tabloid format - Digital Output Magazine

MEDIA KIT 

2008 

dedicated to wide format >capture >creation >output >finishing 

tabloid format 

for maximum impact

editorial coverage 

Mission 

To provide a practical guide to 

success for all who work in the 

graphic arts. Our editorial exclusively 

targets managers and users of digital 

printing and publishing tools including 

capture, creation, output, and 

finishing. Through product reviews, 

application stories, and columns from 

industry leaders, we show you how 

to grow your business. 

>Capture 

High-End Digital Cameras, 

Digital Media & Storage, Desktop 

Scanners, Wide Format Scanners, 

Stock Images, Medium Format 

Cameras and Backs, Digital Studios 

>Creation 

RIPs, Proofing, Prepress, Software, 

Color Management, Color 

Calibration, PDF, JDF Workflows, 

DAM Software, Preflighting, Design 

Tools, Monitors, Workstations, 

Remote Proofing, Soft Proofing 

>Output 

Large Format Printing, Media, Digital 

Printers, High-Speed Copiers, 

Multifunction Devices, Digital Color 

Proofers, Graphic Display Systems, 

Tradeshow Graphics, UV Flatbed 

Printers, Building Wraps, 

Environmentally-Safe Inks & Media, 

Traditional Signage, Vehicle Wraps 

>Finishing 

Lamination, POP Displays, Sales & 

Marketing Techniques, Backlit 

Media, Lenticular Designs, 

Cutting Systems 

Digital Output covers the range of digital products and services in 

four broad areas of capture, creation, output, and finishing. Our 

editorial focuses on each of these areas to give our subscribers the 

most up-to-date information on every aspect of these technologies 

that affect their business. 

Digital Output provides in-depth articles written by the industry’s 

leading journalists. In each issue you will find: 

Special Sections and 

Features 

Every issue of Digital Output contains 

articles on specific segments of the industry, 

from Grand Format Building Wraps, to Fine 

Art Reproductions, to The Wide Format 

Market and Media Trends. Subscribers will 

learn what is occurring in the industry and 

how to get involved. 

Departments 

Best Practices 

Provides industry analysis and marketing 

advice. Subscribers learn how to reach 

customers with a strong presentation of 

capabilities through integration, direct-mail, 

face-to-face conversation, and a successful 

Web site. 

Application Spotlight 

Profiles individual companies that are 

producing innovative applications. Readers 

learn about the company history as well as 

details on specific projects. 

Outlook 

Offers state-of-the-industry reports in 

regards to technology growth and industry 

evolution. Also offers advice on how to 

keep up with this ever-changing market and 

improve your ROI. 

Media Watch 

Offers perspectives on large format 

substrates, from laminates to roll media, 

directly from an industry professional, 

product manager, designer, sign maker, or 

commercial printer. With this department, 

we show what subscribers need to know 

about the topic to help create the best 

possible output, while keeping costs down. 

Product Reviews 

In-depth reviews of new industry products. 

From ground-breaking hardware to new 

versions of software, we’ll break down 

everything the consumer needs to know. 

We provide comprehensive 

coverage on every segment of 

the industry. We’ll show you: 

WHO is making news; 

WHAT they’re doing; 

WHEN it impacts you; 

WHERE it’s happening; 

WHY it matters; and 

HOW you can profit from it. 

Marketplace 

Hear from manufacturers about their latest 

and best-selling products, as well as 

innovative applications, and company news. 

Digital Output gives our readers 

the industry information 

they need to succeed.

application spotlight 

Cisco Digital Signage 

solution portrayed in a retail 

setting 

Digital Output March 2007 


Dynamic signs are also sprouting up 

alongside the nation’s highways, beckoning 

commuters to stop and visit 

he demand for digital signage appears 

to be on the rise, and innovative sign nearby retail, amusement, or historic 

shops are seeing it as a way to grow attractions. They can be found lining 

sales and respond to customers’ evolving 

marketing needs. 

lobbies, and at your local supermarket 

the halls of airport terminals, in hotel 

check-out. Go to any sporting event, 

Digital signage has been around for and you’ll see digital signs all around 

years, but recently, advances in viewing you, jockeying for your attention. Even Adam Weisberg, president & CEO, DSG 

systems have made it a practical, fast food restaurants have digital signage 

these days—showcasing menus, 

Signs 

sharp, and effective media alternative 

for sign shop customers who, not long special offers, and promotions. 

“The casino industry has been our primary 

focus, but we continue to service 

ago, only budgeted for print. 

While print won’t likely lose out to its clients in a broad range of industries— 

digital counterpart in the immediate from retail stores to sporting events, 

future, many sign shops are finding including golf,” explains Adam 

that their clientele is intrigued by Wiesberg, president & CEO, DSG Signs. 

dynamic signage. Some like the idea of 

being able to include video clips in Back when the company was still a 

their campaigns. Others appreciate the new kid on the sign block, it catered to 

ability to rotate between multiple campaigns 

at a single high-profile installa- 

signage for golf courses and golfing 

a relatively niche market—producing 

tion. Others have found that digital events. Since those early years, its market 

reach has grown substantially into 

signage gives them the opportunity to 

complement their own messages with the gaming arena, and the company is 

non-competitive advertising. 

now one of the world’s leading casino 

signage suppliers. 

Generally speaking, marketing professionals 

see digital signage as an opportunity 

to get more bang for the buck. dispersed across the U.S., though 

DSG Signs’ clients are geographically 

Wiesberg says that they also serve a 

few international customers, as well. 

The company’s roots are planted in 

print; from the start, this was a shop 

that adopted large format digital inkjet 

technologies. Today, it relies on 60- 

inch HP 5000s to produce as many as 

2,000 jobs each year. 

Digital signage can be based on any And digital signage isn’t just for 

number of viewing technologies—CRT Madison Avenue and Times Square But three years ago, DSG Signs experienced 

a new phenomenon. Its clients 

monitors, flat-panel LCDs, plasma anymore. It’s already part of mainstream 

American culture. And innova- 

began to inquire about digital signage— 

screens, or other digital projection 

technology. And they can be controlled 

remotely—across a customer’s learning curve and expanding their showcase dynamic, rather than static, 

tive sign suppliers are attacking the video displays that would allow them to 

internal network or remotely via a offerings to include digital displays as a messaging. It was a natural progression 

secure Web connection. There are also complementary service to print. for clients who wanted to complement 

standalone solutions that have built-in 

print with something exciting, new, and 

video controllers. 

Cashing in on Video 

attention-grabbing. 

DSG Signs of Tualatin, OR has a 

Take notice of your surroundings in an mantra, “We take no work for 

Wiesberg had already been watching as 

average day, and you’ll be amazed at granted.” That attitude is, no doubt, the technologies for video displays 

how popular digital video signage has appreciated by DSG’s loyal clientele, matured. After several years of 

become. Take a stroll through the mall, which turns to the sign specialist for research, he decided to custom design 

and you’ll spot them—front and center everything from banners to backlits, two types of video displays for his core 

in store window displays and nestled from posters to point-of-sale-and most casino clientele—the DSG Digital 

among the rows of kiosks. 

recently, digital video displays. 

Slottopper and DSG Digital Endbank. 

www.digitaloutput.net 


—Rolando Villasenor, art director, 

Modern Image Signworks 

HP Designjet 5500 Colortrac SmartLF Gx 42 


squirt or spray. Others contend that it 

refers more to the idea of one-off digital 

printing. “Giclée was a fancy name 

that the folks behind the IRIS created 

when it began to market its drum 

machines to the fine art market,” quips 

Craig T. Reid of DuPont Color Communication. 

“Really, what we’re talking 

about here is fine art reproduction.” 

Until recently, the fine art segment of the 

print world has been relatively quiet; but 

it’s starting to make some noise. It was 

in the Spring of 2005 when I.T. 

Strategies conducted a survey of wide 

format print suppliers. The result was 

a report published in May 2006 titled 

Wide Format Print-for-Pay Shops: 

Continued Evolution. Out of the 777 

respondents that participated, a mere 

two percent self-classified their businesses 

as fine art printers. 

Cruse Synchron CS285ST 



“Fine art is an interesting specialty,” market fine art reproduction. “At one Dave Revesz, prepress manager of 

suggests Patti Williams, consulting partner, 

I.T. Strategies. “There are shops could sit in a studio, art store, or frame Graphics, says that most of the giclées 

time there was talk about kiosks that Ontario, Canada-based Forest City 

that specialize in just fine art. That’s shop. And the customer could select his company produces are done on an 

very unusual for the wide format the artwork and print it on the spot,” IRIS 3047, but recently, their HP 

graphics print community. Most print he says. But there were inherent problems. 

How could the artist or customer provides a larger size capability and 

Designjet 5500 has come into play. It 

shops offer a lot of different types of 

print—a little of this, a little of that.” know if it’s been color-managed correctly 

How could they know that the than the IRIS. 

offers output almost 80 percent faster 

However, in the same study, virtually reproduction had integrity 

every other category of print company— 

And, as it turns out, aqueous printers 

commercial, display graphics, sign shops, “And not only that,” Reid recalls. may not be the only technology printers 

etc.—report they’re turning out some “There was no silver bullet for managing 

the content’s ownership, the rights 

can rely on for fine art reproduction. 

amount of fine art reproduction, too. 

and royalties.” 

“We’ve made it possible for printers to 

Jim Manelski says that the fine art 

use solvent machines for fine art applications,” 

Bulldog Products’ Manelski 

repro industry is thriving, quite simply, Today, the fine art market predominantly 

involves a one-to-one relationship explains. “Solvent printing has histori- 

because demand is up. He’s the president 

of BullDog Products, a distributor between an artist and a print supplier. cally been thought of as the outdoor, 

of giclée supplies. “BullDog’s sister 

durable printing choice. But historically, 

water-based gives you images 

company, Harvest Productions, for The Right Technologies 

example, currently has more than 40 While IRIS may have been the first with more pop. So we spent three years 

printing presses just printing fine art,” print solution adopted by the fine art developing a canvas that would give 

he marvels. 

community, it now has a lot of competition, 

as manufacturers like Canon, gamut that a water-based ink would 

the look, pop, saturation, and color 

Sizing Up Fine Art 

Epson, Hewlett-Packard, Mimaki, and give—yet it’s done with solvents.” That 

Reid recalls recent history when there Roland DGA now market their printers 

to this sect. 

because the solvent workflow tends to 

has really helped the industry grow, 

were grandiose expectations for massbe 

much more efficient. 

“From a color gamut 

standpoint, Canon just “The end result is that you’re able to do 

leap-frogged the competition 

when it introduced level of productivity at a lower cost, and 

much greater throughput, a much greater 

the latest imagePRO- you don’t have to apply a protective 

GRAF,” Reid opines. The coating after printing,” Manelski adds. 

Canon imagePROGRAF 

iPF9000 is a 12-color pigment 

solution that Reid tal print technologies, a company that’s 

Besides investing in best-of-breed digi- 

says can achieve “virtually interested in tapping the fine art market 

will need to make additional 

all the colors in the 

Pantone library ehicle within wraps a are investments, the as were well. up A 180 digital percent image in 2006 from 

Graphtec America CS500 

Delta-E of two.” marketer’s choice capture for device 2005. is a must. The company also boasts 

establishing brand identity 

cost-effectively. March official 2007spokesperson. 

Digital Output 

NASCAR legend Rusty Wallace as its 

Mobile advertising has 

flowered into a tool of Villasenor attributes the growing popularity 

of vehicle wraps to, “word of 

choice thanks to advancements in software, 

media, and hardware. 

mouth marketing.” He adds, “as people 

see more wraps on the road the 

“Roughly 40 percent of our business is businesses gain interest, especially in 

vehicle wraps—this figure has 

such competitive markets like automotive 

and real estate. Everyone is trying 

increased over the years considerably,” 

notes Rolando Villasenor, art director, to push the envelope and advertise to 

Modern Image Signworks. The CAbased 

company is internationally while driving home.” 

the fullest potential they can, even 

known for a body of work that 

includes logos and graphics for The Wrapping Toolbox 

Fast and The Furious movies. 

A vehicle wrap requires design, printing, 

and installation. It is the marriage 

The Highet Kräcker Design Group in of a number of tools, from design software 

and templates, to specialty sub- 

NC is a full service shop offering 

design, outdoor advertising, Web services, 

and more. They estimate that 60 cutters. 

strates, inks, printing systems, and 

percent of their business is from vehicle 

wraps, and they expect the figure to Christopher Dyson, president, Ads On 

grow. “In 2006, we grew 15 percent in Wheels, Inc., says that, “As vehicle 

vehicle wraps, we expect that 2007 will wrap specialists, we have to remain on 

be a 20 percent jump with the marketing 

we are doing,” notes Trevor design and print all of our wraps in- 

the cutting edge of technology. We 

Kräcker, one of the company’s owners. house.” In addition to the latest in 

vehicle templates, the company uses a 

Headquartered in Dallas, TX, 

number of design programs including 

SkinzWraps is a full-service vehicle Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop and 

wrap company with five locations Alien Skin Software’s Xenofex. 

spanning the U.S. With clients like 

Clear Channel Communications, Pepsi, At Modern Image, “Most of the template 

work is done right from the 

Sony Records, and the U.S. Marine 

Corps, SkinzWraps announced in client’s vehicle,” notes Villasenor. “We 

January that its raw material orders take digital pictures of the vehicle and 


design around that. We see a lot of 

custom work that generic templates 

cannot account for. We also use Art 

Station Templates for stock vehicles or 

as a starting point on a customized car 

that cannot come into our shop.” 

Another source for vehicle templates is 

Pro Vehicle Outlines from Digital Auto 

Library, featuring over 7,300 outline 

templates for vehicles from 1993 

through to 2007. 

Key hardware options for printing vehicle 

wraps include those from EFI’s 

VUTEk, Gerber Scientific Products, 

Hewlett-Packard (HP) Scitex, Mimaki 

USA, Inc., Mutoh America Inc., Roland 

DGA Corporation, and Seiko I Infotech 

Inc. Of the service providers we spoke 

with, Ads On Wheels currently uses 

three solvent printers, the HP Scitex 

TURBOJet, Mimaki JV3 250SPF, and 

Seiko ColorPainter 64S. Modern Image 

uses a SOLJET Pro II SC-540 and a 

SOLJET Pro IIv SC-545EX, both 

print/cutters from Roland, with the 

company’s ECO-SOL MAX ink. 

Substrate Leaders 

Perhaps the most important component 

is the vinyl film used for the vehicle 

wrap. 

March 2007 Digital Output 

best practices 

BY BARBARA A. PELLOW 


flatbed digital printers through its locations in Canada, U.S., Mexico, and Central America. 

Peter Walsh, Nazdar SourceOne’s VP/GM, states, “We’re extremely pleased to be associated 

with TeckWin. The TeckSmart UV1600 series printer offers the perfect combination 

of quality, performance, versatility, and value that our customers have been looking for. 

We look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship with TeckWin.” 

James Pike, TeckWin VP of 

sales/marketing, states, 

“Nazdar SourceOne is 

exactly the type of 

partner that TeckWin 

was seeking to distribute 

the TeckSmart UV 

1600 series printer in 

the North and Central 

American market. The 

SourceOne approach of 

providing total solutions 

of equipment, inks, 

media, software, and 

technical support is in 

total alignment with our 

equipment distribution and customer 

support strategy.” Circle 146 

ith all the emphasis on getting messages ment tells customers and prospects Elkhart, IN-based Markley Enterprise, 

out using multi-channel marketing— what makes you unique and explains Inc. was established in 1961, and currently 

employs 80 people. It designs, 

mass media, online media, direct-mail, the benefits of your products and services 

to your specific target markets. manufactures, and distributes sample 

and 1:1 marketing—many forget to 

focus on how to develop the right 

cases and display products, vacuum 

message. To succeed in our over-communicated 

society, a company must enables you to create an image for quency sealing, portable sales materi- 

Positioning is a powerful tool that forming, screen printing, radio fre- 

create a position in the prospect’s your market. Image is the outward als for exhibitions and sales 

mind. It’s not your organization’s perception 

that matters—it is the 

want your organization to be and the systems, banner stands, and large for- 

representation of being what you presentations, banners, pop-up panel 

prospect’s perception. 

leadership characteristics Circle that 31 your on FREE Product mat Info graphics Card for a variety of markets. 

organization brings to the market. President Tim Markley says, “What 


That’s why it is so important for differentiates us is our service. We 

graphic communications service combine high quality output with our 

providers to transform their passion warehousing and inventory management 

and provide each of our clients 

into a market position. 

with a comprehensive system to distribute 

and manage display inventory. 

The real question graphic communications 

service providers need to be asking 

themselves is how to effectively online ordering, and inventory man- 

We also provide custom reporting, 

position their businesses for differentiation. 

How can you make your busi- 

our customer’s promotional needs.” 

agement for a complete solution to 

ness stand out and effectively reach 

your target market 

Started by Cuban-born Clevelander 

Paul B. Gallo, Cleveland, OH-based 

How Do I Position My Firm 

Vista Color Imaging began in 1929 as 

How do you want the world to think a small B&W darkroom to service the 

of your organization With an 

internal production requirements of 

increased emphasis on value added Gallo Display, a nationally recognized 

services and a solutions approach to custom tradeshow display designer and 

the market, firms are starting to do a producer. Today, the film processing 

better job at articulating market positioning. 

To build a market positioning gone, replaced by current digital pro- 

and optical enlargement darkrooms are 

for your firm, there are four succinct duction technology. With the continuing 

emergence of Vista’s digital 

questions that you must answer. 

capabilities came departmental reorganizations, 

physical changes in the facility, 

and a more relevant identity—Vista 

Color Imaging. It’s focus is on experience 

and innovation to achieve visual 

appeal to deliver a differentiated message. 

The key at Vista is the breadth of 

its capabilities to offer a full complement 

of interpretive communications 

Your market positioning needs to 1. What Makes You Different to clients. They can deliver everything 

define and support the value in such a Why Should They Buy From You from backlit displays to signage and 

way that your customers will pay For what attribute do you want to be fabric backdrops with benchmark 

more for your product than the competition’s, 

or substantially more cuspetencies. 

Include items like what 

known Make a list of your core com- 

color consistency. 

tomers will desire your product over products and services you brought to 2. What Services are Offered 

the competition’s. Market positioning market first; what you offer as the It’s important to choose a market position 

that actually exists in the minds of 

is a difficult and time consuming activity. 

When considering a purchase, makes your offering clearly superior the people in your target segment. If 

only provider to the market, and what 

potential clients will always ask themselves, 

“Why would I buy from this what makes your company unique. egory for your product, then you have 

to any alternative. You are looking for you have to invent an entirely new cat- 

company” Of course, what they are There are plenty of answers to this chosen a position that doesn’t really 

really wondering is, “What’s in it for question, including the biggest, the exist. Markley delivers products that 

me” A good market positioning state- easiest to use, and the best. 

Continued on page 41 


LEXcon, a manufacturer of pressure-sensitive films, 

and Burton Imaging Group, a recognized leader in 

large format digital graphics for advertising, completed 

a campaign for the Mars, Inc. favorite—Snickers Brand 

chocolate bars. The campaign was launched in time for 

the NFL Super Bowl on February 4, 2007. 

Bus shelters, buses, people movers, and taxi tops 

throughout Miami, FL feature Snickers’ most recent 

branding campaign. It’s a play on the recognizable 

Snickers brown, red, and blue-lettered logo, substituting 

the name brand with words describing the chocolate 

bars best features—Peanutopolis, Hungerectomy, 

Nougatocity, Substantialiscious, and Satisfectellent. 

The graphic applications were printed solvent inkjet on 

the HP Turbo Jet by Burton Imaging Group on a combination 

of FLEXcon materials. The bus shelters used 

FLEXmark BILBRD BWV RTS vinyl film. FLEXmark BIL- 

BRD BWV RTS is a 3.5-mil flexible bright white vinyl 

with a high performance, permanent pressure-sensitive 

acrylic adhesive that bonds well to rough textured surfaces. 

The product is used on outdoor advertising applications 

such as bus shelters, building wraps, and wall 

signage. 

The vehicle wraps used FLEXcon’s bus and train wrap 

system—BUSart, a white printable base film, combined 

with BUSart OV5020L, a luster overlaminate. This system, 

approved by CBS Outdoor, offers superior adhesive 

performance, film conformability and aesthetics, and 

protection with a rigorous overlaminate. 

The taxi tops used FLEXcon’s LITEcal 5200, a 6-mil 

translucent backlit vinyl with removable adhesive. This 

product is Clear Channel Taxi Media approved. 

Circle 147 

MARCH 2007 

® 

Output 

14 

Embracing Electronic Signage 

The New Look of Digital Signs 

by Gretchen A. Peck 

T 

Digital signage has been around for years, but recently, advances in viewing systems 

have made it a practical, sharp, and effective media alternative for sign shop customers 

who, not long ago, only budgeted for print. 

VOL. XIII, NO. 3 • $6.95 USA 


grand 

ambition 

B eyond 

Sizing Up 

the Fine Art 

Reproduction 

Market 

by Gretchen A. Peck 

the Giclée Print 

There’s a lot of money to be made by printers tapping the fine art reproduction 

market. But to be successful, you’ve got to do it right, blending best-of-breed 

technologies with a new kind of sell. 

he erm giclée is bounced 

around a lot in the print 

industry. There’s actually 

some debate on what the 

T term means. Many agree that 

it’s a French derivative, meaning to 

36 37 

Latest Wrap Innovations From Media Manufacturers 

by Kim Crowley 

“. . . as people see more wraps on the road the 

businesses gain interest, especially in such 

competitive markets like automotive and 

real estate. Everyone is trying to push the 

envelope and advertise to the fullest 

potential they can, even while driving home.” 

Beyond the Giclée Print 

Digital Signage 

Wide Format Profitability 

Vehicle Wraps 

D E D I C A T E D T O > C A P T U R E > C R E A T I O N > O U T P U T 

F 

> F I N I S H I N G 

Rolling with Vehicle Wraps 

16 17 

V 

Below: Vehicle wraps provided by (L to R) 

Digital EFX, Ads on Wheels, Modern 

Image Signworks, Hexis USA, and Highet 

Kräcker Design Group 

Creation 

W 

marketplace industry products & news 

What is the Value in Your Market Image 

Nazdar SourceOne to Distribute 

TeckWin TeckSmart 

azdar SourceOne announces an agreement with Shanghai TeckWin Development 

NCompany to distribute the TeckWin TeckSmart UV1600 series of hybrid roll-to-roll and 

The Power of Position 

Your market positioning needs to define and support the value in such a way that 

your customers will pay more for your product than the competition’s, or substantially 

more customers will desire your product over the competition’s. 

FLEXcon and Burton 

Imaging Group’s 

Advertising Campaign 

6 www.digitaloutput.net 

42

the market 

Companies Served: 

Advertising Agencies 

Commercial Printers 

Digital Printing Specialists 

Graphic Design Studios 

Image Services 

In-Plant Printing Departments 

Manufacturers 

Marketing Services 

Photographers 

Photo Labs 

Photo Studios 

Publishers 

Quick Printers 

Reprographic Houses 

Screen Printers 

Service Bureaus 

Sign Shops 

Software Developers 

Specialty Printers 

System Integrators 

The digital market is dynamic. 

Imaging technologies change over time. 

Digital innovation has, and continues 

to revolutionize the graphic arts at an 

unprecedented rate. Innovative graphic 

arts firms have embraced these new 

technologies, brought them into their shops, 

and now have increased profitability, 

expanded offerings, and 

enjoy double-digit growth. 

Enjoying the benefits of 

growth. 

The market is hungry for more. The design 

and graphic arts market, composed of sign 

shops, quick printers, and traditional 

commercial printers read Digital Output as a 

primary resource in their search for 

knowledge. Our application stories, industry 

coverage, and your high-impact 

advertisements in our unique tabloid 

presentation, provide a primary resource 

in their search for opportunity. 

In July 2007, our research showed that the 

billions of dollars that advertisers, 

merchandisers, and print buyers spent on 

wide format materials in 2007 is expected to 

rise even more through 2008. The wide 

format graphics market is becoming 

increasingly competitive as technologies 

such as eco-solvents and UV grow. 

Designers and agencies are stretching the 

limits of their marketing messages by 

employing the latest creative tools such as 

software, intelligent color management, 

RIPs, media, and wide format options. 

The software industry is booming. From 

creation software, to new ink and media 

choices, just about every product has a 

newer, better version that promises to 

deliver on designers’ requests. 

Photographers are using digital technology 

to capture images for large format output. 

At the same time, large format scanners are 

being used by a multitude of organizations. 

Enterprises are preserving records to meet 

regulatory compliance, construction 

companies are copying blueprints, and 

municipal organizations are reproducing 

maps with the use of large format scanners. 

Ink, Media, and Hardware Revenue 

Total Manufacturer Revenue at the 

retail level for hardware, media, and ink was 

$8.9 billion in 2006 and is expected to generate 

$11.9 billion in 2011, a CAGR of 6%. 

Graphics Hardware Revenues will 

grow from $1.7 billion in 2006 to $2.2 billion 

in 2011, a CAGR of 6%. However, as a percent 

of total manufacturers’ revenues, hardware 

revenue will shrink due to growth in 

media percentage as users move to more 

expensive media such as fine art papers, canvas, 

fabrics, and rigid substrates. 

Media Revenues will grow from $3.7 billion 

in 2006 to $5.2 billion in 2011, a CAGR 

of 7%. In terms of market revenues, media 

revenues will increase from 41% in 2006 to 

43% in 2011 driven by the increasing use of 

more expensive media such as vinyl, fabric, 

and canvas, as well as the increasing hardware 

installed base generating more output. 

Ink Revenues will grow from $3.6 billion 

in 2006 to $4.6 billion in 2011, a CAGR of 

5% driven by the increasing installed base of 

printers. As a percent of total manufacturers’ 

revenues, ink revenue will decrease because of 

the shift in the market from more expensive 

aqueous inks to solvent and UV inks. 

Ink, Media, and Hardware Revenue 

$ Billions 

$12B 

$10B 

$8B 

$6B 

$4B 

$2B 

INK 

MEDIA 

HARDWARE 

$8.9B 

40% 

41% 

19% 

CAGR 6% 

CAGR 5% 

CAGR 7% 

CAGR 6% 

$11.9B 

38% 

43% 

18% 

0 

2006 2011 

$3,575,041,591 $4,575,650,740 

$3,689,657,608 $5,197,917,202 

$1,652,627,121 $2,216,957,159 

D E D I C A T E D T O > C A P T U R E > C R E A T I O N > O U T P U T > F I N I S H I N G

y Thomas Franklin 

hen it comes to software, How Suite it Is 

Within the voluminous list of new and 

designers do not live by Adobe has attempted to end-run the enhanced features driving the new 

one product alone. Mixing need for competitive solutions by releases are several design features that 

and matching among competing 

solutions is nearly use into a single package. It’s longmat,” 

states Lonn Lorenz, product 

wrapping everything designers could “work well when working in large for- 

universal. 

awaited Creative Suite 3 (CS3) 

manager, CS3. Specifically, the ability 

launched in April—the largest product 

launch in the software company’s lets designers alter the size of images 

to create Smart Objects in Photoshop 

However, according to a survey by 

market research firm I.T. Strategies, history. Encompassing 13 software without altering the original image file. 

when wide format printer owners were applications in all, designers and This non-destructive editing lets designers 

work with vector data that would 

asked to list the software applications photo imagers can get their hands on 

they used for design, Adobe topped the the latest updates of Illustrator, otherwise have been rasterized in 

list with 193 mentions. The most popular 

Adobe product, by far, is 

more in a variety of packages and lets designers scale down the image to a 

Photoshop, InDesign, Acrobat, and Photoshop. For proofing purposes, it 

Photoshop. 

configurations. 

smaller page size without down-sizing 

the original files. 

Quark is next with 24 respondents The firm’s Design Standard suite is 

indicating they use Quark exclusively geared specifically toward professional Photoshop CS3 builds off of Smart 

while another 32 indicate they use designers and print providers. It incorporates 

Acrobat 8 Professional and CS3 essentially traditional filters that are 

Objects with new Smart Filters— 

Quark in tandem with Adobe’s 

Illustrator and/or Photoshop. Corel follows, 

with 28 Corel-only users and ten 

Illustrator for manner. 

versions of InDesign, Photoshop, and applied to images in a non-destructive 

respondents who use their programs 

$1,199. Upgrade 

alongside Illustrator and Photoshop. 

pricing is also Another benefit for large format 

available, as is the designers, Lorenz says, is larger PDF 

This blending of products has made 

ability to purchase page sizes. From a previous 200 

inter-operability between graphic files 

individual applications 

or all 13 now 200 feet. 

inches, the max page size in a PDF is 

formats important, but has also made 

differentiation more important than 

titles in a Master 

ever. Here’s a look at what the leading 

Collection for The page layout program InDesign 

packages offer. 

$2,499. 

offers the ability to add Photoshop 

10 Digital Output July 2007 


many of its professional portrait customers 

is 30 inches. The Theta 76 variable back-printing, the ability to do 

were looking for faster, pure B&W, 

All professional photo lab organizations offers a 30-inch width and the ability Duratrans, auto-nesting, and the ability 

are not created equal and each has to print panoramic images up to 13 to use various paper sizes,” Waters 

clientele with a wide variety of requirements. 

What they do have in common anything on the market,” states 

feet long. “Its size range is wider than concludes. 

is the need for equipment that is fast, Waters. There are also optional cutters Photographic Teamwork 

reliable, and performs multiple tasks. for the back-end. 

Xerox is known for its quality printers—but 

not necessarily within the 

Here, we profile some of the most innovative 

lab equipment available in With the Theta 76, professional portrait 

labs can set up digital workflows and credibility in the marketplace, the 

imaging industry. To gain a foothold 

today’s competitive marketplace. 

based on the largest size print in the company teamed up with color 

A Series of Sizes 

package ordered. “Before the Theta experts, Fujifilm USA. The two companies 

joined forces to provide profes- 

Durst Image Technology U.S., LLC 76, labs printed images up to 20 inches 

offers the Theta 76 series of printers on one machine and switched to sional and commercial labs with a 

which includes a basic model, highspeed 

model, B&W model, and roll- 

bigger. This caused an inconsistency in DocuColor 240/250—that capitalizes 

another machine for 30x40-inch and complete printing solution—the Xerox 

to-roll model. Additionally, the Theta the look of the prints because the colors 

were different,” Waters notes. photo products such as books, calen- 

on the growing market for specialty 

51 high-speed, 20-inch laser machine 

is designed for large online and pro “Now, if a lab has 30x20- or 30x40- dars, greeting cards, and posters, 

customers with high-volume needs. It inch prints, they can output them all which use double-sided printing, binding, 

and/or finishing. 

prints approximately 900, 8x10-inch on the Theta 76 and they all look the 

prints per hour while the Theta HS same.” 

pumps out approximately 550. 

Xerox sells its DocuColor 240/250 to 

We’re not likely to see another Theta the graphics business, but when it 

According to A. Ronald Waters, president 

and CEO, Durst Image 

company believes it has given cus- 

Fujifilm for help. According to Tom 

model from Durst anytime soon as the came to photo labs, it turned to 

Technology, the ideal [printer] size for tomers everything they want. “They Curley, director of marketing, Lab 

With the developments that many hardware, print head, ink, and 

media manufacturers are working on now, we believe there is still 

tremendous capacity for growth in the wide format market. 

—InfoTrends, August 2007 

IA Wealth of New Features Drive Wide Format Design 

Intelligent 

IMAGE COURTESY OF MICHA RISS, FLYING MACHINE 

W 

Design 

by Thomas Franklin 

LEFT: Construction site wall mural 

was printed on Arlon’s DPF 4000 

high-end calendered film. RIGHT: 

EMR Graphics produced output for 

the Madame Tussauds Wax 

Museum using Ultraflex Matte 

Printable Wallscapes. 

I 

MEDIA MOGULS 

Large Format Print Media is Changing with the Times 

n the 1930s, DuPont boasted chemistry’s 

life-enhancing benefits with its 

“better living through chemistry” slogan. 

The company later dropped the 

overtly chemical pitch, referring instead 

to science, but the truth still holds in life 

as in digital printing. Chemistry continues 

to evolve, and with it, the capabilities 

of large format print media. 

But it’s more than chemistry, of course. 

Market forces are changing the media 

landscape as well, resulting in a 

broader selection of products from 

new and established suppliers, offering 

a range of price points and capabilities. 

Finding the right media for 

your application and business needs 

has never been more challenging. 

Media Map 

There are dozens of varieties of print 

media for an expanding list of digital 

printing applications. Media manufacturers 

say the race is on to find 

even more exotic materials to push 

digital printing into new markets and 

novel applications, particularly for 

solvent printers. Indeed, some of the 

more significant changes in the market 

have occurred in relation to 

media for solvent printers. 

“Solvent has been the driving force for 

us,” says Eric Tischer, director of sales, 

Neschen Americas. As more companies 

embrace solvent printers, media 

vendors have raced to expand their 

selection of compatible media. 

“Hardware drives our business,” 

observes Dan Halkyard, director of 

marketing, Océ North America. 

For aqueous inkjets, building a portfolio 

of fine art papers for new Canon, 

Epson, and HP printers and inks has 

been a priority, says Kevin Shimamoto, 

worldwide marketing manager, Kodak. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed as 

much change in product assortment as 

in 2006, and that goes for any photo 

or imaging business I’ve been a part of 

in the past 30 years,” states Philip 

Hursh, president, Sihl USA. 

Part of what’s driving the change, vendors 

say, is an attempt to provide solvent 

printers with the range of media 

currently available for aqueous 

machines. 

Much of the vinyl banner market has 

become commoditized, says Ed 

McCarron, director of marketing, 

InteliCoat Technologies. “People are 

struggling to get margins there, so 

they’re looking for new applications for 

their solvent printers.” McCarron notes 

that duplicating aqueous’ success with 

fine art on canvas and POP on backlit 

films in solvent media is a focus for the 

company. “It will let the printer produce 

lower volumes, but higher margins.” 

Solvent printing is more involved than 

its aqueous counterpart which puts the 

onus on suppliers offering newer mate- 

Total manufacturer revenue at the retail level 

for hardware, media, and ink was $8.9 

billion in 2006 and is expected to 

generate $11.9 billion in 2011, 

a CAGR of 6%. 

rials to support their introductions 

with color profiles and technical support, 

McCarron adds. 

“I have the chance to visit a lot of print 

service providers. The profitable ones 

are those that have expanded their 

business beyond, for lack of a better 

word, commodity applications,” Hursh 

says. “They add to their bottom line by 

producing higher-value applications as 

an add-on to the job that crossed their 

order desk as a request for a few simple 

posters or banners.” 

Of course, improving existing applications 

continues to be a focus. Adhesive 

vinyls for vehicle wraps are getting 

tougher and more durable, capable of 

adhering to tougher, grimier surfaces. 

“We’re looking to improve our adhesives; 

we’re adding super aggressive 

adhesives” to let graphics adhere to 

concrete walls, states Gabriel 

Maxwell, director of marketing, Arlon 

Graphic Films. “We’re also improving 

the heat resistance of our films” so 

they can be applied to motorcycles or 

other surfaces that get hot or dirty. 

Maxwell adds that within the growing 

market for vehicle wraps, Arlon is 

developing media for shorter-term 

installations. “It can be applied easily 

and removed quickly,” he says. 

3M has introduced a vinyl adhesive 

film designed to adhere and conform to 

moderately textured surfaces. The new 

film eliminates the need to mount 

painted panels by framing, drilling, or 

taping, according to Tom Black, marketing 

operations manager, 3M 

Graphics Market Center. “The film 

opens up new real estate for promotional 

messages for areas in stadiums, 

arenas, and malls where graphics and 

signage have been difficult to install.” 

“Digital technology initiated a shift to 

short-run, short-term graphics,” Black 

states. “Now, we’re in the midst of 

another shift to make digital a medium 

for longer-term applications.” As the 

shift is underway, marketing claims can 

frequently outpace real-world performance, 

Black cautions. 

“We think a lot of the claims being 

made today [regarding longevity] are 

26 Digital Output April 2007 



April 2007 Digital Output 27 

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ZAHLER PHOTOGRAPHY 

by Lorraine A. DarConte 

A 

Professional Photo Lab 

Equipment—Faster, More 

Capable, and Less 

Expensive 

20 Digital Output July 2007 


Source: I.T. Strategies 2007 Wide Format Inkjet 

Graphics Forecast 

Total Revenue Forecast 

Comparison by Print Segment 

The professional aqueous sector—44- and 60- 

inch—continues to be an important revenue 

generator. The low-level solvent sector also 

continues as a significant revenue generator as 

smaller shops buy these printers for both indoor 

and outdoor applications. Note the growth of 

all UV sectors which now include flatbed and 

roll-to-roll products. 

Aqueous printers make up 44% of total market 

revenues and this share is expected to drop to 

35% by 2011. UV inkjet printers, both flatbed 

and roll to roll, are expected to increase from 

22% of total market revenues—$903 million—in 

2006 to 22%—$2.7 billion—by 2011, growing at 

a CAGR of 23%. 

$14B 

$12B 

$10B 

$8B 

$6B 

$4B 

$2B 

$ Billions 

Total Revenue Forecast Comparison by Print Segment 

Revenue from Hardware, Media, and Ink 

$0 

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 

UV Flatbed High End >$200,000 

UV Roll to Roll Low End < $200,000 

UV Flatbed High End > $200,000 

UV Flatbed Low End < $200,000 

Chinese Export Sales 

Chinese Internal Sales 

High-End/Aggressive 

Solvent > $50,000 

Low-Level Solvent; 36" Professional Inkjet 

Up to 36" Professional Inkjet 

Source: I.T. Strategies 2007 Wide Format Inkjet Graphics Forecast

circulation 

Job Titles Served: 

Business Management 

Publishing Management 

Production Management 

Communications Management 

Marketing Management 

Designer 

Illustrator 

78% of our readers read over half of 

each issue of Digital Output. 

After reading Digital Output: 

76% of our readers visited a 

manufacturer’s Web site; 

70% saved it for future reference; 

63% gave it to a colleague; 

59% contacted a manufacturer; 

47% ordered a product 

1 

Readership Questionnaires 2005, 2006, & 2007 

Purchasing Influence 

Digital Output magazine and all of its 

integrated elements provide you the most 

cost-effective way to reach a high-volume, 

sophisticated, active buying audience. 

Impact 

Digital Output magazine mails to 25,000 

qualified readers with a pass-along rate 

of 1.85 readers per copy. 1 In addition, we 

have bonus distribution at every major trade 

show serving our industry. This 

gives your advertising in Digital Output 

magazine an actual readership of more than 

46,250 each issue. 1 But that’s not where the 

impact stops. Using our integrated 

marketing package, Digital Output provides 

unique high-impact media. 

2 

Demographics 

Research shows that business owners, professionals, 

and executives with purchasing 

responsibility spend a significant amount of 

time reading trade journals; have several 

objectives in using the trade press; and find 

contacts with business-to-business print 

media interesting, useful, and helpful. 

More than 39% of Digital Output 

readers are owners/partners/officers. 1 

Actions 3 

In addition to devoting much time to 

reading business journals, buyers and specifiers 

refer back to and share stories and 

advertisements that they find particularly 

appealing. 

2 Source: American Business Media “It Pays to Advertise” 

3 InfoTrends Digital Output Subscriber Study October 2006 

Digital Output’s Readers Mean Business 

44% of Digital Output readers plan to purchase or lease a new printer in the next twelve months. 

Faster print speeds, flatbed technology, and new inks drive our readers to their next purchase. 

Purchasing Influence of Readers 

Hardware 

CD ROM Storage ........................................7,883 

Color Copiers ..............................................7,204 

Color Digital Press ......................................4,730 

Color Monitors ............................................9,199 

Digital Cameras ...........................................9,957 

Digital Color Proofers ..................................4,495 

Film Recorders ............................................2,104 

Grand Format Printers (100" and above) .....2,188 

Imagesetters ...............................................2,223 

Large Format Printers .................................8,423 

Network Servers .........................................4,577 

Offset Press ................................................2,210 

Print Servers ...............................................4,649 

Removable Storage ....................................6,222 

Scanner Drum/Flatbed/Slide .......................6,691 

Workstations ...............................................7,972 

Platesetters .................................................1,813 

Software 

Asset Management ....................................4,718 

Color Management ..................................... 8,438 

Illustration ...................................................8,436 

Page Layout ................................................7,685 

RIPs .............................................................7,153 

Stock Photography ......................................5,420 

Web Development ......................................5,300 

Other 

Calibration/Measurement Systems ............6,257 

Consumable Media/Supplies ......................7,029 

Laminators ..................................................5,530 

DSL/T1/Datacom .........................................3,075 

Inkjet Inks ...................................................8,738 

Total Respondents ..............................15,874 

Source: Publisher’s Own Data 

Type of Company 

20.3% 

Digital printing specialist 

20.3% 

Sign shop 

13.4% 

In-plant print/copy department 

10.8% 

Graphic design firm 

5.6% 

Screen printer 

5.2% 

Color photo lab 

3.9% Prepress service bureau/Trade shop 

3.9% Commercial printer 

3.5% Reprographic shop 

2.6% Advertising agency 

2.2% Quick printer 

0.4% Exhibit builder 

0.4% Billboard printer 

7.4% 

Other 

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 

Percentage of Respondents 

3 


he International Sign Association’s 

2007 expo took place April 

11–14 at Mandalay Bay Hotel & 

Convention Center in Las Vegas, 

NV. Marketed as the largest sign show in 

the world, this year was no exception with 

1,800 exhibiting booths introducing equipment, 

inks, media, applications, and new 

market ideas. Here we provide just a few of 

the highlights. 

3M Graphics Market Center featured 

Scotchcal Graphic Film IJ35-20, an 

intermediate film for solvent piezo 

inkjet printing. The 3.2-mil opaque, 

polymeric calendered matte film is 

designed for indoor and outdoor applications 

and has a three-year expected 

durability. Circle 154 

3P InkJet Textiles presented a newly 

created range of polyester fabrics especially 

for high speed printing with sublimation 

inks. The new SubliDirect line 

comprises four different fabrics— 

SubliDirect Voile FR (IQ-IJ 617), 

SubliDirect Flag (IQ-IJ 621), 

SubliDirect Display FR (IQ-IJ 625), 

and SubliDirect Taft FR (IQ-IJ 629), 

whereas the Flag material is also available 

with a flame retardant coating 

(IQ-IJ 619). All textiles marked with 

FR are flame retardant and can be 


used unconsidered in public buildings. 

The product is available in 61-, 98-, 

and 122-inch widths. Circle 155 

Agfa Graphics announced the :Anapurna 

M industrial wide format inkjet printer. 

The 63-inch-wide printer uses state-ofthe-art 

14 picoliter printheads and 

Agfa-made UV-curable :Anapurna ink 

to make photo quality UV technology 

available to graphic screen printing and 

sign making shops at an affordable 

investment cost. :Anapurna M can handle 

both rigid and flexible media. It is 

capable of resolutions up to 1,440 dpi 

and printing speeds up to 161 squarefeet-per-hour. 

Circle 156 

Arlon, Inc. announced DPF 2400 

Printable Reflective Film. This 5-mil 

printable reflective vinyl with permanent 

pressure-sensitive adhesive conforms 

well to both flat and irregular 

surfaces. Designed for both indoor and 

outdoor promotional graphics, it can be 

used when designing a graphic or promotional 

advertisement for daytime 

enhancement, or requiring increased visibility 

at night. It can also be applied to 

motor and railway coaches, and fleet 

and vehicle markings. DPF 2400 is 

available in 48.5-inch by 25- and 50- 

yard rolls, and has a seven-year outdoor 

durability for flat surfaces, and five-year 

for irregular surfaces. Circle 157 

Avery Graphics featured its new Easy 

Apply RST technology. RS vinyl slides 

smoothly for exact positioning, is easily 

repositionable, looks like glossy 

paint, and provides year-round performance. 

Installers drape the vinyl and 

slide it into place. Air bubbles and 

wrinkles aren’t a problem. Air egress 

channels allow air to escape so bubbles 

and wrinkles can be wiped away without 

compromising the vinyl’s ability to 

mold and stick to compound curves, 

rivets, and corrugations. Easy Apply 

RS is extremely durable, up to five 

years applied and protected, and Avery 

guarantees removability for the life of 

the graphic. Circle 158 

Daige demonstrated how the 

Quikmount 4 cold laminator will meet 

all your needs for laminating, mounting, 

and applying transfer tape, while 

costing a lot less than comparable laminators. 

It has all the features needed 

to make laminating fast, easy, and 

trouble free. Features include a heavy 

duty motor, automatic take up reel, silicone 

covered rollers, and more. 

Quikmount 4 is made in the U.S. with 

all steel and aluminum construction. 

Available in 25-, 38-, 55-, and 65-inch 

widths. Circle 159 

Drytac Corp. displayed the JM 63 model 

JetMounter heated roller laminator. The 

unit is capable of mounting, laminating, 

and encapsulating, in addition to other 

finishing processes. The 63-inch-wide 

unit will process at speeds up to 20 feetper-minute. 

Circle 160 

DuPont Imaging Technologies showed its 

full line of digital printing systems to 

produce color any way you want it. 

Featuring several new technologies for 

the first time in North America are the 

new DuPont Artistri 3320 direct-to-textile 

fabrics digital printing system and 

several new upgrades to the DuPont 

Cromaprint UV family of wide format 

UV cure inkjet systems. Circle 161 

EFI, Inc. featured the VUTEk QS Series 

Superwide Printers—the QS2000 and 

QS3200. The first to incorporate EFI’s 

new High-Definition Print (HDP) technology, 

they deliver high print speeds 

with 1,080 dpi resolution, proprietary 

image smoothing, 6-color imaging with 

a seventh white ink channel, and crisp 

4-point text. Also on display was the 

VUTEk 3360 Superwide Format Printer, 

available in new lower cost, entry level 

May 2007 Digital Output 

by Mike Antoniak and Digital Output Staff 

ABI Digital Imaging, a digital print 

company based in Conroe, TX, 

specializes in creating large format 

billboards. 


Improved quality, faster print speeds, 

more choices in media, and lower system 

costs have all combined to make 

large format output a practical option. 

For digital press owners, sign production 

has emerged as a lucrative service 

opportunity. Respondents to the 

Specialty Graphic Imaging Association 

(SGIA) 2005 Wide Format Survey 

report that their top service specialties 

were outdoor signage, indoor signage, 

and POP displays—12.2, 11.5, and 

18.9 percent, respectively. 

But for many sign printers, especially 

those who have only recently migrated 

to digital systems, color management 

and proofing may entail responsibilities 

and issues they’ve never faced 

before. “In the past, color was a secondary 

issue for many sign producers,” 

notes Marc Levine, product manager 

for pre-media solutions at X-Rite, same challenge. “As corporate identity 

ucts, Enovation Graphics, sees the 

Inc. “They were happy as long as the colors are commonly produced with a 

work they produced could sit outdoors number of printing methods, it is 

and not fade.” 

increasingly important to make sure 

these tie together and match.” 

As they get more involved with digital 

work, though, they are handling files “Design agencies are being required to 

with multiple lives, and customers take more responsibility for corporate 

expect the finished product to always identity and raising their quality expectations 

from their manufacturers—like 

look the same. “What people are 

looking for is color consistency, and sign shops,” Neumann continues. 

to match the color they provide. Sign 

makers are starting to get more savvy “People are starting to step back and 

about the process and what they need recognize all the details involved,” 

to guarantee consistent color.” 

adds Levine. “They are embracing 

color management systems with accurate 

color profiling to gain control 

Eric Neumann, product marketing 

manager for color and proofing prod- 

over the process. And, they are giving 

February 2007 Digital Output 

65% of our readers contacted an advertiser in 

Digital Output for additional product information. 

—Readership Questionnaire 2007 

Sign 

THE 

OFF 

PRINTERS EMBRACE 

A RANGE OF PROOFING 

SOLUTIONS 

21 

T 

IN THE AISLES 

2007 International Sign Expo 

Wrap-up 

5 

It’s a dirty world out there and according to climate scientists, an increasingly hot one too. Sending digital graphics 

into this world unprotected leaves them at the mercy of the elements and your business at the mercy of customer let 

down should unsightly harm befall them. 

by Thomas Franklin 

Lamination has long been the method of 

choice to secure graphics against the 

slings and arrows of nature’s misfortune. 

While flatbed printers and more 

durable substrates are gaining in popularity, 

many businesses continue to laminate 

to add protection and a finish that 

simply cannot be duplicated. 

“Many print providers buy 

flatbeds and durable media 

with the assumption that they won’t 

have to laminate,” says Michael 

Hannon, president, Graphic 

Laminating, Inc. “But lamination is a 

very different and unique animal from 

simple durable media.” 

“While UV inks may last longer, they 

still can’t offer the kind of protection 

that lamination affords,” states Ike 

Harris, president, Daige, Inc. 

The general adhesive business has taken 

some hits from the rise of flatbed printing, 

says Jerry Hill, VP of sales, Drytac. 

“Lower end solvent printers are pushed 

on the notion that you don’t need to 

mount or laminate that output, but we 

continue to see people laminating.” Hill 

chalks it up to the benefits of physical 

protection, particularly in high use 

areas and especially vehicle wraps—a 

business enjoying strong growth. 

Many print providers will laminate 

output to prevent damage in the handling 

process, especially when presentation 

is critical, Hill continues. 

Graphics can be finished to prevent 

even small dents, chips, or smudging 

that may not be immediately obvious 

to the eye but will rear their head 

when the light hits a print at a certain 

angle, Hill adds. 

“We’ve seen [durable media] delay 

the laminator buying process, but not 

stop it,” Hannon says. “People experiment 

before realizing they still need 

to laminate.” 

Many end-users coat graphics coming 

off of flatbeds to prevent UV inks 

from chipping, states Cindy Pilch, 

senior product manager, GBC. 

“Printer makers have made strides in 

durability,” acknowledges Angie 

Mohni, director of marketing, 

Neschen Americas. But printers use 

laminators to add texture and graffiti 

resistance, she notes. 

The same is true with fine art, where 

vendors are improving the longevity of 

inks and media. “You can’t get long 

term conservation for fine art without a 

UV absorptive coating,” says Terrence 

Crowley, founder, Optima International. 

Aside from protection against the elements, 

laminates provide a variety of 

textures and finishes to augment the 

appeal of a graphic. They can provide 

“canvas-like textures” for prints on 

non-canvas media. “It’s easier to laminate 

a print with that finish than 

print directly to canvas,” Pilch adds. 

“We see an increase in artistic applications—using 

laminates to diffuse 

light,” says David Cowart, sales director, 

Remington Lamination. 

Some businesses will go the extra mile 

and brand a certain finish to give laminated 

output added cachet, Hill says. 

“When you look at a laminated graphic 

versus an unlaminated one, people just 

prefer the finished work,” says Brian 

Franks, Advanced Greig Laminators 

(AGL). 

Of course, people may like the look, 

but it’s the allure of a better bottom 

line that drives decisions. According to 

Al Boese, president, Post Print 

Manufacturers Association (PPMA), 

laminated output commands higher 

margins for printers versus simply selling 

an uncoated product. 

“The general rule of thumb is to more 

than double the price of a print when 

appropriately finished,” Boese says. 

PPMA sponsored a study of 109 wide 

format print providers—conducted by 

Web Consulting, Inc.—to gage the bottom-line 

impact of finishin. According 

to the research firm, 36 percent of those 

surveyed described mounting and laminating 

as “highly profitable” followed 

by 45 percent who characterized it as 

“marginally profitable.” 

According to Boese, about 32 percent 

of all coated inkjet media gets a clear 

laminate, while a little over 30 percent 

gets mounted to a rigid substrate using 

a film-type adhesive. “The mark-up 

for a single-sided laminating and/or 

mounting job can be as much as five 

times the actual cost per square 

foot.” 

Boese estimates that at least 35 percent 

of print providers are not finishing or 

under-valuing their print finishing. 

“Many people approach laminating as 

a necessity, not a profit center,” says 

Hannon. 

“The traditional photo markets and ad 

agencies understand the benefits of laminating,” 

Mohni says, but many new 

comers, such as sign shops adding digital 

to their cut vinyl business, often don’t. 

“It can broaden the scope of the products 

they offer—from tradeshow displays 

to window and floor graphics.” 

Drytac JM53 AGL Compadre GBC 2064WF 

Print sellers who laminate can use the 

higher cost to sidestep nasty price wars, 

Pilch states. She adds that customers 

who steer their business clear of bargain 

basement buyers tend to weather economic 

downturns better. “People shopping 

on price tend to be bad customers, 

they’re late with their payments and they 

don’t value” what you do, she says. 

Laminating also imparts an intangible 

benefit for some print buyers, Pilch 

asserts. “It helps give a graphic an air 

of quality.” 

Equip Yourself 

Much as overseas suppliers have pushed 

down brand-name media costs, laminator 

manufacturers are responding to a 

competitive market by introducing lower 

18 Digital Output June 2007 



June 2007 Digital Output 19 

Company Size 

Mean = 51.3 Employees 

Annual Revenue 

Percentage of Respondents 

Plan to Purchase or 

Lease Large Format 

Printer in Next Year 

100 to 249 

7.9% 

250 or more 

7.9% 

35% 

30% 

25% 

Mean = $5,200,000 

Mean Amount of Time = 11.5 Months 

3 Years 

1.3% 

50 to 99 

8.4% 

20 to 49 

17.6% 

10 to 19 

8.8% 

1 to 5 

37.9% 

6 to 10 

11.5% 

40% 38.4% 

16.1% 

20% 

15% 

10% 

5% 

0% 

Under 

$500K 

$500K 

$999K 

11.6% 

$1.0M 

$1.9M 

6.7% 

$2.0M 

$2.9M 

8.9% 

$3.0M 

$4.9M 

Annual Revenue 

5.8% 5.8% 

3.6% 3.1% 

$5.0M $10.0M $20.0M $50M 

$9.9M $19.9M $49.9M more 

Within 

6 months 

16.0% 

2 Years 

13.9% No 

6 Months 

to 1 year 

28.5% 

Immediate 

Plans 

40.3% 

Source: InfoTrends Digital Output Subscriber Study October 2006

VOL. XIII, NO. 4 • $6.95 USA 

APRIL 2007 

D E D I C A T E D T O > C A P T U R E > C R E A T I O N > O U T P U T > F I N I S H I N G 

® 


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Special Section 

technology and are optimizing the digital will continue to spur popularity in every technologies in environmentally friendly 

Steve Urmano print process to complement/accentuate advertising segment. 

textiles and coatings. Another interesting 

growth area is the sign and screen 

their core business. 

marketing 

We see the need for new liquid coatings shops that are adding digital capabilities 

manager 

UV digital inks are the hot topic. Many to satisfy the expanding UV coater which, in turn, provide more opportunity 

for inkjet printer, laminates, film, 

Mimaki USA printers are investing in this technology. industry. The focus on green products 

The primary hindrance for UV digital has increased the demand for improved and liquid coating manufacturers. 

azdar has seen a significant growth 

Nin wide format digital printing 

equipment when compared to grand for- 

ink has been the flexibility issue for soft 

substrates. Some UV ink manufacturers 

have anticipated this issue and are producing 

ink to eliminate this objection. 

run the gamut from low, mid, and high 

end units. The ISA Expo in April showcased 

numerous new midrange large The interest in third party digital inks 

flatbeds. End users have a choice of ink continues to grow. Printers are looking 

types, colors, and media sizes. Flexible for third party ink manufacturers who 

inks are also being offered for use in can meet their needs for aqueous, solvent, 

and UV digital inks. The ink 

applications requiring durability and 

flexibility. This could be useful in floor companies that have an all encompassing 

product range have the inside track 

printing applications requiring greater 

ink tack and scuff resistance. 

on meeting the market needs. Print 

shops need to carefully consider which 

The wide format solvent printer market manufacturer has the best supply 

is maturing and diversifying with more chain, technical support, and product 

players and more choices. This is happening 

at two ends of the spectrum. 

offering to help them grow. 

The first is lower priced units—the The increase of digital printing equipment 

manufacturers and the introduc- 

price points for 54-64-inch solvent 

printers in some cases have fallen below tion of UV technology has driven 

the $20,000 MSRP price point. The down investment cost. Many print 

second is wider, faster, higher end units. shops are purchasing equipment and 

The market for baby grand and grand inks to handle specific applications, 

format printers is fed by banner and such as a flatbed UV digital printer for 

vehicle graphic applications. 

black coroplast applications. 

Wide format dye sub and direct-tofabric 

using aqueous inks and solvents forms are making inroads in the U.S. 

Asian manufactured digital print plat- 

are showing stronger interest and potential. 

The POP, industrial design, and support. The Teckwin UV1600 and 

market with their increase in quality and 

tradeshow segments are all beginning to UV2500 digital flatbed presses are prime 

use printed fabrics for a new look. examples of Asian technology being supported 

by the American supply chain 

Interest in flatbed and roll-to-roll contour 

cutters grows along with the 

and technical service. 

installed base of products. With many 

semi-rigid and rigid sign materials, contour 

cutters and routers are required. 

Angie Mohni 

Mimaki continues to successfully differentiate 

itself as a major supplier of well 

Neschen 

VP of marketing 

engineered cutting edge products. We 

Americas 

address the widest scope of sign graphics, 

industrial and textile printing, and finishing 

applications of all vendors today. 

fabrics, as well as environmentally 

friendly or green products. 

Rich Nickols 

The flatbed UV market continues to 

product manager, expand due to the introduction of 

global digital UV smaller, more affordable printers and 

Nazdar 

coaters. This includes improved liquid 

coatings to support the growing offset 

and litho markets. Other future trends 

include the growth of the graphic textile 

industry. Innovations in fabrics, coatings, 

and printer technologies, paired 

mat presses. The screen, offset, and photographic 

shops embrace digital print with infinite application possibilities, 


August 2007 Digital Output 

marketing services 

In print and online, we offer high impact 

media to fuel your marketing message. 

Our tabloid format 

provides: 

• Maximum visual impact 

with real-world application stories 

using the latest tools and technologies 

in digital imaging 

• Unique high-impact media 

to carry your marketing message 

With Digital Output, we offer an integrated marketing campaign that 

gives you the most value for your advertising dollar. This puts you 

in front of buyers when they need information—allowing you to 

customize your reach and maximize your impact. 

The power of an integrated 

marketing campaign is yours 

when you become an advertiser in Digital 

Output magazine. No other publication in 

our industry offers you more ways to reach 

your customer. 

Reach our audience through high-impact 

mediums. Commit to multiple insertions 

and earn Vendor Partner status. 

Vendor Partners receive integrated marketing 

value-add components at special prices. 

Call your national account representative for 

details today. 

print advertising 

Stand out from the pack with our oversized tabloid format. 

The Magazine 

Maximum Impact Extras 

• Monthly, full color, 

unique print publication 

• Tabloid-sized pages that 

provide powerful visual 

impact 

• Actively responsive, 

qualified readership of 

25,000 with a pass-along 

rate of 1.85 readers per 

copy, reaching 46,250 

monthly 

The State of Ink 

Media Moguls 

ISA Preview 

• BPA-audited 

• Multiple industry awards 

for editorial and design 

• Readership spends an 

average of 30 to 60 

minutes reading the 

magazine 

V-curable flatbed printers are begin- 

to hit their stride targeting the 

Uning 

sign and silkscreen markets. Products 

urrent developments in our indus- 

include the rise in popularity of 

Ctry 

liquid UV coaters, direct-print dye sub 

• Insert product catalogs, 

postcards, product 

marketing materials, 

discounts, offers, and 

samples into Digital 

Output 

• Postal-approved ride-along 

discounted rates for 

polybagged items; 

great for catalogs 

• Enormous impact 

potential with items such 

as sticky notes TM , cover 

stickers, bellybands, etc. 

Mailing List Rental 

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campaign 

• Proven response record; 

competitive pricing 

25 




> Search online at 

www.digitaloutput.net for 

in-depth information on 

these listings 

> Vendors—submit your 

listing online at 


3M Graphics Market Center 

3M Center, Building 220-12E-04 

Y 

St. Paul, MN 55144 USA 

Tel: 800-374-6772, 800-328-3908 Adobe Systems Incorporated 

www.3Mgraphics.com 

345 Park Avenue 

Whether your message is a full vehicle wrap or 

San Jose, CA 95110 USA 

identity signage—including digital signage, or 

Tel: 800-833-6687, 888-724-4508 

a unique lighting solution, the 3M Graphics 

www.adobe.com 

Market Center has a solution for you. 3M promises 

a total graphic solution that provides high ideas and information—anytime, anywhere, and 

Adobe revolutionizes how the world engages with 

impact and message consistency from one application 

to the next. SEE OUR AD ON PAGE 23 approach is focused on helping people and busi- 

through any medium. Adobe’s platform-driven 

nesses communicate better by providing complete 

and innovative solutions for consumers, creative 

professionals, and enterprises. 

Y 

3P InkJet Textiles Corp. 

724 Boston Post Road 

Madison, CT 06443 USA 

Tel: 866-374-5839, Fax: 203-245-9009 Advanced Finishing Solutions 

www.3P-inktextiles.com 

10626 York Road, Suite B-rear 

3P InkJet Textiles Corp. provides the best quality 

Cockeysville, MD 21030 USA 

fabrics for any ink and any inkjet printer from 17" 

Tel: 410-628-8899, 443-854-4722 

up to 122". SEE OUR AD ON PAGE 23 

Fax: 410-628-8899 

www.advfinishing.com 

We are a Technically Advanced Post Print Finishing 

Company. We specialize in the Digital, Litho, and 

Screen Print Industries. 

abe terink.com, Inc. 

6635 South Tenaya Way, Suite 100 

Agfa Graphics 

Las Vegas, NV 89113 USA 

100 Challenger Road, MS 100-3F 

Tel: 702-838-9843 

Ridgefield Park, NJ 07660-2199 USA 

Fax: 702-838-9875 

Tel: 800-540-2432 Fax: 201-440-6794 

www.abetterink.com 

www.agfa.com/graphics 

As a national dealer for Mimaki printers and cutters Agfa Graphics offers integrated prepress solutions. 

and ONYX RIP software, we provide sales, installation, 

support, color profiling, and customized trainital 

inkjet market. Our experience has provided the 

We are expanding our offerings in the growing diging 

on color and printer management. We have expertise required for making an assortment of 

trained 300 companies worldwide. We sell premium 

bulk inks and delivery systems for solvent, dye manufacturing partnerships we can provide com- 

high-quality UV- and solvent-based inks. Through 

sublimation, and pigment printing. 

prehensive digital solutions for printing posters, 

banners, signage, and more. 

350 F Feaster Road, Greenville, SC 29615 USA 

Tel: 888-286-8801 Fax: 888-286-8801 

www.allsquare.com 

Founded in 1998, AllSquare Computer Technologies 

provides the newest and most trusted equipment, 

quality consumables, and dependable service to 

clients throughout the U.S. and abroad. We not only 

carry your printing solutions, we discover them for you 

by asking questions. 

Alpina Manufacturing LLC 

3418 N. Knox Avenue, Chicago, IL 60641 USA 

Tel: 800-915-2828 x103 Fax: 800-217-9431 

www.fastchangeframes.com 

Alpina Manufacturing designs and creates fast 

change frames featuring our Flip-Up and Slide-In 

frames in any size and quantity. Our sleek, unique 

frames are an efficient way to display and change 

graphics without removing the frame from the wall. 

Wide variety of frame colors and security options. 

SEE OUR AD ON PAGE 27 

Arlon, Inc. 

2811 S Harbor Boulevard, Santa Ana, CA 92704 USA 

Tel: 800-854-0361 Fax: 714-540-7190 

www.arlon.com/graphics 

Arlon manufactures a full line of digital products, 

from promotional to fleet applications. Featured is 

the DPF6000, a specially designed film for wraps. 

Extremely conformable with a positionable adhesive, 

this product is warranted on channel structures. Also 

available are translucent, engineered, promotional, 

window films and banner materials. SEE OUR AD 

ON PAGE 17 

◆ Find more information on all of these companies online at www.digitaloutput.net 

Artgrafix 

Y 

7A Railroad Avenue Extension, PO Box 204 

Beacon Falls, CT 06403 USA 

Alien Skin Software 

Tel: 800-443-4421 Fax: 203-729-2985 

1111 Haynes Street, Suite 113, Raleigh, NC 27604 USA 

www.artgrafix.com 

Tel: 919-832-4124, 888-921-7546 Fax: 919-832-4065 Products to create, print, and display graphics featuring 

Laminating with the ProSeal system includ- 

www.alienskin.com 

Alien Skin Software offers fantastic Photoshop ing Pouch Boards and Superstick Film Pouches. 

plug-ins for photographers, graphic designers, and Distributor for 3M, Pantone, HP, Dahle, Fletcher 

printers. A favorite among graphic designers, the Terry, Keencut, D&K, and Seal. SEE OUR AD ON 

Eye Candy special effects filters are an industry PAGE 23 

standard. Alien Skin’s latest release, Blow Up, offers 

superior quality image enlargement. 

Artistic Design Systems 

2776 Coopermill Road, Zanesville, OH 43701 USA 

Tel: 800-796-4897, 740-453-1272 Fax: 740-453-8154 

www.artisticdesignsystems.com 

ROLAND VersaCamm, INK & Supplies-Digital Media— 

Vinyl and Speciality films; Heat Transfer materials & 

Heat Presses—Banners, 1 SHOT Paint and brushes; 

Shop Tools and Equipment—Application Tapes— 

Magnetic. APD (ANAgraph) & IOLINE Plotter-Cutters. 

Great service. 

AW Specialty Papers 

1500 Greenleaf Ave., Elk Grove Village, IL 60123 USA 

Tel: 847-981-0386 Fax: 847-981-1353 

www.awpapers.com 

AW Papers—with over 65 years in the paper 

business—has the scope and understanding of the 

market to assist your company in moving forward in 

the explosive wide and grand format Dye Sub market. 

SEE OUR AD ON PAGE 16 

Canon U.S.A., Inc. 

One Canon Plaza, Lake Success, NY 11042 USA 

Tel: 800-OK-CANON Fax: 516-328-5009 

www.usa.canon.com 

Canon U.S.A., Inc. delivers consumer, business-tobusiness, 

and industrial imaging solutions. The 

company is listed as one of Fortune’s Most Admired 

Companies in America and is rated #35 on the 

Busine sW ek list of Top 100 Brands. Its parent 

company Canon Inc. is a top patent holder of technology, 

ranking second overall in the U.S. in 2005, 

with global revenues of $31.8 billion. 

June 2007 Digital Output 

Stephen P. Aranoff is 

founder and principal of 

ARTTEX Associates, a 

marketing and sales consulting 

company. Since 

known clients include Cactus/3M, 

Tucson Visitors Guide, Studio 

magazine, Shutterbug, American 

to Coast, and Photographic Trade 

for Photography, Nassau Country 

of Fine Arts, Washington Country 

Javits Center, and other venues. 

Robert L. FitzPatrick, 

president of FitzPatrick 

Management Inc., is an 

industrial relations consultant, 

writer, speaker, 

facilitator, and trade association advisor. 

His clients include Fuji Photo, 

DuPont, AB Dick, London Litho, 

and Digital Photographer. Franklin 

a major in History and minor in 


Gretchen A. Peck is the 

former editor in chief for 

BookTech the Magazine 

and PrintMedia. She 

owns and operates 















We Can Design, Print & Mail 

postcards • business cards • presentation 

folders • doorhangers • brochures • greeting 

cards • addressing • and mailing services 

Join our 30,000+ satisfied customers nationwide. Reasonable rates. Top quality. 

(800) 957-5787 

www.postcardpress.com 




Barbara A. Pellow has 

extensive experience in 

marketing and sales. Prior 

to directing InfoTrends 

Business Development 

Strategies, and Custom 






July 2007 Digital Output 

June 2007 Digital Output 5 

organizational structure. 

Contributors 

Communications Services, Pellow was 

1986, ARTTEX has provided pragmatic 

the Chief Marketing Officer of Kodak's 

Graphic Communications Group. In the 

business, marketing, and sales strategy 

ing communications, public relations, 

role of Chief Marketing Officer, Pellow 

and implementation consulting to both 

marketing intelligence, and advertising 

strategy. She was an active participant 

large and small client companies. Well 

was responsible for all marketing activities 

for the division, including market- 

in developing business strategy and 

helping define the group’s go-to-market 

Heartland Imaging/VieNet, Ricoh, and 

Scitex. 

Lorraine A. DarConte studied photography 

at C.W. Post College with photographer 

Arthur Leipzig. Her work has 

appeared in numerous publications 

including Newsday, Tucson Weekly, 

Photography & Design, Rangefinder 

Photographer, Budget Traveler, Coast 

News. DarConte’s work also has been 

exhibited at the International Center 

Museum of Fine Arts, Tuscon Museum 

Museum of Fine Arts, VISCOMM Jacob 

Heartland Imaging, and VieNext.com. 

Thomas Franklin is a freelance writer 

living in New Jersey. He has written 

articles for a number of consumer and 

industry publications including Photo 

Trade News, Photographic Processing, 

graduated from Rutgers University with 

Religion and Philosophy, and has spent 

over three years covering the graphic 

arts market. 

P.A.G.E.s, a freelance writing, marketing, 

and editorial consultancy firm. 



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Classified 

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Buyers Guide 

Company Profiles 

Company Profiles 

help wanted 

vehicle templates 

15 

• Price includes a classified 

ad in the magazine and 

Web exposure 

Additional corporate information on featured vendors 

from our product category listing 

DIGITAL OUTPUT BUYERS GUIDE—COMPANIES BY PROFILE 

A l-Square Computer 

Technologies 

35

marketing services 

Integrate your marketing campaign with 

Web advertising. 


receives over 90,000 

page views per month. 

Studies demonstrate that the best strategy for high-impact marketing 

is a coordinated campaign that makes full use of all appropriate 

media, including business-to-business print media, trade shows, 

directories, the Web, newsletters, and direct-mail. 

web advertising 

The Web Site: www.digitaloutput.net 

• Primary resource for the DO community 

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and events 

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site channel sponsorship 

Digital Queue: e-Newsletter 

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