Sampling of Print 17: Preview the Expo Floor Here First

Held at Chicago's McCormick Place on September 10 -14, PRINT 17 is set to reveal to print providers the tools and technologies necessary to “Grow YOUR Business". This annual edition of the North America's largest printing tradeshow will impress attendees with a dazzling array of the latest technologies, cutting-edge show floor attractions, and unique new applications from which to discover their next profit opportunities. Here is a guide to some of the hottest tools and technologies for those involved in providing wide-format services. Don’t forget to check out the MUST SEE ‘EMs to see some of the most innovative technologies available today.

Showstoppers

Morgana Systems—Booth 226
Morgana Systems is debuting its next generation DigiFold Pro 385 at PRINT 17. “The Morgana DigiFold 385 has long been the benchmark product in the creaser/folder sector,” said Ray Hillhouse, vice president of sales and marketing. “With the improvements in speed and productivity for the current crop of digital print engines, Morgana has provided an additional option for our customers.” The model incorporates a high-capacity vacuum top-feeder that can take a sheet pile of up to 17.5 inches.

Aurigma—Booth 251
Customer’s Canvas is a personalization tool that allows the end-user to design and order print products online. The editor can embed into any website and branded portals can be created for repeat B2B clients that rely on consistent marketing materials. For example, realtors that order soft signage can edit existing company templates in their portal, save them, and reorder them when necessary. Signage firms can gain repeat customers while their clients have access to consistent branding materials. Attendees are invited to stop by and discuss the potential growth for wide format and signage companies who choose to adopt this technology.

4over—Booth 435
4over’s EDDM Full Service effectively saturates the market by targeting specific postal routes selected by you. A tool to advertise your wide-format offerings, this USPS program ensures campaigns and promotions are accurately reaching the mailboxes of desired demographics, in specifically chosen areas. Also available is the easy to setup and use, customizable web service EDDM Suite, 4over’s newest innovation. It allows you to offer EDDM right to your customers, enabling them to choose focused areas and specific routes—all while you control the markup.

Aleyant—Booth 542
Aleyant is highlighting tFLOW, a powerful digital and large format automation workflow solution that is already integrated into the Aleyant ecosystem. tFLOW simplifies and automates difficult file management tasks and processes to increase efficiency and production throughput. It auto-receives files via your Aleyant Pressero storefront or third-party web-to-print solution. Jobs are automatically checked and fixed as they arrive. Clients are automatically sent proof files for approval. You can auto-send print-ready production files to specific departments, or 3rd party imposition software, RIPs, or cutters. Use tFlow's built-in collaboration, chat, and review feature with customers and your team to eliminate email chains, text messages, and calls.

Hop-Syn—Booth 558
Hop-Syn is showcasing Hop-Syn TO, a 98% opaque, white matte synthetic paper for blockout banners, posters, and POP displays. The waterproof, tear resistant substrate is easily printable by UV inkjet. Hop-Syn TO features a clay-filled polypropylene construction that produces a smooth matte, bright white finish with a high dyne level. This allows ink to anchor into its surface preventing the ink from scuffing, scratching, and cracking when exposed to harsh weather conditions. Available in .008 gauge thickness and a wide range of roll widths and sheet sizes, TO is popular for window displays and outdoor signs where its extra opacity prevents reverse side images from showing.

HP—Booth 613 
The HP Latex 3600 printer is highly productive 126-inch workhorse printer featuring maximize uptime, delivering long-run, overnight printing, for up to 350,000-sq. ft. per month. Designed for larger-sized shops, it produces a wide range of applications, in high quality, for retail/outdoor advertising, events/exhibitions, vehicle graphics, and interior décor. It supports heavy-duty roll handling for loading rolls up to 660 lb and 15.75 inch in diameter, saving on costs for fewer roll changes. It also offers reduced media waste, using the HP Latex Media Saver; lower labor costs—a single operator can manage up to four printers simultaneously, and automatic maintenance of print heads.

EFI—Booth 645
The new EFI Fiery proServer for textiles expands the range of colors and patterns users can print with industrial EFI Reggiani printers for apparel and décor applications, while increasing throughput and quality. It ensures less media waste and offers superior screening algorithms to reduce visual artifacts and patterns (dithering). Users can create difficult pastel tones and gradations, as well as produce vivid, saturated, and detail-rich textile designs including a deep, rich black. Fiery Accelerated System Technology (FAST RIP) PDF rendering technology on the product than competing print servers.

Epson—Booth 831
Epson is showcasing its full line of large-format digital imaging solutions, including the 64-inch SureColor S80600 solvent printer. Featuring a dual array PrecisionCore TFP print head and enhanced precision media feeding system, it produces high-quality output at impressive production speeds. Leveraging the Epson UltraChrome GS3 solvent ink, including Red and optional White or Metallic Silver ink, the SureColor S80600 output allows for same-day lamination. Ideal for outdoor graphics, it’s backed by the 3M MCS Warranty and Avery Dennison ICS Performance Guarantee, and delivers outstanding quality, durability, and media compatibility, allowing print shops to provide additional quality and assurance to customers.  

OpenSoft /Rent A Press—Booth 837
Rent A Press is an online trade printer that provides quality business communication print products and marketing collateral to the industry at wholesale prices. As a member of the InkRouter network, Rent A Press can access a worldwide network of print providers to offer competitive price points, shorter shipping times, redundancy in print production and an extensive product portfolio for qualified resellers. Its built-in online design tool and 3D digital proofing software creates an impressive, interactive user experience with real-time editing capabilities and 360-degree rotational views.

Canon—Booth 1213
Canon U.S.A. is showcasing the Océ Colorado 1640 64-inch roll-to-roll printer. Delivering breakthrough productivity for high-quality indoor/outdoor displays and graphic arts applications, customers can easily handle high volumes and peak production periods through the use of automated media loading of multiple online rolls. On-the-fly quality assurance automation enables customers to confidently print without operator intervention. Taking advantage of the new and innovative Canon UVGel technology, the Océ Colorado 1640 printer can produce instantly cured prints on a wide variety of media, including those sensitive to heat, to preserve the output’s optimal quality.

Ricoh—Booth 2022
The Ricoh Pro L4160 helps printers broaden their revenue streams by producing superior print quality and empowering color matching for brilliant signs, banners, wall coverings, wraps, and more for indoor and outdoor advertising and point-of-sale displays. Leveraging its eco-friendly, aqueous latex ink, and seven-color printing, including orange, green and white, users can print on a broad variety of media, including clear, plastic, vinyl, textile, and backlit substrates, offering a much wider color gamut to customers. The printer’s aqueous latex inks are also toxin-free and odorless, eliminating the need for special ventilation equipment.

Eagle Systems—Booth 3002
Eagle Systems is displaying its VLFM 145 cold foil machine. This size provides those with large-format offset presses the ability to add amazing cold foil effects as well as Cast and Cure to their client’s projects. Printers are looking for new innovations to broaden their markets, and because cold foil and cast and cure are done inline, the cost savings generate fast ROI and higher profits. Machines can be built to fit any size large-format offset presses.

OKI Data Americas—Booth 3218
OKI’s ColorPainter E-64s was engineered to bridge the affordability gap for wide format graphics shops whose entry-level printers no longer deliver the premium-grade output their customers demand. The E-64s is armed with the same vivid, color-rich inks that have made ColorPainter printers a mainstay in print shops that value industrial-strength, quality production printing for both indoor and outdoor graphics. At PRINT 17, wide format graphics entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to get hands-on experience with ColorPainter printers and see firsthand the glossy output.

Memjet—Booth 3822
Memjet is showcasing its new pigment-based printing platform, DuraLink., which builds on the transformative VersaPass inkjet print head technology. At PRINT 17, visitors to the Memjet booth will see how the quality of these fast, affordable, and easy-to-use printing technologies unleashes infinite potential for printers of all types. Visitors will see demonstrations of Memjet-powered solutions from IPT Digital, New Solution, and Printware. Memjet will also showcase how the quality, flexibility, and affordability of DuraLink enables the creation of affordable solutions for high-volume printing markets.

GPA Metalized Styrene—Booth 3840
GPA’s latest addition to its wide format offering is its line of Metalized Styrene, substrates that provide the appearance of thick metal sheets without the added weight. Created with a thin metal layer and thick styrene base, these lightweight and durable sheets are designed to create stunning signage and high-end point-of-purchase displays that demand attention. Choose from five colors and finishes: Brushed Copper, Brushed Silver, Mirror Silver, Brushed Gold, and Mirror Gold. Printable with UV curable wide format presses, GPA’s Metalized Styrene can be easily cut and transformed into a limitless range of custom designs.  

Mimaki—Booth 4019
The JFX200-2513 wide format flatbed printer is a 4x8-foot landscape-oriented model that is small enough to fit into most print shops. With the capability to print onto thick substrates, it offers the ability to produce a diverse range of prints for both indoor and outdoor use. It is well suited for applications in the printing industry such as packaging prototyping; and in the signage industry for backlit displays, signs and posters, interior décor, glass and metal decorative panels, and more. White and clear inks plus jettable primer are available.

Zund—Booth 4404
Zünd will demonstrate the latest version of Zünd Design Center, ZDC 3.1, which represents a major overhaul of Zünd's proven Illustrator-Plug-In with improvements that make the program even more comprehensive and easy to use. The user interface has a fresh new look and makes working with the program more efficient than ever. ZDC is built around a comprehensive library of parametric designs. It lets the user create packaging and displays from folding carton, corrugated cardboard, PVC, PP, foam board, and MDF with just a few clicks. It also features easy QR code generation and 3D preview.