PIA celebrates print industry innovation with InterTech Awards

- Recipients include Kodak, Sun Chemical, Fujifilm, X-rite, Xeikon, Heidelberg, QuadTech and Esko

 

- Independent panel of judges awarded technologies predicted to have an impact on the future of the graphic arts and related industries

 

A dozen industry names have been chosen by the Printing Industries of America (PIA) to receive a 2012 InterTech Technology Award, honoring the development of technologies predicted to have a major impact on the graphic arts and related industries.

 

An independent panel of judges looked at numerous technologies ranging from digital presses and related enhancements to a variety of mobile and web-based software.

 

They said great strides in technology were demonstrated in color measurement and control, layout and finishing, security and low-migration inks, inkjet and label presses, printable coatings, pressroom analytics, management information systems, and product content management and publishing.

 

The judges said the chosen 12 all met the criteria of being “truly innovative” and expect them to have a major impact on the graphic communications industry in the future.

 

Esko picked up an award for i-cut Suite, a collection of workflow software tools for users of large-format digital printers, while Heidelberg’s Prinect Performance Benchmarking application was also awarded.

 

Prinect Performance Benchmarking is a subscription-based application that lets companies compare the performance of their Speedmaster presses and operators with other printers.

 

Xeikon’s VariLane technology, a software add-on to its X-800 digital front-end that allows printers to combine labels of different SKUs and sizes on the same digital print run, was chosen as a winner too.

 

In addition, X-Rite won an award for its i1Pro 2 spectrophotometer for advancing color accuracy using an expanded set of features and supporting the latest measurement standards.

 

Other software innovations chosen by the InterTech judges included: Enterworks’ Enable, a web-based tool which allows a company to manage complex product information, associated images and other marketing assets, and then automate the delivery of this selling content through print and e-commerce channels; Keen Systems’ MIS and web-to-print cloud-based platform that allows companies to pick a subscription plan and begin creating storefronts in minutes; and iTechniqueis, a management information system from Technique Business Systems running on iPhone and iPad as a native app, allowing users access to sales and production data wherever they are.

 

Kodak was given an award for its NexPress red fluorescing solution, designed to let printers easily add security to printed documents, direct mail and packaging.

 

The virtually invisible dry ink fluoresces red when illuminated with ultraviolet light. The judges singled out the technology for its simple and low-cost approach to adding counterfeit protection.

 

Steve Fletcher, Kodak’s vice president and general manager of electrophotographic printing solutions, said: ‘Red fluorescing ink is a great example of how Kodak provides its customers with differentiating solutions to help meet their needs.

 

‘The combination of red fluorescing ink and variable data printing provides printers with fraud protection and security printing opportunities, and new capabilities often lead to greater customer satisfaction and additional business growth.’

 

Sun Chemical’s SunPak LMQ technology was awarded for its use to minimize the risk of contamination to food and other products from chemical migration. An InterTech judge said: ‘Inks, coatings and fountain solution leeching into products can be disastrous for packaging converters and brand owners. Sun’s innovative LMQ system and products will help protect companies worldwide.’

 

Utopia Digital Technologies’ Avatrex Transportable Imaging is a thin multi-layer coating on a removable carrier that can be digitally printed and transferred to practically any surface. The material has built-in adhesive and image protection properties, and the judges were said to be “wowed by the technology’s versatility and image quality”.

 

Fujifilm’s J Press 720 was honoured by judges for being the world’s first half-size sheet-fed inkjet press, and producing accurate and consistent color work with limited make-ready waste.

 

The judges singled out the J Press for its pioneering role in what is expected to be a major pressroom shift to inkjet.

 

QuadTech’s color control and web inspection system with AccuCam uses a spectral sensor to examine the entire printed image, without the need for control bars. It monitors color and adjusts inking while detecting a variety of print issues, including switched plates.

 

It was chosen as a 2012 InterTech Technology Award winner as the judges hailed its unique ability to spot scumming and automatically adjust water.

 

Read more on Heidelberg here

Read more on Xeikon here

Read more on Fujifilm here

Read more on QuadTech here

Read more on Sun Chemical here

Read more on Esko here