By Ed Avis
The SGIA show is an annual cornucopia of large-format color printing equipment and supplies. I walked the floor on the first day of the show and took brief notes on new things that I think would most likely interest APDSP members. However, the show is big and packed with exhibitors often showing products that are virtually indistinguishable from one another, so I definitely cannot promise that my short list of interesting products below is comprehensive. Also, I made a point of visiting many booths of smaller vendors, too, and I’ve included some of their products on this list, even though these companies may never have market power to make it onto the shopping lists of many reprographics firms.
Canon UVgel – Canon was promoting, though not exhibiting, its new UVgel system that uses pigmented ink in a gel form. Because it’s a gel, the drops are much more precise, according to the presenter, and no drying is required. In addition, there is no odor. Canon says UVgel will be 2x to 5x faster and 40 percent less expensive than latex printing or ecosolvent printing, and will create durable and scratch-resistant outdoor prints. The first version will be a 64-inch-wide model available in the first half of 2017.
Laminators/Coaters
As usual, there were probably more than a dozen exhibitors demonstrating laminators or coaters. Three caught my attention.
Burkle Roller Coater – This roller coater provides an alternative to laminating. The machine,
which comes in 51-inch, 63-inch, and 83-inch widths, applies a thin primer coat or top coat (or both) to digital prints. www.burkleamerica.com
Xyron – This company makes a line of sturdy cold-lam machines and supplies. One of its laminates works without a release liner, meaning there’s less waste and less application hassle. www.xyron.com. http://www.xyron.com
Kala Finishing Systems – The Mistral 1650 from Kala is crafted from a solid piece of steel for remarkable stability. Another nice feature is that the feed table flips up so that the operator can get easy access to all the rollers and media rolls. They are sold in the U.S. by Rolinx. www.rolinxusa.com
Magnet Media - A lot of companies were exhibiting different varieties of media with magnetic backing, and some sold them in complete systems that created easy-to-hang posters/signs. This is not exactly new, but it occurred to me that this might be a nice item for a repro shop to add to its product list. Among the vendors showing magnetic media were Magnum Magnetics (www.magnummagetics.com); Master Magnetics (www.magnetsource.com); Adams Magnetic Products (www.adamsmagnetic.com); and NewLife Magnetics (www.newlifemagnetics.com).
Dietzgen was promoting its acquisition of Magic Digital Imaging, a line of media that includes Museo, Magiclee, and Jet Set. Dietzgen previously converted and distributed the Magic brand; now it’s taking complete charge. www.dietzgen.com
Scanners – Two companies were promoting scanners designed for easily capturing images that
can be subsequently printed. Image Access (http://www.imageaccess.de/) was showing off its scanners, which can, among other things, scan in a 3D mode that shows remarkable texture, a valuable feature for someone scanning fabric, small objects, or other items with details below the top surface. And SMA (http://www.sma-edocument.com/home.html) was exhibiting their giant flatbed scanners designed for sensitive documents, books, etc. The largest has a scanning surface of 48 x 70 inches. A cool feature of their book scanners is the optional robotic page-turning system.
Printers – Naturally, the exhibit hall was packed with companies exhibiting printers. Among them was efi’s new FabriVU 180/340, designed for printing “soft signage”; Mutoh’s ValueJet 1638UH, which features staggered dual print heads to increase speed; the Epson S80600, with new Ultrachrome inks; and the OKI ColorPainter E-64s, which uses an industrial piezo inkjet and dynamic droplet size for better details.
DreamScape Wallwraps – Wallcoverings are a growing market for digital imaging firms; what’s
especially cool about the Wallwraps line is that the prints are repositionable peel-and-stick. Makes for easy installation and quick change-out. www.dreamscapewalls.com