Fespa Digital 2012 in Barcelona exceeds expectations

More than 10,000 unique visitors passed through the Fira Gran Via’s doors, exceeding the organiser’s target attendance of 10,000 for the entire show.

According to Neil Felton, Fespa managing director of exhibitions and events, visitors to the event had been able to interact with a broad range of companies, 80% of which are exhibiting at Fespa Digital as their only show in 2012. “This year’s show has proved that visitors value the chance to embrace new technology and interact with industry professionals,” he said.

“What has also been good to see is the number of first-time visitors to this year’s event,” he added.

HP secured sales every day of the show and Agfa said it had sold every machine on its stand. Johan Suetens, communications manager, said the show had been a success despite the difficult economic climate.

EFI said it had been “slightly nervous” about the Drupa effect on attendance pre-show, especially from eastern Europe, but had high levels of interest and sales from all regions.

THE SHOW REVIEW

Océ adds a new  lower-cost model to its range of Arizona UV flatbed
Océ has launched a new entry-level addition to its Arizona range of UV flatbed printers, the 318 GL. Offering three print modes, the 1.25x2.5m Arizona 318 GL can print up to 18m2/hr in express operation. This speed drops to 12.2m2/hr in production mode and to a minimum of 8.4m2/hr in quality mode. According to Océ, the 318 GL will lower the barriers of entry for commercial printers into high-quality flatbed production.  Customers can opt for the standard configuration 318 GL or add a factory-installed white ink option that enables companies to underprint for non-white substrates as well as over-printing for back-lit applications.According to Océ, more than 90% of Arizona sales since 2008 have been specified with white-ink functionality to open up “high-value, high-margin opportunities”. The Arizona 318 GL will also be available with a roll media option that allows users to print onto flexible media such as vinyl, self-adhesive vinyl, and paper. The 318 GL model enables smaller printshops “the same application versatility” as other Arizona machines at an affordable price point, said Océ.

EFI will continue its innovation
EFI has claimed now is “not the time to stop innovation” after revealing it made 24 sales of its Vutek GS3250LX UV printer since launching it at last year’s Fespa Digital. The manufacturer showcased the 3.2m machine, which features ‘cool cure’ technology for curing at lower UV temperatures. According to Pradeep NS, business manager at EFI, wide-format printers are becoming “short-run lean manufacturers. “With the UV technology bridging cost and productivity barriers, increased substrate capabilities, greener footprint besides direct to print, finishing costs are minimal with faster turnaround time. Print service providers can focus on higher profit jobs and high quality short-runs.

Mimaki debuts its first family of latex printers
Mimaki has vowed to introduce visitors to “new ways of printing” at this year’s show with the debut of its first latex printer and the unveiling of a high-speed dye-sublimation machine. The manufacturer expects the JV400 LX family of latex printers, being demonstrated on stand G60, will be one of the stars of the show. Mumbai-based Apsom Technologies and Chennai-based Lipi Marketing represent Mimaki in India. The company’s entry into a market, previously only occupied by HP, is marked with the launch of two models, the 1,300mm-wide JV400-130 LX and the 1,600mm-wide JV400-160 LX. Both offer a top print speed of 18m2/hr at 900dpi. The machines can integrate with Mimaki’s latest software RIP RasterLink6, which supports the deposition of three layers of ink in one pass, including a base layer of white ink. In another Fespa first, the firm also exhibited its new TS500-1800, which it claimed was the world’s fastest dye sublimation printer. The six-colour machine offers a maximum resolution of 1,200dpi and a top speed of 150m2/hr at 300x600dpi.Incorporating a three staggered array of six piezo print heads, the printer can output on to a maximum print width of 1,890mm.

Fujifilm’s trio of products launch includes a colour calibration tool
Fujifilm has debuted a raft of new products at Fespa Digital 2012 including the Acuity LED 1600 UV printer, an augmented reality app and a colour calibration tool. The manufacturer showcased the Acuity LED 1600, which is now commercially available. The eight-colour machine can print at up to 1,200dpi and offers production speeds of up to 20m2/hr for applications such as posters and point-of-purchase materials. Its new app, Uvijet, has been developed so consumers can interact and edit printed images by scanning an augmented reality (AR) trigger image using a smartphone. Also on show was Fujifilm’s XMF ColorPath Sync. The colour calibration system aims to streamline the process by which printing devices are set up to the ISO 12647-2 standard. According to Fujifilm, the XMF ColorPath Sync was “unique” in the colour calibration tool field as it is cloud-based and not software-based like market competitors.

Epson has unveiled its latest wide-format printer
The SureColor SC-S30600, made its debut at Fespa Digital. It is targeted at commercial and sign printers and copy shops wanting to expand their offering. The four-colour, 1,626mm-wide machine, demonstrated on stand E20, can print at speeds from 7.3m2 in high-quality mode and up to 29.4m2 in production operation. Epson said the 1,440dpi machine enables firms to print a range of work, including posters, signs, banners, back-lit panels, vehicle wraps, interior decorations and exhibition displays on substrates such as PVC, vinyl and photo paper. The SC-S30600 features dual media tensioning points and can use Epson’s latest UltraChrome GS2 inks.

Agfa’s new entry-level flatbed printer was given its international debut
The M2540 FB was introduced . The six-colour UV press can print at up to 42m2/hr on a bed size of 2,540x 1,540mm. It can handle substrates up to 45mm thick and 80kg in weight. In addition to the M2540FB, Agfa is showing its UV-curable Anapurna M2050 machine, Anapurna 2540 FB and printers from its Jeti family range on stand K40. 

GMG premiered workflow automation system aimed at wide-format market
GMG has premiered a new front-end workflow automation system aimed specifically at the wide-format market. The modular system includes SmartProfiler, which can identically align several printers of similar type and enables precision processing of spot colours; RIP, which runs independently from the Editor; and PrintStation, which can combine individual jobs to ensure optimum material use and cutting sequences. All of these elements are fully connected to each other for a seamless automated workflow. 

Esko has given a European premier to the latest iteration of its i-Cut Suite at Fespa Digital 2012. I-Cut Automate ties all the elements of the existing i-cut software together for the first time, automating the entire production process, from design through to cutting.