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At IGAS, we saw more robots than ever before at any tradeshow. Henrik Christiansen from Cool Graphics is a well-known robot/cobot specialist in the printing industry. In this film, he walks us through several different types of robots and explains when it's called a cobot and when it's called a robot. What is the difference between an AMR and an AGV, and why two arms instead of one? We also get a view of the different types of grippers, so in short, a guided tour of the different types of robots and how they are utilized in our industry. GREAT - so watch it :-)

Everybody is shouting for labor, but what is the long-term solution to the labor shortage? In hall two at IGAS, one booth looked considerably different from all the other booths. There was an education stage sponsored by several OEMs and branded Think Smart Factory. On stage during the day's many presentations, but outside the stage area, there was a technology show-off with a Horizon BQ-binder and an HT-three-side knife wrapped in a cool anima-style design. The solution was entirely managed by two robot arms and one AGV. Bryan Takano from Horizon explains that it's a technology show-off to show young people about opportunities in the printing industry. By combining art and technology, more will likely be interested. Behind the technology show-off, a huge fantastic painting was shown. In front, some really cool, very large print samples using different technologies were among the draws for the passing audience. But see for yourself, Jan Majnik (INKISH Filmer) captured some really nice views of both!

At IGAS, Horizon showed twenty-one end-to-end solutions, and one of them was demonstrated to INKISH by Naresh Bedi. The setup is as follows: A content printer - in this example, cover and content printers are from Ricoh, but it could be almost any printer. The content printer prints the content on typically SRA3 size and deliver these to a gatherer that batch the sheets into a book block. The book block consists of as many 'ups as you have on the sheet, and the next stage is to cut the collated sheets into book blocks of the approx size of the book (bleed size as a minimum). The second similar line has printed the cover, and both are matched using QR codes before being fed into the BQ-500 binder. The cover is fed directly into the cover feeder section of the BQ-series, and the content is taken by a robot arm, first measuring the spine size, and hereafter the book block is inserted into the BQ500. Now the glued book is transported to the HT300, a one-knife-three-side trimmer enabling fast book-of-one production. As you can see in the film, everything is automated and requires minimum effort from the operator - a truly cool solution!

I don't know if the following is 100% accurate. Still, it seems that after Fujifilm and Xerox terminated their partnership, the Fujifilm engineers have worked harder than ever to bring new and exciting products to the market. In this film, I talk to General Manager Scott P. Mackie about the new Revoria B2 toner press, and the inkjet-based Continues Feed printer 1160CF. Enjoy the story and the others already on INKISH.TV.

Komori is one of the leading manufacturers of offset printing machines. Still, in this film, Marketing Manager Peter Minis explains how Komori is working on improving productivity by using smart technology called 'Autopilot.' Automatic setup for print, improved and higher consistency in quality, and many interesting options for higher productivity. But listen for yourself to the interview, and as usual, enjoy!

Outside the Tokyo Big Sight convention center, we met with Kongsberg Precision Cutting Systems President and CEO Stuart Fox. Fox explains in this INKISH film why he is in Tokyo but also reports on the first full fiscal year being on its own. As always, interesting views and an exciting company. Enjoy!

Horizon presents nothing less than 21 end-to-end solutions; all targeted to different applications and all very real scenarios for the thousands of IGAS attendees. In this film, we talk to Muneki Ban from Horizon International. He shows us a setup that is actually two solutions. The first half is fed with up to B1 sheets, which are folded into typically 16-pages signatures, and where the signatures are moved to the pallet using a robot solution. The second half of the setup in this film is where the signatures are placed in a machine gathering the signatures into book blocks, moved on a conveyor to the BQ500 binding solution, and finally, using a three-knife trimmer delivering finished books - and all handled with only one operator. The solution can even be extended with AGVs that can drive the pallets from a printing press to the feeder and the folded signatures to the gatherer - simply amazing and extremely productive!

IGAS is the largest print exhibition in Japan, and Horizon, the largest exhibitor, demonstrates 21 end-to-end solutions. In this presentation, Keisuke Nakai talks about a solution that consists of a feeder, a rotary die-cutter, a spot gluer (addition), and a pocket folder - and voila, a document pocket solution is now available - and of course, still with the flexibility of using the solution for more applications. Great technology view, and with this option, customers can demand more sustainable solutions for document folders rather than using PVC or plastic.

Besides robots, workflow/automation is one of the most important topics throughout the IGAS 2022 event. The name for Horizon's workflow/automation solution is called I.C.E. Link, which is short for Intelligence/Integration/Interaction, Connection, and Efficiency. Essentially the software connects machines (from Horizon and other brands as well) and enables the owners to plan maintenance, and push jobs to the machines, using JDF enables workflow software suites and integrates with other solutions. At IGAS Horizon shows integration to Heidelberg Prinect, Revoria One, and more... The essence of I.C.E. Link is greatly presented by Yuichiro Dei.

As IGAS gets closer to the end of our coverage, we wanted to talk to Yasuo Taketsugu from Horizon about the show's first days. Very positive feedback from printer partners and attendees is among the words Taketsugu ties to the recap. Also, the overall sales are positive, and Horizon has a huge interest in continuing the growth they see with their products. Enjoy!

IGAS is the no. 1 print show in Japan and used to be a more international exhibition. Today the show is still huge, but its influence is more regional, with a strong focus on Japan. In this 'walkthrough,' Yasuo Taketsugu from Horizon International gives editor Morten B. Reitoft a guided tour through the biggest of all booths at IGAS. Enjoy!

Horizon is the biggest exhibitor at IGAS for a good reason. At the show, Horizon, together with partners like Canon, Konica-Minolta, RGMT, Screen, Ricoh, Miyakoshi, and Fujifilm, presents 21 end-to-end solutions. Technology that showcases not only binding but also workflow integration, integration of robots and AGVs - and, to be honest, a wealth of technology that underscores Horizon's commitment to its customers. We are, of course, as media, not endorsing any particular vendor or solution. However, Horizon sponsored our trip to Tokyo - and still gave us total freedom to film not only Horizon products but cover the entire IGAS show. We appreciate this, and as a courtesy, we would like you to enjoy this postcard from Tokyo showing you a few moments from Horizon. The editing is done by INKISH filmer/editor Ziga Kovac - great work!

The third winner of the new INKISH UNICORN Award is Aleksey Etin, owner of the Lithuanian-based company Veika. The company won the award because of its excellent Dimense product. See the print samples in this film, and you immediately see the opportunities. It's a structured print, but rather than layering like in a 3D; the paper is prepped with foam, giving the print a structure. Great technology and a well-deserved win. Congratulations!

At PRINTING United, we got a chance to meet with Colin Flinn from Horizon USA. We first met Colin Flinn back at the Think Smart Factory event in Kyoto, where he surprised us by being fluent in both Japanese and English. We have also met Flinn at several online events LIVE from Japan, where he and his team has built up a comprehensive online/offline demo facility - but now it's at PRINTING United where Colin Flinn demonstrates Horizon's new Gauze, End Paper, and bar code printing capabilities, enabling customers to use the BQ-series binders for softcover AND book blocks for hardcover books - quite amazing, but see for yourself :-)

If you are looking for a design plug-in for your commerce solution, start here. If you need a design tool that enables programmers to integrate a design tool with a set of APIs., this is an excellent place to start. If you need a solution that plug'n'play with several eCommerce solutions in the market, this is a place to get started - and in this demo, Dheeraj Kumar Pandey from Design'n'Buy demonstrates the DesignO plugin that delivers the above. Enjoy!

At PRINTING United, Tecnau presented their Revolution 50-series and Stack 1212 finishing devices. In this interview, we talk to Pete Dolfis, Solutions Manager, Tecnau, to get an understanding of the market, and then we get a walk-through of both solutions. The Revolution 50-series was introduced last year and has been very successful for Tecnau, and so with the Stack 1212. Peter Dolfis also says that Tecnau produces a smaller Stack 1010 that is now configured and sold as part of a book solution. But see for yourself.

Managing tons of in and outbound mail in an assurance company requires the right software and printers to optimize production. Craig Coley, Corporate Services Director, explains how he is using Solimar - and their support - to manage to scan of inbound documents and to manage an optimized PDF output. Craig Coley also emphasizes that the support he gets from Solimar is amazing, but listen to him for yourself!

Solimar co-exhibits with RISO at PRINTING United. At the reception, Solimar did on the booth; we got a chance to talk to Margaret Curry, National Manager for RISO Production Printing Systems gives you an insight into the advantages of using RISO printing equipment but also why working with Solimar enables faster print

When you have a lot of print, it's immensely important to have software that can ensure a smooth data flow. As Michael Zimmerman explains in this interview, you get files in all formats, and though you would think a PDF is a PDF, it's not the case. When jobs, i.e., contain 30,000 PDF files, Solimar ReadyPDF is used to optimize the PDF file, so the file size gets smaller and, therefore, faster to process. Zimmerman is a very happy Solimar customer, and if you work in a mail department yourself, you will recognize some of the challenges he explains in this film!

It's been amazing seeing the Ahmedabad-based web-to-print developer's journey. We saw the company for the first time at a Print Pack show in Greater Noida in India, and from then at both Indian and international shows in many different countries. The company has developed the web-to-print solution Design'N'Buy but has recently released its DesignO software, essentially the design module from the web-to-print solution, but now possible to integrate easily with several standard eCommerce platforms - and with a comprehensive API set making it easy(er) to use in many different applications. During the pandemic, Nidhi Agrawal and her team wrote a book on becoming a successful online print retailer. Recently, the company was evenly awarded the Pinnacle Award for its software. Difficult to say this isn't a success.

Warren Werbitt IS print. With a background as a co-owner of a Canadian printing company, he knows what he talks about, and many know him from What They Think's 'Printer to Printer' and as consultant and speaker under his own brand as 'The Print Whisperer.' Warren Werbitt is also involved with APTECH and, more recently, Taktiful, which has a mission to educate printers about embellishment. Editor Morten B. Reitoft met with Warren Werbitt at Scodix's booth at PRINTING United and had a talk about why embellishment is important. We hope you will enjoy!

The winner takes it all but in this case? Nah... the customers get an excellent and straightforward product to use to share happy memories. The Unicorn Winner Nations Photo Lab has developed a photo frame that allows customers to place and replace canvas without needing any tooling - fast, innovative, and looks excellent. The Intergalactic Ambassador to the Printerverse, Deborah Corn, found the Unicorn Award winner, who here receives the award and shows the idea/product to you! Congratulations, and enjoy! LinkedIn Profiles: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catecannavino/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonmccauley/

Standard Finishing represents Horizon in the US, demonstrating a range of new products. In this film, Bob Flinn presents a robot-arm solution that makes it possible to operate the company's binding equipment almost without people being involved. Amazing to see it in action, and Bob Flinn also tells us about the HUGE interest from many of the attendees!

At PRINTING United, the exhibitors showed more gear than earlier, which was the case for Standard Finishing. In this film, we get a great chat with the Director of Sales, Paul J. Steinke, about the market and products, and we end with a walk-through of the Docutrim to see and understand what it does.