Monthly Archives: October 2019

At the upcoming Printing United tradeshow in Dallas, Onyx Graphics, inc.  will be providing a first glimpse of the next version release of ONYX Hub, the company's business intelligence tool for wide-format print.  ONYX Hub was first released in 2017 as the first-to-market solution to bring business and production together with entire site visibility and an intuitive dashboard for reporting ink usage, media waste and actual job costs to make better business decisions.   ONYX Hub 2.0 introduces new secure server encryption and active user management controls to protect sensitive print production date and secure customer information.

“Modern print shops need easy-to-use tools that can provide them with real-time data to better understand the actual costs of printing,” said Bryan Manwaring, Director of Product Marketing at Onyx Graphics. “Ensuring that data is protected is paramount for business owners to feel at ease with new technologies that are coming into this market.”

ONYX Hub 2.0 also introduces a better way to manage job submission from pre-press to production, saving valuable time to more print jobs per day. Coupled with a newly designed responsive interface that automatically optimizes for any device, ONYX Hub 2.0 helps users easily access site-wide print production data from any network desktop, tablet or mobile web browser.

The announcement of ONYX Hub 2.0 coincides with the inaugural PRINTING United tradeshow, powered by the Specialty Graphic Imaging Association (SGIA) to bring all print under one roof. “PRINTING United embodies the history of the SGIA Expo as a conduit for new and interesting technologies coming to market,” said Ray Weiss, Director of Digital Print Programs at SGIA. “The purpose of PRINTING United is to provide access to the latest innovations and solutions designed to enhance our industry and ONYX Hub 2.0 is exactly that.”

Teaming with industry leaders

Onyx Graphics proudly supports the widest range of industry-leading printers and manufacturers. In addition to the Onyx Graphics booth, ONYX software will be driving printers in numerous partner booths around the show. PRINTING United attendees are encouraged to visit Onyx Graphics at booth 6816 for a complete list of partner booths showcasing the power of ONYX software.

Availability

ONYX Hub 2.0 will be globally available later this year, as an annual subscription through ONYX Advantage Gold, the upper tier of the company’s software maintenance contract that also provides access to product updates and device drivers free of charge. As part of the company’s 30th anniversary, Onyx Graphics is promoting a special offer for all booth visitors. Customers should visit www.onyxgfx.com for more information.

About Onyx Graphics, Inc.

Leading the industry since 1989, Onyx Graphics is dedicated to helping customers increase productivity, reduce costs, and gain a competitive edge with superior print and colour quality. Its passion for delivering superb colour led to the development of ONYX Colour, Onyx Graphics’ colour engine optimised specifically for large format inkjet printing. Innovative, productive, and satisfied customers around the globe help motivate the company to continually develop and enhance its leading-edge technologies. Global channel partnerships and longstanding relationships with printer manufacturers position Onyx Graphics as a market leader in powerful, reliable, large format printing workflow software. For more information, visit www.onyxgfx.com.

Integrated workflows with print and cut solutions are enabling businesses to shorten lead times and offer a wider range of applications than ever before. Therefore, Summa is proud to announce that HP has validated Summa’s F Series flatbed cutters for the HP Latex R Printer Series. The printers and cutters complement each other perfectly, bringing customer workflows to the next level.

While obtaining stunning colours on rigid, or even flexible materials with the HP Latex R Printer Series, the finishing with Summa’s F Series precision cutters delivers the same level of quality. This enables businesses to combine the choice of material, design, colour results and cutting quality into excellent end products. HP states that the aim of the HP and Summa Partnership is to enhance the value proposition and competitive advantage of HP Latex and Summa with solutions for the E2E printing environment beyond the printer.

Summa’s Executive Director, Wim Maes: “This year, Summa accomplished its goal to improve the synergy with the large format digital printer market, by launching two large-format flatbeds matching the 3.2 m (10’ 5”) working width of printers perfectly. In combination with Summa’s GoProduce software, the F Series ensures the highest versatility to process all kinds of material and offer numerous high-end solutions to the sign making, textile, and digital print industries. Even more so, with the HP Partnership and validation for the F Series with the HP Latex R Printer Series, this pursuit of excellent synergy between printers and cutters has reached new heights.”

Meet short deadlines

Both the printer and the cutter are made to deliver the highest quality with optimum lead times. But in order to make a significant difference in the time needed to process the order, it is indispensable for both operations to be perfectly coordinated. This is exactly why collaborations, such as this print and cut solution, are so powerful to optimise workflows, save valuable time and deliver products that meet the needs of the customer in time.

Workflow versatility to the next level

A well-integrated workflow helps businesses to offer a wider range of applications. Since the materials printed on the HP Latex R Printer Series can be processed flawlessly on the Summa F Series, no application will be too bold a challenge to create. Always with the highest quality level in mind.

Find practical similarities such as the dimensions of rigid and flexible materials that fit on the flatbed cutters, as well as the types of material that the flatbed system can easily handle. This is possible thanks to high-quality modules that can house multiple tools to efficiently apply multiple cutting techniques in one single job. For example, paper-thin, thick materials, rigid and flexible materials have no secrets for Summa's flatbed cutters. With which, in turn, all kinds of applications are made such as stickers, posters, beach flags and advertising displays.

About Summa

Every day, for more than 3 decades, Summa delivers the world's highest-quality vinyl and contour cutters, finishing flatbeds and laser cutters without compromise. Summa provides cutting edge solutions for the printing, signage, display, apparel and packaging industries. Summa's global headquarters is located in Gistel, Belgium.

While many marketers use window decals for their winter promotions, floor graphic films are often not incorporated into campaigns. However, the floor is one of the best areas to place advertising in stores - after all, everybody tends to glance to the floor when trying to make their way through the frenzied Christmas shopping crowd.

Tips for working with floor graphic films

Selecting the right adhesive strength

For difficult surfaces such as asphalt, concrete, wood, carpet or paving stones, a high-tack solution is best because it ensures optimum adhesion. A high-tack film is also the better choice when working with surfaces that have wide joints. For "normal" floors, floor films or floor graphics compounds with standard adhesives are good options. The easiest way for a perfect application is to select films that guarantee a bubble-free application.

Slip Resistance

In public areas, a certified clip resistance is absolutely necessary. When choosing a material, it is paramount that the film's slip resistance properties have been properly tested by a lab an official certificate has been issued. In order to achieve the specified slip resistance, some floor graphic films must additionally be laminated with a protective film after printing. However, you can save yourself the cost and time if you choose films that remain non-slip certified after printing - even without a protective laminate

Fire Protection Certification

In addition to ant-slip properties, films used for floor advertising must also have fire protection certification (e.g. European standard EN 13501-1).

Durability

When choosing floor graphic films you should check whether they are suitable for short or long term promotions. For long-term applications, films with protective laminates are more suitable as they protect the inks from abrasion. Directly printable non-slip films are a good solution from a time frame of several weeks.