What’s on show at PrintEx … news products and releases
There’s plenty to see over the three-day PrintEx show. Read on to find out what Australia’s leading suppliers are showcasing – some for the first time.
MailPack makes a mark with Astrojet printer
PrintEx will see the first Australian showing of MailPack’s Astrojet M1 full-colour desktop document and envelope printer (pictured).
The printer, which is manufactured by Astro Machine Corp, can be seen at stand 4107. According to Michael Seale, sales director for MailPack, it is capable of boosting the trans-promo market.
“We believe that the AstroJet M1, using Memjet technology, will dramatically impact how colour printing is used in the mailing and trans-promotional market,” 
he said. “The technology gives you the ability to print what you need when you need it at speed and in colour with variable date, a true on-demand process.”
Böttcher Australia
Böttcher is set to roll out a number of exciting products at its PrintEx stand, and not to be missed is the launch of its Roller Savings Calculator.
The Calculator allows customers to add up the real cost of rollers and compare them to each other in terms of operating cost over the life of the roller. Every visitor who takes a closer look at their business with the savings calculator will be eligible to go into the draw for a fantastic offer to have either a Ducati 1098 for the weekend or to drive a V8 racecar around Eastern Creek for a day.
Other innovative new products that will be showcased include the ProAqualis roller which allows IPA-free printing whilst resisting chemical attack; the new exclusive dual-layer Duotech blanket designed for the packaging and high volume printer; new Mistral and Twister washes; the GATF-awarded Chameleon dual-purpose compound roller; the all-new Stabillis inking compound roller specifically designed to resist the effects of soya-based ink technologies; the IPA-free fountain solution, S-3006, and a special newspaper fountain solution, N-1004SG; and the non-chemical system conditioner, Molex, which kills algae bugs and prevents re-growth.
The Currie Group
As the supplier to leading print service providers in Australia, Currie Group will showcase its extensive product range from prepress through to finishing, a complete end-to-end solution for applications in print.
In the digital arena, Currie Group will feature the HP Indigo 7500, the HP Indigo 3550 and, for the labels and packaging market, the WS6000 (pictured). All will be fully operational demonstrating brochures, books, labels and other marketing collateral. Horizon finishing equipment including collators, binders, folders and creasers will be showcased along with the ABG Digicon on the back of the WS6000. Workflow management tools, consumables and further finishing equipment will also be running at the stand.
DES
At this year’s PrintEx show, DES will be displaying its digital imaging and process control solutions across two event booths, covering three key markets – graphic arts, display graphics, and packaging and labels.
In the area of large format flatbed UV printers, DES will showcase the EFI Vutek GS3200 for the first time (pictured). This is the most versatile 3.2 metre wide large format flatbed UV printer in the market. Capable of photographic quality and speeds in excess of 200m2 per hour, it is a production powerhouse taking the Australian market by storm with recent sales in the commercial offset and packaging markets, signage and the display graphics markets.
New products being launched in the colour management sphere include the X-Rite/Pantone CAPSURE colour appearance tool and X-Rite i1Professional Solutions – the much-awaited next generation of colour measurement software. In addition, DES will be showcasing colour conformance and standardisation across the print space with scanning solutions, X-Rite IntelliTrax and X-Rite EasyTrax, coupled with its Mellow Colour software applications for spot colour and ink formulations.
DES will also showcase the latest and most productive large format MFD on the market, the Colortrac Gx+ 42T large format scanner interfaced with a Canon iPF8300 large format printer, offering scan-to-file and scan-to-print for a wide range of documents from technical drawings to fine art material.
In proofing, DES will demonstrate the latest versions of its proofing solutions from EFI and CGS with special focus on the packaging and label markets with the latest printers from Epson and Roland.
Environmental considerations are becoming ever more to the forefront for label and packaging printers. DES will be showcasing the latest Asahi water washout flexo plates which eliminate expensive and increasingly difficult to handle solvents and have a low carbon footprint. And with production runs becoming ever shorter, the new EFI Jetrion digital label press is the obvious cost-effective and productive solution.
Ferag Australia
Complementing Ferag Australia’s new partnership with Kalfass in the area of shrink-wrapping and polybagging, the company will display strapping and bundling solutions from its JobFolio range.
The JobFolio series are plug-and-play machines at very competitive prices. The range currently includes: compensating stacker – JobStack; signature/product stream feeder – JobFeed; bundle strapping machine – JobStrap; rotary trimmer- JobTrim; and strap material – JobPop.
In addition, Xingraphics-Screen CTP systems, as well as trade consumables and marketing collateral from both Ferag and its partners, will also be available.
HP Graphic Solutions
At this year’s PrintEx11, HP Graphic Solutions – HP Designjet and HP Scitex - will be displayed on a number of HP channel partner stands including GBC, Celmac and CPI, while HP Indigo presses will be on display on the Currie Group stand.
Shane Lucas, director, HP Graphic Arts South Pacific said PrintEx11 and the co-located Visual Impact Image Expo (VIIE) provided HP with a platform to showcase a wide range of digital print solutions to a targeted audience.
“The co-location of these trade shows enables HP to have a strong presence through our dedicated HP Application Gallery at VIIE and through our channel partners at PrintEx11. At VIIE, we will be demonstrating the effectiveness of the HP latex ink technology which has become an industry standard with printers around the world taking advantage of the environmental credentials of the HP latex ink printers to drive sales.”
At VIIE, HP will display the versatility and range of applications achievable with HP Designjet and HP Scitex printers. With over 30 different applications and samples on display in the HP Application Gallery, HP will provide visitors to the show with the opportunity to experience first-hand the possibilities available with HP wide-format printers. From custom-printed fabric lounges to leather beanbags and backlit photo prints on display, a visit to the HP stand should not be missed!
HP will be showcasing the HP Designjet L25500 printer, winner of the 2010 BERTL Best Eco-friendly Wide Format Inkjet Printer award, and the new HP Designjet Z6200 photo printer which recently won a ‘Hot One Award’ in the March 2011 edition of Professional Photographer Magazine. Supplying a complete workflow, HP will be driving its printers using the latest HP Workstations with HP Dreamcolor monitors.
Kayell Australia
Soft proofing and the newly-released GMG ColorProof 5.2 and ColorServer 4.7 will be among the highlights at Kayell’s PrintEx stand.
ColorProof 5.2 incorporates major innovations such as the integration of the new Adobe PDF Print Engine 2.5 and support for the new Epson Stylus Pro 4900, 7890 and 9890 printers. The packaging market will benefit from a number of improvements to the SpotColor Editor.
Kayell Australia supplies hardware and software from image capture to printed output and all steps in-between including workflow as well as Fogra PSO and ISO certification. Kayell has distribution agreements, some exclusively, with world-leading firms such as GMG Color, Datacolor, Barbieri, GTI Graphiclite, Eizo monitors, Serendipity, Elinchrom, Drobo, Canson and Lastolite. It is also major reseller partners for Epson, Apple, X-Rite, Adobe, Hasselblad, Canon, Nikon, Manfrotto, Redrock Micro and Sandisk.
Bannershop
Bannershop has become one of the fastest growing suppliers of large format digital printing products in Asia Pacific.
At PrintEx, it will be showcasing its newest product, Super Smooth Block-out Double-sided Vinyl, a block-out double-sided poster material that completely blocks out the reverse image in all light conditions. This inexpensive material is one quarter of the weight of traditional vinyl, super smooth, curl-, UV- and water-resistant and will last longer than paper or polypropylene.
Morgana Australia
With a renewed focus on digital print finishing, Morgana Australia, a division of Ferrostaal Australia Pty, will showcase the latest range of digital print finishing equipment from Morgana Systems (UK), Fastbind and Challenge Machinery.
The product showcase will focus on finishing machinery that can be integrated with any manufacturer’s digital printing machine. This includes folding and creasing machines from Morgana Systems that ensure printed materials can be creased or folded without cracking; guillotines from Challenge Machinery that ensure consistent and accurate positioning of paper for reliable cutting of digitally printed paper; and binding machines from Fastbind for the production of photobooks, case bound, perfect bound and strip bound books.
The exhibition will be the first Australian showing of the Morgana Pro series of folding, creasing and cutting products: the Digifold Pro (pictured), AutoFold Pro and AutoCreaser Pro 33. Also on display from Morgana will be the newly-released business card cutting machine, the CardXtra Plus. It can feed sheets up to SRA3 in size and can trim, cut and crease in multiple positions.
Müller Martini
The new Presto E90 saddle stitcher and Connex workflow system will be two of the highlights at Müller Martini’s PrintEx stand.
The Presto E90 saddle stitcher (pictured) is based on the proven and successful line of Müller Martini entry-level saddle stitchers. Highly efficient and flexible runs can be realised at speeds of up to 9,000 cycles per hour. The space-saving layout combined with a high level of automation makes this saddle stitcher the most productive and efficient on the market for small- to medium-size runs. The robust and reliable E90 features the latest in ergonomic design for good accessibility and ease-of-use.
The Presto E90 also features a large, easy to use touchscreen. From feeders to trimmers, the operator is guided through each step of the job set-up, making it easier than ever.
Using the new Connex workflow system, it is possible to network all Müller Martini systems, from a standalone machine to a complex production line, with the customer’s own management information system (MIS). Connex can be installed as a total solution (in connection with MIS and prepress) or as a fully-functional standalone solution (without MIS). This is particularly significant for purely post press operations or companies which are looking for a gradual entry into digital workflows.