Images_Digital_Edition_February_2020

www.images-magazine.com 04 images FEBRUARY 2020 Published by: 360 Communications Ltd images magazine, 360 Communications Ltd, 58a Livingstone Road, Hove, BN3 3WL, UK 01273 748482 | www.images-magazine.com Advertising: advertising@images-magazine.com Editorial: editorial@images-magazine.com Subscriptions: subscriptions@images-magazine.com | images is available free of charge to UK subscribers | Subscribe / unsubscribe / update contact details online: www.images-magazine.com Publisher/advertising: Jonathan Vince | jonathan@images-magazine.com Features editor: Rachael Glazier | rachael@images-magazine.com Features writer: Mark Ludmon | mark@images-magazine.com Publishing assistant: Gaby Bowring | gaby@images-magazine.com Design/Production: ATG Media | production@atgraphicsuk.com Printing: Stephens & George Ltd | Goat Mill Road,Dowlais, Merthyr Tydfil, CF48 3TD ( issn 0966 7512) Opinions expressed by contributors in this magazine are not necessarily shared by the Publisher. Editorial contributions are invited, on the understanding that the Publisher has the right to alter or abridge all such material as he sees fit. While the greatest care has been taken to ensure accuracy, the Publisher accepts no liability for either errors or omissions. FEBRUARY 2020 | VOL.29 NO.2 FEBRUARY 9-11, 2020 Pure London & Pure Origin Olympia London, Hammersmith Road, Kensington, London, W14 8UX purelondon.com FEBRUARY 12-14, 2020 RemaDays Warsaw 2020 Ptak Warsaw Expos, al. Katowicka 62, 05-830 Nadarzyn, Wolica 114D, Poland remadays.com MARCH 18, 2020 Print & Stitch Aberdeen DoubleTree by Hilton Aberdeen Treetops, 161 Springfield Road, Aberdeen AB15 7AQ printandstitch.org MARCH 18, 2020 The Big Promotional Trade Show The Argyll Suite, Glasgow Crowne Plaza, Congress Road, Glasgow, G3 8QT thebigpromotionaltradeshow.co.uk MARCH 18, 2020 Print & Stitch Strathclyde DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Strathclyde, Phoenix Crescent, Bellshill, ML4 3JQ printandstitch.org MARCH 24-27, 2020 Fespa Global Expo 2020 IFEMA (South Entrance), Feria de Madrid, Avda. Del Partenon, 5, 28042 Madrid, Spain fespaglobalprintexpo.com APRIL 28-30, 2020 Sign & Digital UK 2020 Hall 1, The NEC, North Avenue, Marston Green, Birmingham, B40 1NT signuk.com JUNE 16-26, 2020 Drupa 2020 Messe Dusseldorf, Messeplatz, Stockumer Kirchstraße 61, 40474 Dusseldorf, Germany drupa.com SEPTEMBER 27-29, 2020 The Print Show Halls 7&8, The NEC, North Avenue, Marston Green. Birmingham, B40 1NT theprintshow.co.uk OCTOBER 21-23, 2020 Printing United 2020 Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, Georgia, USA printingunited.com EDITORIAL DIARY V alentine’s Day is fast approaching and there’s certainly plenty to get the heart pounding in our February issue. For starters, things just got a lot more interesting in the DTG sector: at Impressions Expo Long Beach 2020 in January, Kornit presented its new Vulcan Plus and Storm HD6 Lite machines (page 6), while Epson announced the new SureColor F3070 industrial direct-to-garment printer – further proof, if any was needed, that the big players in digital printing see a rosy future for DTG tech. You can read all about the new F3070 in Marshall Atkinson’s review of the Impressions Expo on page 35. As our man on the ground in California reports, the first major garment and textile decoration exhibition of the new decade didn’t disappoint: along with the Epson, there was a raft of new and recently launched equipment on show, with Marshall’s standout exhibits including the Hotronix 360 IQ Hat Heat Press, Pulse ID embroidery software suite, Corob Clevermix 700 gyroscopic ink-mixing station, Zeus V Hybrid Printer, and the RoqPrint Now and M&R Maverick DTG printers. As Valentine’s gifts go, any of these would be hard to beat and all would be sure to win your production manager’s undying affection! This month’s Anatomy of a Print feature (page 30) sticks with the Valentine’s Day theme: Mark Brouillard of International Coatings explains how a heartwarming design by mosaic artist Jolino Beserra – created to raise money for two pet rescue charities – was translated into a stunning T-shirt design, which also was unveiled at the Impressions Expo. Screen printing consultant Tony Palmer muscles in on the act, revealing his softer side in ‘The squishy things’ (page 32), as he gets to the heart of how best to manage and care for staff; leading business growth and innovation expert Erica Wolfe-Murray asks ‘How can I fall back in love with my work?’ and provides some helpful pointers on how to do just that in this month’s ‘Business Clinic’ (page 24); while embroidery guru Erich Campbell shares his passion (and tips) for spotting the latest market trends in ‘Trend Patterns’ (page 46). So, how is 2020 panning out for you? Speaking with some of the industry’s equipment suppliers, there appears to have been a discernible bounce following the general election, with businesses that had been holding back on new capital investment now showing a renewed confidence, loosening the purse strings, and pushing ahead with their expansion plans. Does that resonate with you? Are you now feeling more confident about investing in the future? One company that’s pressed ‘full steam ahead’ on its ambitious expansion plans is EasyPrint: having acquired the bag business of promo merch group KeepMe in 2018, the company has purchased new MHM, Ricoh, Roland and Galaxy equipment in recent months and is promising to “hit the industry hard”. You can read about its success in ‘Easy does it’ (page 40). Jonathan Vince The heart of the matter