At times on the middle day, the Print Show actually felt busy. In the peak slot between 11.00am-2.00pm exhibitors were under constant pressure to talk to a rush of prospects and existing customers. Some were in danger of being overwhelmed. Outside these hours, business continued to flow, but at more manageable rates. And business did flow. Across the floor exhibitors reported sales or a swelling prospect book of companies to get back to. Some will begin this process this week, others are already on top of it, Baker Labels for one sending out follow up emails as the show closed each day.
Fujifilm, the new kid on the block as far as this event is concerned, had both new products to show and talk about and what it believes is a new approach for the industry. What it did not have for the first time in exhibiting at the NEC, was a litho printing plate even though Fujifilm is still a major purveyor of the consumables.
In terms of toner based digital printing, Fujifilm’s relative tardiness to UK comes after the severance of its longstanding partnership with Xerox. The company wanted to put its mark on the map and to show the UK printing industry that Fujifilm was both ready to do business and had the product line set up to do so.
It introduced two new models, the EC1100 and SC170/180, to join the Apeos Pro C and Revoria PC1120 that had been launched earlier this year. First installations of these machines, beyond the preprepared customers, have begun says Andy Kent.
There will be a network of distributors to work with Fujifilm across the UK, but negotiations are complex, Kent points out, owing to ongoing commitments that distributors have made, and none has yet been finished.
Fujifilm intends to shake up the sector. Hence 24/7 telephone support calls in resources around the world particularly in Asia where Fujifilm has been selling digital presses to printer for many year and where English is the universally spoken language. Customers will be encouraged to fit replaceable parts if needed themselves, so easy the burden on engineers. Reliability will be key. In short Kent says that Fujifilm does not need to mirror the service and support teams of engineers that its competitors have. It is simply not necessary.
Outside white and metallics, pink toner has been popular on the Revoria PC1120 because of the lift it gives to flesh tones, not simply because of the Barbie movie.
There was no Xerox machine on the floor, the result of a late pull out by one of its distributors it seems, nor any cutsheet press from Canon. But Konica Minolta was present through its own stand and through dealers like Aurora, while the last Ricoh Pro C9200 to be made in the UK adorned the ASL stand. This machine is being replaced by the Pro C9500, a model to be made in the Netherlands rather than Telford.
There was a proliferation of large format machines, covering the smaller rollfed devices from Epson and Mimaki to the larger Acuitys from Fujifilm and larger still Liyu machines. After two sales from the stand last year, Liyu UK returned and had at least one deal for a Platinum model to celebrate during the show.
Direct to film was a definite trend for inkjet printers, with Inktec showing its fabric decoration technology having enjoyed its first visit to the Printwear and Promotion show earlier this year. Others were equally keen to demonstrate that direct to film is more versatile than dye sublimation and easier to handle than direct to garment.
The show had been unable to attract major names from finishing, but those that did attend enjoyed the experience. Morgana unveiled a small cutting table that caught the attention alongside the FC6500 small footprint digital cutting device. While Vivid, with somewhat larger machines, secured enough business to return again next year. Having shown a taping head on its cutting tables last year, this year it introduced a sheet loading system for the larger Veloblade machines. Product manager Lewis Evans explained that the £11,000 system could load boards without manpower to the table, freeing up staff to do something more stimulating and with greater added value than loading 700 boards each day, as one customer was doing.
The show had also attracted a number of trade printers. Flexpress was handing out books written by Steve Wenlock explaining how the company had evolved from a commercial printer into a business with modern SRA1 litho and a top of the range HP Indigo 100K B2 digital press. Route1 focused on meeting and talking to customers. Baker Labels engaged visitors with a basketball arcade game. Tradeprint had made its stand from 100% corrugated boards and will use these to decorate walls in its new production unit in Dundee. Solopress introduced the Soloflo API that will help jobs flow smoothly into its production network while supply the best coffee at the show (personal comment only) and printing selfie images on the foam of a cappuccino with a Ripple machine using a Landa developed technology.
The Landa itself might have to wait until Drupa. The Print Show was less about new products and innovation than it was about sales and commerce. And that it how it will be assessed in coming weeks when exhibitors ask themselves ‘was it worth it?’. One commented that he had secured at least two unexpected orders in the three days. But mindful of negotiations to attend in 2024, added: “But don’t tell the organisers.”
