Here’s a question, what do capital equipment companies do during a recession? Well, if the screen and digital imaging industry is any measure, they innovate: and I think I know why.

Having started my own career in product design and then worked in and around the manufacturing sector I have witnessed firsthand the process capital equipment companies operate during the economic cycles. Put simply, original equipment manufacturers are duty bound to listen to their customers’ wants and need and respond by challenging their research and development departments to engineer solutions.

Event production specialist, GTMS, and large-scale prop maker, Model-Tec Studio, are combining expertise to offer a new concept and build service accessed via a one-stop-shop website.

Here clients can source everything from one-off bespoke props and themed displays to large European experiential touring kits. Both GTMS and Model-Tec Studio boast experience across a range of industries from fine art and interior, technology and international motorsport to experiential and architectural.

Two major changes have influenced ink development in recent times: the abolition of heavy metal pigments such as lead, cadmium and chromium and the need to diminish solvent use. Both changes have been driven by the imperative to reduce Health and Safety and Environmental hazards.

Q. What's new for 2010?

A. Printwear & Promotion  (P&P) continues to bring all that's best to the garment decoration market, with fabric and machine technology, in particular, bringing major changes to the visitor. Direct to garment printing has become more affordable and transfer technology offers a low cost, high quality and easy to apply decoration technique. Embroidery machines offer very high speeds and single head machines are probably more popular than ever now that they can be linked together easily to allow a business to expand.

Users of DTG direct to product ink jet printers will have an advantage over their competitors with the launch of One Pass Fast. This new development has achieved what was previously thought impossible -  to print white and CMYK inks during the same pass.

Economy and quality are going to be the buzz-words of 2010. We have endured a financial rollercoaster in 2009 and are now starting to pick ourselves up and look for growth opportunities in a strengthening economy. Product professional, LFP, for Canon UK, Shane Burchett, said: “The impact of the recession has been significant. Print businesses have had to rethink their strategies and to take advantage, they have to keep a tight rein on their overheads and costs.

Neschen has announced five new digital print media certified by HP as suitable for use with its latex inks. Two are self-adhesive vinyl substrates and three are digital wallpapers. Together with the HP Designjet L65500, the new media can produce displays for POP, exhibitions and vehicle graphics, street and building advertising and commercial and domestic interiors.

Increasingly Prism is hearing about members who are doing really well. General manager at G Bopp, Andrew Moss, for example, says the company is going from strength to strength and has had to increase its production capacity. What G Bopp is seeing is a transition in the screen printing industry to a demand for high quality screens produced to very tight tolerances. This is particularly so in the industrial market but also the graphics sector, which has adopted a similar approach.

Using the theme of the classic children’s novel The Secret Garden now showing at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Digital Plus took this opportunity to showcase its specialist abilities in printing supersized graphics.