The last 12-months has seen some interesting developments in the screen and digital wideformat market. Digital has continued to place screen under pressure in the graphical display sector. However, large format inkjet and litho are now themselves under attack from multimedia applications. Nowhere is this more evident than the London Underground. Don't worry, the screen, digital, multimedia debate is far from over in the graphic display market.

On a visit to present Leach Colour with a Queen's Award for Enterprise: Innovation, HRH the Duke of Kent put the award-winning Stik display system through its paces. After installing the magnetic graphic display he commented on how easy and simple it was to carry out.

Printhead manufacturer, Xaar, has approved a range of inks from ceramic tile ink specialist, Chimigraf.

PaperlinX aims to strengthen its sign and display business across the UK market by creating a more flexible and customer focused organisation. Europoint and Robert Horne's sign and display division will retain their individual market propositions while utilising the scale of the PaperlinX UK business for conversion, warehousing, finance, administration and e-commerce. This should allow each business to continue its product offering while ensuring that support functions provide a high level of customer service.

With over 25,000 students registered to take part in Proskills' PrintIT! initiative this Autumn, print companies are urged to support their local schools by signing up to the twinning programme.  Under the programme printers team up with local schools to share their knowledge of the industry, offer support to teachers and provide advice on coursework, giving pupils a feel for print by bringing industry into the classroom.

Sun Chemical aims to help wide format printers increase productivity and profitability following a deal to become a UK distributor for Apollo multi-functional, UV wide format printers.

Over 90 printed samples are included in Swanline Print's new sales aid. Designed to look like a  fishing box, the tool kit will assist customers in demonstrating the range of print options available for litho and screen printed packaging and displays.

With just over six months to go until the exhibition, Sign & Digital UK 2009 is filling up fast with over 80 per cent of the floor space already booked. Exhibitors already signed up include Hewlett-Packard, Roland DG, Robert Horne Group, Hybrid Services, Hexis, Spandex, William Smith, AXYZ, Fujifilm Sericol and more.

A UK distribution agreement will see the Paper Company (PaperCo) offer Gandinnovations' complete range of solvent, aqueous and UV grand format technologies. This will extend PaperCo's digital inkjet portfolio, which also includes solutions from Roland DG for outdoor signage and Canon's aqueous machines for indoor graphics. This enhanced line-up will support the commercial print sector, offering traditional litho companies complementary revenue streams and higher profit margins.

Finishing equipment supplier, Total PFS, has launched a new website dedicated to its growing range of smaller hand-held and desktop finishing equipment and associated consumables. The site is designed to offer fast and easy access to finishing equipment from manufacturers including Stago, Skrebba, Planatol and Cyklos.

WHEN GRAPHICS services supplier, John E Wright, decided to increase production at its main print facility, it added an HP Scitex FB6100 UV printer to its equipment line-up. The investment will not only increase throughput, it will also help grow the company's existing UV direct print-to-substrate business.

TODAY, FEW industrial processes have escaped the digital revolution. And printing is no exception. Digital inkjet has continued to advance into POP, poster printing, outdoor durable graphics and exhibition graphics addressing both the higher volume and speed segment as well as the short run sector of these markets. The advantage of digital in short run continues to be its economic advantages over traditional analog.

NEXT YEAR is likely to be the year that sorts the wheat from the chaff with challenging times ahead. That said, it is often easier to make more profit on a reduced turnover. Hard times make printers concentrate on being better at what they do, with the time to make improvements in systems and methods. It is also an opportunity to reassess sales and marketing by talking to existing customers, making sure, in the process, that they are financially secure.

PROVIDING CUSTOMERS with both product range and service flexibility is no mean feat. It relies on combining the right stock in the warehouse with appropriate technical expertise and equipment.

ALTHOUGH RETAILERS are tightening their belts, it is still in their interests to entice customers to spend what spare money they have: which is good news for the point of sale (POS) market.

Océ introduces the Océ Arizona 350 GT UV cure flatbed printer with support for white ink and high production speeds. It is said to offer near-photographic image quality using VariaDot imaging technology and can print on a variety of rigid substrates with a roll media option for flexible media.

Kama has developed a new positioning system said to enable die-cutter operators to quickly and precisely mount clichés on the cold mounting plate outside the die-cutter. There are two key factors that lead to time savings: first, cliché mounting can be carried out precisely in one step; second, the die-cutter can continue working on other jobs during mounting.

Suitable for use with traditional TTC transfer papers and colour laser printers or copiers, Coolstuff products from The MagicTouch can be printed in full colour in less than 10 seconds. The protective sleeves and wallets are made from 3.5mm black SB rubber compound with a white jersey surface, together with black heat resistant thread stitching for durability. Products are compatible with the sublimation ink process.

Eurojet Dreamscape textured wallwrap is designed to provide a "peel n' stick" solution to applying textured images to a range of surfaces such as wood, aluminium, glass and sealed walls. It is especially useful where traditional wallpaper adhesive is not advisable or where graphics need to be removed and replaced easily. Applications include: backdrops, murals, wallcovering and exhibition graphics. Two surface textures are available and all products come with a Class 0 fire rating in accordance with BS476 parts six and seven.

Drytac has extended its line-up with a range of aqueous and UV coating equipment targeted at users of flatbed inkjet printers, digital print-on-demand presses and photo printers, as well as operators of gicleé and fine art studios.

Designed to deliver high-volume production at a competitive price, Inca Digital Printers' new Inca Onset S20 UV flatbed printer will be available from distributor, Fujifilm Sericol, from March 2009.

Available with an integrated solar panel or with a separate solar panel unit, EcoVision is a new solar powered illuminated notice board from Signscape. It extends Signscape's Lynester poster display unit and is available in wall or post mounted models.

Seal Graphics has added UV Sol Lam laminates to its range of films and digital print media. This durable range of pressure-sensitive, solvent-based PVC lamination films are claimed to protect and enhance the finish of all digital output, especially prints using UV-cured inks.

Polyester film technology from MacDermid Autotype has been used to provide a durable and scratch resistant display for a range of central fire alarm systems from Minimax.