Inkjet - a game changer

Most of the buzz is about inkjet. This technology has taken giant strides making inroads into range of printing segments, including packaging, as was evident at the recent Labelexpo in Brussels. The printhead performance has been boosted; with stellar applications that include corrugated sheets. At Pamex, Macart will launch a range of inkjet printers for the packaging segment and TechNova is expected to make "a major surprise announcement". Well, according to Kodak, hybrid printing by the means of mounting inkjet heads on the conventional web-presses is a trend being adopted by printers. Don't forget to see Monotech’s JetSci at their stall. Plus a lot of traditional digital players offering continuous inkjet

Digital - new frontiers

Advances in digital printing technologies are heralding new revolutions. Close on the heels of 3-D, now one hears of 4-D printing. Prof Rajendrakumar Anayath who presented new technologies for a group of designers and brand owners on day three of the Print fair; showcased some bretahtaking work in this department. One may not see the likes of 4-D or for that matter, 3-D technology at Pamex, we can expect HP, Kodak and Ricoh India to showcase the latest digital offerings unveiled at Drupa last year.

PUR - bind your book better

There have been advancements in pre-press and press environments, but not much was seen in the post-press front. Until Henkel unleashed a magic adhesive on the Indian book printer. This is an improved adhesive binding process in the form of PUR (polyurethane reactive) adhesive. PUR glue offers several clear advantages over traditional perfect binding adhesives-so much so, in fact, that PUR adhesive binding may spell the end of perfect binding. Welbound and Henkel are combining to showcase PUR; Malhotra Graphics will showcase Morgana’s Digibook PUR binder.

Non woven bags - a riposte to plastic

Excessive use of plastic bags has prompted the authorities to promote the use of reusable non-woven fabric shopping bags. It’s a segment that requires less investment and has plenty of export potential. Autoprint will launch the Knight NX printer while Sahil Graphics will have on offer six types of non woven D-cut bags. There are many players in this segment with more than two-three thousands small print firms in two and three-tier centres migratng into the non-woven material segment.

UV finishing - a proper finish

With more and more printers investing in UV finishing machinery, the UV market will only grow. APL Machinery has said it will focus on UV. APL will formalise its partnership with Air Motion Systems, manufacturer of UV LED and ARC UV curing systems. Malhotra Graphics will highlight Autobond’s offline 52 spot UV inkjet machine and Coimbatore-based Autoprint will showcase the market leader: Fine Coat 65 UV coating machine.

Sample making kit - Kongsberg and Aoke

One of the hottest trends in the print market is high-quality printing with converting and package production. And offering benefits and advantages are digital production workflow and sample-making devices/tables. They help produce packaging with fewer stops on road from concept to shelf. Esko will strengthen its position for packaging pre-press machines as well as sample maker. Advanced Graphic Systems (AGS) is bringing in a contender to Kongsberg in the form of Cut CNC with its tie-up with Aoke.

Screen printing - Ace in the pack

Vasai-based Grafica with live demonstration of its Nano screen printing kit and DMI samples are set to repeat the crowd-pulling feats. Screen print has been re-incarnated. We got a taste of this at the Print Fair where the visitors were very impressed with vistas of applications (from fine art posters to automobile parts) that screen print is in a position to offer.

Finance - purchase made easy

Electronica Finance, Intec Capital and Siemens Financial Services will be offering attractive finance schemes. At the moment, Hi-Tech Systems has tied up with Electronica Finance and will be offering finance scheme at 9.29% pa on investment made on its product at the show.

Book finishing

With print shops opting to have the ability to bind in-house, the demand for post-press equipment is on the rise. What it does is: fast, convenient service to customers without having to share margins with the outsourced vendor. Advances in digital finishing are enabling book manufacturers to economically and productively produce short-run titles. Five Star Printing Machinery will highlight its book binding solutions for soft and hard cover books, Joy D-Zign will show the three-knife trimmer for digital printing market, Welbound will display its perfect binding machine, besides the PUR systems, Megabound will highlight its recent developments in casing-in and joint forming machines.

PamexDaily

Do look out for the PamexDaily, produced by PrintWeek India’s editorial team on all the four days of the show, and catch the breaking news stories. Also register on www.printweek.in to receive Pamex Special eBulletins, if you haven’t. The PrintWeek India team will be publishing  two Pamex Special eBulletins – one in the morning and one in the evening. For further information, contact monica@haymarket.co.in