FUJIFILM North America Corporation, Graphic Systems Division recently hosted another in its series of successful Technology Summits at its Chicago Technology Center, sharing innovative wide format inkjet technology solutions to a record number of attendees.
Invited guests gained in-depth knowledge of wide format applications, and learned how to best serve this ever-growing market. Presentations included insights into different substrates used to create wide format displays as well as software, including ColorGATE Production Server 9 and finishing solutions featuring the Esko Kongsberg Cutting Table. Attendees experienced hands on demonstrations of Fujifilm’s wide format solutions, including the Inca Onset R40i and Q40i; the Acuity Series of flatbeds; the Acuity LED 1600, and an overview of the Uvistar grand format press.
In addition to interactive technology demonstrations and a lively and informative user panel Q&A session, other highlights included presentations by John Mills, CEO, Inca Digital; Steve Bennet, vice president, Esko, digital finishing business; and Steve Urmano, director of wide format, InfoTrends. Urmano engaged attendees with his thoughts on industry insights and printing trends.
One of the most anticipated demonstrations at the Summit was the Acuity F, a high productivity UV flatbed printer for display and signage, recently added to the Acuity Series of UV flatbed printers.
“The Acuity F is a very impressive machine,” said Gary Thormodsgaard, vice president, Emerging Technologies, Meridian Graphics, a Tustin, California-based print provider offering a wide array of marketing support services.
“Fujifilm has truly researched in-depth the productivity of the technicians that are operating this press, and the thoughtfulness shows in the features, such as speed, accuracy, and quality. The Acuity F could fit well into our operation,” added Thormodsgaard.
The customer user panel Q&A session featured four Fujifilm customers sharing their real-life experiences with Fujifilm solutions. The panel included Brett Levitt, president, Oakley Signs & Graphics, Des Plaines, Illinois; Chris Taylor, vice president, Image Mover Inc., Pacoima, California; Scott Tofte, digital operations manager, Modernistic, Stillwater, Minnesota; and Ryan Brueckner, CEO, Direct Edge Media, Orange, California.
“The customer user panel was a very valuable highlight of this tech summit,” said John Powers, account manager, Advantage Printing, Arden, North Carolina. “I appreciate hearing genuine success stories with Fujifilm products, which I will pass along to my colleagues as we make our purchasing decisions.”
“The Fujifilm technology summits are a great opportunity to learn about our innovative technology and experience the latest solutions. Attendees can truly see how our product line-up can help them win more work,” said Becky McConnell, product marketing manager, Wide Format, FUJIFILM North America Corporation, Graphic Systems Division.
As an added bonus, many attendees were also able to experience the J Press 720S, a high quality sheetfed inkjet press, along with the J Press 540W, a web-fed inkjet press with short-run and variable data capabilities.
“A good amount of attendees run conventional offset in their operation, in addition to wide format, and were impressed by the extremely high quality of the J Press 720S,” said Ed Pierce, product marketing manager, FUJIFILM North America Corporation, Graphic Systems Division.
