This year’s Graphics Canada is shaping up to be an exciting show. From November 12-14 at Toronto’s International Centre, visitors will be able to come and see new equipment first hand as well as a variety of software and technology solutions. There will also be a number of seminars and demonstrations to help educate show attendees on the market and what’s new in the print and graphics industry.

The Graphics Software Theatre will feature many demonstrations throughout the show on hot topics such as Apple’s new operating system and Adobe’s CS4 suite of programs. Dr. Joe Webb will kick off the show and its seminar series with his keynote speech, “Digital Media’s Challenge: Reawakening Print’s Entrepreneurial Spirit” (see page 26 for our exclusive interview with Dr. Joe to read more on what he will discuss and what he thinks about the future of Canada’s printing industry). Other topics at Graphics Canada seminars include the value of mail, print – what’s next, profitability through retrofits, top 10 mistakes printers make with customers and how to avoid them, reduce your tax burden or get “cash back” and many more.

Graphics Canada will also feature two major conferences: PacPrint Canada and the CPIA Strategy Conference. PacPrint, on November 13, will highlight opportunities and challenges in package printing in major printing disciplines and market sectors. Some of the seminar topics include packging printing trends, outwitting counterfeiters, evolving technologies and brand colour management and proofing. The CPIA Strategy 09 conference will touch on management, networking, “green” initiatives and, of course, all the newest advancements in the industry.

Kodak will also be putting on a conference called “Do more with flexo” covering subjects throughout the show like sustainable flexo, wide web flexo, proofing for flexo and prepress for packaging, among others.

The following is an exclusive preview of some of the latest equipment and technology that visitors can look forward to seeing at this year’s Graphics Canada:

AdasTotal Services [Booth #3100]

AdasTotal Services Inc., established in 2004, will soon become a dealer for Komfi s.r.o. products on the Canadian market. Komfi s.r.o. is a Czech private company leading in the development and manufacturing of European build-quality thermal laminating and varnishing machines. Because of the unique combination of its robustness, compactness, reliability and operational ease, Komfi laminators have gained the confidence of more than 900 customers all over the world, including the U.S. and Canada. To cover a wider range of the print finishing industry, Komfi recently launched its flood UV coater and innovative digital spot UV varnishing machine, Spotmatic, designed especially for the on-demand market.

All Graphic Supplies [Booth #2108]

All Graphic Supplies is a supplier of inks, Rite-media, Oracal and Ultraflex. The company carries leading-edge printers and laminators that will be featured at its booth, which includes the Roland brand of printers, EFI Rastek H650 flatbed printer, the Mimaki roll-to-roll and flatbed range. Also showing will be the BannerPro heat welder and other accessories.

Avanti Systems [Booth #1012]

Celebrating its 25th anniversary, Avanti will be demonstrating Microsoft Outlook integration as part of its JDF-certified Print MIS solution that helps print shops automate all facets of their business. This new functionality provides the ability to automatically synchronize all contacts, tasks, notes, calendar and email bi-directionally between Microsoft Exchange Server and Avanti CRM. Using this product, sales reps, often working remotely, will always be able to remain in sync with the most current information about their customers and their customer’s jobs; CSR’s will also have all the information regarding a customer on one screen including full access to all Outlook correspondence.

Avanti’s modular software is broken down into four components. The production component includes estimating for digital, traditional offset and mail, job ticketing, scheduling, inventory management, fulfillment, mailing, purchasing, shipping and invoicing. Web-to-print includes full e-commerce, POD job submission, catalogs, variable data, soft proofing and fulfillment. The third-party integration component supports open standards, such as JDF and XML, as well as providing seamless integration to over 20 best-in-class software applications and Direct Machine Interface (DMI) to equipment in both the pressroom and the bindery. The fourth component, business intelligence, features executive dashboards, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), triggers, alerts and reporting.

Bard Business Solutions [Booth #2523]

Bard Business Solutions is a company that provides customized databases, computer training, multimedia presentations, systems support, spreadsheet managing and consulting. The company will feature all of the latest upgrades on its software systems, including the newest versions of Graphics Manager, a fully integrated multi-user database management system for film, print and graphics businesses; Enterprise Manager, a database system for advertising, design and large-format printers; and Digital Print Manager, designed for shorter-run and bindery companies. Coming up in February, the company will celebrate its 15-year anniversary.

Canadian Metal-Ad Corporation [Booth #3112]

Canadian Metal-Ad (CMC) is a company that specializes in electro-plating and metal finishing for the on-site repair of damaged and cracked press cylinders. Its booth at the show will display a cylinder that features examples of typical repairs using brush plating and re-surfacing methods. CMC can repair scratches, dings, dents, smashes and other surface defects on rolls, even without disassembly. The company will also show some other examples of shaft repairs as well as technology demonstrations on how the process works.

CiMa-Pak Corporation [Booth #1210]

CiMa-Pak will feature its range of shrink-wrapping machines from the small SE450 up to the large Flexo 500. The Flexo 500 S Polybagger has touchscreen controls and can store up to 300 different products. The equipment can reach production speeds of up to 5000 pieces per hour. Also on display will be the Bantam paper counter and Mailbag polybagging machine. The CiMa-Pak Mailbag device is a semi-automatic poly-wrapping machine designed for small and medium volume production. One Mailbag allows in-house poly-wrapping at a cost-effective price.

Draabe [Booth #1275]

Draabe, a humidification supply company, will be introducing the new DuoPur humidification and water treatment system. This machine, for the first time, houses the high-pressure equipment that feeds humidification nozzles as well as the pure water system in one container. The company is also offering its unique zero down, zero downtime program. This allows companies to pay nothing upfront and sign up for the leasing and maintenance program to make monthly payments for the DuoPur system. The package includes a fresh container every six months, which the company says is basically a lifetime warranty. Each DuoPur high-pressure nozzle humidifier is capable of handling areas of up to 3,000 square feet.

Drytac [Booth #2008]

The company will be featuring several new products, including its new foam board edge finishing system. The DES-4 Foam is designed to work with heat-sensitive foam display boards. It uses precise pressure and cutting mechanisms to apply PVC and ABS edging. The system decreases the need to inventory multiple boards with different foam core types or face material colours and allows the increased use of environmentally-friendly recycled boards. Drytac will also introduce the VersaCoater PhotoMate UV to its existing line of coaters. This machine is capable of processing speeds up to 100 feet per minute, producing smooth, crystal, fine canvas, linen, or leather textured finishes on the same machine.

EFI [Booth #3612]

EFI will feature its portfolio of software products as well as its complete line of proofing and inkjet production products. At the show, the company will highlight its MIS software including EFI Pace, an integrated, browser-based print MIS system and EFI PrintSmith, a system which automates the entire business process from estimating to invoicing for small commercial print shops and copy centres. Other solutions will also be featured such as the EFI Digital StoreFront, a web-to-print solution for print providers, and the EFI Colorproof XF, a professional-level RIP for managing colour.

Epson [Booth #3416]

Epson Canada will exhibit several equipment pieces at the show. The Stylus Pro GS6000 printer is an 8-colour solvent-based ink system and can handle up to 64-inch wide roll media. The 7900 and 9900 proofers both incorporate Epson’s latest achievements in photographic inkjet technology and use the MicroPiezo TFP print head and UltraChrome HDR ink. Also featured will be Epson’s Carolina 18pt board and Tango Blanks 18pt proofing stock.

EZ Trade Signs [Booth #2401]

At the EZ Trade booth, staff will be on hand to explain what the company is all about and what services they provide. EZ Trade specializes in printing signage, whether it is on vehicles, in windows, posters, banners, etc. The company will be giving out its catalogue, which helps small- to medium-sized shops get into the sign market without having to invest money on machinery or experience. The company will also display some of the recent printed jobs they have completed as well as some samples.

Fujifilm [Booth #1200]

This year, Fujifilm will be heavily focusing on live running equipment that attendees can see, feel and touch. The booth will be designed like a modern print shop, complete with reception and a boardroom as well as prepress, offset, digital and display graphics departments. The focus will be on four core needs of the printer: increasing sales, labour cost reduction, environmental compliance and cost savings.

Fujifilm will have a selection of equipment at its booth, including the XMF workflow, which uses Adobe PDF Print Engine technology and allows for remote job submission; Taskero Universe, the award winning technology for printing plant and remote site colour management and monitoring; and the North American premier of the Acuity Advance X2, a flatbed and roll printer with an 8’ x 10’ bed. The company will also feature a video demonstration of its new Digital Inkjet Press. Consumable items such as Fujifilm’s range of processless and lo-chem plates and the Canadian launch of the LH-NN2 thermal newspaper plate will also be highlighted. The company will be launching a full range of new CtP devices, which will be announced just before the show. Other equipment at Fujifilm’s booth includes the Xerox Docucolor 7002, Xerox Nuvera 120 B&W press, CGS products and Premise web-to-print solutions.

GBC Canada [Booth #1290]

GBC will feature several products at Graphics Canada. The HeatSeal Sprint H950 Laminator is the first fully-automated desktop laminator. This all-in-one system allows up to 50 documents to be loaded for one-touch laminating, with a warm-up time of less than one minute. The 640t Wide Format Roll Laminator runs cold finishing jobs up to 61” wide and has a roll-to-roll capacity of up to 60’ per minute. GBC will also highlight its 2064Ct Wide Format Roll Laminator, which the company says is the fastest in the market. It can cold-finish jobs at up to 30’ per minute for maximum productivity.

Glue Dots International [Booth #1281]

At the Glue Dots booth, visitors will be able to see a variety of products, including all of the Glue Dots brand adhesives. The EconoDot, which will be demonstrated at the show, is a bench-top dispenser that is designed for short- and long-term projects and has a small footprint. Other equipment developed by Glue Dots such as the SynchroDot Pro, Auto Dot Pro and Dot Shot Pro will be featured in videos at the booth.

Graphic Whizard [Booth #3207]

This year, Graphic Whizard will have a range of machines from each of its product lines available for demonstration. The company will feature the GW6000 and GW12000 machines from its GW series of number/perf/score products as well as an FM150 from the FinishMaster series. Also to be featured are the manual and semi-automatic models in the CreaseMaster line and the CM Pro, CM Plus and CM Platinum with all available options, such as strike perf and the recently launched impact perf. Multiple machines in Graphic Whizard’s UV coating line and the award-winning Micro and larger machines, such as the XDC and DLG series, will be shown as well.

Hans-Gronhi [Booth #3422]

At the show, Hans-Gronhi will be displaying presses and equipment such as the GH472 2-colour offset press with an envelope feeder and the GH524 4-colour offset press with CPC and the high-precision plate-punching machine. Also featured at the booth will be thermal and violet CTP plate-makers. The company will also demonstrate on-site digital workflows.

KBR Graphics [Booth #3419]

KBR Graphics will feature several pieces of equipment at Graphics Canada. The booth will have two products from MGI: the Meteor DP60 Digital Press and the Meteor DP20 Digital Printer and In-line Finisher. The DP60 is a unique 13” x 47” format digital printer, which can operate with sheets as small as 4” x 6” and can run envelopes in a non-stop operation. The DP20 is described as a 4-in-1 photo press and can duplex print, laminate two sides at once and cut and crease in one pass. KBR will also have a number of machines from Standard Horizon, including the VAC-100 with Stitchliner 5500 Saddlestitcher, which can run at speeds of up to 5,500 flat saddlestitched booklets per hour with flat sheet collating, quick changeover, in-line scoring and three face-trimming; the BQ-470V convertible EVA-PUR Perfect Binder that can produce books of variable thickness on-demand at up to 1,350 books per hour; and the AFC-566A Automated Folder that has a touch-screen control panel which can store up to 200 jobs in its memory. The company will also feature a Graphic Whizard CreaseMaster Platinum with capabilities of 8,000 sheets per hour.

manroland [Booth #3400]

The manroland Canada booth will follow the theme of PRINTVALUE this year. The program offers a total strategy to help any print operation be more competitive in its respective market. Experts from the company will be on hand to help customers with production, service and training related solutions. Service contract portfolios such as printservices (LifeCycleManagement), printnet (workflow management), printadvice (consulting) and printcom (process-compliant system components) will be showcased. Consultants will also be present to discuss the various printservices products, including special offers on spare and wear parts, upgrades, service kits and other tools designed for productivity and performance.

Muller Martini [Booth #3548]

The Muller Martini Variable Sleeve Offset Printing (VSOP) and Alprinta-V technologies for labels, flexible packaging and cardboard box printing will be featured at the show. These solutions offer the converter variable size web offset alternatives for short- to medium-runs with print lengths that change frequently. Muller Martini will discuss these technologies and what converters can expect when the company launches the VSOP press series at the end of the year. The company will also be presenting at the PacPrint Conference on Friday, November 13 at 8:30 a.m.

ND Graphics [Booth #2001]

ND Graphics will feature several high-tech items at its booth this year. The company expects that its showcase of 3M’s Vikuiti film will be a showstopper. This is a rear projection film that can be cut to any shape and applied to glass or acrylic, creating custom screens onto which videos can be shown. ND Graphics will be applying this technology using a “virtual mannequin” – a video of a woman talking about the technology that will be displayed on a cutout of her figure. The company will also show the :Anapurna M2 flatbed UV printer, featuring a new head configuration for better quality printing at higher speeds – twice the speed of the :Anapurna M.

PDS Pressdown Service [Booth #3600]

PDS will be introducing a new product: the Digixpress – a digital envelope press able to print short-run, 4-colour and variable data in one pass, on demand. It is capable of feeding a wide variety of products and sizes such as envelopes, card stock, post cards, labels and banners. The company will also be showing three different CTP units: the Platewriter 2000, producing chemical-free metal plates; the ECO 1630III, producing Silver Digi plates; and the Kimoto 410, producing polyester plates. Pressdown will also be displaying UV coaters and automatic creasers capable of vertical and horizontal perfing, all in one pass. Also at the booth will be numbering units and a variation of bookbinding equipment for coiling, wire, cerlox and perfect binding as well as digital folders, cutters and laminators.

Presstek [Booth #1250]

Presstek will be featuring a number of solutions at its booth this year. The 52DI digital offset press will be highlighted, which is highly automated and produces up to 20,000 letter size pages in an hour. The press allows for printing up to 300 lpi and can use FM screening on a broad range of substrate thicknesses up to 20pt. Presstek’s Vector FL52, a chemistry-free metal platemaking solution, will also be featured at the show along with Freedom Pro Plates that are rated to support up to 25,000 impressions. The DPM Pro 400 polyester plate CTP system will be showcased and is designed for use with small-format presses and supports plate widths up to 16.31 inches. Presstek will also demonstrate a number of software solutions such as PathWay, a web-to-print workflow and management solution; Latitude, a highly-automated PDF/JDF workflow with state-of-the-art trapping and integrated imposition options; and Momentum Pro, a fully-integrated RIP and workflow solution designed to automate the production process using certified PDF tools.

RISO [Booth 1276A]

RISO will be showcasing its revolutionary ComColor 9050 and 7050 models at Graphics Canada this year. The ComColor series is a breakthrough in full-colour inkjet printing, capable of printing up to 150 colour ppm and 500,000 pages per month. Each model employs RISO’s FORCEJET imaging system and a robust Piezo drop-on-demand inkjet technology designed for production environments. Also featured at the RISO booth will be the RZ990 and MZ990 digital duplicators. The RZ990 achieves speeds of 180 ppm and 600 × 600 dpi print quality. It also has productivity-enhancing features and low operating sound and cost. The MZ990 is a 2-colour, one-pass digital duplicator with true 600 × 600 dpi imaging and speeds of 150 ppm.

Sydney R. Stone [Booth #3601 & 3806]

Sydney R. Stone will be hosting two fully operational booths at Graphics Canada, running live print jobs. At booth 3601, the company will focus on presenting the latest in Duplo, Morgana, EBA and Challenge products. At booth 3806, the “Certified Series” of reconditioned equipment will be presented, with over 20 pieces of machinery, including paper cutters, folders and bookletmakers. The Morgana Digifold 5000P will have its first Canadian appearance at this year’s show. Also at the booth will be the latest from Duplo including the Duplo System 2000 and DSF 2000 bookletmaking systems along with a wide range of other print finishing equipment designed to increase customers’ productivity and profitability. Visitors to the show can register at Sydney R. Stone’s booth to win $1,000 in supplies, no purchase necessary.

If you can’t make it to Graphics Canada this year, be sure to stay tuned on graphicartsmag.com throughout the show for all the latest news and events coverage that you may have missed. And if you will be joining us, drop by the Graphic Arts Magazine booth, number 2011, and say hello! Keep an eye out for our Graphics Canada picture and video gallery – you might even see yourself. Enjoy the show!