Industry News

Leading the Way in Digital Direct-On-Garment Solutions

Rob Older — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 20:00:00 +0000

For this year’s Fespa event held on June 22nd-26th, 2010 in Munich, Germany, Kornit has taken the main lead in the show's textile & fabric arena as the "Fespa Fabric Platinum Sponsor".

Located at the very front of the Fespa Fabric hall, with a 150m2 stand, Kornit demonstrated its entire product line of high-end, industrial Direct-On-Garment printers. Among the exhibits presented at the Kornit booth were the Kornit Storm 931-8 and Kornit Thunder 932-6 high-speed digital printers; the Kornit Paradigm 933 digital add-on station for screen printing carousels; and the newly developed Kornit Breeze 921 entry-level Direct-On-Garment printer which was introduced to Europe for the first time.

In addition to exhibiting their complete line of products on the exhibition floor, Kornit took part in the Fabric Innovation Theater conducted by Fespa throughout the conference. Kornit's session held on June 22nd, 2010 at the Messe München Exhibition Center, focused on the company's recent technological innovations, highlighted by the new Kornit Breeze 921 entry-level printer.

"This full range of Direct-On-Garment printers, from entry level to high-volume production equipment, consolidates our position as the leader of a greater market portion within the textile decorating industry", says Ofer Ben Zur, CEO of Kornit Digital. "With our expanded, all-inclusive product portfolio, we are now better able to provide customers with a selection of choices for their business that is based on their financial abilities and tailored to their specific needs".

Earlier this year, Kornit announced its intentions to expand the company's activity in Europe with the opening of the Kornit Digital Europe GmbH front service and support office in Germany. “I am excited about attending this year’s Fespa Conference, as we have come a long way since first introducing our products, 5 years ago, at this show in Munich", Ben Zur adds. "Kornit's dominant presence at the Fespa 2010 event clearly indicates our strategic path of progression and especially our strong objectives in the European territory".

Kornit Digital will also attend the 2011 Fespa Fabric Show next year in Hamburg, Germany, as a leading exhibitor of high-end, industrial digital printing solutions for the garment decoration industry.

"With the newly addition of the Fespa Fabric section to the show's portfolio, Fespa is by far the strongest industry event in Europe that successfully targets potential customers and industry professionals in the garment decoration market" says Yael Cooper, Marketing & Communications Manager at Kornit. "We are confident that the next Fespa Fabric Show will continue to be a catalyst for innovation and growth of leading textile and garment printing makers around the world".
www.kornit-digital.com

EL GRUPO EJECUTIVO DE FESPA AMERICAS EMPIEZA A DESARROLLAR SU PRIMER ACONTECIMIENTO PANREGIONAL

Rob Older — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 13:44:00 +0000

La primera reunión del Grupo Ejecutivo para América de FESPA se produjo durante la celebración de FESPA 2010, en Munich, con el objetivo de reunir a todos los integrantes de FESPA de toda América, entre los que se cuentan expositores, proveedores de servicios de impresión, organizaciones regionales de apoyo a la empresa, medios de comunicación y especialistas del sector.

El Grupo estuvo presidido por Christian Duyckaerts (miembro del Consejo de Dirección de FESPA, el último por la izquierda en la imagen), y estaba compuesto por Frank Tueckmantel (EFI); Charlie Taublieb [Taublieb Consulting]; Scott Fresener (T-Biz International); Tim Greene (InfoTrends); Michael O’Ryan (Sampco); Nicholas Hellmuth (FLAAR); JR Kraft (Build a Sign). La organización estaba representada por los consejeros Lascelle Barrow, Yasar Guvenen, el Director General Frazer Chesterman y el Director de Ventas y Marketing Marcus Timson.

Frazer Chesterman, Director General de FESPA, afirma: “Creamos este grupo ejecutivo para que sirviera como un foro a través del cual FESPA pudiera atender las ideas y los comentarios reales sobre cómo diseñar un evento para FESPA Americas que cumpla exactamente con las necesidades actuales de todas las partes interesadas, independientemente de si se encuentran en América del Norte, Central, del Sur o en el Caribe.”

“De toda la información recibida, se desprende que existe un verdadero deseo de que se lleve a cabo un evento de FESPA en América que ofrezca una combinación de elementos expositivos bien planificados y presentados, junto con iniciativas educativas que sirvan para compartir conocimientos de calidad. Los participantes no hicieron sino reforzar nuestra opinión sobre los beneficios que podrán derivar los impresores del intercambio de experiencias y mejores prácticas entre los continentes de Europa y América. Al final, salimos con una idea perfectamente clara de lo que FESPA Americas debería proporcionar a los distintos tipos de visitantes y durante los próximos meses nos esforzaremos al máximo para que este foro satisfaga las necesidades de todos ellos.”

JR Kraft, de BuildASign.com, añadió: “FESPA le ofrece a la comunidad de las artes gráficas y la rotulación de toda América un evento completamente novedoso, lo que ha supuesto un claro reto para el mercado estadounidense, pero creo que esto es positivo. A mí personalmente ya me cansan las opciones que existen actualmente y me parece que un nuevo evento diseñado para hacer cosas diferentes y para distintas personas es justo lo que necesitamos. Es lo que denominamos innovación, y como el empresario innovador que soy, creo que esto es algo que debería potenciarse, y con la más absoluta certeza puedo decir que estaré en FESPA Americas en febrero, en Orlando.”

La próxima reunión del grupo ejecutivo de FESPA Americas tendrá lugar en Orlando en octubre de 2010, en la IFAI Expo, donde Frazer Chesterman y Marcus Timson presentarán su ponencia de 60 minutos como parte del seminario Innovate!.

Ya se ha confirmado que el primer evento de FESPA Americas tendrá lugar del 24 al 26 de febrero de 2011 en Orlando (Florida, EE.UU.) y que ocupará un área para exposiciones de unos 8.000 m2 en el Centro de Convenciones del Condado de Orange de esa ciudad. Además, se celebrará simultáneamente a la prestigiosa feria Graphics of the Americas (GOA), organizada por la Printing Association of Florida (PAF).

FESPA AMERICAS steering group starts to shape first pan-regional event

Rob Older — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 15:30:00 +0000

The first meeting of FESPA’s Americas Steering Group took place during FESPA 2010 in Munich. The Group was brought together to represent all FESPA’s stakeholder groups in the Americas, including exhibitors, print service providers, regional business support organisations, media and sector analysts.

Chaired by FESPA board member Christian Duyckaerts (photo: far left), the Group comprised Frank Tueckmantel (EFI); Charlie Taublieb [Taublieb Consulting]; Scott Fresener (T-Biz International); Tim Greene (InfoTrends); Michael O’Ryan (Sampco); Nicholas Hellmuth (FLAAR); JR Kraft (Build a Sign). FESPA was represented by board members Lascelle Barrow, Yasar Guvenen, managing director Frazer Chesterman, and sales and marketing director Marcus Timson.

FESPA managing director Frazer Chesterman explains: “We created this steering group as a forum in which FESPA could listen to real feedback and ideas on how we can shape a FESPA Americas event that precisely meets the current needs of stakeholders across North, South and central America and the Caribbean.

“What we heard is that there is a real appetite for FESPA’s brand of event in the Americas, offering a blend of well planned and presented exhibition features, plus high quality educational and knowledge-sharing initiatives. The participants reinforced our own belief in the benefits to be gained by printers from an exchange of experience and best practice between Europe and the Americas. We came away with a very clear understanding of what FESPA Americas should be delivering for all types of visitor, and will be working hard in the coming months to develop the show to meet these needs.”

JR Kraft of BuildASign.com comments: “FESPA provides the Americas sign and graphic community with a new and fresh event. This has clearly challenged the show market in the USA but in my opinion this is a good thing. I personally feel tired with the current choices I have and I believe that a new event designed to do different things, for different people is absolutely what we need. That’s what we call innovation, and as an innovative business person I think this should be encouraged and I will most certainly be at FESPA Americas in February in Orlando.”

The next FESPA Americas steering group meeting will take place in Orlando in October 2010, at IFAI Expo, where Frazer Chesterman & Marcus Timson will deliver their 60 Minutes to Innovate! Seminar.

The first FESPA Americas event is confirmed to take place from February 24-26 2011 in Orlando, Florida, occupying around 72000 sq. ft. (8000m2) of exhibition space at the city’s Orange County Convention Center. The event will run alongside the established Graphics of the Americas (GoA) show, organised by the Printing Association of Florida (PAF).

'IT’S A WRAP'!: Squeezy International crowned FESPA Wrap Star 2010

Rob Older — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 20:51:00 +0000

30 skilled vehicle wrappers competed in the FESPA 2010 Wrap Cup competition to win the title of FESPA Wrap Star and a share of 182,500€ worth of prizes.

The overall winner was Sander Peerdemann from Squeezy International in the Netherlands, who won the final ‘shootout’ against the three other daily winners.

Sander’s opposition in the grand final came from Harry Schenker of HS-Design Schenker in Germany, Mingo Richter of Blackbox-Richter in Austria, and Dagny Brunne of Brunne Werbetechnik in Germany.

Six expert judges, including Rob Ivers, founder of the PDAA (Professional Decal Application Alliance), shared the responsibility of eliminating competitors on the first four days of the show before eventually crowning the winner.

Sponsors, participants and spectators alike were enthralled by the competition, which grabbed the attention of show-goers in Hall B3 in the Digital area of the exhibition.

FESPA Wrap Cup 2010 sponsors included Avery Dennison, whose technical training manager Hans van den Berg also judged the contest, Mutoh, Mimaki and Digital Designware.
To watch FESPA TV footage of day two of the FESPA Wrap Cup! visit: http://www.fespa.com/fespa-tv http://youtu.be/7foABPcem4g

Post-Event Economy Survey 3 Shows Fespa 2010 Was Springboard For Business Decisions

Hugh Williams — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 21:39:00 +0000

Majority of survey respondents say recession is over; first half sales fuel optimism

FESPA’s third Economy Survey, conducted by FESPA research partner InfoTrends immediately after FESPA 2010, underlines the event’s significance in stimulating and motivating visitors to make significant business decisions. 70% of respondents who visited FESPA 2010 intended to make strategic business investments following their visit, and 80% said they had learned something relating to innovation that they planned to use in their business.

The electronic stakeholder survey obtained feedback from 270 printers, vendors and resellers worldwide, with the split between customers and suppliers being roughly 50/50. 93% of respondents attended FESPA 2010. FESPA’s objective was to obtain an update on major industry developments, ascertain post-event views on the economic situation and outlook for the wide format community, and understand the impact of an industry event such as FESPA.

According to the Economy Survey 3, output dominates visitors’ spending plans, with 45% likely to invest in new or additional printing equipment, with an emphasis on ‘eco-friendly’ technology (40%). Finishing is an investment priority for 25% of respondents, followed closely by variable data capabilities (23%) and workflow software (18%). Interest in printing onto textile substrates is high, with 42% of respondents now planning purchases in this area.

The majority of respondents (57%) now believe the recession is over, though opinions on recovery are divided, with 10% claiming the market has recovered, 28% expecting business levels to bounce back later this year, and 19% stating that the market is unlikely to recover its pre-recession buoyancy. Only 5% of respondents see recessionary conditions continuing beyond 2011.

The first half of 2010 has been a strong sales period for 13% of respondents, with another 30% saying the six months have been better than expected, and a further 42% rating their first-half sales as ‘fair’. Only 15% said sales were worse than expected or very poor. Among print service providers specifically, 44.3% said their first half sales were strong or better than expected.

FESPA sales and marketing director Marcus Timson comments: “FESPA 2010 came at the perfect time to support print service providers in making business-critical decisions, and the high level of global attendance from senior decision-makers is proof of this. This fresh Economy Survey data shows that our community’s returning confidence is founded on solid sales performances early in 2010, and this was reflected in the experiences of the companies that exhibited at FESPA 2010. Vendors across all five halls were very satisfied with the footfall to their stands and – most importantly – the number and quality of discussions being conducted with serious buyers.”

He continues: “Our ‘Catch the New Wave of Innovation’ campaign for 2010 resonated strongly among our survey respondents, and their other answers tell us why. Two thirds of respondents have innovated processes or products to address the downturn, with more than half entering new business areas or niches, and a third making changes to sales and marketing strategies. Close to a third claim that digital inkjet has allowed them to create new niches for their business.”

François Martin, marketing director for the Graphics Solutions Business of HP, FESPA 2010’s largest single exhibitor commented: “FESPA was an outstanding show for HP sales-wise. The exhibition attracted a high quality of visitor from all over Europe, who, for the first time were able to see HP’s new products and end-to-end solutions. With five new products on display on the stand, HP demonstrated that its strategy to replace solvent with UV and Latex is becoming a reality. The HP Designjet L25500 and HP Scitex LX600/LX800 latex printers generated more than 350 new leads alone.”

EFI/Vutek’s experience was equally positive, with Paul Cripps, Managing Director EMEA commenting: “The leads and interest generated at this event have eclipsed any held in the past few years. The number of customers buying second and third units is also continuing to grow. Stand traffic was impressive as we not only had large numbers of European visitors but also significant increases in the number of attendees from the Americas, Asia Pacific and the Middle East. We tracked a huge increase in customer demand for our VUTEk and Rastek printers, but also for our Jetrion UV inkjet label printing press, our remote proofing, web-to-print and business process management software -- as printers in this market are looking to automate processes and expand their business into new markets. FESPA 2010 in Munich delivered on its promise to be the premier platform for EFI to highlight its innovation into the market.”

Michael Lackner, speaking for FESPA Innovation Sponsor Durst Phototechnik added: “FESPA 2010 has fully delivered to our expectations – Durst operates a consultative sales approach, so for us, FESPA affords us the opportunity to both bolster relationships with existing customers and foster new ones. For us, FESPA is the most important show in Europe and has become an annual platform for Durst to launch our innovations.”

More than 21000 individual visitors from 130 countries visited FESPA 2010, with total attendance reaching 32504 visits over five days. 67% of these visitors make or influence major purchasing decisions.

68% of visitors to FESPA 2010 highlighted digital technology as a priority interest area. (Source: FESPA 2010 on site visitor registration data).

First Fespa Fabric Event Gathers Global Community of Garment Specialists

Rob Older — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 13:00:00 +0000

The first dedicated FESPA Fabric event took place in Munich, Germany, last week within the FESPA 2010 exhibition (22-26 June 2010) , putting the spotlight on the latest techniques and trends in screen and digital garment printing and decoration.

Occupying a full hall at Messe Munich alongside four FESPA halls of digital and screen printing exhibitors, FESPA Fabric 2010 attracted 10772 visitors, more than 50% of the total attendance at the FESPA 2010 show. Visitors to FESPA Fabric came from 113 countries, with the highest contingent coming from Germany (40.7%), reflecting the host nation’s dominance in the overall visitor profile for the show. The FESPA Fabric hall also attracted substantial visitor groups from across Europe, as well as Turkey, the USA, and the emerging BRIC economies (Brazil, Russia, India, China).

FESPA Fabric visitors enjoyed a range of tailored satellite features, including the show-stopping FESPA Fabric Live! fashion show, the first of its kind at a FESPA event. Charlie’s Corner, hosted by garment guru Charlie Taublieb, invited delegates to hand-on tutorials on screen printing techniques and special effects. Fresener’s Fabric offered access to Scott Fresener’s hand-picked line-up of sector experts covering a range of topics pertinent to garment and textile print professionals and their customers.

FESPA Sales and Marketing Director Marcus Timson comments:

“Garment printing and decoration has always been very much at home at FESPA and it’s one of the most enduring and creative contemporary examples of a commercial screen printing application. By creating and branding the stand-alone FESPA Fabric event, FESPA’s aim was to give this specific ‘community within our community’ a show space of its own, with a distinctive character, and features that would address the commercial needs and concerns of these businesses. That objective has been met, and we hope that FESPA Fabric will continue to establish itself as a ‘must-attend’ event for this sector. ”

Feedback from exhibitors and visitors to FESPA Fabric has been positive, with many exhibitors indicating an interest in exhibiting at the next European FESPA Fabric event, which will run alongside FESPA Digital 2011 in Hamburg, from 24 to 26 May 2011.
Yael Cooper, marcom manager for FESPA Fabric exhibitor and sponsor Kornit Digital commented mid-show:

“The first three days have been very busy and it’s evident that since FESPA introduced the Fabric element, it’s been even better for us. In terms of visitors, we’re interested in both quality and quantity and have not been disappointed. We’ve seen some very interesting visitors and potential buyers, mainly from Europe, but also those from the Asia Pacific region and South America. As well as generating sales – which are looking positive – the show is a great way for us to make an impression, and further establish ourselves.”

Screen ink supplier Lancer Group’s VP of sales, Mark Dorrington, commented:

“We’ve been exhibiting at FESPA events for over fifteen years and this is definitely our best one yet. We’ve been selling non-stop everyday and have been seeing the exact type of customers that we are looking to get in front of – the buyers from big-name labels, large corporations and fashion houses. We are seeing the world here and have sold roughly a container of our latest ink product to every continent.”

FESPA Fabric Live! sponsor J-Teck3 was attending it’s third flagship FESPA this year. Rosaria Pozzoni, Business Operation Manager says:

“We’re very happy about FESPA’s new direction. FESPA Fabric and the fashion show are innovative ways of reaching people. All of our distributors and customers have come to FESPA and we’ve met a lot of new prospective customers. We have seen a good mixture of international visitors, including Brazilians, Americans and Asians and feel the show has a great atmosphere and worldwide reputation. For our business, FESPA is one of the best shows around. You simply cannot miss it, and we are now really looking forward to FESPA in Hamburg next year.”

FESPA 2010 Awards – Garment Categories

The garment printing categories within FESPA 2010 Awards attracted a wealth of visually stunning entries. At the FESPA 2010 Gala Dinner on Friday 25th June, Indian garment printer AB Screens accepted the new People’s Choice Award from FESPA founder and master screen printer Michel Caza, for its gold-winning entry in the category for printed special effects on a t-shirt.

The awards in the three garment-specific categories were as follows:

T-shirts and other Garments inc Caps

Process Colour
Silver        Afsar Screen Printing (India)
Bronze      Midi Print (Russia)

Single/Multi Colour
Gold         T.Rung Aroon Screen Co Ltd (Thailand)
Silver        Tarun Printing Works (India)
Bronze      Afsar Screen Printing (India)

Special Effects – Printed on T-shirts and other garments

Process Colour
Gold         Studio Reya (Russia)
Silver        Studio Reya (Russia)
Bronze      Midi Print (Russia)

Single/Multi Colour
Gold         AB Screens (India)
Silver        Studio Reya (Russia)
Silver        Afsar Screen Printing (India)

Other Textile Products - Bags, Scarves, Ties and Canvas

Process Colour
Gold Studio Reya (Russia)

2010 AWARDS SHOWCASE THE INNOVATION OF FESPA'S GLOBAL PRINT COMMUNITY

Rob Older — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 12:51:00 +0000

The top winners of FESPA’s 2010 Awards received their prizes at the Gala Dinner at Munich’s Nockherberg on Friday 25th June.

The prize for Best in Show went to Switzerland’s Atelier für Siebdruck for their entry ‘David Schwarz’ in the Fine Art Reproductions, Books and Brochures (single/multi colour) category. The photographer’s images were reproduced in quad-tone and black-and-white and included the use of metallic inks.

The Runner Up Award was won by Russia’s Midi Print for the category Calendars, Postcards, Greetings and Christmas Cards (process colours).

The Michel Caza People’s Choice Award, a new award introduced for FESPA 2010, went to AB Screens from India for its entry in the category Special Effects Printed on T-shirts and other garments (single/multi colour).

Nigel Steffens, FESPA’s Managing Director comments, “This year we were delighted that the awards attracted more than 450 entries from members of FESPA’s national associations around the world. The jury, which consisted of technical screen and digital print experts as well as top industry editors, remarked on the high calibre of the entries, and the excellence of the screen printed entries was second-to-none.

“Encouragingly, a high proportion of award entries came from emerging markets including India, Thailand and Russia, underlining the quality and dynamism of screen print production in these countries.”

Russian printers scooped 19 gold, silver and bronze awards across 11 categories. Midiprint, from Moscow, made a particularly strong showing with a total of eight category awards. Indian printers won nine awards and two youth awards, while printers from Thailand took gold in two categories. Switzerland also featured strongly, with Atelier für Siebdruck in particular collecting 16 awards. Multi award-winning Swedish textile printer Tobex once again clinched three awards.

The shortlisted entries were enthusiastically received by visitors to FESPA 2010, who had the opportunity to browse the entries in an open gallery in the show’s Atrium entrance.

A full list of winners can be found here FESPA2010 Award Winners

Enfocus PitStop Connect takes problems out of PDF transfers for Strandbygaard Grafisk

Rob Older — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 15:27:00 +0000

Smart tool builds communication bridge and enables Danish printer to receive print-ready, preflighted PDF files

July 2010 – Ghent, Belgium – Strandbygaard Grafisk A/S, a leading Danish print company, invested in Enfocus PitStop Connect to streamline PDF transfers from its clients. The software, just launched at Ipex 2010, enables the Danish printer to receive PDF files –already preflighted– directly from its clients. The new streamlined workflow reduces communication efforts by 25-40%, saving valuable time and resources and boosting production efficiency significantly.

Strandbygaard Grafisk A/S, a family-owned and operated print company, has been serving the Danish market for more than 100 years. Like many printers, the company has seen a gradual shift over recent years towards PDF for printing, with more than 95% of files received today in that format. Unfortunately, many of those PDF files fail preflight scrutiny. A series of communication loops between the printer and creative is then required to resolve the issues and make the file print-ready. To solve this problem and streamline the workflow, Strandbygaard Grafisk invested in PitStop Connect which eradicates errors in PDFs before they reach the printer.

“Before we installed PitStop Connect, 25% of PDFs received failed our preflight checks,” says Allan Bernhard, Prepress Manager at Strandbygaard Grafisk. “We spent a lot of time going back and forwards to the client to resolve the issues and this just soaked up valuable time. Now, when creatives attempt to send a file, the Connector first conducts a preflight check. In case of errors the creative receives a preflight report identifying the problems that need attention. In some cases we even allow our creatives to sign-off on certain errors and still allow a file that failed preflight to be delivered."

"Almost every file we receive now is print-ready, and we’ve reduced our communication efforts with customers by around 25-40%," Bernhard continues. "We’re extremely happy with the improved workflow and our customers see a real value-add as well.”

Integration with Switch workflow
The company works with a number of Enfocus solutions – including PitStop Pro, PitStop Server and Switch – for more than a decade. The ability to integrate PitStop Connect directly into the Switch workflow was one of the main drivers behind Strandbygaard Grafisk’s decision to invest in the new software.

“Enfocus Switch is the backbone of our automated prepress workflow for some years now,” explains Bernhard. “Because PitStop Connect integrates seamlessly with Switch, PDF files are imported directly into the automated workflow. And because metadata can be linked to the file, all key customer information such as company name, contact email address, number of copies required, etc. gets imported as well. With preflight now carried out at the creative side, we have a fully automated streamlined workflow: from creation to print – which boosts production efficiency with no end.”

No charge for printer’s clients
Unlike the click-based pricing models used by competing products, the Enfocus PitStop Connect is available for a one-off fee of €3,999 – irrespective of the number of users.

“The pricing model was also what did it for us,” says Bernhard. “We could have equipped every customer with PitStop Pro, but that would have proved too complex and too expensive for most of them and on top they would be able to deliver files to other printers as well. With PitStop Connect, they simply download the software on to their desktop. When they have a PDF ready to send, they simply drag and drop it on to the 'Connector' and press 'go'. They pay absolutely nothing and from our end we know in advance exactly what the costs are.”

Powerful marketing tool
PitStop Connect can also be branded for an individual print company. “We will definitely take advantage of the branding feature,” says Bernhard. “With PitStop Connect we offer clients simplicity and a hassle-free way to get their PDFs to us. It's a real added value for them and we want to ensure they associate that value with Strandbygaard Grafisk. It’s powerful marketing.”

Strandbygaard Grafisk purchased PitStop Connect through Peter Leth Kjær of InProduction ApS, Enfocus’ Danish Certified Expert. InProduction delivers first line of local support for all of Enfocus’ solutions in the Danish market and also provides workflow consultancy services to its clients.

About Enfocus
Enfocus provides modular and affordable tools safeguarding job quality and enabling automation throughout the complete production chain. Innovative solutions improve communication between design and production while enhancing productivity and predictability through automation of routine tasks.
Step-by-step deployment dramatically increases added value without forcing users to completely rethink their way of doing business. Well-known brands include Instant, PitStop and Switch.
Enfocus is a business unit of EskoArtwork and has its headquarters in Gent, Belgium.

About EskoArtwork
EskoArtwork is a global supplier and integrator of innovative solutions for packaging, commercial printing, sign and display finishing and professional publishing. Its products and services help customers raise productivity, reduce time-to-market, lower costs and expand business.
EskoArtwork employs around 950 people worldwide. Its global sales and support organization covers Europe, the Americas, Asia Pacific and Japan, and is completed by a network of distribution partners in more than 40 countries.
EskoArtwork is headquartered in Gent, Belgium, and has R&D and manufacturing facilities in 5 European countries, the United States and in India. The consolidated full year financials ended for 2009 with revenue of EUR 145 million and an EBITDA of EUR 23 million.

Chris Smith Blog Update 12th August

Hugh Williams — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 16:38:00 +0000

Chris Smith Blog Update - 12th August

Well the holiday season is nearly over and I hope all readers of my blog have had time to relax over the summer months. If any of you have been on an unusual or interesting holiday, I would love to hear from you. Those rare and fascinating places that some people visit are always most interesting to hear about. I friend of mine went to the Galapagos Islands and apart from the fact that he showed me far too many photos (don’t we all do this) it really looked an incredible place. The wild life is truly amazing. He cruised then stayed at the Hotel Iguana Crossing and in his words had the “best holiday ever” so please let me know if you managed to do anything like this. I would love to find out about your adventures.

I went on a cruise – not quite as amazing as cruising in the Galapagos – but to the Norwegian Fiords calling at Bergen, Stavanger, Olden and Alesund. All had their own distinctive feel but the prices in Norway are so high. I realise that it is one of the most affluent countries in the world but to pay €9 for a beer is bloody expensive even by UK standards. Needless to say the Norwegian economy did not benefit from my Kroner spend as it was easier and cheaper to return to the ship for any form of refreshment. The scenery however was amazing and fortunately we enjoyed excellent weather on the trip so that was a bonus. Only problem for me is that I ate and drank far too much so now need to lose some weight.

After Munich the FESPA wheels continue to turn and as you can see on the FESPA website coming up this year we have the Mexico show later this month then the Brazil Summit in Sau Paulo (11th and 12th November) and the European, Middle East and African Summit in Istanbul (26th November) followed next year by the FESPA Americas show in Orlando (24th – 26th February) and of course FESPA Digital in Hamburg in May. So FESPA staff will not be idle.

Apart from our big events we continue to support smaller events being organised by our Associations. The next one will be taking place in Piestany in Slovakia on 8th/9th October – this will be the 6th Slovak/Czech Republic international seminar where a good programme is guaranteed and probably over 100 delegates will be in attendance. In London, a round table event for top printers is being organised by Prism on 14th October where the theme is “Emerge from Recession into Recovery Ahead of the Pack”. This should be a not to be missed event for UK screen and digital printers and if it is anything like the last event, those attending will not be disappointed. Taking place later in the month is an event being organised by SERPA in Helsinki – 26th and 27th October – where a full programme is being finalised over the two days. This is also an international event which should be of interest to printers from all parts of Scandinavia, the Baltic States and printers from St Petersburg. One day later (28th) in Ljubljana Slovenia, there will be an international environmental conference mainly aimed at south east Europe states but of course anybody who is interested in environmental matters will be welcome to attend. I hope to attend as many of these events as possible and will be delighted to see any members of our FESPA community if you are able to attend.

In Munich I had the pleasure of interviewing Nicholas Hellmuth of Flaar Reports and this interview is now available to view on FESPA TV. I have met Nicholas quite a lot recently and always find him interesting, direct, a mine of information and a very nice bloke so it was a real treat for me to conduct the interview. His knowledge about various digital equipment is incredible as his knowledge of ink systems. His reports are first class and I would recommend anybody looking into buying a new piece of kit to check out his reports. Clearly for any prospective buyer, the first consideration is what you actually want the machine to do. Having determined this you then need to look at what kit is available to undertake that work. I hear so many tales of “Well I thought it would be right for that job” when the printer is standing scratching his head having realised that the kit they have invested their hard earned money in is not the right machine.

Anyway enough of these tales. If any readers of this blog have any ideas or suggestions as to what you would like to hear more about, then please let me know. I always welcome comments from anybody. chris.smith@fespa.com

Chris Smith Blog Update - 30th June

All the FESPA team have now returned safely from Munich after a very busy exciting show. I was there for 12 days and felt totally exhausted when I got home on Saturday night. However I have now reflected on the show and think it was probably the best FESPA show I have ever been involved in of the 7 that I have attended. It was a really busy time for most of us but I am delighted to say that there was fantastic support on the Association side of things.

We held a meeting with 23 secretaries on 21st and 22nd June working on recruitment and retention issues as well as discussing views on the future structure and operating model for FESPA. Clearly these were detailed discussions but all participated and expressed opinions and made suggestions as to how we could improve things. Proposals have now been finalised which represent a collective view of secretaries and these will be presented to the FESPA Board next week.

Back to the show. It was wonderful to see so many large groups visit the FESPA stand. We had a group of about 60 from Slovakia and Czech Republic, about 60 also from Hungary, as well as sizeable delegations from Russia, Slovenia, Spain and the Nordic countries. In addition we welcomed delegations from China, India, Korea and Japan as well as visits by groups from Brazil and Iran. Other visitors from nearly every FESPA Association came to say hello which was great. This truly reflects the international recognition of FESPA and the stand was always buzzing with people from all over the globe interacting and networking with one another.

Stand activities were always taking place with lunchtime debates, interviews and discussions. I had the pleasure of interviewing my dear friend Michel Caza on 23rd and never cease to be amazed by his interesting and fascinating life which he shared with the audience. He is a truly remarkable man so it was indeed fitting that on the Friday, at the Gala dinner, his considerable contribution to the work of FESPA was recognised by naming the new People's Choice award after him. From now, this will be known as the Michel Caza People's Choice award.

Both the European Sign Summit and Planet Friendly Summit were excellent, well attended events and the feedback from delegates has been 99% complimentary for both. Any members of FESPA unable to attend the PF Summit have been sent an access code to enable them to download the presentations so please do so. There was some fabulous content in there from the four speakers.

During this FESPA show we had great support from Scott Fresener and Charlie Taublieb with TV and garment printing respectively and their attendance at the show enabled us to present them with their FESPA individual membership certificates.

A lot of filming took place with exhibitors and print industry personalities and these interviews will be appearing on FESPA TV after editing and uploading on to the FESPA website.

It was fitting that after a great show, we ended with a fantastic party on the Friday night with excellent food, ample drink, cabaret and dancing to a really lively band. It was a most enjoyable evening and a helluva party. My only regret is that a number of exhibitors who requested free tickets did not turn up nor send apologies. This resulted in much food being wasted and empty seats which we could have filled had we known that the tickets would not be used.

At the Gala dinner, two of my good friends, Lorenz Boegli and Artem Nadirashvilli collected their cash prize awards as winner and runner up in the "Best in show" at the FESPA Awards, along with the winner of the People's Choice award, AB Screens of India who also received a cash prize. When I was speaking with Lorenz during the show I remarked how much I liked one of his entries to the awards (they are all brilliant but there was one I particularly liked) and when I helped him to gather up his entries on the Saturday, he very kindly and generously presented me with this entry. It is now displayed in my living room at home - far too good for the office. This gesture emphasises, once again, how nice the people are in the industry in which we work - really nice people.

Finally, as is customary, the Gala dinner was the occasion to appoint the new President, so Gyorgy Kovacs has now taken over from Anders in this role. I have really enjoyed working with Anders over these last three years during which time he has achieved a lot in moving FESPA forward so thank him for his considerable contribution and passion in guiding FESPA through these three years. I am confident that Gyorgy will continue the hard work with the same passion and energy and want to conclude with wishing him all the best for the next three years and assuring him that throughout this time he will have the full support of the FESPA team at Reigate. Any comments, views or feedback, please contact me chris.smith@fespa.com

Two leaders in screen print discuss how digital superwide format printing has helped keep them ...

Rob Older — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 20:30:00 +0000

When it comes to wide-format printing, transitioning from analog to digital processes is more than just a trend, it’s become a survival technique for many professional printers. Businesses are realizing that if they don’t make the move to digital, they will be left with rapidly aging technology, quality limitations and inabilities to recognize short run efficiencies. In other words, businesses that don’t currently have plans to upgrade, or at least supplement, their analog printing devices to digital systems are betting on old technology.

EFI’s VUTEk® line of superwide format UV digital inkjet printers is a key player in transforming the way we print, as VUTEk printers offer the speeds and quality that print businesses need, as well as the potential for return on investment that makes the decision to go digital a no-brainer. EFI™, with its long-term printing solutions, is leading this analog to digital transformation by providing innovative, customer-focused hardware, advanced workflow software and inkjet inks that help optimize businesses worldwide.

Ford Bowers, general manager of Miller Zell, Inc. in Atlanta, GA and Walter Dow, CEO of Screenprint Dow in Wilmington, MA are two EFI customers that have made the switch to digital with VUTEk UV printers. Here, they discuss their experience transitioning to digital printing systems.

Read more here: Digital Economics.pdf

FESPA 2010 ATTRACTS DECISIVE GLOBAL AUDIENCE FOCUSED ON FUTURE SUCCESS

Rob Older — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 16:06:00 +0000

Record number of FESPA visitors now coming to make decisions on digital

More than 21000 individual visitors from 130 countries flocked to FESPA 2010 in Munich, Germany, last week (21-26 June 2010), looking for innovative solutions and applications to help their wide-format businesses ride the wave to business success. More than half of all visitors extended their stay beyond one day, taking total attendance to 32504 visits.

A record 68% of visitors to FESPA 2010 highlighted digital technology as a priority interest area, compared with less than 52% three years ago at FESPA 2007 in Berlin. This equated to a digitally-oriented visitor audience at this year’s event of almost 15000 printers, more than 50% greater than the visitor audience at FESPA’s last European Digital event in Amsterdam in Spring 2009 (9682 visitors).

67% of FESPA 2010 visitors make or influence major purchasing decisions, underlining the event’s global reputation as the ‘must-attend’ international wide format imaging event for business owners and senior managers.

“There was a very strong sense of energy and purpose among visitors to FESPA 2010”, comments FESPA sales and marketing director Marcus Timson. “From the first hour of the first day, the atrium entrance was bursting with visitors eager to get into the halls quickly and do business.

“Talking to exhibitors and visitors throughout the show, it’s clear that FESPA 2010 has been an event where major decision-makers came with specific business objectives, whether to review particular technologies, meet with chosen vendors, or participate in conference sessions that would deliver measurable value to their business. Printers in this post-recession era are results-driven, singling out solutions that will quickly make them more competitive, help them access new business opportunities, or simply improve their bottom line.”

Exhibitors across all five halls at the show endorsed this impression of FESPA as a show where serious business was being done, day in day out. All major vendors hailed the show an out-and-out success in terms of sales generation and relationship-building, seeing it as a clear indication of the sector’s return to strength after the challenges of the global recession.

Printers from Germany, Italy, Austria and Switzerland were consistently among the top five visitor groups, comprising 12352 visitors in total, an increase on their collective attendance at FESPA 2007 in Berlin. Elsewhere in Europe, the UK, France, Spain, Poland and Czech Republic also delivered significant visitor groups. 40% of total attendance came from Germany, a further 50% from the rest of Europe, 7.5% from Asia, and the balance from the Americas and Africa.

Suntec Singapore To Host Fespa Asia 2011

Hugh Williams — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 21:13:00 +0000

Pan regional event to connect the Asia’s image makers

FESPA will host its next event in Asia from 26 –28 October 2011 in Singapore’s Suntec exhibition centre (www.suntecsingapore.com). The three-day FESPA Asia 2011 exhibition will be followed by a FESPA Asia Golf Day, providing a relaxed networking environment for event delegates.

One of the world leading financial centres and the fourth wealthiest country in the world, Singapore is a natural hub for the Asia region, with a world-class airport and state-of-the-art public transport (www.yoursingapore.com). These assets combine with the highest quality accommodation, facilities and hospitality to make Singapore extremely user friendly for exhibitors and visitors. A cosmopolitan, multicultural city, Singapore has four official languages – English, Malay, Mandarin Chinese and Tamil – making it a welcoming destination for delegates throughout Asia, Australia and Australasia.

Opened in 1995, Suntec Singapore is a world-renowned, international venue with an optimal location for meetings, conventions and exhibitions. Situated in the Central Business District but only 20 minutes from Changi International Airport, the exhibition centre is at the heart of a self-contained events complex and offers direct access to 5200 hotel rooms, 1000 retail stores, 300 restaurants and the region’s new centre for the performing arts, Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay.

FESPA sales and marketing director Marcus Timson comments: “Singapore is a magnetic location for FESPA’s next show in the region. It’s a safe, stable, contemporary city-state with a vital culture of competition and innovation. Singaporeans have a reputation across the globe for the highest standards of organisation and attention to detail. What’s more, Singapore is a contemporary city with thriving retail and leisure sectors driving advanced use of advertising and point-of-sale materials, making it a benchmark for innovative large format graphics.”

Previous FESPA events in Asia - including three successive FESPA India shows and the FESPA Asia-Pacific 2008 exhibition in Bangkok, Thailand - have attracted significant support from international and local exhibitors and visitors. Audiences in Asia have welcomed the opportunity to attend high quality international exhibitions, with FESPA’s comprehensive educational and knowledge-sharing programmes offering access to the highest levels of industry expertise.

Outgoing FESPA President Anders Nilsson will assume the role of FESPA Asia Ambassador, with a remit to build on relationships with regional associate members, vendors and other stakeholders. He will work closely with FESPA’s multilingual Asia event team in Reigate, UK. Discussions with exhibitors will begin at FESPA 2010, and FESPA will launch an integrated exhibitor and visitor marketing campaign for FESPA Asia 2011 in Autumn 2010, incorporating a FESPA Asia Summit event in Spring 2011.

Anders Nilsson comments: “The dynamic Asian market still represents a tremendous opportunity for FESPA. Our associate members in Asia now number 9 trade associations in: Australia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Nepal, the Philippines, Thailand and Sri Lanka with a combined member base of over 2,000. Our Asian community members are very enthusiastic about the FESPA brand, our event concept and the quality of our products and member services. They look to us to create pan-regional events that offer international perspectives, access to market leading suppliers, and educational programmes that meet their specific needs as fast-growing emerging markets. With FESPA Asia 2011, we will continue to expand FESPA’s global connected community, and reinforce the direct value that FESPA delivers through post-event reinvestment programmes.”

Fespa Digital 2011 Casts Off For Four-Day Event In Hamburg

Hugh Williams — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 21:11:00 +0000

German media city extends appeal to northern European audiences

Plans for FESPA Digital 2011, which will take place in Hamburg, Germany from 24 – 27 May 2011, are well underway, with the exhibitor promotion campaign set to kick off during FESPA 2010.

The show will occupy around 16000m2 (net) in the new halls at the Hamburg Messe, located at the heart of Germany’s maritime city. FESPA aims to deliver a show as extensive as that in Amsterdam in 2009, which showcased more than 300 exhibitors over 14500m2 and attracted close to 10000 visitors.

FESPA has extended FESPA Digital 2011 from three to four days in response to feedback from key exhibitors, who are keen to extend the time available to meet with FESPA’s audience of senior decision-makers from across Europe and further afield. FESPA is holding the square metre price for exhibitors at that of a three-day show, offering exhibitors a significant additional business opportunity at no supplementary cost.

FESPA managing director Frazer Chesterman explains the decision: “Exhibitors make a substantial investment to attend an international show such as FESPA and create their temporary ‘showroom’. It’s understandable that they are looking to optimise their return on that investment by meeting as many prospective customers as possible, from multiple territories and vertical markets.”

He adds: “We see a clear opportunity to use the extra day to attract different types of visitor and add measurable value for our exhibitors. For example, Hamburg is a global media city, and the sizeable media and creative community in the region invites us to highlight the relevance of FESPA Digital to stakeholders further along the print supply chain. We plan to work closely with exhibitors to develop event content for the fourth and final day that will give FESPA Digital a focussed appeal to brand owners, agencies and other buyers and specifiers of wide format print services.”

The fact that FESPA Digital moves to a different destination city each time ensures that the visitor audience is constantly refreshed, delivering new prospective customers for exhibitors to engage with. For example, visitor data from FESPA Digital 2009 indicated that nearly three quarters of all delegates at the show were first-time visitors to a FESPA event. The northern German location is expected to deliver substantial attendance from key European markets including Germany, Benelux, the UK and the Nordic region. Hamburg is also readily accessible to visitors from central and eastern Europe, in particular the growth markets of Poland and the Baltic states.

From 24-26 May 2011, FESPA will also bring its FESPA Fabric ‘event-within-an-event’ to Hamburg, delivering a dedicated three-day event for European garment printers and decorators, featuring a Fabric Live! fashion show and other satellite initiatives of the type seen at FESPA Fabric 2010 in Munich. The show will occupy 5000m2 in Hall B1, which is adjacent to FESPA Digital 2011, linked to the main show by a walkway between the two areas of the exhibition centre. FESPA Fabric 2011 will be the only pan-European exhibition addressing this audience in 2011.

FESPA will also stage its third FESPA Digital Textile Conference alongside the FESPA Digital 2011 event.

Fespa Launches Fespa Americas Event To Expand Global Connected Wide-Format Community

Hugh Williams — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 21:10:00 +0000

Exhibitors and print service providers embrace plans for high quality pan-regional event

The first FESPA Americas event is confirmed to take place from February 24-26 2011 in Orlando, Florida, occupying around 72000 sq. ft. (8000m2) of exhibition space at the city’s Orange County Convention Center.

The event will run alongside the established Graphics of the Americas (GoA) show, organised by the Printing Association of Florida (PAF). FESPA Americas 2011 will be a pan-regional event, targeting audiences from the commercial and wide format print community in the United States, the Caribbean, and Central and South America, and will include visitor programmes in English and Spanish.

The first FESPA-branded exhibition to take place in North America, FESPA Americas 2011 is further demonstration of FESPA’s strategic commitment to become the world’s leading global connected community of wide format imaging professionals.

FESPA has received positive feedback from vendors and print service providers since its intentions regarding FESPA Americas were first communicated in March 2010, then pending conclusion of FESPA’s negotiations with PAF. Many exhibitors have already signalled their intention to participate, and FESPA has received numerous approaches from US-based business support organisations keen to contribute to the event.

FESPA board member Christian Duyckaerts will chair a FESPA Americas steering group involving prominent members of the regional wide-format community, the first meeting of which will take place during FESPA 2010 in Munich. Fellow board members Yasar Guvenen and Lascelle Barrow will take responsibility for development of relationships with associations and printers in the regions.

A FESPA Americas exhibitor forum will be held in Orlando, Florida in October 2010 to coincide with the IFAI graphics conference (27-29 October 2010), at which FESPA will deliver a keynote presentation.

FESPA managing director Frazer Chesterman explains: “The time is right for FESPA Americas. Coming out of the worst recession of the post-war era, entrepreneurs on either side of the Atlantic agree that the rules of engagement have changed, and that success will be founded on an open attitude to innovation in all areas of the business.

“We operate now in a global economy where the greatest threats and opportunities come irrespective of national boundaries. This means that entrepreneurs have a great deal to gain from exchanging ideas across continents. As a business support organisation with an increasingly global footprint, we’re confident that FESPA can add significant value for printers in the Americas, complementing the events currently available to PSPs in the region.”

FESPA Americas will build on the success of two key FESPA events which have been established over the last three years to meet the needs of wide format printers in the region. FESPA Mexico, acquired and re-branded by FESPA in 2007, is now in its third year and has grown by some 30% in terms of exhibitor participation and visitor attendance, establishing itself as the premier wide format event for Central America. FESPA Mexico 2010 runs from 26-28 August 2010 at Centro Banamex, Mexico City. FESPA has also established a coveted industry awards scheme for the Mexican community, now in its second year.

FESPA’s Global Summit took place in Miami in Spring 2010, bringing together print service providers from both sides of the Atlantic. The event received glowing reviews from all delegates, who recognised the tremendous commercial value of exchanging knowledge and best practice with colleagues from other regions. In specific areas such as environmental sustainability, and in applications such as digital textile, American delegates readily acknowledged that the European market offers valuable examples of best practice.

Frazer Chesterman adds: “FESPA has earned a reputation for offering professionally executed, multi-faceted events, enhanced with compelling satellite event programmes. Our overriding aims with any show are to deliver fresh audiences for our exhibitors, and to optimise the return on investment for printers who commit valuable time to attend. Visitors to FESPA events tell us that they feel the American market will benefit from a ‘FESPA quality’ event, where they can engage with US and European providers of solutions for wide format digital, screen and textile printing, and experience an engaging knowledge-sharing that can deliver tangible benefits to their business.

As well as attracting the wide format printing community from across the region, FESPA Americas will offer GoA’s 9000-strong commercial print visitor base a first-class opportunity to fully explore the proven profit potential of expansion into wide format services.

George Ryan, President of GOA, concludes: “FESPA is a proven global force offering unmatched benefits for the members of its national associations, and for visitors to its well-executed events and activities. The launch of FESPA Americas alongside GoA will give delegates deeper perspectives on their opportunities in the wide format inkjet markets.”

Gyorgy Kovacs Assumes Presidency Of FESPA To 2013

Hugh Williams — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 21:06:00 +0000

Outgoing president Anders Nilsson recognised for significant progress against ambitious corporate objectives

Gyorgy Kovacs will be inaugurated as FESPA President at FESPA 2010, with an official ceremony at the Gala Dinner on Friday 25 June at Munich’s Nockherberg. Gyorgy takes over from outgoing President Anders Nilsson, who has held the position since FESPA 2007 in Berlin.

During his three-year tenure, Anders Nilsson has worked with the FESPA executive team to meet an ambitious set of strategic objectives. Since 2007, the FESPA Digital event concept has gone from strength to strength, with events in Geneva (2008), Amsterdam (2009) and India (2009) attracting significant new visitor audiences. In the Americas, FESPA acquired the established imageWORLD event, rebranding the show as FESPA Mexico which is now in its third successful year. FESPA has also embarked on an active event programme in Asia Pacific, launched a Digital Textile conference to address this rapid growth market, and staged a series of leadership events and Summits in Europe, Asia and the Americas.

The success of these events has enabled FESPA to maintain an active reinvestment programme, ploughing more than Euros 1.5 million of surplus revenues into educational and best-practice initiatives to directly benefit members of the global FESPA community.

FESPA CEO Nigel Steffens comments: “We’re grateful to Anders for the energy and enthusiasm he has brought to the Presidency during this challenging and exciting period for the FESPA community. In the last three years our industry has been substantially reshaped by rapid technological revolution and market consolidation, culminating in a deep global recession.

“Against this backdrop, Anders has worked with the FESPA board and executive team to drive a series of extremely successful global events in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. The FESPA brand is now globally recognised and FESPA events are considered a benchmark for quality in our industry. We have set a clear path to be the leading global connected community for wide format imaging professionals, uniting printers and suppliers on every continent.”

During Gyorgy’s Presidency, FESPA will host FESPA Digital events in Hamburg, Germany (2011) and Barcelona, Spain (2012), and take its flagship event to London, UK, in 2013. Singapore will be the host country for FESPA Asia 2011, and the first FESPA Americas show will take place in Florida, USA, in the same year, reinforcing FESPA’s presence in the Americas.

Gyorgy Kovacs states: “I look forward to building on the work done by Anders and the team since 2007. I’m immensely proud of our achievements, and passionate about the benefits that print service providers can access through FESPA. The growth opportunities for our members have never been more exciting, and FESPA is committed to helping printers meet and profit from the changing demands of brand owners and print buyers. I’m thrilled to be given this chance to steer us through the next stage of FESPA’s development.”

EskoArtwork extends strategic partnership with HP

Rob Older — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 05:00:00 +0000

EskoArtwork and HP join forces to deliver integrated workflow solutions tailored for sign and display market

Gent (Belgium), June 23, 2010 – EskoArtwork (www.esko.com) announces that its partnership with the HP Graphics Solutions Business has been extended to the HP Scitex Large Format Division. In reply to the fast growing need for dedicated prepress tools, EskoArtwork and HP Scitex agreed to co-market integrated workflow solutions specifically tailored for the sign and display market. These solutions include the complete EskoArtwork i-cut Suite, a collection of pre-production design-to-finish software to streamline the entire production workflow.

“In today’s challenging economic climate, service print providers need more than fast, high-quality printing devices to compete,” says Yariv Avisar, Vice President and General Manager, HP Scitex Large Format Solutions, HP. “They also require automated workflows that drive efficiencies while reducing turnaround times and costs. While many companies offer a series of fragmented tools to support the production of sign and display materials, EskoArtwork is uniquely qualified to provide a complete series of end-to-end tools that not only offers support for graphics, but also for the structure and finishing of displays. Our partnership with EskoArtwork brings this critical element to our large format printing solution, enabling our customers to streamline their workflows considerably, increase print productivity and grow their businesses profitably.”

“We are delighted to partner with the world’s leading provider of large format printing solutions,” says Bryan Stringer, Worldwide Business Development Manager Sign & Display at EskoArtwork. "We respect their expertise in delivering exceptional digital print devices to the market, and feel that our know-how in developing software solutions complement them superbly.”

Partnership in action at Fespa 2010

Visitors to Fespa 2010 will have the opportunity to see the new partnership in action. On the HP stand, located in Hall B2 stand 120, they can experience a live demonstration of the end-to-end workflow – from design to finishing – integrating the EskoArtwork software solutions with HP Scitex large format printers. The initial creative design will be performed using EskoArtwork Studio 3D design software. i-cut Suite will show a prepress solution handling files with i-cut Preflight for efficient PDF preflighting and editing while interactive nesting, data and cut path preparation are done through i-cut Layout. Once the layout is prepared, the job will be produced on HP Scitex FB7500 and FB500 Printers, before printed sheets are moved to a Kongsberg i-XL24 die-less cutting and creasing table. Throughout the entire workflow, the advanced automation functionalities of the EskoArtwork Automation Engine, reduce the manual operation to a minimum. It also improves the integration with structural data and allows users to detect errors at an early stage which increases overall quality and reduces costs.

i-cut Suite drives complete digital production workflow

The latest addition to the EskoArtwork workflow solutions, the new i-cut Suite, is launched at Fespa 2010. The software is unique in the industry, as it offers a workflow solution that spans the complete print production cycle: from initial design and layout through to print and finishing. By driving the complete digital production workflow, i-cut Suite ensures data integrity throughout each stage of the process and will even correct errors when detected, resulting in less reworks, minimized set-up times, and faster delivery of jobs.

The full range of EskoArtwork products will also be demonstrated on the EskoArtwork booth, located in Hall B1 stand 270.

About EskoArtwork (www.esko.com)

EskoArtwork is a global supplier and integrator of innovative solutions for packaging, commercial printing, sign and display finishing and professional publishing. Its products and services help customers raise productivity, reduce time-to-market, lower costs and expand business.
EskoArtwork is the worldwide market leader with pre-production and collaboration software for packaging buyers, designers and manufacturers. The CDI flexo computer-to-plate imagers, Kongsberg short-run converting and signage finishing systems complete the portfolio for the packaging, label, signage and display industries.
The company also provides a range of workflow solutions for the commercial printing and publishing market, as well as the Enfocus suite of PDF tools for graphic designers and print production professionals.

EskoArtwork employs around 950 people worldwide. Its global sales and support organization covers Europe, the Americas, Asia Pacific and Japan, and is completed by a network of distribution partners in more than 40 countries.

EskoArtwork is headquartered in Gent, Belgium, and has R&D and manufacturing facilities in 5 European countries, the United States and in India. The consolidated full year financials ended for 2009 with revenue of EUR 145 million and an EBITDA of EUR 23 million.

For more information, visit www.esko.com
All press releases, as well as corresponding product pictures, are available at the press section
at www.esko.com.

Flagship wide-format show opens with best-ever Line up of exhibitors and events

Hugh Williams — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 20:39:00 +0000

SURF’S UP FOR FESPA 2010!

Flagship wide-format show opens with best-ever line up of exhibitors and events

Would-be ‘waveriders’ from the global imaging community are making their way to Munich this week to catch the new wave of innovation at FESPA 2010, the most comprehensive FESPA event ever.

FESPA 2010 covers five entire halls of Messe Munich, 25% larger than FESPA 2005 in the same venue, with over 700 exhibiting companies and around 30,000m2 (net) of exhibition space.

The show matches the last flagship global FESPA event in Berlin in 2007, both in terms of exhibitor numbers and square meterage. Growth has been most significant in the digital section of the show, which is now the largest showcase of digital wide format printing solutions in the world.

The event is divided into clearly signposted Digital, Screen and Fabric zones, addressing the needs of visitors from all geographical regions, producing all types of printed products and at all stages of their technological evolution.

Exhibitor numbers underline growing interest in FESPA as the market-leading event for wide format professionals. The exhibitor line-up includes all the industry’s leading players presenting hundreds of groundbreaking product and service innovations, along with more than 100 first-time FESPA exhibitors. 30% of the floor space is occupied by suppliers of materials and inks, emphasising the growing importance of these elements in the development of innovative wide format applications.

FESPA Managing Director Frazer Chesterman comments: “FESPA 2010 is by far the most significant event worldwide embracing screen and digital processes, and the full gamut of commercial and industrial applications. It provides the perfect environment for printers evaluating how to adapt their business to an altered climate, a changing work profile and shifting customer needs. Signs are that the economic storm is blowing over, and the swell of optimism in our community is gathering momentum day by day. Our own campaign for the show has urged printers to innovate out of the downturn, and those investing their time to visit FESPA 2010 will find all the input they need to plan for a productive and profitable future.”

FESPA 2010 mirrors the diversity of today’s blended wide-format production environments. With 150 exhibitors, screen printing occupies an entire hall, while digital technologies have expanded to fill three halls at the show, reflecting the industry’s dramatic progress to digital production since the last FESPA to be held in Munich, back in 2005.

For the first time at FESPA 2010, the specific needs and interests of garment printers are being met with a dedicated ‘event within an event’ under the new FESPA Fabric banner, bringing together more than 180 exhibitors in this area alone, and offering a dedicated educational programme and Fabric Live! fashion show.

Visitor pre-registrations via www.fespa2010.com in advance of the show exceeded 35,000 from 125 countries with more than 60% interest coming from delegates who had not previously attended a FESPA event.

The cool surfing theme which has dominated the marketing campaign for FESPA 2010 is reflected throughout the show, with the striking wave structure and graphics of FESPA’s own stand (A 269) and the two Innovation Theatres sure to catch the eye of all visitors. Show-goers are met in the Messe entrance atrium by a team of FESPA ‘Lifeguards’ offering information and pointers on how to make the most of their visit. The Surf Shack is the place to buy a limited edition T-shirt as a memento of the show, with the proceeds going to FESPA’s chosen pancreatic-cancer charity.

An action-packed timetable of FESPA Innovate! events is running alongside the exhibition, offering FESPA ‘surfers’ the chance to take part in inspirational and informative sessions on dozens of topics ranging from planet-friendly printing to digital signage, from direct-to-garment to workflow automation.

The FESPA team has gathered together more than 80 independent industry experts from dozens of specialist fields to share their knowledge and insights with FESPA visitors in debates, presentations, workshops, and seminars, and the FESPA stand and Innovation Theatres will be a big draw for visitors looking to plot their path for future success.

FESPA’s printed pocket guide, Innovate! Programme, is available around the show. It offers an at-a-glance summary of this exciting satellite event programme designed to help printers apply innovation to their business. That’s also the driver for FESPA’s 60 Minutes to Innovate session hosted by FESPA executives Frazer Chesterman and Marcus Timson. Those looking for more visual stimulation will find it in the FESPA 2010 Awards gallery in the main atrium, and the FESPA Wrap Cup will deliver some high-speed vehicle wrapping action.

Frazer Chesterman concludes: “We anticipate that FESPA 2010 will be the most significant global meeting of wide format printers ever. Although FESPA’s international community connects in hundreds of ways throughout the year, our shows remain the most powerful way for our members and their suppliers to share innovation, network and learn from each other. We’re looking forward to an awesome week here in Munich, and hope that FESPA 2010 will be remembered as the wide format industry’s springboard to success.”

Invitation to MTL Print Presentation at FESPA 2010

Rob Older — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 21:19:00 +0000

FESPA Munich is approaching rapidly and promises to be the showcase event for innovations in the display production world. MTL Print, manufacturer of wide-format digital ink-jet solutions for this market, will be demonstrating its premium 3.2m flat-bed solution, the Meital 304-D, which incorporates the full range of modular elements on offer in this range.

An introduction to the company, its heritage and the Meital 304-D will take place in a short press conference and discussion on the stand – Hall B3, stand 320, at 3pm on Wednesday 23rd June. Light refreshments will be served, and you’ll have the chance to meet key figures within the company, which includes masterminds behind some of the strongest technology within the industry since its inception.

We would be delighted to welcome you to MTL Print’s event, and would be grateful if you could let us know you’ll be coming. If you are unable to come at 3pm, or to FESPA, but would like more information about the machine, please contact us so we can make alternative arrangements for you.

Brazilian Delegation Goes Full Throttle to FESPA 2010

Rob Older — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 19:36:00 +0000

Sâo Paulo, Brazil, June 14th – The FESPA 2010 show is already upon us and the Brazilian market is already thrilled with excitement to know what’s the next at fabric, textile, screen and digital technologies.

Considered one of the most reliable and emerging markets in industry worldwide, Brazil has been recognized on the last two years as the place to go for entrepreneurs around the world looking for profits, new markets and clients and, specially, a way into the local industry. According to Rui Machado, manager of São Roque, from Portugal, Brazil has been a real “oasis” for the company, differently from Europe, whose results were low comparing to Brazilian profits. This is the sense of most companies that have already found the advantages of investing in Brazil, whether for distribution purposes or installing new facilities.

At FESPA, a group of lead business men and women will look for equipments, techniques, solutions, products and opportunities like no other group before. In order to identify them, here’s a quick list of names, companies and contacts so worldwide companies can easily reach them and get their attention at the show.

Companies: Fremplast, Previtec, Consulado do Rock, Kroky Camisetas, Plastkolor, Sonia stamp, Candido, Saturno, Print Press Suprimentos, Embaplan, Drastosa, Papiers, Atelier Digital, Divultec, Texpal, Sideway, Brandili Têxtil Ltda., DIPROTEC, Elian, Hering, Marisol , ROVITEX, SANLEX, Real Bordados, Reta Importadora , Lunender, Teka,Neotextile, SANLEX, J-Teck

Roland Introduces CAMM-1 PRO GX-640, 64” Large Format Vinyl Cutter

Rob Older — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 19:22:00 +0000

Clevedon, 18 June, 2010 - Roland DG Corporation, the world’s leading manufacturer of wide-format inkjet printers, printer/cutters and vinyl cutters, has introduced the CAMM-1 PRO Series GX-640 64” vinyl cutter.

Building on 23 years of advanced CAMM-1 technology, the GX-640 is Roland’s largest and most advanced cutter ever, setting a new standard for performance and precision across media ranging from vinyl and polyester to Mylar, polyurethane, sand blast, twill and flock. The GX-640 outperforms other cutters on the market today with a new generation of servo motor technology, superior media handling, and powerful integrated design and output software for both stand-alone cutting and print-then-cut workflows. The GX-640 joins Roland’s CAMM-1 PRO cutter range, which also includes 50” and 30” models.

As a CAMM-1 PRO cutter, the GX-640 offers full integration with VersaWorks RIP software, included with every Roland wide-format inkjet printer. As a result, the GX-640 can be paired with a Roland printer to produce custom, full-colour POP displays, signs, vehicle wraps, T-shirt heat transfers, labels and decals with ease and efficiency.

The GX-640 features Roland’s optical registration system, Quadralign®, which reads pre-printed crop marks and accurately aligns the graphic. This allows the GX-640 to automatically contour cut pre-printed designs with precision. At 64” wide, the GX-640 also cuts a variety of media in virtually any size and shape. New powerful servo motors and a “heavy mode” setting guarantee results on the largest, heaviest media rolls, including paint mask.

Roland CAMM-1 PRO GX-640 Features:
・ Supports 64”-wide media, large enough for virtually any job, including vehicle wrap, window tint or paint protection jobs
・ Powerful new servo motor technology and a “heavy mode” handle large, heavy media rolls, including sand blast materials
・ New “pre-feed” function ensures proper feeding of heavy media by automatically drawing one metre of media through the device before cutting
・ High-performance cutting speed and blade force for precision handling of a wide range of media, including long rolls of thick and thin materials
・ Full integration with VersaWorks, Roland’s easy-to-use RIP software, for pairing with our inkjet printers
 Cutting data for pre-printed graphics is output from VersaWorks directly to the GX-640
 The GX-640 recognises printed crop marks, making it fast and easy to contour cut full-colour graphics
・ Includes CutStudio, Roland’s feature-rich design software
Roland CutStudio Software
CAMM-1 PRO cutters come with the latest version of CutStudio, Roland’s powerful, easy-to-use design software. With CutStudio, users can draw sophisticated graphics in this vector based programme and also import photos and graphics in jpg or bmp. CutStudio is compatible with Windows 7/VISTA/XP and includes plug-in software for Adobe® Illustrator® CS2/CS3/CS4, CorelDRAW® X3/X4/X5 for Windows, and Adobe® Illustrator® CS2/CS3/CS4 for Mac. As a result, users of these programs can send data directly to the CAMM-1 PRO.
Follow Roland DG on Twitter – rolanddguk.
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Notes to Editors

Roland DG Corporation
Roland DG Corporation is a leading worldwide manufacturer of inkjet devices, milling and engraving machines, vinyl cutters, 3D scanners, a jewellery wax model maker and photo impact printers. Roland pioneered the development of Print&Cut technology and today is the number one brand of Print&Cut devices with more than 73,000 sold worldwide.* In addition, the company markets software and other components that provide professionals with complete solutions. Roland DG's "Digital Value Engineering" (DVE) employs the latest digital technology to improve the company's business workflow processes. Integral to DVE, Roland DG has replaced its conventional production lines with a digitally-controlled system entitled Digital Yatai. Roland's Digital Yatai production technology features guided on-screen instructions and other automated systems that enable individuals to produce Roland inkjet printers and other products in an unassisted manner while preventing human errors. Roland DG is ISO 14001:2004 and ISO 9001:2000 certified. The company strives to preserve environmental protection while maintaining the highest quality standards.

*The number of installed units as of February 27, 2009.

Roland DG Corporation (TSE symbol 6789) - First Section, Tokyo Stock Exchange
URL: www.rolanddg.co.uk; www.rolanddg.ie; www.rolanddg.com
Phone: 0845 230 90 60; 00353 (0) 1 4845986; +81 (0)53-484-1201
Fax: 01275 335541; +81 (0)53-484-1216

Media contacts
Johanna Probert
Senior Marketing Executive
Roland DG (UK) Ltd
tel. +44 (0)1275 335554
email: johanna.probert@rolanddg.co.uk
web: www.rolanddg.co.uk

Networking and lunch opportunity at FESPA 2010: Invitation to Secabo's "Bavarian ...

Rob Older — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 18:47:00 +0000

Complementing its in-depth expertise and many new sign making products, sign making hardware manufacturer Secabo (www.secabo.com) will also be showcasing its Bavarian hospitality at FESPA 2010. Throughout the event, the company invites visitors to sample the spread of Bavarian delicacies at its stand from 10 p.m. to 5 p.m. (Hall A2, Stand 468). Any interested fair visitor may attend: both customers and members of the press are welcome.

"As an international company based in Upper Bavaria, we are not only keen to present our innovative sign making solutions to the international clientele attending FESPA, but we also want to give them a taste of our Bavarian culture. After all: FESPA 2010 is being held on our home turf," comments Fabian Franke, Secabo's Managing Director.

Visitors may sample the Bavarian specialities free of charge. Those interested in attending may choose between enjoying white sausage and soft pretzels at the Bavarian Brunch (10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.) or sampling hot Bavarian delicacies from the Bavarian Lunch Menu, served between 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. In the afternoon, hungry fair visitors can restore their energy levels with "Coffee & Cake" from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Since physical space is limited, the offer is open to a maximum of 25 visitors per day. Please make your reservations as soon as possible by sending an email to elke.ruppert@wbpr.de.

FESPA Halls Colour...RED!

Rob Older — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 15:00:00 +0000

Labate&Co’s first ever presence at Fespa 2010 will not go by unnoticed. A striking campaign is set up to introduce the brand name of Labate&Co, to get traffic to the Labate&Co website and to get Labate&Co’s corporate image (people’s profiles) introduced and top of mind in the shortest possible time.

During the full time of the show, models will distribute red coloured scarfs on the Labate&Co booth to the Fespa visitors. Visitors will be asked to keep the scarf on during the day until one of our photographers picks them out of the crowd and takes a profile picture. The picture is uploaded overnight on the Labate&Co FESPA website.

When surfing to the website, the person photographed can search for his/her profile, print it, send it to a friend etc. All the profile picture together will form a picture on its own. Every visitor who’s having his/her profile uploaded can win the 20.000 € valued 4 day VIP-trip to Paris for himself/herself, his/her partner and 6 of his/her best friends. Labate&Co is looking forward to see the halls colour red!

At LABATE & CO, we have made it our mission to realize every company's dream of a distinctive and striking profile. With unique solutions exactly tailored to the specific requirements of our customers. For banner lifts, lecture halls, trade fair stands, events, retail outlets or shop windows, with a focus on producing innovative carrier systems for large-format digital images.

MEDIA CONTACT PERSON: BART HENAU
PHONE NUMBER: +32 (0) 489-545.630
EMAIL: b.henau@labateandco.com

INX Digital to roll out new products at FESPA

Rob Older — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 18:56:00 +0000

San Leandro, CA – June 9, 2010 – Introducing new products to the market requires a sizeable amount of time and money to research, develop and promote. That is standard operating procedure for INX Digital International Co., but the company is taking it to another level for FESPA by expanding capabilities for the OEM, Industrial and Aftermarket channels. The June 22-26 event in Munich, Germany, will mark the European debut of the company’s new Silver ink, as well as the launch of a new textile ink, the Eco Bulk ink delivery system and EVOLVE® Advanced Digital Solutions. INX Digital will have these products and others on display in Hall B1, Stand 360.

“We have been looking forward to FESPA for a long time,” said Paolo Capano, Director of INX Digital Italy. “The anticipation has been building and we expect our customers will be impressed by what they see. For example, the new metallic Silver inkjet ink is remarkable and demonstrates our ability to continue to produce cutting edge technology products. The BIOINX line supports our commitment to developing more sustainable products using renewable resources, and our new Eco Bulk system is a prime example of this commitment. I believe all of our products will be very well received.”

Eco Bulk represents a new type of ink delivery system as part of INX Digital’s Green recycling program. With a unique cardboard design and easy to use, it is comprised of one box instead of five, 440 ml cartridges and the ink is housed within a foil bag. Once emptied, the bag is disposed of and replaced, a more sustainable approach compared to plastic. The foil bag can contain up to two liters of ink, double the current industry standard of one liter packaging and resulting in less waste, but 440 ml cartridges will remain available for customers using less ink. A test program showed that more volume allows for greater consistency of the product being delivered through the network.

FESPA attendees looking for new ink solutions will want to check out the Technology Showcase section of the booth and find the metallic Silver inkjet ink. INX Digital has partnered with Eckert and will expand the opportunity for Silver into the UV curable market this year. It will be demonstrated at FESPA on a Mimaki JV3 printer and company officials expect it will make a direct impact on the label and tag market, in addition to the folding carton segments of packaging.

The new textile ink continues the new dimension of Green products and INX Digital’s commitment to water based products. Designed for use on direct printing with synthetic fabrics with Epson print heads, it offers optimal quality and a vibrant color gamut. It also displays fast drying characteristics on polyesters with minimum 60 percent blends, with optimal ink fluidity and printability and excellent image definition and fastness properties.

The BIO line of sustainable ink products will include the new Triangle AXB superwide format inks to debut at FESPA. AXB uses renewable resource content, offers outstanding scratch resistance and is UV resistant for outdoor use up to three years. Customers will appreciate having the ability to use many of their printers in faster modes with less ink consumption and have a wider color gamut to choose from. AXB will work with a number of printers using Spectra, Xaar 128 and Xaar 500 print heads.

INX Digital will also show the Triangle brand Color Compatible MLD Magenta inks for the Alternative market and the newly formulated HPS 9000 series for HP and Seiko printers. The EVOLVE Advanced Digital Solutions section will be distinguished by three separate plasma TV screens promoting the CP100 can printer, the MD660 UV flatbed printer, and the NW100 narrow web label printer. All three machines give printers the essential products to successfully transition from traditional printing to new niche markets that includes digital printing.

INX Digital International Co. is a leading global manufacturer of inkjet inks for wide format, super-wide and new generation digital printers, and a supplier of printing parts and related services. As the digital arm of INX International Ink Co., it offers a full palette of digital ink systems, advanced technologies and integrated services including chemistry, hardware and software, engineering design, and integration and media. For more information, visit the Web site at www.INXdigital.com.

Chris' first blog

FESPA — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 15:52:00 +0000

May 2010
I have decided to start a blog and will use the FESPA website to relay what has been happening in my FESPA world. The blog will also be about what will be happening in the weeks ahead. My aim is to update this weekly. On occasions the updates will be more frequent but on other occasions it might be updated fortnightly, especially if I am on holiday.

So one week ago (20th May) I was in Belgrade with Peter Kiddell and Marcus participating in a seminar organised by Dusan. It was held at the Belgrade Chamber of Commerce which had great facilities and over the two days around 120 people attended the sessions. The event was also supported by HP as well as a local distributor, Merus.

Apart from the FESPA gang, Mr. Ivan Dimov, director of the company "Business Compass" spoke about "Can the printer still find ways to save and earn?", and there was an interesting talk on the state of the Graphic Industry in Serbia, with “Current conditions in business and trends” delivered by Mr. Mirko Prlja, Graphic industry Secretary of Serbian Chamber of Commerce. As usual, both Peter and Marcus delivered very professional presentations which were well received. A few delegates even came to thank Peter personally after the lectures. They must have been members of his fan club!

For Peter and me it was an opportunity to once again meet up with Simon Goldsack (HP) who we have worked with on occasions in the past. I am sure we will do so again in the future.

Last week I was fortunate to be representing FESPA at the Print forum in Slovenia (along with Gyorgy and of course Edo and David), where the theme was Innovation (fitting in nicely with FESPA’s own message for Munich). At this forum, you can virtually guarantee there will always be something innovative and new taking place and with our old friend Dr. Nicholas Hellmuth from Flaar in attendance, there were of course some very interesting sessions including an update on new Flaar reports.

Nicholas will be at FESPA in Munich - so if you get the chance to speak to him about things digital, please do so. He will probably overwhelm you with the depth of his knowledge but he does know his stuff. By the way, I hope that before Munich I can bring you some exciting news of an initiative between FESPA and Flaar so watch this space.

Also participating in the forum was Karl-Heinz Ebner from SepiaX, manufacturers of a waterbased resin ink that would appear to be just about the most environmentally friendly ink you can buy. Many ink manufacturers claim to be green but some of the claims are more greenwash than reality. Sepiax claim, and Nicholas has confirmed following tests, that the ink will adhere to any substrate from tissue to wood, plastic and metal. It is that versatile. Last year Sepiax were not in Amsterdam (the Sepiax products were on the verge of being launched) but they will be in Munich B3/125. They now seem to be holding their own in these very environmentally demanding times and in my view, they have a fantastic product that could revolutionise digital printing. Sadly they do not manufacturer screen inks – yet!!!!! Check out their website at www.sepiax.com for more information.

Iarigai, is perhaps an organisation not known by many of you, but it is an International Organisation supporting Print and Media Research by bringing together research organisations - institutes, companies and universities from all around the world. They do tremendous work, much of it benefitting printers, but in Ljubjlana I met Dr Mladen Lovrecek, for the second time in two weeks (we met at Ipex). Mladen is Secretary-General of Iarigai and he presented me with a most fascinating book - “Advances in Printing Media and Technology, volume XXXVI”. This book is over 450 pages and will appeal to anybody interested in the printing process especially since sustainability is a key theme amongst the most prolific professors in our industry who have contributed to this fantastic volume. This book sells for €155 so I was privileged to receive a copy. If any readers want to purchase a copy then I recommend they read the abstracts from the book at www.iarigai.com/publications.This first class book will, I am sure, be a big hit with all those concerned or involved with the more technical aspects of printing.

So this ends my first ever blog. Hope it is of interest. If you have any questions, just e-mail me at chris.smith@fespa.com

FESPA Wrap Stars to Take Home Fantastic Prize Haul

Hugh Williams — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 18:01:00 +0000

The winners of the live FESPA Wrap Cup vehicle wrapping competition at FESPA 2010 (Messe Munich, 22-26 June 2010) will be showered with some fantastic prizes, courtesy of the Platinum event sponsor Avery Dennison, gold sponsor and print provider Mutoh, and other sponsors Digital Designware, Geiger Cars, Mimaki, Rob Ivers, Royal Sovereign, Ude, Cadlink, Eurosystems and DPS.

The top prize will be a Mutoh Rockhopper 3 Extreme wide format printing system offered by the Belgian wide format printer manufacturer, with a value of nearly €18000. Second prize will be a Royal Sovereign laminator RSC-1400H, including auto feeder and rewinder with a value of approximately € 5500. The third prize winner will take home a Mimaki vinyl cutter worth € 3500, while the fourth prize supplied by Avery Dennison is an Apple iPad worth Euros 800.

All the vehicle prints used by the contestants during the different contest rounds will be produced on a Mutoh Blizzard series Eco printer. The printer incorporates Mutoh’s award-winning Intelligent Interweaving technology and is ideally suited for the production of vehicle wrap prints.

Entries are now open at www.fespa-wrap-cup.com for vehicle wrappers wanting to test their skills in competition. Registration costs Euros 200.00, but all participants will take home a prize package worth at least Euros 2000.

The FESPA Wrap Cup is part of the FESPA Innovate! Programme. For more information about the show, and the full programme of satellite events, visit www.fespa2010.com.