Bill Esler

IGAS Island in Tokyo Bay
September 28, 2007

After the rapid-fire sequence of major trade shows and industry gatherings (Graph Expo Chicago, IGAS Tokyo, Adobe Maxus Chicago and LabelExpo Brussels), the pace of revelations blurs boundaries between events. Offerings not at one show appear just days later at another.

Listen to this
Komori showed an offset-press mounted with a foiling system at IGAS, for instance, but the technology wasn't the focus for Graph Expo, where the new 29" Lithrone ruled. Though I didn't see it, other IGAS visitors told me Shinohara has a new press platform that was presented at the show. Harris  & Bruno may license for U.S. distribution a new type of dimensional printing effect, an advance on lenticular. Miyakoshi showed a high speed A3 and A4 model inkjet web press, with 600-dpi resolution and speeds of 300 to 450 fpm depending on resolution. 

Agfa's security solution
Agfa showed its latest iterations of workflows and plates in Chicago, winning Must See'em status for some offerings. Then Agfa announced a new security solution just days later to provide advanced protection from piracy and unlawful duplication of designs on packaging, labels and other printed materials. The new :Secuseal 1.0, a set of plug-ins on Adobe Illustrator and applicable with all standard design workflows, is designed to add security elements to any printed design.
:Secuseal was created for designers and printers who want to offer their customers more advanced security printing measures. Clients with concerns over packaging and labelling security would include makers of luxury goods, pharmaceutics, official documents, identity cards and other branded products.

Toyo Ink made an impressive display, as it presented fruits of its efforts in research and development during its centennial year. The firm has some extensive developments in the packaging field and in sustainable-print style eco-inks. company. The firm also made splash over its Graph Expo win of two PIA/GATF Premier Print Awards, building a beautiful display that showed the awards to their best effect.  

Big news from Akiyama
Another big note at IGAS was the declaration by Akiyama that it intends to become a serious player in the global market for sheetfed presses. (Today's e-GAM recaps it). Akiyama presented updated versions of its 40-inch print platforms, including the JPrint Mega, the Supertech and the eXtreme. The Jprint was shown with autoplate, and with a roll-feeder that can switch to conventional pile feed in three minutes. The version of the roll-feed on display in Tokyo was intended for Asion markets. In the U.S. Akiyama offers Mabeg and other systems. PCA is already operating the new 5-unit version of the Jprint at its Pompano Beach, FL plant.  
The implications of a financially sound Akiyama supported by a well-funded Chinese parent corporation and investment from Morningside Group is hard to miss: we'll see some significant movement from this company in the competitive offset press market space. 

Oldest printed piece
Toppan Printing created something unique for IGAS: a virtual reality theater that represented the culmination of the Japanese printing giant's wide ranging expertise in computer image generation and management. Another interesting entrant: a Gutenberg Bible, and a private collectino of anitue printing equipment from the privately endowed Mizuno Printing Museum. On display from the museum: the world's oldest existing printed item, a sutra, or religious tract, printed in China around 700 A.D. The original run length: 1 million. And just one left!   

Posted by Bill Esler on September 28, 2007 | Comments (1)