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One of the first stops of the day was key Mutoh distributor Colourgen, which has used this year's exhibition to launch some key new additions to its Valuejet range of high-quality affordable print solutions. Speaking to managing director Jeff Biggs, he was keen to emphasise that its portfolio is about giving the sign-maker and print-service-provider a tool that will help them achieve a long-term and sustainable return on investment.

“One of the key pieces of technology we have here is the Mutoh Valuejet 426UF, which is a flatbed UV printer that allows you to produce a multitude of high-value products that can really give a business some healthy profit margin,” says Biggs.

He continues: “Its strength is printing on a range of specialty objects, tiles, trophies, small-format signage, awards, and promotional goods such as pens, USB sticks, phone cases, and name badges. It also allows businesses to bring production in-house that they were previously subbing out, or, they can free up their large flatbeds from working on small items and concentrate on doing larger runs.

The Mutoh Valuejet 1604X provides a lot of punch, for a very small investment, and as a result was a hive of activity as visitors flocked to investigate its potential

“In addition to our soon to launch textile print solution, we have also launched our 64 inch Valuejet 1604X, which gives fantastic value for money. Its core strengths is the pedigree of the technology that runs it, but at a price point of sub £9,000 that includes a take-up system, RIP, and starter inks. I really think this system will have a big impact on the market, and may alter the positioning of our wider product range.”

In addition to our soon to launch textile print solution, we have also launched our 64 inch Valuejet 1604X, which gives fantastic value for money. Its core strengths is the pedigree of the technology that runs it, but at a price point of sub £9,000 that includes a take-up system, RIP, and starter inks”

Mutoh has certainly cut its own path in the sign and wide-format print industries, offering technology that has a very good reputation for reliability and quality, but designed in such a way that it allows smaller companies or new comers to the market to get setup and produce very high class products.

Biggs continues: “Our emphasis is offering products that are unique in their overall performance to cost ratio and building a lot of value-added support behind them. It is also about not over-reaching and really providing a real quality of service to our customers, as Colourgen services all of the Mutoh products that we or our channel partners sell.

The Mutoh Valuejet 426UF is a very nifty bit of kit and allows you to produce a huge array of high value speciality and promotional print products

“Many of our engineers are known to our customers over a very long-term relationship and that is why they continue to come back to us time and again as their companies grow or diversify their own product offering.”

I-Sub, suppliers of large-format digital textile printing equipment, displayed a range of solutions ideal for those looking to enter the textile market, a key trend at Sign and Digital UK this year. For example, the Dgen Arachne HEXA G5 direct-to-cotton printer is a relative newcomer to the industry having launched in November, and runs on pigment inks. Printing at 52sq m/h, Mike Bowman from i-Sub says the machine is a good stable product and that interest has been high.

i-Sub distributes the Dgen Arachne HEXA G5 printer, which is ideal for those looking to enter the textiles market

Proving even further the popularity of Epson's portfolio, i-Sub showcased the Epson SureColor F6200. Also featured was the Mimaki TS300P-1800, which Bowman says was a hit straight after its launch, selling four in quick succession. With new head technology and a heater as standard, the machine is ideal for high speed textile printing.

Another key trend in the industry is energy-efficiency and Perspex Distribution's marketing manager, Luke Martyn, explains how the 2.7m textile light box on its stand has been illuminated from only the top and the bottom with LED modules. This means less modules and less energy used, but with the same balanced quality. Martyn comments: “A lot of sign-makers are moving into POS, and LED products in particular have become a big growth area.”

Perspex distributes SloanLED products and exclusively shown on their stand before its launch next month was the SloanLED Prism with a reimagined LED lens technology, standing at 608 lumens per meter. Martyn also notes that a lot of visitors have been drawn to its Palfoam Anti-Static Digital, a PVC sheet for the flatbed print market (which you can see in action on Agfa's stand).

Perspex Distribution supplies LED modules that can illuminate a textile light box from just the top and bottom, saving the amount of modules
needed and reducing energy costs

Why have one stand when you can have four? Take the grand Papergraphics tour to see everything from retail to décor to finishing, and finally an information hub to have all your enquiries answered. Papergraphics launched new products such as digitally printed window blinds and table covers, and its new vinyl range Sticky Prints. What really drew in the crowds was its Wallpaper Application Training, 30 minute demonstrations, four times a day, to find out the tips and tricks of perfect wallpaper application.

Also sporting the multiple stand approach was Ultima Displays, which showcased its many display stand solutions such as Formulate Snake, Formulate Serpertine Slope, and Formulate Straight Slope. The company demonstrated how these solutions can be used by using Formulate to make up their entire stand.

Papergraphics is running Wallpaper Application Training demonstrations four times a day on its stand to teach visitors how to apply wallpaper properly

With digital signage becoming a major growth area, digital signage manufacturers One Digital Solutions, a division of Elonex, had a busy stand with around 30 interested visitors on day one and more prospective customers coming from sectors such as retail today.

Manos Gjikondi, software engineer for One Digital Solutions, highlighted the LED video wall for outdoor applications and wayfinding system as two of the products that drew in the most interest. All of the company's products, such as the Freestanding Razor Kiosks and 22” to 84” Ultra Thin Ad Displays, are manufactured here in the UK.

Sign7 News produced a special video report from day two of Sign and Digital UK, giving you the lowdown on the most important trends shaping the industry

Another digital signage name visitors will come across is Bauer Digital, which has a range of freestanding displays that are, for example, touchscreen or sunreadable. Jason Shave, sales director at Inurface Media, says: “People know they have got to go digital so there have been lots of people interested in digital displays this year. We are hoping this show will give us new leads, allow us to have interesting conversations, get to know sign companies that may want to partner with us, and generally find solutions to people's problems.”

The key takeaway from day two of Sign and Digital UK is that competition is intense, especially among the wide-format print manufacturers. While this is of course good for the end user, it does beg the question, how much longer can this intense development and launch of new technologies continue in a market place that is experiencing fairly moderate overall growth. The answer is that perhaps the cream will rise to the top, and some manufacturers and suppliers will be forced to either move into specific niches, or withdraw from the market all together. But with more printers, screens, cutters, routers, lasers, lights, and letters than you can shake a stick at, it seems Sign and Digital UK is going to ride the wave all the way to the shoreline.

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Sign and Digital UK day two: Demand for digital

Day two at Sign and Digital UK and there is still plenty to see from new kit to live demonstrations. In today's show report, we look at targeting textiles, saving energy, achieving a real ROI, and digital signage.