SGIA Product of the Year Winners Announced
Fairfax, VA—The Specialty Graphic Imaging Association (SGIA), the international association for specialty imaging, announced the winners of its 2013 Product of the Year Awards, a competition that showcases “digital imaging products that keep the specialty imaging industry moving forward.” Product of the Year winners benefited from worldwide recognition and the ability to market their product as a winner of this competition.
Here are the 2013 Product of the Year winners in the following categories (sgia.com).
Finishing Equipment: Matic SA, Cronos, matic.es/en
Poster-size – Solvent/Latex Printers < 96″: Mutoh America, ValueJet 1638, mutoh.com
Flat Bed – Rigid Substrate UV <$200K MSRP: Canon USA, Océ Arizona 640 GT, usa.canon.com
Flat Bed – Rigid Substrate UV >$200K MSRP: Canon USA, Océ Arizona 660 GT, usa.canon.com
Flat Bed – Rigid White Ink UV >$200K MSRP: Canon USA, Océ Arizona 660 XT, usa.canon.com
Grand Format R to R – Solvent & Latex Inks: Hewlett-Packard, HP Latex 3000, hp.com
Direct to Garment Inkjet Printers: Eastern Tech – Mankind Digital/ion-Argon (18), mankinddigital.com
Digital Inks: EFI, EFI VuTek GS Pro-TF System, w3.efi.com
Media – Paper: Visual Magnetics, VM-ECOten, visualmagnetics.com
Media – Vinyl: ATP Adhesive Systems AG, Open Air Clear, atp-ag.com
Media – Films: AlumiGraphics (Floor Signage LLC), AlumiGraphics Grip, alumigraphics.com
Media – Textile: Verseidag Seemee US Inc, seemee 3P Premium Backlit, seemeeus.com
Media – Rigid: Chromaluxe/Unisub, Chromaluxe Tabletop, chromaluxe.com
Finishing – Display Exhibit Hardware: Consort Display Group, FlagTrax Flag and Banner Mounting Hardware, consort.com
Media – Non PVC (Non-Woven): Argotec LLC, ArgoGraph Two-Part Graphic Film, argotec.com
Media – Vinyl (Pressure Sensitive): Contra Vision Ltd, Contra Vision Sprint, contravision.com
Mutoh Highlights ValueJet 1617H Flatbed Printer, Launches Instagram Page
Phoenix, AZ—Mutoh America, a manufacturer of wide-format inkjet printers and cutters, is highlighting its ValueJet 1617H hybrid printer. It is designed to not only give users the ability to print on rigid substrates but also give them the flexibility to print on roll media with a wide color gamut.
Its dual function and multiple application design saves floor space, and the 1617H comes with Mutoh’s VSM app for remote printer management, a half-inch print height, faster speeds and ability to print white ink.
The ValueJet 1617H reaches board printing speeds up to 300 square feet an hour in production mode, but the printer can also be used for both car wraps and rigid substrates with equal ease. It prints directly onto corrugated plastics, polystyrene, PVC, acrylic, polycarbonate, foam board, aluminum composite, banner material, vinyl and wall coverings, as well as roll surfaces with a wide color gamut.
Mutoh America also announced the launch of its Instagram page to further enhance its social media platform and connect with customers and industry partners. Mutoh will be adding pictures of its latest product innovations, vehicle wraps, awards, unique customer applications, open houses, trade shows and learning facilities to its Instagram photo feed. To connect or follow Mutoh on Instagram, search or tag @mutohamerica.
“This new social media tool will give Mutoh customers and partners more access to the activities, events and products that Mutoh is involved in,” said David Conrad director, Marketing, Mutoh America. “By sharing these images, we hope to involve the wide-format community and Mutoh followers in more of what Mutoh is engaged in with a real time display of what is happening in and around Mutoh America, Inc.” mutoh.com
ODM’s XXL Series Next-Gen Casemaking Machines for Tabloid-Size Photo Books
Elizabeth, NJ—On Demand Machinery’s XXL series is scalable to fit the production requirements needed to produce hardcover photo books from wallet to 18×18 inches tabloid size, up to 4 inches thick.
The XXL series, ODM’s next generation of equipment for sewing in, casemaking, casing in and building in, are entry-level hardcover bookbinding machines that work seamlessly together or independently to produce “library-quality” books.
The Super Sewer XXL is an automatic, side-sewing machine designed for producing (up to 400 per hour) side-sewn book blocks from 4x4x1/32 inches to 18x18x1 inches. It predrills holes prior to thread stitching, enabling the book block thickness up to one inch.
The Casemaking XXL is said to be self-adjusting and simple to operate, making it a choice for printers who require on-demand bindery and short-run applications. The XXL Casemaking system can produce 200 covers per hour from wallet (4×4 inches) to tabloid (18×18), up to ½ inch thick.
The Sticker XXL casing-in machine features a touch-screen LCD control panel that enables the operator to select the book size, a three-position blade height control and removable glue stations for easy cleanup.
The Smasher XXL building-in machine is also simple to operate, self-adjusting and requires no makeready. The operator places the cased-in book into the Smasher XXL and depresses a foot pedal that brings the top joint iron in contact with the book. This enables the operator to accurately find the joint area of the book. Dual buttons are depressed to activate the hydraulic system that raises the bottom steel platen and clamps the book with 10 tons of pressure. The heated joint irons aid in forming the joint by reactivating the adhesive in the joint area and softening hardcover materials such as library buckram and film laminates. odmachinery.com
Buyers Laboratory Recognizes Canon imagePrograf Wide-Format Printers
Melville, NY—Canon USA earned the Buyers Laboratory LLC (BLI) 2014 Wide Format Graphic Arts Printer Line of the Year award for the imagePrograf iPFx400 and iPFx400S series of large-format printers (12- and 8-color models).
Additionally, Canon’s imagePrograf iPF6400S, iPF8400S and iPF765 MFP M40 printers were recognized for three BLI Winter 2014 Pick Awards in the wide-format category.
“Canon is honored to receive the Wide Format Graphics Printer Line of the Year Award,” said Sam Yoshida, vice president and general manager, Marketing, Business Imaging Solutions Group, Canon USA. “Our dedication to extraordinary output, color consistency, reliability and ease-of-use for the end user is what makes these award-winning products seamlessly fit the industry’s needs.”
The BLI Wide Format Graphics Printer Line of the Year is awarded to the products that are determined to be the best overall in their respective category based on the cumulative test results in BLI’s rigorous two-month evaluation. usa.canon.com
Mimaki Announces Wide-Format Contest Winners
Suwanne, GA—Wide-format printer manufacturer Mimaki USA revealed the winners of its My Mimaki contest. The contest was held with the goal of uncovering fresh designs from Mimaki end users to display in the company’s newly remodeled headquarters showroom in Suwanee.
Mimaki challenged print professionals and shops from around the U.S. to submit their most innovative and outstanding print projects produced on their Mimaki printers.
“The number of entrants and the quality of their work exceeded our expectations,” said Paul McGovern, marketing and promotions manager at Mimaki USA. “Our winners were chosen for their original design and execution, which exhibited a level of creativity consistent with an industry that is constantly looking for new ways to push the envelope.”
A Mimaki panel reviewed all of the entries and selected the first, second and third place winners—all recipients of Apple products, including a MacBook Pro, for their efforts. First place went to Nathan Sellers, of A Better Sign, Snellville, Georgia, for his project “One of a Kind Arcade Controller.” Second place went to John Sellers of A Better Sign, Snellville, Georgia, for his project “Zelda Dog Tags with Treasure Chest” and third place went to Ivan Calderon, of Kaleidoscope New York, New York, New York, for his project “Starbucks Packaging.” mimakiusa.com
