Let the Good Times Roll at the SGIA Expo

Where can you find more than 570 of the world’s leading imaging solutions providers? Nowhere else but SGIA’S biggest event. This year’s three-day SGIA Expo, Let the Good Times Roll!, held October 10-12 in New Orleans, will cover digital imaging, outdoor advertising, fleet and vehicle graphics, fine art, textile finishing, garments, soft signage, among many other aspects of the wildly entertaining wide-format world. Whatever your specialty, you will be sure to find it at the Expo and with 40-plus educational sessions to choose from, you’re sure to learn something new everyday.

This event will feature everything you need to make the event spectacular such as one-hour presentations and four-day interactive sessions with industry professionals. By simply rubbing shoulders with the most incredible experts, you’ll find exactly what strategies and products will make your business stand out from the crowd, delighting clients in new ways.


Showstoppers

The 2017 SGIA Expo offers attendees the chance to experience the latest in graphics technologies all at one location. Be sure to check out these showstopping products before heading to New Orleans.

Zund—Booth 333

SGIA 2017 marks the formal North American launch of Zünd’s LM 100W Cut & Seal Laser Module. Designed for cutting polyester fabric, the new module simultaneously cuts and seals the edges, eliminating the need for post-processing to prevent fraying. With the modular design characteristic of Zünd, the laser module provides 100W laser cutting capabilities in addition to G3’s full complement of cutting and routing options as well as automatic material advancing. Steel plates protect the conveyor belt while the laser is in use, and an integrated crane makes changeovers quick and easy.

Caldera—Booth 345
StreamLive is an easy-to-use SaaS application that allows you to create your ideal production process, track jobs in real time, and automate your most time consuming tasks. The entry-level product includes an impressive range of features. StreamLive is cloud-based and allows users to create custom job sheets, submit files to software workflow, connect with Caldera RIP, and automate e-mail reporting.

4over—Booth 663
4over’s goal is to empower customers, transforming businesses with innovative products and technology. With the new web-to-print solution Printer Bridge, 4over works for you. Provide customers with an expanded library of print offerings through a completely customizable online storefront where you configure the product options, control the markups, and take the next step in streamlining growth. Using Printer Bridge technology, manage sales performance while growing your customer base and market visibility. It’s a sales tool designed to win you more business and acquire new customers.

Lexjet—Booth 745
The all-new LexJet Premium WallPro digitally printable wallcovering offers a variety of exciting wall décor options. The eight finishes provide versatility in décor style and visual impact–from subtle, elegant finishes to eye-catching, dramatic wall murals. Premium WallPro is a higher grade of vinyl that’s environmentally cleaner than other products on the market, meeting or exceeding all federal requirements of CCC-W-408D for Type II wallcoverings and meeting EPA requirements for low-VOC emitting products, ensuring that they’ll deliver even in the most sensitive areas, such as healthcare facilities, schools, and more. Premium WallPro is compatible with latex, solvent, eco-solvent and UV-curable inks.

Afinia Label—Booth 1018
Print and finish labels in one pass. With the Memjet-powered L901 running inline, this digital label press prints, laminates, die cuts, removes waste matrix, slits, and rewinds labels to fully-finished rolls, ready for application. It can run in full-rotary mode at more than 140-feet per minute, and is excellent for converting blank labels.

HP Inc.—Booths 1029 and 1045
The HP Latex Print and Cut, a dual-device solution, offers simultaneous printing and cutting in a single workflow. Designed for sign shops, quick printers, and PSPs to help grow business, the HP Latex 315 and 335 Print and Cut offer dramatically more efficient production for a broad range of applications. These solutions are designed to work with HP Signage Suite, a cloud-based software solution with web-based apps for easy signage creation, and easily integrates into PSPs’ web-to-print operations, making it possible to receive orders 24/7.

GPA, Specialty Substrate Solutions—Booth 1062
GPA will feature their growing collection for wideformat presses, including Metalized Styrene, substrates that look like thick metal sheets without the added weight. Created with a thin metal layer and thick styrene base, these lightweight and durable sheets are perfect for high-end signage and point-of-purchase displays. Available in five colors and finishes, this material is printable with UV curable wideformat presses, and can be easily cut and transformed into limitless custom designs.

Gandy Digital—Booth 1159
The Domin8tor UV Flatbed Printer with roll-to-roll option delivers wide-format prints on rigid sheets or flexible vinyl rolls. It prints with very low ink consumption and prints exceptional quality regardless of speed. The printer is capable of 6-color and double white combination, producing ultra-high quality.

Colex Finishing—Booth 1209
Colex features the new robust Fotoba-126-inch-wide XLD 320 X/Y super-wide roll cutter offer faster speeds and is capable of cutting flexible media up to 126-inches wide, 40 millimeters thick, and a wide range of textile/fabric material. An optional motorized roll feeder is available that can hold rolls up to 660 lbs. The XLD320 can handle the output of several printers to eliminate the bottlenecks in your finishing department and features a self-sharpening blade system.

Mimaki 3D—Booth 1231
The Mimaki 3D printer has the ability to produce objects with high definition, fine detail, and in full color. Because of Mimaki’s extensive experience in inkjet printing and based on a patented process, the printer uses a full-color UV LED-cure method with more than 10 million possible color combinations for photorealistic output. Clear ink creates translucent objects, and can add a glossy finish to an object. The water-soluble support material is easy to remove, maintaining fine details.

Epson—Booth 1301
The new Epson SureColor F9370 dye-sublimation printer provides high-speed, reliable productivity for digital dye-sublimation transfers for a range of textile and apparel applications. The 64-inch printer delivers industrial-level production with speeds up to 1,169 square feet/hour and features an integrated new fabric wiping system coupled with an advanced roll-to-roll media support system to accommodate a greater variety of transfer papers. Designed to support high-speed, economical, medium-to-large volume dye sublimation transfer printing, the SureColor F9370 produces output with exceptional color saturation and extremely high contrast ratio—offering customers a true turnkey solution.

Ricoh—Booth 1351
Ricoh will be showcasing the EFI Pro 16h LED Wide Format Printer, a hybrid inkjet printer that has a strategically designed feature-set to allow for low TCO, superior image quality and access to the widest range of substrates (up to 65 inches wide and 2 inches thick). With 1200 x 1200 dpi, near-photographic images, saturated colors, smooth gradations with true four-level and variable-drop grayscale print capability, the EFI Pro 16h LED Wide Format Printer gives print providers a solution that will help them to increase profit opportunities, while lowering costs and operating expenses.

EFI—Booth 1501
The EFI Pro 16h wide-format hybrid roll/flatbed LED printer in the EFI booth sets the standards by which other entry-level hybrid production printing. This new Fiery-driven printer is extremely affordable, includes white ink, and its feature set assures lowest total cost of ownership, superior image quality, and a broad range of applications. This new printer platform—winner of the 2017 SGIA Product of the Year Award in the category for UV Hybrid printers from $100,000 - $500,000—has faster speeds than other EFI entry-level hybrid production platforms, with some print modes offering up to a 30% higher throughput.

FUJIFILM North America Corporation—Booth 1529
Experience live demonstrations of the all-new Inca SpyderX, a hybrid UV wide format press, making its North American debut, designed and manufactured by Inca Digital. The robust 3.2-meter wide, 6-color plus white SpyderX is available as either flatbed or a combination flatbed/roll-fed model for handling rigid and flexible substrates. This powerful and versatile printer is capable of producing a wide variety of output. Printing at high speeds up to 230m²/hr, the SpyderX achieves sharp, pinpoint accuracy.

INX International Inc.—Booth 1919
The CP100 UV digital cylindrical printer is one of many incredible values as part of Inx’ EVOLVE Advanced Digital Solutions. This direct-to-object machine gives designers and brand owners the opportunity to develop cost-efficient proofs, prototypes or short test runs in only a few seconds. The CP100 offers superior quality single or multi-color images using the latest in patent-pending helical software. It prints up to five cans per minute since it is powered by the JetINX Printhead Drive and Ink Recirculation system, which allows integrators to create their own industrial inkjet printing systems. 

Durst—Booth 1954
Durst Image Technology US will be showcasing the 2017 SGIA Product of the Year, Rhotex 325. A dual-purpose eco-friendly printing system combining direct-to-textile with dye-sublimation transfer printing technology in a 3.2-meter platform, all with 24/7, high production output reliability. This is achieved by incorporating Durst Water Technology printhead technology, producing an exceptional print using water-based dispersion inks. Trends in customization and rise in number of textile solutions for POS provides new market growth opportunities. 

Fisher Textiles—Booth 2201
Fisher Textiles is introducing two new apparel fabrics for dye sublimation printing that are made from recycled PET bottles. ETP 4310 Uni is a high-end three-dimensional fabric for sports uniforms, particularly basketball jerseys. ET 1600 Jersey Lite is a soft, lightweight material for athletic apparel and athleisure wear. Both styles contain a moisture management chemical that allows perspiration to move away from the body and promotes comfort.

Massivit —Booth 2279
Massivit 3D will use SGIA to demonstrate how large format print providers can secure greater business opportunities and enhance their competitive edge by seamlessly integrating its flagship Massivit 1800 3D Printer within their operations. Via a keynote presentation, visitors will discover how early adopters of the technology are elevating sign & display applications to a new dimension with maximum visual impact (held on October 11 at 10:30 a.m. in the Exhibition Hall).

Canon Solutions America—Booth 2525
With the recently launched Océ Colorado 1640 printer, Canon enables print providers with the right tool for seemingly any customer application. Learn more about these highly innovative printers during SGIA and explore a world of new markets, new margin opportunities, and help grow your business starting today. 

Mutoh—Booth 2545
Mutoh will showcase all of three of their SGIA Product of the Year winners, The Valuejet 1638UH, Valuejet 626UF, and the Valuejet 1638X dual head 64-inch Eco-Solvent printer, which won the Solvent/Latex under 80inch category. Along with other ValueJets in their lineup, they’ll also showcase a brand new 4 X 8 foot UV LED Flatbed printer.

3M—Booth 2709
Embossed with a unique texture, the 3M Décor Overlaminate 8600 Series will enhance the look and feel of a space, while also adding a protective finish to indoor walls. The distinct patterns, designed to safeguard underlying graphics, are printed on a base film—a flat surface for superior image quality—then layered with the embossed overlaminate. With matte finishes in Classic Linen, Knit, White Fir, Riverbed, and Plaster, these graphic films are a great way to create a memorable brand experience.

Aleyant—Booth 2719
Aleyant and Ultimate TechnoGraphics will jointly feature an Automation Hub. Visit their booth to learn how our end-to-end workflow automation solution consisting of Ultimate Technographics’s Imposition, and Aleyant’s Pressero Web-to-Print, eDocBuilder online designer & VDP, PrintJobManager MIS/ERP, and tFLOW prepress automation can help save you time, costs, and improve overall productivity. 

Magnum Magnetics Corp—Booth 2723
Magnum Magnetics will feature its new latex-printable magnetic media, DigiMaxx Latex. The media comes in standard or high energy, offering latex printers a full suite of printable magnet configurations for applications ranging from POP and in-store displays to high-strength vehicle signage. DigiMaxx Latex runs well on many commercial latex printers, and is certified for use on HP 300 Series latex printers. The media features a semi-gloss backcoating for easy feeding, prints fully magnetized, and is outdoor rated for one year. 

SA International—Booth 2749
SAi will demonstrate how large format print providers and signmakers can streamline their production workflow and enhance their throughput with its added-value platforms. These include the completely relaunched sign.com network, enabling North American members of the International Sign and Printmakers Guild to win new business. Customers can easily design and order custom signs or banners. All orders are then routed to local Guild members for fulfillment. Another added-value platform includes the revamped SAi store that offers print businesses access to an extensive gallery of corporate logos and graphics. 

Trident—Booth 2957
The Trident CNC offers an innovative hybrid CNC cutting solution. The most versatile router/knife combination in its class delivers a unique triple-head system consisting of a twin-knife head and a heavy-duty routing spindle. These tool heads allow processing of almost any sheet material up to 6 inches thick. Performance enhancements such as a servo motors and helical rack and pinion drive systems guarantee fast and precise cutting while a fully automatic tool changer further optimizes productivity for all types of finishing operations.

Visual Magnetics—Booth 3127
Visual Magnetics debuted the world’s first magnetic receptive media in 2007 at SGIA, introducing products such as VM-SYNpaper. The company has since been honored with nine SGIA Product of the Year Awards and successfully established a thriving new product category in the wide-format graphics industry. Visual Magneticswill showcase the versatility of VM-SYNpaper; long-favored for its stunning print quality, stability, and affordable price-point. 

Colter & Peterson—Booth 3150
The SABER X-15 Plus paper cutter with Microcutopens the door for wide format work with greater productivity. A robust, double arm pull machine with exceptional quality, it cuts a wide variety of material up to 141 inches. Customers use it to trim POP displays, posters, backdrop large displays, large wall panels, and more, ranging from E Flute corrugated, paper, and foam board to thick styrene, Coroplast, and plastic. Trim four sides and spin without backing out 63-inch x 126-inch material, with no added handling or loading necessary. Microcut JDF files save time, improving productivity by 50% or more.

Drytac—Booth 3325
SpotOn from Drytac means beautiful, bubble-free graphics that are easy to install and effortless to remove. SpotOn is a printable PVC film with a dot-patterned removable adhesive that ensures graphics can be installed with minimal effort and removed with ease. Available in clear matte frosted and white matte finishes, this film is ideal for short-term indoor graphic applications, including those for windows, walls, trade shows, and retail stores. SpotOn is compatible with (eco) solvent, UV, and latex printers.Neenah Paper—Booth 3561
ConVerd Board is a fully recyclable paper-based rigid board that is part of a comprehensive portfolio of products in the Neenah Wide Format line. This product incorporates 10% post consumer waste and achieves maximum sustainability without sacrificing the print quality or surface characteristics required for critical POP applications. ConVerd Board offers a bright white dimensionally stable and rigid printable surface for creating beautiful indoor and short term outdoor POP and signage applications. ConVerd board maintains superior stability during typical changes in temperature and humidity making it the perfect choice for brand owners to feel confident choosing it for marketing campaigns.

Vescom—Booth 3953
Vescom Digital Media is a premium suite of Type II certified vinyl wallcovering that brings digital printing capabilities to life with a variety of textures for wall décor. Completely customizable, this line of digital wallcovering allows designers the freedom to create while offering print service providers a consistent, reliable media that’s compatible with latex, UV, and eco-solvent print technologies. Environmental standards include multiple certifications, phthalate- and formaldehyde-free, heavy metal- and antimony-free. Vescom Metallic Sand has been awarded a 2017 SGIA Product of the Year Award in the media – banner (non-textile) category.

Standard Horizon—Booth 4433
Designed to meet the growing demand for short-run die cutting, the Standard Horizon RD-4055DMC Rotary Die Cutter can die cut, crease, perforate, slit, hole punch, and round corner in one process for both digital and offset printed sheets. The system is ideal for producing a variety of unique applications, even those requiring an additional folding process after die-cutting such as boxes, pocket folders, and greeting cards. The Dual Magnetic Cylinder  allows for magnetic and pin-registered mounting of matching male and female dies, and provides additional creasing and embossing patterns to suit a wider range of substrates and light packaging applications.

Onyx—Booth 5213
ONYX Hub software is a business intelligence tool with a browser-based dashboard that provides easy-to-understand data across your entire site for better business decisions. It collects data by job, station, and printer, presented in real-time, for immediate visibility into your production environment. With uptothe-minute and historic ink usage and media waste reporting, you can better understand your costs, improve profitability, and diagnose areas to increase efficiency.