At booth 3402 and in presentation pavilions throughout the show floor, Esko offers a wide range of solutions for packaging and wide format print

Miamisburg, OH (USA) – Esko will once again demonstrate a variety of workflow and production tools for packaging, wide format, and digital print on booth 3402 during Graphics Canada 2013, Canada’s largest showcase for the graphic communications and printing industries, November 21-23 at the Toronto International Centre. 

For the first time at Graphics Canada, Esko brings to its booth a Kongsberg digital finishing table. In addition, there will be an area for demonstrations of Suite 12.1, Esko’s latest version of software solutions covering an entire range of design, workflow and collaboration. For sign and display shops, Esko will focus on i-cut Suite, a collection of pre-production solutions that streamline the workflow for digital printing and finishing throughout the entire production process. Esko is also actively involved in the educational program during Graphics Canada.

“Esko continues to invest in print and packaging businesses in Canada. For example, our commitment scheduling three separate presentations during Graphics Canada 2013 is just another example of our support of Canadian businesses,” comments Marc Raad, Esko Account Manager, Canada. “We’re excited that we will have a Kongsberg finishing table on our booth this year. It offers profound benefits for both packaging and sign & display companies. Many Canadian companies have acquired a Kongsberg table during the past year.”

Kongsberg table: Getting short run displays and packaging finished

Kongsberg tables are used to cut and finish prototypes, labels, short run packaging, and wide format jobs. One of the highlights of the booth is the Kongsberg i-XN 24, easily the most versatile digital finishing device ever introduced. It comes with a wide range of specialty tools offering speed, power and flexibility to automatically handle a wide variety of materials, such as corrugated, folding carton, solid board, foam, wood and a long list of plastics. MultiCUT-HP (High Power) is equipped with a water-cooled milling spindle delivering up to three times faster milling speeds.

Suite 12.1:
the most integrated software suite for packaging, label, sign making and displays

Esko will showcase the latest version of its Suite 12 software. While the complete, wide range of design, prepress and workflow applications will be on display, Esko will also focus on a few primary solutions: 

Studio is a fast and easy way to turn ideas into beautiful 3D images for creative development. There is no more need to produce physical mock-ups all the time. Users have an accurate and technically correct package on the screen. While conventional mock-ups may be required, with Studio virtual mock-ups are faster and cheaper for initial design reviews. 

ArtiosCAD is the world’s most popular structural design software for packaging design. With dedicated tools specifically designed for packaging professionals for structural design, product development, virtual prototyping and manufacturing, ArtiosCAD increases productivity throughout a company. ArtiosCAD is the ideal product for all corrugated, folding carton and POP/display designers.

Automation Engine is a modular workflow server with dynamic workflows that are easy to set up and operate. It ensures increased efficiency and throughput and saves time and money. It is, by all standards, an exceptional answer to the daily challenges of print professionals who need to increase quality, reduce errors and drive cost out of the process.

Color consistency is critical for brand recognition. Defining accurate brand and spot color standards is the first step in maintaining consistency. Meanwhile, demand for shorter packaging production runs for targeted campaigns and product variations are increasing. Extended gamut printing is one of the ways to meet these challenges. It lets a company print faster with superb quality while lowering printing costs. Equinox, Esko´s solution for extended gamut printing, standardizes printing presses on any set of 5, 6 7 or more inks. Users save on inks (and plates) for packaging work and printers save time as the press workload between jobs is reduced to merely changing printing plates. 

Full HD Flexo: Quality making printers reconsider how to print jobs

Visitors can also learn more about HD Flexo and Full HD Flexo through real-life production samples that demonstrate the quality and extended color gamut. With HD Flexo, many printers have moved jobs from offset and gravure presses to flexo. Full HD Flexo delivers very high quality print with impactful solids and smoother highlights. The plates print more consistently than standard digital flexo plates. Full HD Flexo also eliminates manual steps traditionally associated with flexo platemaking, including back and main exposures. HD Flexo may be implemented without scrapping existing equipment and working methods.

i-cut Suite: Streamlining large format workflows

Many print companies have successfully diversified to wide format. i-cut Suite, 2012 InterTech™ Technology Award recipient, lets companies that drive narrow or large format digital printers and/or digital finishing systems streamline their workflows. i-cut Suite components include i-cut Preflight, handling efficient preflighting and editing of incoming PDF files; i-cut Layout, a module to interactively build and edit sheet layouts; i-cut Vision Pro, registering the actual dimensions and positions on the printed result for accurate cutting; and i-cut Automate, automating all these functions into a single workflow.

Esko seminars offered on the show floor

Esko will be extremely involved in the educational program during Graphics Canada, offering three separate presentations.

In the Wide Format Theatre, SGIA and Sign Media are teaming up to present a day of intensive seminars and training on wide format digital printing market and technologies. Sessions, taking place on the show floor, are free for visitors. At 2:00pm on Friday, November 22, Steve Bennett, Esko VP, Digital Finishing Business, will offer a presentation, “Expand Your Reach with Computerized Cutting Systems”. Much more than a labour-saving device, computerized cutting systems have allowed wide-format producers the opportunity to expand outside of traditional shapes (rectangles) and into complex shapes (with speed and quality). This session helps executives determine if computerized cutting is right for their businesses.

In the Innovations Theatre, located on the Hall 3 show floor, Esko offers two different presentations, On Thursday, November 21 at 11:15am, Bob Biskner, Esko Senior Applications Specialist, delivers a 3D overview, “It all starts with structure…let’s see what 3D can do for your business”. At 11:15am on Friday, November 22, Julie Bauer, Esko Senior Applications Specialist, presents “Workflow in the large format world”.

Esko partners on the exhibit floor

Esko reseller FUJIFILM Canada Inc. (booth 1200) will be demonstrating a Kongsberg i-XN 24 finishing table. Also at Graphics Canada 2013 will be Esko resellers Access Imaging Inc. (booth 3601) and Ernest Green & Son Ltd. (booth 1270).

“Esko looks forward to meeting print businesses during Graphics Canada,” concludes Raad. “As a company, we have made serious inroads in Canada, offering many companies ways to become more efficient and cost-effective, while offering higher-quality work.”