Andy McCourt covers the ground at VIEE Homebush.
If you thought trade shows are dying, think again. If you thought the printing industry was on its uppers, think again. If you thought you can just ignore Visual Impact Expo at Homebush, NSW Showgrounds between 9-11 Sept; think again.
This show rocks. Speaking with the show organiser and general manager of VISA, Peter Harper - by 2pm on day 1, last year's attendance figure had already been surpassed...with 6 hours of show left due to late night opening. "It's going very well," smiles Harper, "we have more floorspace than last year and we are in new halls 5 & 6 which have better power, logistics and airconditioning. The stands look great and the ASGA/NZSDA Car Wrap Comeptition is underway which is attracting big crowds."
It's hard to disagree; for a first day of show the aisles and stands are busy and as the day draws on, more people are flooding in.
Roland DG, as usual, has pole position opposite the entry. The launch of Roland's monoFab ARM-10 3D printer is opening many eyes to the potential of 3D prototyping but where Roland is unique is that it also offers the SRM-20 milling machine for subtractive manufacturing and engraving. Combining additive and subtractive (printing and milling) expands the product prototyping and short run manufacturing universe considerably. The ARM-10 is a resin-based 3D printer that 'projects' the material from 3D design software - and it sits neatly ion any desktop. How to make 'makers' happy?
Roland general manager John Wall emphasises his company's dedication to creative processes: "We're always on the lookout for new applications for digitally-printed graphics," he says, showing a neat heaxagonal-matrix idea where magnetised printed hexagons can be assembled into decorative panels and murals. Roland DisplayStudio is another initiative to integrate cistomer graphics for multi-purposing and the stand was full of textile, soft furnishing and decor products produced using Roland wide format solutions.
A major announcement was from SCREEN and Graphic Art Martin that Screen's Truepress Jet W3200UV flatbed will be distributed exclusively by Graphic Arts Mart. “It makes sense that we should have a major consumables supplier such as Graphic Art Mart as our exclusive distributor for the W3200UV." says Screen managing director Peter Scott; " They are a growing company with a great reputation and experienced staff. I am delighted to welcome Mark Tailby and his team to the Dainippon Screen family of partners.”
Graphic Art Mart has also recruited flatbed UV guru Michael Liveris to its team, based in Perth, and announced it has added the Fujifilm Acuity Advance range to its flatbed stable; something it did not have before. "This gives us top quality flatbed UV capability from around 22 sq/m hr up to 150 sq/m hr, with industry-proven products backed by great service," he says.
Canonwas well represented by top guns internationally with President & CEO of Display Graphic Systems Atillo Mainoli on the Lions' stand as well as Florian Hohlmann, International Sales Manager for the new ColorWave 900 Memjet-powered 42-inch wide format machine which was purring out 9 metre-long panoramas of the New York skyline in, like, 25 seconds! You have to see it to believe it; wide format at 18 linear metres per second. Okay, real life output is likely to be plan drawings and architectural concepts but whichever way you look at it; the ColorWave 900 is a profit machine epitomised. Present on the Canon stand was Memjet, SanDiego, VP Sales & Marketing of Wideformat Kevin Shimamoto who sees wide format at Memjet's strongest market along with labels.
While on the Canon stand, who should we run into but our old mate Brian Haines, formerly a lifer with the PIAA and now with Longbottom Paper. Colin L. was not far away. Brian looked happy and it was good to bump into the industry stalwart at VIEE.
A surprise exhibitor and always a pleasure to run into was Wal Sadlo's Walcar stand where Wal and his colleague Darrin were displaying the OKI range of printers. Now these babies are not wide-format behemoths but they do print long banners based on the A3 wide format. Essentially, the OKI C941 is a 50ppm A4 colour printer (28ppm A3) but adds white ink and an LED imaging engine that lays the toner down on almost anything. You can print on transfer paper for imaging on T-Shirts, bags, caps, coffe mugs and labels or change the white ink for spot colour or glosscoat; or just pump out A4 colour if you're keen on low profit margins. It's an incredibly versatile little unit that won't even set you back $25K and... wait for it... no click charges!
CPH Group was attracting a lot of interest in its KilkInk system, an alternative to the printer manufacturer's own ink. CPH's Daniel Hornsey showed just how easy it is to convert - slot in a KilikInk cartridge (more than double capacity of the standard 440ml one); click in the 1 liter bottle and...print away. The carts stick out a bot more than the standard ones but, hey, you are getting twice the ink at a discount to boot.
Speaking of non-original ink; the market appears to be opening up with DGS pushing Bordeaux inks for Mimaki and other printers. Ink will continue to be a vexed issue in the wide format industry; if you change to non-original; what are the gains and what are the losses? These are the questions.
EPSON always amazes people at trade shows and VIEE is no exception. Stunning graphics, new applications such as sublimation and a couple of new faces with aeons of experience - Ryan Warby, recently joined from Spandex and Roger Womersley, a Canon/Oce vet and occassional contributor to another trade mag whose name dare not be mentioned ;-). Just kiddin'.
Ricky Richardswins show prize for best big hair with a wonderful blue-wigged saleslady. Perennially cheerful Sales Manager Matt Evans of the Gottleib-family textile company was showing several new media including Signflex backlit and the beautiful Fredrix Crystal Artist Canvas - acid free, water resistant and so archival that the Pharaohs would be proud.
Spicer's stand was very EFI-rich with the new VUTEk GS3250LX drawing crowds, as well as industry icon 'Gazza' Garry Smith. LED UV seems the way to go these days...low energy use; long-lasting lamps and a consistent result for the entire lamp life; which is anything up to 20x that of conventional UV. Fortunately, our Gazza has not gone the way of his eponymous UK footballer namesake; he's still a picture of health!
UV in wide format is reaching into solvent territory and Absolute UV is helping that push with very keenly-priced Chinese-made UV solutions that now go up to 3.2 meters in width. Phonse van Acker from Absolute UV says his machines can also be used for short-run labels where a tough, scratch resistant surface is required. Add a clear coat and they are even tougher. From around $40K who can argue?
AVS showed the all-new Chinese-made Flora UV printers. Flora- isn't that a margarine? Never mind, it still looks like spreading (sorry) - the price is right. Quality of image looked fine; but support is what flatbed UV is all about - we'll see how far Flora can penetrate the flatbed/roll UV market in Australia. It's a sandwich situation out there! AVS do back Flora machines with a 3-year warranty and much componentry is from Switzerland and Germany; bodes well.
Something that is becoming more and more important in wide format businesses is MIS and workflow. As the industry becomes more sophisticated, so new IT needs are demanded. Optimusis at VIEE to provide MIS solutions not just for pure-bred wide format firms but also as extensions for, say, offset printers venturing into wide format but wanting to bring the new sector into the total MIS fold. Con James and Nicola Bisset were kept busy by interested parties keen on bringing their back offices up to speed with a reliable, versatile MIS.
Of course there were not only sandwiches but wraps everywhere at VIEE. Wraps competitions, wrap demos, wrapped trucks, cars and artifacts - it's a wrapped world and why not? Blank spaces are boring - they need decorating and what better way than a good vinyl wrap from 3M, Avery, Arlon, Hexis, Grafiwrap or Neschen, (did I miss anybody- sorry?)
Last but not least from the VIEE Day One round-up has to be a new initiative called Techie On Wheels. Omar Kassis has a tricked-out van that comes to you to fix your computer, workflow, data recovery and backup problems - onsite. He works with the major RIP and workflow vendors to understand file handling issues and is totally clued-up on curing viruses, malware and other such IT issues. Currently just a NSW service, he hopes to expand interstate. What a great idea!
That's Day One at VIEE...all I could manage anyway. If you are in two minds whether to attend...get down there; it's a great show and buoys your enthusiasm for the graphic arts. PrintEx next year (May) is co-located again with VIEE - they could do a lot worse than let Peter Harper and his team handle all the promotion.