Images Magazine June 2018

www.images-magazine.com JUNE 2018 images 29 INDUSTRY EVENT Epson’s stand stood out from the crowdwith its startling and brilliant use of colour. The vibrant designs, from the wallpaper to the cushions, and from the car door to the polos the Epson staff were wearing, were created by award-winning fashion designer Richard Quinn. All were printed on Epson printers to emphasise the wide range of applications that can be achievedwith the brand’s machines, explained sales manager Phil McMullin. TheMagicTouch (TMT) was showing Duraluxe, powder-coated sublimation panels that are suitable for outdoor use, along with the new, compact Ricoh Ri 100 printer. This entry level, desktop DTG printer, with its optional, stackable heating system to cure the ink and an anticipated price of around £3,000, was proving extremely popular with visitors, reported Nathan Newbury, head of technical at TMT. Sabur Digital Print Solutions had a broad range of printers on its big stand, from the wide format Mimaki JFX200 to small UV printers capable of printing on a range of substrates including leather and plastic, reported digital development director Aaron Burton. Cadlink Technology used the show to introduce visitors to its range of software, which includes the Digital Factory Apparel Brother Edition, designed for Brother GTX printer, said Jennifer Blacow, who works in sales at the company. i-Sub launched Aglika at the show, a range of ready-to-sublimate blanks made in Bulgaria. A wide variety of products is available, including towels, blankets, bibs, mats and deck chairs, explained machinery sales manager Simon Lymn. The company also launched Isub Metal, an aluminium product designed for dye sublimation that can be bent without the metal – or the print – cracking. It’s available in stock up to 8 by 4 foot, with custom sizes possible. Hybrid’s textile product managerBrett Platt gave visitors tours ofthe popularTextile Printing Live area.This exhibit demonstrated theworkflowfor customising garments and textiles usingMimaki wide format printers. Images followed a design froma laptop through to it being printed on the MimakiTS30-1300 sublimation printer.Atote bag and the dye sub paper were then placed in the Transmatic heat press in the Finish section.Visitors could also see a similarworkflowusing theMimaki TS300P-1800.The idea ofthe area, explained Brett, was to get people to think about howthe kit they have allows them to offermore than just signage. Over at Aeoon, managing director Bert Santos (centre) was showing the newAeoon Kyo Hybrid, which he prefers to describe as a “multifunctional machine” thanks to its ability to screen print, digitally print or do a mixture of the two. Graphtec was showing its new CE Lite-50 Cutting Plotter at Sign & Digital. The 50cmwide machine offers a solid entry level option at a decent price point of £695 +VAT, explained business development executive Alastair Evans. He added that it is ideal for those who aren’t yet ready to invest in the popular CE6000 (40cmwidth, £895 +VAT) but want more than a craft cutter. “There’s been a hole in the market for a while between the £325 craft cutter and the £895 CE6000,” said Alastair, noting that the CE Lite-50 fills that gap. Sign & Digital UK will take place in halls 3 and 3a next year at Birmingham NEC on 2-4 April 2019. www.signanddigitaluk.com