Ipex info blog
Ipex and its exhibitors will be issuing information regularly in the lead up to the big event, here is some of the latest info to hit the streets:
To view other Ipex press releases click here.
Automation & JDF
CIP4 workshop
PrintCity
Polar
Flint Group
CGS
Automation & JDF at Ipex 2006
IIR Exhibitions Ltd, the organizers of Ipex 2006 and the International Cooperation for the Integration of Processes in Prepress, Press, and Postpress (CIP4) announced details of the Process Automation Pavilion at Ipex 2006. Located in Hall 20 close to the main entrance, the JDF Pavilion will feature a variety of vendor demonstrations and educational programs from a number of leading companies including: AC&C HSH Group, Creo PODS, Dalim Software, Dr Lauterbach & Partner, EFI, ePrint Direct, Global Graphics Software, Heidelberg, Kodak, LithoTechnics, Man Roland Druckmaschinen AG, Quark, Screen, Ultimate Technographics...And more on the way!
These demonstrations will focus on solutions immediately available for implementation and will highlight connectivity between several companies exhibiting within the JDF Pavilion. A full program of sessions will be available at the JDF Pavilion welcoming desk.
The JDF Pavilion will also include a theatre area. Events taking place over the eight days within the theatre will include daily introductions to JDF, its uses, technical tutorials taught by CIP4's Technical Officer and various mini tutorials, but the main focus will be user case study presentations presented by both vendors and users. The emphasis is to provide visitors with ideas for where they may start their JDF-enabled process automation programs, how to go about it, and what the pros and cons are of various implementations. On Wednesday, 5 April 2006 from 13:30 PM to 16:00 PM at the JDF Pavilion there will be a special Digital Printing Integration Forum held jointly by CIP4 and UP3I.
"Ipex 2006 is going to be a great place to learn about how JDF-enabled process automation systems are being implemented," said CIP4 Executive Director James E. Harvey. In 2004 we saw the introduction of JDF-enabled products to the market and in 2005 we saw the end of the 'pioneer wave' of implementers. Now, at Ipex, we are seeing more of what the masses of printers are doing with JDF. It isn't hypothetical and it isn't just for the daring any longer, at Ipex JDF is showing its value in day-to-day routine operations."
In addition to events at the JDF Pavilion, there will be dozens of vendors demonstrating JDF-enabled systems and software at their booths throughout the Ipex halls. Ipex is publishing a special MIS Systems and JDF Trail that will be available at the main entrances to Ipex. The MIS Systems and JDF Trail handout will provide details and scheduling for events in the JDF Pavilion as well as a list of exhibitors showing JDF-enabled products across all the halls. For more information on Ipex, including registration information, please visit Ipex.org. (Please note visitors must register in advance to save the £30 entrance fee.)
CIP4 and UP3I Announce Free Workshop at Ipex
The International Cooperation for the Integration of Processes in Prepress, Press, and Postpress (CIP4) and the Universal Printer Pre- and Post-Processing Interface (UP3I) organization announced that they will jointly present an Integrated Digital Printing Forum from 1:30 PM until 4:30 PM on the afternoon of April 5th in the JDF Pavilion Theater at Ipex 2006 in Birmingham, U.K.
The digital printing segment of the graphic arts is the fastest growing segment to adopt process automation. With short runs and exceptionally quick turnaround times, those printers competing for digital printing business need to be fast and flexible. The UP3I specification (Universal Printer, Pre & Post-processing Interface) and CIP4's Job Definition Format (JDF) are two of the foundations of fully automated digital printing manufacturing.
UP3I provides a standard interface between a digital printer and preprocessing and post-processing devices that are tightly coupled with the printer, even if the components are from different manufacturers. UP3I makes it possible to communicate with all the components in the system - the server and software, the printer, cutter and folding machine - and transmit dynamic controls to trigger changes in cutting and fold formats; resulting in greater productivity through faster setup times, particularly for very short press runs.
The JDF specification provides a standard for the exchange of job information, including customer intent and processing specifications. Together, JDF and UP3I can facilitate the continuum of digital printing from customer order, press setup, production, and status reporting.
JDF 1.3 now includes the ability to track individual elements on a page, whereas previously the page was the smallest job component that could be tracked. Job ganging, file format conversion to and from various file formats were also improved and JDF's consumable identification was enhanced.
"This is a first, a potentially one-of-a-kind opportunity for users and manufacturers to get a complete picture of how these two specifications work together," said Rainer Prosi of Heidelberg and CIP4's Technology Director, "Users in particular will get a clear picture of what to expect from modern digital printing systems and where the future of digital printing is going."
The CIP4/UP3I Integrated Digital Printing Forum is free to all Ipex 2006 attendees. Scheduled for 4-11 April 2006 at the NEC in Birmingham UK, Ipex is the biggest printing and graphics arts exhibition in the English-speaking world. For information on Ipex 2006 exhibits, events and registration, visit www.ipex.org.
PrintCity takes over Hall 1 at IPEX
Creative print products and new business ideas for the graphic arts industry will be at the heart of a unique setting of the industry's most advanced print technology within PrintCity's Hall 1 at IPEX from April 4-11.
The overall theme within PrintCity's Hall 1 will be “Smarter PrintWorks” where ideas to work “smarter” and more effectively over the whole value and process chain will be presented.
Value Added Printing and related technology will be demonstrated in production workflows and cross-functional Competence Centres, which will have the customer very much in mind. Manufacturing and Packaging Integration Centres will feature equipment linked together in workflows for live demonstrations and presentations.
In an innovative project that will take a major step forward from the acclaimed Drupa project, customers will be able to share combined expertise for important market challenges in Competence Centres.
More than 30 member companies and associates will be in PrintCity's Hall 1. Members will link up on complete workflow that include all elements from pre-press to converting, as well as product-orientated presentations from participating companies.
JDF applications will link the Integration Centre to the Workflow Integration where there will be a condensed presentation of JDF. Colour and workflow integrations will be at the heart of PrintCity's Hall 1 where demonstrations will show how the graphic arts industry is becoming fully integrated through automated business and manufacturing processes. Digital integration brings together customers, designers, printers, suppliers and service providers into a virtual production chain.
The ultimate goal is the “smart printing factory”, where each production step responds automatically to the outcome of the preceding one.
John Dangelmaier, President of PrintCity, said: “The innovative techniques and technologies within PrintCity's Hall 1 will be a another example of just how far we have come since our first showing at Drupa in 2000. Printers will have the chance to see how they can provide even better products for their customers through true differentiation.”
They will also support the alliance's key objectives, which are:
Enabling its members to combine in working partnerships and projects to provide value to their customers through the integration of technology and worldwide expertise.
Promoting the value of print as a media to generate increased demand.
Promoting networking within the whole industry to stimulate worldwide co-operation among all partners.
Polar at Ipex 2006
Polar will be presenting its products in a separate section of the stand occupied by Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG at IPEX 2006. You will find Polar in Hall 8, booth 08-A3, centrally integrated in the Heidelberg hall.
With IPEX taking place during Polar's 100th anniversary year, we are presented with an excellent venue to showcase the latest developments in the field of cutting. Ipex offers us the opportunity to demonstrate just why Polar deserves its reputation as the technological leader, particularly in the field of automated cutting processes.
We will be showing the Polar 66 cutting machine, suitable for uncomplicated, low-volume cutting jobs, the Polar 78 X, a high-speed, programmable all-rounder equipped with a 15“ colour display suitable for all standard cutting jobs, and a Polar 115 XT - our programmable top-of-the-line model with 15“ colour display and touch-screen operation, best suited to the most demanding of cutting jobs. All Polar high-speed cutters of the X/ XT-Generation can be networked via P-Net.
Flint Group in Post-Merger Debut at Ipex 2006
Flint Group, created by the merger of European-based XSYS Print Solutions and American-owned Flint Ink Corporation, will make its debut as a strong, new leader in worldwide printing, packaging and colorants industries at IPEX 2006, Hall 5, Stand G 85.
With more than a thousand combined years of experience gained through the confluence of more than 20 companies over the last decade, Flint Group will present for the first time its new combined portfolio of innovative ink and plate products and expert services. The expanded product line covers printing inks for all major printing applications, including coldset, heatset, gravure, flexo, letterpress, UV, narrow web, as well as both letterpress and flexo plates, and digital inks and equipment.
Flint Group will announce several product advancements at IPEX. Among them, Flint Group Printing Plates will present new innovative products for flexographic and letterpress printing. Highlighting the Flint Group Printing Plates exhibit will be the recently-launched nyloflex® ACT, for high quality flexographic printing applications, the newly-announced nyloflex® Gold A digital, the first digital “coating plate” and the nyloprint® WF blue, a new foil-based letterpress plate.
XSYS Print Solutions Narrow Web Inks Division will announce the launch of Lithocure 3G ink, a next-generation UV offset ink for the narrow web sector. Lithocure 3G ink has optimised ink/water balance, and provides excellent printability and colour strength. This ink provides more press time, less waste and improved profitability for the narrow web printer.
Jetrion, the company's fast-growing subsidiary focused on the industrial inkjet printing industry, will present a complete spectrum of inkjet products, services and custom high-performance integration solutions for the printing, converting, packaging, wide-format and direct mail industries. Jetrion's exhibit will feature the introduction of the 3025SA, the first stand-alone rewinder with an integrated UV inkjet printing system.
Ipex Preview: CGS to debut ORIS Package Pro and ORIS Color Server
Signaling the company's continuing expansion, CGS Publishing Technologies International will introduce two new color workflow applications at Ipex 2006, which runs from April 4-11. ORIS Package Pro will be a complete system for packaging proofing, with particular emphasis on flexographic reproduction. ORIS Color Server will be a database-driven web environment for a broad range of ORIS color workflows, including remote proofing, job submission and preflight, digital file processing and much more.
“Ipex is the ideal venue for these two product introductions,” said company president Andreas Kämmerer. “As the premier world event for showcasing graphic arts innovation, it will provide an excellent opportunity for us to demonstrate our expansion into growth markets: namely packaging and Internet-based control systems.”
Adding several packaging- and flexo-specific features to an already-powerful proofing environment, ORIS Package Pro will allow packaging designers and producers to accurately simulate their printed product at every stage of the creation and production process. Advanced halftone screening, substrate simulation and ORIS' well-known strengths with spot and custom color reproduction are some of the features that will be highlighted in the new offering. CGS will detail the product's advantages at a press conference at Ipex on Thursday, April 6.
Also part of the new offering is ORIS' unique ability to work with GretagMacbeth's implementation of multi-channel ICC profiles, or Generic Output Profiles (GOP), which was announced at Print 05. This capability will continue, as an option to the entire ORIS Package Pro offering.
CGS' second product announcement, ORIS Color Server, will have significant benefits for both publishers and print producers. Utilizing a central database and a secure, customizable web interface, the system will provide access to all ORIS prepress workflows, and allow remote users to submit and manage jobs, as well as track relevant activity throughout the system, from anywhere in the world. At Ipex, ORIS Color Server will be used to demonstrate remote proofing workflows, as well as automated preflight and file processing tasks. Details will be made available at the April 6 press conference, as well as on the stand.
CGS will be demonstrating ORIS Package Pro and ORIS Color Server at Stand 6-C20 in Hall 6 of the NEC in Birmingham. Also being shown will be new versions of ORIS Color Tuner, ORISPROOF media, ORIS Certified Proof and CGS' new line of workflow modules for ink optimization, press color management and other essential tasks.
Polar at Ipex 2006
Polar will be presenting its products in a separate section of the stand occupied by Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG at IPEX 2006. You will find Polar in Hall 8, booth 08-A3, centrally integrated in the Heidelberg hall.
With IPEX taking place during Polar's 100th anniversary year, we are presented with an excellent venue to showcase the latest developments in the field of cutting. Ipex offers us the opportunity to demonstrate just why Polar deserves its reputation as the technological leader, particularly in the field of automated cutting processes.
We will be showing the Polar 66 cutting machine, suitable for uncomplicated, low-volume cutting jobs, the Polar 78 X, a high-speed, programmable all-rounder equipped with a 15“ colour display suitable for all standard cutting jobs, and a Polar 115 XT - our programmable top-of-the-line model with 15“ colour display and touch-screen operation, best suited to the most demanding of cutting jobs. All Polar high-speed cutters of the X/ XT-Generation can be networked via P-Net.
Flint Group in Post-Merger Debut at Ipex 2006
Flint Group, created by the merger of European-based XSYS Print Solutions and American-owned Flint Ink Corporation, will make its debut as a strong, new leader in worldwide printing, packaging and colorants industries at IPEX 2006, Hall 5, Stand G 85.
With more than a thousand combined years of experience gained through the confluence of more than 20 companies over the last decade, Flint Group will present for the first time its new combined portfolio of innovative ink and plate products and expert services. The expanded product line covers printing inks for all major printing applications, including coldset, heatset, gravure, flexo, letterpress, UV, narrow web, as well as both letterpress and flexo plates, and digital inks and equipment.
Flint Group will announce several product advancements at IPEX. Among them, Flint Group Printing Plates will present new innovative products for flexographic and letterpress printing. Highlighting the Flint Group Printing Plates exhibit will be the recently-launched nyloflex® ACT, for high quality flexographic printing applications, the newly-announced nyloflex® Gold A digital, the first digital “coating plate” and the nyloprint® WF blue, a new foil-based letterpress plate.
XSYS Print Solutions Narrow Web Inks Division will announce the launch of Lithocure 3G ink, a next-generation UV offset ink for the narrow web sector. Lithocure 3G ink has optimised ink/water balance, and provides excellent printability and colour strength. This ink provides more press time, less waste and improved profitability for the narrow web printer.
Jetrion, the company's fast-growing subsidiary focused on the industrial inkjet printing industry, will present a complete spectrum of inkjet products, services and custom high-performance integration solutions for the printing, converting, packaging, wide-format and direct mail industries. Jetrion's exhibit will feature the introduction of the 3025SA, the first stand-alone rewinder with an integrated UV inkjet printing system.
Ipex Preview: CGS to debut ORIS Package Pro and ORIS Color Server
Signaling the company's continuing expansion, CGS Publishing Technologies International will introduce two new color workflow applications at Ipex 2006, which runs from April 4-11. ORIS Package Pro will be a complete system for packaging proofing, with particular emphasis on flexographic reproduction. ORIS Color Server will be a database-driven web environment for a broad range of ORIS color workflows, including remote proofing, job submission and preflight, digital file processing and much more.
“Ipex is the ideal venue for these two product introductions,” said company president Andreas Kämmerer. “As the premier world event for showcasing graphic arts innovation, it will provide an excellent opportunity for us to demonstrate our expansion into growth markets: namely packaging and Internet-based control systems.”
Adding several packaging- and flexo-specific features to an already-powerful proofing environment, ORIS Package Pro will allow packaging designers and producers to accurately simulate their printed product at every stage of the creation and production process. Advanced halftone screening, substrate simulation and ORIS' well-known strengths with spot and custom color reproduction are some of the features that will be highlighted in the new offering. CGS will detail the product's advantages at a press conference at Ipex on Thursday, April 6.
Also part of the new offering is ORIS' unique ability to work with GretagMacbeth's implementation of multi-channel ICC profiles, or Generic Output Profiles (GOP), which was announced at Print 05. This capability will continue, as an option to the entire ORIS Package Pro offering.
CGS' second product announcement, ORIS Color Server, will have significant benefits for both publishers and print producers. Utilizing a central database and a secure, customizable web interface, the system will provide access to all ORIS prepress workflows, and allow remote users to submit and manage jobs, as well as track relevant activity throughout the system, from anywhere in the world. At Ipex, ORIS Color Server will be used to demonstrate remote proofing workflows, as well as automated preflight and file processing tasks. Details will be made available at the April 6 press conference, as well as on the stand.
CGS will be demonstrating ORIS Package Pro and ORIS Color Server at Stand 6-C20 in Hall 6 of the NEC in Birmingham. Also being shown will be new versions of ORIS Color Tuner, ORISPROOF media, ORIS Certified Proof and CGS' new line of workflow modules for ink optimization, press color management and other essential tasks.