By DPS Staff
Print professionals visited Chicago, IL’s McCormick Place from September 10 to 14, 2017 for the Print event’s return to the venue. The event is a comprehensive exhibition for printing and imaging professionals. It featured live equipment demonstrations as well as educational sessions and panels.
Attendees to Print 17 were invited to design their own “Learning Experience” at the show. They could do so through sitting in on more than the 50 education sessions that shed light on topics ranging from design/creative process, packaging, marketing, growth strategies, and emerging technologies.
Above: Print professionals visited Chicago, IL’s McCormick Place from September 10 to 14, 2017 for the Print event’s return to the venue.
Exhibitor Focus
The main focus of the event was the 450-plus exhibitors showcasing the latest hardware, software, substrates, and services.
Digital technologies dominated the show floor, featuring equipment including both toner- and inkjet-based offerings.
Canon used the event to unveil its Océ VarioPrint 6000 TITAN Series of sheetfed monochrome production presses. It is planned for 2018 availability. The company also showcased a life-sized prototype of its Voyager B2+ duplex Voyager Inkjet Photo Press and samples from the Canon Océ ProStream inkjet printer, which targets commercial applications with high-quality output.
Fujifilm North America Corporation featured live demonstrations of the JPress 720S sheetfed inkjet press, which showcased how quickly variable data driven, short-run projects are staged and run.
HP Inc. announced enhancements to the HP Indigo 12000 Digital Press, which now includes new High Definition Laser Array technology, enabling the press to double image resolution up to 1,625 dpi, according to the company.
Komori highlighted its 29-inch inkjet sheetfed UV printing system, the Impremia IS29. The device runs a 23×29-inch sheet, ideal for six-up print production.
Konica Minolta demonstrated a variety of its commercial industrial technologies. It also showcased solutions from its strategic partner, MGI. Products displayed included the Konica Minolta bizhub PRESS C71cf label printer as well as the MGI JETvarnish 3D Web varnish and foil solution. It previewed the MGI CeraPrinter X-Serie Printer and offered a virtual reality experience of the AccurioJet KM-1.
Memjet introduced its new DuraLink digital printing platform, which combines long-life printheads, pigment ink, and flexible modules to provide its OEM partners with a fast and easy way to develop solutions for high-volume commercial, packaging, and industrial printing markets.
Ricoh USA, Inc. highlighted both new and proven solutions for current and perspective customers. The recently formed Commercial & Industrial Printing Business Group took center stage. Several solutions were on the floor, including the Ricoh Pro C7100X five-color digital press, the flagship Ricoh Pro C9100, and the Rioch Pro 8200 high-speed, flexible B&W digital press. Displayed for the first time in the U.S. was the Ricoh Pro VC400 continuous feed inkjet platform.
Screen Americas highlighted recent developments of its TruePress Jet L350UV+LM, a new UV inkjet system designed to expand the ability to print labels for food packages.
Xanté introduced the UV4000 UV-curable flatbed printer, which features printheads that rise up 11 inches, enabling it to print on specialty media and rigid substrates.
Xerox featured the Xerox Trivor 2400 High Fusion Inkjet Press and the Xerox iGen 5 Press, which includes the newly introduced White Ink for its fifth printing station.
Finishing equipment targeting digital print environments was prevalent on the floor as well.
BDT joined forces with Canon, introducing the VX-370-Long Sheet Feeder, an integrated solution that enables users of the Canon imagePRESS C10000VP to produce banner format applications at high volumes.
Duplo highlighted the new DDC-810 Raised Spot UV Coater, a compact design-driven solution that utilizes 600×600 dpi inkjet technology. It features an air suction feed system and handles maximum paper sizes of 14.33×29.13 inches and up to 450 gsm.
Graphic Whizard featured a range of on demand printing equipment, including the new PT331 SSC Slitter/Cutter/Creaser.
Martin Yale revealed its refreshed brand at Print 17, which is designed to better reflect and build on the company’s legacy and core values. It also announced its newest product, the KF-250 Stand-Alone Knife Folder.
Muller Martini featured Finishing 4.0, offering daily demonstrations that showcased the future of finishing. Center to this is the Connext Workflow System, the company’s singular software solution that oversees, directs, troubleshoots, and validates the quality and integrity of the entire printing process.
Standard Finishing Solutions offered live demonstrations of many finishing technologies, including die cutting, perfect binding, and trimming, slitting and creasing, folding, saddlestitching, inspection systems, and roll-fed print solutions. New products displayed included the Horizon BQ-480 Perfect Binder and two saddlestitchers made their North American debuts at the show. Also premiering in North America was the Hunkeler POPP8 finishing line for roll-to-stack production, which builds off of the success of the company’s POPP6 line.
Software and workflow providers shared solutions for better marketing, more efficient print, and improved color management throughout the show floor.
Crawford Technologies announced several products, including the availability of TurboFlow, a solution that allows changes to be made to individual document pages during post composition. It also announced the general release of Review and Release, a solution that automates and simplifies the process of removing specific files from a print stream before printing, and the introduction of PRO Lockdown, a technology solution designed to add an additional layer of security to print files.
EFI’s Fiery FS300 Pro technology made its worldwide debut as the next-generation platform for Fiery digital front ends used with sheetfed, high-speed continuous feed inkjet, B1 folding carton, and corrugated digital presses.
GMC Software announced it is now part of a newly integrated company, which operates under the name Quadient. Quadient integrates the omnichannel customer communications management, data quality, and postal capabilities of three Neopost sister companies—GMC Software, Human Inference, and Satori Software.
Graph Expo 2018
For a more detailed account of exhibitors and products introduced and highlighted at Print 17, head over to dpsmagazine.com.
Next year, Graph Expo returns to Chicago, IL from September 30 to October 3, 2018 at McCormick Place.
Nov/Dec 2017, DPS Magazine
