At Printing United in Orlando, Morten B. Reitoft from INKISH met with Chris Manley, president of Graphco, to discuss how the company continues to innovate and help printers expand into higher-margin opportunities. The Graphco booth once again reflected Manley’s energy and creativity, centered on a clear theme: “The Unfair Advantage.” That phrase, Manley explained, defines Graphco’s mission to give its customers a real competitive edge—enabling them to outproduce and outprofit their peers through smart investments. One of the standout demonstrations was the SD AUSTA F-150R2 hybrid CNC routing and cutting system, made in Italy. The machine was shown producing high-value signage in just a few minutes, turning roughly $25 in raw materials into finished products that sell for around $200. Designed for automation and ease of use, the system can cut, route, and automatically weld studs, allowing even non-specialized operators to create complex, ready-to-install signage. Manley emphasized how this kind of productivity and profitability is exactly what printers need in a market where 10–15% gross margins are typical. For about $5,000–$6,000 per month in lease payments, he explained, a print service provider can own a system that generates products with far higher returns than traditional print work. Graphco also showcased the Foilnex Touris 53044 laminator, built in the Czech Republic, which can laminate both sides of a 12x18" sheet at nearly 8,000 sheets per hour. Manley noted that it is ideal for digital and offset printers alike—particularly those producing menus, covers, and other laminated applications requiring high throughput and premium finish quality. Another highlight was the FoldStream folder-gluer from Hanover, Germany. Compact, easy to use, and built for short- to medium-run packaging and pocket folders, the FoldStream provides automation and productivity typically reserved for much larger, more expensive systems. Priced at roughly half of competitive equipment, it opens opportunities for smaller printers to enter the folding carton and packaging market. Manley described convergence—the blending of commercial print, signage, and packaging—as a central growth opportunity. He stressed that short-run packaging is especially promising because it brings repeat business and strong margins, unlike many traditional print segments. True to Graphco’s philosophy, Manley underscored that every piece of equipment they sell must help customers make money. His guiding principle, as he put it, is simple: “As we serve, we succeed.” For him, Graphco’s growth is directly tied to helping printers thrive through automation, creativity, and the pursuit of profitable new markets.

President Chris Manley explains why he’s SO excited about Graphco’s one-year-old distribution partnership with SD Italy for its cutting/plotting technology. It’s all about communication, Manley says.

RMGT is a success in North America, and Graphco has a huge share in the success. CEO and owner Chris Manley explains why and how - also positioning in an American context - super great interview by INKISH member Mark Vruno. Great work!

In this film, we visit 'Executive Mailing Service,' or, in short, EMS in the Chicago area, and this is a great experience for many reasons. The company specializes in mailing, and when you enter the facility, you see mailboxes as long as you can see - it's quite a large operation. Though you see many machines everywhere, you also realize the number of people working. In the print room, you have a combination of toner-based printers and the newer MCS Inkjet machines - and in the film, we learn how more efficient the MCS Inkjet machines are - and why EMS is replacing the toners one by one. During the visit, you easily understand how great the collaboration is between EMS as a customer and MCS as a supplier - and as this is our first filming with MCS, we are also learning quite a lot. MCS has an intense focus on mailing, and when we later visited their Chicago-based operation, we got a walkthrough that you can see here: https://inkish.tv/inkish-video/mcs/ - it was a great day, and great meeting dedicated people from both sides of the production!

Chris Knighton is the PSP Global Head of Sales at HP Solutions, and that is actually a role that is relatively new to him. Together with a business partner Chris Knighton ran his own company from 2013 where the vision was to create a software solution that would enable global brands to connect to their PSP's wherever located. More than 600 companies and global brands have already taken this path, and recently HP acquired the company and merged it into the software solutions already known. Great story and great to understand what HP Site Flow is capable of plus great to hear what the visions have been throughout the years. 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!   For further information - please reach out to GSBsolutions@hp.com

SiteFlow is nothing but an amazing workflow solution. Though delivered by HP, the software is Vendor Agnostic, as PSP Global Head of Sales and Business Development, Chris Knighton, explains in this 'Learn with Us' session. Amazing software, and presented as a role-play between HP and a printing company. Looks really cool!

Chris Harrington shows a couple of new products delivered by Canadian-based Graphic Whizard. Dig in :-)

At Printing United 2025 in Orlando, Morten B. Reitoft from INKISH meets Chris Harrington from Graphic Whizard, one of the busiest exhibitors at the show — so busy, in fact, that the interview had to be postponed until the final hours because, as Chris put it, “We’re selling too much right now.” Chris, who has spent decades in the print finishing industry, including his entire career working with guillotines, shares how Graphic Whizard’s latest product line brings both tradition and innovation together. “We launched our new series of guillotines about a year and a half ago,” he explains. “We showed them for the first time at Printing United 2024, and now they’re in full production, with installations happening all over North America.” Before becoming a company leader, Chris began his career as a technician, and that hands-on background has deeply influenced his design philosophy. “When you’re standing at a cutter for hours, you realize comfort matters,” he says. “It’s about ergonomics — the button placement, the height, where the foot pedal sits. Operators spend all day at these machines, so it needs to be easy on the body.” The new Graphic Whizard guillotine line includes both hydraulic and electric models. The electric versions, available in 18- and 20-inch formats, are compact, efficient, and ideal for smaller digital environments, while the hydraulic models are suited to heavier production settings. “Electric cutters have come a long way,” Chris says. “If you keep your blade sharp, they’ll last just as long as a hydraulic machine — with a smaller footprint and easier maintenance.” He explains that automation and user assistance are now central to Graphic Whizard’s development philosophy. “We know labor is tight, and skilled operators are harder to find,” he says. “So, our software now includes interactive prompts that guide users step-by-step — where to cut, how to rotate, and how to stack. It gives less experienced operators confidence and helps maintain precision.” Chris also highlights the company’s evolution beyond guillotines. “We’ve become one of the leaders in the slitter-cutter-creaser category, and that complements our cutters perfectly. You can automate a lot of the work that used to wear people out at the guillotine. But the cutter still remains the heart of the finishing department — every print shop needs one.” Discussing Graphic Whizard’s growing reputation, Chris points out that many of the company’s machines are now installed in major national print chains and corporate-owned operations. “We’ve proven that our equipment performs at the same or higher level than much larger brands,” he says. “Before pricing even comes into the discussion, the durability and productivity speak for themselves.” He adds that Graphic Whizard’s model — combining in-house technology with trusted manufacturing partners — allows the company to deliver quality, reliability, and consistency across a wide portfolio. “Ten or fifteen years ago, when someone said they had a Graphic Whizard, they meant they owned one machine,” Chris smiles. “Now, we visit shops that have seven or eight Graphic Whizard systems — guillotines, slitters, die cutters, binders. Once they’ve had a good experience with the first one, they come back for more.” As the show winds down, Morten congratulates Chris on what appears to be a record event. Chris laughs and gestures toward the booth, where half the machines have already been sold. “It’s been a great show,” he says. “A lot of orders, a lot of conversations — and a lot of these machines are heading straight from the floor to their new homes.” Morten smiles and concludes, “That’s the best kind of problem to have — too much success.”

Always great starting an interview with good news, and having sold 200 machines to one customer must be a fantastic experience. Chris Harrington from Canadian-based Graphic Whizard can't hide how happy and proud he is, but not being able to talk about the customer is, of course, a bummer :-) In this interview, we look at the machine they sold - able to slit, crease, cut, and perforate in a very compact and automated way. In the film, Chris Harrington shows you some of the features. Enjoy!

A laminator debut and two laminator workhorses on display with Graphic Whizard - and, as usual, a Chris Harrington that presents the machines, so we easily understand the differences. It was first later the same day that I realized that Harrington started many years ago as a technician and, therefore, has the same passion for diving deep into his and competitors' products. As usual, filming with Chris Harrington, and the Micro (new) and the two other laminators seem to be a good fit for many, so check them out - here on INKISH.

Growth is given at Fotofabriek in the northern Netherlands, and with an increased order intake, technology needs to adapt. Chris De Jonge was featured on INKISH a year ago, and with more than 15,000 daily orders, Fotofabriek is very happy with Ultimate Tech. Chris De Jonge explains how Impostrip, Bindery, and the dynamic scaling of the solutions help them achieve growth :-) Enjoy!  

At Printing United Expo in Orlando, Wayne Beckett from INKISH speaks with Chris Davis, Head of Sales for Hoenle America, about the company’s rebrand, its business divisions, and the future of UV curing in print and packaging. Davis, who has been attending major U.S. trade shows since 1997, emphasizes the continued importance of in-person events. “People buy from people,” he says. “Trade shows give us a chance to connect, understand customer needs, and show what’s new.” He explains that Hoenle recently unified eight brands under one name — Hoenle in English, Hönle in German — to strengthen visibility and simplify how customers understand the company’s broad technology portfolio. The business now operates across three divisions: Adhesive Technologies, Disinfection Systems, and Curing Solutions. Davis’s focus is on the curing side, which serves sheetfed, web, and industrial markets. Discussing the advantages of UV curing, Davis highlights the flexibility of Hoenle’s systems, which include UV, LED, and IR technologies. Printers can finish sheets immediately off the press, enabling embellishment or downstream packaging processes without delay. For existing presses, Hoenle also provides retrofit solutions, an increasingly popular option as more printers convert from conventional to LED or hybrid UV systems. Hoenle’s approach, Davis explains, is deeply technical but highly collaborative. The company supports customers throughout the process — from application testing in its R&D labs to system design, installation, and performance analysis. “We don’t just sell curing units,” he says. “We run the coatings, measure the cure, and make sure every system performs to spec.” Looking ahead, Davis points to ongoing R&D investments aimed at expanding high-powered LED systems, optical precision, and next-generation UVC solutions. These developments will allow printers to use traditional UV ink sets while still benefiting from modern curing efficiency. With a new global identity and a wave of innovation underway, Davis says the mood within Hoenle is optimistic. “We’ve got a lot happening — new branding, new products, and great engagement here at the show. The industry keeps evolving, and we’re proud to evolve with it.”

It takes time to plan an event like PRINTING United, and it takes even more time when the organizer continues to develop the show. This time, PRINTING United takes place in Orlando from October 22-24, and INKISH, Revista El Impresor, and Printing-Connect.online are busy covering the show. Here, we talk to Chris Curran and Mark Subers about the show - it's good to learn from them!

Understanding the go-to-market approach by vendors may make it easier for most to understand the value proposition. In this interview, Global VP Sales and Alliances, Fabian Prudhomme explains how CHILI address future prospects. Actually quite interesting, and the amazing part is the vast value that CHILI-Publish apparently gives the customers who understand it. Remember to watch the two demos.

Kevin Goeminne is the CEO of CHILI publish and in this film from SPICYtalks 19 in Berlin he expresses his happiness over his team and the achievements his team has done. CHILI publish is successful and more and more customers are using the software to create, not only print campaigns, but also online campaigns. At SPICYtalks CHILI publish used CHILI Publisher to generate hundreds of individual banners that were targeted users online. Kevin Goeminne, as usual, deliver both as CEO and as host in Berlin. Enjoy.

CHILI publish CTO Ward De Langhe was VERY busy during the SPICYtalks event in Berlin. Most can probably understand what a great opportunity it is for partners and customers to get a chance to talk with the CTO of a company that develops software all are relying on? We do at least. Ward De Langhe explains, in this interview, that at the beginning of 2019, a lot of changes was developed. However, most changes were not so visual since it was part of an updated backbone of CHILI Publisher. In the past three months, however, every new release has delivered significant new features - and of course, version 6.0 is a major update. Enjoy the opportunity to listen to Ward De Langhe right here on INKISH.TV

At the recent SPICY Talks in Amsterdam Don Schminkey from Channel-Fusion was one of the participants. We got the chance to talk to him, and as a relatively new client with CHILI Publish he explains how great the software has been for Channel-Fusion and their customers.

The European aircraft manufacturer Airbus has chosen to use CHILI Publisher as part of their delivery of brand consistent marketing. At SPICYtalks 19 in Berlin Digital Project Manager Thomas Julé from Airbus gave a quite impressive presentation of what they are doing. It was also very nice to experience the openness of Airbus and how they show the application. Great design, great implementation, and here you can hear and see for yourself some of the motivations for working with CHILI.

CHILI-Publish is maybe one of the worlds leading software when it comes to online mass-customization, and we are so happy that we are broadcasting LIVE from CHILI-Publisher. Not only will it give you an insight into the product, but also to get to know the people behind the company. In this film with Global Vice President Sales & Alliances, Fabian Prudhomme introduces us to CHILI. Enjoy and see the other interviews with Fabian Prudhomme as well.

At the recent LabelExpo, we got the chance to talk to Fabian Prudhomme from CHILI publish. Some may recognize Fabian Prudhomme, who used to be the VP of Enfocus. His new position with CHILI publish is Global Vice President Sales & Alliances. In the interview, we talk with Fabian Prudhomme about the opportunity Chili has in a time where everybody talks about mass-customization, personalization, etc. We also asked Fabian Prudhomme whether the marketing- and storytelling isn't becoming more complex when a product becomes more and more complex. See and hear his answers in this short interview from LabelExpo and stay tunes for a full day of coverage from CHILI publish's booth #11657 at Printing United 2019 in Dallas.

One of our absolute favourites in the industry is Piet Saegeman from CHILI publish. He controls words like no other and can even use the words as a playground for kids. He is always serious when talking to him, of course, but he also knows the power of the word. In his presentation at SPICYtalks 19 in Berlin, he spoke about how the porn-industry has been a test field for many of the technologies used today. He continues with his second slide, spelling porn wrongly (pron) and jokes about that his colleagues at CHILI publish didn't even proofread his slides. There is no need to proofread his slides - Piet Saegeman has an enormous knowledge, and he knows exactly how to sell CHILI - so that is exactly what he does. I LOVE this film. Enjoy!

Wayne Beckett from Inkish interviews Chiara Prati at LabelExpo in Barcelona. Chiara is part of the second generation leading Prati, a company founded in 1973 by her father and now over 50 years old. She explains that Prati has long specialized in designing, manufacturing, and servicing finishing and converting machines for the label industry, later expanding into flexible packaging—and now, for the first time, also into folding carton. At the show, Prati is launching the new Digifast 20000, a larger-format solution aimed at folding carton production. It complements their existing Jupiter modular platform, which mainly serves the food and beverage sector. Chiara says their stand showcases equipment covering all market segments—food and beverage, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, security labels, logistics, and retail—demonstrating how Prati machines can handle a wide range of applications from narrow to mid-web. Each machine on display is running a job tailored to a specific market to highlight its versatility. She adds that Prati operates globally through a strong distributor and service network, with a branch office in Dallas since 2018 to support the United States market. Chiara says the first day at the show has gone very well, with customers excited to see Prati’s move into mid-web solutions, which opens new business opportunities for converters. Wayne concludes by praising the impressive size of the Prati booth and the impact they’ve made at the show.

In this conversation, Anthony Thirlby, Steffen Franzisi, and Morten B. Reitoft review 2024 and discuss 2025. However, we have also invited ChatGPT 4o, which can now listen and—well—engage with us. It is interesting to see how technology may be used in debates like this sooner or later. We could have set better rules for ChatGPT in advance, but this is the default version. Maybe you will be surprised—we were!

Boone Graphics is located in Santa Barbara, about 2 hours drive from Los Angeles, and besides the traffic in LA, the rest of the tour was super nice. When we got to Boone Graphics, we were kindly received and got into a super nice meeting room with all types of print - and the rest of the day was interesting. Learning about how ChatGPT is used to write XML documents to be used with Ultimate TechnoGraphics Impostrip and Bindery was a surprise - but the story and how Boone Graphics navigates in the industry was just super nice. Enjoy! LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-tanner-313ba58/ Apology from the editor: As Boone Graphics ALSO uses both Impostrip and Bindery from Ultimate TechnoGraphics, Editor Morten B. Reitoft asked about the use of Impostrip Bindery but used the phrase ImpoBind, which obviously isn't the name - sorry for this - hereby disclaimed!