APPPEXPO Print-and-Cut. Decals, Stickers, Labels, Packaging Prototypes a noticeable Trend which is rarely written about. Dr. Nicholas 1 Hellmuth

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1 T H A I February L A N 2018 D Print-and-Cut Decals, Stickers, Labels, Packaging Prototypes a noticeable Trend which is rarely written about APPPEXPO 2017 Dr. Nicholas 1 Hellmuth

2 We thank Randi Kerkaert, Summa, for information and hospitality in the Summa distributor booth at SIGN ASIA EXPO/APPPEXPO Thailand and the following week at KOSIGN Print-and-Cut is such a profitable market worldwide that Mimaki even introduced UV-curing print-andcut. This is the Mimaki UCJV series. In fact even HP recognized the awesome potential of sales into the world of print-and-cut. So now you can even get an HP latex printer with a print-and-cut set up. Applications Print-and-Cut has potential since there are many things you can accomplish: Packaging (cutting out what then can be folded into a package). No need for a package to be rectangular; you can create an origami-like concept as a package. Heat transfer to T-shirts or bags (downside is that the vinyl sheet which is transferred looks too fake (too shiny), and eventually bits of the vinyl get scraped off). Labels (for short-run needs; for thousands of bottles or boxes you might better get a label printer ). POP signage (when you want the sign not to be a dull rectangular vinyl; with print-and-cut the sign can be look almost 3D-ish). Logos for your company vehicle (you may not always want to wrap your entire company car or truck; it may be more realistic just to put your company name brand logo on the door and also on the back (if a truck). Label on a box Roland TrueVIS-VG540 2

3 Mimaki print & cut sample Roland print & cut sample HP print & cut sample 3

4 Brands (International) of (wide-format) Print & Cut GCC Gerber Mimaki Roland Mutoh I include Mutoh in the list because at trade shows their printers are often printing labels, decals or stickers. But Gerber, Mimaki, and especially Roland are leaders im promoting print-and-cut solutions. Seiko ColorPainter series lite-solvent printers are not focused on print-and-cut. Epson printers are not focused on print-and-cut. Only recently have HP latex printers moved into the market for print-and-cut. There were three booths at Sign Asia Expo 2017 with HP Latex 115 or HP Latex 315 printers with a Graphtec cutter in front (so the HP printers themselves only print; you have to feed the print into a cutter). We do not include toner printers or Silhouette style desktop cutters or Cricut system. They are a way to practice with A4 sheets printed with a desktop toner printer and/or to produce for home or family hobbies. But for serious business you need a serious print-and-cut solution, namely at least 24. HP goes up to 54 and of course Roland and others offer comparable wide-format solutions. GCC printer and cutter Mimaki UCJV printer and cutter 4

5 Mutoh ValueJet VJ-628X HP Latex print and cutter Roland CAMM-1, GR-540 5

6 Major (International) Brands of Roll-fed Cutters We list here cutters for cutting out stickers, decals, etc. If you want to simply cut your wide-format print into rows or rectangles, the best solution is a FOTOBA cutter from Italy. But this is not for print-and-cut applications. GCC Graphtec Summa Roland Dozens of brands of flatbed cutters are also available, but for short-run production of stickers, decals, packaging samples, and sample labels, a roll-fed system is the norm. Mimaki UCJV printer and cutter Roland samples 6

7 Roland print and cut Summa cutters GRAPHTEC cutting plotter 7

8 Mutoh RJ-900X at Eastech booth Mutoh cutter at Bestrade booth Stickers at BK SOFT IMAGE booth 8

9 What kinds of materials can you print and then cut? Magnetic material is a winner, since this material can then be used as a decoration on your refrigerator. Otherwise, if the material is not magnetic, you have to glue it on a surface, so a material that already has stickiness (that you can expose by pulling off a protective cover layer). There are many kinds of self-adhesive materials nowadays; Drytac has several. I would tend to prefer a self-adhesive that you can remove several times (to move to a different location). Because you don t want to need a metal chisel and hammer to take a decal off the refrigerator or off your class window! If you are serious about print-and-cut, consider going to a signage expo with more printable materials brands than anywhere else in the world. This would be APPPEXPO each March in Shanghai. STAHLS and Siser both offer printable heat transfer Vinyl. Decals stickers sample RIP Software You want a RIP software from the world of print-and-cut. In other words, you need to be able to put cutting marks that the cutter can interpret. Not every brand of cutter can read every mark; some cutters prefer one kind of cutting guide over another. Welcome to the real world. But with patience and practice you will learn all this. Wasatch has always been one of my favorite RIP softwares for its ease of use. CadLink SignLab Print and Cut Version 10, ain t cheap. But traditional sign shops often use this brand. Sai FlexiStarter software is another option. Once you get deep into this, you can also use plug-ins for Adobe Illustrator. 9

10 BK SOFT IMAGE booth Roland booth Mutoh booth 10

11 Color Management If you are printing logos of clients, they may be picky about having the precise correct color. If so you will need color management software and the tools to read color bars. X-Rite is a standard. If you have a sophisticated client base you may also want to consider barbieri. Be realistic: Training and learning is crucial; there are plenty of college and university students who like to learn, so add a new person to your team if innovation is best in this manner. As a university professor, and now off-campus, I find that 10% of the university students have the initiative, curiosity, and stamina to learn anything. Be realistic that some brands of printheads waste an incredible amount of ink with constant cleaning. Also be aware that no matter how many claims about a printhead being permanent that even piezo printheads have to be replaced (since they clean themselves to the point that they wear out ). You will need a RIP software or comparable software for putting the cutting marks on the print so that the cutter can read the printed design and know where to cut. Every kind of ink has pros and cons. Some ink smells awful in your printshop. Other ink continues to smell terrible even after you print. Some ink still smells weeks after you print (if you roll up the print, which is how 90% of prints are stored). Be realistic of Greenwashing: Many ink companies flaunt certifications that their ink is green friendly. These certifications vary from silly to misleading since most ink is toxic no matter what. Yes, some ink is less awful than pure solvent ink, but being less toxic should not allow such an ink to be labeled as green. For further information: Printable materials Heat transfer vinyl (for garments) 11

12 Other related reports: This PDF may be cited as follows: HELLMUTH, Nicholas 2018 Print-and-cut, Decals, Stickers, Labels, Packaging Prototypes a noticeable Trend which is rarely written about. APPPEXPO 2017, Thailand, FLAAR-Reports Print-and-cut solutions series. Follow us: Other reports: You can obtain FLAAR Reports straight from our websites: Copyright 2018