By Digital Output staff
This year’s International Sign Association (ISA) Sign Expo is held April 20 to 23 in Orlando, FL at the Orange County Convention Center, South Building. Targeting custom/traditional sign companies, national sign companies, corporate sign buyers, printers, designers/specifiers, and installers/technical professionals, the sold out show offers a number of ways to learn about industry goings on.
On the exhibit floor, visit the Lounge and Learn section in booth 1295 and relax while getting more information on key topics like sign engineering, content marketing, and ways to profit in vehicle wrapping. At the Dynamic Digital Park, in booth 101, learn how to market digital signage and discover the latest in LED solutions.
Make sure to stay at the show till the very end! Mingle with peers the last hour of every day at Last Hour Happy Hour. Bars are set up throughout the show floor for attendees and exhibitors to enjoy a beer on ISA.
Here we’ve included a brief synopsis on some of the vendors exhibiting this year. Learn about even more companies, be sure to pick up the April issue on the show floor, which also includes a preview of the show.
Adams Magnetic Products, booth 2922, offers MAGbond Magnet Receptive Canvas. It is a magnet receptive sheet that delivers an art-quality print onto a canvas display. That means museum-quality displays can be installed and updated in minutes without the expense of professional installers. MAGBond Canvas can work with any magnetic display system—including the Adams’ MAGBond Magnet Media System. The sheet is available in widths up to 53 inches and is approved for use with HP, Mimaki, and Ricoh printers.
Agfa Graphics, booth 1335, shows new versions, with increased functionality, of the Jeti Tauro and the Jeti Mira UV inkjet printers. The Jeti Mira, a 105.9-inch true flatbed printer featuring a moving gantry, includes a new roll-to-roll option, while the Jeti Tauro, a 2.5-meter wide UV hybrid printer designed to withstand very high workloads, is shown with a new automatic board feeder.
AkzoNobel Sign Finishes, booth 1325, leads the industry with Grip-Gard systems. The Grip-Gard BC and EFx-LV lines utilize the best in pigment color technology for long lasting, beautiful finishes. AkzoNobel Sign Finishes is dedicated to the full-service sign shop offering a complete basecoat, single stage, and translucent coatings solutions.
Arlon, booth 935, debuts its new cast digital wrap film, DPF 6100XLP, which features a new low profile, air egress liner. DPF 6100XLP offers a low initial tack allowing for a speedy installation while ensuring a smooth paint-like finish. It is recommended for full and partial vehicle and fleet wraps providing superior conformability around rivets, curves, contours, and channels.
Avery Dennison Graphics Solutions, booth 284, introduces three new products. Avery Dennison Transparent Colored Overlaminates for Conform Chrome are available in three distinct colors—orange, green, and purple—to combine with the five existing Conform Chrome colors for new creative color possibilities. When these cast overlaminates are paired with Conform Chrome, they offer a multi-layer functionality that protects the chrome film from being scratched or damaged.
AXYZ International, booth 2035, demonstrates the Trident, an innovative hybrid CNC cutting solution. A unique triple-head system consisting of a twin-knife head and a heavy-duty routing spindle allows processing of almost any sheet material from vinyl, leather, gasket, and foam to wood, acrylic, and non-ferrous metals up to six inches thick. Servo motors and helical rack and pinion drive systems guarantee fast and precise cutting while a fully automatic tool changer further optimizes productivity.
Canon Solutions America, booth 2011, features some of its leading large format printing solutions that continue to redefine the industry. Guests can see firsthand the diversity of the Canon and Océ machines, and the equally impressive range of potential money-making applications associated with the products. In particular, visitors can see the recently launched Océ Arizona 1280 GT flatbed printer, along with the Océ ColorWave 700 and 910 printing systems.
Cyrious Software, booth 1714, features new tools for Cyrious Control. Web Payments enables users to let customers securely pay invoices online or from a mobile device. Invoices are emailed directly from Control with a Pay Now link. Then, successful payments are recorded in real-time in Control, removing the need for manual payment entry. Email notifications are automatically sent to key contacts making them aware of newly posted or failed payments.
DreamScape, booth 2815, displays Satara Steel, which combines a new brushed steel embossed surface along with a proprietary silver and pearl coating. The result is a more subdued, yet highly sophisticated and luxurious, metallic sheen. Satara Steel looks and feels like fabric—but it is in fact a fully functional commercial vinyl. This product targets designers, architects, and print providers who cater to hospitality and commercial interior décor, and is compatible with all major inkjet technologies.
E.L. Hatton Sales Co., booth 954, exhibits new Banner Ups TexTape, a double-sided adhesive hemming tape that sticks to textile banner media. Banner printers use TexTape to hem textile banners and flags instantly in house without sewing. It creates a clean crisp edge hem or pole pocket on any textile banner or flag and is super-strong for indoor and outdoor UV durability. No sewing equipment or labor required. Just peel, stick, and fold hem. Available in 3/8- and ¾-inch widths. Distributor opportunities are available.
EFI, booth 2507, premieres the EFI Midmarket Productivity Suite, Superwide Format Edition, a certified, end-to-end workflow for digital print sign and display graphics manufacturers. New printers on display include the EFI Matan Quantum LXr LED roll-to-roll printer, the EFI VUTEk FabriVU 340 printer for fabric soft signage display applications, the EFI VUTEk LX3 Pro hybrid roll/flatbed LED printer, and the EFI H1625-SD hybrid printer for thermoformable graphic production.
Encore Products, booth 1853, launches Brushed Aluminum to the EnCore Design Boards Family. With its dramatic visual appeal, this product’s potential is limitless. Catch the light, enhance the image, and create a stunning metallic look. Encore Brushed Aluminum is an easy and faster to cut, printable surface board available in 3/16-inch thickness.
Esko, booth 923, displays the Kongsberg C, a fully featured superwide 126-inch digital finishing system. A powerful, rigid, carbon-composite traverse technology assures exceptional precision and speed. The Kongsberg C offers a 3kW continuous duty high-performance milling unit. One Kongsberg C fits all production needs—rolls, sheets, corrugated, and milling.
Fisher Textiles, booth 2335, encourages attendees to stand out from the competition with attention-grabbing floor graphics printed on Fisher’s Rebound printable carpet. Rebound features an anti-skid rubber backing and doesn’t hold a form when pressure is applied. Uses include short-term carpet for events, trade show floor graphics, point of purchase displays, bar mats, and floor mats. Compatible with dye-sublimation transfer and UV-curable printers, it is FR and meets 16 CFR Part 1630, required by the Consumer Product Safety Commission for carpet materials.
GoVivid, a Rowmark division, booth 2545, offers a selection of small format UV LED printers that produce easy-to-execute results, as creative as your mind can imagine. The company’s UV LED printers are uncomplicated and easy to use so you can focus on exciting and profitable projects. GoVivid provides everything from fixtures, inks, and print media to all the sign making extras required. INFO# 249
HP, booths 1957 and 1971, showcases its third-generation HP Latex portfolio, featuring the 126-inch HP Latex 3500 Printer, ideal for high-volume industrial production, as well as the HP Latex 300 Printer series, helping more print providers take advantage of the benefits of HP Latex Printing Technology. Redefining technical production as one of the fastest large format monochrome and color printers on the market, the flagship HP PageWide XL 8000 Printer is also demonstrated.
Inkjet Technology Inc., booth 501, unveils the TX 2512 LED Flatbed Printer, which includes the latest energy efficient LED lamp technology for UV curing. It features print speeds of 415 square feet per hour with grayscale variable drop high-resolution Ricoh Gen5 printheads. The company also introduces the TX 3200 DS grand format roll-to-roll direct-to-fabric textile printer. At 3.2 meters, the unit includes an advanced IR heating system for sublimation fixation without the need for an external calendar heat press.
Johnson Plastics, a Rowmark Company, booth 2645, is a leading distributor of engravable and printable plastic sheet materials, sign frames, stand offs, mounting fixtures, and related accessories. It is headquartered in Minneapolis, MN with nine strategically located branch offices and distribution centers throughout the U.S.
Leister Technologies, booth 1461, demonstrates the Seamtek 36 welding machine. Seamtek 36 is a versatile hot air welder with three different welding stations and a tape delivery system. The machine allows users to weld overlaps, hems, and pole pockets at various widths. In addition to the stationary welder, Leister exhibits its economical automatic welders, the Uniplan E and Variant T1.
Master Magnetics, booth 2522, creates beautiful, easily interchangeable graphics with PrintMagnetVinyl and the FlexIRON magnetic graphic system. Print directly on flexible magnetic sheeting with PrintMagnetVinyl. Compatible with large format solvent, eco-solvent, UV, and latex inkjet printers, PrintMagnetVinyl delivers brilliant color and superior visual images to create high-impact point of purchase displays, vehicle graphics, and wayfinding signs. Layered with FlexIRON, a printable, magnetic-receptive material, PrintMagnetVinyl becomes an interchangeable graphic system for a variety of uses.
Miller Weldmaster, booth 1761, believes sign industry professionals deserve the most innovative machines that meet all of their finishing needs. The company offers some of the fastest and easiest seamers for banners, signs, and billboards. Its 112 Extreme has large production capacity for any size job, the T300 Extreme Edge is for all high-speed finishing needs, and the Digitran System is an all-in-one sewing and welding solution designed specifically for silicone edge graphics systems.
MultiCam, Inc., booth 525, hosts the first annual Sign Invitational. Ten of the best signmakers from across the globe come together to showcase their finest work done on MultiCam machines. In addition, MultiCam exhibits its versatile lineup of CNC routers and digital finishing systems designed for signmakers to easily transform ideas into reality.
Mutoh America, booth 959, exhibits the new VJ1938TX, a 75-inch high-production direct-to-textile printer. It provides outstanding performance at a competitive price with a staggered dual printhead design and print speeds up to 914 square feet per hour. Also on display is the VJ1638UH 64-inch UV LED hybrid printer with a staggered printhead design that provides high print speeds and dual UV lamps on both sides of the printheads. A hybrid, it prints on both rigid or roll substrates.
Novus Imaging, booth 2185, announces Ultra, the affordable, innovative, field upgradeable UV LED true flatbed printer. Ultra features advanced UV LED technology for low temperature curing at best-in-class speeds—up to 1,300 square feet per hour. Dynamic variable dot technology produces photorealistic grayscale images and auto masking saves hours of set-up time. Ultra is manufactured in the U.S.
Orbus Exhibit & Display Group, booth 1012, features a new, push-fit tension fabric display, Embrace. It is a sleek, collapsible display delivering style with minimal effort. Channel bars to hold push-fit fabric graphics slide easily onto the lightweight frame, and graphics attach quickly for a seamless display. Embrace is available in 16 sizes from tabletop to ten-foot wide backwalls.
Palram Americas, booth 2510, offers Palsun flat polycarbonate sheets and coil stock, which are UL listed and appear in the SAM manual and available in Sign-Grade White for LED backlit applications or Clear for glass-like transparency; the PALIGHT family of products, foamed PVC substrates ideal for digitally printing, which include Premium, EPS, Woodgrain, and Outdoor providing excellent ink adhesion, smooth surface, and high white point; and PALCLEAR, a transparent PVC sheet that offers water-like clarity and great ink adhesion.
Photo Tex Group Inc., booth 2441, shows a patented self-adhesive line of fabric that comes in three different versions to meet all the obstacles for an easy install with no time limits or special removal instructions. Photo Tex does not shrink, rip, or curl in any climate change and is now Class 1 fire rated. New to the portfolio, the GlassADhere line of micro-suction PP and PET window media. This media also comes in three versions—White, Frost, and Optical Clear for first or second surface installs.
Piedmont Plastics, booth 817, is a distributor of plastic products, including a full line of graphics substrates. It carries an assortment of flexible/rigid media. Piedmont Plastics showcases acrylic, polycarbonate, SupraFLEX banner, AluPOLY ACM, pressure-sensitive media, overlaminates, mounting adhesives, foamboards, expanded PVC, paper and fine art media, PETG, canvas, wallcovering, and synthetic paper.
Roland DGA Corporation, booth 734, debuts the TrueVIS VG series wide format printer/cutters. Other products on display include the VersaUV LEF-300 UV flatbed printer, the SOLJET EJ-640 eco-solvent printer, the Texart XT-640 dye-sublimation printer, and CL!CK Content Creator online design application. Roland also demonstrates popular inkjets from its SOLJET, VersaCAMM, VersaEXPRESS, and VersaStudio families.
SA International (SAi), booth 2527, showcases its new sign and printmaking product. The new Flexi 12 includes a unique Web-based job approval tool that makes customer approvals quicker, and new banner and canvas finishing tools. The new mobile application for Flexi 12 gives business owners insights into production trends while on the go. Visit the booth to see live feature demonstrations and find out about locations for the 2016 FlexiLIVE Training Tour.
Sawgrass, booth 1722, a global leader in dye-sublimation and digital printing solutions, showcases its full portfolio. Show patrons can see the Virtuoso 25-inch eight-color HD product decorating system featuring SubliJet-HD Pro Photo XF inks in action, with live demonstrations taking place each day. This system is a must-see for anyone producing interior signage, fine art, professional photo items, textiles, personalized gifts, or promotional products.
Trotec Laser, booth 177, highlights its sophisticated vision registration software. Integrated with the company’s user-friendly laser workflow software, JobControl Vision cuts printed signs, displays, and point of sale materials to exact specifications. It recognizes distortions—linear, non-linear, or rotations—in the printed design by comparing registration marks on the pre-printed design to the target positions in the original cutting file, and adjusts the cutting path automatically and dynamically.
We hope to see you at the ISA Sign Expo this year. Please come see us in booth 2745 and pick up copies of our April and May issues.
May2016, Digital Output
