No, Sign and Digital UK isn't the show it used to be, but that is the nature of the metamorphosis which occurs as technologies develop and meld into everyday life. The rapid changes that took place in the last three decades might be long gone, taking the wow factor with them – yet still this annual NEC-sited event retains its pulling power, attracting a consistent and valuable exhibitor and visitor base.
Although the logistics of getting to European shows have never been easier, with low-cost flights often being cheaper than a train ride in the UK, Sign and Digital UK is one of those shows which has managed to hold its own despite competition from parallel sectors. Its popularity has fluctuated a little from the exhibitor viewpoint, but it is no longer dominated by one or two ultra-large participants, and now represents a far more level playing field to companies large and small.
As a result, Sign and Digital UK has also become a sensible occasion for the country's reseller channels and distributors to take a stand, literally. Even though this means that competitive products and technologies appear in more than one place, it does give punters the opportunity to assess who they want to deal with for their investments.
FESPA's arrival in London this summer might have been seen to cast a shadow on this year's Sign and Digital UK. But, judging from the list of exhibitors and the raft of first appearances, the effect doesn't seem to have been detrimental thus far and there are certain to be those preferring a trot to Birmingham's NEC rather than a trek to London. In terms of the usual suspects, this is a show where key distributors are keen to tout their wares. Colourgen returns with three new products from Mutoh, including a sublimation engine and a new 2.6m ValueJet option. Hybrid Services is bringing its latest fleet of Mimaki systems, including the novel UJF-6042, which is the larger sibling of the successful desktop UJF-3042. It's also unveiling the flat-bed LED UV-curable JFX500 and, not surprisingly, a textile offering in the form of the TS500. Epson is going to be showing its SureColor dye-sublimation models, but Roland DG is being more circumspect. These companies are backed up by their resellers, with Signmaster Systems being in the unusual situation of being alone in offering both Mimaki and Roland solutions.
Digital Print Innovations is putting the emphasis on textile this year with machines from the MTex family and the introduction of the MTex 1800 direct-to-textile solution. Not surprisingly, to offer an alternative to dye-sublimation for some applications, and to counter Hybrid's increased thrust into the latex market, HP is pushing its own technology with the Designjet L26500 on show, and is eager to demonstrate opportunities for wall coverings.
Lesser known machines making an appearance include Korean manufacturer Dyss's Apollo GH2200 hybrid printer, being demonstrated by AG/CAD, better known as a supplier of cutting tables. Others with new machines include QPS with a system called the RE-640HC that uses Nazdar's HydroColor aqueous-based inks and Epson DX7 print-heads, aiming to bring another alternative to latex. If it looks familiar, that's because it has a Roland chassis. Similarly, Kaye-Dee's BE300-LED, which is making an appearance for the first time, appears to resemble the Mimaki UJF-3042 desktop LED flat-bed printer. GPT doesn't hide the fact that its own badged 190s is based on an existing Mimaki platform, converting a textile machine into one which features an uninterrupted solvent ink supply.
UV-curable continues to reign, and Sign and Digital UK is a good opportunity for manufacturers to present their more reasonably priced options. Canon/Océ is bringing flat-bed Arizona models to the show, and Agfa is concentrating on the :Anapurna 2050 so, with many smaller businesses likely to be visiting, it makes sense to concentrate on affordable platforms and keep the big guns for FESPA.
Visitors to Sign and Digital UK always know that they can see a sensible selection of software options, materials and finishing systems. Given that many users seem to be remarkably complacent when it comes to RIPs, MIS, web-to-print and, even, operating systems, a walk round the show and a stop-off at some of the seminars can serve as an effective wake-up call.
The twelve-month cycle between sign shows is long enough to bring new products to market. It's also a satisfactory time period to ensure that visitors return year-on-year with the guarantee that there will be something different to have a look at.