Digital Digest: Snow Doesn’t Dampen Spirits at Inaugural Jetcomm and 10th Dscoop User Conferences

WASHINGTON, DC—An early spring snow storm spawned by Mother Nature held off just long enough to not impact HP inkjet web press users arriving for the inaugural Jetcomm 2015 conference, but she wasn’t as kind to the record 2,200+ attendees trying to get to the Gaylord National Resort here for the sold out, 10th annual Dscoop North America user conference that followed March 5-7.

Jetcomm was the first time that production printing providers had gathered together in an entirely community-driven, inkjet-focused global event. The topics and content were developed by and for HP customers, with an emphasis on education, open discussion and sharing of ideas, both in formal sessions and in the ample networking opportunities. The conference was attended by over 150 HP continuous-feed press users.

Highlights of the Jetcomm conference sessions included:

• Several user panels shared their real-life production inkjet printing experiences. A digital book manufacturing panel included Paul Gardner, Hudson Printing; Adi Chinai, King Printing; and Kevin McVea of Strategic Content Imaging (SCI). Documation’s Martin Aalsma and Jo Van de Weghe, of Symeta, discussed direct mail personalization best practices. And an offset-to-inkjet crossover metrics panel featured Rotomail’s Giovanni Antonuzzo, Webcom’s Mike Collinge and Paul DeSantis of ANRO.
• HP executives, technologists and product specialists led in-depth discussions on end-to-end workflow, blended reality solutions, remote service solutions and HP’s recently announced High-Definition Nozzle Architecture technology.
• Conference participants heard industry analysis from IT Strategies’ Marco Boer, who presented an overview of the future of inkjet, its drivers and opportunities.
• Substrate suppliers representing Appleton Coated, Internationl Paper and Mitsubishi Paper Mills discussed ongoing and upcoming changes in inkjet media solutions.

“It was an amazing experience to both help educate and learn from some of the industry’s leading production printers who are so passionate about inkjet technology,” expressed Aurelio Maruggi, then-vice president and general manager, Inkjet High-speed Production Solutions, at HP.

Maruggi also received a standing ovation from attendees in appreciation of his commitment to HP customers after announcing that he was leaving for a promotion within HP.

The Jetcomm conference ended with an optional tour of the World Bank Group’s print production facility, enabling participants to see an HP T230 inkjet web press and a variety of Hunkeler finishing solutions in action. Several Jetcomm attendees stayed on to attend the DscoopX conference, which began just as the Jetcomm conference ended, especially those printers that also operate Indigo presses.

“The participation of Dscoop members in DscoopX, even in unique circumstances, shows how committed this community is,” noted John Rogers, Dscoop global executive director, at the opening general session. “Nothing was going to keep Dscoop members away from what has become the signature event of the year for digital print professionals.”

DscoopX also played host to Dion Weisler, the newly appointment CEO of HP Inc., who spoke at the general session the following morning and met with Dscoop leadership.

In addition, DscoopX brought together a record 116 partners (20 of them new) in a combined 45,000-square-foot Solutions Showcase. Companies representing packaging, finishing, direct mail, transpromo, commercial, media substrates, photo specialty and more sectors combined to make it the largest Solutions Showcase in the organization’s history. HP also had its biggest digital press presence ever, showing HP Indigo 30000, HP Indigo 20000, and two HP Indigo 10000 models.

Dscoop and HP announced new initiatives, including:

• Dscoop University introduced changes to the DscoopU Web portal (DscoopUniversity.org), including enhancements for ease of usability and access, the ability for managers to assign specific training to their employees, higher-level learning programs for those who seek it, and even more content that addresses the needs of small- to mid-size businesses.
• Dscoop confirmed its dedication to growing offerings for the packaging sector by introducing the DscoopX Packaging Renaissance, which included a segment for Dscoop members and representatives from global and national brands to connect on trends, insights and advancements in labels and packaging. As a part of the Packaging Renaissance, attendees could attend nine individual educational sessions focused specifically on that sector.

In a special awards ceremony held during the conference, some of Dscoop’s most active volunteers were honored for their commitment to the community. Chris Reine of Franklin Press was named the Dscoop Top Contributor for the third year; Nosco (Waukegan, IL) was the winner of the first annual Rod Key Marketing Excellence Award; and Susan Moore was the 2015 Jack Glacken Award winner, which recognizes the individual who has made the largest contribution to the Dscoop community during the course of the past year.

Tour of Data-Mail Headlines Canon Solutions America East Coast Inkjet Customer Event

HARTFORD, CT—Canon Solutions America hosted about 40 existing customers and prospects from around the country during its East Coast Inkjet Insider Summit held here March 24-25. Aside from networking opportunities with fellow print professionals and with Canon Solutions America Production Print Solutions senior executives Mal Baboyian, Francis McMahon and Mike Roberts, the highlight of the event was a tour of Data-Mail’s full-service direct mail printing and lettershop facility in nearby Newington, CT, and an optional visit to Data-Mail’s sister lettershop location in Windsor, CT.

After a networking dinner the night before in downtown Hartford, Canon Solutions America presented a company overview and product update, which was followed by a panel discussion featuring Data-Mail executives, including Andrew (Andy) Mandell, founder and CEO; Bruce Mandell, president; Scott Braunstein, senior VP of operations and legal affairs; and Peter Barzach, VP of operations. The plant tour at Data-Mail’s Newington operation followed.

With two Océ JetStream 2200 continuous-feed inkjet presses and a new Océ ColorStream 3900 in operation, Bruce Mandell described how Data-Mail is effectively utilizing his color inkjet press capacity to run both color and black-only work; providing more sophisticated personalization; as well streamlining productivity by reducing the need for preprinted offset shells.

He also described how the direct mail and transactional print shop opted for roll-to-roll inkjet press configurations with off-line finishing due to Data-Mail’s wide assortment of customer jobs and his desire to run the presses at higher speeds.

In terms of production inkjet printing pain points, Bruce Mandell pointed to encountering problems with paper availability, pricing and quality of suitable inkjet stocks in the past, especially coated grades.

Noting that the overall market supply for paper is improving, Mandell now relies on offerings mostly from Glatfelter, as well as from Mitsubishi Imaging (MPM) and Mondi.