38 email: news@printmonthly.co.uk July / August 2023 - Issue 343 The new model will be released later this year by Mutoh in EMEA. A company that was exhibiting at FESPA for the first time in ten years was Xeikon which returned to the show to showcase its digital print portfolio. The stand included an interactive kiosk with one of Sweden’s largest wallpaper suppliers, Färggrossen, where visitors could choose, customise, and visualise wallpaper. Speaking to Print Monthly at the exhibition, market segment director at Xeikon, Dimitri Van Gaever, said: “We know FESPA as a very dynamic show with a lot of movement and development, so this year we decided to be part of that. “The fact we’re here is already offering a new perspective. We’re still big in the label business but we’re also showing people what else can be done with our technology. the machine can also handle rigid substates such as acrylic, Dibond, foamboard, and polyester. Available with CMYK inks as standard, a beta model of the machine will be installed in the UK in June 2023 and commercial availability is scheduled for the end of the year. Vanguard, a Durst company, unveiled its new next-generation UV flatbed printer, the VK3220T-HS at FESPA 2023. Described as “marking the introduction of a new compact, user-friendly product design” for Vanguard Europe’s portfolio, the printer was designed at Vanguard’s European headquarters in Brixen, South Tyrol, Italy. Measuring in at 3.2m x 2m, the VK3220T-HS has up to three rows of four picoliter drop size Kyocera printheads offering up to 1800dpi print resolution. Running at up to 360sq m per hour, Vanguard describes the kit as one that can grow and scale depending on customer needs and requirements. The machine has a new look with Vanguard saying it has listened to its customers when designing the bigger size, number of printheads, and addition of new software from Durst. Finally, Mutoh launched the new XpertJet 1462UF flatbed UV LED printer with CMYK, White, and Varnish inks and a moving gantry. Equipped with two piezo drop-on-demand printheads in a staggered setup, the first head prints CMYK and the second White and Varnish. This enables two-layer printing for applications such as braille and 2D structure prints without speed loss. Two 4”-wide UV LED lamps enable fast curing. The XpertJet 1462UF model has a print bed of 1,470mm x 740mm and can print on a range of substrates up to 150mm high. Available with new-generation soft UV LED inks that are free of Substances of Very High Concern ingredients, the printer is described as an extension of the XPJ461UF (A3+) and XPJ-661TUF (A2+) direct-to-object desktop UV LED printer models. At the show, there is a lot of multi-pass and UV inkjet technology, but as an innovator of dry toner inks and single-pass print we can demonstrate what people can do to increase automation, productivity, and sustainability.” Popular Event Features The Personalisation Experience, while a smaller section, did demonstrate the integration of the show, much like the European Sign Expo and Sustainability Spotlight, the exhibition didn’t feel as segmented as in previous years, using its space to spread out a wide range of solutions and interweave large and small companies together. With the FESPA Awards, FESPA Party, World Wrap Masters, and Printeriors also taking place it was hard for some elements of the show to not feel overlooked, especially as the Personalisation Experience featured a three-day conference programme with different speakers on top of the many stand tours and announcements already taking place. Despite this, visitors still had the space and ability to book their time effectively and meet and see who or what they wanted via the specially developed FESPA app. With exhibitors and visitors returning from the likes of Asia and Australia, as well as more UK visitors attending due to an easing of travel fears and fewer clashes with public holidays (last year being the platinum jubilee) FESPA 2023 felt far more populated and a much bigger celebration and chance for businesses to network. The increase in business diversity is welcomed by FESPA which in a conference at the event detailed its commitment to more shows and focuses on different parts of the visual communications market. Duncan MacOwan, head of marketing and events at FESPA, said the future of personalisation was exciting to many businesses in the industry, especially many big web-to-print businesses like Vistaprint and Moonpig. Speaking about future events, FESPA chief executive officer Neil Felton stated that FESPA Middle East will open up new doors in that part of the world especially as the exhibition will hold its own version of WrapFest. The inaugural event in Silverstone, UK was considered a success for the global federation as it was a way of engaging with a different part of the market. FESPA confirmed its next European event will take place between March 19th and 22nd, 2024, in Amsterdam, where Sportswear Pro 2024 will also be hosted after being delayed for several years due to the pandemic. We’re constantly innovating and trying to reinvent ourselves because that’s exactly what our customers have to do to stay relevant EVENT SPOTLIGHT / FESPA GLOBAL PRINT EXPO 2023
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