Consumables

Neil McCarthy, previously Marketing Director of Robert Horne’s Sign & Display Business Unit has joined Pyramid Display Materials as Head of Sales & Marketing.

McCarthy, who has over 30 years experience within the sign & display industry joins Pyramid at an exciting time in their development.

Dennis Morgan, Pyramid’s Managing Director, explains the role McCarthy will play within the business “ Pyramid have grown steadily since forming in 2002 and we are now the largest independent supplier to the sign and display sector in the UK, but the new economics of the market aren’t about scale and volume. Pyramid differentiate themselves through new technologies, services and products to give customers more of what’s relevant to them. Neil’s role will be to give real focus to our sales and marketing program to ensure both existing and new customers to Pyramid are fully aware of our complete service offering and what we can achieve for them through seeing and thinking differently”

Pyramid distribute for some of the world’s leading sign and display manufacturers including MACtac, Staufen, Foamalite, Smurfit Kappa and Brett Martin.

Pyramid operate from 3 regional sales offices and warehouse facilities based in Manchester, Birmingham and Gateshead and have recently launched a dedicated conversion company to service the group, Pyramid Converting.

Boost in TV sales linked to interest in easy-peel labels that leave no adhesive transfer on removal

Madico Graphic Films, a leading UK supplier of specialist pressure sensitive, coated film products for durable label applications, has attributed increased sales of its versatile range of printable films that offer excellent adhesion and superior clean removability on a wide range of surfaces and at high temperatures to the forthcoming FIFA World Cup in South Africa. One of the key applications for the innovative thermal transfer printable film (code: 01-716) is removable labels for electrical and audio visual equipment, including TV screens. With some retailers currently reporting TV sales equivalent to those during the peak trading period of Christmas, Madico says this has influenced sales of the easy-peel labelstock, which leaves no adhesive transfer or residue upon removal.

Madico’s innovative 01-716 film comprises a 50μ white polyester or 80μ polypropylene print receptive facestock that provides excellent dimensional stability combined with good solvent, humidity, elevated temperature and UV resistance. Engineered to accept conventional ink, the labelstock offers superior thermal transfer print quality with crisp definition at low burn temperatures with resin and wax/resin ribbons.

Pivotal to the film’s performance is Madico’s very low tack, and proven R51 acrylic adhesive, which offers clean removability after short and long term application. As well as audio-visual equipment and electrical appliances, this makes 01-716 perfect for on demand variable information labels in a host of automotive, electronic and laboratory applications. Madico’s 01-716 substrate also includes an 82gsm white polycoated glassine liner which is suitable for high speed dispensing and is PE coated on one side to ensure adhesive smoothness.

“The key differentiator with Madico’s 01-716 easy-peel label compared to similar products, is its removable adhesive and the reliability of that adhesive under difficult conditions”, says Gary Dixon, International Business Manager at Madico Graphic Films Ltd. “Removable labels are already available on the market, but unlike 01-716, these typically fail to perform when subjected to high temperatures or if exposed to chemicals. However, the 01-716 polyester film has been proven to function successfully at up to 200°C.

“At the point of purchase, 01-716 labels are crisp, clean and adhere to surfaces perfectly, and leave no surface contamination upon removal”, he adds. “This makes them highly suitable for point-of-sale labels on electrical and audio-visual products, white goods, or for factory tracking of products during assembly. We noticed similar peaks of the product prior to the 2006 World Cup and believe the current boost in TV sales could well be the reason behind this.”

Madico’s 01-716 can be supplied directly from stock and as well as a 50μ gloss white polyester, is also available on a 50μ clear white polyester, as well as on an 80μ matt white polypropylene facestock.

 

 

Sign-makers and display producers using Roland DG printers can save money and improve quality, performance and adhesion by changing to the latest Sun Chemical Streamline inks without having to worry about flushing out their existing products.

Distributed solely by IGS UK’s channel of approved distributors, these Mix & Match solutions provide a true mix and match option. Saving on unnecessary labour and waste, their formulation allows them to be swapped on-the-fly with the additional benefit of being fully compatible with the machines’ original inks.

Currently available for all Roland printers currently running EcoSol Max inks, as well a formulation for the Mimaki JV3 series, Sun Chemical inks can also be mixed and matched with other solvent-based machines which use Epson DX4 print-heads.

Colour accuracy, reliability and durability are matched precisely to the original versions yet the inks are considerably cheaper to purchase.

Users changing from OEM to Sun Chemical do not have to renew profiles nor flush the existing inks out of their printers. As a guaranteed plug-and-play solution, these cost-effective products are formulated from the highest grade pigments using established chemistries which offer improvements in quality and longevity as well as a lower price point.

Sun Chemical Streamline Mix & Match options are designed to make change-over from original inks fast and easy, with no machine adjustments being necessary. Formulated to provide greater durability with less susceptibility to scratching and scuffing, these mix and match products also offer excellent jetting properties and print-head stability.

Finished prints on uncoated and coated materials have higher resistance to alcohol and cleaning fluids, with good outdoor durability removing the necessity for over-lamination. Sun Chemical inks are also proven in extended testing to lengthen the life expectancy of print-heads and feed configurations, yielding a greater return on investment with the machine itself.

Alternative and extended warranties for printers using these inks are available from Sun Chemical resellers. Full details are available by visiting IGS UK at www.igsuk.net/sun

 

 

Nazdar has released new Lyson digital inks for Mimaki printers

Lyson 133 Series for the Mimaki JV33 & CJV OEM color comparable, no profiling necessary in most situations High intensity, high gloss colors with excellent adhesion and flexibility on most media Reliable unattended printing

Lyson 155 Series for the Mimaki JV5 OEM color comparable Excellent print head and nozzle performance Extended exterior performance with proven resistance to UV degradation and color fading

The new inks are available in 440ml. cartridges or 1-liter bulk bottles. Technical data sheets and more information are available on www.nazdar.com.

The 133 and 155 Series inks expand the Lyson product portfolio of solvent and UV-curable ink compatible with popular digital inkjet printers.

"The market has been asking for OEM ink alternatives for the JV33 and JV5 printers. With the success of the Lyson 1300 series in the JV3 install base, we are confident these two new products will meet market expectations," said Richard Bowles, vice president and general manager, Nazdar.

Drytac has added Panda Print, an opaque bamboo fiber printable fabric to its EarthSmartTM line of eco-friendly products.  Panda Print is compatible with aqueous, eco-solvent and UV inkjet printers.

Manufactured in a closed loop, environmentally responsible process, Panda Print is 99.6% biodegradable and certified to be free of harmful chemicals by the European REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals) and Oeko Tex Standard 100 requirements.

The bamboo used to make Panda Print is grown on an organically farmed plantation and is not harvested from forests.

Panda PrintTM complements the Panda Stand  line of bamboo display products that includes the Panda StandTM Retractable and Pand StandTM L stand.  Its canvas-like texture also makes it suitable for fine-art applications such as museum wraps.

Panda Print is available in 36 inch (914 mm) and 50 inch (1270 mm) wide rolls.

Specifically developed for the Epson Stylus Pro WT7900 printer to simulate metallic effects

 

Epson today launches its MetallicProof Film, a breakthrough material enabling packaging designers and pre-press houses to produce metallic effects on contract proofs, mock-ups and prototypes at a fraction of the cost of press proofs or earlier digital proofing systems. MetallicProof Film has been specially developed for use with the revolutionary new Epson Stylus Pro WT7900 inkjet printer, the only inkjet in the world to offer a water-based opaque white ink, and will be demonstrated for the first time at IPEX 2010 (May 18-25, Hall 10 C260).

Metallised foils are widely used for product labels and flexible packaging for snacks and confectionary products. This new metallic proofing film will be welcomed by designers and proofers, who can now preview accurate effects quickly and cost-effectively.

The Epson Stylus Pro WT7900 printer is already revolutionising packaging proofing. It prints high saturation UltraChrome HDR ink on a choice of proofing media, including clear films, paper and the new MetallicProof Film, on rolls or cut sheets up to 24 inches (609mm) wide.

Used on clear or metallic film, the Epson UltraChrome HDR White Ink provides an opaque base layer on the media enabling high colour saturation and resolution as if printed on paper. Alternatively, it can be used in combination with the printer's seven ink colours to create special effects such as pastels.

When printing onto the MetallicProof Film without using the white ink base, metallic colours can be achieved such as gold and bronze, as well as blues, reds, greens etc.

The MetallicProof Film features a specially-developed coating that is capable of high ink absorption for a wide colour gamut while delivering fast drying times for greater productivity.

Several proofing applications have already been released with drivers for the Stylus Pro WT7900 and specific controls for managing white ink placement. These include Compose Star Proof, EFI Fiery XF 4.1 and ColourProof XF 4.1 and GMG ColourProof.

MetallicProof Film is available in 100 foot (30.5m) long rolls of either 17 inch (432mm) or 24 inch (610mm) widths, priced at 539 or 770 Euros respectively. The film is 5.9 mil (150 microns) thick and joins the existing range of Epson ClearProof Film and CrystalClear Film, also developed specifically for the Stylus Pro WT7900.

ClearProof Film is intended for contract proofing and is a clear film with instant-dry capability. CrystalClear Film is a lower priced, optically-clear film intended for concepts and draft proofs.

Epson has also announced two other forthcoming materials for the Stylus Pro WT7900: ShrinkWrap Film and ClearProof Adhesive Film. These will be available later this year.

 

Epson MetallicProof Film key features

- Designed for the Epson Stylus Pro WT7900 printer with UltraChrome HDR wide-gamut ink set with white

- High gloss mirror silver finish

- Can reproduce other metallic colours by overprinting coloured inks

-  Quick drying

- Media thickness: 5.9 mil (150 microns)

- 17 inch x 100 foot (432mm x 30.5m) rolls: 539 Euros

-  24 inch x 100 foot (610mm x 30.5m) rolls: 770 Euros