We are warming up to Hunkeler Innovationdays #HID25, and once again, we offer free interviews to all exhibitors before and during Innovationdays. We are excited and thrilled to welcome our first guest, Mark Stephenson, from Fujifilm. Fujifilm is one of the most interesting companies to follow these years, with tons of acquisitions, new employment, and consequently so much new and exciting equipment. At Innovationdays, Fujifilm will focus on their Inkjet series of printers - and I am sure you can look forward to engaging presentations by the entire Fujifilm team!

My father, who was a church minister. He would use, I guess, a Techni Duplicator to publicize his rallies and meetings. And try to bring people to Jesus. All this blessed thing, he would say. It's been the first time I ever saw print happening. There was the smell of the ink. Things took a long time. And sometimes it was not just budget. It was like you wanted to do something now. You could have 30 or 50, 100 within half an hour. Somebody comes up with a bright idea. And when you look at the background to it, you find out: Actually, that's how things used to be. But just framed in a different story. By 1977, this was me. Handsetting type. Out by the poster machines this was. You've got a very tight set of constraints to be able to design something. You know, putting text on a curve is like: Whoa! I'm one of those sort of sub creative people that knows when they look at something, if it's right or not. A lot of the terms we use today go back to letterpress composing. So, leading between lines was a physical piece of lead. When two characters are one like ‘fi’ and ‘ffi’. We call it a ligature. This is a Wharfedale. The one I operated was called an Elliott. But it was all out of the same factory in Otley. It was a double Demy press. That was the biggest sheet it would take. And I would hand feed this press. And hand ink it. On my training, I was told: Never walk around the back of this machine. The last person that did that when it was running, lost their leg. It was taken at our Advanced Print Technology Center in Brussels. Where I haven't been in fourteen months. And I've been here in this room with the exception of one trip. I have this picture on my desktop. And on another screen, I have a picture of that old press. I can see the journey I took. And this process has been my life now for around four years. We're reaching the speed. An offset B2 press. It's bringing together a whole team of people. To achieve what we've done. But at the moment we're being quiet about it.

Screen has long been recognized as one of the leading Inkjet printer OEMs in the market. At PRINTING United, we got the chance to talk to VP of Marketing Mark Schlimme about their continued focus on web-fed Inkjet printing and how the new Truepress JET S320 fits the bill as a machine that can be used as a backup for the popular 520 series. It was great listening to Mark Schlimme, so please enjoy!

Senior Director of Global Product Marketing Mark Little and Editor Morten B. Reitoft spent some time at Ricoh's booth to learn about what Ricoh exhibits and its motivations. We, of course, talk about the VC40000, which is shown in Europe for the first time at a show despite being one of the world's most used print engines. We also talk about toner, color management, and software, and finish with the VC80000 - enjoy!

Mark's Quest for American Exhibitors takes him to Ricoh, a global player—but Mark Little, Senior Director of Global Product Marketing, is as American as it gets. Here, Mark and Mark talk about the booth traffic, the new VC80000, the types of applications, and who this printer is made for. Great work!

Almost 34 years with Standard Finishing, and one of the most influential people in the US printing industry, Mark Hunt, is soon retiring. 68-year-old Hunt looks back on his career in this interview with Editor Morten B. Reitoft, but also forward as he expects to see more of his family. Enjoy!

INKISH hosted for the first time ever our NON-EVENT. The Non-event is celebrating the people that have been in front of the camera, or been supporting INKISH during the past years. This is a new recurring event, and the idea is to give space for the people we have featured to connect in a new way. We invited 150 people, and 32 decided to join us. Our guests came from Japan, Canada, USA, UK, Belgium, Sweden, and Denmark - and we are confident that next year, even more, will come. We asked most of our participants to talk LIVE during the dinner - and here is Mark Hinder from the UK. Mark Hinder has worked with digital inkjet for many years is a very experienced person. He is maybe most known for his work at Konica-Minolta where he was deeply involved with the KM-1 but has recently moved to Ricoh-Europe where he continues to work with inkjet. Enjoy!

Mark Hinder and Ricoh Europe bring valuable information about how to look into investment - even during the COVID-19 crisis.

Imagine having three printing presses that can be replaced with one. Imagine that this new device gives you are larger output, gives you more immense flexibility, and even a better profit! Imagine that in the future, your press will be way more autonomous, and your business will be very different from today. At the same time, your choice changing equipment is extremely dependent on whether you want to survive, become stronger, or even taking all these metrics into account before handing over your company to the next generations. Exciting, right? This is just a few of the things Vice Presiden of Sales, Mark F. Milbourn and Editor Morten B. Reitoft talk about in this 20+ minutes conversation - recorded at PRINTING United 2019 in Dallas. We love the long conversations where the person we talk to have time to explain the details, and where the person at the same time have the opportunity to deliver.

HP is the market leader in digital packaging printing. In this interview with Mark Dempsey from HP Industrial Print, we discuss the PageWide C550, the T-700, and the T-11xx series, which all fit different segments with different business requirements. Of course, Dempsey is also proudly announcing their first C550 sales to Welch Packaging - congratulations and thanks for a great interview, as always :-)

Interesting to talk to Mark Dempsey from HP Industrial about corrugated packaging, especially since more and more converters and packaging printers are interested in full-printed boxes.

If you wonder what DoDxAct stands for you are probably not the first to ask, and understanding what Mark Bale does - the name is ingenious! The abbreviation is short for Drop On Demand (e)Xact - and that is exactly what all this is about. As you know, or will learn in this film, the printheads are only one of the essential components of a functional printer. The controller, the ink, and obviously the substrate needs to be aligned to make a perfect output. Mark Bale focuses on the printhead, where he teaches, consults, and also has a lab where he can test all of the above. Enjoy the film!  

Mark Andy is an American family-owned company with strong values. It has a strong global base in the label/flexible packaging segment. As we meet Vice President Stu Gallup at LabelExpo-Americas, we not only see and learn about the digital/hybrid products on display but also learn about Mark Andy's offering of consumables as part of the delivery promise. In this film, Stu Gallup shows us the three machines at their booth and explains the differences and for what customers these are particularly interesting! Enjoy!

Inkish TV talks to John Vigna, Latin America sales manager for Mark Andy, about the press manufacturer’s strong sales in the region, trends in the Mexican market, and the machines on show at Labelexpo Europe 2023.

Phil Baldwin gives us a Mark Andy Digital Series HD walkthrough from Mark Andy's demo center in Warsaw, Poland. Get to know the concept of the press, which utilizes embellishment, flexo, digital and finishing, and a very configurable line, managed from one simple-to-use user interface and with the flexibility you'll expect from any Hybrid machine. Great work, Phil Baldwin :-)

She knows everything or pretty much everything, and when mentioning it, she brings her entire team into the conversation and tells us that all are binders and have a passion for Horizon and the products - we like it! In this interview, Marisa Dütsch also talks about the importance of being both a driver and market-driven and how important events like Finishing First is for the company. Super interview, you should watch it!

Marion Williams-Bennett is a professional PR/Communication woman with clients in the printing industry. In this 'Over the Skype' session, we talk about the role of PR- and how companies can benefit from working with a professional communications person. Great insight. As with all our ‘Over the Skype’ interviews, quality is limited to bandwidth, web-cams, and ability to literally LIVE mix the conversations. However, it works, and with Over the Skype, we will bring you more than 20 exciting people, and angles on the industry as it is right now. Enjoy!

Talking to Ripu Bakshi, Commercial Director Hexis Graphics Spain Hexis Graphics Spain unveiled new films (chrome, textiles, window tinting, and sun protection). At the stand, we were with Ripu Bakshi, Commercial Director, and Marine Guelaia, Product Manager Hexperience, who showed us the latest interior design and wrapping developments allowing us to comfortably work with vinyl. ___ Ripu Bakshi Director Comercial Hexis Graphics España Hexis Graphics España dio a conocer nuevos films (cromados, textiles, tintado de lunas y protección solar). En el stand estuvimos con Ripu Bakshi, Director Comercial y Marine Guelaia, Product Manager Hexperience quienes nos mostrarón las últimas novedades en torno al interiorismo y el wraping que permiten trabajar de manera muy comoda el vinilo.

Jacques from INKISH TV talks to Mariania from Greece at the Weilburger Graphics booth. Mariania's trading company, established in 1948 and based in Athens, supplies the Greek graphic arts industry with all printing-related products except paper and plates. Despite long-standing industry challenges, they’ve adapted well. Their collaboration with Weilburger Graphics began at Drupa 2000, focusing on varnishes, and has grown into a strong partnership. They also represent Zeller+Gmelin inks and provide comprehensive support to their customers, ensuring high-quality products and excellent after-sales service. LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariania-samanides-964995120/

Thursday morning, our NON-EVENT attendees were welcomed by Head of Communications Marcus Thomasfolk from VW Sweden - and what a presentation. People who know the term 'Gamification' also understand how powerful it can be used to shift behaviors. This was really interesting, so dig in and learn :-)

In this interview, CEO Marcus Stickel shows the 4-color print bar developed by MPrint to add "hybrid" capabilities to existing presses - i.e., label presses. We saw the prototype at IST UV-Days, but now the product is ready for sale, and it's quite impressive :-) LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcus-stickel-8b17989a/

At Printpack India 2025, Wayne Beckett sits down with Marcus Greenbrook, Director of International Sales at GEW, to discuss the company's first appearance at the exhibition and its growing focus on the Indian market. Greenbrook shares how GEW made a late but strategic decision to exhibit, recognizing Printpack India as a major event on par with global exhibitions like Drupa. With India already a strong market for GEW, particularly in flexo printing, the conversation explores the country’s shift towards UV LED technology and its benefits in terms of energy efficiency, cost savings, and performance consistency. Greenbrook provides insights into how Indian manufacturers and OEMs are adopting hybrid UV and LED systems, with the latest AirCooled AeroLED making retrofitting easier and more affordable. He also discusses the cost-effectiveness of LED upgrades, emphasizing the quick return on investment and the long-term advantages over conventional UV systems. For anyone interested in the future of UV curing technology and its impact on the Indian printing industry, this discussion offers valuable insights into innovation, market trends, and the next steps for GEW in this rapidly evolving sector.

If you say GEW, you also say UV - and as GEW is a partner with Mark Andy, we got the opportunity to talk with Director of International Sales, Marcus Greenbrook, about what GEW offers and how customers are accepting LED-UV as an alternative to the mercury-based lamps. Enjoy!

OMET of Italy has integrated DURST technology into the Hybrid label printer. Marco Panzeri describes the advantages of flexibility with both long and short run jobs. OMET machines with a ‘platform’ concept. It supports printing, finishing and converting any product in one pass.