By DPS Staff
Produced by the Graphic Arts Show Company, the popular print trade show provides a venue for the latest graphic communications technologies and equipment demonstrations targeting several key market segments.
This year, the event featured more than 70 interactive learning sessions and over 40 co-located events for attendees. Breaking from its typical Chicago, IL-based venue, the trade show took place at the Orange County Convention Center – North from September 25 to 28, 2016.
On the Show Floor
The industry’s evolution is clear from the show floor at Graph Expo in 2016, compared to a decade ago. Digital technologies dominate the market.
Following the drupa show this Spring, Graph Expo 2016 hosted many North America debuts for products shown earlier this year in Germany.
For example, Canon displayed the Océ VarioPrint i300 digital press publically for the first time in North America. The cutsheet inkjet production press is poised to fit the market gap where electrophotographic equipment leaves off and continuous production inkjet picks up.
The company also premiered the imagePRESS C850 digital production press, which is designed for small- to medium-sized print environments.
While not on display in full physical form, HP announced the release of four new 30-inch HP PageWide Web presses powered by its High Definition Nozzle Architecture. The new presses provide high-quality color prints and enable print service providers (PSPs) to address a range of commercial printing applications, such as customized magazines, catalogs, and books.
Xerox and KBA discussed the development of an industrial digital sheetfed inkjet press for the folding carton market, the KBA VariJET 106. The press combines conventional printing and finishing technologies with digital inkjet printing for a hybrid, modular solution.
Konica Minolta showcased its bizhub PRESS C71cf, a continuous-feed, toner-based digital label printer that outputs at speeds of up to 62 feet per minute on 13-inch wide rolls. The company also displayed post-press enhancement solutions from MGI.
Ricoh unveiled its high-speed B&W digital print platform, the Ricoh Pro 8220s Series, which is capable of printing long sheets of up to 27.5 inches. The company also displayed new neon yellow toner as part of the fifth color station offering of the Ricoh Pro C7100X production press.
In addition to spotlights the new gray ink for the ComColor GD series of professional inkjet solutions, RISO, Inc. showcased a technology preview of two concept presses—both continuous and cutsheet—targeting the production inkjet market.
Functional Finishing
The latest in finishing optimized for digital print environments was also shown.
Duplo highlighted a range of products; including the 600i Booklet System, 600i PRO Digital Booklet System, the iSaddle PRO Digital booklet system, and a preview of its Digital Spot UV Coater with CCD camera recognition system.
Muller Martini’s booth was dedicated to “The Future,” offering solutions effective for a fully automated workflow. Live equipment demonstrations illustrated how digital and offset printed signatures are processed concurrently with its products.
Standard Finishing Systems offered bookletmaking, binding, and trimming through live product demonstrations that focused on the entire workflow, from creation to finishing. Among its products displayed, the Standard Horizon RD-4055 Rotary Die Cutter, which produces a variety of unique applications and can achieve up to 6,000 cycles per hour on sheet sizes up to 15.74×21.65 inches.
In addition to equipment demonstrations, software solutions were prevalent on the show floor.
Aleyant launched its PrintJobManager, a cloud-based MIS/ERP solution accessible on all types of mobile and non-mobile devices. The product integrates Aleyant’s Pressero Web to print system so that users have all of their data in one place.
Avanti unveiled the latest version of its Avanti Slingshot cloud-based print MIS solution, which provides integration with HP PrintOS. Additionally, the company’s point of sale module leads to faster order entry, invoice generation, and reporting functionality.
Canon highlighted its PRISMA Suite workflow, which is designed to optimize print production from job submission to completion and drives print operations and new applications. The PRISMAproduction Server acts as a single workflow and output management systems for TransPromo and graphic arts environments with a unified platform.
These are just a few of the products announced, highlighted, or demonstrated at Graph Expo. For a more comprehensive wrap up, visit dpsmagazine.com.
PRINT 17
While Orlando provided a nice change of scenery for Graph Expo, we’re excited to head back to Chicago next year for the PRINT 17 show. The event is scheduled from September 10 to 14, 2017 at McCormick Place. dps
Nov2016, DPS Magazine
