Monthly Archives: September 2021

Keencut is proud to announce that its Evolution3 SmartFold benchtop manual cutter has received a coveted PRINTING United Alliance 2021 Pinnacle Product Award. The Evolution3 won in the category for Lasers/Routers/Cutters (4’x8’ or larger).

The 2021 Pinnacle Product Award winners are a “who’s who” of the industry, and the competition was fierce – tenths of a point separated some entries. The competition is open to all new products of PRINTING United Alliance supplier members. A highly qualified panel of judges from across the printing industry evaluated the annual contest’s 160+ entries in more than 58 categories. “The Pinnacle Product Award competition represents the best of the best among commercial hardware, software, consumables, and industrial and screen equipment,” said Ray Weiss, Director of Digital Print Programs, PRINTING United Alliance.

Everyone at Keencut is absolutely delighted with the award and the recognition it gives to the design innovation and manufacturing quality of the Evolution3 SmartFold.

The Evolution3™ SmartFold is the most advanced horizontal manual cutter for high volume wide format print shops. With faster production, less wastage and improved finish quality, it increases the performance and profitability of the user. The Evolution3 cuts everything from 13mm ( ½”) foamboard to tissue paper and features Keencut’s unique Lift-and-Hover technology for accurate, fast single-handed material alignment. Accuracy is guaranteed within 0.2mm (0.008″) of straight line for the full length of cut.

Paul Moxon, chairman of Keencut, said, “This is an outstanding achievement. The Evolution3 revolutionises manual cutting offering technical developments not found on any other range of benchtop cutters. The award is a fitting accolade for all those who have worked on the development, manufacturing, and sales of this product”

About Keencut

Keencut designs and manufactures manual cutters for the print finishing and picture framing markets, with world-leading accuracy and reliability. Products are sold around the globe to most countries in Europe, the USA, and as far afield as Russia and Australia.  

We design and manufacture our entire product range at the Keencut factory in Corby, UK. We use the finest materials and state of the art manufacturing techniques to ensure the highest quality and reliability, and our products come with a minimum five-year comprehensive guarantee plus a minimum 20-year guarantee on all rotating and sliding bearings.

With a broad range of manual cutters, Keencut meets the ever-increasing requirements of customers in the sign-making, large & small format printing, and picture framing industries. Our dedication to finding the ultimate precision engineering solution to each application means that our products have a worldwide reputation as the most accurate, reliable and easy to use.

If you are looking for precision and durability in your cutter, choose Keencut.

HP Inc. has introduced a range of DesignJet and PageWide XL Pro devices to equip large format print users with the technology to navigate and thrive in the new normal. The portfolios also deliver advanced photo and colour quality, enhanced precision, and new graphics application potential - all while driving improvements in sustainability.

With the two new HP DesignJet Z Pro devices, HP is offering print service providers (PSPs) and Geographic Information System (GIS) analysts the latest solutions to produce professional photo-quality prints and high precision colourful GIS-generated maps. Meanwhile, the three new HP PageWide XL Pro printers equip PSPs and reprohouses with the ability to respond faster to customer demands and diversify their existing capabilities.

“As our customers continue to grapple with uncertain business conditions following a uniquely challenging past couple of years, we know that expanding their print application reach, an ability to move fast, and outstanding colour and graphics performance define their large format printing needs”, said Daniel Martinez, General Manager, Large Format Business, HP. “This is why we’re introducing the new HP DesignJet Z Pro and HP PageWide XL Pro series. Both portfolios are designed to help users navigate uncertain demand, respond to tighter deadlines and unlock untapped potential in their own offerings.”

Highest colour quality with HP DesignJet Z Pro Series

Marking the 30-year anniversary of the very first DesignJet product, the new HP DesignJet Z6 Pro and Z9+ Pro offer PSPs and GIS analysts respectively the highest professional photo quality and precision, along with leading security features.

Thanks to the chromatic RGB HP Vivid Photo Inks, HP DesignJet Z Pro users can now achieve 95% Pantone coverage – 26% more gamut compared to the previous generation – and produce prints with the image quality of a 12-ink printer with just nine inks. Additional features such as the High-Definition Nozzle Architecture (HDNA) printheads and dual drop technology, which reduces visible grain and eliminates the need for light coloured inks, promise prints with clear details and dazzling-contrasts.

The HP DesignJet Z9+ Pro, which offers the widest colour gamut in its category, is the perfect choice for PSPs looking for a professional photo quality printer. Users can customise ICC profiles for their print jobs and achieve desired colour accuracy and consistency.  PSPs also have the option to include the HP Gloss Enhancer Upgrade Kit to produce superior gloss uniformity.

Additionally, the HP PrintOS mobile app lets PSPs take more control of their print operations – from monitoring performance and reacting to issues, to sharing media pre-sets remotely. For the first time, the new HP DesignJet Z Pro printer series also incorporates the HP PrintOS Service Center application. This smart cloud-based solution enables users to gain a single, real-time view of all ongoing service cases, with updates that are accessible anytime, anywhere.

For GIS analysts looking to produce very precise maps, print sharp contour lines and text with close attention to keeping data secure, the new HP DesignJet Z6 Pro is the ideal printer. The Adobe PDF Print Engine enables excellent transparencies and layer reproductions - while HP’s HDNA printheads and HP Pixel Control deliver the highest precision, as well as smooth gradients and distinct shades of colour that are particularly needed for printing complex maps.

HP DesignJet Z6 Pro is the world's most secure large-format printer, promising the best data protection through encrypted communications and Access Control List. Features such as HP Connection Inspector, HP Secure Boot, and Whitelisting ensure the best network protection, putting all worries about data security to rest.

Both the HP DesignJet Z6 Pro and Z9+ Pro also enhance efficiency with the fastest media handling, spindle-less and automatic roll feed. The HP DesignJet Z6 Pro prints twice as fast on plain paper at the same quality while the HP DesignJet Z9+ Pro allows users to print up to 18% faster, with better quality, on satin photo media - and 46% faster on canvas.

Maximise productivity with HP PageWide XL Pro

HP has also announced three new HP PageWide XL Pro printers that enable retail PSPs and reprohouses to respond faster to customer demands, meeting tighter deadlines. Additionally, users will also be able to leverage new short-term applications including the potential to print on boards, cardstock, and paper from A2 to B1, and thickness up to 10mm.

The new HP PageWide XL Pro 5200 and HP PageWide XL Pro 8200 offer print speeds up to 20 D/A1 pages/min, and 4300 ft2/hr (400 m2/hr) and 30 D/A1 pages/min, and 5300 ft2/hr (500 m2/hr) respectively, enabling users to meet short turnaround time. With the PageWide XL Pro 8200 able to print mixed outputs of both CAD drawings and presentation boards, both printers are also capable of delivering full projects two to three times faster than before. With the new HP PageWide XL Pro 5200 and HP PageWide XL Pro 8200, users can also expand their print applications into two-sided, short-term retail posters, which can be easily managed with HP SmartStream.

Designed to help boost profits and cut costs, both the HP PageWide XL Pro 5200 and the HP PageWide XL Pro 8200 enable users to save up to 50% preparation and finishing costs. Using up to three-litre Original HP Eco-Carton ink cartridges, both printers ensure low running costs for CAD drawings and posters. Features such as the versatile stacker, inline folders and auto switch free up operation time, giving reprohouses the power to say yes to more print jobs.

The compact HP PageWide XL Pro 10000 boosts productivity with fast printing speeds of up to 700 m2 (7500 ft2) or 1,000 B1 posters per hour, and can print on different sizes materials, including paper and boards to cardstock and cutsheets. It also provides PSPs with the capability to deliver quick results with instant-dry prints on compatible substrates. With HP PrintOS, PSPs can easily control the operations of their fleet anywhere, anytime – while also enjoying simplified maintenance and fast start-up. The HP PageWide XL Pro 10000 also features the first HP large-format auto sheet feeder and versatile stacker, providing seamless end-to-end cut-sheet workflow.

HP – a partner in sustainability  

• The new HP DesignJet portfolio and HP PageWide XL Pro 10000 printer are all rated as ENERGY STAR 3.0 compliant and EPEAT registered, meaning they use less energy and are certified as environmentally preferred products.
• The new HP DesignJet Z Pro printers are made of 30% recycled plastic, using over eight 16.9-oz (0.5-L) bottles worth of ocean-bound plastic, and are fully compatible with large format FSC®-certified papers, a range of recyclable HP media and free, convenient take-back program for certain HP media.
• Both new portfolios are fully compatible with HP Eco Carton Cartridges, achieving up to 80% reduction in plastic. The outer carton of Eco-Carton cartridges can be disposed of through local cardboard recycling.
• Inks for the HP PageWide XL Pro 10000 printer are UL ECOLOGO® Certified and verified for Nordic Swan Ecolabel printing companies.
• HP PageWide XL and DesignJet prints are recyclable, returnable, or non-hazardous and safe for disposal.

Availability

The new HP PageWide XL Pro series is expected to be available in all major markets starting September 15th, and the new HP DesignJet Z6 Pro and Z9+ Pro on October 1st, 2021.

About HP

HP Inc. (NYSE: HPQ) creates technology that makes life better for everyone, everywhere. Through our product and service portfolio of personal systems, printers and 3D printing solutions, we engineer experiences that amaze.

The craft trend has caught on in recent years: Craft simply means “made by hand”. Beverages such as beer and smoothies in particular are increasingly being made by hand in small quantities with love. Small manufactories and regional suppliers are conquering the hearts of consumers.

In order to be noticed at the point of sale compared to large beverage producers, the craft beverage scene relies on eye-catching designs for the labels of their cans and PET bottles. Only beverage brands that attract attention immediately catch the customer’s eye at the shelf and stand out from the competition. For this, the labels must be individually designed and printable in small volumes.

No problem with the high-quality FACESTOCK films from Sihl’s laser range! With these, craft beverage producers can now print individual labels quickly and on demand with the best image quality at low investment costs. This is possible with laser desktop printers from quantity 1 up to short runs, which can be printed from roll to roll.

Resistant to water, alcohol and disinfectant, the FACESTOCK products lend beverage cans and PET bottles the perfect look for the stylish craft scene, marketing campaigns, gifts or personal customer requests. This means limitless flexibility and independence for small manufactories.

Choosing the right colour and surface ensures labels have a unique style. Sihl offers the choice between transparent, white, silver and the different surfaces glossy, satin and matt.

About SiHL 

SiHL is the leading expert for printing media solutions in a fast-growing digital imaging market.  As a high-performing, international company, SiHL offers all-important technological expertise and in-depth, comprehensive knowledge of the industry.

With its future-proof product solutions, SiHL strengthens its customers’ market position and makes a significant contribution to improving its customers’ and partners’ added value with innovative services.