skills and knowledge.

Meteor Inkjet Ltd, a leading supplier of electronics, software, tools and services for industrial inkjet, has developed a new electronics platform to avoid reliance on key computer chips that are in short supply globally. Meteor engineers in Cambridge, UK identified a suitable replacement chip that was freely available in high volume.

Entries for the FESPA Awards, which last took place in person in 2019, are now open to global print service providers and sign-makers, with a new focus on sustainability. Presentations will be timed for FESPA Munich, May 2023.

Label printing press manufacturer Gallus, a subsidiary of Heidelberg, has announced “a landmark pledge” to make its products carbon neutral by the end of 2022. “We recognize there really is no time to waste in bringing sustainability to the top of the agenda.”

Messe Frankfurt, organiser of the DS Printech China trade shows, has announced it will merge the Shanghai and Guangzhou editions to support government efforts to contain the spread of Covid-19 in Shanghai and other cities in China. 

ORAFOL says its new PVC-free films and laminates were specially developed to meet the increasing demand for sustainable solutions in the advertising and automotive sectors. 

Italian paper giant Fedrigoni Group has bought Unifol - an Istanbul, Turkey-based manufacturer of self-adhesive PVC films – to enter the global automotive cast vinyl wrap films market.

Ball & Doggett has partnered with Avery Dennison on a Vehicle Application Techniques workshop to help raise skill levels in the car signage market. Two more workshops are scheduled for this year. 

ASX-listed outdoor advertiser oOh!media - owner of wide format business Cactus Imaging - has appointed Chris Roberts as its new chief financial officer to replace current CFO Sheila Lines, who’s stepping down.

Epson has celebrated its global number one market share status in Continuous Ink Supply System home/office printers with its second TV, radio, VOD and digital campaign in A-NZ fronted by Irish comedian, now Australian resident, Jimeoin. EcoTank models now account for over 65% of all printers sold in the category in Australia. EcoTank for wide format anyone?

Electronics For Imaging (EFI) has installed the 800th 5.2-metre wide EFI VUTEk Q5r roll-to-roll LED printer at Paris print business DécoAder. Melbourne’s Billboard Media last year installed two VUTEk Q5R printers at its facility in Oakleigh South.

Avery Dennison has recently revealed 'Dusted Crystal' decorative architectural window film. The frosted media offers privacy and a translucent light effect for interior spaces, matte and luster finish options, and wet-apply quick-release adhesive that doesn’t stick to itself for simplified installation and removal.

It was with great sadness that we heard of the passing of PIAA (PVCA) President  Peter Clark.  We did business after he established Australian Independent Web - a fine web printer ahead of its time and now a part of IVE Group. His all too brief tenure as President was one of stability, calmness, decency and progress, leading to the imminent merger with TRMC. Deepest sympathies go to Peter's wife Peta and children Richard, Sarah and Luke, and grandchildren Grace, Daisy, Eden, Asha & Michaela.

The New Zealand Sign & Display Association’s annual Awards of Excellence were presented in Queenstown on Friday night. “Wow! - What A Night!,” said the NZSDA. “Congratulations to all of those who took home an award at the 2022 NZ Sign Display Awards of Excellence." Gold medal winners included a cardboard replica of a Shelby GT500 Mustang.

The large format display market is expected expand at a robust annual growth rate of 6.6% from 2022 to 2031, according to new data from global researcher Shibuya Data Count (SDKI), and bezel-less LED panels are the driver.

Roland DG Australia's new VersaUV LEC2 S-Series UV flatbed printers -  available in two print widths, 64-inch (1625mm) and 30-inch (762mm) - offer direct to product customisation plus direct printing on flexible and rigid materials, while the new Texart DTG machine allows for multi-up garment decoration.

Textile printing technology manufacturer Kornit Digital, distributed in Australia by Kissel+Wolf, has forecast second quarter revenue of between $56m-$59m as sales fell 'significantly' below previous expectations.

I go big on vibes. 'Good Vibrations' as the Beach Boys once sang, if you are young enough to remember them! PacPrint, with Visual Impact and Labels & Packaging was full of them - and the data backs this up. Apart from returning to Sydney with Covid, it was all good and there was not enough time to see everyone I wanted to see. Here's my wrap-up from isolation and a little opinion from the heart.

Konica Minolta Australia says long-time customer Revolution Print has expanded its industrial print solution with the PacPrint purchase of a Konica Minolta AccurioLabel 230 and the Grafisk Maskinfabrik (GM) DC350Nano label finisher. 

The Out of Home (OOH) industry recorded an increase of 14.8% on net media revenue for Q2 2022, up from $217.3 million in Q2 2021 to $249.5 million. Digital OOH now accounts for 62.4% of net revenue.