Sign & Print is the leading exhibition for the printing industry in Scandinavia – and though these exhibitions are small compared to DRUPA, GraphExpo and other international exhibitions, these exhibitions can do things, that the large ones can’t. The Sign & Print exhibition in Oslo has been recognised by both visitors and exhibitors, by it’s high quality of visitors, exhibitors, service around the show. The Exhibition also has a range of speakers teaching the visitors everything from InDesign to sharing success stories in the market. INKISH.TV enjoyed the Sign & Print show in Oslo – nice people, warm atmosphere and a great potential for all participants.

1:00    We see you are doing something related with drills. Can you tell us more?

1:03    It has not much to do with drills. It’s high precision carbide tools made for computerized machines. You cannot put these tools in a handle machine or a router because they’re too hard, they may break. So, these tools, they are made for high-quality CNC machine with smooth movements. I started my own engraving company 30 years ago. Actually, thatís why I’m here, because I have 30 years jubilee in the business, and I was lucky to buy from a bankrupt company what was the best engraving machines on the market. I said, ìOkay. Now, I really make money on stainless steel.î But, stainless steel is difficult, and I brought the tools all the time. So, I made my own program and have it made in in Switzerland.

So, that was the beginning. I have problem in finding the right foods myself. So, I have a little practical background. You cannot make these tools on any kind of grinding machine. The machines that make these tools is very, very expensive because you need high precision, you know, we talked about microns not millimeters in tolerance. So, for the customers, it’s extremely important that the dimension are the same. When you buy a six millimeter, it cannot be 5.9 or 6.1, especially if it does the same job for the same customer. It must always be the same.

2:25    What do you think about Sign & Print?

2:29    Amazing. I did not expect too much of such a small exhibition, but very positive and surprised.

2:38    Is this your first time at this exhibition?

2:41    In Sign & Print, yes. Because, we do most of the exhibition down on the continent, you know, bigger markets, and we work on a niche market. So, here in Norway, we have most of the potential customers. Plus, it’s more interesting to go down to Viscom or Vespa, where the potential is so much bigger. But, I’m glad I did it now. We get value for money and all.

3:35    Well, my name is Rune Hansen, and Iím from a company called the Brothers Hansen or Hansen Brothers, and we are producing light boxes with flexible face in the front. So, we can make huge signs up to 150 square meters. We’ve done this for 23 years, and of course, there will be many other big companies during the period.

4:05    Have the customer requirements changed during these 23 years?

4:09    Itís almost the same, just small things that make it a bit better.

4:15    How has Sign & Print been for you so far?
4:19    Well, this is a very, very small exhibition, so I don’t think it has been so much people here. But, I have met some of my customers that I never seen so often, so that’s good.

5:00    How is Antalis doing in Norway?

5:03    Weíre doing very good. We are having good sales.

5:06    Would you say you are the market leader here?

5:09    One of the top three, I would say, depending on product area and product group.

5:15    As a paper supplier, is it a big change in producing paper for the digital market?

5:19    There are some changes, when it comes to humidity, for instance.

5:22    Seems like you have a clear strategy regarding digital print.

5:25    Thatís the future receded double-digit growth, so we need to be good there.

5:30    Does that require a lot of changes inside the company?

5:33     Orders are getting smaller, deliveries are getting faster, and product qualities needs to be in place. So, we need to have more and more goods in stock. Weíre having faster and faster feats, and receive that paper mills from before theyíre going bankrupt. There are less and less paper mills, and demand in solvent paper in general is going down. But, thereís also a part which is going up, and we need to be also on the upside of the business.

6:33    I show a lot of excellent prints on excellent paper and to excellent people. We also call it the IP concept, very important prints on very important paper to very important people. I’ve been in this business for over 40 years. I have also had my own offset machine many years ago, but I didn’t know that it was as much creative paper in the world there is. You have to know what’s on the shelf to make a value in paper, to make paper work, and to make value for your customers. I have been in this business many years, as I told you, and when I was young and started as a graphic design and we didn’t learn anything about paper and what it could do. But, there’s a lot of great designers, paper designers all over the world, and they have paper that can add value to your print, and I will show you one.

This is one of the print that is a part of this exhibition and the competition, and it’s a famous actor called Viggo Mortensen, actual movie in the cinemas right now called Captain Fantastic, and Viggo Mortensen has made this paper himself. It’s handmade paper with flower seed, and when you are leaving the cinema and go home to your garden or your little flat, you can put the paper in parts or in your garden and a littler earth above and water, and in half a year, this flower seed in the paper, that will come up to remind you of a fantastic picture and a fantastic actor.

I help my customers make print that works today. It’s about price and printability. But, even the cheapest print is too expensive if it doesn’t work, and I inspire both printers, the graphic designers and the print buyers, and my customer calls me the graphic design business Christmas woman. I present myself as a gift to my customers because I add value to the business.

9:15    We are a printing company with paper, and go on the die cut marketing. That’s marketing, so but like a lot of a die cutting and address paper. We have a die cut in our printing, we have a web printing, and we have shape printing, and we can, in both machine, die cut and we can put glue and in preparation.

9:48    And that can be done also in a web offset?

9:50    Yes. So, that too. And then, we have a special web machine who can do up to 250 grams paper, and we can do that with the sheets.

10:02    Who are your potential customers?

10:05    Weíre looking for marketing people and retailers and something like that. So, we get good guys and see what’s happening.

10:42    We are doing the label here for the whole Scandinavian market, and then we make all things ourselves, and we make the service very, very quick. We made this service and we need to send it to the customer before they order, and the assembly is free of charge. So, we make a service at a company told to. Weíre doing the print. First of all, the prints and the cutting and the paleo tint doming with the four automatically machines, with the biggest seal machines, and we can make up to one meter long depression. We have make something for England, for UK, and then we have a customer in UK, and sometimes he sends the job to us, and we make big, big decorations job for him. And, we make job for Germany and for Austria, for Sweden, from Denmark, and Norway.

11:36    Are you a frequent exhibitor at Sign & Print?

11:38    We are every time an exhibitor in this print, because it is very nice for us. We meet a lot of customer here. A lot of customer comes up and say, ìHello! Nice to see you.î It is fantastic.

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