By DPS Staff
The digital solutions cooperative (Dscoop) is an independent community of HP Graphics technology owners and technical professionals who use HP Indigo, Scitex, high-end latex, and PageWide Web Press equipment. Founded in 2005, Dscoop membership now supports users throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific, and Japan.
To fuel the group’s goal of growing the digital print industry, it hosts conferences enabling members to interact with peers, learn and elevate business practices, and build partnerships, alliances, and relationships that positively impact their businesses.
This year, Dscoop members and partners convened in Phoenix, AZ for the annual HP Graphic Solutions community event. The conference took place from March 1 to 4, 2017 and followed the theme, Imagine. Every year, it promises to educate attendees on how to achieve business results through educational sessions, networking opportunities, and partner showcases.
New this year, Dscoop offered the Imagine WonderLab, which consists of hotspots for conversation and idea flows.
Additionally, it offered a series of re-energized education sessions that spotlight the spirit of communications and business growth. Examples of sessions include, The Magic of Imagine: Unleashing Creativity presented by Doug Lipp, former head of Disney Training Institute; Leveraging Digital Marketing Strategies to Sell More Print, presented by Jacob Walker, CEO, PrintCPG; 3D Printing —Reinventing the Way the World Designs and Manufactures, presented by Stephen Nigro, president of 3D Printing, HP; The Steps to a Successful Collaboration with Creatives and Brand Owners, presented by Sabine Lenz, PaperSpecs; Managing Risk, Juggling Multiple Businesses and Swimming with Sharks, presented by Charlie Williams – DigiWrap and Brad Boskovic – Lingraph Services Co.; and HP PageWide Industrial Business: The Progress and Future of Production Inkjet Technology, presented by Eric Wiesner, GM, HP PageWide Industrial and Marco Boer, VP, I.T. Strategies.
Partner Power
An important part of Dscoop focuses on partner companies that help HP users maximize printer investments. Software, media, and finishing vendors highlighted products and services at Dscoop Phoenix. Here we highlight partner exhibits from the event.
Avanti helps shops deliver more jobs in less time with the confidence in knowing that every aspect of the business is integrated into one platform. Avanti Slingshot is a print MIS application that is fully integrated with HP’s PrintOS. Connect islands of automation, eliminate breakpoints in workflow, and get the information you want—when you want it, and where you want it, with Avanti Slingshot. From order entry through to production and billing, Avanti Slingshot enables its users to work more efficiently, control costs, and move jobs through the shop without delays.
AveryPRO offers 12×18-inch pressure-sensitive materials in a variety of specialty substrates such as Soft Touch, Silver Matte, and a Durable PET. Materials are engineered for liquid and dry toner presses, and are suited for short-run, print on demand applications. These substrates are available in a variety of full-sheet and pre die-cut shapes and sizes.
Duplo USA Corporation pre-launched its new DDC-810 Digital Spot UV Coater, offering attendees exclusive demonstrations and pre-order opportunities. Utilizing inkjet technology, the DDC-810 applies a gloss finish to defined areas of the substrate, giving images a raised effect with texture and depth. The DDC-810 is designed for short-run applications and processes up to 21 A3 sheets per minute, handles UV thickness from 20 to 80 microns, and paper weights from 157 to 450 gsm.
GPA exhibited with Arconvert, a sister company and manufacturer of roll-fed labeling products for luxury and consumer packaged goods. GPA introduced its latest substrates for HP sheet-fed presses, including PaperTyger Durable Papers for HP Indigo and Digital Presses, Folex Pressure Sensitive and Non-Adhesive Synthetics, and other distinctive additions. New banner and signage substrates for wide format presses round out the new products.
Imaging Solutions AG (ISAG), in cooperation with the Felix Schoeller Group and HP, produced XXL photobooks in 18×18-inches on the fastBook Professional bookbinding system by ISAG.
locr GmbH demonstrated how location-based services, such as geographical segmentation and personalized maps can improve direct marketing campaigns. The company showcases solutions that enable providers of all kinds to add value to the printed communications they produce for their clients. These solutions include personalized maps, locr GEOanalytics, and locr GEOservices. Used together or separately, these services enable print and marketing service providers to improve customer engagement with printed communications.
Michelman featured its line of DigiGuard brand energy curable and water-based OPVs. DigiGuard solutions meet a range of market needs, from general purpose to high-performance applications on both paper and synthetic substrates. The versatile OPVs are tested and certified by RIT’s HP Indigo Over Print Varnish Performance Program in combination with the company’s proven DigiPrime primers for optimum performance.
Nobelus provides thermal films, foils, laminates, and equipment, working with HP Indigo on many fronts. Designed for brand enhancement and special effects across many HP platforms, it serves the general print market, photo production, folding cartons and packaging, and label/flexible packaging segments.
Rollem previewed the Insignia6 sheetfed flexo-magnetic die cutter featuring a 20×20-inch sheet capacity. Demonstrations included folded cosmetic cartons as they were die cut and scored at speeds up to 5,000 sheets per hour. One of its unique features is the ability to feed the sheet from both landscape or portrait directions providing maximum space for image impositions. The Rollem Jetstream, featuring a 30-inch sheet capacity, processes a 20×28-inch sheet of eight-up postcards. Sheets of cards are trimmed, slit, and perforated delivering promotional postcards with tear-off business cards. Folder/gluer units are available for either of these systems for one-step finishing production.
Spiral showcased its James Burn punching and binding equipment. The Alpha-Doc MK4 Automatic Punch offers a top speed of 90 cycles per minute, reaching outputs up to 94,200 sheets per hour. The BB50 High Speed Semi-Automatic Binder outputs up to 600 to 1,200 books per hour. Combined with its SnakeSkin Wire-O, the BB50 automatically finishes hand fed pre-punched documents with Wire-O sizes from one-fourth-of-an-inch to one-inch. Finally, its Koilmatic Automatic Tabletop Coil Inserter and Crimper binds up to 450 books per hour without required tools.
Standard Finishing Systems presented automated post press solutions. Taking center stage was the North American debut of the Standard Horizon BQ-480 Perfect Binder, which features the quickest set-up and changeover for variable book production in its class, especially for book-of-one. With interchangeable PUR and EVA glue tanks, the binder also offers advanced automation through a movable, color touchscreen including adjustments for roller height, nipping height, and amount of side glue. The SmartSlitter, an all-in-one smart sheet processing system that can slit, gutter cut, edge trim, cross-cut, perforate, and crease in a single pass was also shown. The RD-4055 Rotary Die Cutter produced a variety of unique applications including door hangers, pop-up business cards, stickers, labels, and pocket folders. The CRF-362 Creaser/Folder demonstrated its ability to crease and fold digital color output in one pass, withoutcracking.
Taopix educated attendees on mobile commerce and how to leverage it to sell personalized photo products.
Tekra showcased new products as an inaugural member of Dscoop. Its digital portfolio contains films for Indigo, UV, latex, and solvent inkjet presses and constantly works to improve its lines with a variety of sizes and specialty items.
XMPie showcased integration between HP’s PrintOS Site Flow and XMPie’s web to print (W2P) solution, StoreFlow. Applicable to many industries and markets, XMPie’s W2P solution integrates with PrintOS, which was highlighted for labels and packaging.
Zünd featured the Zünd S3 cutter with QR-code capture for automatic file retrieval, automatic sheet feeder, and collaborative robot for automatic material loading and sorting/stacking of cut parts. By increasing net throughput, this automated, non-stop cutting system helps customers become more productive and profitable. All Zünd cutting systems are modular and tailored and adapted to meet specific cutting and workflow requirements even as these change. With a full gamut of tooling and automation options for processing every type of graphics and point of purchase substrate, they offer versatility, adaptability, and productivity.
Peer Presence
User groups and conferences enable peers to leverage each other’s knowledge as well as industry experts. Each year, HP graphic arts users attend Dscoop to imagine new possibilities to encourage success.
Mar2017, DPS Magazine
