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/

Toshi has been stationed in various parts of the world for years and enjoys learning about different cultures. When asked which country he likes the most, he, after consideration, replies, "Italy." Food and wine rank high for most people liking Italy. Toshi has been the General Manager in North America for 4,5 years, and now he will revert to Japan for a job in Global Marketing - as we discussed at the end of the interview - a lot of work with all the products Fujifilm today delivers. Enjoy!

Sandy Alexander has its roots in the printing industry but is a communications service provider today. In this interview, Henry Wagner and Aaron Gerlich talk about the importance of the eProductivity software. Interesting views also on change, we are sure you will like it.

Gelato CEO, Henrik Müller-Hansen, introduces Gelato at Drupa, highlighting its role in the e-commerce industry through its Gelato Create and Gelato Connect platforms. Founded 15 years ago in Norway, Gelato now operates from 18 offices worldwide, supporting 150 production hubs. Gelato, a software company, focuses on local production and distribution globally, catering to the creator economy and e-commerce growth. Müller-Hansen emphasizes the shift from traditional printing to production on demand, enhancing efficiency and meeting global creators' and consumers' needs. Gelato Connect's software streamlines production processes, driving innovation and profitability. At Drupa, Gelato showcases its advancements, including a collaboration with Landa, marking an exciting future for production on demand.  

Henrik Müller Hansen, CEO of Gelato Connect, shares a compelling vision for the printing industry's future. With a focus on leveraging technology, streamlining logistics, and embracing local, on-demand production, Henrik discusses how the industry can evolve to meet modern consumer demands while addressing challenges like overcapacity. Drawing from his extensive experience, Henrik delves into the importance of collaboration, the transformative power of software, and the need to rethink traditional approaches to production and distribution. He also highlights the opportunities presented by changing global dynamics, from sustainability to shifting geopolitical landscapes, and how these factors create exciting growth potential for the industry. This conversation is a deep dive into innovation, strategy, and the potential for print to redefine itself in a rapidly changing world. Let’s dive into this thought-provoking discussion with Henrik Müller Hansen.

Henrik Klem Lassen is the Business Development Manager of INKISH and has a very comprehensive background from Deloitte, Copenhagen Business School, running his own successful company, and now working on developing INKISH. In this presentation, he gives some very good advice on why discounts should be considered carefully every time given.

That photo is taken from one of the last trips before the Corona started. We didn't really know what was going to hit us. When I look at that photo, it shows the international mindset. It shows the lack of worries that we had at the time. It's a mindset taking in what is interesting and good around us in the world. And people meet up internationally. We do come with our own culture. But we are still open to learn from others. The dog is clearly looking at a bright horizon. To have a dog is something that my wife and kids always wanted. And it has made us appreciate more of the things that we have in the area of our house. I've never taken so many walks. Even at six o'clock in the morning, because you can see the sun is rising. When you walk along the beach, walk in your own thoughts and think. And maybe we do too little of that. We are so busy answering the next e-mail that we stop thinking about what is actually not just the values, but also one of the opportunities. I do that as an offset for, for instance, our business development. We were hit really hard by this Covid-19 and we had to stop our usual business traveling around making films. And all of a sudden we had to rethink: what are we doing? Communication companies have to rethink their communication. How do we capture the value for our customers and for our business? In the beginning, we all thought that this was just going to go away in a matter of months. Now we're in the new reality. And I think that we've all learned a lot from that. And I think that our business models have developed as well. Some of the virtual meetings is here to stay. And I see INKISH as a new way of communicating. I think that it's very common for a lot of trade medias to communicate with the industry in a way where they preserve the already known ways of doing it.

Reliance on human decision-making for planning and imposition is becoming complex and unsustainable. Tilia Labs is leveraging AI technology to drive a revolution in preproduction, helping printers estimate faster, plan smarter, and manufacture profitably.

Helmut Kraus from BHS explains in this interview how it is to see the Box Plant 2025 vision unfolding in front of employees, customers, and - competitors. The plan is exciting and ambitious, digitizing the entire flow from raw material to shelf products in the supermarket.

Peter Sommer is former CEO of Elanders, and now Advisor for the Senior Management. Elanders is one of the significant global printing groups. When Heidelberg announced their new strategy a few weeks ago, one of the few public critical voices belonged to Peter Sommer. In this interview Editor, Morten Reitoft speaks with Peter Sommer about his criticism and whether his concerns are only related to Elanders or if this is more generic concerns. The interview was recorded over the Internet due to the coronavirus. The interview was done on April 3rd. Peter Sommer got the interview for review before publishing but has not requested any changes to the conversation, and this interview is therefore mostly unedited, except colours, sound, and text overlays. Enjoy the interview.

Heidelberg, Ricoh et Duplo France se sont associés et sont présents sur un joli stand au salon C!Print. C'est une première pour Heidelberg ici à Lyon et c'est donc une bonne idée de parler de certains des nouveaux produits et services qu'ils proposent au marché français. Nous rencontrons Pierre Duneufgermain et apprenons qu'Heidelberg mise entièrement sur la technologie cloud et est prête à rationaliser les flux de production à partir d'un environnement Prinect et ouverte aux connexions depuis n'importe quel système moderne que le client pourrait utiliser, via une API ou d'autres connexions. ____ Heidelberg, Ricoh, and Duplo France teamed up and are present at a nice booth at the C!Print show. It’s a first for Heidelberg here in Lyon, so it is a good idea to talk about some of the new products & services they offer to the French market. We meet with Pierre Duneufgermain and learn that Heidelberg is all-in on the cloud technology, ready to streamline production flows from within a Prinect environment, and open to connections from whatever modern system the client might be using through API or other connections.

FUJIFILM acudió con su campaña “Make More” para mostrar que va más allá de la venta de equipos: su objetivo es ayudar a los proveedores de impresión a producir más, de forma más rápida, eficiente y rentable. Héctor Yáñez, Director de mercadotecnia de la división artes gráficas Fuji México, enfatizó que presentaron un amplio portafolio de tecnologías, software y servicios diseñados para hacer frente a los retos del sector actual: escasez de mano de obra, plazos de entrega cada vez más cortos y márgenes de presión. Entre las novedades destacadas se encuentra la impresora de gran formato roll-fed de 64 pulgadas ACUITY TR con la tecnología de tinta basada en agua y curado UV AQUAFUZE, que permite imprimir sobre sustratos sensibles al calor, sin necesidad de imprimantes o pretratamientos, mientras mantiene durabilidad comparable a tintas solvente. Además, exhibieron la prensa de tóner digital de alta velocidad REVORIA PRESS PC1120 con hasta 10 estaciones de color (incluyendo oro, plata, blanco, rosa, transparente) para aplicaciones de cartonaje, packaging y comerciales. Alejandro Celis - Director de ventas para división de impresión Fuji México - Printing United 2025 FUJIFILM posicionó su participación como estratégica, destacando que el PRINTING United de 2025 es “un evento clave para nuestra industria… estamos encantados de conectar con socios y clientes, compartir nuestra visión y mostrar cómo nuestras innovaciones … están diseñadas para resolver los retos reales que enfrentan”. Aunque aún no se han publicado cifras completas de ventas o contratos cerrados durante el evento, Alejandro Celis, Director de ventas para división de impresión Fuji México, comentó que la amplitud de la exhibición, la experiencia de realidad aumentada (permitiendo “ver por dentro” máquinas como la J PRESS 750HS y la J PRESS FP790) y la cobertura mediática sugieren una presencia muy robusta y bien valorada. Además, la combinación de tecnologías enfocadas en productividad, sustentabilidad (por ejemplo tintas AQUAFUZE con certificación medioambiental) y versatilidad de aplicaciones (commercial print, packaging, roll-fed wide-format) posiciona a FUJIFILM como un actor clave para los negocios de impresión que buscan crecer en un mercado cada vez más demandante.

En la feria Printing United 2025 en Orlando, Nayeli González de INKISH TV conversa con Héctor Cordero, presidente de Conlatingraf, sobre la reciente reunión de la organización y los desarrollos más relevantes en la industria gráfica latinoamericana. Héctor comienza explicando que la asamblea de Conlatingraf fue un éxito, con una gran asistencia y una amplia variedad de temas abordados. “Uno de los puntos más importantes”, comenta, “fue la designación de Hamilton Terni Costa, un prestigioso consultor brasileño, como el nuevo Líder Gráfico de las Américas.” Destaca que Costa “fue el único experto de la región reconocido por Drupa por sus aportes al futuro de la industria gráfica” y que la decisión fue aprobada por unanimidad por todos los delegados de Conlatingraf. Otro reconocimiento será para Grupo Espinoza, una empresa mexicana especializada en producción editorial y de libros, que está desarrollando nuevas tecnologías para hacer más accesible la impresión personalizada. “Están creando un modelo donde cualquier persona pueda enviar su propio libro para imprimir,” explica Héctor. “Ese nivel de innovación es lo que les ha hecho merecedores del Premio a la Innovación Tecnológica.” El evento también reunió a una amplia gama de participantes internacionales. Entre ellos se encontraban Ford Bowers, CEO de Printing United, y Daniel Sunderland, presidente mundial de FESPA, además de expositores de China, España y América Latina. “Vimos empresas chinas presentando innovaciones en impresión de cama plana, una empresa española llamada Rotatek mostrando nuevos desarrollos en empaque tras recibir una fuerte inversión árabe, y una compañía mexicana, Inatural, que busca exportar tintas flexográficas a toda Latinoamérica,” comenta Héctor. HP también tuvo una participación destacada, abordando un estudio ambiental alemán que calificaba la impresión Indigo como altamente contaminante por la composición de sus tintas. “HP presentó sus datos y argumentos, explicando que el estudio no tomó en cuenta todos los factores,” señala Héctor. “Es un tema abierto al debate, pero es positivo que todos puedan escuchar ambas versiones y sacar sus propias conclusiones.” Nayeli comenta sobre la creciente importancia de la sostenibilidad, señalando que las empresas del sector se están adaptando a las nuevas exigencias. Héctor coincide: “Sí, absolutamente. La sostenibilidad es un tema central hoy en día. Incluso compañías como Heidelberg están adaptándose. En lugar de trasladar sus grandes prensas a la feria, invitaron a los visitantes a una planta cercana, a solo 15 minutos. Es una medida más económica, pero también más sostenible.” Agrega que muchas empresas están adoptando este modelo: menor huella, menos maquinaria gigante y mayor eficiencia. También destaca que Ángel Bustamante, director de Ricoh Latinoamérica, trabaja estrechamente con Conlatingraf para expandir tecnologías de impresión sostenibles en toda la región. Al ser consultado sobre su impresión general del evento, Héctor responde que la asistencia fue alta y el ambiente optimista. “La participación fue excelente,” afirma. “Eso demuestra que la economía de Estados Unidos, aunque no está en auge, se mantiene estable, y eso es una buena noticia para América Latina, porque cuando Estados Unidos se mueve, nos arrastra a todos.” La conversación gira luego hacia la creciente presencia de fabricantes chinos en el mercado latinoamericano. “Es positivo,” dice Héctor, “siempre y cuando esté regulado. Damos la bienvenida a la competencia, pero debe ser en condiciones justas: precios equivalentes, calidad constante y aranceles adecuados. Así, los consumidores pueden elegir con base en el valor, no solo en el precio más bajo.” Subraya que el financiamiento será clave para la modernización del sector gráfico en la región. “El financiamiento marca la diferencia,” explica. “Si los proveedores ofrecen un paquete completo —equipo, capacitación y opciones de arrendamiento— es mucho más fácil para los clientes decidir. Pagar conforme se usa la máquina permite que más empresarios inviertan.” Finalmente, Héctor cierra la entrevista con una invitación: “La próxima asamblea de Conlatingraf se llevará a cabo en Brasil, durante ExpoPrint en marzo de 2026, donde entregaremos el premio Líder Gráfico de las Américas a Hamilton Terni Costa y el Premio a la Innovación Tecnológica al Grupo Espinoza de México.” Nayeli sonríe y responde: “Ahí estaremos. Muchas gracias, Héctor.” Él asiente y concluye: “Gracias, Nayeli. Nos vemos en Brasil.”

Müller Martini lanzó dos grandes novedades en América del Norte: la encuadernadora de líneas blandas Antaro Digital y la solución roll-to-stack GEN8 EVO (esta última en colaboración con Hunkeler). La Antaro Digital viene ahora con una capacidad nueva para producir bloques de libros en tapa dura en línea — algo que no tenía en ediciones anteriores — lo que abre camino para tiradas más pequeñas, productos personalizados y cambios rápidos. La GEN8 EVO fue mostrada en su primera exhibición en EE.UU., destacando su interfaz modernizada y el enfoque en automatización para flujos de trabajo digitales y de alto volumen. Héctor Castro, Director ejecutivo Región Latinoamérica para Müller Martini resaltó que buscan adaptarse a la demanda creciente de tiradas cortas, personalización y producción eficiente — un reto clave para la industria gráfica actual.

On the final day of Printing United Expo in Orlando, Wayne Beckett from INKISH stopped by the Fiery booth to speak with Heather Long, Product Marketing Manager at Fiery. Despite the long week, Heather was in high spirits. “It’s been incredible,” she said. “We’ve had a lot of foot traffic and strong leads, so it’s been a really successful show for us. We’re excited to wrap up on a high note.” Wayne noted that this year’s event seemed to be the biggest yet, with both exhibitors and visitors. Heather agreed. “Yes, it’s definitely been busy,” she said. “It’s great to see so much energy and engagement from the industry.” Heather explained that Fiery was using the show to preview a new workflow automation solution called Fiery JobFlow Pro. “This is the successor to our current Fiery JobFlow,” she said. “We’ve completely redesigned it from the ground up on a much higher performance platform, so it’s faster, more flexible, and now integrates with AI.” She described how the system is designed to remove repetitive, time-consuming prepress tasks. “For example, if you’re getting hundreds of small jobs like business cards, you don’t want operators spending all day clicking the same settings and doing the same impositions,” she said. “JobFlow Pro automates those steps. It reduces clicks, eliminates human error, and frees up time so operators can focus on higher-value work.” Wayne asked how the system fits into a typical production environment, especially for companies running web-to-print systems. “That’s one of the biggest changes,” Heather explained. “We’ve re-engineered the architecture so it can receive jobs from multiple sources—e-commerce sites, job tickets, Command WorkStation, or even drag-and-drop from a browser. Once a file is received, the AI scans not just the metadata but also the file contents to understand what kind of job it really is. So if someone uploads a file named ‘businesscard.pdf’ but it’s actually a catalog, the system will recognize that and route it to the right workflow automatically.” She added that the AI also improves communication and usability for less experienced operators. “If a preflight report comes back full of technical terms, a beginner might not know what to do with it. JobFlow Pro can translate that into plain language, so it’s easy to understand. It can even send the report back to the customer automatically with simple instructions so they can fix it themselves.” According to Heather, the system is flexible enough to suit any type of user. “You can have an experienced prepress technician or a new intern using it,” she said. “Once the workflows are built, the AI handles the routing and logic. It’s all about making automation accessible.” Wayne asked how far the system goes in the production chain. “Ultimately, the goal is to get the job to print,” Heather said. “We can connect to any Fiery-driven printer—whether it’s a cut-sheet device or a large-format printer—and we can also integrate with MIS or ERP systems to feed production data, trigger new workflows, or even automate tasks like printing shipping labels once a job is complete. It really can go all the way to dispatch.” She added that the new system is far more dynamic than before. “The old JobFlow was more linear. JobFlow Pro can branch, connect, and scale. It’s built on a modern node-based framework, so it’s open-source friendly. Customers can create or add their own building blocks to customize workflows. We’ve tried to remove the need for scripting so it’s easier to use, but power users can still go deep and integrate at the API level.” Fiery JobFlow Pro, Heather confirmed, will be available in early December. “It’s all about our new motto: ‘Print smarter, automate anything,’” she said. “Reducing touchpoints, improving consistency, and giving customers tools to scale up—those are the goals.” Wayne smiled. “That’s exactly what the industry needs,” he said. “Fewer touchpoints, more automation, and faster turnaround.” Heather nodded. “Exactly,” she said. “That’s what we’re aiming for.”

A racing car driver is spotted in the halls of Labelexpo Europe 2023, promoting pre-press expert Heaford’s Top Mounter competition.

At Printing United 2025 in Orlando, Wayne Beckett from INKISH interviews Haik Zubadrah, founder of Bazaar Printing in Los Angeles, a company known for ultra-fast packaging production and premium digital embellishment. Haik explains that Bazaar Printing began seven years ago in downtown L.A. with modest equipment and a simple goal — speed. “We saw a major gap in the market. Most companies took three weeks to deliver packaging. We decided to do it in one day,” he says. That commitment quickly attracted customers and forced the business to scale. “When demand reached hundreds of thousands of pieces, we needed commercial-grade solutions. That’s when we invested in HP Indigo presses and a Scodix system.” He describes how Scodix transformed the company. “It let us do raised UV and raised foil in minutes — no dies, no long setup,” Haik says. “Customers can walk in with no design, and our team can create, print, and finish samples the same day.” Bazaar Printing now focuses on labels, boxes, and pouches, offering full in-house service from design to final packaging. Haik emphasizes that Scodix adds more than visual appeal — it changes how brands connect with customers. “When people see a box with Scodix, they can’t unsee it,” he says. “It’s not expensive — it’s value. There’s nothing else like it. It helps brands stand out instantly.” He credits Scodix and digital printing for enabling nearly 400% growth in the past two years. “It’s not just about technology,” he says. “It’s about people, design, and details. Many can print, but few can deliver a full experience.” Wayne concludes that Haik’s enthusiasm mirrors his company’s success — built on creativity, technology, and a relentless focus on fast, high-quality results.

In this conversation, Morten from INKISH speaks with Hayco, who has just concluded a remarkable 26-year journey at Canon EMEA. After more than two decades helping shape Canon’s commercial print direction, he begins an exciting new chapter at RPI on Monday. Hayco reflects on the emotional challenge of leaving Canon — a company that has been central to his identity for over half his life — and the colleagues who became close partners throughout his career. He introduces RPI, a global leader with more than 500 employees and production sites in Seattle, Rochester, Atlanta, and Eindhoven. The company specializes in: High-end white-label production of personalized photo products, including photobooks for major brands Self-publishing platforms like Blurb and MagCloud supporting creators who want to design, sell, and distribute books and magazines He explains that while creating one photobook is easy, producing thousands every day — with consistent routing, quality, traceability, and fast delivery — is highly complex. Only a small number of companies worldwide can do this at scale. Hayco was especially impressed by RPI’s investment in workflow, automation, IT, and APIs, designed to make customer integration efficient and straightforward. In his new role as head of European sales, Hayco will support existing global customers, explore new opportunities, and drive diversification. Because photobooks are highly seasonal, he sees big potential in using RPI’s production capacity for other applications outside peak periods. As ordering moves increasingly online, printers must act more like IT companies — and strong PSP/OEM partnerships become essential. Morton notes that RPI’s focus on personalization, waste reduction, and sustainability positions the business well for the future — a point Hayco fully agrees with. He also shares that RPI works with multiple OEMs, including Canon and HP, and highlights sustainability as a key focus area. Hayco feels a strong cultural and personal fit with RPI and looks forward to staying close to the industry. He confirms he will attend the NON-EVENT in January.

Konica Minolta is a well-known supplier of toner-based digital printers, and in DRUPA 2012 the announced the B2 format KM1. At that time it was a pre-announcement, and the interest was pretty good. At DRUPA 2016 the KM1 was not just an idea, but a fully operational printer and many KM1's are now at work globally. At the recent Inkjet Update 2019 event in Denmark, we got the chance to talk to Mark Hinder, who is the Head of Market Development. The result is this great interview and if you see Mark Hinder sweating it may be because we ask him whether KM1 is a safe bet investing in or how they see the future of Inkjet - or maybe just because it was a really warm and beautiful day in Denmark. Regardless - Mark Hinder as always gives an open and honest inside to the story about Konica Minolta KM1 and Inkjet in general.

Wayne Beckett from Inkish interviews Hasan from B&G at LabelExpo 2025 in Barcelona. Hasan is the Turkish agent for Weigang and has represented them for about 17 years, starting back when the company was still called Dong Hai. He recalls first visiting China around 2008 in search of new technology to represent in Turkey, and although Weigang was small at the time, he believed in its potential. The first machine he sold and installed in 2010 convinced a skeptical customer, who went on to buy three more. Today, that same customer runs four offset and two flexo machines, and many others have followed a similar path, often purchasing multiple presses. Hasan, an engineer by background, explains that early on, he advised Weigang to adopt German technology to overcome market skepticism about Chinese machines. They initially chose components, which helped build trust in Turkey, and later shifted to technology due to its ease of maintenance, spare part availability, and lower costs. Since 2010, he has sold around 70 Weigang offset label printing machines and about 10 flexo machines in Turkey, with more orders already on the way during the show. He says his 39 years of industry experience, now shared with his two sons, combined with reliable local support and fast 24-hour response times, have built strong customer trust. Technical issues are rare, and when they occur, they are resolved quickly, which he credits as a major reason for their sales success. Hassan concludes that trust, proven technology, and dependable service have made selling Weigang machines in Turkey both successful and sustainable.

Harm Jan Hulleman is the EMEA Sales Director for Tecnau and is a partner to Heidelberger Druckmaschinen. Tecnau has since PRINTING United 2023 developed partnerships with several companies, including Heidelberg. Though Tecnau is known for its web-based paper processing and finishing equipment, Tecnau also delivers cut-sheet equipment, and that's what the partnership is also about. With Heidelberg's Jetfire 50 and later Jetfire 75, fast and efficient finishing is required, and Tecnau provides the right technology.

In this 'Learn With Us' session Harm Jan Hulleman & Scott Peterson from TECNAU gives us a presentation of some of the solutions some of their customers have chosen.

The Horizon Finishing First event is about Horizon products and several partners. One of the partners is Tecnau. INKISH has made several films of Tecnau customers, and at one filming task in Madrid, Spain, we met with Harm Jan Hulleman. In this interview, we catch up from the filming session with Pullmen, but of course, it also touches upon Tecnau's revolution 50-series and why Tecnau attends the Finishing First event. Dig in, and get the story!