Consumables

Mutoh stays green in the digital signage market with its new MP ink.  Made up of 60 percent bio-based material, and containing no HAPs (hazardous air pollutants) or heavy metals, the ink is made to enhance the output of Mutoh’s ValueJet 1608HS-Hybrid.

Mutoh’s new ink produces a wider colour gamut with increased adhesive and abrasion characteristics. This durable outdoor ink is comprised of renewable resources which are created in state-of-the-art resin chemistry.

“Mutoh is pleased to offer an ink choice to meet the growing demand for environmentally responsible advertising campaigns,” shares Brian Phipps, General Manager of Mutoh America Inc. “Not only are we reducing our carbon footprint, but we are creating products that still give clear, vivid and beautiful prints for our customers.”

MP Ink offers high performance on vinyl, banner and a wide range of plastics. The new ink requires relatively low maintenance compared to competitive products.

The ValueJet 1608HS-Hybrid, is one of Mutoh’s most versatile printers that can create impeccable prints on both rigid and flexible substrates.

Included in the Hybrid is Mutoh’s SpectrovueVM-10 spectrophotometer, a high-resolution “digital prism” that converts visible light to a digital spectrum for on-printer color calibration. Mutoh’s new MP ink and ValueJet 1608HS-Hyrbid streamlines the entire colour management workflow, enhancing productivity, reducing labour time and media waste.

 

InteliCoat Technologies, a world leader in the manufacture of coated paper, film and specialty substrates for digital imaging applications, and Legion Paper, a leading source for fine art paper, digital fine art paper, handmade paper and decorative paper and a Master Distributor of Museo Fine Art products, announced plans to collectively improve sales and service to the channel. The renewed commitment between Museo Fine Art and Legion, which has the authority to distribute all Museo Fine Art brands through its comprehensive network of resellers, signifies a collaborative effort focused on growth and expansion within the digital fine art and photography industry.

"We are extremely committed to sourcing the finest papermakers around the globe and have a great respect for the skill of the artisans who use our products," said Marc Schotland, director of Marketing, Legion Paper. "Museo's proven ability to consistently deliver superior quality products perfectly suited for the fine art and photo markets that we serve makes them an ideal partner for us. We are pleased to put a collective focus on growing and expanding the brand more than ever to the channel."

Museo is targeted toward professional, semi-professional, and pro-sumer photographers and artists who produce digital originals or reproductions using inkjet technology. Museo products are available in common roll and sheet sizes for small, medium, and wide format printing. Pre-scored, two side printable card stock is also available to make the production of greeting cards, invitations, and announcements quick and easy.

"Legion Paper has been a valued distributor for several years and we are excited to work even more closely with them now to collectively grow sales of Museo products to the channel," said Jennifer Chagnon, senior marketing manager at InteliCoat Technologies. "Like InteliCoat, Legion is steadfast in its commitment to customer service and professionalism and our customers have come to expect a high level of reliability from Legion and its resellers."

 

FDC Graphic Films Inc. is now the exclusive supplier for ASLAN brand specialty sign and digital films in North America, announced George Marsh, FDC vice president. Under the terms of the agreement, FDC will sell ASLAN sign and digital films in the US and Canada, expanding the availability of ASLAN products in this region.

"We are very excited to add the ASLAN product line to our offering of specialty film solutions," said Marsh. "ASLAN is a known and trusted brand in Europe with a reputation for innovative products." FDC will initially offer ASLAN films targeting the sign, craft, and home décor markets. FDC anticipates making additional announcements in the near future about specific products the company will add to their standard product offering.

ASLAN, Schwarz GmbH & Co. KG, based in Cologne Germany, is a manufacturer of self adhesive sign and digital films sold to the sign and graphics market. The company develops and markets products uniquely designed for specific applications. ASLAN brand products are available in Europe and worldwide through selected distributors.

FDC is a master distributor and converter of sign films, wide-format digital media and digital overlaminating films for the sign and graphics industry. The company sells exclusively through distributors throughout the United States and Canada.

 

Antalis McNaughton is exclusively launching a printable static cling film that can be quickly and repeatedly applied to the majority of surfaces such as stone, plastic, metal, fabric, ceramics, flooring, glass and even wood.

Stafix, which is manufactured in Finland, is ideal for applications such as point of purchase advertising, street marketing campaigns, advertising campaigns, magazine inserts, promotional posters, window displays, and interior design and temporary labels.

The Stafix film has all the advantages and handling properties of paper, but with the characteristics of a double sided sticker but without the glue and, because a static charge is permanently embedded in the film, it can be repeatedly repositioned and leaves no residue or damage to surfaces. The film will remain attached for 3–6 months due to its static charge, and may remain attached for even longer if not overly repositioned.

Antalis McNaughton Sign and Display market manager Chris Green says: “Stafix is a 100% recyclable polypropylene high-tech printing material for versatile advertising solutions that can be printed to the same quality standards as paper, and is completely adhesive-free. You can write and wipe on it with whiteboard markers or permanently with a ball point pen. It is probably the most innovative product since the invention of the Post-it note and opens the door to a world of creative and imaginative promotional design and print opportunities.” 

When the Santander Group, the fourth largest bank in the world, wanted to announce its arrival in Finland and the opening of its headquarters in downtown Helsinki, the bank chose to work with the advertising agency ADDlife to reach consumers both directly and personally out on the streets of the city. In addition to an extensive outdoor promotional poster campaign, ADDlife utilised Stafix stickers for Santander's street marketing. The stickers were placed in public places in the city centre of Helsinki and encouraged people to take the sticker home with them so they would remember to visit Santander's website and take part in an online competition.

Stafix is already generating a lot of interest from the retail sector who are constantly looking for innovative, eye catching products that will enhance their brands and help them to meet their environmental and corporate responsibility commitments.

“Our principal aim is to provide printers in the sign and display sector with the broadest range of high quality products that will differentiate their business offering and provide long lasting added value to their customers,” concludes Mr. Green. “We believe that an innovative product such as Stafix clearly demonstrates that Antalis McNaughton can deliver a whole lot more than just paper.”

Stafix is stocked in both white and clear and is available for both offset printing and flatbed UV-Inkjet. HP Indigo grades are available by request.

An introduction to Stafix YouTube video is can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2g_w3KvcvH4

LexJet has updated its line of PSA laminates and backers to provide a practical way for print shops to produce and sell laminated wide-format inkjet solutions to their customers, and provide added value for added profits.

"We've taken our 17 years of experience developing inkjet media, laminates and backers, as well as crucial input and advice from our customers, to give them a product line they can sell and depend upon,” said LexJet product manager Dione Metnick. "The whole point of a laminate is to enhance and protect the graphic, and exceed the end user's design and visual expectations. We used that criteria as our baseline, then built our laminates and backers to eliminate costly color shifts and adhesive failures for the dependability and consistency our customers require."

Conveniently grouped into three basic product categories—Performance, Elite, and Specialty—print shops have a simple yet diverse choice of superior laminates not available elsewhere in various thicknesses, base materials, textures and widths. The adhesives in all three product lines are compatible with aqueous, low solvent, solvent, UV curable and latex inks.

"I have never noticed any discoloration with a LexJet laminate, as opposed to others I've seen that tend to yellow over time or give the graphic a different tint,” said Christian Schmid of Essyx Design + Fabrication, Johnson City, Tenn. "When our customers invest in graphics they don't want them damaged, either by UV or people handling them, so we make sure we give them the peace of mind that comes with a more durable, brighter laminate.”

Performance: The industry's best-in-class economically priced line of laminates and backers. Like all LexJet products, they come with a 30-day money back guarantee and are built to last. Most products in the Performance line feature the same high-quality adhesives and base materials as the Elite line.

Specialty: This product line was designed based on customer feedback for warranted, durable laminates that meet all the demands of specialty applications, including floor, carpet, vehicle wrap, optically clear and dry-erase.

Elite: Offers the highest possible performance and quality that exceeds the durability and visual expectations of end users. Most products in the Elite line come with a Lifetime Warranty, while all of them feature the most durable solvent acrylic adhesive in the industry and PreLume, an optical reflection technology built into the Elite laminates that ensures brighter and cleaner white areas for a longer period of time. PreLume Inside means greater contrast and dynamic range, producing graphics that stand out and grab the attention of passersby in a variety of indoor applications.

PreLume, licensed by LexJet in 2003, is only one innovation in a long line of innovations since LexJet introduced the first reverse-print polycarbonate (LexJet Clear) to the graphics market in 1994. Since that time LexJet pioneered the first white backer to partner with LexJet Clear, the first polycarbonate laminate guaranteed not to tunnel or delaminate, the next generation of solvent acrylic mounting adhesives, new adhesives resistant to and compatible with solvent and UV-curable inks and the first Lifetime Warranty, to name just a few.

 

Mimaki Engineering Co. Ltd. has announced that clear ink has been added to its LH-100 hard UV ink for UJF-3042, JFX plus series and JFX series of UV LED curable inkjet printers. The clear ink is expected to be available in February 2011.

The clear ink enables effects such as "Glossy Finish" and "Matte Finish" adding value to the product outcome. These effects provide a finish close to "Varnish Finish" which has been actively used in the printing industry. Furthermore, the clear ink can be layered multiple times so that images may not only look more enticing, but also create a strong desire to touch the image.

The new clear ink will increase the opportunities of printing companies by adding more value to their offerings and consequently increase their revenues.