Above: last year’s event. A NexPress will feature again this time.
October sees the second iteration of the Print Efficiently mini-exhibition, held once again at IFS’ west London HQ, with support from Kodak, Apex Digital and a bunch of others.
In the summer of last year Kodak and Komori got together with Intelligent Finishing Systems and several other partner companies to hold a mini exhibition called Print Efficiently at the IFS showroom in Perivale, just off the A40 to the west of London. This went so well that they’re doing it again next month, for three days in two consecutive weeks: 9, 10 and 11 October (that’s Tuesday to Thursday) and then again on the same days in the following week, 16, 17 and 18 October.
The 2011 event attracted more than 350 visitors, including agencies and customers from Scandinavia and continental Europe. It is estimated that orders in excess of £2.5 million resulted from the event.
Pat Holloway, Kodak UK marketing manager said: ‘Last year’s event proved immensely popular with visitors and was a great success for us. This kind of collaborative exercise gives us a unique platform to demonstrate real working solutions and discuss production efficiencies in a far more hands-on and relaxed atmosphere than at exhibitions.’
Print Efficiently 2012 again features Kodak and IFS as the primary partners, this time teamed up with Apex Digital on the offset presses side.
Other companies that will also be participating include Antalis McNaughton (the paper supplier), PDC (finishing), KAS Paper Systems (mailroom wrapping and inserting), J&G Environmental (Kodak’s recycling partner), Lake Imaging Systems (camera based inspection), Roland Digital Group (wide format sign & display), Shuttleworth Business Systems (MIS and JDF working), VPress (web to print) and NEC Monitors & Displays (supporting Kodak’s soft proofing solution).
Round table
This year Kodak is also sponsoring a Kodak is staging a round table event entitled ‘Hybrid Printing – Moving into Digital Print, on Wednesday 10 October. This will be held at Ealing Golf Course, which is very close to IFS’ headquarters, and starts at 12.30 pm. You need to pre-register at the Print Efficiently website.
Bryan Godwyn, joint managing director of IFS, said: ‘With showroom space the best part of 1000 m2 and such a broad spread of high quality partners, Print Efficiently really does offer something special; this is a very solution-focused event. Items produced will range from one-off photobooks and posters, and calendars and crash-lock boxes to printed sections folded and bound into soft and hard-back books… and everything in between. Because we have the benefit of such a wide resource base and there are no pressures of time, it means that visitors really can get to grips with end-to-end production processes that will help them to drive their businesses forward.’
Neil Handforth, sales and marketing director of Apex Digital Graphics, says: ‘this style of event is ever more critical in the promotion of equipment in the graphic arts industry. It is an ideal format in which to promote the latest machine options to busy printers.
What’s on show?
The focus of the Apex exhibit will be a Ryobi 925 SRA1-format offset litho press – an 8-up conventional press that can be created as a hybrid printing solution with the inclusion of Kodak Prosper digital printing heads.’
The Ryobi press won’t actually be fitted with the Kodak heads, which were first announced at drupa in May, but Apex will be able to provide video and handout information on them.
Also shown by Apex will be the ECRM DPP, a compact A3+ digital colour press based on the OKI engine range, fitted with a high pile envelope feeder and end conveyor.
Antalis McNaughton, representing the paper side of things, says it will showcase ‘a huge range of materials,’ with demonstrations of substrates for digital, large format and litho printing. These will include will include the Coala brand of large format digital media and the ‘100% digital, 100% green’ range of Digigreen coated papers specifically intended for small format digital printing.
IFS will have examples from its wide range of finishing distributorships, of which the biggest is Horizon. There will be demonstrations automated all buckle and combination B2 folding systems, automated booklet production and saddlestitching lines with PowerCollation’ plus the BQ-160 & BQ-270 single-clamp perfect binder and BQ-470 4-clamp system, all with EVA and PUR gluing options.
It’s also planning to show the brand new Horizon SPF/FC200L A4 landscape feeding bookletmaker for the first time in the UK, though it says that shipping schedules may mean that it’s only there for the second week of Print Efficiently. Also new in the IFS stable will be the Foliant Mercury double-sided laminator.
KAS Paper Systems is demonstrating its Mailmaster Compact and Mailwrap systems at the event. The Mailmaster Compact C4 Enveloper is an entry level DL to C4 system. It has a lot of the features of the larger Mailmaster 465HS, but with lower cost and smaller footprint, running at up to 5000 envelopes per hour. It has many of the features of the Mailmaster 465HS, including quick changeover between jobs, touch-screen control, folding facility, feeders that will handle from a single sheet to a 7mm book and optional OMR or barcode reading.
Also being demonstrated is the KAS Mailwrap polywrapper, which has been developed to fill a gap in the market for printers and direct mail companies to upgrade from lower speed equipment without having to invest in high speed polywrappers at much greater cost. It handles from CD width to over A4 with a maximum speed of 6000 packs per hour. It can have similar feeders to the Mailmaster 465HS range, giving further flexibility because it is possible to purchase systems where feeders are interchangeable between the polywrapper and envelope inserter.
Kodak will be demonstrating a NexPress SX, the long-sheet flagship version of its digital toner press, at the event. This includes a fifth print unit that can be configured for a spot colour (with new metallic gold, pink options announced at drupa), or spot clear gloss, or the Dimensional clear raised ink effect. NexPresses now feature Print Genius, a suite of control tools and options that help to manage and maintain peak quality throughout the production run. The suite includes closed-loop calibration, and enhanced dry inks and developers.
Lake Image Systems says it will be demonstrating its reading, tacking and control capabilities for printing, mailing, and bindery applications. Using its Discovery Multicam technology, it will be reading and tracking personalised and sequential page sets through a booklet maker process. This can confirm correct collation while providing integrity control and reporting, ensuring every piece is unique, and identifying duplicate pieces.
Perfect Document Creation (PDC) will be exhibiting a new range of Rhin-O-Tuff ONYX punch and binding equipment. ‘This is an exciting innovation in the finishing market’ said Paul Bruton, sales director at PDC. ‘This will be a PDC exclusive, with the ONYX systems being shown for the first time in Europe at Print Efficiently.’
Roland DG will be showing its eco-solvent and UV inkjet print & cut technology with a theme of ‘make new technologies work for you.’ This will include demonstrations of the 54 inch VersaCAMM VS-540 eco-solvent printer-cutter with provision for metallic and white inks, and the 30 inch VersaUV LEC-330, also a printer-cutter, which uses UV-cured inks.
New market opportunities
Mat Drake, Roland DG’s UK business manager for commercial print, says: ‘As a production solution, wide format inkjet is an excellent way to supplement declining commercial print margins and this collaborative event is the perfect place for Roland to demonstrate how easily its wide format inkjet solutions are integrated efficiently into a typical commercial workflow.’
Shuttleworth will be demonstrating its new ‘Business Intelligence Suite’ for its MIS, a set of tools which includes enhanced dashboards, customer-specific KPI’s (that’s Key Performance Indicators), user definable reporting and executive analysis. Web based reporting together with mobile apps let viewers see critical business information wherever they are.
Visitors will also be able to see Shuttleworth’s CRM package, which now includes a new interface based on an Outlook style, look and feel. This makes the software easier and intuitive to use whilst providing a customisable view for each user. It also includes a ‘drag and drop’ capability from Outlook saving time and increasing productivity.
VPress will show its Coreprint web to print package, which will also act as the starting point for the photobook demonstration that will then be passed to other production equipment for output at the event.
‘This year we will be building-in opportunities for discussion and debate, says Mr Holloway from Kodak. ‘We are planning some seminars and forum features to give visitors the chance to ask questions and discuss their business needs. With the range of processes on demonstration – digital and litho, from pre-press to mailroom – there really is something for everyone.’
Where and when
Dates: 9, 10, 11 October and 16, 17, 18 October
Opening times are 10:00 to 17:00 except on both the Wednesday, which are open until 20:00.
Venue:
Intelligent Finishing Systems Ltd
11 Aintree Road, Perivale, Greenford, Middlesex UB6 7LE
Tel: 020 8997 8053
Travel: If arriving by rail, take the London Underground Central Line to Perivale station. If arriving by car, the venue is close to the A40 dual carriageway at Perivale, but don’t try to park at IFS itself as there’s not enough space. Free car parking has been arranged at the nearby Ealing Golf Club, in Perivale Lane, UB6 8SS, with shuttle buses to take visitors to IFS
Registration: www.printefficiently.com
