fespa world issue 41 - english

FESPA WORLD AUTUMN/05 3

Fespa WorldThe membership magazine of theFederation of European Screenprinting AssociationsVol.14 / No.38December 2004

Published byFESPA Ltd

Editorial officeFESPAAssociation House7a West StreetReigate, Surrey RH2 9BLTel: +44 1737 24 07 88Fax: +44 1737 24 07 70E-mail: [email protected]

PublisherFrazer Chesterman – DirectorTel: +44 1737 24 07 88

AdvertisingMichael Ryan – Sales ManagerTel: +44 1737 22 97 27Fax: +44 1737 24 07 70

EditorVal HirstTel: +44 1623 88 23 98E-mail: [email protected]

Graphic Design Bate Brand Communications8 St Leonard’s Square, WallingfordOxfordshire OX10 0ARTel: +44 1491 835835www.batebrand.com

PrintingThe MANSON Group LtdReynolds House, 8 Porters WoodValley Road Industrial EstateSt Albans, AL3 6PZTel: +44 1727 848 440www.manson-grp.co.uk

NEWS ROUND-UP

4 SUPPLIER NEWSThe latest supplier news.

8 WHAT’S NEW INSCREENPRINTING

10 WHAT’S NEW IN DIGITAL PRINTING

14 ASSOCIATION NEWSThe latest association news.

16 ESMA UPDATE

18 FESPA TECHNOLOGYFORUM

22 CELEBRATIONSDevelopments at Durst

23 DIARY DATES

24 FESPA NEWSLETTERFESPA World Expo India

28 FESPA NEWSLETTERFESPA Digital PrintingEurope 2006

SPECIAL FEATURES

32 FOCUS ON… Finishing

34 FESPA 2005 REVIEW35 The Big Story - All Change!38 Around the Show with

Michel Caza40 Edited Highlights from

Mark Godden!

44 FESPA 2005 AWARDSPure Gold – the finalistsThe best in screen and digitalprinting

54 SHOWCASEOur regular review of some of the latest screen and digital applications.

INFORMATION

56 FESPA CONTACT LIST

AND FINALLY…

58 Michel Caza says GrazieMille Alberto Novarese andThanks a lot Mark Godden!

OPINION

30 IT SEEMS TO MEMike Young’s snapshot of India

Editor’s letterNo sooner have we recovered from the excitementgenerated by FESPA2005, than the autumn exhibitionseason is upon us once again. And although, sadly, itwon’t now include a trip to New Orleans, there are plentyof shows throughout Europe together with FESPA WorldExpo India, which will be held in New Delhi from 1st to4th December, to look forward to and enjoy. You can learn more about thelatter on pages 24-26 where you’ll also find a list of all of the participatingcompanies, whilst on pages 30-31, industry expert Mike Young provides asnapshot of the Indian screenprinting sector. Also worthy of mention here, isFESPA’s new Digital Show, which is scheduled to take place in May next yearat the RAI in Amsterdam. You’ll find more details on this show, which isdesigned to attract digital specialists operating in a wide variety of graphic andindustrial sectors, on page 28.

Obviously, this issue wouldn’t be complete without a review of FESPA2005and this starts on Page 34. In the pages that follow, I report on the majorchanges that some of the leading digital manufacturers are experiencing atpresent – a true digital revolution if every there was one! Michel Cazacomments on the screenprinting aspect of the show, whilst Mark Godden,highlights both the obvious and the unexpected. In his view - and I’m sure it’sone that many visitors share – some of the most innovative new products areto be found on the stands of the smallest exhibitors and this was certainly trueat FESPA this year.

This issue also features the winning entries of the FESPA2005 Awardscompetition. Pure Gold starts on p.44 and pays testament to some of thestunning work that screen and digital printers are now achieving. In my viewthis is the most important part of the whole magazine. Whatever our position or area of activity within the screen and digital sector I don’t think we can everafford to underestimate the importance of the finished product. After all, that’swhat justifies everything we all do on a daily basis and so it’s a thoroughlygood thing to keep reminding ourselves of this. So, take a few moments tosavour and appreciate the fruits of our collective labours!

Val Hirste-mail: [email protected]

Fespa World. Designed by Bate Brand Communications. Printed by The Manson Group Ltd. Editorial photographssupplied courtesy of the companies they feature. The publishers accept no responsibility for any statement madein signed contributions or those reproduced from any other source, nor for claims made in any advertisement.Fespa World is available to individuals who qualify within the terms of a controlled circulation and by subscription.

Fespa World

4 FESPA WORLD AUTUMN/05

NEWS ROUND-UP – SUPPLIER NEWS

Scitex Corporation Ltd. has

announced that Hewlett-Packard

and Scitex Vision Ltd., Scitex’s

majority-owned subsidiary, have

signed a definitive agreement

under which HP will acquire the

assets and business of Scitex

Vision for $230 million in cash.

This acquisition will expand HP’s

leadership in large-format

printing into the industrial super-

wide category and also

complements its existing product

portfolio of large-format printers

and digital presses. HP will also

enjoy the benefits associated

with Scitex Vision’s proprietary

technology for print heads,

which will provide it with a

significant competitive

advantage.

Dov Ofer, Chief Executive

Officer of Scitex Vision, stated:

"This move will bring substantial

benefits to our customers, who

will benefit from access to a

wider range of products and

services while they continue to

enjoy the same high levels of

attention that they are used to.

Furthermore, our technology will

reach a broader audience as it

becomes more widely available

and employees will enjoy greater

professional opportunities as the

business grows within a leading

global organisation."

Enrique Lores, Vice President

and General Manager, Large

Format Business, HP commented:

"This purchase will further

accelerate HP’s push into the

rapidly growing digital printing

market. Wide-format signage is

one of the fastest growing

opportunities in this sector, and

one we believe that we are now

in an excellent position to

capitalise on."

The transaction is subject to

certain closing conditions and is

expected to be completed within

approximately 90 days, following

which the business acquired

from Scitex Vision will be fully

integrated into HP’s Imaging and

Printing Group.

HP acquires Scitex Vision

DuPont Ink Jet appointed

ErgoSoft AG of Altnau,

Switzerland, as a marketing

partner for its DuPont Artistri

digital printing for textiles

system. DuPont Artistri

marketing partners are a select

group of industry-leading fabric,

textile equipment and software

suppliers whose offerings

complement the Artistri portfolio

of products for digital textile

printing, thus enabling DuPont

customers to enjoy a fully

vertical, integrated printing

solution from fabric preparation

through post-processing.

ErgoSoft, who has been involved

in the development of software

products since 1980, will provide

its professional level TexPrint

software and support to Artistri

purchasers.

New marketingpartner offersfor Dupont’sArtistri

Agfa and Esko-Graphics have

entered into a global reseller

agreement which allows Agfa to

sell Esko-Graphics DeskPack and

Plato pre-press software to the

packaging market, an agreement

which will allow Agfa to add file

creation applications to its

prepress portfolio for packaging

printers. Esko-Graphics’ popular

DeskPack range of plug-ins for

Adobe Illustrator and Adobe

Photoshop and the Plato step

and repeat/nesting system, will

enable Agfa offer a more

complete workflow solution –

from file creation through

production.

Agfa to sell Esko-Graphicsproducts for package printing

Autotype International has

become part of MacDermid Inc.

of Denver, Colorado, USA, an

acquisition that that will provide

MacDermid with potential sales

of around $0.75billion in the

printing, electronics and indus-

trial finishing markets world-

wide. The company already

supplies offset blanket, flexo

plates and Colorspan ink jet

printers and supplies.

Peter Levinsohn, Chief

Executive of Autotype said:

"MacDermid’s ‘Can do’ philoso-

phy mirrors that of Autotype and

we see the cultures and the

approaches of the two organisa-

tions as being very similar. I am

delighted that Autotype has

found a stable and successful

long term owner who under-

stands our business and will be

able to help accelerate our

growth plans in the screen print-

ing and electronics industries

through its extensive network of

locations and market contacts.

Our existing management team

will continue to drive Autotype

forward with the advantages

provided by a well funded and

committed parent."

New owner for Autotype

EFI has now completed its

acquisition of VUTEk Inc. for

approximately $281 million, plus

cash acquired. The acquisition is

an all cash transaction.

"We are delighted to announce

the early close of the VUTEk

acquisition and are excited about

the growth opportunities for the

superwide digital inkjet market

as well as the synergies with EFI's

existing product portfolio," said

EFI CEO, Guy Gecht. "In

addition to the immediate

accretion from the VUTEk

acquisition, as we enter the last

month of the quarter, we feel

confident that we will deliver on

the prior outlook for our existing

businesses."

EFI completesacquisition ofVUTEk

Xaar plc, the inkjet printing

technology group and IMPIKA SA

of Aubagne, France have

announced a joint agreement for

the provision of integration

services for Xaar printheads and

other products.

Under the agreement both

parties will co-operate to provide

complete turnkey solutions for

clients wishing to use Xaar

technology for their production

processes. IMPIKA has

spearheaded the use of inkjet

printing for plastic and smart

cards, packaging and labelling,

printing on to CDs, as well as

glass and metal. It is also

developing solutions based on its

material jetting technology for

microelectronics and biomedical

applications.

Xaar chooseImpika as apartner

An event welcoming Sericol as

part of the Fujifilm family

recently took place at the

company’s Broadstairs base

following Sericol’s acquisition by

Fujifilm earlier this year. The

occasion saw staff, senior

managers, dignitaries and guests

celebrate the outstanding

achievements of Sericol over the

last 55 years whilst learning

more of the ambitions for the

new Fujifilm Sericol Group.

Sericol, which employs 1,250

staff around the world, was

founded in 1951 by guest of

honour, Alex de Gelsey, who

came to Britain from his native

Hungary in 1946 and began his

career as a research chemist in

the UK laboratories of Kodak.

Since then Sericol has had sever-

al owners, the most recent being

Saratoga Partners, a New York

based private equity firm.

Leading the celebrations,

Shigetaka Komori, President and

CEO of Fuji Photo Film Co Ltd,

explained that the reason for

buying Sericol was to broaden

Fuji’s printing business from its

traditional areas of commercial,

publishing and newspaper print-

ing into screen, industrial and

package printing areas.

The purchase is seen as the

most significant development in

the company’s long history and

one that marks a new beginning.

President of Fujifilm Sericol, Ed

Carhart explained: "In Fujifilm

we have a parent company dedi-

cated and supportive of our long

term growth and success. We

believe this ‘new beginning’ is

like no other."

A new beginning


SUPPLIER NEWS

Harlands joins companies such as

Ditone Labels and Boxes Prestige

in the Specialist Packaging

Division in the group but will

maintain a level of autonomy

together with its strong brand.

John Fitzgerald CEO of

Clondalkin’s Specialist Packaging

Division explains; "The Harlands

brand, which has become

synonymous with quality, service

and innovation will remain, and

will become a cornerstone of our

division’s development. The

decision to make this acquisition

was heavily influenced by both

Harland's reputation and its

strategic plan to move into

Poland. Development of the

brand will now accelerate in

Eastern Europe and the business

will set up a facility alongside

our already established Boxes

Prestige factory."

ISIMAT has recently celebrated

two significant milestones in the

history of the company: its 50th

anniversary celebration coincides

with the 10th anniversary of the

arrival of its Managing Director,

Peter Detzner. The occasion was

marked with an open day

attended by guests of honour

from commerce, industry and

politics, who mingled with

employees and their families,

suppliers, customers, and

journalists.

First founded in 1955 by an

entrepreneurial engineer, ISIMAT

was originally established in a

shed, but the company quickly

grew, building itself a reputation

for the production of innovative

and high quality machines in the

process. It eventually moved into

its present headquarters in 1960.

When Peter Detzner, took over

ISIMAT in 1995, there were only

nine employees and the

company was in the doldrums.

However, he has since helped to

transform it into a leading

manufacturer of high tech

printing machines. Today ISIMAT

employs a total of 45 people and

runs an acclaimed apprenticeship

scheme.

The highlight of the open day

was the introduction of a new

screen printing machine for the

decoration of round, oval, and

square glass hollowware with

ceramic enamels, which certainly

attracted a lot of attention.

ISIMAT celebrates 50th Anniversary

Clondalkin acquires HarlandsThe Specialist Packaging Division of Clondalkin has acquired Harlands Labels toprepare for a full-scale development strategy in Poland and Eastern Europe

Ellwangen’s mayor presents a collage to Peter

Detzner, that illustrates ISIMAT’s history with

original documents from the city’s archives.

Clo

ndal

kin

CEO

John

Fitz

gera

ld w

ith Ia

n

Wrig

ht,

Har

land

’s M

anag

ing

Dire

ctor

.


SUPPLIER NEWS

Appointments

Arccure Technologies has

recently announced two new

appointments. Ralph Teunissen

has recently been appointed as

Chief Executive Officer, signifi-

cantly strengthening the

management team and working

with the two company founders

Michael Bisges and Knut Kisters.

Dutch born Teunissen, will be

responsible for accelerating the

strategic development of Arccure

in the field of

printed elec-

tronics.

He is

joined by

Holger

Ulland, who

is taking up

the role of Product Manager

RFID. Ulland, who previously

worked as Packaging

Development Manager at

German Unilever, will be respon-

sible for Arccure’s product strate-

gy and its portfolio of RFID

production solutions.

Ralp

h Te

uniss

en

Step

hen

Em

ery

Trev

or P

ratt

Inkware, a VUTEk company, has

appointed Stephen Emery as

InkwareOEM Sales and

Marketing Manager. Emery will

be responsible for increasing

worldwide business relations with

existing and new OEM

customers and third-party ink

businesses.

Emery comes to Inkware with

more than 20 years experience in

the digital imaging industry,

most recently, running the world-

wide sales and marketing for

American Ink Jet Corporation. In

his new role he will endeavour to

gain a fuller understanding of

customers’ needs, emerging

applications, and opportunities

to capitalise on the company’s

expertise in solvent and UV

curable inks and new technolo-

gies.

Sun Chemical has appointed

Trevor Pratt as Business and

Marketing Director for its Screen

and Circuits division. Based in the

UK at Sun Chemicals Orpington

Headquarters, Pratt brings consid-

erable experience in strategic

market development and prof-

itable sales growth to the compa-

ny. In this newly created role, he

will lead initiatives on geographic

expansion and develop a tactical

push into specialty industrial

markets, including automotives,

optical discs, mobile phones and

credit cards.

Wolfgang Maske has been

appointed as Sales Director of

GMG GmbH & Co. KG, the

creator of colour management

systems, with immediate effect.

He is responsible for the sales

regions of Germany, Austria and

Switzerland. Prior to joining

GMG, Maske held the position of

Sales Manager at Colorgate

GmbH and has formerly worked

for EFI, where he played a crucial

role in the company's success by

setting up the specialist retail

channel.

A developing client base in

Scotland has led to the introduction

of a new Area Sales Manager for

Harlands Labels. Mike Christie

joins the Harland’s team from the

FMCG packaging sector where he

was most recently Area Sales

Manager for Decorative Sleeves.

NUR Europe S.A., has announced

the appointment of Chameleon

Graphics as its authorised distribu-

tor in Greece. Based in Athens,

Chameleon Graphics has been

specially formed to support and

create added value for the digital

printing market. The company sells

large-format digital printers, cutting

plotters, RIP software, inks and

media as well as providing installa-

tion services, training, maintenance

and ‘on demand’ customised

colour management support.

Mik

e C

hrist

ie

Greg Lockett, Director of

Manufacturing, XaarJet AB,

commented: "We took the view

that as well as leading the

development of inkjet

technology, it was important to

also take a lead in the

environmental management of

our manufacturing plant. Thus,

we have invested time and

resources to ensure that XaarJet

has a defined environmental

management system, against

which the activities of the

company can be measured."

Xaar’s manufacturing plant, XaarJetAB, based in Stockholm, Sweden hasbeen awarded its EnvironmentalManagement Standard System ISO14001:2004 accreditation.

Key Environmental Management Standard

Holger Ulland


NEWS ROUND-UP – WHAT’S NEW IN SCREENPRINTING

After the considerable success of

the first three MACtac Awards

competitions and the fantastic

response to the fourth event

which opened up the the compe-

tition to the world MACtac has

announced the launch of

‘MACtac Worldwide Awards

2006’.

Max Linder, Communication

and Marketing Director of

MACtac Europe, explains: "Our

self-adhesive products are used

for a large number of impressive

and prestigious projects through-

out the World each year and the

Awards competition is a way of

acknowledging that, whilst also

highlighting the skills of the

companies who use them most

creatively. Once again, the

competition will recognise

projects from three large territo-

ries: Europe, the Americas, the

Middle East, Africa, Asia and

Oceania. This time around,

special mentions will reward

small scale and low budget jobs,

a move which should encourage

even the smallest companies to

participate."

Entries are invited from design-

ers, applicators, screen and digital

printers, signmakers, advertising

agencies and design studios as

well as those responsible for the

purchase of signs and graphics.

The winning projects, which will

be evaluated by three different

juries according to region, will,

according to Max Linder help to

provide a unique source of inspi-

ration for all users of self-adhe-

sive products. He continues "The

winning entries will be presented

to the world’s trade press, feature

on our Internet site and form

part of our commemorative prize

book that is distributed to thou-

sands of advertising agencies,

designers and end-users that use

or create visual projects. Today,

more than ever, the MACtac

Worldwide Awards stimulate

creative exchange not only

between countries, but also

between continents."

The closing date for entries is

January 31st, 2006 and winners

will be informed by the end of

the first quarter of 2006.

For further information visit:

www.mactac-europe.com

Higher dryingtemperatures reducescreen tension

Sun Chemical makesink for MetalfFX

Recent Screen Printing Technical

Foundation research shows screen

tension loss that occurs with

higher drying temperatures is

permanent, and further mysteri-

ous dips follow stencil washout,

reclamation and degreasing.

In 2002, the Screenprinting

Technical Foundation confirmed

that higher drying temperatures

cause a reduction in screen

tension. The 2005 experiment

mimicked the 2002 SPTF Heat vs.

Tension project with two addi-

tional sets of screens and extend-

ed the testing to include printing

each screen with 250 impressions.

"Our goal was to track the

screens farther in the process to

see if stabilisation occurred differ-

ently based on temperature," said

Dawn Hohl, Technical Manager,

SPTF, noting three conclusions:

• Higher drying temperatures

result in permanent tension loss.

• Mysterious tension dips were

again seen on measurements

taken on wet screens. (The hygro-

scopic expansion of polyester

mesh may explain these

changes.)

• Screen tension remained virtu-

ally unchanged before, during

and after printing on all meshes.

"Recommendations based on

this study are to keep drying

temperatures as standard as

possible to ensure screen to

screen tension consistency," Hohl

said.


www.SGIA.org

Sun Chemical has signed upas an official MetalFX inkmaker, which means thatinks for the process metalliccolour system are now avail-able from the world'sbiggest ink company.

John Adkin, the European

Product Director for Sheetfed and

UV inks, said: "As the highest-

value supplier of colour-related

products and services in the

world, we need to keep tabs on

the latest breakthroughs in tech-

nology. Sun Chemical has been

interested in the development of

MetalFX for some time now, and

interest in the marketplace is

now sufficient for us to become

an official MetalFX ink supplier."

Sun Chemical’s first UK distri-

bution point for MetalFX inks is

the company’s UK plant in South

Normanton, Derbyshire, from

which it can now offer official

process and metallic inks that are

compatible with the MetalFX

system.

Adkin continues: "We are very

excited to be offering this new

process to our customers as we

believe that it will open up more

market opportunities and lead to

some great printing! We now

look forward to developing the

relationship between MetalFX

and Sun Chemical further over

the coming months."

MACtac launch5th worldwideawards


NEWS ROUND-UP – WHAT’S NEW IN DIGITAL PRINTING

BASF inks are simply amouse-click away!Justinx dye sublimation inks from

BASF are now being offered exclu-

sively on the Internet, enabling

users to benefit from uncompli-

cated, low-cost on-line purchas-

ing. BASF has enlisted the assis-

tance of Ursa Chemie GmbH and

FedEx Express to ensure that the

inks are supplied simply, speedily

and to a consistent quality.

They can be used in conjunc-

tion with the broad spectrum of

digital systems, including Mimaki

JV4, Mutoh Viper and Roland

Hifi Jet Pro II, as well as variations

and rebuilds of these printers,

whatever the resolution, speed or

ink-feed system and on virtually

all polyester and polyamide

surfaces.

The inks can be ordered from

the web shop simply by visiting

www.justinx.basf.com and

can be paid for by credit card.

Encad racks up 1000NovaJet installations Kodak’s Graphic

Communications Group (GCG)

has announced that Encad has

now installed 1000 units of its

successful NovaJet 1000i wide-

format printing solution in the

Europe Africa and Middle East

Region (EAMER). This milestone

achievement comes only a little

more than a year after the print-

er’s launch in the region and

follows the company’s recent

announcement of year-end sales

figures that surpassed expecta-

tions by 20%.

Recipient of the 1000th

NovaJet 1000i is Dubai-based

repro-house and service bureau,

Mediatech, who service the high-

end of the marketplace via adver-

tising agencies representing

international clients such as

L’Oreal, Lancôme, Ralph Lauren,

and Emirates Airlines to name

but a few. As such, colour stabili-

ty is of critical importance for

Mediatech’s Managing Director

Tony Tadros, who operates the

NovaJet 1000i in conjunction

with Kodak media. He says: "We

have been delighted with the

performance of the printer since

its installation. Given the superi-

or level of colour stability it

offers, it is perfectly suited to

production of the many backlit

applications that we create for

use in airports and shopping

malls in the United Arab

Emirates and the Gulf region.

He continues: "The high

degree of humidity and tempera-

ture in our region can have a

detrimental effect on ink

performance to the extent that

colour shift becomes an enor-

mous problem, whilst UV light

also presents its own issues.

However, the NovaJet provides

us with the consistent level of

vivid colour which is so impor-

tant for our customers."


www.encad.com

Gandinnovations are premiering

a new product feature for the Jeti

3312, 3318 and 5000 at this

Autumn’s exhibitions. The High

Definition (HD) Back-lit Camera

is ground-breaking back-light

printing technology, which uses

an electronically enhanced

camera and video capture board

to obtain a perfect match front

and back.

The software automatically

registers print targets, so that

when the substrate material is

reversed, the camera – attached

to the print heads – tracks the

image from the reversed side by

calibrating with image targets,

thus ensuring the most accurate

alignment and compatible colour

profiles available.


www.gandinnovations.com

New feature for the Jeti

ProfileMaker 5 reduces production time and costs GretagMacbeth, has extended its

ProfileMaker 5 family with the

addition of ProfileMaker 5

Packaging, a new colour manage-

ment solution for multicolour

printing of as many as ten freely

definable colours, with or with-

out CMYK. This new software,

which is available immediately,

addresses the growing demands

of package professionals printing

n-color output, who require accu-

rate, predictable colour reproduc-

tion within the multicolor imag-

ing workflow. Based on the

unique multi colour separation

plug-in and Generic Output

Profiler technologies, it yields

exceptional results in a fraction of

the time previously required.

Previously, managing colour in

a multicolour workflow involved

creating new profiles for each

new combination of colours

being printed, however, with

GretagMacbeth Generic Output

Profiler technology — with

ProfileMaker 5 Packaging — users

now can automatically regenerate

a new profile when one or more

spot colours change, without the

need to recreate test charts, plates

or cylinders. A new tool on the

GretagMacbeth website, helps

users determine the substantial

savings they can realise by calcu-

lating their own individual return

on investment.


www.gretagmacbeth.com



The new range includes the 17-

inch wide Stylus Pro 4800, 24-

inch Stylus Pro 78600 and 44-

inch Stylus Pro 9800, all of which

offer a number of options geared

specifically to meet the demands

of professionals in the photo-

graphic and fine art sectors.

The Epson UltraChrome K3

ink is a specially designed formu-

lation incorporating a new

pigment and resin coating which

produces a wide colour gamut for

excellent reproduction of saturat-

ed colours and accurate simula-

tion of industry proofing stan-

dards. Furthermore, it delivers

prints that look good in any

lighting condition and have a

professional finish.

There are three shades of black:

(K) ink: photo or matte black,

light black and light light black.

The coloured inks include, cyan,

magenta, yellow, light cyan, and

light magenta, a combination

that provides more neutral grada-

tions in colour prints, resulting

in life-like replication of skin

tones. It also provides excellent

greyscale performance and

smoother tonal reproduction for

high-quality black and white

printing.

A new improved driver tech-

nology which features printer

colour adjustment modes, makes

it easy to print in whatever mode

matches the colour space of the

digital input, for example, sRGB

or Adobe RGB.


www.epson.com

Epson launchesnew generationprinters Epson is launching a new large-formatprinter range, which incorporates itslatest 8-colour Ultrachrome K3 inkset

Esko-Graphics celebrates installationof 1000th Kongsberg tableEsko-Graphics has produced and

installed the 1000th worldwide

Kongsberg XL samplemaking

table at the Ferrara plant of SCA

Packaging Italia. Coincidentally,

the first Kongsberg was also

installed at SCA some 15 years

ago and is still going strong!

The Kongsberg XL tables are

part of the Kongsberg product

family, which have now been

installed in more than 75 coun-

tries across the globe. Recognised

for their reliability and longevity,

Kongsberg tables have enjoyed

continuous feature updates and

improvements. The latest

successful development is the i-

XL series which was launched at

FESPA and integrates the

Mikkelsen Graphic Engineering

(MGE) i-cut vision system and i-

script workflow for perfect print

to cut registration. This solution

complements the printing of

packages, signs, displays and POP

materials with a unique finishing

solution which offers high

productivity and high precision

for the widest range of soft and

rigid materials.

SCA Packaging Italy is a divi-

sion of the Swedish SCA Group, a

multinational company, which

specialises in the manufacture of

graphic paper, hygienic products

and packaging. The production

line includes a wide range of

high quality packaging from

conventional American boxes to

heavy-duty containers.

Commenting on the installa-

tion which was carried out by

B+B International, Kongsberg’s

exclusive Italian distributor,

Gianfranco Pierotti, Plant

Director in Ferrara. Said: "Our

packaging production capabilities

enable us to produce customised

packaging for all varieties and

shapes of machinery and printed

displays, which is why the

cutting quality of the Kongsberg

table is very important for this

kind of packaging, particularly

for short-runs."


www.esko-graphics.com

Encad will be holding a series

of Austrian roadshows during

September and October. Run

in conjunction with its

Austrian dealer, Kalle Repro

Media, Encad will be using the

events to showcase the recent-

ly launched Kodak 1200i

Wide-Format Printing System,

as well as a broad range of

Kodak wide format inkjet

media.

The dates and locations for

the October events are as

follows:

10.10 Linz13.10 Dornbirn11.10 Salzburg12.10 Hall

For further information

on Encad’s Roadshows

please contact Andres

Gruber at Encad on +49 89

660390 50 or

[email protected]

AustrianRoadshows



UK printer Imprint, which oper-

ates two Inca Eagle flatbed inkjet

printers at its Newcastle plant,

has taken delivery of one of the

world’s first Inca Spyder 320

machines. The company, who

provide point-of-sale material for

major retail and horticultural

groups throughout the UK report

that the Spyder 320 will enable it

to target new markets.

"We took delivery of our first

Inca Eagle printer in 2001, with

the second machine going in a

year later, and they have changed

the course of the company,

which was previously a screen

and litho house," says develop-

ment director David Bullivant.

"These two printers, which have

output first class quality 24 hours

a day since they were commis-

sioned, now account for 75 per

cent of our revenue, so when we

saw demonstrations of the new

Spyder 320 we could instantly

see the potential it offered us to

break into new markets”.

Imprint uses its Eagles for runs

up to 300, but intends to use the

Spyder 320 to print shorter run,

high value added jobs. Bullivant

continues: "Although we have

only had it for only a few weeks,

we’ve already put through a huge

range of material with fantastic

results and plan to use it to print

exhibition panels, one of the

markets we are looking at."


www.screen.co.jp

ColorGATE, is offering a cost-free

update for all Version 4 products

for download from its website,

including the current software

solutions Productionserver4,

Photogate4 and Proofgate4. The

new release, version 4.05, Build

195, focuses on Speed Screen, a

powerful raster technology for

increased productivity within

production environments of

large format inkjet output.

ColorGATE’s flagship product,

Productionserver4, shows

remarkable and significantly

faster raster processing and

image output speeds using

ColorGATE Speed Screen raster

together with improved print

quality. In comparison with

print output using the

ColorGATE Crispy raster,

ColorGATE Speed Screen offers a

stunningly striking RIP speed,

resulting in more efficient

production and time savings.

The respective updates ofVersion 4.05, Build 195 forProductionserver4,Photogate4 and Proofgate4,are available for downloadby customers with clientlogin fromwww.colorgate.com/colorgate.rip/en/download/updatezentrale/updates/

Imprint’s Spyder will open new markets

ColorGATE boostseffectiveness ofdigital printproduction

InteliCoat Technologies, has

launched a series of new Magic

brand products, all of which will

be introduced at the Viscom

exhibition in Dusseldorf this

Autumn. Magic GFPOLY, is a

250 micron glossy polypropylene

banner material which has been

formulated to work with the

latest generation of solvent ink

jet printers manufactured by Océ,

Mimaki, Mutoh, Roland, Seiko,

Vutek and Nur. A glossy

polypropylene, it is constructed

with a specialised coating that

offers a high degree of whiteness

and colour gamut, as well as an

extremely smooth surface for

high photographic resolution,

making it the first high quality

glossy polypropylene in solvent

inkjet media. It can be used to

produce high-end P.O.P. banners,

roll-up displays and trade show

graphics.

Magic DMPSV-G is a glossy,

universal vinyl product with a

pressure-sensitive adhesive coat-

ing and release liner for use on

wide-format, water-based printers

with either dye or UV inks.

Caliper is 290 micron (130

micron without release liner) and

possible applications include

board-mounted graphics and

point-of-purchase displays.

POLY-PRO glossy polypropy-

lene is constructed with a

specialised coating that offers a

high degree of whiteness and

colour gamut, as well as an

extremely smooth surface for

high photographic resolution.

This universal 190 micron prod-

uct may be used on water-based

wide-format printers with either

dye or pigment inks for all

indoor applications including

short-term promotional graphics,

trade show graphics and point-

of-purchase advertising.


www.magicinkjet.com

Intelicoat launches new materials

TETENAL AG & Co. KG

advanced its technological lead

in the field of UV-curable ink-jet

inks by receiving Approved Ink

status for its new T-Jet UV-White

in record time from Spectra.

TETENAL’S new T-Jet UV-White

is a jettable opaque white ink

formulation suitable for use with

Spectra printheads.

White ink is particularly

important in the package print-

ing and display graphic markets

where materials such as metallic

foils, transparent film materials,

and dark pre-colored surfaces are

used extensively. These materials

either do not have the necessary

opacity or are too dark to achieve

suitable image quality when

using the semi-transparent inks

used in process colour printing.

By imaging a white underlayer a

suitable printing surface with

high reflectivity is created.

TETENAL's product range in

the area of UV-curable inks

(brand name: T-Jet UV) includes

an eight colour formulation and

its new white T-Jet UV-White.

The company also produces

water-based inks under the

product name, T-Jet W, and

various special inks for a variety

of industrial applications under

the brand, T-Jet F.


www.tetenal.com

TETENAL receives approvedink status in record time


ASSOCIATION NEWS

Based at FESPA’s Reigate office, Smith, who

will report to the General Secretary, Nigel

Steffens, will be responsible for the co-ordi-

nation, planning and management of new

projects and membership services for FESPA’s

27 National Associations.

Smith joins FESPA from the Digital and

Screenprinting Association (DSPA), where he

was Executive Secretary for the past eight

years. His responsibilities included all

communications with members regarding

member services, the organisation of

National Council and Annual General

Meetings, and the production of Association

budgets. Prior to the DSPA, Smith spent 30

years at the public service union, Unison

(formerly NALGO), latterly as Personnel

Manager, when he was responsible for the

effective functioning of the personnel

department with direct line management of

nine staff.

Nigel Steffens, FESPA’s General Secretary,

comments: “Being a not-for-profit organisa-

tion, we’re committed to using any revenue

we generate for the benefit of our members,

who now number over 5000 worldwide.

“We have already implemented plans to

reduce the costs of exhibiting at our exhibi-

tions, as illustrated by the lower prices

announced for FESPA World Expo India,

FESPA Digital Printing Europe and FESPA

2007. The next logical step is this appoint-

ment which will enable us to identify and

drive the development of new services.

We’re delighted to have recruited a manager

of Chris’s calibre and experience and are

confident that our members will quickly feel

the positive effects of his expertise.”

Chris Smith adds: “My involvement with

the DSPA and with other National

Associations has given me a real insight into

the issues that Associations face. I’m there-

fore very much looking forward to working

closely with FESPA’s National Associations

and supporting FESPA’s members by promot-

ing existing services and developing new

initiatives.”

Swedish Associationlaunches new initiativeSSTF, The Swedish Screen Printers

Association, has launched a new project

entitled ‘The Brain-Office’ which aims to

translate current legislation, regulations,

obligations and best work practices into an

easily assimilated format that will enable

screen and digital printers to access any

information they need to help them run

their businesses efficiently and effectively.

The winning posters are selected, from

amongst literally hundreds of entries, by

Torbjorn Lenskog and Lars Lilendahl, two

of Sweden's most respected screen

practitioners, together with representatives

of the leading screenprinting companies.

SSTF is also considering the possibility of

officially crediting the companies who

decide to participate.


www.screentryck.org

Swedish poster projectWhen the Association first initiated its

poster project five years ago, little did it

realise the workload that lay ahead, but

both support from members and the

response from the participating schools of

screenprinting was overwhelming. So much

so, that the Association is determined to

continue with it as long as such levels of

interest remain.

The winning posters are selected by

Torbjörn Lenskog and Lars Liljendahl, two

of Sweden’s leading screen practitioners,

together with representatives of the leading

screenprinting companies from amongst

literally hundreds of entries.

Each year, students of screenprinting are

given a different theme, which is jointly

selected by their teachers. Previous themes

have included "Sweden 2001", "Design

Responsibility", "Globalisation", "Year 2003"

and "Year 2004, the latter of which was

introduced in September last year and the

winning entries were subsequently shown

in Stockholm in March 2005 and at

FESPA2005 in Munich.

The idea behind the project is to provide

young people with a chance to express how

they think and feel about the world around

them using a visual medium, whilst also

promoting screenprinting generally.

For further information regarding this

year’s Poster Project visit:

www.screentryck.org

FESPA members to enjoyincreased benefitsIn a move to broaden its services to members, FESPA has appointedChris Smith as New Projects and Member Services Manager

Chr

is S

mith

- N

ew P

roje

cts

and

Mem

ber

Serv

ices

Man

ager

– F

ESPA

.

Autumn date inSlovakiaThe Slovakian Screenprinting Association

has announced that it will be hosting a two-

day Seminar in October in collaboration

with Czech Screenprinting Association and

the FESPA Project Committee. On the 7-8

October, at a venue soon to be announced

in Bratislava, the Seminar will include

sessions covering all aspects of screenprint-

ing and Bill Appleton has agreed to be a

guest speaker.

On the first day, the topics covered will

include:

• Developments in process colour and high-

fidelity printing, which will explore new

ways in which to increase the colour gamut

and improve tone and resolution.

• Low profile stencil technology, which will

look at how problems in printing in four

colour process using conventional UV cured

inks can be overcome, whilst highlighting

the benefits for precision circuit board print-

ing.

• Determining the ideal sequence for four

colour screen process printing

• Understanding and controlling moire in

screen process printing.

On the second day, there will be an infor-

mal round table discussion during which

delegates will be able to ask questions about

the previous day’s presentation.

For further information and to reserve a

place, visit: www.sietotlacovyzvaz.sk


NEWS ROUND-UP – ASSOCIATION NEWS

Specialist event for glass decorationDecoration of glass and glassproducts is becoming increasinglyimportant as glassmakers seek toadd value to their products and astechniques and technologies in thedecoration sector are changingrapidly, glassmakers have beenclamouring for an opportunity toreview and discuss them in depth.To address this, Glass magazine hasjoined with some of the leadingsuppliers of glass decorationequipment, materials and servicesto host a conference andexhibition which is devoted to thisexciting area. The result is

GlassPrint, a specialist conferencefor advanced glass decorationtechnologies and techniques thatis to be held on October 26 at theNH Moerfelden Hotel at Frankfurtin Germany, which is within easyreach of the main FrankfurtInternational Airport. TheConference will focus on specialistprinting trends and newdevelopments in decoration acrossthe flat and hollow glass sectorsand will be accompanied by anexhibition mounted by membersof ESMA, who is working closelywith the publishers of Glassmagazine, to organise this excitingevent. The exhibition will be openfrom 08.00 onwards and visitorswill be able to see details of glassdecorating techniques andtechnologies being promoted by15 different suppliers. AndrewBopp, from the Society of Glass &Ceramic Decorators in the US will

deliver the Keynote address at09.00. Bopp, who is a recognisedauthority on glass decoration andon the production, economic andlegislative challenges surroundingit, will speak for an hour, afterwhich the conference will divideinto two separate groups, one ofwhich will look at newdevelopments, whilst the otherwill examine new technologies.Speakers will include Dr MartinBaumann of Ferro Glass Systems,Christian Schweickert fromThieme, Raimundo Mediavillafrom Saatiprint, Robin McMillanfrom Sun Chemical Screen, DavidParker, from MacDermid Autotype,Martin Hehl- Heinz of Marabu,Oliver Kammann, of WernerKammann, and Harald Gavin ofIsimat. Delegates are free to switchbetween groups, in order to attendpresentations that are of particularinterest to them. The day will be

interspersed with breaks forrefreshment and lunch and at15.30, there will be a paneldiscussion, following whichdelegates will have a furtherchance to view the exhibition,which remains open until 19.00.

The cost of attending GlassPrintis €225 per delegate, whichincludes access to the keynotepresentation and all the technicalpapers, the panel discussion andthe exhibition, together with allrefreshments and lunch.

To book your place, contactSian McConnell at Glass -tel +44 1737 855172; e-mail:[email protected]; or visitwww.glassmediaonline.comfor further details.

To reserve accommodationat the NH Moerfelden Hotelvisit www.nh-hotels.com

Expert speakers atAthens workshopsFollowing two extremely well attended pre

FESPA seminars organised earlier this year by

Materia Grigia, with the support of the Greek

Screen Printing Association (Hel.SPA) and

FESPA, the publishing and event promotion

company is hosting a seminar on UV Screen

and Digital Printing in Athens on 14-16th

October, 2005, to enable screen and digital

printers to learn all about the latest printing

techniques.

The UV workshop, which was promoted on

the Materia Grigia stand at FESPA, will take

place at an Athens exhibition centre, where

two fully working production laboratories,

complete with screen and digital printers and

a UV curing unit, will be specially constructed

for the occasion. Michel Caza, who needs no

introduction, will conduct the proceedings

and will also preside over the UV technology

section. Digital printing professor, Dr.

Nicholas Hellmuth will take charge of the

Large Format Digital Imaging Division, with

the assistance of Antonios Granis of the

Colour Consulting Group of Salonica. Dr.

Hellmuth, who graduated from Harvard

University, also holds a PhD in art and

architectural history from the Karl-Franzens

Universitaet, Graz, Austria. He currently leads

the FLAAR Centre at the Bowling Green State

University, Ohio, USA and also has a real

practical knowledge of printers. Antonios

Granis boasts an MS degree in colour and

often hosts seminars on colour management

and giglee printing.

The programme is as follows:

Friday October 14th - Theory Day10:00-13:30 Michel Caza, supported by Dr

Hellmuth, will open the workshop with a

discussion entitled "Production workflow and

different application organisation within a

modern screen and digital printing

production facility", which will cover issues

such as technology choices, cost effective

production, on demand solutions, marketing

and production considerations.

Following lunch, the delegates will split

into two groups, according to their area of

interest, to hear Michel Caza talk about "UV

inks in screen printing" which will include

pre-press shortcuts, colour separation

techniques, colour matching, mesh and mesh

count choice, emulsion choice, emulsion

application for optimum stencil thickness,

imaging and ink considerations and industrial

applications.

Dr. Hellmuth and Antionios Granis will

explain the importance of colour

management, colour profiling, consistency,

ink lightfastness and adhesion, ink

characteristics, the differences in inkjet

technologies and differences between digital

substrates.

Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th -Practical workshop and "hands on"applications.

The UV screen printing group, led by

Michel Caza, will learn about the emulsion

stencilling method; UV exposure tests; use UV

inks and modifiers; set up a UV screen press

for printing and discover the UV optimal ink

cure and production speed.

The digital printing group will receive

practically-based image processing tips from

Dr Hellmuth and will learn how to make

substrate and printing choices, how to

calibrate and colour match, the rudiments of

giglee printing and the broad spectrum of

digital applications. *

All delegates will gain ‘hands-on’

experience under the guidance of the two

renowned industry experts, as well as

enjoying a further exclusive session on

"Textile printing with UV inks", delivered by

Michel Caza, the original pioneer of this

technique.

The workshop, which will be held in

English with a direct Greek translation, is

priced at €250 for HelSPA and FESPA members

and €350 for non members, and includes

lunch and refreshments. There are 40

available places within each group.

Representatives of the sponsoring companies,

as well as members of the European trade

press will also be in attendance. For further

information and discounted hotel rates, please

contact Maurizio Tumidei, tel.: +30-210-9215023, 9215639, 9215287, fax: +30-210-9215287 or e-mail:[email protected]

Mrs Pei Guifan, Vice President of CSGIA, presenting amemento to FESPA President, Ricardo Rodriguez Delgadoon the occasion of a meeting at FESPA 2005, betweenFESPA and CSGIA.

Presidential Presentation


A mission to informAs part of its mission to provide education and access to informa-tion, the FESPA Technology Forum arranged a two day tour forDutch and Belgian screenprinters

The trip was designed to provide themwith the opportunity to meet some of themajor industry suppliers and learn moreabout the latest equipment and materialson offer. Organised by ChristianDuyckaerts and Isabelle Lebfebvre,respectively the president and secretary ofthe Screen and Digital Workgroup ofFebelgra/FESPA Belgium and Marius Gort,secretary of the ZSO (the Netherlandsscreen printing and sign organisation); thetour also had the full backing and supportof FESPA.

Accordingly, in late June, a group of 18screenprinters started the long journeysouth from Antwerp to southernGermany. Following an overnight stop inFreiburg, the first day began at theTeningen Headquarters of Thieme, thehosts for this part of the event. The groupreceived a warm welcome from JuergenWischedel, and Frank Thieme of Thiemeand FESPA’s Michael Ryan and all threeencouraged the visitors to enjoy theproceedings and make full use of theopportunity to really get to know boththeir peers and the industry suppliers.Indeed, many of the screenprintershappily took this advice to heart andfreed from the interruptions and hasslesof everyday business life, were soon busilydiscussing every aspect of screenprintingand finding workable solutions tocommon production problems.

ThiemePeter Geiger from Thieme kicked off thepresentations with an in-depth discussionof Thieme’s latest multi colour printing

line, the 5000 XL. His audience weresurprised to learn just how many multi-colour lines are already operational, withThieme themselves having sold over 100,a quarter of which are installed within theUK. It quickly became apparent thatinline workflow is the topic that mostpreoccupies screenprinters at present, witheveryone agreeing that it has to become aprerequisite if screenprint shops are toremain competitive. Further discussionalso revealed that there is now anincreasing demand for wider formatprinters and machines such as the 5000XL, which is especially designed for largeformat screen printing. It accommodatesmaterials from 1600 x 3050 mm to 2020 x3300 mm and includes many new andimproved technical features, such as sheetfeeding and gripper systems, energysaving, UV drying and squeegee assembly.The fully automated, four colour 5000 XLalso prints on to thicker substrates –10mm instead of 6mm - and at a speed ofup to 3000 sq.metres per hour. In additionto its size and speed, the machine alsooffers many technical innovations inrespect of the control system, thesqueegee unit and the gripper system, allof which, have been adapted to suit thespecific requirements of large-sizescreenprinting.

After a tour of the impressive Thiememanufacturing facility, lunch was eaten tothe accompaniment of the much vauntedM-Press in full operational mode;although so eager were the assembledcompany to absorb every facet of themachine’s facilities, that food was largely

forgotten! The M-Press, which combinesAGFA’s advanced inkjet technology withThieme’s flair for design andmanufacturing, is the first fully automatedflatbed inkjet press that prints long runseconomically and everyone wanted to testthe quality and durability of the outputfor themselves.

Much praise was heaped on the fully-automatic inline concept, as well as theprinting speeds achieved with the newlydeveloped heads, with most peopleagreeing that the M-press would set newstandards within the industrial digitalprinting sector. The 64-head shuttle andthe advanced gripper system, whichautomatically accommodates andtransports a wide variety of both rigid andflexible materials, received specialmention and the group also commentedfavourably on the modular design andconstruction of the machine, and the factthat it is fully compatible with Thieme’s5000 XL series. The M-Press can thus beconfigured into a fully automatic hybridprinting line, which facilitates suchoptions as white, spot colour and varnishprinting.

Not surprisingly, the M-Press led someof those present to question the wholefuture of screenprinting. But FrankThieme responded robustly, arguing thatscreen and digital printing arecomplementary rather than competitivetechnologies, and can be used together atwill to provide the perfect combination ofspeed, quality and cost for eachapplication. He summarised: "Screenprinting and digital printing offer very

FESPA TECHNOLOGY FORUM

a & b Examining the output

of the M-Press.

c Bernd Wilhelmi, Zentner

Systems explaining in-line

screen cleaning equipment

manufacturing.

d the group with the M-Press.

e All roads lead to Sefar.

f Sefar’s Decovision passes the

‘spot the screenprinter’ test.a b


specific possibilities and advantages". AndPeter Geiger added: "Due to it’s versatility,screen printing offers far more scope inthe industrial sector than we have yetrealised. For example, in the printing ofcompact discs, which has become a multi-million dollar industry and which has ledto the development of completely newmachine concepts. Another example isthe direct printing of beer cases and theapplication of fragrances to paper andother carrier materials. It is thereforeabsolutely vital to retain an open mindand recognise new possibilities for screen-printing as they occur. And since manyindustrial applications demand highprinting standards, we still see muchpotential for screenprinting in this sector."

SericolSericol’s Export Business Manager - UVGraphics, Kevin Rhodes, gave the nextpresentation which comprised of a veryinformative overview of screenprintingmethods and provoked many questionsfrom the audience.

According to Rhodes, an increasingpreoccupation with quality and costreductions have helped to increase theamount of automation andstandardisation within screen shops andin his view, the efficient streamlining ofthe production process is the key issue forthe future. Four colour process nowaccounts for such a high percentage ofscreen output, that print quality isconstantly being compared with otherprint processes, such as digital and offset,with the result that expectations havebeen raised.

Rhodes suggested that good colourmanagement is the key to managing costsand consistency of output. However, hecautioned that colour managementsystems are only as good as the baseformulations used, which is where heclaims Sericol offers a tangible advantage.He made the point that Sericol deliversformulations that are produced by skilled

colour matchers rather than simplytrusting to computer predictions. He wenton to add that although inks are nowdesigned for use in many differentapplications, the adhesion rate dependson whether all of the finishingrequirements can be fully and properlymet.

He then revealed that POP materials arenow almost always produced using UVscreen inks, a trend that has been drivenmainly by larger screenprinters, who havealready invested in multi-colour lines,gaining market share. However, as a resultof this, most screenprinters are nowgradually upgrading and replacing theiroriginal presses. He commented that dueto the wide choice of presses nowavailable, choosing the right machine wasan increasingly difficult task for allscreenprinters. Put quite simply, how dothey know whether a press is suitable fortheir own requirements? Persuasively, hemade the case for Sericol. He said:"Sericol’s business is built on sales toscreen customers, so when we entered thedigital market, distributing Inca presses,the need to ensure that screenprinters’requirements are properly met hasremained our top priority. This alwaysoverrides our desire to simply sellmachines for the sake of it – we value ourlong term core business too much tojeopardise it by selling a machine whichisn’t right for a customer and hisbusiness."

FimorManual Zuckermann from Fimor, aleading manufacturer of squeegees, wasthe next to take to the podium. First of allhe amazed his audience by revealing theamount of effort and testing which occursduring the process of squeegeemanufacture. For example, polyurethanesqueegees have to withstand both thecorrosive effects of screen inks andfriction with mesh and substrates.Accordingly, they are immersed in UV

inks for 24 hours and solvent inks forthree hours to test their durability. Manyprinters underestimate the importance ofthe squeegee, an oversight that can resultin an escalation of costs way and beyondthe cost of the actual squeegee itself.

He then proceeded to pass on someuseful tips that will help ensure that asqueegee lasts for a good, long time:

General• Store flat (for long period) / rest flat

before using• Protect from direct light and excessivetemperatures• Rest assembled squeegees on holder (not

on blade)• Don’t soak blades in solvents• Clean immediately after printing (even

with UV inks!)• Leave to rest for several hours (ideally

24Hrs) before sharpening and aftersharpening

• Rotate blades regularly : use/prepareseveral sets of holders per machine

• Never apply excessive pressure inprinting or sharpening

Whatever your equipment orprocess:• Establish optimum squeegee parameters

by testing and taking note of therecommendations of your suppliers

• Establish a written squeegeemaintenance procedure, including :

• Ensuring that there are enough holdersfor each machine

• Choice of squeegee per type of print job • Defining the number of cycles before re-

sharpening on long runs• Defining the method for sharpening• Defining the method for cleaning

(including the choice of chemicals)• Controlling storage, Inventory control

and minimum levels for squeegee andholders

• Promoting the awareness and training ofprinters as to the importance of thesqueegee

c e

d

f




Zentner Later on in the afternoon, the groupheaded south to the manufacturingfacility of Zentner Systems, a leadingmanufacturer of automatic screenwashing and decoating machines, wherethey were welcomed by Bernd Wilhelmiand the Bochonow family. In addition toproducing cleaning equipment, Zentneralso supply related systems such asvacuum distillation of cleaning agents,waste water treatment, and purification ofair exhaust.

Traditionally, employee safety has beengiven a low priority within thescreenprinting sector, despite the fact thatprinters are in constant contact with avariety of harmful chemicals whenengaging in manual screen cleaningprocesses. Only slightly less important areconcerns regarding consistency of outputand the high cost of chemicals. However,thanks to Zentner, these concerns can beconsigned to the past. The company offersa fully bespoke service and its systems canbe can be tailor made to suit individualrequirements. Systems range from theentry-level machines right up to a fullyautomatic, in-line system which includesmodular handling and feeding unitswhich reclaim stencils and prepare themesh for coating, a process that combinesthe greatest production efficiencies withthe best environmental practice. Inaddition, Zentner Systems offer a numberof solvent-recovery solutions, such as theSOLTEK 3-Tank System, which comescomplete with automatic solventreplenishing and offers the ultimate inemployee safety and operatorconvenience, coupled with significantreductions in chemical consumption.

RemcoWerner Deck, Managing Director ofRemco GmbH and a leadingscreenprinting chemistry specialist, whohas clocked up more than 25 yearsexperience in the market, gave the nextpresentation.

Remco supply "Varioclean" emulsionsand "Variowash" screen cleaner, whichremove almost all graphic, industrial andtextile screenprinting inks and lacquers,whether solvent, water based or UV, fromscreens. Like Zentner, Remco are totallycommitted to producing products whichensure both employee safety andenvironmental safety and to this end, theVariolean range offers many desirableadvantages. For example, all chemicalsused are fully biodegradable, produce little

waste, are easy to transport and are veryeconomical.

After refreshments, it was time to boardthe FESPA bus once again and leaveGermany for the beautiful northern Swisscountryside for an entertaining overnightstay, before embarking on the second dayof the trip.

Sign-TronicThe day began with a visit to the Sign-Tronic facility in Widnau, Switzerland tosee the latest pre-press technology forscreenprinting and offset printing.

The Sign-Tronic Stencilmaster, theworld’s first fully automated in-line screenprepress of its kind, exposes screensdigitally, using UV light, at a speed of upto 26 sq.m’s per hour to produce excellentimage quality. The stencilmaster isconstructed for the fully automatedvertical in-line production of frames up to90" x 106" with an image size of 65" x 86".The high resolution of 1270 DPI, micronprecision and sharp dot reproductionensure a unique image quality with screenrulings to 150 lines/inch. Furthermore,the Stencilmaster is an open system thatinterfaces with any RIP which outputsone-bit TIFF files.

During a tour of the manufacturingfacility, the group were able to see thelarge number of systems that wereundergoing the final phase of productionbefore being shipped out to screenprintersall over the world.

SefarThe final leg of the journey took thegroup through the beautiful Swisscountryside to Sefar, a company whosename is synonymous with screenprintingand who produce screenprinting meshesas well as offering extensive applicationengineering expertise. Colette Shanahanintroduced the audience to one of thecompany’s latest innovations, Sefar LFM,a large format mesh that has beenspecially developed for large formatscreenprinting. The reduced meshthickness facilitates more uniform inkdeposit, finer colour graduation andsharper-edged fine lines and screen dots.The thread used for the mesh is muchfiner than normal thread, but it is almostas tear resistant and can be used in theconventional way. Furthermore, since itrelaxes less when tensioned, it offers agreatly improved lifespan, thusprolonging the life of the screen andhelping to reduce costs.

Sefar LFM is ideal for use with a wide

variety of different mediums such aspaper, glass and textiles and for any wideformat application where top qualityreproduction is of paramount importance.

The final presentation, given by MonikaSpirig, provoked a lot of interest andcomment. Monika introduced two newSefar products, Decovision and Decoview,printable foils, which are perforated toprovide one way transparency, whenapplied to windows, car windscreens andglass doors.

Whilst Decovision is a non-adhesiveproduct, Decoview has a self-adhesivebacking and is available in a whole rangeof coated or transparent foils suitable foruse in a wide range of interior andexterior applications. It offers a six-monthlifespan, after which it can easily beremoved without leaving any residue.Both materials can be used in conjunctionwith screen and digital printingtechnologies, offer excellent printabilityand are easy to use and apply.

All too soon the day reached itsconclusion and it was time to board thecoach for the final time. Everyone agreedthat the trip had been enjoyable on anumber of different levels, providing as ithad, an opportunity to learn about thelatest equipment and materials, quizsuppliers, share ideas, pool knowledge andexperiences and not least, to make lots ofnew friends along the way!

FESPA would like to thank thefollowing companies for theirhospitalityRemco - www.remco-chemie.de Sericol

www.sericol.comThieme www.thieme-products.comSign-Tronic www.sign-tronic.chSefar www.sefar.comFimor www.serilor.comZenter: www.zentner-systems.de

Representatives from the followingcompanies attended:Azerty Zeefdruk,Cogeaf,De Groot & Klein,Etiquettes Ramgal,Evident,Felbrega,FESPA,Illico,Kappa Drogenbos Display & Packaging,New Roels Display,Omnimark,Print & display,Utinam,Van Der Waal

CELEBRATIONS

Developments at DurstDurst Image Technology, a divi-

sion of Brixen-based Durst

Phototechnik AG, recently host-

ed a two-day event for distribu-

tors, customers and friends, to

help it celebrate a series of new

initiatives. Central to these is the

completion of new buildings

and the installation of high-tech

production equipment at the

company’s Lienz headquarters.

These new facilities, which cover

some 3.150 m2, and form part of

a E4.6 million investment

programme, feature kanban and

rail based production lines, simi-

lar to those used within the

automotive sector.

This latest expansion marks

the Lienz facility’s steady growth

since it was first established in

1999. Since then, the workforce

has expanded from 12 employ-

ees to 71 and 5% of the compa-

ny’s sales volume is routinely

reinvested to fund both research

and development and capital

expenditure. Michael Luckner,

Marketing Manger for Durst

Digital Technology, revealed that

Durst is now manufacturing its

third generation of flatbed print-

ers using its own print heads,

which are being made in the

new Class C clean rooms on the

Lienz site.

He also announced that Durst

has opened a ‘Technical

Academy’ for digital printing. He

says: "The problem with intro-

ducing new technologies is that

employees are suddenly

confronted with altered work

cycles and performance testing

methods. Training seminars

which address individual areas,

such as colour management or

quality assurance in printing are

available, but only in certain

areas and seldom consider the

total work flow although this is

crucial to a company’s overall

performance and profitability.

Our new Technical Academy

addresses all of these issues in

tandem and is designed to be of

real practical use to the compa-

nies who use our equipment."

The first seminars, which will

be given in German and English,

are planned for the autumn,

Spanish and Russian sessions are

scheduled for the spring and

Japanese and Chinese sessions

will follow shortly thereafter.

Luckner continues: "As well as

fielding experts from within the

company, we will also be using

external specialists too. A team

of four will supervise the train-

ing centre and topics covered

will include the preparation of

files, colour management, proof-

ing, creative pictorial techniques,

printing optimisation, digital

punching, folding and bending

of printing media, profitability

calculations, quotation costing,

and workflow optimisation."

Dr. Richard Piock, General

Manger of the Durst Group adds:

"The seminars are designed to be

of interest to designers as well as

screen printers and printing

shops. We are not merely doing

this to make a profit, but as part

of an overall strategy to promote

acceptance of digital technology

and to establish the Durst brand

as a true market leader." Durst

has invested E1.5 million in the

Academy, and anticipate that

there will be around 1000 gradu-

ates each year.

The company also used the

occasion to officially open an

‘Art Parc’, which includes park-

ing lots, next to the production

area in Lienz. The park is

designed to represent all of the

continents, which are denoted

by the thoughtful use of native

trees and plants. Pictures by

artists who entered a recent

competition held by Durst add

further colour and interest to the

area. The art park will be

complemented next year by a

gallery complex named after the

co-founder of Durst, Luis

Oberrauch, the father of the

present owner and the president

of the south Tyrolian employers’

association, Christof Oberrauch.

Dr. Piock explains: "As a

company, which pioneered

systems for the reproduction of

pictures, we naturally have a

special interest in visual commu-

nication and since many

Tyrolian artists, especially at the

beginning of their careers, have

little opportunity to exhibit their

work, the art park is designed to

remedy this."

The first exhibition features

the work of artists who entered a

photographic art competition

entitled "The Fence", which

Durst launched earlier this year.

The winning entries, chosen

from 78 submissions, have been

printed on to a selection of

different materials, including

brushed aluminium, glass and

printable textiles, using a Durst

Rho inkjet printer and UV-

durable ink.


NEWS ROUND-UP – DIARY DATES

Diary dates for 2005/6/7 If you would like your event to feature on this page,please send full information via e-mail to Val Hirst at:[email protected]

Viscom 200529th September – 1st October 2005Dusseldorf Messe, GermanyOrganiser: Reed ExhibitionsDeutschland GmbHTel: +49 (0) 2 11 90 191 197/-218Fax: +49 (0) 2 11 90 191-149www.viscom.-messe.com

Slovak/Czech ScreenPrinting Seminars7th-8th. October 2005.Venue tbc, Bratislava, Slovakia. Organiser: Slovak ScreenprintingAssociationTel: ++42 1 32 74 43 589Fax: ++42 132 74 30 434e-mail: [email protected]

Slovenian-Italian PrintForumSeptember 30th - October 1st 2005Hotel Jama, Postojna, SloveniaOrganiser: Miha Rejc, Section ForScreen, Pad And Digital Print andZavod SDT Se_ana Tel: ++01 / 565 72 50E-mail: [email protected]/forum2005/index.php

Digital and Screen PrintingAssociation Awards 2005Thursday, 13th October 2005Stationers Hall, LondonOrganiser: DSPATel: +44 1737 240 792E-mail: [email protected]

GlassPrint 2005 26 October 2005NH Moerfelden Hotel, Frankfurt,GermanyOrganiser: ESMA/DMG World Media(UK)Tel: +44 1737 855 172e-mail: [email protected]

IMLCON 2005 -InternationalIn-Mold Labeling Conferenceand tabletop exhibition26-28 October 2005NH Barbizon Palace Hotel,Amsterdam, The NetherlandsOrganiser: AWA Conferences and RBSTechnologies, IncTel: +31 20 676 2069 Fax +31 20 676 2375, e-mail [email protected]

IMI Ink Jet Academy: Theoryof Ink Jet Technology7-8 November 2005Sheraton Hotel & Towers, Lisbon,PortugalOrganiser: IMITel: +44 1223 236920www.imieurope.com

Visual Communication 200510 - 12 November 2005Fiera Milano, Halls 15/16, Milan,ItalyOrganiser: Reed Exhibitions Italia E-mail: [email protected]

Productronica 15 - 18 November 2005The World's Leading Trade Show forElectronics ProductionNew Munich Trade Fair Centre,Munich GermanyOrganiser: Messe Munchen GmbHwww.productronica.com

Screen Printing & SignsChina 200521st-24th November , 2005, Guangzhou City Exhibition Centre(Huacheng Avenue East,Guangzhou) on Organiser: ASGA and CSGIA)Tel: ++86 10 84043402, Fax:++ 86 10 64034996 e-mail: [email protected] orvisit www.csgia.org

Fespa World Expo India 051st-4th DecemberPragati Maiden Fair GroundNew DelhiOrganiser: FESPATel: ++44 1737 22 97 27Fax: ++44 1737 24 07 70e-mail: [email protected]

TV Textilveredlung &Promotion27-29 January, 2006

Stuttgart FairgroundOrganiser Messe StuttgartTel.: +49 (0) 711 / 2589 - 225Fax.: +49 (0) 711 / 2589 - 657e-mail: [email protected]

FESPA Digital Printing Europe 16 – 18 May 2006RAI Exhibition Centre, Amsterdam, the NetherlandsOrganiser: FESPA Tel: +44 1737 229 727Fax +44 1737 240 770 e-mail: [email protected]

FESPA 2007 5 – 9 June 2007Messe Berlin, Berlin, GermanyOrganiser: FESPATel: +44 1737 229 727Fax +44 1737 240 770 e-mail: [email protected]


NEWS ROUND-UP – FESPA NEWSLETTER

FESPA will place all of the

experience and knowledge

gained during the organisation

of FESPA 2005 in Germany at

the disposal of Services

International, who is providing

operational support on the

ground in India. Services

International has also built a

solid reputation for itself and is

used to working in tandem with

foreign organisations to execute

successful exhibitions. Whilst

FESPA knows a lot about the

screen and digital printing

markets in India and has

excellent contacts within the

industry, it feels that it is

important to ensure that the

needs of the regional audience

are also properly understood and

fully satisfied. This is why it is

delighted to be partnering with

Services International.

FESPA World Expo India is

unique – never before in India

has there been a screen and

digital printing exhibition that

has featured such a plethora of

European equipment in action.

This is very much a working

show, and as such, provides

Indian screen and digital printers

with the opportunity to

experience a whole range of

different technologies at first

hand.

FESPA is also working very

closely with the Screen Printers’

Association in India (SPAI) in

order to fully understand the

particular needs and

idiosyncracies of the Indian

marketplace. Bhargav Mistry,

Vice President of SPAI, whose

company is also one of the

largest manufacturer of

screenprinting equipment in

India, has been extremely

supportive during this

endeavour. Bhargav and his

fellow members of the SPAI are

equally committed to the show

and the SPAI has been

instrumental in bringing the

concept of FESPA India 2005 to

fruition.

How is the showprogressing?The FESPA organising team

visited Delhi in August to meet

with some of the contractors,

carry out a site visit at the

Pragati Maidan and to meet up

with some of the Indian

exhibitors and trade press to

discuss the plans for the show.

Over 80% of the available

space has been sold and a high

level of commitment has been

shown by both Indian and

European manufacturers. It is

confidently anticipated that the

event will attract over 150

exhibitors from across the

World, and somewhere between

10,000 – 15,000 visitors from

India, the Middle East and Asia.

FESPA expects the show to

comprise two thirds screen

printing equipment and

materials and one third digital

products. With over 100,000

screen printers in India, there is

much diversity, with companies

ranging from very small "one

man band" operations to very

FESPA targets a brand newaudienceFollowing the overwhelming success of FESPA2005 in Germany this year, it is evident thatFESPA has a great team of professionals who arecapable of delivering world-class events. Now thesame exhibition team is hard at work on the nextevent in the expanding FESPA portfolio, FESPAWorld Expo India.


FESPA NEWSLETTER

Above: Exhibition Frazer Chesterman (far left)

samples traditional Indian fare with (left to

right ) Joseph Chau (Autotype International),

Gurbaksish Gulati (Gurbaksish Enterprises),

Vineet Jain (Spinks India).

large and successful businesses.

India already has a very well

established and buoyant market

for sign and graphics which has

been significantly boosted by the

growth of the Bollywood

industry and its demand for

colourful and vibrant graphics.

Digital technology has made an

enormous impact here, as it has

facilitated the production of

such material at a relatively low

cost. However, India also

produces some of the world’s

finest screenprinted products,

particularly in the areas of

textiles, commercial graphics

and electronics, whilst also

satisfying the demands of a wide

range of industrial applications.

Certainly, the contribution to

the Indian economy made by

both screen and digital printing

cannot be underestimated.

What benefits will visitorsto FESPA India enjoy?FESPA India is a working show,

so all visitors will have the

opportunity to witness a whole

range of printing technologies in

action, and will thus be able to

see and experience at first hand

everything the leading screen

and digital manufacturers and

suppliers have to offer.

Further, the event will also

provide visitors with an enriched

learning experience, as it will

combine demonstrations of all

the latest equipment and

materials with an educational

seminar programme. The

seminars will take place on

Friday 2nd and Saturday 3rd

December, and full details are

available on the FESPA India

website www.fespaindia.comFor screen and digital printers

in India and indeed the whole

Southern Hemisphere, the show

will also provide a great

networking opportunity,

together with the chance to

thoroughly explore the whole

sector. For example, FESPA

expects some of the European

manufacturers to use the show

as a way to break into the Indian

market for the first time.

Entrance to the exhibition is

free - simply visit

www.fespaindia.com to

register for your entry badge.

What is FESPA doing tosupport screen and digitalprinting in India and thesurrounding region?Any profit gained through FESPA

India will be used by the SPAI to

establish a college for screen

printers, in order to encourage

young people to consider a

career in the screen sector.

Frazer Chesterman, FESPA’s

Exhibition Director is extremely

pleased with how the plans are

progressing. He says: "I am very

excited about this new venture

and confidently predict that the

event will provide immense

benefits to all screen and digital

printers operating within this

region".


FESPA NEWSLETTER

Visitors will be able to see the following exhibitors at FESPA World Expo India

Company Stand No Nationality Afford Industrial 11/J1 SpainApollo Colours Ltd 11/F2 UKApsom 10/A1 IndiaAqua Tint 11/D8 IndiaAroxide 11/H4 IndiaArrow Coated Products* 10/B1 IndiaATMA** 11/K3 & K6 TaiwanAutoscreen (India (P) Ltd 11/ B0/B1/B4 IndiaAutotype International 11/C1 SingaporeBSA BangkokCHT* 11/J4 IndiaChangzhou Hawk 11/E1 ChinaChinese Pavilion 10/B2/B3 ChinaChromoline Corporation** 11/G4 USADave Renton Screenprinting Supplies 11/C9 UKDhaval Color Chem (P) Ltd 11/F3 IndiaDurst 10/C4 AustriaElectron 11/J7 IndiaEncres Dubuit* 11/C2 FranceFimor 11/B5 FranceForever Digital Transfer** 11/C4 GermanyFotec 11/G3 SwitzerlandGandi Innovations 10/C1 USAGlobal Impressions 11/F6 USAGrafica Flextronica* 11/D2 IndiaGrunig Interscreen** 11/C5 SwitzerlandGurubakshish Group* 11/E3 IndiaHanky & Partners 11/H8 TaiwanHebei Kanglida 11/K7 ChinaHix Corporation** 11/F3 USAICI 11/B10 IndiaIndian Dyes Sales Corporation** 11/F5 IndiaIndoflex Screen Print Supplies 11/A1 IndiaIST* 11/H7 Italy

JN Arora* 11/A3 IndiaKinnari* 11/E10 IndiaKiwo** 11/A4,5,6,7 GermanyKNF 10/D1 IndiaKnowell Corporation 11/J10 IndiaLancer Group 11/F5 USALüscher AG* 11/B6 SwitzerlandM & R** 11/F3 USAMagicrayon 11/G1 CanadaManoukian/Lechler** 11/A1 ItalyMarabuwerke** 11/C5 GermanyMatan Digital Printers** 11/K3 & K6 IsraelMehler Haku 11/E8 GermanyMHM Siebdruckmaschinen 11/D3 AustriaMicro Inks Ltd 11/H6 IndiaMonochem 11/G7 IndiaMurakami Co Ltd 11/C8 JapanNicomatic 11/B2 FranceNor-Cote International** 11/K3 & K6 UKOra Squeegees** 11/G4 UKPapermart 11/K2 IndiaParag 11/E9 IndiaPhotokina Chemicals (P) Ltd 11/G4 IndiaPolipren srl 11/B4 ItalyPolyone/Wilflex** 11/A1 UKPrint Kimya 11/E7 TurkeyPriplax* 11/A2 FranceProditec* 11/C7 GermanyPröll KG** 11/E2 & E3 GermanyPromoworld 11/C4 IndiaReliable Screen Printers 11/B9 IndiaRita Pad Printing 11/E2 IndiaRutland Plastic Technologies** 11/F3 USASaatichem** 11/B0 ItalySaatiprint** 11/B0 ItalySan Fibres 11/B3 IndiaSan Printech 11/G3 IndiaScreenways 11/D5 IndiaSefar 11/G3 SwitzerlandSericol 1/I2 IndiaShenzhen Juisun Screen Printing Machinery Co. Ltd* 11/B8 ChinaSiasprint* 11/E5 ItalySpinks India 11/G2 IndiaStar Elastomeri 11/D9 ItalySunlight 11/H3 IndiaSunstar Graphics (P) Ltd 11/K3 & K6 IndiaSvecia Engineering AB 11/C3 SwedenT & M Maschinenbau GmbH 11/E11 GermanyTAS International 11/I3 AustraliaTechnigraf** 11/C5 GermanyTony Screen Supplies 11/D6 ChinaUlano** 11/B0 USAUnion Ink** 11/A3 UKUnirich Trading** 11/G4 SingaporeUnitech 11/H1 IndiaUS Screenprinting Institute** 11/F3 USAVerseidag Techfab** 11/A3 GermanyVFP** 11/B1 FranceVutek Inc** 10/B0 USAWaghulde Screens 11/K0 IndiaZydex* 11/C6 India

*Stand Reservation**Co-Exhibitors

FESPA WORLD EXPO INDIAThe largest exhibition in the region

for screen and digital printing.

Unique to the region, this exhibition will show you the latest technology and

information from manufacturers, suppliers and speakers worldwide.

What will be on show?Screen and digital printing:

MachineryInks

SubstratesConsumables

Pre-press technologyFinishing equipment

Services

Entry to the show is FREETo register for your free entry ticket go to

www.fespaindia.com

www.fespaindia.com


FESPA NEWSLETTER

The ultimate digital printing showFESPA Digital Printing Europe, 16-18th May 2006, RAI,Amsterdam

Following extensive research, the

specialised event will focus on the

increasingly diverse sphere of

industrial print applications.

Thus, the show will not only

feature those companies involved

in the production of digitally

printed signs and graphics, but

will also include exhibitors who

supply the equipment and mate-

rials used for digitally printing on

to ceramics, glass, textiles, white

goods, wood, home furnishings

and electronics.

BeDigital Llumicolor,

ColorSpan, Esko-Graphics,

Gandinnovations and NUR are

amongst a host of exhibitors who

have already reserved space at the

show following its official launch

at the recent sell-out FESPA 2005

exhibition in Munich.

Frazer Chesterman, FESPA

Exhibition Director, comments,

"We are delighted by the immedi-

ate enthusiasm surrounding the

launch of FESPA Digital Printing

Europe 2006. This is attributable

in no small measure to the huge

success of FESPA 2005 in Munich,

which once again confirmed

FESPA’s track record and expertise

in organising and delivering

world class events."

Amongst those companies who

have already reserved space at

next year’s Digital Printing show

is NUR Macroprinters, a leading

supplier of wide-format inkjet

printing systems. "As a long-time

FESPA exhibitor we were pleased

to hear that a dedicated show for

industrial printing technology is

to be delivered," says Thibault

Dejaiffe, NUR’s Marketing and

Sales Support Manager. He adds:

"This is a huge growth area for us

and this new event offers us the

perfect opportunity to demon-

strate our capability in front of a

guaranteed multi-regional audi-

ence. Quite simply, it is an event

we can’t afford to miss."

This is a view echoed by Basile

Fattal, Marketing and

Communications Manager of

wide format inkjet manufacturer,

ColorSpan, who comments, "The

fact that FESPA is committed to

keeping abreast of the latest

market trends in order to satisfy

the needs of manufacturers is

really important to us. As a

company operating within the

digital printing sector, Digital

Printing Europe 2006 is the prime

arena for us to exhibit our latest

technology."

Sandra Buxadé, Export

Manager, of Spanish wide format

manufacturer, BeDigital

Llumicolor SL, is equally appre-

ciative of the benefits that the

event offers: "Right now, FESPA is

the most important global show

for us in terms of guaranteeing a

high quality visitor audience. We

are continually building a

network of worldwide distributors

and thanks to the international

pull of FESPA, we have always

enjoyed excellent leads, not only

from Europe, but also from Africa,

the Middle East and beyond. We

are expecting more of the same

next year in Amsterdam."

FESPA Digital has already

received over 1000 registrations

online from people wishing to

visit the show. Visitors will be

able to see both existing and new

applications for digital printing,

which will encourage them to

expand their businesses to cover

new and exciting areas and also

enable them to respond to the

ever increasing demands of their

customers. As well as being able

to visit all of the major manufac-

turers and suppliers on their

stands, visitors will also be able to

participate in a variety of work-

shops and seminars, which will

provide them with the opportuni-

ty to learn more about these new

applications.

For more information on

FESPA Digital Printing Europe

2006, and to register for your

FREE visitor entry badge please

visit www.fespadigital.com

If you would like to exhibit

please contact Michael Ryan or

James Ford on Tel: +44 1737

240788.

Since its launch in early June, bookings for exhibiting space at FESPADigital Printing Europe 2006 have already far exceeded expectations,with 45% (3,400 square metres) of stand space now allocated.

OPINION


Even though India is theworld’s largest democracy, shecannot yet match the western

hemispheres’ sheer appetite for thecreative use of screenprinting.

However, while the opportunity simplydidn’t exist during the western world’sscreening heyday of the 70s and 80s,screenprinting has now achieved a newstatus in this part of Asia.

Virtually all industries in India havegrown and flourished since itsIndependence in 1947, due to its stronglabour-force and respectable work ethic.Indeed, over 500 major foreign-ownedOEM companies and internationallyrecognised brand leaders have opened upshop in India, with many more queuingup to manufacture products for both thedomestic and export markets. Thesealliances have enabled India to become aserious and cost-effective supply base,particularly with regard to high-endcommercial and industrial applications.

As a consequence, the country’s leadingimporters of equipment and consumableshave not only witnessed a significantboost in business traffic – they have morethan compensated for any shortfallwithin their traditional markets. Perhapsthis has also provided domesticmanufacturers with the incentive tomatch importers’ quality and productenhancements in accordance withincreased customer demand.

India’s predicted economic growth ofsome 10–15%, is even more astonishingwhen one considers the considerablecultural barriers, something that seldomtroubles western screenprinters. I offerthe following snapshot as an example. Acountry that can be both fascinating andinfuriating at every turn, India has apopulation of over a billion, both rich

and poor and offers a landscape ofextreme contrasts. It is also a melting potof creeds, cultures and industries, manyof them high tech and presents aformidable linguistic minefield -unbelievably there are some 18 officiallanguages and hundreds of differentdialects! That said, English is the defaultchoice and is widely understoodnationwide.

India has about 25,000-fulltimescreenprinting businesses of which onlyten percent or so can be considered asmajor players, with another 40,000 parttimers. Once only the largest companieshad digital capabilities, but digitalprinting has now been embraced inmuch the same way here as elsewhere.There are an estimated 150 main (usuallyvery large) commercial and industrialprinters, over 7,000 textile printers and asmany as 1 million companies earning aliving from screenprinting, which aretypically staffed by only three or fourpeople. To the best of my knowledge, noprofessionally calculated value has everbeen placed on the industry and I am notgoing to start now!

It would be fair to characterise India asbeing in ‘catch-up’ mode. Commercialscreenprinting, missed a generation ortwo since interior/exterior advertisingbecame part of the mainstream andPOP/POS and the like are only justbeginning to play a key role in theconsumer marketplace. Despite that, theindustry is fast-tracking on three fronts:digital, up-market commercial andindustrial applications. Here as elsewhere,digital printing is used to complementthe screen process to fulfil the needs ofthe customer, but it is particularlyrelevant in a market that demands widevariety but limited quantities.

But perhaps the most growth hasoccurred in ‘high-end’ commercialprinting sector and ‘demanding/close-tolerance industrial applications’ such asgraphic overlays, automotive decals, OEMlabels/logos and nameplates etc, areasthat will continue to develop as moreand more foreign companies make Indiatheir second home.

As for the lion’s share of the market,Mike Robertson, SGIA’s President,recently observed that in the westernhemisphere, 20% of the screenprintingcommunity do 80% of the business,whilst in India, 10% do 90%! Suchinsights underline their desire to investin the latest products and processingskills. Contrary to belief, money is not anobstacle per se, since the community ismore than willing to invest when higherquality and productivity and lowerproduction costs are the dividend.

Another observation was made abouttransferring manufacturing operationsoffshore to reduce costs. Whilst thispractice is popular in the western world,it is not exercised in India. Again, thishas more to do with the Indian obsessionwith quality rather than ‘quantity’.Indian screenprinters already export to

Mike Young discusses the principles of printing cyan with the

staff of a Spectrum Scan, a premier commercial screen and

digital printing company in Mumbai.

It seems to me...A snapshot of the Indianscreenprinting industryBy Mike Young

“


OPINION

Over to youIs there anything you would like to take issue with in this edition of the Magazine?Or is there some industry related topic that you would like to raise for generaldiscussion? If so we want to hear from you. Please address your thoughts to: Val Hirst, Editor, FESPA, Association House, 7a West Street, Reigate, Surrey, RH2

9BL, UK or e-mail to [email protected]

China and Japan and although theyopenly welcome further exportopportunities, they are more concernedwith raising their quality to meetinternational standards and then some!In pursuit of this commitment,companies are queuing up for ISOcertification, including 14000 andISO/TS 16949 (for greater processdiscipline) and many are establishingworld-class infrastructures in order tocompete with western companies.Indian screenprinters want to succeedand they will do whatever it takes toachieve that objective, and althoughIndian screenprinters bagged a sizablenumber of awards at FESPA2005, outsideIndia, few seem to realise that they cannow achieve the highest standards as amatter of routine.

As for investing in the newesttechnology, well, imagine my surprisewhen after entering an old andramshackle building, I was confrontedby a climatically controlled studio,complete with an armada of top-of-the-range Macs with huge portrait monitors,running every imaginable graphic designsoftware and complemented by a fleet ofthe latest scanners, imagesetters andwide format digital printers, all of whichwere merrily churning away non-stop24/7!

No one would ever guess thesophisticated level of this operationfrom the building’s exterior, let alonethe locality, but I am sure it would bethe envy of many western pre-presscompanies and printers.

Unlike other parts of the world, India’sscreenprinting sector is driven bycommerce – not suppliers. Nevertheless,suppliers play a major role in elevatingstandards, so it is unfortunate that theone element that could undermine theevolution of the screen process is theirgeneral indifference and poor service.Suppliers tend to promote their lower-end ranges although screenprinters willpay to access the same products as theirwestern counterparts. If growth is to besustained then suppliers will need tofocus on how best to service specialisedend users who need the best. Achallenge, perhaps, but one that needsto be speedily addressed.

Without exception, I found Indianscreenprinters craved the opportunity toinvest in excellence, and theforthcoming FESPA World Expo willprovide them with much inspiration,whilst visitors from further afield willappreciate everything the Indianmarketplace has to offer, including themany delights of North India’sdiverse and delicious cuisine!

Mike Young has enjoyed a distinguished

hands-on management career spanning 35

years in graphics and high end industrial

screenprinting applications.

A frequent speaker in all aspects of high-

definition screenprinting he has presented

numerous technical papers and contributed

to all of the major trade journals world-wide.

Mike is currently the Production Director at,

Heinrich Ceramic Decal, Worcester,

Massachusetts, USA.

”


FOCUS ON FINISHING

Coat it!SEAL Graphics is one of the leadingsuppliers of image and print finishingsolutions in the world. In addition tolaminating and encapsulating equipment,it has invested a significant amount ofmoney into the development of a widerange of media, which is especially suitedto the specific demands of wide formatand super-wide format inkjet printers. AtFESPA 2005, for example, it launched nofewer than 11 such items, ranging fromvinyl media suitable for water-basedprinting to materials suitable for use inconjunction with solvent, eco-solvent andUV-curable printers. Taken together with avariety of paper media, SEAL can offerconsumables for the entire gamut ofindoor and outdoor display applications.

In terms of new hardware, SEALGraphics’ major aim is to make the wholeprocess as simple and user friendly aspossible, on both film and liquidlaminators.

Earlier this year, it launched a sub-£2000liquid sign coater, the AquaSEAL SignCoating system. This consists of a coatingunit with matched coating and cleaningsolutions, that uses low cost substrates,such as uncoated vinyls, to enhance andprotect cut sheet images up to 1372mm

(54ins) wide. Operating at speeds up to 1.5metres per minute, the laminator isdescribed as ‘plug-and-play’ and is sosimple to use that it requires no trainingwhatsoever! A Meyer bar is used to ensurethat an even coating of approximately 14microns is applied, to produce finishedimages that are ideal for use in a wholerange of short- and mid-term indoor andoutdoor applications, such as signs,banners, display and exhibition graphics.

The AquaSEAL Sign Coat is anenvironmentally friendly, water-based cleargloss liquid laminate containing low levelsof virtually odourless, volatile organiccompounds. It is touch-dry within 30minutes at normal ambient temperatures,cures in 24 hours and is compatible with ahost of solvent and light solvent inks frommanufacturers such as Mutoh, Mimaki,Roland and Océ.

At the other end of the liquidlamination spectrum, the company hasadded the AquaSEAL SW3300 to its rangeof liquid laminators providing UV,chemical, water and abrasion protection todigital print, typically billboards, truck sidecurtains and other flexible outdoorapplications. Capable of applying liquidlaminate at the rate of three metres perminute, at widths of up to 3.3m (129ins),

this machine is also extremely easy to use.Special features include a simplifiedLCD/touch screen panel to controlrun/stop and heat and speed functions,together with an automated infraredcuring system. It also uses segmentedheaters to conserve power when runningnarrow materials, whilst commonplumbing between both dual and singletank designs, delivers a more efficient flowpath for the liquid. After use, the coatednon-stick drain pan and dedicated drainvalve are real bonuses when it comes tocleaning.

While liquid applications are findingincreasing favour as the ideal means ofprotecting output from flatbed printers,SEAL Graphics’ film laminators remain thefinishing industry’s mainstay. One of thelatest additions to its large range ofhardware is the Seal 62, which comes intwo versions, the 62C and the 62S, whichoffer either a cold or a single heated toproller. Both machines are derived from thewidely acclaimed 62Pro and use the samehigh pressure nip system to deliver over2N/mm2 force and provide superb resultswhen using pressure sensitive films, atspeeds up to five metres per minute. For information visitwww.sealgraphics.com

Finishing with a flourishWhen it comes to digital printing, the right finishing touches can make all of the differencebetween a good product and one with real eye-appeal. Highlighted here are three popularfinishing techniques that ensure maximum profitability for every application.

Sign

Coa

ter.

62se

ries.

Dome it! Some twenty years ago, regularscreenprinted labels were transformed intothree-dimensional emblems with theaddition of a clear polyurethane resin.Further, this new addition not only madethe labels unique – it also made themresistant to environmental agents andtherefore ideal for use in even the mosttaxing applications. The shape of thisspecial coating provided the labels with adistinctive raised finish, hence the practicehas become known simply as doming.Defining doming today, however, is noteasy as it is constantly evolving and usedto produce a wide range of novel products.And to their delight, many of thescreenprinters who have invested in adoming machine have been able toexpand their businesses into new andprofitable directions as a result. One suchinnovative company is Danish LabelCoating and its Managing Director, JørgenClemmensen, is happy to pass on some

tips gleaned during his use of thetechnique over the last ten years. He says:"To us ‘doming’ is an ideal way to enhancethe customer’s product marking, since weuse it to transform an ordinary print intosomething which is both durable and eye-catching. It is easy to use the domingtechnique in conjunction with manydifferent materials, such as polyester,polycarbonate, PVC and aluminium etc.Further, the clarity of the polyurethanecan be used to create ‘windows’ wheredesirable. Doming can also be applied tosmall and large text and logos."

He continues: "The fact that doming is arelatively quick process means that we canuse it to enhance all manner of products.In fact we have built a factory thatspecialises in it, which enables us to workclosely with our customers, who aremainly printers in northern Europe, toprovide workable solutions to their brandidentification problems, a facility whichhas significantly added to the profitability

of our company." Clemmensen goes on to say that he

chose Demak equipment because it wasthe first company to offer an impressiveautomatic system. He says: "Demak wasalso happy to carry out several smallmodifications at my request and thus wehad a bespoke machine which suited ourparticular requirements perfectly." Today,Danish Label Coating runs three fully-automatic and two specially designedmachines, all purchased from Demak,which are easy to use and program and arenetworked to the Demak Service Centre.Clemmenson adds: "if something goeswrong, and we need help, we only have toactivate a few keys on the keyboard.However, we only rarely need to use thisfacility – we purchased our first Demakmachine in 1995 and despite being inconstant use every day, it is still goingstrong!" For further information visit:www.demak.it

Cut it!Esko-Graphics offers a range of automateddigital finishing systems for signs anddisplays, which are based on the KongsbergXL-Series of short-run production tables.

The Kongsberg i-XL tables are ideallysuited for cutting, creasing and scoring lowvolume corrugated and folding carton jobsbecause of their excellent toolingversatility. The recently introduced multi-purpose MultiCUT toolhead furtherenhances their cutting capability for use inthe packaging, sign, display and POPsectors, using rigid materials such asacrylics, polycarbonates, polypropylenes,alubonds, plywood, etc. A unique feature isthe integrated MGE i-cut vision controlsystem, with the i-cut camera in theMultiCUT head. Each printed object oneach sheet is thus measured with itsregister marks for registration and anydimensional changes, distortions ormaterial variations, such as shrinkage orstretching are noted. The i-cut softwarethen automatically fine-tunes each cut-contour for perfect cut-to-print.

Via i–script workflow integration in thedigital printer RIP and print controlsystem, key cutting and layout data islinked with a barcode when printingregister marks. Upon commencement ofthe finishing process, the i-cut camerareads the barcode, retrieves thecorresponding cutting and layout data andautomatically moves to the register marks

for measuring. This is followed byautomatic alignment of the cutting pathsto the graphic for the entire layout,resulting in very precise cutting, whichcompensates for registration and image ormedia distortions.

The Kongsberg i-XL can also be equippedwith a belt feed mechanism for continuousprinted material loading, either via roll or sheets, when linked with MGE’sautomatic sheet feeder. Serious time andcost savings can be achieved since thecombined system helps to reduce set-uptime, material waste and overallproduction time, whilst performing exactcost calculations.

Jef Bogaerts, Business DevelopmentManager at Esko-Graphics, comments: "The combined solution of the robustKongsberg i-XL tables with the MGE i-cutvision technology brings tremendous value to packaging, signage, display andPOP producers. Digital flatbed inkjetprinting applications, printed directly onto a wide variety of rigid substrates, arebecoming increasingly popular, with runlengths becoming smaller and lead timesbecoming shorter. The Esko-Graphics andMGE solution complements digitalprinting with a unique automatedfinishing solution that facilitates highproductivity and high precision for thewidest range of materials." For further information visit: www.esko-graphics.com

FOCUS ON FINISHING



FESPA 2005

FESPA 2005REVIEW

The biggest and best FESPA began instyle, with an official openingceremony hosted by FESPA PresidentRicardo Rodriguez Delgado and FESPAPresident Elect Hellmuth Frey who cutthe ribbon which spanned theentrance to four halls at MesseMunich. Visitors from 121 differentcountries were then free to visit the523 exhibitors who between themcovered 27,500 square metres of standspace.

In total the exhibition welcomedover 20,301 visitors, 4000 of themcompletely new to the show and 60%of whom came from outside ofGermany itself, reflecting FESPA’s

worldwide appeal. 53% of visitorsemanated from other Europeancountries, whilst 9% visited the eventfrom other continents. At the end offive exceptionally busy days, whichincluded a full programme of ancillaryevents, both exhibitors and visitorsdeclared the show a resoundingsuccess and expectations were raisedfor FESPA’s next European venture.FESPA’s first Digital show is scheduledto take place at the Rai, In Amsterdamon 16-18th May 2006 May next year.Over the next few pages, Val Hirst,Michel Caza and Mark Godden sharetheir impressions of the event, whilstthe pictures tell their own stories!


FESPA 2005 – THE BIG STORY

There’s nothing like an exhibition for providingcompanies with a platform from which to deliver theircorporate message and since the big three super-widemanufacturers, NUR, Scitex and VUTEk are allexperiencing a time of change, FESPA 2005 providedthem with a perfect opportunity to unveil their visionsfor the future.

First up was VUTEk, on its first outingsince its acquisition by EFI, a world leaderin digital imaging and print managementsolutions. VUTEk has arguably alwaysbeen the most media savvy of all theprinter manufacturers, and was eager toreassure everyone that its new ownerswould be simply ‘adding value’, ratherthan making any drastic changes. Sinceover the years, VUTEk has been owned bya number of different investmentcompanies, EFI, a company with whom ithas some synergy and who regularlyinvests some 28% of its annual revenuesinto research and development, appears tobe something of a benefactor. Whenquizzed about future plans, FredRosenzweig, President of EFI said: "VUTEkis already a tightly run and profitablecompany and we want to ensure that itstays that way, whilst also using our ownexpertise to enhance its overall productoffering." When asked whether this wouldalso mean moving into new markets,Andrew Brown, Vice President andGeneral Manager of VUTEk said: "We don’tregard ourselves as Missionaries. As we seeit, timing is crucial for product success, sowe are more concerned with producing

the machines that our customers need toservice their chosen marketplaces. Wedon’t aim to be the first, we simply aim tobe the best." He went on to dismiss thechallenge posed by competitors from theFar East, saying: "What our customersexpect from us are well built, reliablemachines that live up to expectation. Asyet, the machines that are coming out ofthe Far East don’t carry the sameguarantees regarding consistency ofperformance and output. I am notdismissing these manufacturers by anymeans and applaud their capacity forreproduction, but I don’t feel that theywill pose a real threat until they startoffering a greater degree of innovation anda fail-safe distribution and after salesservice plan."

Fred Rosenzweig added: "Our job now isto further distance VUTEk from itscompetition. We plan to own it foreverand will do what ever is needed to cementthe reputation it has already built."

Over at the NUR stand, the company’scharismatic Managing Director David Amirhad a slightly different message. "NUR hasalways been a pioneer," he declared andwent on to hint that the company is

preparing to spearhead the drive into newmarket sectors. "We have been working onground-breaking new technology, whichwe will be able to bring to market inanother year", he explained, adding thatthe time to leave a market is when thenumber of competitors multiply. Amirfeels that as far as the graphic sector isconcerned, NUR has surmounted all of thechallenges it has faced, in terms ofproducing the machines its customersneed. He points out that the company isalways spearheading new concepts whichhave helped to broaden the horizons of itscustomers, whilst at the same time beingscrupulous in ensuring that any machineit sold was suitable for its designatedpurpose. "I would rather turn businessaway than sell for the sake of selling –when customers buy machines that don’tdo the job they expect, they distrustdigital technology as a whole and it takestime to make up that lost ground, plusyou lose a customer forever," Amir asserts.He admitted however, that NUR’s plans arelargely dependent on it securing furtherfunding. Fortunately, some three monthsafter the show, it appears to have done justthat, having reached a definitive

All Change!FESPA 2005 fielded the biggest digitalcontingent yet, but for some of themost influential companies in this sector,there are major changes afoot.

Val Hirst reports


agreement with Fortissimo Capital Fund,who will be investing $12 million in NUR,with the agreement of its three lenderbanks.

Scitex’s attendance at FESPA wassomewhat clouded by the uncertaintyregarding its future ownership. Rumoursabout a tie up with Hewlett Packardabounded. Rather than risking a series ofone to one confrontations with the press,Scitex held a press breakfast, ostensibly totalk about its machines. However,Executive Vice President, Itai Halevysensibly addressed the ownership issuehimself, stating that the company stillwasn’t in a position to make anyannouncement regarding HP or any othersuitor for that matter. He pointed out thatScitex had enjoyed nine consecutivequarters of growth and profitability andthat its primary responsibilities were to itsshareholder and its customers. "We aretaking our time over this because we haveto be certain that any decision we make isthe right one," he said. But he alsoadmitted that the uncertainty couldn’tcontinue indefinitely and hoped to havemore definitive news "very soon."

He too dismissed the Chinese threat,arguing that although Scitex was alreadymanufacturing within China and thus

taking advantage of the cheaper facilitiesoffered there, Chinese printers per se hadnot yet achieved the standard of reliabilityrequired by western screenprinters. In theevent, this is a challenge that will now befaced by HP, who acquired Scitex shortlyafter the show, giving it an enviable spreadof products throughout the whole digitalspectrum.

Other companies also had similar issuesto face at FESPA. Inca Digital’s MarketingManager, Heather Kendle was candidwhen discussing its objectives. "We majoron the development of inkjet technology,"she said artlessly, thus confirming thatInca, like NUR is already looking furtherafield than purely graphic applications.What she didn’t reveal was that Inca wasabout to be acquired by Dianippon ScreenManufacturing Ltd, news that broke onthe fourth day of the show. Since then theusual reassurances regarding ‘business asnormal’ have been made, and with thebacking of a giant Japanese company,Inca’s entry into new market places willreceive all of the extra investment it needs.

Hopefully, all of these companies willprosper and their new owners andinvestors will recognise that the key totheir future success lies in retaining theentrepreneurial essence of the original

company, whilst providing it with thegreater level of financial security and longterm investment needed.

Whilst considering these acquisitions,we should also remember the two Agfaallegiances, the fruits of which wereunveiled at the show. The M-Press, theresult of Agfa’s collaboration with Thiemeis reviewed more thoroughly elsewhere,but it is probably Agfa’s tie up withMutoh, resulting in the launch of theAnapurna 100, that will prove to be morerelevant to screen and digital printers. Thiswide format UV inkjet printer has beenspecifically designed to accommodate therequirements of high volume industrialapplications and features printheadsjointly developed by Agfa and Xaar. Agfawill also be responsible for manufacturingthe machine’s UV-curable inks. The adventof these machines underline Agfa’sdetermination to cover every spectrum ofthe digital market, with possiblerepercussions for some of the pioneeringcompanies previously mentioned. It willtherefore be interesting to revisit all ofthese companies at the Rai next year, tosee what, if any changes have occurredand how far they have progressed in theirdesire to break new ground.

36 FESPA WORLD


As usual, because of the frantic round ofentirely enjoyable commitments, I didn’thave time to see as much of the show as Iwould have liked, which is, I suspect, trueof many visitors. However, my overallimpression was that screenprinting is aliveand well, that the popularity of digitalprinting continues to increase andalthough at present, it is confined largelyto the graphics sector, there were alsomany new printers at work in the textilehall. What’s more, many manufacturersare also beginning to use digitaltechnology in the broad spectrum ofindustrial applications, a development weshall doubtless see more of in Amsterdamnext year.

One of the things that immediatelystruck me, was the imagination that hadgone into stand design, with manyexhibitors operating from beautifullycrafted and aesthetically pleasing stands.This underlines the growing importance ofFESPA as a premier event, and helps toprovide visitors with a more visuallystimulating and interesting experience.My only regret is that no one had theforesight to initiate a stand awardcompetition to reward such enterprise,although the judges would have beenthoroughly spoilt for choice!

My own personal favourite was theFimor stand, which had as its centrepiecea typical "Le Mans" racing car sportingFimor’s corporate colours of green andwhite. Fimor was also showing its squeegeeblades and two remarkable sharpeners, anautomatic and a semi-automatic, whichboth featured double diamond grinders.Fimor also showed multi-shore blades (fivecombined and co-extruded shores!)moulded blades, special squeegee bladesfor use with ceramics and textiles, bladesmade from conductive polyurethane to

help reduce static electricity, pinch blademanual cutters and a pneumatic cleanerfor squeegees. In the best stand context, Imust also mention Sefar, for itsparticularly original stand and also for thehugely enjoyable evening celebration itheld to mark its 175th anniversary!

With limited time at my disposal, Idecided to concentrate on thescreenprinting halls, except that is, wherethe digital and screen processes overlap, asin the case of the much laudedAgfa/Thieme collaboration, the M-Press.In the event, this long awaited flatbedpress was the invisible man of the show,because the only sight of it that we werepermitted was a real time video! What apity! One of the advantages of this presswith its 64 piezo heads, is its speed - 400m2 / hours - and it would have beeninteresting to have seen the resultingoutput at close quarters. One of the manyattractions of the M-press is that it can beused in tandem with existingscreenprinting presses to facilitateenhancements such as clear coating andspot colours. And, if anyone feels that thehefty price tag will act as a deterrent, theywill be interested to learn thatAgfa/Thieme claim to have sold l7 M-Presses already!

It has long been argued that the biggestdisadvantage of screenprinting is theproduction of the screen itself, althoughwith the proliferation of CTS technology,this is becoming less of an issue. So it wasinteresting to see that other parts of thescreen process are also becomingautomated too. Companies such asBuisine, Chim ' 92, Grünig, ESC andDane-Grönlund are pioneeringautomated lines which offer screenreclamation, de-coating, drying, re-coatingwith emulsion, exposure and washing, in a

variety of different combinations. As wellas substantially reducing both time andlabour costs, such arrangements alsodispose of the resulting waste in anenvironmentally sound way. This I predictwill become a real growth area.

The efforts of the FESPA Team to includecompanies operating in both vertical andhorizontal markets began to bear fruit andwe saw exhibitors who cater for a widerange of industrial applications, includingthose who were demonstrating machinesfor printing on to glass sheet. There werealso a lot of companies involved in labelprinting, although here, the classicalGallus was curiously absent. This left thefield open for the innovative and very fastKammann K-61 OS machine (2.000 m /hour), which used a combination of dryoffset and rotary screenprinting, alongwith presses from Stork, Kinsel,Zimmer and M&R. Other new areas ofinterest included Mould Decoration (IMD),the printing of membranes switches, theprinting of rigid and flexible printedcircuits (PCB), and RFID printing, aninnovation which is used in the labellingsector to provide product identification viathe use of radio frequencies. I also sawequipment for printing on to glass bottles,CD/ DVDs and plastic packaging. Tampoprinting was also much in evidence andrepresented by such companies as Teca-Print, Tampograph, Tampoprint,Chungfou, Cofellow, Everbright andTampo Techniek.

An exhibitor worthy of special note isAutotype, who as well as producing awealth of innovative products for use inmany different screen markets, has nowintroduced a new substrate, Autotex DP, afilm which stops the growth and thedispersal of bacteria. This product hasmany obvious applications in hospitals,

Around the showwith Michel Caza


but can also be used to good effect oncomputer keyboards, membrane switches,and on almost any object you care toname that exists within a health sensitiveenvironment. Autotype also introducedanother interesting material, a specialpolyester, which will help to reduce theproblem of graffiti when applied to signsand advertisements.

On the squeegee side, all of the majorplayers were there, with RKS unveiling anew carbon squeegee blade, which, itclaims, is as easy to sharpen aspolyurethane. It was also showingsqueegees made from a combination offibreglass and polyurethane, a specialsqueegee it has created especially for rotaryscreenprinting and a laser poweredsqueegee sharpener!

When it comes to screenprinting pressesthere is no extraordinary progress toreport, but rather a plethora ofenhancements relating to reliability,quality, electronics, tools, controls, etc.There were many new exhibitors in thisarea, and inevitably, some from China andIndia. Of special note was the multicolourpress shown by the Indian companyGrafica Flextronica.

Among the big players, size was

becoming something of an issue! BothSiasprint and Thieme were offering 2 x3m presses, as were Argon and IS, whilstthe Kippax offering was a whopping 6 x3,3m machine! Sakurai showed its two-colour cylinder press, where the sheetpasses from one cylinder to the other.More cylinder presses were to be found onthe SPS and ESC stands and the biggestChinese manufacturer was alsorepresented.

There has been a huge worldwideincrease in the popularity of UVtechnology in all of the graphic andindustrial sectors. New inks for circuits,IMD, membrane switches, RFID, and in theautomotive sector are now underdevelopment and Nor-Cote has nowbreached one of the final bastions with theintroduction of UV conductive and electro-luminescent inks. All of the major inkmanufacturers and suppliers from Europeand America were present at FESPA 2005including Encres Dubuit, VFP, andTiflex together with the Chinesecompany Zongyi and Chayaboon fromThailand who were making their Europeandébuts.

The textile hall was a new departure forFESPA and all of the big manufacturers

were there. The companies with the two biggest

stands were MHM with its Type Emachine, which prints a staggering 1,400T-shirts / hour and M&R, who wasshowing a six to 12 colour press. Sefa, andTas International also fielded sizeablestands. Elsewhere, visitors could see everypermutation of water and dye-basedprinter, flocking, transfers and numeroustransfer presses.

Here again the tendency is towardsecologically friendly inks, as Denmark andGermany particularly, are against both thephthalates and PVC components of thestandard plastisol inks. However, thesenew alternatives are very much moreexpensive! This is another area where UVink will eventually come into its own.Perhaps the most significant developmentin this hall was the use of ink jet to printT-shirts as shown on the Kornit stand.

All in all It was a very big and happyFESPA and although, as someone who hasbeen attending the show since the firstFespa in1963, and who is used to hearingthat the most recent event is the ‘biggestand the best’ this time, it really was! -




For logistical reasons, I flew intoAmsterdam, drove to Munich andsomewhere along the way, picked up areally scary chest infection. Needless tosay, I had never felt less like hauling mywretched carcass around an exhibition,but thanks to a regime of throat-calmingice cream and regular restorative visits tothe press-centre, I was able to find muchto interest and entertain me.

Out on the floor, one of the loudestbuzzes was the even closer relationshipthat industry heavyweights Mutoh andAgfa are building. The how, what andwhy underpinnings of this fusion aredoubtless reported elsewhere, so I prefer toaddress the innocent question – what doesit mean?

Well, if you’re an industry operator, saya reseller punting inkjet printers, materialsand service offerings into the screen andallied industries, did Agfa even make itonto your competitive analysis? Probablynot, but it should.

Forget any notion you may have filed

away that Agfa is about little orange-coloured boxes of 35mm film, or aboutoutdated repro-gear and the like. Agfa is aworld-class imaging company and you arein the imaging business. Agfa bringsinventiveness, marketing muscle and hugecapability to the industry. It’s an enterprisewith the wit and wherewithal to actuallygrow the market. It also brings intent. Itwants its piece of the imaging arena.

The fruits of this deal also suggest thatthere’s more to Mutoh than meets the eye.Here’s an company that’s capable ofgetting what must be a very challengingdevelopment project delivered to Agfa’ssatisfaction, which is all to its credit in myview.

Mutoh’s output, by which I meanprinters, appeals to and has untoldapplications within the "imaging industry."That’s a very convenient description ofsomething that’s becoming, become even,mind-frying in its sheer scope. Addressingthis opportunity is Mutoh’s job and thatmeans it has to deal with lots of industry

sub-sectors and lots of overlappinginterests. I don’t expect everyone willwarmly applaud Mutoh’s latest outingwith Agfa, but I would never criticise acompany for doing its job and doing itvery well.

If you’ve been around as manyexhibitions as I have, a flatbed-cuttingplotter is something you could easily walkpast and not give a second thought to. I’mglad I paused for long enough at the Eskostand to see a magnificent Kongsbergmachine sporting some exoticenhancements courtesy of MGE.

What Esko was demonstrating, in anutshell, is an ability to take printedoutput and cut it reliably in the context ofa production orientated workflow. Cuttingprinted output is not new of course, butdoing it on a flatbed of Kongsberg-calibreis an idea with great prospects.

Thanks to its i-Cut smarts, Esko’s systemdoesn’t care much about little first andsecond order errors such as imagedistortion, material positioning and so on.

Edited highlights from Mark Godden



It just puts a Kongsberg-precise, co-extensive cut around your imaged output.It’s fast, it’s reliable and the most excitingthing is, it’s barely happening yet.

I think this whole print-cut applicationspace is a thinly veiled opportunity for themore creative operators out there to maketowering reputations and towering piles ofmoney too. There must be untoldapplications for the whole notion ofmaking highly individual, customisedoutput, which capitalises on the fusion ofprinting and cutting or routing. Mymessage is, look into this and look into itclosely. This is a sleeping giant of atechnology that’s capable of driving thevalue of what you print way beyond theprice it traditionally demands.

At an event on the scale of FESPA there’sa very real possibility of not seeing thewood for the trees. How does the manselling 5mm rubber grommets get yourattention at the motor show when thereare Ferraris you simply have to buy? Howdoes someone with a 5mm thick disk oftransparent plastic get your attention atFESPA? Chances are, they don’t.

I wasn’t looking for it, but I did findsuch a disk, a sample of a very cleverplastic. It can be moulded. It can be cut. Itcould be drilled without healing over and

it’s as crystal clear as a piece of plasticcould be. You could make a passable lensout of it. It’s not coated at all. Oh, and Ialmost forgot, it’s electrically conductiveand some customers at MI-5 love it!

Did you visit the Zimmer stand? Nowthat’s what I call a piece of kit. I hesitate todescribe it as an inkjet, probably because itisn’t one, but it is a printer. This is one ofthose comparatively rare bits of hardwarethat immediately turns peoples’ eyes toEuro or Dollar signs.

The machine makes printed doormats.You can take a coarse, rubber backed matand print the design, logo or whateverupon it. The system steam fixes andwashes the output and there you have it –a very nice piece of output you canactually sell for a very nice sum of money.

I love this machine. It prints gooey inkin sixteen colours right down to the fibre.It’s not a weak, superficial print. Itabsolutely grabs you by the eyeballs, it’s sopoppy and colourful. Zimmer – check itout.

I’m not going to do a detailed review ofevery inkjet printer at the show because ofspace limitations, but suffice it to say,there were a lot of printers out there. Of allthe industries that are enduring the arrivaland the inevitable churn that results when

disruptive technologies turn up, I wouldsay screen is doing a good job ofembracing it and turning events to itsadvantage. I don’t hear the death rattles ofthe screen process now or anytime soon,what I do see though, is an expansion ofthe market for digitally equipped screenprinters and evidence of an uptakeamongst the more creative operators.

So to conclude, the exhibitors did agreat job and visitors turned up in theirthousands and bought things. FESPA puton a terrific exhibition. Here’s the recipeshould there be any desire to repeat it.

Take an inventive, notoriouslydiversified industry founded on the wholenotion of controllably depositingpractically any printable liquid onto moreor less any chemically or mechanicallyreceptive substrate and let it sit for a fewaeons. Now you have your base stock.

Add a few devastatingly disruptivetechnologies, (make sure to include agenerous drizzle of digital) a pinch or twoof fresh thinking and a flamboyant zizz ofnew ideas.

Shake it all up and there you have it –FESPA! I look forward to my next helpingin Amsterdam!

FESPA 2005 AWARDS

44 FESPA WORLD AUTUMN /05

One of the undoubted high points of the show was the

FESPA 2005 Awards, which are designed to highlight the

very best in screen and digital printing. This year the

judges faced the difficult task of judging over 400 entries,

submitted by companies in 20 different countries. The 20

categories covered the many diverse aspects of screen

and digital printing, including point of purchase materials,

calendars, posters, textiles, and various digital categories,

to name just a few.

Pure Gold!

CIB Bellemare

Category 1A

Process Colours

Gold Award

Rig Persona

Category 1B

Single/Multi Colours

Gold Award

Nigel Steffens, FESPA General Secretary,commented: "We were hugely impressedby the stunning work submitted, and weredelighted by the broad range of suppliersand nationalities represented. It wasparticularly gratifying to see such a largenumber of entries from India, some ofwhich achieved Gold, Silver and Bronzeawards.

"One of the most encouraging aspects ofthe competition was that it revealed that

the screenprinting process is continuing todevelop and evolve. We saw some trulyexcellent, technically superb entries,ranging from the printing of electroniccircuits to religious icons, which showedthe process at its very best. Similarly,entries in the four digital categoriesshowed that digital technology is alsoproducing stunning, high-quality results,which can compete with traditionalprocesses."

FESPA WORLD 12/04 45

HEADING


FESPA 2005 AWARDS

Pasja

Category 2B


Gold Award

CIB Bellemare

Category 3B


Gold Award

Augustus Martin

Category 2A

Process Colours

Gold Award

FM Siebdruck Werbung

Category 3A

Process Colours

Gold Award

FESPA 2005 AWARDS

Pasja

Category 4A

Process Colours

Gold Award

Klenke

Category 4B


Gold Award

Atelier Fur Siebdruck

Lorenz Boegli

Category 5A

Process Colours

Gold Award Michel Caza Eurl

Category 8A

Process Colours

Gold Award

Augustus Martin

Category 6A

Process Colours

Gold Award

Atelier Fur Siebdruck Lorenz Boegli

Category 5B Single/Multi Colours Gold Award


FESPA 2005 AWARDS

Sitopapir

Category 9

Books (Additional Category)

Gold Award

CD Papanikopoulos

Category 9A

Process Colours

Gold Award

Augustus Martin

Category 10A Process Colours Gold Award

Atelier Fur Siebdruck

Lorenz Boegli

Category 9B


Gold Award

Riebl Siebdruck

Category 10B Single/Multi Colours Gold Award

Anil Labels

Category 11B


Gold Award


Torun Print Tech

Category 11A

Process Colours

Gold Award

Michel Caza Eurl

Category 13A

Process Colours

Gold Award


FESPA 2005 AWARDS

Studio Reya

Category 15B

Single/Multi Colours Gold Award

JSC Elga

Category 16B

Single/Multi Colours Gold Award

Monochem Graphics

Category 17B


Gold Award

Panorama Category 18 Gold Award

Far left

Heinrich Ceramic Decal

Category 14A

Process Colours

Gold Award

Left

Heinrich Ceramic Decal

Category 14B


Gold Award

OM Decals

Category 15A

Process Colours Gold Award

Klenke

Category 17A

Process Colours

Gold Award

Domberger Category 20 Gold Award

Efekt

Category 16A

Process Colours Gold Award


Winners of FESPA 2005 Awards

Category 1Point of Purchase Products – Printing onpaper and board, including paper bannersand backlit papersProcess ColoursGold CIB BellemareSilver Augustus MartinBronze CIB Bellemare

Single/Multi ColoursGold Rig PersonaSilver Rig PersonaBronze Sitopapir

Category 2Point of Purchase Products - Printed on alltypes of plastics, including plastic bannersand backlit plastic + lenticular

Process ColoursGold Augustus Martin Pic:Silver CIB BellemareBronze Augustus Martin

Single/Multi ColoursGold PasjaSilver Michel Caza EurlBronze Sitopapir

Category 3Point of Purchase Products – Plasticprinting in sheets, flexible or rigid

Process ColoursGold FM Siebdruck WerbungSilver Augustus MartinBronze Spectrum Scan Pvt

Single/Multi ColoursGold CIB BellemareSilver Studio ReyaBronze Klenke

Category 4Calendars

Process ColoursGold PasjaSilver CIB BellemareBronze ogi Display Arts

Single/Multi ColoursGold KlenkeSilver Rig PersonaBronze Disgraf

Category 5Postcards, Greetings & Christmas Cards

Process ColoursGold Atelier Fur Siebdruck

Lorenz BoegliSilver Atelier Fur Siebdruck

Lorenz BoegliBronze MichelCaza Eurl

Single/Multi ColoursGold Atelier Fur Siebdruck

Lorenz BoegliSilver Atelier Fur Siebdruck

Lorenz BoegliBronze Atelier Fur Siebdruck

Lorenz Boegli

Category 6Posters, single sheets

Process ColoursGold Augustus Martin

Silver Weiss Siebdruck

Bronze Augustus Martin

Single/Multi ColoursBronze CIB Bellemare

Pics Process: DSCF0054.JPG,DSCF0055.JPG

Category 7Posters, multi-sheets

Process ColoursBronze Kumazawa Screenprinting

Single/Multi ColoursNo award

Category 8Original Serigraphies and Paintings

Single/Multi ColoursGold Michel Caza EurlSilver Studio ReyaBronze Klenke

Category 9Fine Art Reproductions, Books, Brochures

Process ColoursGold CD PapanikopoulosSilver CD PapanikopoulosBronze CIB Bellemare

Single/Multi ColoursGold Atelier Fur Siebdruck Lorenz

BoegliSilver CIB BellemareBronze Studio Reya

Books (Additional Category)Gold SitopapirSilver Atelier Fur Siebdruck Lorenz

BoegliBronze Omega Print

Category 10Decals, Printed Labels, Fleet Marking,Window Decals etc

Process ColoursGold Augustus MartinSilver Classic StripesBronze New Jev Screen

Single/Multi ColoursGold Riebl SiebdruckSilver New Jev ScreenBronze Monochem Graphics

Category 11T-shirts and other garments, caps, directprinting on transfers

Process ColoursGold Torun Print TechSilver Midi PrintBronze Graphic Elements

Single/Multi ColoursGold Anil LabelsSilver Pulitel SASBronze Torun Print Tech

Category 12Pennants, Banners, Tapestries, Draperies

Process ColoursNo award made

Single/Multi ColoursNo award made

Category 13Other Textile Products, eg. Bags, Scarves,Ties and Canvas

Process ColoursGold Michel Caza Eurl

Single/Multi ColoursBronze Graphic Elements

Category 14Glass & Ceramic, eg. Tableware, Tiles,Glasses, Mirrors – curved and flat. DirectPrinting, Decals and Backlit

Process ColoursGold Heinrich Ceramic DecalSilver Deco Mat KftBronze OM Decals

FESPA 2005 AWARDS


FESPA 2005 AWARDS

Single/Multi ColoursGold Heinrich Ceramic DecalSilver JSC ElgaBronze Santi Arts Hi Tech

Category 15Metal & Wood Products, Signs andObjects

Process ColoursGold OM DecalsSilver FM SiebdruckBronze CIB Bellemare

Single/Multi ColoursGold Studio ReyaSilver KlenkeBronze Atelier Fur Siebdruck Lorenz

Boegli

Category 16Direct Printing on Three-DimensionalProducts, Bottles, Mugs, Skis, Packaging etc

Process ColoursGold Efekt

Single/Multi ColoursGold JSC Elga

Category 17Miscellaneous: Compact Discs, Credit andPhone Cards, Automobiles, IMD, Fascias,Dials, Nameplates, Signs, Gauges etc.Printed Circuits & Membrane Switches,Hybrid Circuits, etc. (A & B)

Process ColoursGold KlenkeSilver KromaBronze Riebl Siebdruck

Single/Multi ColoursGold Monochem GraphicsSilver SchurterBronze Schreiner Group

Category 18Digital Printing on Rigid Material

Gold PanoramaSilver Palmer Werbe Art

Category 19Digital Printing on Flexible Material

Gold Kroma

Category 20Digital Printing – Speciality

Gold Domberger

IPTS Lda, Portugal – Gold

FESPA 2005 YOUTH AWARDSCOMPETITION

Gold IPTS Lda, PortugalSilver Iptomar Estt, PortugalBronze Lycee Professionnel Zola,

France

Highly Commended:Dhirubhai Mistry Centre for Excellence,India

Kobnhavns Tech Skole, DenmarkKroschke, Germany


When Marks & Spencer launched its new‘Natures’ range recently it needed a highquality label in keeping with theluxurious yet natural feel of the brand.The range comprises a wide variety ofdifferent products, all of which come inan assortment of exotic fragrances.Unsurprisingly, Marks and Spencercommissioned Harlands Labels, a UKprinter with long experience of workingwith companies active within the healthand beauty sector. The Hull-basedcompany produced the massive number of labels required on its newly installedMPS330 combination press and so far, has produced in excess of 650,000 labels.These include front labels printed onwhite PE in seven colour Flexo plus var-nish, wrap labels printed in eight colourson a clear PE and back labels printed intwo or three colours on white PE. What’smore, production is still ongoing!

Harlands Labels also delighted Marks &

Spencer by creating a fantastic finish forits new Daniel Galvin Haircare range.

Harlands produced 18 different types oflabel including wraps, lid and peel andread labels on a range of clear PE, PP andwhite PP in up to five colours plus varnish.The success of the design owes much toHarlands innovative use of a speciallyformulated transparent white screen ink togive a semi opaque look to the base design.This was complemented with an overallmatt varnish and four further gloss screencolours with a grey, white or black spotcolour according to the label type.

ARTFIX of Sao Paulo, recently completedthe biggest vehicle wrap job ever awardedin Brazil. Using its VUTEk UltraVu 3360FCand UltraVu 2360FC printers to produceover 18,000 m2 of graphics to fully wrap1200 vehicles for the Brazilian beveragegiant, AmBev. ARTFIX printed directlyonto adhesive vinyl to produce 35 wraps of 15 m2 of graphics every day!

The UK wide- format print specialistsMonster Digital used a combination of skilland the Scitex Vision XLjet 5+ to produce

c

d

a b

SHOWCASE

Showcase

SHOWCASE

over a 1000 metres of suitably stunningwindow displays for installation at 25stores of the 1st Bank clothing chain in alittle under a week. Monster Digital’s clientTony G Creative Retail was so pleased withboth the quality of the work and the speedof delivery, that it has now commissionedMonster Digital to provide similar displaysfor Ist Bank’s stores nationwide.

Riding the tube of a ferocious wave is anexperience that you never forget, but isone which is only usually enjoyed by askilled and fearless surfer. Now, however,even lily-livered landlubbers can imaginethe feeling of exhilaration simply byvisiting the "Life’s a Beach" exhibition inNewport News, The Mariners’ Museum.The exhibition is designed to create avisual timeline of beach life and visitorsmeet the exhibition’s centerpiece "wavewall" within the Surf and Recreation area,which traces the evolution of watersports.The Graphics Gallery used its VUTEkPressVu UV 200/600 to produce thegraphic, which was printed directly on to

self-adhesive vinyl before being applied toa pre-fabricated frame.

When Hungary joined the EuropeanUnion last year, two huge banners werestretched across the Elizabeth Bridge overthe Danube, celebrating both the return ofthe country to Western Europe and thefact that it had joined the 24 other nationsin the EEC. A little of that glory rubbed offon OSG Hungary Ltd, the companyproduced both the banner and all mannerof building wraps, streetlight posters andcolourful liveries for Budapest’s streetcarson its Scitex Vision XLjet 5+.

Hong Kong based Sin Fung is reaping thebenefits of an investment in a ScitexVision TURBOjet by using it to attract aplethora of new business. Since theprinter’s installation the company has seenits share of the Hong Kong bus paneladvertising market rise from 20% to 50%.The TURBOjet has also been instrumentalin helping Sin Fung to clinch a lucrativeprinting deal with electrical giants Philips.

Meanwhile, Sin Fung’s earlier purchase oftwo Scitex Vision XLjet+ printers hasenabled it to maintain its leading positionin Hong Kong’s bus shelter advertisingmarket.

Markley Enterprise, Inc., of Elkhart,Indiana, USA, is the first company in theworld to upgrade its PressVu UV 200/600to include the new white ink option, afacility that has enabled it to produce a jobfor Mack Trucks, one of the leading heavytruck manufacturers in the USA. Markleyproduced over 100 4ft x 1ft, bulldog logosigns, which are now displayed in MackTruck dealerships throughout America.Previously, it has used white 6mm Sintrafor these logo signs, but since the logoaccounts for only about 10% of the actualsurface area, with the remainder requiringa black background, a lot of ink andprinting time was wasted. Now thecompany merely needs to print a whitelogo onto black Sintra, producing asuperior product with obvious costbenefits.


h

e g

f

a Marks & Spencer new ‘Natures’ range.

b & f OSG Hungary Ltd join celebrations

with their Scitex Vision XLjet 5+.

c Colour Care Leave In Conditioner.

d Moisture Plus Nourishing Intensive

Conditioner and Shampoo.

e Sin Fung bus panel advertising.

g Artfix300 vehicle wrap.

h Exhibition centerpiece “Wave Wall” by

The Graphics Gallery.


INFORMATION

FESPA ‘contact list’The following list of Telephone, Fax and E-mail numbers will

help you when you need to contact a colleague in FESPA.

FESPA board Telephone Fax E-mailHellmuth Frey – President 49 408 50 40 21 49 408 537 18 12 [email protected]

Ricardo Rodriguez Delgado – Past President 34 914 85 28 70 34 916 71 02 73 [email protected]

Michel Caza 33 1 34 67 16 79 33 1 34 67 28 89 [email protected]

Lascelle Barrow 44 207 537 42 00 44 207 531 12 77 [email protected]

Gyorgy Kovacs 36 28 51 66 15 36 28 51 66 16 [email protected]

Anders Nilsson 46 493 130 40 46 493 121 20 [email protected]

Enrico Steijn 31 79 343 5353 31 79 343 5354 [email protected]

Kurt Sperisen – International Ambassador 41 44 910 5150 41 44 910 3866 [email protected]

Nigel Steffens – General Secretary 44 1737 22 53 21 44 1737 24 07 70 [email protected]

Frazer Chesterman – Exhibition Director 44 1737 22 97 26 44 1737 24 07 70 [email protected]

Val Hirst – FESPA Magazine Editor 44 1623 88 23 98 44 1159 81 81 99 [email protected]

ESMA boardRudi Röller – ESMA Chairman 49 62 22 57 80 49 62 22 57 82 00 [email protected]

David Parker – Treasurer 44 12 35 77 11 11 44 12 35 77 11 96 [email protected]

Pedro Rodriguez – Deputy Chairman 34 944 02 27 47 34 944 71 11 82 [email protected]

Sem Seaborne – HSEP Ctee. Chairman 44 12 35 77 11 11 44 12 35 77 11 96 [email protected]

Jon Bultemeyer – IA Ctee. Chairman 49 71 41 691 249 49 71 41 691 242 [email protected]

Bryan Collings – General Secretary 44 12 27 28 25 73 44 12 27 28 25 74 [email protected]

Ralph Roschlau – Board Member 49 71 41 69 11 26 49 71 41 69 11 03 [email protected]

Daniele de Rosa – EPP Ctee. Chairman 39 03 19 711 39 03 19 33 392 [email protected]

Cyril Bousquet – TDS Cttee Chairman 33 474 373 333 33 474 373 321 [email protected]

FESPA secretariatChris Smith – New Projects & Member Services Manager

44 1737 22 97 20 44 1737 24 07 70 [email protected]

Mandy Goldfinch – PA to Nigel Steffens 44 1737 22 97 23 44 1737 24 07 70 [email protected]

Michael Ryan – Sales Manager 44 1737 22 97 27 44 1737 24 07 70 [email protected]

James Ford – Sales Manager 44 1737 24 07 88 44 1737 24 07 70 [email protected]

Karen Pooley – Group Marketing Manager 44 1737 22 97 25 44 1737 24 07 70 [email protected]

Samantha Yardley – Operations Manager 44 1737 22 83 52 44 1737 24 07 70 [email protected]

Lorraine Harrow – Sales and Marketing Assistant

44 1737 22 83 50 44 1737 24 07 70 [email protected]

Ruth Fahie – Sales and Marketing Assistant 44 1737 22 83 53 44 1737 24 07 70 [email protected]

Sarah Willcox – Accounts Manager 44 1737 22 97 24 44 1737 24 07 70 [email protected]

Secretaries of FESPA national associations Telephone Fax E-mail / WebsiteChristian Handler Austria 43 15 12 66 09 43 15 13 28 26 19 [email protected]

www.druckundmedientechnik.or.at

Ilze Eisaka Baltic States 371 9277364 371 9271620 [email protected]

Isabelle Lefebvre Belgium 32 25 12 36 38 32 25 13 56 76 [email protected] / www.febelgra.be

Eugeny Ivanov Bulgaria 35 96 082 39 48 35 96 082 39 48 [email protected]

Mirjana Bjelan Croatia 38 51 45 52 327 38 51 45 52 327 [email protected]

Vladimir Havel Czech Republic 420 487 71 27 12 420 487 72 63 55 [email protected]

www.sitotisk-serigrafie.cz

Finn Obbekaer Denmark 45 63 12 70 00 45 63 12 70 80 [email protected] / www.ga.dk

Regina Aas Finland 35 89 71 72 99 35 89 73 84 52 [email protected] / www.seripainoliitto.fi

Arnaud Couvreur France 33 1 53 89 25 31 33 1 53 89 25 26 [email protected] / www.gpsfr.org

Torben Thorn Germany 49 611 80 31 15 49 611 80 31 17 [email protected] / www.bvdm-online.de


INFORMATION

Kimon Papas Greece 30 210 52 39 41 6 30 210 52 48 23 7 [email protected]

Janos Buranyi Hungary 36 28 51 66 15 36 28 51 66 16 [email protected]

Bhargav Mistry India 91 250 248 0998 91 250 248 0786 [email protected] / www.s-p-a-i.org

Giuseppe Scozzi Italy 39 06 44 18 82 71 39 06 44 24 95 15 [email protected] / www.cna.it

Marius Gort Netherlands 31 20 5 43 55 56 31 20 5 43 55 35 [email protected] / www.zso.nl

Jon Halvorsen Norway 47 33 07 15 30 47 33 07 15 31 [email protected] / www.serigrafer.org

Robert Kochaniak Poland 48 12 296 03 85 48 12 656 01 32 [email protected] / www.ssp.com.pl

José Carragosela Portugal 35 12 18 49 10 20 35 12 18 43 87 39 [email protected] / www.apigraf.pt

Marius Codirla Romania 40 722 28 21 22 40 264 59 71 39 [email protected] / www.arsitd.homestead.com

Artem Nadirashvili Russia 7 09 53 65 38 96 7 09 52 32 18 66 [email protected] / www.rspa.ru

Dusan Golubovic Serbia and Montenegro 38 11 63 21 23 49 38 11 13 61 50 23 [email protected]

Ludovit Bartos Slovakia 42 1 32 74 43 589 42 132 74 30 434 [email protected] / www.sietotlacovyzvaz.sk

Edo Sternad Slovenia 386 1 565 72 50 386 1 568 45 78 edo@ib-procadd

Pablo Serrano Spain 34 91 307 74 44 34 91 307 76 08 [email protected] / www.asibnet.org

Else-Britt Lindeborg Sweden 46 87 62 68 17 46 86 11 08 28 [email protected]

www.screentryck.org

Hans Peter Weiss Switzerland 41 18 37 10 40 41 18 37 10 42 [email protected] / www.vss-apss.ch

Ibrahim Demirseren Turkey 90 212 212 41 16 90 212 212 41 07 [email protected] / www.ared.org.tr

Michael Turner United Kingdom 44 1737 24 07 92 44 1737 24 07 70 [email protected] / www.spauk.co.uk

Other associationsMike Robertson SGIA 1 70 33 8513 35 1 70 32 73 04 56 [email protected]

Magazine coupon forordering Fespa WorldAll members of FESPA receive this magazine every three monthsfree. If you are not a FESPA member and wish to order a copy, theannual subscription for four copies, including postage, is €63.00.

Please complete the following order form to ensure your copyfor the future. The magazine is published in English with selectedsummaries in German, French and Spanish. Full translations areavailable on www.fespaworld.com to members and subscribers.

I enclose my cheque for €63.00 payable to FESPA for issues 42,43, 44 and 45.Future issues Issue 42 November 2005, Issue 43 March 2006, Issue44 June 2006, Issue 45 September 2006

(Block capitals please)

Name

Company

Address

Tel:

Fax:

Photocopy this sheet and send by post or Fax to:M. Goldfinch, FESPA, 7a West Street, Reigate, Surrey RH2 9BL, UK, Tel: +44 1737 240788 Fax: +44 1737 240770

List of advertisersAeroterm as 31

Afford Industrial SA 51

BASF 49

Be Digital 15 & 17

FESPA World Expo India 27

FESPA Digital Printing Europe 29

Fimor 47

Gunig 51

J-teck3 srl 23

Lechler 43

Marabuwerke GmbH & Co.KG inside front cover

RKS Siebdrucktechnik GmbH 53

Saatiprint 13

Saatichem inside back cover

Scitex Vision 41

Sefar AG 21

Spühl AG 47

B & C The Cotton Group 37

Thieme GmbH & Co.KG 9

VFP 7

Vutek outside back cover


AND FINALLY…

Michel Caza exerciseshis right of reply

If you are expecting thiscolumn to focus on the FESPAexhibition, you are going to berather disappointed. The showwas, of course, a great success,outperforming even our highexpectations, I did everything Icould to support it. But I mustconfess that whilst in Munich,my days were so busy andoccupied with FESPA business,that I didn’t get to see all of thewonders it had to offer,although you will find acomprehensive show reviewelsewhere in this magazine.

So, here I want to focus ontwo items which appeared inthe last issue of Fespa World,namely, the "Face2Face" articlewith Alberto Novarese, theCEO of Saati and MarkGodden’s demytholisation ofthe digital printer market in"And Finally ".

With regard to the former, Iread the Alberto Novareseinterview with great pleasure,not least because I share theviews espoused therein. In fact,Alberto’s vision regarding thefuture of screenprinting is theone that I have beenadvocating for years!

I wholeheartedly agree withhis statement that effectivestaff training is vital ifscreenprinting is to remain aviable and evolvingtechnology. Customers haveincreasingly high expectationsand the ability to offer a highlevel of service and quality iscrucial to a company’s overallsuccess. Alberto also makes thevalid point, that the currentpopularity of digital printingmethods begins to pale whenone moves away from the signand display graphics sector andinto the industrial and textilespheres, where screenprinting

still remains the superiorprocess. It is true, that whenone visits the exhibitions, onesees a lot of digital equipment,but this because the showstend to focus on the "visualcommunication" aspect ofprinting, rather than theindustrial and textile aspect,although this trend wasreversed, to some extent, atFESPA this year.

Alberto’s plan to standardisescreenprinting technology isalso a sound one, although,personally, I feel that it shouldnot go too far, as completestandardisation, whilstensuring an averagely goodand consistent result, precludesthe creation of somethingwhich is truly sensational. Thisis what happened to offsetprinting- there are many offsetprinters who can provideperfectly acceptable work, butthere is less chance of finding aprinter who can produce workto the same remarkablestandard as that master of theoffset process, Draeger, or thosewho followed him.

I also like the idea ofscreenprinters occupyingspecialist niche markets and,for many companies this isdefinitely the way ahead. Onthe other hand, many suppliersare too preoccupied with theirown product niche, to thedetriment of applications indifferent industries. It is up tous screenprinters to explain tomanufacturers what we needfrom them, rather than forthem to dictate what is goodfor us! They should alsoremember that all componentshave to work together – afterall, what is the point of using agood fabric with a bademulsion, mediocre ink and anunreliable press?

So when Alberto advocatesmore collaboration amongst

the various manufacturers ofscreen equipment, materialsand ancillary products I salutehim! Grazie mille, Alberto, youare right! The future of thescreen process depends on theco-operation of all the industrysuppliers – without itscreenprinters simply won’t beable to give of their best.

And so we come to "AndFinally" and once again Iapplaud Mark Godden forhighlighting the phenomenonof ‘Specmanship’. And I wasparticularly delighted that a bigspecialist from the digital worldhad bravely decided to confirmin print something which I hadlong suspected, i.e. that themanufacturers of digitalequipment embroider the truthas far as the speed of theirmachines is concerned!

Of course when I havequestioned this before, I havebeen accused of simplydefending my supposedpreference for the screenprocess, despite the fact that Iwas one of the initiators ofdigital flat bed UV technologyin 1997-98!

I have often said that toclaim to print 400 m2 / hour isterribly misleading if you don’talso reveal that this is in 72dpi! If you want to print anyreasonable quality graphic,designed to be viewed at closequarters, you will not be doingit in 72dpi - you will mostlikely be printing in 720dpiand you certainly won’t beachieving speeds of 40 m2 /hour or anything like it! Soalthough the printer may beable to reach such a speed, it isof academic interest to theaverage customer. In fact, itwould be interesting to knowhow many digitalentrepreneurs have failedbecause their businesses havebeen based on such unrealistic

promises. It seems to me thattoo many manufacturers havefailed to explain either theintricacies of colourmanagement or the need forexpert and well-targeted salesand marketing. After all, it isone matter to find 20customers requiring 1.000copies and quite another tofind 1.000 customers requiring20 copies!

Mark also made the pointthat printer manufacturersensure that customers feelobliged to purchaseabominably expensive ink ownbrand inks by muttering darklyabout compromised results ifalternative products are used."If you don’t buy our ink wewon’t guarantee your result",they threaten and of course, heis right, they do precisely that!

But things are slowlychanging for the better. AtFespa2005, it was evident thatprinter manufacturers werebecoming more circumspect.Yes, they still regard speed as amajor advantage, but on thewhole, justified this withclarification as to resolution.And purchasers too, many ofwhom are indeed, "once bittentwice shy" were less gullibleand determined not to buyanother "pig in a poke!". But Iappreciate what Mark wroteand salute his candour. Andbest of all, I am thrilled that atlast, I am not the only onewho is out there saying whatmust be said and generallymaking waves!

Have you got something

you want to say about any

of the articles that appear

in Fespa World? If so

address your comments

to Val Hirst at

[email protected]

‘GRAZIE MILLE ALBERTO NOVARESEAND ‘THANKS A LOT MARK GODDEN !

fespa world issue 41 - english

Documents

finishing34 fespa

trueat fespa

isfespas new digital

fespa world autumn05

fespa worldexpo india

digital applications

digital specialists

new orleans