HP Australia and Currie Group have today announced that leading trade printer, CMYKhub, is the first customer to install the HP Indigo 100K Digital Press in the Asia Pacific region. The installation continues CMYKhub’s longstanding partnership with HP and Currie Group and cements HP Indigo at the forefront of print innovation in the region.
 
“The HP Indigo 100K is our most productive digital B2 solution yet. It was engineered with offset users in mind, with striking print quality that matches offset look-and-feel while offering significantly higher productivity with up to 6000 sheets per hour. At HP, we’re incredibly proud to see the first HP Indigo 100K in Asia Pacific installed here in Australia at CMYKhub. We look forward to continuing to work closely with the team at CMYKhub, and through our partner Currie Group, in supporting their business growth”, said Craig Walmsley, Country Manager HP Personalisation & Industrial Business South Pacific.
 
For CMYKhub, the installation of the HP Indigo 100K is a significant milestone in their business restructure aimed at bringing their business closer to their customers and production of high value applications. The new digital press will also help deliver orders faster to customer and open new profit-making opportunities for business.
 
“At CMYKhub, we value our strong relationship with HP and Currie Group. Starting when Bernie Robinson from Currie Group first suggested this machine through to the installation, it’s been a quick and smooth transition for our team. The HP Indigo 100K was a no-brainer for us because of the increased productivity and superior quality, and we’re excited to share more details about the HP Indigo 100K with our resellers and customers in the near future,” said Dayne Nankervis, chief operating officer at CMYKhub.
 
“The strength in the relationship and leadership in technology has delivered a strong and sustainable business model, and we look forward to seeing this next phase for CMYKhub with the 100K at the forefront,” said Bernie Robinson, Managing Director at Currie Group.
 
“Since we first saw the 100K in development, we were genuinely very impressed with the advances HP Indigo had made in automation and productivity, and how this would translate into real benefits. We are excited that CMYKhub will be enabling the 100K to deliver these benefits to their business and their customers,” added Phillip Rennell, Sales and Marketing Director at Currie Group.
 
Designed to rewrite the rules of profitability
 
The first HP Indigo Series 5 Digital Press from the HP Personalisation and Industrialisation Business, the HP Indigo 100K is designed for offset players to transition more work to digital and boost sustainability with on-demand printing. The commercial sheetfed press can do nonstop printing of tens of thousands of B2 duplex sheets every day.
 
Designed to fit into the circular economy, the HP Indigo 100K Digital Press delivers low environmental impact printing with maximum productivity, and offers advanced paper handling and offset-like gripper-to-gripper design for precision registration, as well as unique HP Indigo digital advantages, including colour automation, calibration, fast switchover between jobs and media and five-input source feeder.
 
Delivering up to 6000 sheets per hour, the HP Indigo 100K four-colour digital press boosts margins on short-run digital production and introduces new calculations that confirm a lower total cost of ownership.
 
The new digital press from HP also uses HP Indigo ElectroInks that bring the widest on-press colour gamut, giving CMYKhub the opportunity to meet exacting customer requirements and achieve profitable growth.
 
Made for the sustainable way you work
 
Through workflow solutions like HP PrintOS, a print production operating system with web and mobile apps, CMYKhub will also be able to easily manage customers’ jobs from submission to shipment while simplifying and automating production.
 
As part of the HP Indigo ecosystem, CMYKhub will also be able to increase productivity and streamline production flow with finishing partners’ solutions to produce high-value applications such as personalised marketing collateral, photobooks, and sophisticated direct mail.
 
With their new HP digital press, CMYKhub can solve customers’ needs with the industry’s widest range of certified media compatibility, delivering new opportunities to print on dark, transparent and recycled paper, as well as other environmentally accredited substrates, synthetics and paperboard.
 
About HP
HP Inc. creates technology that makes life better for everyone, everywhere. Through our product and service portfolio of personal systems, printers and 3D printing solutions, we engineer experiences that amaze. More information about HP Inc. is available at http://www.hp.com.

The Energy Efficiency Council, in partnership with CitySwitch, has undertaken ground-breaking research detailing how office-based businesses can significantly reduce their energy costs and environmental impacts, often by making simple choices such as which type of technology and equipment to use.

Navigating a dynamic energy landscape: a briefing for office-based businesses is underpinned by new research about where these businesses should and can focus efforts to reduce energy consumption and operational expenditure.
 
This ground-breaking research – the first of its kind in Australia – identified energy and cost-saving opportunities for office-based businesses and particularly office tenancies, a sector that often gets less attention in the movement towards more sustainable buildings.

While servers and printers make up a substantial proportion of office tenants’ energy consumption, these pieces of equipment are not covered under the Equipment Energy Efficiency (E3) program or Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS). This means that office-based businesses may be wasting energy while operating this type of equipment as they are unaware that some equipment options are much less efficient than others. For example, some inkjet printers use up to 90% less energy and power than comparable laser printers.


 
Epson Australia MD Craig Heckenberg said, “Printers and copiers account for the largest power draw of any single device after computers and servers. If a business is looking to reduce its operational expenditure and improve its environmental footprint, then investing in inkjet printers, particularly when they use 90% less electricity than laser printers, makes a lot of sense on every level.”
 
The research finds much room for improvement, with lighting still making up the greatest proportion of energy use within office tenancies, but only 60 per cent of the surveyed tenancies having undertaken a LED upgrade, making it a significant opportunity to reduce electricity bills.
 
Similarly, while other substantial energy-using equipment – like air-conditioning and computers – are covered under the E3 and MEPS programs, many offices would benefit from undertaking targeted equipment procurement programs that preference six-star plus purchases or leases.
 
“IT equipment accounts for almost half the energy consumption in an office tenancy, yet printers and servers don’t have energy performance labelling, making it much harder for  consumers to make the energy efficient choice at time of purchase,” said Luke Menzel, Chief Executive Officer of the Energy Efficiency Council.
 
Navigating a dynamic energy landscape: a briefing for office-based businesses will be launched online today at 11am with leading Australian businesses highlighting how they’ve adopted smart energy management to reduce costs and improve environmental performance.

A B Graphic International (ABG) has reached an impressive milestone in the global supply of their market leading finishing solutions, by recently installing their 2000th Vectra turret rewinder. The machine, a Vectra ECTR, was purchased by Cleveland, Ohio-based OMNI Systems, the largest, privately owned label converter in the US.

Having begun manufacturing turret rewinders in 1995, the entry level ECTR 4 in 330mm, 430mm or 530mm web widths, has become the rewinder of choice for many self-adhesive label manufacturers. 

Perfect for increasing production speed and workflow efficiencies, the ECTR is also fully upgradable with a wide range of options, including automatic core loading, finished roll closure with print and apply label application, and ABG’s own fleyeVision 100% camera inspection system. Able to work in-line, or off-line as a stand-alone solution with a separate unwind module, Vectra turret rewinders offer shorter lead times, reduce inventory and cut waste.

As a long standing customer of ABG, OMNI was initially looking for a turret rewinder that had the capability of running wound-in rolls along with eliminating tail tie gluing. They had seen the quality of the finished rolls from ABG’s rewinder equipment and have not looked back since. The company made their first order in March 2013 and currently own 16 Vectra ECTR rewinders, 2 that were ordered in July 2019, but only installed recently due to COVID-19.

Dave Lawson, director of ABG’s Middleton-on-the-Wolds turret rewinder production site, said: “Reaching 2,000 Vectra orders is a significant achievement in 25 years. The landmark reflects our global reach and the excellent professional relationships we have developed with key customers, and without our loyal and dedicated team at ABG we would not be celebrating this milestone.

“We now look forward to innovating and updating the designs so we can provide our customers with increased efficiencies for the future. We are particular proud that OMNI was our 2000th order, which was especially fitting given our long association.”

About A B Graphic

Established in 1954, ABG is a market leader in digital finishing equipment. The company has nearly 400 employees worldwide, with more than 200 employed in the UK. During the course of their 66 years of business, ABG has installed over 11,000 machines worldwide for 2,500 customers.

With each site being a centre for excellence for a specific range of products, ABG has manufacturing facilities in the UK, Germany and Spain. Sales and service offices are located in the UK, Germany, USA, France, Holland and Spain, and with a worldwide network of distribution partners, ABG is well placed to provide comprehensive support to businesses globally. 

Constantly innovating and seeking opportunities to improve efficiencies and workflow for their customers, ABG’s recent acquisition of Girona-based Enprom Solutions, has added a wide range of flexible packaging products to their expanding portfolio.

For further information about Vectra technology, contact Currie Group www.curriegroup.com.au

Konica Minolta has announced that it has been named a worldwide leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Print Transformation 2020 Vendor Assessment for print transformation in recognition of its strong portfolio that will support customers in growing their digital maturity. 

The report states: “While Konica Minolta is typically perceived as an MFP/printer vendor, the company has made considerable progress in repositioning itself as a managed services company that delivers workplace solutions. Thus, Konica Minolta's product evolution involves a continuum of products and services including hardware, managed services, and business process automation integrated into an Intelligent Connected Workplace.” 

Yohei Konaka, chairman and managing director, Konica Minolta Australia, said, “COVID-19 and the events that have occurred throughout 2020 have accelerated digital requirements and opportunities for customers as the world stumbled through the biggest work-from-home experiment ever seen, with a focus on business continuity and resilience. The distributed workforce is here to stay, and a more connected and digital workforce will be required into the future. Konica Minolta has a role to play in helping customers realise an Intelligent Connected Workplace to better serve their own employees so they in-turn can serve their customers.” 

The report also states that Konica Minolta: “…considers not only technology trends but also a broader view of both generational workforce and overarching sociological shifts. The company believes that technology needs to be human centered, so understanding the motivations, wants, and needs of the worker is essential. The company will focus on the ‘why’ when implementing new technology and not just the ‘how’. As part of this strategy, Konica Minolta is pursuing a host of nonprint-related offerings, some of which are based on partner-delivered solutions and others that are based on homegrown technologies.” 

These solutions enable the Intelligent Connected Workplace of Konica Minolta’s customers, and include robotics, cloud and mobility. 

Auckland:  HP has signed a new channel partner agreement with stalwart Sign and Graphics distributor, Computaleta, to supply HP wide-format hardware, ink and consumables to the New Zealand market.

Computaleta will stock ink and consumables specifically at their Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch branches from December, with hardware demonstration showrooms to be established at their new premises in Onehunga, and Christchurch, in early 2021.

With almost 40 years’ experience within the signage industry, Director at Computaleta, Arlette Farland (pictured with Wayne Shaw, Business Manager for HP Large Format Print), says that providing equipment hardware has been a desire for some time and she is delighted to be doing that with HP.

“I am always looking for new opportunities to expand our range, so the inclusion of this range of equipment really brings us full circle.

“Hardware has been the missing link in our portfolio since the mid-1990s and this closes that loop.”

Arlette says they will be gearing up to give HP the specialist attention it requires.  This includes appointing two-three further staff to address aspects of this market and provide technical support in the near-term.

“We are looking forward to working with the HP team to offer HP Latex Equipment through our national network of distribution centres, and I know that our customers and the marketplace in general, will be pleased to see us do it.”

www.clgroup.co.nz  

Kornit Digital announced the appointment of Guy Avidan as president of its newly formed business line focused on accelerating the digital transformation of the textile industry to on-demand sustainable production. 
 
The company also announced the appointment of Alon Rozner as its next CFO, effective Dec. 1, 2020.
 
The inflection point in the textile industry and the massive shift to e-commerce continues to accelerate the need to digitally transform the supply chain and adopt on-demand sustainable textile production. 
 
The newly formed business line will focus on enabling brands, retailers, and marketplaces to realise the benefits of digitisation by connecting to the most suitable on-demand production and logistics operations while ensuring consistency, quality and brand integrity.
 
“Interest in adopting our cloud workflow platform and network for on-demand sustainable production is extremely strong. We believe there is a huge opportunity here for Kornit to build a significant incremental business and leverage the success of the Custom Gateway acquisition, which serves as the foundation for this strategic initiative,” said Ronen Samuel, Kornit Digital’s CEO. “I am confident that Guy will lead this strategic initiative to great success and would like to thank him for his contribution to Kornit’s success in his years of service as our CFO.”
 
“Kornit is on an amazing journey and I am honoured to have had the privilege of taking the company public as CFO and am now excited to take on this next opportunity to lead the continued execution of Kornit’s vision. This new business line will play an integral part in Kornit’s evolution as the leader in digital transformation of the textile industry,” Avidan said.
 
Rozner served as the CFO of Orbotech, a global supplier of yield-enhancing and process-enabling solutions for the electronics manufacturing industry.
 
“I am excited to join Kornit as it continues to transform the textile industry and scale profitably,” said Rozner. “Kornit is extremely well-positioned to capture the massive opportunity and I look forward to working with the team to achieve our goals and create value for all our stakeholders.”

Auckland:  New Zealand Sign and Graphics distributor, Computaleta, have purchased a brand new high spec industrial building in Onehunga, Auckland, that will more than double their warehousing capacity in the city.
 
The company currently has two branches in Auckland, with their main warehouse in Albany and a small service hub in Newton, in the CBD.  It is this Newton branch that will relocate to the larger premises in January 2021.
 
The move to Onehunga, 15 minutes to the South, is part of a longer-term plan to better support their customers across the upper North Island. 



Director, Arlette Farland (pictured) says the new purchase executes their growth strategy for a region that is also set to grow.

“Of the $129 billion flagged for infrastructure in the next ten years, $100 billion is earmarked for the Golden Triangle, that is the Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga regions.”

She says this area, along with Northland, is going to represent almost 50% of the New Zealand economy by 2025. 

“Because Auckland city is divided by the harbour bridge, it has been our strategy since 2003 to have a location on both sides.  This move more than doubles our space, and it positions us better to service South, East and West Auckland and support the Waikato and Tauranga regions.”
 
Over the last two years, Arlette says they have outgrown their North Shore location, and their city branch was equally too small.  
 
“The new warehouse is strategically positioned close to SH1 and SH20 and we will be able to stock every product in our portfolio south of the bridge.”

She says this will also relieve the pressure on their Albany branch to better service their important customers on the North Shore and into Northland.

“We always invest in our country, our company and our people.  What it comes down to is that our customers expect Amazon-like service, and with this new facility, we aim to give it to them,” Arlette says.
 
The new building is in the new Woollen Mills commercial development, 273 Neilson Street, Onehunga. Computaleta’s City branch in Newton will be relocate in mid-December.  It will be fully operational from January 11, and customers are welcome to visit the new facility then.

“We are a planning an open day and launch party in early 2021, and we’d love all our customers in Auckland to join us,” Arlette says.

The company’s key Albany Branch north of the city will remain in place.



About Computaleta:  We are the distributor to the sign and graphics industry and have been doing so for almost four decades. We introduced computer-cut technology to New Zealand in 1981, hence our name, Computa Leta. Today we are still innovating and are the only New Zealand owned distributor with a national reach. Through our five branches nationwide we support all regions around the country with a local presence / www.clgroup.co.nz

Agreement facilitates new, advanced hybrid manufacturing technologies for the automotive, marine, composite materials, furniture, construction and aerospace arenas

Massivit 3D Printing Technologies, the leading provider of large-volume 3D printing solutions, today signed a technological and commercial partnership with multinational manufacturer, Biesse Group, as part of a visit to Israel by Italian Foreign Minister, Luigi Di Maio.

Biesse Group ‒ lead by CEO, Roberto Selci, is a global manufacturer of technology for wood, glass, stone, plastic and metal processing ‒ sought a new technology partner to diversify its manufacturing solutions. The two companies aim to co-develop a new product line of hybrid manufacturing technologies that leverage Massivit 3D’s advanced, large-volume additive manufacturing technologies and Biesse’s broadly adopted subtractive manufacturing technologies.

By leveraging Biesse Group’s established commercial networks across multiple verticals, this mega distribution deal will enable Massivit 3D to markedly expand its market reach. Biesse Group operates through 39 branches with a thriving customer installed base in 120 countries. It is publicly listed on the Italian Stock Exchange with a turnover of €706 million in 2019.

The collaboration will also empower Biesse Group to partake in the 3D printing revolution that is escalating across a range of manufacturing industries.

The agreement between Biesse Group and Massivit 3D emerged as part of Biesse Group's Open-I project – a dynamic Innovation Lab established to cultivate connections with other companies, universities, research centers, accelerators, and venture capital firms in order to leverage digital transformation and Industry 4.0 advancements.

The partnership was initiated by AdlerInlight’s CEO, Roberta Anati, who identified technological and commercial synergies between the two leading technology providers. Biesse Group and Massivit 3D have a combined IP portfolio of 257 registered patents.

Massivit 3D’s CEO, Erez Zimerman, commented about the partnership, “Massivit 3D collaborates with leading Italy-based vendors. Biesse Group has a strong foothold in Massivit 3D’s existing markets, serving some of the most prestigious Italian and international brands. This partnership will enable us to deepen our penetration into new strategic markets owing to Biesse’s strong position in these arenas. It heralds in a new era for manufacturing by combining the best of additive and subtractive technologies to provide cost-effective, high-speed solutions for large-volume production.”

Roberto Selci, CEO of Biesse Group, stated: “Today is the first step towards a new, profitable path towards innovation. Fundamentally, we aim to broaden our company’s boundaries and also our mental horizons. This opportunity has been brought to fruition by our internal expertise but also by our ability to look outwards and enable opportunities and solutions to flow freely via a two-way principle which forms the foundation of our Group Innovation Lab, Open-I.”

Roberta Anati, CEO of AdlerInlight, stated “This agreement, between two key players in the manufacturing arena, marks another milestone for AdlerInlight in fostering valuable cross-continental partnerships towards technological innovation and commercial growth. At the core of our projects is our vision to bridge between existing industry demand and new innovations. We identified a crucial market gap here and are delighted to have sparked fresh global economic opportunities.”

Vastex has introduced a prepress system for screen printing shops comprised of performance-matched components that significantly reduce prepress time and increase registration accuracy.

The package includes a Washout Booth to clean, inspect and develop screens; a Semi-Automatic Screen Coater to precisely apply emulsion; a Drying Cabinet to cure the emulsion; an LED exposing unit to expose the emulsion; and a Pin Registration System to preregister screens as well as accurately register screens onto the press.

The stainless steel Washout Booth, model VWB-3627, comes with a frosted acrylic back panel and backlight to aid in visual inspection of the screen and frame during cleaning, inspection and final development.  

Foot-pedal operation of the wall-mounted C-1000 Semi-Automatic Screen Coater lowers the screen at a constant rate, allowing application of the emulsion with greater uniformity than possible using manual methods.

Variable heat and filtered airflow of the Dri-Vault Model VDC-253610 Screen Drying Cabinet cure coated screens in as little as 20 minutes.

The E2-5236 LED Exposing Unit, with 0.37 kW vacuum generator, exposes one 130 x 90 cm screen or two 60 x 90 cm screens in as little as 20 seconds, and achieves tight screen-to-glass contact in as little as 6 seconds for sharp reproduction of fine detail.

The VRS Pin Registration System allows an operator to align film positives on all screens in register prior to exposing them, and to clamp each screen to the press in register in approximately three minutes per screen, greatly increasing press time, output and profit.

Prepress package components are also offered separately by the company, along with other screen printing and DTG printing equipment including Infrared Conveyor Dryers, manual and automatic Screen Printing Presses, Flash Cure Units and complete Screen Printing Shop Packages geared for beginners up to high-volume commercial printers.

For information contact Vastex International, Inc., +1 610 625 2702, www.vastex.com

Konica Minolta is expanding its presence with a new direct operation in New Zealand. 

Konica Minolta Business Solutions New Zealand Limited (Konica Minolta New Zealand) will be led by Managing Director Eric Holtsmark, a former general manager at Konica Minolta Australia for strategy, transformation and technology. Holtsmark brings with him a wealth of experience in technology, production print and establishing new businesses. In establishing a direct presence in the region, he is focused on delivering customer value with innovative solutions and services that can help New Zealand businesses drive digital transformation.   

Eric Holtsmark, Managing Director, Konica Minolta New Zealand, said, “There is a huge opportunity in New Zealand made possible by a long history of success of the Konica Minolta brand in the region. This was largely driven by channel partners and customers that are dedicated users of Konica Minolta technology. Opening a direct operation will provide a way for existing, loyal users to directly access Konica Minolta’s range of technology and solutions. It will also strengthen our strategic alliance with our distributor for the A3 office range of multifunction printers, Brother International (NZ) Limited, so we are very excited about that.” 

Konica Minolta New Zealand will offer a broad range of products and services locally, initially focusing on its core business in office and production print. It will also be working with several strategic partners to provide software and solutions including print and document management and data migration. 

Over the past few months Konica Minolta New Zealand has been building a local, highly experienced team, hiring technicians and salespeople to ensure that it is ready to service customers from day one. Konica Minolta Australia will also provide resources to support the expansion. 

Yohei Konaka, Managing Director, Konica Minolta Australia, said, “Konica Minolta has many loyal customers in New Zealand and we’re very happy to now see a direct presence in this country. Konica Minolta is one of the world’s most sustainable companies with a strong commitment to creating value for customers and society, and the communities in which we operate. Having a local operation in New Zealand marks a new era for Konica Minolta and its customers and we’re looking forward to bringing Konica Minolta’s products, people, ideas and innovation directly to the New Zealand market. 

Konica Minolta New Zealand will also be active in corporate social responsibility, in line with the company’s global philosophy around adding value to the communities in which it operates. 

About Konica Minolta Business Solutions New Zealand Limited 

Konica Minolta Business Solutions New Zealand Limited (Konica Minolta New Zealand) is a market-leading provider of proven print technology and solutions for enterprise, government, small business, education, commercial print and manufacturing. It is committed to the Konica Minolta global philosophy of delivering customer value and driving digital transformation. 

Konica Minolta New Zealand helps organisations keep pace with the needs of the changing workplace to start leveraging the technology of tomorrow today. Konica Minolta New Zealand offers a broad range of office and production print products and services with efficient client support and service. It also has a number of strategic relationships to deliver software and solutions which include print and document management and data migration.   

Konica Minolta New Zealand is part of one of the world’s most sustainable companies with a strong commitment to creating value for customers and society, and the communities in which it operates.   

For more information visit: https://www.konicaminolta.com/nz-en/ 

Mutoh America, Inc. was recently honoured with six Printing United Alliance Product of the Year awards, making 2020 the ninth consecutive year of Mutoh winning one or more awards. Open to all PRINTING United Alliance supplier members, the Product of the Year competition evaluates products that are, or will be, available for sale in 2020. A highly qualified panel of judges from across the printing industry evaluated the annual contest’s 200+ entries in more than 85 categories spanning analog, digital, output and non-output technologies.

A delighted Mutoh Australia managing director Russell Cavenagh comments. “Winning six of the key Sign and Display categories is very pleasing and proof of Mutoh’s dedication to colour and engineering excellence. Our new XpertJet range has been very well received and we are looking forward to the continued expansion of the range. Mutoh printers are still proudly designed and manufactured under XPJ 1641SRhighest precision conditions in Japan, with the company's roots going back to 1952.  It is this kind of dedication to engineering and colour intellectual property development that has delivered this record Printing United Awards haul.”

The six 2020 output categories won by Mutoh are:

•     XpertJet 1641SR 64in Eco-Solvent Printer – Roll-to-Roll Solvent/Latex (under 80 in.)
•     ValueJet 2638X 104 in Eco-Solvent Printer – Roll-to-Roll Solvent/Latex (over 80 in.)
•     XpertJet 661UF 23x19 UV/LED Flatbed Printer – Tabletop Flatbed (Industrial/Small Item Decoration)
•     ValueJet 1638UR 64” Roll to Roll UV/LED Printer – Roll-to-Roll UV (under 80 in.)
•     ValueJet 1638UH 64” Hybrid UV/LED Printer – UV/Latex Hybrid (under $100K*)
•     XpertJet 1682WR 64” Dye-Sublimation Printer – Roll-to-Roll Dye Sublimation on Textile (under $50K*)

[* US $]

Output devices are judged based on reports generated by measuring colour charts and then comparing to industry XPJ 1682WRspecifications. “This is the only competition I know of that reports on the percentage of Adobe RGB a printer can hit,” says Ray Weiss, Director of Digital Print Programs, Printing United Alliance. “Some of the categories were decided by tenths of a point so fierce was the competition this year.”

Cavenagh's counterpart across the Pacific, Brian Phipps, President and general manager of Mutoh America enthuses: “I couldn’t be prouder of our best-in-class printers that are still made in Japan. Mutoh continues to demonstrate its commitment to the highest quality standards in the industry.  Winning six more awards this year is just icing on the cake for us and our partners.”

To learn more about all of Mutoh’s award winners and other products visit www.mutoh-au.com

Durst, leading manufacturer of advanced digital printing and production technologies, is responding to the COVID pandemic with another initiative. As early as April, during the lockdown, Durst had started the production of community masks as a first preventive measure, now Durst is stepping up its efforts and presenting an innovative solution for reducing the viral load in indoor environments, the Durst UVC-R Air Disinfection System.

The new normality that shapes our private and professional life is determined by masks, distance rules and disinfectants. This situation will not change in the short or medium term. Even if there will be a vaccine against COVID-19, new types of viruses and mutations will most likely occur. Therefore, over the last few months, Durst has put its expertise in the laboratories, in production, in UV technology, in flow simulations and in the safety guidelines together, to bring a piece of quality of life back to the new normality, with the Durst UVC-R Air Disinfection System.

In the Durst Labs, the main transmission paths and descent rates of droplets and aerosols that transport virus-containing liquid particles were analysed, as well as the effectiveness of countermeasures with continuous air exchange and UV irradiation. The solution: Durst UVC-R combines both air exchange and UV irradiation in one system, effectively reducing infectious aerosols, viruses and germs in indoor environments. Through an antiviral membrane, the room air is led into a closed system and irradiated with UV-C light. 

The disinfected air is continuously released back into the room through an air outlet.

Special features of the Durst UVC-R

• Closed, radiation-protected chambers with high-performance UV-C modules in airflow-optimised and mirrored channels.

• Generation of ozone-free UV-C radiation with a wavelength of 254 nanometers.

• Suction nozzles over the entire surface on both sides of the system at the level of the aerosol origin

• Antiviral coating of the membrane surface.

• Whisper-quiet with a typical noise level of 25 dB (A).

"We checked the efficiency of the UV-C sources in our laboratories and analysed the ideal exposure time and volumetric flow". says Christoph Gamper, CEO and co-owner of the Durst Group. “An external laboratory for medical technology and disinfectants in Germany is currently in the process of verifying our results. At the same time, the efficiency of the Durst UVC-R is tested in real mode with "pseudo-viruses" or so-called bacteriophages.

Efficiency Durst UVC-R

The Durst UVC-R’s centre disinfection zone measures 4 x 4 x 2.5 meters. However, Durst points out that no specific statements about square meters or volume size can be given as a general answer in terms of efficiency, as the efficiency depends on many factors such as temperature, air flows in the room, ceiling height, number of people, etc.

Therefore Durst gives the following example for the efficiency: 4 people sit at a table and are surrounded by a volume of 8 m³. Each person inhales and exhales about 0.5 m³ of air per hour, a total of 2 m³. Durst UVC-R disinfects 12.5 times this volume or 25 m³ in 15 minutes and 50 times the breathing volume of 4 people or 100 m³ in one hour.

If the UVC-R is placed in a larger room, a constant mixing of the room air around the disinfection centre is taking place, which means that by the permanent release of purified air the viral load is reduced even outside the central zone.

"We see in Durst UVC-R not only a preventive measure to reduce the viral loads," Christoph Gamper. “Together with the South Tyrolean industrial designer Christian Zanzotti we have developed portfolio, that can harmoniously be integrated into many interior concepts. Furthermore, the anti-viral coated membrane can be personalised with our digital printing systems."

Durst offers the 1st series of the UVC-R as a Limited Edition for pre-order on www.durst-group.com/uvcr. Within the next weeks the entire UVC-R portfolio will be available in a web-shop. Start of delivery of the 1st series is planned for early December. The UVC-R systems can be viewed at the Durst headquarters in Brixen, South Tyrol/Italy. To make an appointment, please send an email to: protection@durst-group.com.

Yohei Konaka has now officially taken on the role of managing director of Konica Minolta Australia effective immediately, following a delay in his official appointment due to COVID-19. 

Over the past six months, Yohei Konaka has been working remotely with outgoing managing director Dr David Cooke and the executive team. He has been using this time to understand the Australian market, which has given him a valuable head start on creating a vision for the next 12 months, and beyond. 

In his 20 years with the company, Yohei Konaka has held appointments in the United States and Canada in sales and strategic planning. Most recently he held a senior role in the Digital Workplace Business at Konica Minolta Inc. in Japan, working on the development of key initiatives to contribute to the company’s digital transformation strategy. 

Yohei Konaka said, “I look forward to taking on this role and continuing to drive the legacy that Dr David Cooke has left, as well as looking at ways to drive Konica Minolta Australia into the future. There is no doubt that the global pandemic has resulted in a challenging and changing business environment, and it is important for Konica Minolta Australia, and its customers, to consider the way forward from here to ensure success.” 

Dr David Cooke will stay on for two months in a consultancy role, where he will continue to help Yohei Konaka onboard and meet with employees, customers and partners—where possible face-to-face, and where not possible, virtually—to ensure a smooth transition. 

Konica Minolta Australia has developed a reputation as a company that cares about its employees, customers and the community, and one that’s deeply committed to ethical leadership and creating societal value. 

Yohei Konaka said, “Undeniably, an important part of my role will be to continue this ethos in Australia in line with the global position of creating value for customers and society, and the communities in which we operate.” 

Esko has scooped a 2020 InterTechTM Technology Award from PRINTING United Alliance, after developing a new prepress tool to make trapping jobs up to 70 per cent faster and unerringly accurate.

As a leading developer of integrated software solutions, Esko has been investing in not just R&D but also customer research to further innovate trapping technology, looking to deliver to the industry better tools to achieve the goal of 100 per cent right first time trapping.

“We are deeply honored to receive this recognition for the Esko Trapper, which has been received so well by our customers and the industry,” said Frank Woltering, Product Manager Graphic Editing. “PRINTING United Alliance is committed to advancing the graphic arts industry so to be recognised for our efforts in improving trapping to boost accuracy, productivity and efficiency, makes our job worthwhile.

“Achieving a consistent, aesthetic trapping result with the correct distance, direction or colour you give to a trap, and to make it as least visible as possible, is difficult even for expert prepress operators,” said Frank. “If a job is trapped by 10 different people, then there will be 10 different results. The Esko Trapper is a new trapping product that will help get the job done not only in less time but more importantly also in a much safer way, closing misregister gaps and accommodating individual exceptions to ensure all colleagues in a team can and do achieve exactly the same trap result, delivering a right first time trap file to press.”

Frank explained that trapping carried out manually can be a very complex. With few global settings consuming task requiring skilled operators, with around 15% of prepress time going into trapping. “While existing instant trapper tools can work on strokes, images and anything within the design, it is still a manual process,” he said. “Not only does this mean the process can take some time, but it also involves risk of operator error, nor can it be used in a workflow, making it difficult to change a global trap setting,” he said. “While currently available trappers can apply standards - rules that can be configured to achieve the same trapping result using a workflow - they are not very flexible on the aesthetic, meaning operators still have to go in and make exceptions.

“This is why Esko has developed its brand-new trapper - using an object-based approach combined with a colour-based approach. Esko created a new algorithm that can not only judge a trap based on the colour situation, but also based on objects,” said Frank. “Often, modern packaging designs are covered in image data that is masked out by using an alpha channel. These images need to be individually prepared by the prepress professional to accomplish a good trap. But the Esko trapper is taking over this task by artificially adding image data to fill traps into the background. Combining these two improvements gives us a much better first time right when trapping the job automatically.”

James Workman, vice president of technology and research for PRINTING United Alliance, the largest printing and graphic arts association in the United States, commented that InterTechTM Technology Award judges were impressed with the uniqueness of being able to set exceptions for trapping objects and have that stay with the object even if the design is altered. Some of the judges were surprised, he said, that this level of automation was possible given the complexities of trapping designs.

“This is not just an improved process of aesthetic trapping, it is designed specifically to design changes maintain exceptions across files,” added Frank Woltering. “This is the very first time this unique functionality has been achieved and is protected across numerous patents.”

Following an initial phase of pre-release beta testing, the new Esko Trapper was first made available commercially to customers in 2020, within Esko Automation Engine, DeskPack and ArtPro+ 20.0. Supporting the Esko submission, one of the company’s largest customers detailed how the new innovation led to a 70% reduction in the time spent on trapping. “This is the average time saving reported across users, leading to increased productivity, greater throughput and increased efficiency,” said Frank. “The improved accuracy also minimises wastage through errors, in terms of both materials and time.”

James Workman commended Esko for the award. “The tech-savvy judges have plenty of industry experience and aren’t easily convinced a technology is award-worthy, but were impressed by the innovativeness of Esko Trapper.”

The InterTech Technology Awards program has been operating since 1978 and honours the development of innovative technologies predicated to have a major impact on the graphic communications and related industries.

To find out more about the Esko Trapper, please visit: https://innovation.esko.com/en/tradeshops-premedia/artpro-plus?topic=trapping-engine

Kodak said it has withdrawn from drupa 2021. 
 
“Kodak’s commitment to the safety of our employees and customers during the COVID-19 pandemic is paramount. The continued concerns and impacts of the pandemic make it difficult for us to commit resources for such an event in these uncertain times,” said Jim Continenza, executive chairman, Eastman Kodak Company. 
 
Kodak will continue to invest in the print industry, doubling down on digital print and delivering the products its customers need to drive productivity and growth as the industry evolves.  

Mutoh Australia has announced the availability of two all-new benchtop UV printers, both with unique braille and raised effect capability. Local Managing Director Russell Cavenagh says: “The Australian introduction of the XPJ-461UF and XPJ-661UF UV- LED printers continues to expand Mutoh’s roll-out of the XpertJet platform, with advanced features and enhanced user experience. These models will be popular among users looking to produce trophy & awards, signage and of course braille signage – at which they excel, personalised products, name badges, promotional products, interior décor, packaging prototypes, drinkware and much more.”

The XPJ-461UF and the XPJ-661UF offer many new features including a new sleek design along with an expanded print area of up to 483mm x 594mm on the XPJ-661UF. Both the XPJ-461 and the XPJ-661 include Mutoh’s innovative and unique UV- LED Lamp ‘Local Dimming Control Technology’ which produces glossy, semi-glossy and matte varnish printing in a single pass simultaneously with colours and / or white printing. This is achieved by using a 2” (50.8mm) LED-UV lamp with six zones that can be individually turned on and off. “This represents a significant productivity increase where mixed gloss/matte/semi-matte spot varnishes are called for,” says Cavenagh.

Mutoh’s new XPJ-461UF is a lower-investment cost A3 printer with the same advantages as its A2+ sibling. Both can print thicknesses up to 15cm and can be set-as either CMYK or CMYK + White + Varnish. The varnish inks create unique special effects and embossing, while the white ink allows for easy printing on dark materials. High-quality ADA-approved braille can be achieved using either colours or varnish, or both for the fastest high-build available.

Supporting World Sight Day and Fred Hollows
“To celebrate the release of these two amazing printers and their braille capability, Mutoh Australia is supporting World Sight Day this year on 8th October, and donating $500 to the Fred Hollows Foundation for every printer sold between now and 24th December 2020,” reveals Cavenagh. “We work in an industry of visual effects so there is a great synergy between printing, seeing, and working with colour - and restoring sight, which the great Fred Hollows enabled for millions of people!”

The new Mutoh printers are available through Mutoh Australia’s network of reseller dealers. For more information see: www.mutoh-au.com 

Canon Production Printing Australia have today announced the launch of a new ColorWave and PlotWave printer and plotter series. The series features new integrated printing security that offers high tech security features such as safe submission to protect data and user credentials when sending files to the printer.

Comprising three ColorWave models (3600, 3800 and 9000) and five monochrome PlotWave models (3000, 3500, 5000, 5500 and 7500) featuring the latest security technology, SMARTshield, the range provides safe storage, protecting print data from theft or accidental data leakage; authorisation to restrict access to confidential files, and hack prevention which ensures no one from outside the organisation can access the printer’s files. 

Craig Nethercott, Managing Director, Canon Production Printing Australia, says “Whether print data is in submission, in storage, or being authorised – SMARTshield ensures that it remains secure.”

“From R&D departments printing confidential prototypes, to building companies being able to retain plans confidentially to ensure that the actual buildings remain secure, companies need to have confidence that their data is protected.

“This updated portfolio offers that peace of mind – meeting the highest security standards,” says Nethercott. 

The series has been designed to support and encourage creativity in all organisations at every stage of the design process - from the visualisation of ideas, through the developmental process to final designs.

From corporate workspaces, to copy shops and production environments, the printers in these series are designed as sustainable, compact and ergonomic solutions to fit any environment, while also operating quietly to minimise distractions.  The interface is easy to use and can be operated by anyone, whether or not a trained operator.

Integrating optional finishing and scanning solutions, ColorWave and PlotWave printers now offer a range of fully compatible stackers and folders, any printer in the series can be configured to meet specific requirements and easily produce finished documents.

Also compatible with both series are scanning solutions for a large range of requirements – the Scanner Express, which can be integrated on top of the PlotWave and ColorWave printers for walk-up prints, and the Scanner Professional, a stand-alone production scanner for maximum quality and productivity that can be integrated with one or more printers.

Using ClearConnect software, the printers provide a streamlined workflow for any individual print job or complex multi-file document set. By providing active operator warnings and accurate print previews, the software also enables users to make necessary corrections before hitting print, and to submit prints with ease, from any location or device. 

Designed to save time and speed up the design process, Publisher Select, part of the ClearConnect software suite, eliminates misprints and wasted materials with a ‘what you see is what your print’ preview on your computer desktop. Improving productivity, the software offers dual printer support for a range of Canon’s large format printers and has the functionality to assign specialised media templates to print jobs or individual files within a multi-file print job. 

Martijn Fransen, Strategy & Marketing Director, Technical Document Systems, Canon Production Printing, comments, “With our long heritage in the large format printing market, Canon is dedicated to continuously developing innovative technology to support our customers’ evolving needs and enable them to confidently print their concepts and designs right first time at a high quality.”

Epson has launched the EcoTank Pro ET-16600, its second generation wireless all-in-one A3 wide format printer offering long life cartridge-free printing with easy-to-fill supersized ink tanks. The ET-16600 includes enough ink to print many thousands2 of pages straight out of the box,, is powered by PrecisionCore® Heat-Free printing technology and delivers sharp text and colour prints up to A3+ (13" x 19").



It can also copy and scan pages up to A3 (11" x 17") and features a 500-sheet paper capacity and rear specialty-paper feed, plus a 4.3" colour touchscreen for easy navigation.

Powered by PrecisionCore Heat-Free Technology, Epson’s most advanced printhead technology, the  EcoTank Pro ET-16600 multi-function inkjet printer ensures peak A3 productivity and flexible paper handling. It is primarily aimed at home and small office users who require A3 professional quality colour output with sharp text at an affordable cost per page.
 
For one upfront price, the Epson ET-16600 prints up to 4,500 pages in black2 and 2,800 pages in colour2 straight out of the box without worrying about ongoing ink replacement and costs.
 


That said, if and when you do run out of ink, replacement bottles that only cost from $24.99 hold enough ink for another massive 7,500 pages in black2 and 6,000 pages in colour2.
 
At the heart of the ET-16600 is the truly innovative PrecisionCore technology which features Epson’s advanced Thin-Film Piezoelectric (TFP®) elements produced via a MEMS manufacturing process using semiconductor micro-fabrication techniques.
 
Forming the foundations of this proprietary technology is the PrecisionCore MicroTFP print chip, a digital chip that produces dots at the micron level — 1/100th the size of a human hair. Each nozzle on the printhead delivers up to 50,000 droplets per second and it’s this extraordinary focus on accuracy and detail that enables PrecisionCore to deliver exceptional results.
 
For a machine that prints A3+, the ET-16600 is also fast with print speeds of up to 25 ISO ppm for black and white and 12 ISO ppm1 for colour prints that rival and beat many colour laser printers without compromising a single droplet of quality.



There’s more reasons for packing a greater number of nozzles into a smaller surface area too, as this high-resolution inkjet printhead along with PrecisionCore Heat-Free technology, gives users ultra-sharp text, as well as stunning graphics and images — all with smooth gradations on both plain and specialty paper.
 
Did someone mention efficiency? The ET-16600 comes with a 50-sheet automatic document feeder and offers duplex print, scan, copy and fax functions. This means the ET-16600 is always ready to print with the two 250-sheet front loading paper trays plus the rear specialty tray to accommodate specialty media. In other words there are more ways for you to get creative by printing on envelopes, labels, card stock and more.



For those of us who still fax (you’d be surprised how many people do) the ET-16600 can fax as fast as 3 seconds per page, save up to 180 pages in memory, and store up to 200 numbers. Or by using the included PC-Fax software, users can even send a colour fax right from their computer. It’s a great way to save time and paper.
 
Using the EcoTank Pro ET-16600 all-in-one has also never been easier — whether in the office, on the road or even across the globe as with its simple wireless connectivity you can connect to your wireless network almost immediately. Even the latest wireless standard, 802.11 n4, is supported.



Wi-Fi Direct means no router is required enabling users to print from virtually any room anywhere. That said if you’re the type who likes cables, the ET-16600’s built-in Ethernet makes sharing the printer on your network quick and easy with a single wired connection too.
 
The EcoTank Pro ET-16600 comes loaded with connectivity convenience in the form of Epson Connect which enables you to print wirelessly from your iPad™, iPhone™, Android™ tablet or smartphone. You can also easily print documents, photos, emails and web pages while in your home, office or on the road and can scan your documents and save them to the cloud for access anytime, anywhere too.



If you want to share your Google® content you can print on the go from a smartphone or tablet using Google Cloud Print™, with your Gmail™ or Google Drive™ account or print from your Chromebook™ and Google Chrome™ without installing drivers or connecting cables. 


It’s kind to the environment too as along with the big ink tanks creating zero cartridge waste, the EcoTank Pro ET-16600 includes features such automatic, two-sided printing and copying saving users up to 50% on paper supply.
 
In other words the  EcoTank Pro ET-16600 not only provides brilliant results for the home and office, but also a smart value choice for the cost conscious consumer.
 
Epson’s new EcoTank Pro ET-16600 is available now via www.epson.com.au and from all authorised Epson retailers and resellers across Australia with an RRP of $1,699.00

SCREEN Graphic Solutions Co., Ltd., the parent of Screen GA (Australia), has announced that it will not to take part in the drupa 2021 international printing/media trade show. The decision has been made based on sensible precautions after considering the current circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic and the growing opportunities for virtual experiences provided by new communications technologies.

With both market and social conditions undergoing such drastic changes, SCREEN GA believes it is essential to accelerate timely communication with our customers and partners. We are continuously creating both virtual and physical communication opportunities designed to ensure the best possible experience.

Screen GA Australia Managing Director Peter Scott says: “It must have been a hard decision to arrive at but I believe it is the right decision in view of the safety of customers and staff.  Screen has always been a strong supporter of drupa and we have always enjoyed a high number of visitors from Australia and New Zealand. However, the road forward for a safe, pandemic-free Europe is by no means clear and in some areas, a second wave is apparent. Trade shows and especially drupa are all about meeting, networking and socialising and I can’t see this working as early as April 2021, even if planes are flying and borders are quarantine-free.”

Scott continues: “Personally, I have great fondness for drupa and the way Düsseldorf becomes ‘drupa city’ and welcomes the print and communications world, I will miss it but I fear it will be at least another year before the health and safety situation can be deemed normal. Planning for participating in events such as drupa takes months or years, so the decision had to be made well in advance. Not to have done so would have been an unacceptable gamble. Personal safety comes first and foremost.”

“I look forward to more certain times and the return of the drupa we know and love!” 

A powerful new road safety campaign by a talented University of Technology Sydney student has gone live across oOh!media billboards and digital signage in Sydney.

The campaign is the result of behaviour change program Re:act, which challenges university students to come up with ideas to raise road safety awareness among adults aged 18 to 25 – a demographic almost twice as likely to be killed in a traffic accident than their parents, according to new data from Australian Roads.

Re:act has partnered with oOh!media to run campaigns across three cities on oOh!’s roadside digital billboards, with Sydney now going live after a recent Brisbane launch, and Melbourne to follow at a later date.

The creative will also appear on digital displays in retail, higher education and social venues. Provided at no cost, the total media value for all three campaigns is over $850,000, marking a significant contribution to spreading the safety messaging to the wider public.

The Re:act program is an initiative of creative behaviour change agency Hard Edge. In 2020 it ran at University of Technology Sydney, Swinburne University in Melbourne and, for the first time, Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane. It also expanded internationally to the University of the Arts London.

UTS student Ella Mander-Jones was chosen for her campaign drawing the young audience in before delivering a strong and clear message focused on music as a distraction on our roads: ‘Make your playlist killer. Not a killer on our roads’.

“I wanted to create something different that was on trend for a young target audience,” she said.

“People around my age are very much into their playlists. ‘Killer’ has a negative connotation but can also be awesome, like a ‘killer’ playlist, so I linked the two to draw people in without them knowing off the mark that you’re talking about road safety.”

In addition to supporting the campaign through media space, oOh!media also played a pivotal role in the students’ design process, deploying personnel to work with the students as they came up with their ideas, helping shape them for maximum creativity in the Out of Home format while also providing technical support.

Noel Cook, oOh!media’s Chief Commercial & Operations Officer, said that the company was proud to support Re:act for the second year running.

“Young drivers have a higher risk of getting into accidents, which is important to be aware of at a time when ongoing COVID-19 issues are forcing more people to drive instead of taking public transport,” he said.

“This year’s theme is ‘distraction’, and it’s been a revelation to see how these gifted students have translated their objective of keeping drivers focused on the road into creative designs that will strike a chord with their age group.”

Andrew Hardwick, Re:act founder and CEO, said Re:act’s vision is to give young people a voice in road safety.

“Young people have an incredible contribution to make in reducing road trauma – statistics they are unfortunately overrepresented in,” he said. “It’s fantastic to see their work being shared in the public domain thanks to this partnership between oOh! and Re:act. This is such an amazing experience and opportunity for the students in their careers.”  

oOh!’s support for Re:act is part of the company’s broader approach to road safety. In conjunction with the Outdoor Media Association (OMA), oOh! is committed to working closely with governments and authorities to invest in research and make roads safer.

To find out more about the Re:act program, visit reactforchange.com