Tech

Mon November 28th

En

Investing in manroland 700-series presse...

In South Windsor, Connecticut, you'll find a packaging printing company named Keystone Paper & Box Company. The owner, James Rutt, is the third generation owner, and while we are visiting the company, James (Jim) shows us around, greets all employees by their first name, and knows pretty much exactly when each piece of equipment was acquired. The BOBST, the gluers, the windowing machine, and while being on tour, getting the exciting story about how Keystone Paper and Box Company became what it is today. With Robert Papa as COO, the company is now initiating a new growth phase that, according to Papa, will double the size of the company. The heart of the production is the two new manroland 700-series offset machines. One is an 8-color straight machine with a manroland cold-foiling unit installed, and for the second, the foundation is being laid for the second machine. Great story and we hope you like the film - we do :-)

Mon October 31st

En

From Screen Printing to Large Format Ink...

We've been with SO many printing companies over the years, and though amiable people meet 99% of the time - this one will be something special. Not just because of the superior technology and the products they produce. Not only because you see a company is investing in technology like the gigantic Massivit 3D printer. Not only because the company also invests in the creative side of events (we get to see how they work while here) but also because of the warm people working with CamAd in Toronto. Dan Deveau is highly genuine, open-minded, and friendly, but he touched me when I met his father. Bob Deveau has undoubtedly been a focused businessman. However, handing over the printing company to his son, and still at a high age, almost daily coming to the office to be around and participate in the business decisions, is lovely. Still, it also shows why CamAd is a company where everybody knows each other and does not just SAY family values but live family values. All the above said, Dan Deveau and his team operate a company where they still (but less) work screen printing (analog) but have taken strategic measures to become a digital company with strong craftsmanship - Dan Deveau is not a believer in automation, and you can see that the manual approach does its advantages - for example in how media is handled, but enough written. Watch the film, listen and learn - absolutely one of the better in my mind!

Mon October 24th

En

Impostrip helps SG360° Optimizing Workfl...

SG360° is one of the leading Direct Marketing companies in the US with several locations and can deliver almost any kind of direct marketing service in print, electronically, on film, web, etc. - a true omnichannel supplier. We have been invited to the Wheeling facility to talk to John Zawisza, Director of Digital Operations, about how they use Ultimate Technographics Impostrip. That alone is an exciting story, but in this more extended INKISH edit, we also learn about their printing equipment and many more exciting things. We are sure you will like this rare insight from one of the larger operators in the US market. Enjoy! You can also read the article we did on INKISH.NEWS.

Tue October 18th

En

Customer Driven Focus on Technology · Pa...

Hudson Printing has been featured in our famous Print Sample TV episodes by Pat McGrew more than once because of the intense focus on quality and customer satisfaction. Hudson Printing has also got quite a lot of media coverage because of the company's investment in two Landa S10P presses. So we believe now it's time to visit the company to understand more about it, what drives it from a technology perspective, a human perspective, and of course, a business perspective. We nail it pretty well in this film from Salt Lake City. Enjoy it! https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-hudson-2b170016/  

Thu October 13th

En

Cold Foil, Matthys & the Belgian Pr...

Cold foil embellishment, what is it, how does it work, and what does it do for print? A few weeks ago, Jacques Michiels and Jan Majnik from INKISH visited the city of Turnhout, aka the “Printvallley of Flanders,” in Belgium. What they found was nonother than a concentration of some of the most innovative printing companies, yes even world leaders in their field like Cartamundi, where printing presses have been running already since 1765 and today has become the largest playing cards – and board game manufacturer in the world. Amazing and all originating from this rather small area in central Belgium. Our interest was drawn to one of the pioneers working with the Coldfoil technology for many years, Grafische Groep Matthys. So what is Coldfoil actually, how does it work, and what does it do for print? In this film, we take a deep dive into COLD FOIL. We show you all the different steps and how conventional cold foil is produced in an industrial environment like those operated at Grafische Groep Matthys. We ask our friends from the VIGC (the Flemish innovation center for graphic communication) - an independent organization also residing in Turnhout - how they see print embellishment evolving and to give some recommendations to printers looking into embellishment solutions and these kinds of work. So let’s meet the passionate folks at Matthys, who were willing to open up and share their story and passion in helping their customers SHINE - literally & vibrant! Great film. Watch it, Learn, Like it and Share it.

Mon October 3rd

En

Digital First Mover in Lithuania with HP...

CEO and Owner Valdas Bukšnys has quite a different background from most printers we have met. Before establishing his company, Printela, in Kaunas, Lithuania, he was a double-bass player in a national orchestra touring Europe as a professional musician. Now the owner of a very successful company, Printela, is not only "conducting" a different type of "musicians" but has taken chances investing in technology nobody before him in Lithuania. Bukšnys shook hands with all his employees as we went through the production, and as we talked, I realized that Bukšnys seemed to be a personal leader leading the company with the right people, focusing and trusting his gut feelings, and less (way less) spreadsheets. A super interesting company that, since its origin, has decided to focus on 100% digital production of labels and pouches. Valdas Bukšnys believes greatly in the future, and we wouldn't be surprised if he reaches his objective of being twice the size in a few years' time - as planned. The equipment Printela use is fra HP, GM, Karlville, and Cartes, workhorses in the label/flexible industry! Enjoy the film! LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valdas-buksnys-077aba4a/

Mon September 26th

En

Ultimate Impostrip® Enables Better Paper...

In a suburb close to Toronto, INKISH visit Marketing Kitchen. When entering the premises, we soon realize that Marketing Kitchen produces great products and that the company has a great sense of humor. Funny posters with employees keep you smiling and well - just nice! Marketing Kitchen is a Direct mail/marketing company helping its customers send out marketing and communications. Creative solutions are developed together with the design/marketing companies ordering from Marketing Kitchen. Marketing Kitchen is a full production site with both b&w printers and their Konica-Minolta KM1, which both Audre Jamieson and her operators are very satisfied with. We are at Marketing Kitchen as the company uses Ultimate Technographics Impostrip. Marketing Kitchen uses Impostrip for automating many of their repetitive jobs, but what has made a huge financial impact for the company is how Impostrip helps Marketing Kitchen to utilize the B2 format better on the KM-1. Great company, and many great and innovative ideas!

Wed September 21st

De En

Robots and an incredible belief in the f...

German language with English/German subtitles Richard Müller is the production manager of one of Europe's largest online printing companies, Saxoprint. We were invited by Horizon to see how robots are used along with Horizon's BQ series of binding machines, and the result is a solution that requires a minimum of operator intervention. Amazing to see, but in this film, we try to cover the full story of how automation has become increasingly important in digital and analog production. We also published an article on INKISH.NEWS about SAXOPRINT (In English) - you can read it here: https://inkish.news/article/MTMyOQ== -- add on --- our friends from Printmedianieuws found inspiration in the article above and the film published on INKISH.TV, and wrote this follow-up article in Dutch - you can read it here, requires a premium subscription!

Mon September 19th

En

Enabling the Digital Transformation with...

We have visited many great printing companies, but Rotolito is in its own league. It's among the biggest commercial printing companies in Europe, based in Milan, Italy, and it's a smart company. In this interview, we focus pretty much on the HP investments - counting a T380, T490, and an Indigo 100K, but besides investing in digital technology for print, Rotolito also invests in robot technology, workflow/automation, and talking to second generation owner Emanuele Bandecchi, you don't feel that we are even near the last investment. Smart company, great products, and a great example of how this industry can continue being interesting for decades to come! Enjoy!

Wed September 7th

En

Embellishment, Embellishment, Embellishm...

Michael Aumann, Director, Digital Embellishment from KURZ USA, has a vision that can't come as a surprise - "more embellishment, more embellishment, and more embellishment." He is responsible for digital embellishment, though very honest about the need for both digital and analog embellishment options for a long time to come. INKISH got the chance to meet with Michael Aumann, Allan Quimby, and Myron Werner from KURZ USA - and this is the first of the results - stay tuned!

Mon August 29th

En

It’s a great advantage to using CE...

Advantage Label & Packaging is a Grand Rapids, Michigan-based label printing company, and we got the chance to meet with General Manager Brad Knoth. Advantage Label & Packaging runs multiple flexo/hybrid/digital presses and operates a business solely focusing on narrow web label production. Besides being a supplier of labels, Advantage also develops, supports, and sells turn-key solutions for its customers that include machines that can applicate those labels, but also as a reseller for label printers. What brought INKISH to Grand Rapids is a relatively recent investment in CERM. CERM is an MIS system - formerly owned by Heidelberg - but today owned by the management of CERM. CERM has focused on labels for a long time, and when seeing it in action, you see sensors on machines and barcodes in the warehouse, and you for sure learn that CERM has been a game changer for a customer like Advantage Label & Packaging. Most people realize how big of work it is to change the MIS system, and what surprised Brad Knoth and his team was how smoothly the process went with CERM. Coming from a home-brewed solution, the company already knew what they wanted, and before deciding, they asked four suppliers to demo and present their solutions. CERM came out as a clear winner, and Advantage Label & Packaging proudly discusses the process and the result. Enjoy!

Mon August 22nd

De En

New Binding Options with Horizon BQ500 ·...

Friedmann is an amazing printing company. Of course, they have machines seen elsewhere, but it's an entirely new building, and the company produces applications you don't see everywhere. The company produces photo books, puzzles, and cards. All are produced digitally and in copies down to one. CEO Michael Schmid tells about dramatic changes COVID forced the company to make simply because some of the produces disappeared almost overnight. While visiting Friedmann, we got the chance to see the new Horizon BQ500 - an iteration of the previous and extremely popular BQ series. With BQ500 installed with variable gauze, and endpaper feeders, along with more automation, the machine serves Friedmann well. It's always exciting to see new technology at work, and BQ500 as a binder should be interesting for many.    

Wed June 15th

En

The Future is Digital · Arndt Wille · Sa...

Predicting the future is, of course, difficult, but printing companies have to do this with every investment they do, as depreciation- and repayment time has a time frame. In this film, we talk to Business Development Manager Arndt Wille from Sattler Media Group who explains how technology and change in customer behavior require the company to rethink investments. Interesting story and we are confident it will inspire you and your business, so please enjoy!

Fri June 3rd

De En

Diana Esser about Europe’s first H...

(German language - English subtitles) Esser printSolutions changed years ago from being an offset printing company to becoming a digital-only printing company. With both web-based and cut-sheet printers and finishing options, the company has placed itself in a good position in the German market. Procurator Diana Esser describes her company in this film, but she and her colleague COO Thomas Juros also talk about their investment in the Horizon Stitchliner Mark 5. If you haven't heard about the Mark 5 before there is a reason - it's a brand new addition to Horizon's line of products. Horizon Stitchliner Mark 5 is roll-to-cut-sheet stitching with quite some cool features and very high quality along with high speed. Esser printSolutions is one of the launch customers in Europe, and as you can hear in this film - they are very pleased with the investment!

Thu May 19th

En

From Offset to Inkjet · Hayco van Gaal &...

It was supposed to be a behind the scene film from Venlo in the Netherlands and Poing in Germany. Inspired by the openness of Canon, and the amazing opportunity to see everything from how inks are made, to R&D labs with machines in development, to the production of the sold machines is by all means interesting. Regardless this film came to be about the transformation from offset to inkjet - and it is really good - Hayco van Gaal and Hans Schmidbauer from Canon EMEA share their insights. We will, however, shortly also deliver a more behind-the-scenes film, where you get an insight into how Canon works - pretty sure you will be as amazed as we were!

Thu May 12th

En

The TASKalfa Pro 15000 already exceeded ...

Kyocera is a well-known name in the graphics arts industry, yet was the introduction of a production cut-sheet inkjet printer a surprise to many. How long time does it take to get market acceptance? When will customers start to invest in technology from a "new" vendor? And what is the result of these investments? Many questions and one of the companies who took on the investment is the family-owned printing company Verloop Drukkerij. In this film, Operational Director Gertjan Kleinbloesem openly explains the considerations - and even more important how the TASKalfa fits into their operation. And he is positive. The TASKalfa delivers on both quality, consistency, service, and reliability the TASKalfa delivers. Enjoy the film!

Tue May 10th

En

You’re buying the equipment, but y...

Richmark Label is located in downtown Seattle and we found a cool-looking urban-style graffiti-painted building with an atmosphere - but soon we realized that Bill Donner who owns it has fewer passions for the building and its history. However, inside the building, we found a label manufacturer producing both flexo and digital. In this film, Bill Donner explains his strategy of always buying more than one machine, as well as how important the relationship is with both the salesperson as well as the company producing the machine. BOBST has placed its more and more recognized Mouvent digital label presses on the floor of Richmark Labels with more to come shortly. Enjoy!

Tue April 19th

Fr

Highcon enable faster short-run producti...

While filming a promotion project for Highcon with Cartonnage du Château in Belfort, France, we got the chance to talk to Managing Director Marc Royer. The company is specialized in folding carton boxes in the higher end. Production consists of a brand new Koenig & Bauer Rapida 106X, Bobst foilers and die-cutters, gluers, and of course the Highcon Euclid II. It was great being in Belfort for two days following production from A-Z - and soon you will also be able to see the entire process in a short documentary we have done for Highcon!

Fri February 25th

En

Another Ultimate Day at the Office with ...

Raymond Duval is the VP of Sales with Ultimate TechnoGraphics. The company known for Impostrip moved to a new office the day INKISH visited the Montreal-based company. In this film, Ray talks about automation and why it's so important for PSPs all over the world! Enjoy!

Tue February 15th

En

Mouvent Technology has delivered on the ...

In the city of North Providence at Rhode Island you'll find a printing company - or to be more precise, a not so easy to find printing company. Aptech Graphics has an extremely anonymous facade but we got there and though Aptech Graphics is a tiny printing company with a HUGE range of products they produce, we also found a company that recently invested in the amazing BOBST Mouvent-series inkjet label printer. The owner and President Mark Mader is an interesting gentleman with a huge interest in technology, and also very dedicated to producing printed products beyond the ordinary. In this film, we focus on the label business, but if you ever need anything from printed beer taps, to pins, to promotional items, or - almost anything you can think of - here is a supplier you should reach out to!

Thu February 3rd

En

Faster Growth and Higher Profits with PO...

Linemark serves three different business segments - direct mail, print-on-demand, and general commercial business. Entering the production, you very soon realize how organized and busy people are, and you understand right away how the company sees the future. Books-of-One is for sure an exciting opportunity, and as David Ashton explains in the film, POD is the fastest-growing segment and also the most profitable. Investing in digital printing equipment combined with the Müller Martini solution - and skilled people - Linemark does make a difference! LinkedIn Profiles: Steve Bearden David Ashton

Wed February 2nd

En

Investing in Nilpeter is also investing ...

Dawrian Salies is the General Manager of SA Litho Label Printers - one of the leading print suppliers in South Africa - and part of a much larger organization, CTP limited. In this interview, Dawrian Salies explains that investing in equipment is also investing in the company. With Nilpeter flexo presses on the production floor, that statement is 100% backed up in doings. Dawrian Salies told me during our tour how they align the different technologies from their offset presses to flexo to digital, and the size and output of SA Litho Label Printers were very impressive. Great company!

Sun January 30th

En

Gershon Alon explains how HP PrintOS off...

This is one of the things we like the MOST about the industry - passion! Gershon Alon is the Head of HP PrintOS, and when we asked Gershon Alon a question, it became the longest answer on INKISH ever - and into an episode of its own. Gershon Alon talks about how PrintOS, being vendor agnostic, enables PSPs and developers to integrate any API/SDK allows software into the heart of PrintOS, which is excellent. This is an opportunity for PSPs and other software suppliers to utilize services through the HP eco-system. Still, it also allows you to offer your customers services that would require more user interfaces and, eventually, more complex work. But listen to this exciting answer - and make up your mind yourself!

Thu January 27th

En

High Quality and Profits on the Horizon ...

About 1,5 hours east of Minneapolis, you'll find the city of Eau Claire. In Eau Claire, you'll find a printing company named Documation. In that printing company, you'll find VP Operations Jeremy Stanek - with whom we met on a cold day to talk about how they utilize their Horizon binding equipment. Documation is a company that grew out of another business and today focuses primarily on the production of softcover books - digitally produced. With a high level of automation, many printers would be astonished how digital print and binding can produce books-of-one profitable. The content of the books is printed on two HP T-series printers. Folded and stacked into perfect book blocks on Documation's Hunkeler equipment. Documation offers both saddle stitching and perfect binding on Horizon equipment, and to be honest - small, lean, and nice books are what you see. Pure inspiration! LinkedIn Profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-stanek-603857b/