Roland’s TrueVIS VG2 series printer/cutters, the Roland Texart RT-640M multifunction dye-sublimation printer and the company’s TR2 ink have won prestigious 2019 Specialty Graphic Imaging Association (SGIA) Product of the Year Awards. Other major winners include Mimaki, Epson, Mutoh, EFI, Canon, HP, Agfa, Kornit Digital, Summa, Durst, Drytac and DGI.
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| Roland DG TrueVIS VG2 |
Roland’s TrueVIS VG2 printer/cutters received top honours in the “Roll-to-Roll/Solvent/Latex (under 80 inches)” category, while the company’s TR2 ink and Texart RT-640M printer were recognized in the “Digital Inks – Eco-Solvent/Solvent/Latex” and “Roll-to-Roll Disperse Ink on Textile” categories.
“Considering that there were more than 200 entrants this year in 72 different categories, having not just one but three Roland products win top honours is quite an accomplishment,” said Roland DGA President and CEO Andrew Oransky. “We’re thrilled to receive this kind of recognition, as it’s representative of all the hard work, research and development that went into each of these offerings.”
The winning products — all produced by PRINTING United exhibitors and available for sale in 2019 — rose to the top of a field of more than 200 entries in 72 categories.
“Our competition is juried, and judges are scoring entries so they can compare products objectively,” said Ray Weiss, director of Digital Print Programs, SGIA. “For example, in the digital output device categories, winners were based on measurements of test prints. This is the only competition I know of that tells companies the percentage of Adobe RGB gamut a printer can hit.”
The measurement reports, which were produced by the Sonoco Institute at Clemson University and follow the same format as SGIA’s digital equipment evaluations, will be on display with the entries in the Awards Gallery at PRINTING United (October 23 - 25, Dallas), allowing attendees to compare printers based on data.
More than two-thirds of the competition categories are for non-output devices — everything from textiles to substrates to software. “The products submitted always illustrate trends in the industry, so we saw an uptick in textiles made from recycled materials and workflow software,” Weiss said.
The full list of winners in the 2019 SGIA Product of the Year Awards:
3D Printers: Mimaki USA (PRINTING United Booth 5216, 5616, 5620), Mimaki 3DUJ-553
Automation Equipment (print/post-print): Omniprint International (PRINTING United Booth 2210), Würk
Automation Equipment — Packaging (post-print): Packsize (PRINTING United Booth 10945), M1™
Banner Finishing (grommet/sew/weld): Leister Technologies (PRINTING United Booth 5004), UNIPLAN 500
Digital Inks — Solvent/Eco-Solvent/Latex: Roland DGA (PRINTING United Booth 4616), TrueVIS TR2
Digital Inks — Textile (under 24 inches wide): Siser North America (PRINTING United Booth 4416), Siser® EasySubli™ Inks
Digital Inks — Textile (wide-format greater than 36 inches): Kornit Digital (PRINTING United Booth 1007), Kornit Robusto Ink
Digital Inks — UV: LogoJET Inc. (PRINTING United Booth 2622), LogoJET H2 UV
Digital Press: FUJIFILM North America Corporation, Graphic Systems Division (PRINTING United Booth 8220), Fujifilm J Press 750S
Digital/Screen Print Hybrid Printing Systems: The M&R Companies (PRINTING United Booth 3016, 3616), DS-4000™
Direct-to-Garment Printers (black shirt): AnaJet Inc (PRINTING United Booth 1800), Ricoh Ri 1000
Direct-to-Garment Printers (white shirt): Omniprint International (PRINTING United Booth 2210), 330 TX Plus
Direct-to-Shape Printers (not flatbed): Inkcups (PRINTING United Booth 2011), Helix Hi-Fi for Photorealistic Cylinder Printing
Display Exhibit Hardware: Birttani Display (PRINTING United Booth 2003), Portable Lightbox System — LUCID 2nd Generation
Heat Press (large-format roll or clam): HIX Corporation (PRINTING United Booth 800), LF-4464
Heat Press (table top): Insta Graphic Systems (PRINTING United Booth 4723), Insta 288 Heat Press
Heat Press Accessories: STAHLS’ (PRINTING United Booth 2600), Hotronix® 360° IQ™ Hat Heat Press
Laminates, Adhesives, Films, Coatings: Drytac (PRINTING United Booth 6224), Protac™ Anti-Scratch Gloss — 10 mil
Laseres/Routers/Cutters (4 feet by 8 feet or larger): Summa nv (PRINTING United Booth 8841), L3214 laser cutter
Material Handling Equipment: Foster (PRINTING United Booth 7844), All-A-Board Lifter®
Media — Adhesive Back (not vinyl): Drytac (PRINTING United Booth 6224), Polar® Chrome
Media — Adhesive Back Vinyl: Drytac (PRINTING United Booth 6224), ReTac® Textures
Media — Banner (non-textile): Ultraflex Systems Inc (PRINTING United Booth 8827), FloorFlex Plus
Media — Dye Sub rigid material: Duraluxe Inc (PRINTING United Booth 6904), SATIN The New Textured Semi-Gloss Aluminum Blank From DURALUXE
Media — Dye Sub transfer paper: Sawgrass (PRINTING United Booth 1805), TruePix CLASSIC
Media — Films: Drytac (PRINTING United Booth 6224), ViziPrint® Illuminate
Media — Heat Transfer Material Cuttable: Chemica US (PRINTING United Booth 626), Quickflex Revolution
Media — Heat Transfer Printable: Insta Graphic Systems (PRINTING United Booth 4723), SiliconeX Custom Heat Transfer
Media — Non-PVC: Drytac (PRINTING United Booth 6224), ViziPrint® Deco SR
Media — Rigid/Corrugated: Mako-Board (PRINTING United Booth 12453), Mako-Board
Media — Textile — Apparel: Fisher Textiles (PRINTING United Booth 8033), ET4000 Board Short
Media — Textile — Banner: Fisher Textiles (PRINTING United Booth 8033), GF4020 Nirvana Purity®
Media — Textile — Canvas: S-One (PRINTING United Booth 6810), Fredrix Metallic Gold Canvas
Media-— Textile — Flag: Fisher Textiles (PRINTING United Booth 8033), DD7701 Primary Flag
Media — Textile — Framing Systems (backlit): Fisher Textiles (PRINTING United Booth 8033), UV2610 Tango®
Media — Textile — Framing Systems (frontlit): Fisher Textiles (PRINTING United Booth 8033), GF4020 Nirvana Purity®
Media — Textile — Home Furnishings: Fisher Textiles (PRINTING United Booth 8033), GF9766 Poly Cube
Roll-to-Roll Direct Disperse Ink on Textile: Roland DGA (PRINTING United Booth 4616), Texart RT-640M
Roll-to-Roll Dye Sublimation on Metal: Epson (PRINTING United Booth 5410, 5610), Epson SureColor F6370
Roll-to-Roll Solvent/Latex (over 80 inches): Mutoh America (PRINTING United Booth 4404), ValueJet 2638X
Roll-to-Roll Solvent/Latex (under 80 inches): Roland DGA (PRINTING United Booth 4616), TrueVIS VG2
Roll-to-Roll UV (over 80 inches): EFI (PRINTING United Booth 8233), EFI VUTEk 5r+ Superwide Roll-to-Roll LED Printer
Roll-to-Roll UV (under 80 inches): Canon Solutions America (PRINTING United Booth 7016), Océ Colorado 1650
RTR Dye Sub on Textile ($50,000 - $100,000): DGI (PRINTING United Booth 8227), FT-3204X
RTR Dye Sub on Textile (more than $100,000): DGI (PRINTING United Booth 8227), FH-3204
RTR Dye Sub on Textile (under $50,000): DGI (PRINTING United Booth 8227), POSEIDON
RTR/Hybrid/Flatbed New Technology or Inkset: Durst Image Technology U.S. (PRINTING United Booth 7816), Delta WT 250
Screen Printing — Automatic Garment Press: The M&R Companies (PRINTING United Booth 3016, 3616), DIAMONDBACK E™ Automatic Screen Printing Press
Screen Printing — Manual Garment Press: The M&R Companies (PRINTING United Booth 3016, 3616), GENESIS™ Manual Screen Printing Press
Screen Printing — Pre-press (exposure/imaging): The M&R Companies (PRINTING United Booth 3016, 3616), i-Image KX™ Computer-to-Screen Imaging & Exposure System
Screen Printing Dryers: The M&R Companies (PRINTING United Booth 3016, 3616), Sprint® 3000 D Gas Screen Printing Conveyor Dryer
Single-Pass Printer: Durst Image Technology US (PRINTING United Booth 7816), Delta SPC 130
Software — Color Enhancement: Electronics For Imaging (PRINTING United Booth 8233), EFI ColorGuard
Software — RIP: Canon Solutions America (PRINTING United Booth 7016), Océ Touchstone Software
Software — Web-based design: Printbox (PRINTING United Booth 12351), Printbox
Software — Workflow / MIS / CRM: Electronics For Imaging (PRINTING United Booth 8233), EFI Fiery JobFlow
Sublimation Finishing: HIX Corporation (PRINTING United Booth 800), CT SubliPro
Tabletop Flatbed: LogoJET (PRINTING United Booth 2622), LogoJET UVx40R 18 inches by 18 inches
Textile — Finished Garment — Accessories: Terry Town (PRINTING United Booth 1601), Sublimated Throw Pillow
Textile — Finished Garment — Blends: Terry Town (PRINTING United Booth 1601), Sublimated Luggage Cover
UV Hybrid ($100,000 - $500,000): EFI (PRINTING United Booth 8233), EFI VUTEk 32h Superwide Hybrid LED Printer
UV Hybrid/Flatbed High Volume Production Class: Vanguard Digital Printing Systems (PRINTING United Booth 8450), VKL300D
UV/Latex Flat bed (under $70,000): LogoJET Inc. (PRINTING United Booth 2622), LogoJET UVx90R 24 inches by 36 inches
UV/Latex Flatbed ($100,000 - $200,000): HP Inc. (PRINTING United Booth 6407, 6416), HP Latex R Printer Series
UV/Latex Flatbed ($200,000 - $500,000): Agfa (PRINTING United Booth 8242), Jeti Mira 2732 HS LM LED
UV/Latex Flatbed (under $100,000): Mimaki USA (PRINTING United Booth 5216, 5616, 5620), JFX200-2513EX
UV/Latex Flatbed +White ($100,000 - $200,000): Canon Solutions America (PRINTING United Booth 7016), Océ Arizona 1380 XT
UV/Latex Flatbed +White ($200,000 - $500,000): HP Inc. (PRINTING United Booth 6407, 6416), HP Latex R Printer Series
UV/Latex Hybrid (under $100,000): Mutoh America (PRINTING United Booth 4404), ValueJet 1638UH
