Graphic Arts Magazine December 2017 / January 2018 | Page 15

Cover story
Film lines. A new production inkjet website, Inkjet Insight, was
launched providing resources to help shop owners objectively
evaluate the potential of inkjet. The Avanti User Group Confer-
ence in Denver, Colorado was a resounding success. The
education-focused conference featured over 50 sessions.
JUNE
The Gutenberg Gala in Montreal celebrated the best of the
printing industry in Quebec. The 35th annual event attracted
over 350 to honour the talent, creativity and knowledge of the
province’s printing professionals. Thirty-five companies par-
ticipated in making the gala a huge success once again, and
more than 20 companies helped create the amazing printed
pieces that decorated the hall.
The University of Waterloo received $27 million (CAD) in gov-
ernment funding to set up a “world-class” additive manufacturing
laboratory. When fully equipped, its Multi-Scale Additive Manu-
facturing (MSAM) lab will be “one of the ten largest
university-based AM facilities in the world.”
In the realm of “cool”, Durst partnered with Serom to create
Digital Patternware. The pattern printing is done simultaneously
with the main printing on the Durst Tau 330 UV Inkjet Label
Press. The technology controls the height of the printed surface
of the Tau UV inks to provide a variety of textured effects.
Conventional technologies used to create many textured
effects have limitations – such as lack of precision, low pro-
ductivity and high development costs.
Top paper executives from around the world took part in the
PacWest 2017 Conference Managing Resources for Success in
Whistler, BC. The conference came at a key time, as supply
chains strive to respond to consumer concerns regarding
deforestation.
A Norwegian converter designed a blister pack made with
100% paperboard, totally eliminating plastic. Two major bene-
fits are reduced environmental impact and less consumer
“rage” and self-injury. Moltzaus’s ingeniously designed
Cefapac improved the pack’s environmental performance
and its openability, and has already won several awards!
JULY
Bobst and Radex launched Mouvent to focus on print using
pioneering digital technology. Central to this digital innovation
is a highly integrated “cluster” that “represents a quantum
leap for the industry.” Because of its intelligent and compact
design, it will be the centerpiece of “revolutionary new
machines developed by Mouvent for a wide variety of markets
such as textile, labels, corrugated board, flexible packaging,
folding carton and more,” said the companies. The radical
new approach uses a base cluster which is arranged in a
modular, scalable matrix – instead of having different print
bars for different applications and different print widths.
SupremeX (LaSalle, QC) acquired Stuart Packaging (Montreal)
for $17.5 million. In addition, an amount of up to $2.1 million
will be payable in 24 months subject to the realization of
certain pre-established financial targets over that period. Jet
Label & Packaging of (Edmonton, AB) acquired United Label
(Coquitlam, BC). The additional space and production capacity
will allow Jet Label to double in size over the next two years.
Jet Label’s Edmonton facility operates 24/7 across three shifts.
FedEx announced that its Office stores in Canada will begin
closing in August. The move will result in the loss of 214 jobs,
but will not affect FedEx’s shipping business in Canada. The
shipping giant has been operating in Canada for 32 years.
Flash Reproductions
(Toronto) installed
Canada’s first Konica
Minolta AccurioJet
KM-1 Inkjet Press.
The B2+ press can
produce “high qual-
ity, short-run work
that would pass the Konica Minolta AccurioJet KM-1 Inkjet Press.
discerning quality
standards of the design community.” The AccurioJet KM-1
combines the speed and flexibility of offset presses with the
digital benefits of variable-data printing and the elimination
of makereadies. It can print up to 3,000 pages per hour and
includes automatic perfecting and duplexing.
AUGUST
The 35th Annual Gutenberg Gala celebrated Quebec’s best printers.
@graphicarts
HP announced an historic deal with Shutterfly that added a
second phase of HP Indigo 12000 Digital Presses. The
announcement came a year after Shutterfly acquired the first
phase of 25 HP Indigo 12000 Digital Presses, making its
combined order the largest deal in HP Indigo history. Shutter-
fly will use its new fleet to produ