By my own admission I'm not a great high street browser. I prefer to know exactly what I want and plan my shopping trips like a military exercises: fast in, fast out. Bluewater is my closest mega venue and I must admit that a certain restaurant has a habit of drawing me back more regularly than I would like to admit.

Agfa Graphics has installed its first :M-Press Tiger, now in use at the SMP group in London. As an existing :M-Press user, the company was keen to work with the upgraded kit, said to offer higher print speeds and better output quality.

Eleven practical videos have been released on-line by large format scanner specialist, Colortrac, covering the fundamental aspects of day-to-day large format scanning and copying.

Speed and quality have been enhanced at Sutton Coldfield based Andesign, following the installation of one of the first EFI Vutek GS3200 wide-format UV-curable ink-jet printers.

Andesign already operated a six-colour EFI Vutek PressVu 200-600, however the demand for higher speeds at finer resolutions led to the upgrade. The eight-colour plus white GS3200 is ideal for the company's display products, which include point-of-sale, exhibition graphics, vehicle liveries and wraps.

Graphic display professionals are invited to visit Drytac Europe's new website, which boasts a fresh, modern look and extensive features. These include an on-line store, educational videos on a range of Drytac equipment such as the VersaCoater XL UV coater, DES-4 foam edger and JetMounter roller laminators, plus access to product news, events and downloadable information.

Targeted at retailers, shopfitting controllers, visual merchandisers and designers, EasyFairs Retail is a new exhibition, set to take place five and six May 2010 at London's ExCeL. The show will cover shopfittings, display systems, technology and visual merchandising and will be co-located with EasyFairs Interior Fit-Out, dedicated to commercial interior refurbishment.

Further enhancing its green policy, Durst now provides free collection and disposal of all waste Rho ink. To help control ink stocks and minimise waste, the company is also able to supply all inks in five litre single packs. Depending on the volume of ink usage, Durst can offer a recycle credit of the waste ink up to a maximum of five per cent of the total purchase.

Butchers Printed Products, a manufacturer of decals, facias, stickers and transfers carrying the Royal Coat of Arms, has moved to new premises in Redditch. The new factory will house facilities including design, planning, manufacturing and customer care.

HP has expanded its latex printing technology portfolio with new products designed to help users in digital print and sign shops, as well as copy shops and photo labs, reduce their environmental impact. The HP Designjet L25500 printer provides a cost effective alternative to eco-solvent printing for a range of applications from indoor point-of-purchase displays, to outdoor banners and vehicle wraps.

Irish company, Sigma Print and Media Group, has become thefirst customer for the new Roland DG XC-540MT wide format metallic inkjet printer. The equipment, which can print silver in addition to the regular CMYK plus white, will help the company's wedding book division provide enhanced print options in its personalised wedding and photo books.

A new downloadable brochure is now available from Spandex, bringing the company's range of start-to-finish solutions for signmakers and digital printers into one convenient PDF. Designed to be both vibrant and easy-to-read, this product guide offers a one-stop shop for software, printers, laminators and cutters and routers.

Inca Digital introduces two new options designed to boost the flexibility and productivity of its Onset UV flatbed printer.

As a supplier keen to meet all printing requirements including screen, litho, UV and digital inks, blankets, screen stretching and ink mixes, YPS wanted to find a quality alternative digital ink which would perform to OEM ink standards.

Q. What makes a laminate UV resistant?

A. A laminate is made UV resistant by the components added to the film and the adhesive system of the film. At Seal Graphics, we use two components: UV absorbers dispersed within the adhesive and UV inhibitors, which lie within the film.

Having begun the move from traditional screen-printing to digital printing over a year ago with the purchase of a large-format VUTEk UV printer, Whiteghill was confronted with the same issues about finishing as other owners of these versatile printers. The main problem was how to accurately cut out prints that had been created using rigid materials like foamed board, acrylic and medium-density fibreboard (MDF).

Thank goodness we are all different in how we look, live, and run our businesses. There are times, of course, when replicating a look or product offering can be appealing and beneficial to our industry, but the power of product differentiation is also key.

Alongside its nationwide vehicle wrapping application service, Fenn Graphics specialises in producing vehicle livery for commercial vehicles, public transport, advertising and promotion. This means the company's production facility is home to a range of manual and semi auto screen printing machines, plus high resolution Nur Fresco and Mimaki wide format digital inkjet printers, used to produce vehicle livery graphics on a range of vinyl substrates, which are cut to shape using computer aided plotter/cutters.

Opening its first Chatham-based print facility in 1986, Speedscreen's core business was serving the London advertising community. A subsequent move to Maidstone in 1996 allowed the company to expand, now operating a 15,000ft2 facility from which it offers a  range of printing services to a broad client base, including blue-chip companies.

Like most industries, people become comfortable with what they are used to and despite the benefits of switching to more environmentally friendly inks, there is still some reluctance to make the change. With more and more of the big ink manufacturers producing an alternative however, it looks like it could be time to make the switch.

Based on Microsoft's latest .NET technology, DiMS.NET! MIS/ERP solution automates web-enabled administrative and printing processes across an entire enterprise, helping businesses to streamline operations, increase productivity and cut costs.

Based on EFI Colorproof XF Bestcolor and Fiery technology, EFI's new eXpress for Photo and eXpress for Proofing software aids colour management and provides a valuable set of production tools.

Display producers increasingly want to work with PDFs, which is why Shiraz Software has developed an integrated plug-in for its Signature and Server versions. This embeds complete functionality within the existing RIP and enables users to adhere to this standard delivery format common throughout the digital print market.

Wasatch SoftRIP Version 6.6 features a new Tracer tool, that allows users to create contour cut paths directly within SoftRIP, improving the cutting workflow, simplifying the cutting process and providing controlled cut path creation.

3M's Scotchcal 5525SE series has been added to William Smith's material distribution portfolio. This intermediate polymeric calendered translucent film is designed for etched glass and sandblast effects.

Automated media handling and process colour additions help Durst's new 98in wide Rho 900 large-format UV inkjet printer enhance productivity and expand the available colour gamut.

The system is equipped with Durst's Quadro 30D Array print head technology, said to deliver speed, efficiency and image quality. Media handling incorporates an auto-feed table with belts, sheet feed gate with guides for parallel board printing and an automatic two-point pin registration system to ensure accurate front-to-back registration.

Flexibility and reliability are two areas where Essemtec's new SP004 and SP150 semi-automatic stencil printers are said to excel, making them ideal for small- to midsize series production.

SP150 is a semi-automatic printer with vision, automatic position control and an integrated stencil cleaning system. A new electronic squeegee pressure regulation option allows the required pressure to be programmed as a software parameter instead of a mechanical preset. This makes setup simpler and increases printing quality.

Business in a Box is a new initiative from promotional product specialist, Listawood, designed to help printers, copy shops, engravers and sign makers become distributors for branded merchandise without major investment. 

Eurostand Display has added an integral large screen option into its Centro modular display system range.

The screen and graphic elements can be used as a stand-alone presentation, or be seamlessly integrated into a full-size Centro exhibition stand constructed from anodised aluminium. Screen sizes between 23 and 42in can be incorporated.

Hexis has launched a new cast vinyl with a carbon fibre look destined for wrapping applications. The new line will be promoted via a dedicated mini-site: ilovehx.com.

With its 165cm printing width, the AsterJet 1650 from Neolt is targeted at small and medium-sized printing houses that don't want to invest in solvent technology, but still need to broaden their business with printing for indoor and outdoor applications such as banner, adhesive vinyl, blueback paper, backlit films and polyester fabrics.

Two new laminates have been added to Neschen's Solvoclear range.

Solvoclear Easy Protect is an anti-graffiti product, designed to keep its gloss properties even after graffiti removal. It is a 40micron polypropylene high gloss film with a permanent solvent acrylic adhesive system said to offer good UV protection for outdoor and indoor applications.

Plastics distributor, Perspex Distribution, has launched a new website to provide specifiers with comprehensive information about the company and its products. Photographs display the products in sample form, with application examples to illustrate the possibilities of each material.

Sihl is launching three new ‘eco-friendlier' multi-purpose poster papers into the large format market. The wet-strength Post-2-Cure papers have been specially developed for use with latex inks from HP and are suited for both indoor and outdoor use.

A metallic inkjet capability is expected to open up new opportunities for display producers, label and packaging specialists and sign-makers using Roland DG's new Soljet pro III XC-540MT wide-format inkjet printer. Metallic hues can be printed either as a special colour or in combination with process options to create gold, silver, bronze and pearlescent effects, which were hitherto impossible with this medium.

William Smith is offering the UK sign and graphic industry the opportunity to see the latest HP latex inkjet printer, the 1,524mm Designjet L25500, prior to its launch in January 2010. The company will demonstrate the printer at its head office in Barnard Castle from 7 to 11 December 2009.

KMA Signs has announced eight new additions to its sign systems and services portfolio. The company's Modular Sign Systems sees two new profiles (30 and 60mm) that allow paper inserts for directories, door signs and similar applications.

Xeikon and MOSS have announced the joint development of a patented digital decorating system that will enable fast and cost-efficient decoration of round, conical, rectangular and square pails and containers, even in very short runs.

Indoor and outdoor ‘eco' friendly graphics were produced for 52 Portuguese railway stations using a new HP Designjet L65500 printer installed at B2R of Lisbon. B2R used the printer's environmental benefits, as well as its high productivity to complete the job on time and produce a mix of customer friendly graphics for station decoration, directional signage, customer information and promotional purposes.

Economic gurus paid by the government predicted that we would see the end of the recession in the third quarter of this year, but unfortunately this didn't occur. In fact, the gross domestic product continued to decline and one has to question where these analysts get their figures - certainly not from industry, it would seem.