Visitors researching their next wide format purchase
On target to be 10% bigger than last year, Sign & Digital UK returns to the NEC in Birmingham (19 – 21 April 2016) aiming to inspire wide format growth.
Sign & Digital UK has a well-earned reputation astheshow where visitors research, discover and purchase their next wide format print and finishing solutions. This year’s show will play host to more than 200 exhibitors from the sign making, display solutions and digital printing industries, showcasing the latest products from leading wide format manufacturers and supplies, including Hewlett-Packard, Roland DG, Canon, Hybrid Services/Mimaki, Epson, Colourgen/Mutoh, KIP, Agfa Graphics, Perfect Colours, Graphic Printing technologies, i-sub, PrintMax, CMYUK and Grafityp.
In addition to the very latest printing and finishing equipment, there will be a wide range of materials, inks and display systems suppliers at the event.
More than 7000 visitors are expected to attend, which is on target to be 10% bigger than in 2015. The show theme ofCreativity, Innovation and Choiceprovides the focus for the 2016 event. Creativity and innovation are key ingredients driving the industry forward, and the wide range of product choice at the show will help businesses to make an informed buying decision.
Commercial printers are perfectly placed to take advantage of the opportunity that wide format offers and entry can be surprisingly cost effective. Suppliers at the show are geared up to guide visitors through the process of adding wide format printing to their businesses, as well as providing advice on how to get up and running, understand the impressive array of applications, and sell the benefits.
Visitors can make the most of a range of free seminars, workshops and exhibitor trails, all offering a unique opportunity to gain insight and learn new skills. New show features are also available to help visitors get the most out of the exhibition experience – with a schedule of live product demonstrations and an online meeting booking facility available to pre-registered visitors in the run up to the show.
Seminars and workshops
Real life case studies, practical advice and new business ideas are at the heart of this year’s seminar timetable. There are five education theatres and workshops, featuring around 35 daily seminars.
TheBusiness Theatrewill host daily sessions geared towards helping businesses grow and diversify, as well as advice for developing new revenue streams. Highlights for 2016 include ‘Understanding Franchising’ from Craig Brown of Signs Express, and the ‘Do’s and Don’ts of Colour Management’ from Antalis. A new addition to this year’s programme will be a series of case studies looking at the practical applications of interior wall décor and innovations, with presentations from Hollywood Monster, Sign 2000 and Vinyl Impression. Visitors will be able to learn practical tips and best practice from specific projects undertaken by these companies.
Returning for 2016, theAdobe Theatrewill be hosted by resident expert, Terry Steeley. There will be free daily sessions on the latest 2015 software editions, including Adobe Bridge, Adobe Totally Colour Management, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign and Adobe Illustrator.
Visitors can take the opportunity to learn about the latest software on offer in theCorel Theatredaily workshops and drop-in surgeries. Designed for anyone in the design, sign making and printing sectors, daily sessions include ‘CorelDRAW Graphics Suite – An overview of new features’ and ‘Working with fonts made easy’.
TheSignLab Theatrewill play host to CADlink technology, which will present a series of seminars focusing on best practice print and cut, displays design and production workflows. Highlights for 2016 include ‘Large Format Printing from SignLab’, as well as a review of key features in the long awaited upcoming release of SignLab v10.
TheSignmakers’ Workshopreturns this year, and will be presented by expert signmaker Paul Hughes. It will offer visitors the opportunity to learn how to get to grips with some of the most in-demand skills and techniques. Covering vinyl application, vehicle livery and wall and floor graphics, these sessions will allow time for a Q&A, and the chance to try your hand at some of the skills demonstrated.
Exhibition trails
Exhibition trails help visitors find the most relevant market opportunities and products at the show. This year will see the return of the successfulMaterials World Trail, theTextile Trailas well as theRetail Route.
The trails will showcase state-of-the-art products and services, including wide format printing and finishing systems, giving visitors the chance to meet with a wide range of suppliers and gain expert advice. More information on exhibitors can be found on the show website.
http://www.signanddigitaluk.com
Sign & Digital UK: exhibitor highlights
With news from FESPA Digital likely to affect Sign & Digital UK exhibitor plans but due to arrive after Digital Printer goes to press, the following stand-by-stand guide is correct at time of going to press.
Caslon
Caslon will be exhibiting some of the products in its vast range of finishing and specialised process equipment. These include: the Maxit Adhesive System, which uses a motorised roller coater to apply a very thin, smooth coating of a unique hot melt adhesive for sticking substrates permanently to surfaces such as plastic, wood and metal; FoilTech toner foiling systems, including the latest model, the FT-12; card cutters; and laminating systems (the Solo range).
Colourgen
Appearing at Sign & Digital for the 16th consecutive year, Colourgen will be showing a new range of Mutoh large format sign & display printers, as well as a new garment printer (pictured) – the Mutoh VJ-405GT – which is Mutoh’s first such device. Additional products on display will be Mutoh’s desktop gadget flatbed printer, laminators from Kala and a broad range of media products and Caldera RIPs.
Friedheim International
Finishing equipment specialist Friedheim International will be highlighting the capabilities of a Lasercomb ProDigi NEO 2517 multi-functional digital cutting system (pictured) on its stand. The model is one in a range of larger format machines specifically developed for the demands of the signage, packaging and display industries. It features a modular tool concept and will be demonstrated with a 1 kW milling spindle with tooling for handling several different types of materials, as well as an oscillating cutting unit. Friedheim will also demonstrate how an Audionpack H25 Seal/Shrink ‘Combi’ wrapping machine can provide ‘added value’ opportunities.
Lasercomb ProDigi NEO 2517 digital cutting system
Graphic Printing Technologies
The latest Mimaki and HP printers are due to be on GPT’s 90 square metre stand, which will be divided up into zones such as Mimaki, HP and Applications. Mimaki’s new A1 format UJF 7151 plus printer will form part of the display, alongside that manufacturer’s solvent and UV machines. HP Latex 300 series and Scitex flatbeds will also be there, as will Vivid Laminating equipment and media from Intercoat and MacTAC.
Impression Technology Europe
DTG Digital’s M Series direct to garment printers will be on Impression’s stand, as well as GoTx’s textile printing systems. These can print onto a variety of stretch and static materials up to a width of 2.6 metres.
Innova Art Ltd
The company will be showcasing the latest addition to its product offering, YouTac Textile. Available in both aqueous and eco-solvent/latex/UV compatible versions, this textile media has an intelligent micro sphere adhesive, which Innova said means that it can be applied to almost any surface.
InkTec
Sign & Digital will see the debut of InkTec’s first LED UV printer: the Jetrix LX5 (pictured). This system offers 35% less electricity consumption than a mercury lamp printer, with no warm-up time required, and a lamp lifetime of up to 20,000 hours. It has a production mode speed of 39 square metres per hour (11 square metres per hour for fine art printing). Specially formulated InkTec UV inks in four, six or seven channel configurations are available. Also at Sign & Digital will be new solvent and dye sublimation inks for the Mimaki JV300 printer.
Industrial Tooling Corporation
The cutting tool specialist says it will introduce a host of new products at the show, including its new Folio product catalogue, a range of balanced cutting tools. The range has been extended in 2016 for improved machining performance. The Clearcut range of routing tools has also been extended, with the maximum available diameter now 8 mm instead of 6 mm. ITC’s extensive line of knife tools and blades for CNC cutting tables will be shown at Sign & Digital too.
No-Minimum.co.uk
No-Minimum.co.uk is a web to print platform with high-quality personalised products available from just a single piece. Visitors to the stand will be able to try out the website for themselves.
Nth Degree
A vast array of inkjet hardware and colour management and software solutions are promised on the Nth Degree stand, including models from Roland DG such as the VersaUV LEF 300 flatbed, and a range of consumables, including Fujifilm’s Euromedia branded products and Nth Degree’s own Positiv range of print media.
Perfect Colours
Large format reseller Perfect Colourswill be demonstrating the latest technology in large and grand format printing along with personalised product demonstrations for visitors who register their interest in advance on the website. The company sells an extensive range of printers from leading manufacturers such as HP, Epson, Canon, Jetrix and EFI Vutek.
PrintMax
Hampshire-based PrintMax, the dual authorised reseller of Mimaki and Roland large format printers and cutters, says it will be showcasing best-selling and award-winning UV flatbed and solvent roll-to-roll large format printers at this year’s show.
Roland DG
Although its technology will be present on numerous reseller’s stands, Roland DG also has its own presence at Sign & Digital and is giving visitors to the show the opportunity to enter into a scratchcard competition to win a variety of prizes, from a set of Eco Sol Max 3 inks or a place on a Roland Academy course, up to one Soljet EJ-640 printer that Roland is giving away. Around the Roland stand at Sign & Digital, visitors will find the VersaUV LEF-300 flatbed – Roland’s largest, fastest and most productive desktop flatbed UV printer yet – for the first time. The newly-launched Texart XT-640 dye sublimation printer will also be on show, as will the Soljet EJ-640.
Soyang Europe
The media manufacturer and distributor will launch a new collection of interior decoration materials this year, sitting alongside its textile, signage and graphics ranges, which are suitable for sublimation, solvent, UV and latex printing technologies. The collection includes the European-manufactured Decal brand materials and everything from self-adhesive vinyl to a variety of printable wallpapers. More general sign and graphics products will be on stand, as will new textile substrates, including frontlit, backlit, black back and mesh.
Soyang decal printable wallpaper
Swanline Paper & Board
As the recently established materials division of Swanline Print, Swanline Paper & Board is making its debut at Sign & Digital. It will do so while showing a ‘stunning’ new range of sustainable substrates, it says. Under the Cygnus banner there will be single face corrugated, litho top liners, folding box boards, display boards, foam PVC, smooth twin-wall polypropylene and aluminium composite, amongst other materials. Cygnus Display Board will be launched at the show.
TheMagicTouch
Highlights for the 2016 Sign & Digital from the toner-based transfer printing specialists include WOW transfer paper, which allows decoration of almost any garment or fabric regardless of colour or composition. Other new applications include embossed ‘easy-2-weed’ 123Flex, UV-certified HD Metal for POS and signage, entry level printers and a number of new non-textile promotional business products.
Thinklaser
On demonstration by British firm Thinklaser will be its Lightblade 3040 CO2 flatbed laser engraving and cutting machine, which is small at 300 x 400 mm, and capable of cutting and engraving a wide variety of materials due to its CO2 laser. Larger machines are available up to 1600 x 1000 mm.
Ultima Displays
Ultima Displays is a trade supplier and manufacturer of portable display stands and exhibition solutions. At Sign & Digital UK it will focus on its new training academy, and there will also be interactive sessions where visitors can learn more about the products, take away small gifts and enter into a prize draw to win a major prize.
William Smith
First seen at FESPA last year, Quick Stand – a new LED edge-lit POS display system – will be on show by William Smith at Sign & Digital. Each display panel can be illuminated via a sequencer and controlled animation software, making it possible for each panel to create a dynamic light show.
