Recognizing the best digital imaging products in the industry

SGIA's annual Product of the Year competition showcases digital imaging products that keep the specialty imaging industry moving forward. Winning companies achieve worldwide recognition and the ability to market their product as a winner of this prestigious competition.

This year's competition compared 98 entries in 21 categories. Entries were evaluated and judged by industry leaders during the 2011 SGIA Expo. Of the 21 categories, only eight companies walked away with awards this year.

Congratulations 2011 Product of the Year winners in the following categories:

Category 101: Digital Inks
Roland DGA Corporation
ECO-UV S Ink for VersaUV LED Wide-Format Inkjet Devices

Wide-format VersaUV models support the new, highly flexible ECO-UV S ink, which expands up to 220 percent. This extended elasticity allows prints to mold perfectly to the contours of PET bottles and plastic cups, and ensures flawless results on thermoformed plastic commonly used for items ranging from food service trays to auto parts packaging, and consumer electronics cases. ECO-UV S is offered in CMYK and white for the VersaUV LEJ-640 printer and LEC series printer/cutters.

“We are honored by these awards and believe they reflect the strength of Roland VersaUV LED technology,” said Rick Scrimger, vice president and general manager of Roland DGA Corp.

ECO-UV S Ink for VersaUV LED Wide-Format Inkjet Devices

BioMedia Display Film

Category 103: Media-Vinyl
ILFORD
BioMedia Display Film

Aimed at commercial print-for-pay businesses, the ILFORD BioMedia range is a biodegradable alternative for today’s commercial vinyl products. Designed to meet the most demanding expectations for quality and performance, ILFORD BioMedia completely breaks down under anaerobic landfill conditions, thanks to a unique enzyme that accelerates the biodegradation process. BioMedia Display Film uses the company’s renowned coating technologies to create print surfaces that maximize environmental benefit without compromising image quality.

“Winning the SGIA Product of the Year Award confirms our dedication to research and development and environmentally conscious product development,” said Paul Williems, CEO and Director of Global Sales.

“This award speaks volumes to the hard work and dedication of our team; it is because of them that ILFORD is able to meet the ever-evolving industry demands for high-quality, and more recently “green” commercial media.”

Category 104: Media-Films
Asphalt Art USA
Asphalt Art

Asphalt Art is a revolutionary new advertising media! A patented aluminum foil-based material for asphalt, concrete, stairs, stone, metal and other walking and driving surfaces, Asphalt Art is ideal for sporting events, parades, sidewalks, parking lot campaigns and more. Asphalt Art is highly conformable, slip resistant (ASTM D-2047 and NSFI certified) and compatible with UV-Curable and Latex printers. No lamination is required.

Asphalt Art

Category 105: Media-Textile
Visual Magnetics
VM-Canvas™22

VM-Canvas 22, which debuted at the 2011 SGIA Expo, is one of the first products in Visual Magnetics’ newly launched MagnaMedia® Digital Fabric Collection, which brings warmth and luxury to the in-store experience by adding unique, textured surfaces to graphic content. VM-Canvas 22 is a 22 mil, 100 percent cotton, magnetic receptive canvas with a luxurious, soft matte, washable, textured print surface ideal for producing woven fabric-textured photo reproductions, wall murals and fabric based POP signage.

“We are excited that VM-Canvas 22, has received this prestigious honor from such a well-regarded organization as SGIA,” said Joe Deetz, CEO of Visual Magnetics. “This award is certainly a testament to the product’s quality and we are pleased to be able to offer it to our customers as we grow our MagnaMedia line. The unique properties of our new digital fabric will enable the creation of stunning, fabric-textured graphics that, like all of Visual Magnetics’ products, can be updated effortlessly.”

VM-Canvas™22

Category 112: Poster Size – Solvent/Latex Printers < 96"
Mimaki USA Inc
JV33

Following in the footsteps of the popular JV3 series, the JV33 series was created. In addition to various enhancements, which bring out a high quality print of 1,440 dpi, the new JV33 series has increased print speed. In addition, the improved running efficiency has improved the print speed by 30% over the JV3 series. Print quality in 4-color bidirectional mode is also improved using a "symmetric ink arrangement." The winning JV33 series is designed to be used for POP displays, posters, banners, vehicles wraps and graphics, and dye sublimation transfers.

JV33

Category 114: Flat Bed-Rigid Substrate UV <$200K MSRP
Mimaki USA Inc
JFX-1631

The JFX-1631’s intelligent dual feeding mechanism revolutionizes flatbed printing by allowing for an ultra-precise ink dot placement, which reduces banding and prints legible text as small as 3 pt., on media up to 2" thick. All printers in the new JFX plus series feature a standard post-curing unit that enables printing of up to 23.6 sqm/h, nearly twice as fast as previous models. An optional roll unit has been developed to boost efficiency and productivity when printing on roll fed substrates. The JFX-1631 is designed to be used for POP displays; posters and banners; packaging proofs and prototypes; industrial applications and signage; membrane switches; and backlit signage and displays.

JFX-1631

Category 115: Flat Bed-Rigid Substrate UV >$200K MSRP
EFI
VUTEk GS3250LX

The EFI™ VUTEk® GS3250lx is a fully loaded, production-level LED UV-curing hybrid printer that extends the range of supported substrates and print providers’ bottom line with an innovative ink curing technology. It reduces operating costs with less material fall-out and smooth production runs, and boosts productivity with its continuous board printing capability. No other technology in its class can deliver the environmental benefits to satisfy demands for a greener printing solution with less waste, fewer consumables and decreased power consumption.

Like other qualifying GS Series printers, the VUTEk GS3250lx integrates seamlessly to EFI Web-to-print and MIS solutions with native JDF connectivity between the Fiery XF RIP and VUTEk system to deliver a powerful, sustainable process improvement opportunity. Together, these tools can boost your profit potential by virtually eliminating touch points, reducing waste, improving communication and maximizing capacity utilization, all while providing the business knowledge needed to accurately assess the cost of every job.

“This year’s SGIA was a big success for EFI on many fronts, including our breakthrough GS3250LX printer with innovative LED UV-curing technology taking home a Product of the Year award,” said Scott Schinlever, senior vice president and general manager of inkjet solutions at EFI.

VUTEk GS3250LX

Category 116: Flat Bed-Rigid White Ink UV <$200K MSRP
Océ Display Graphics Systems
Arizona 360 XT

All Océ Arizona Series printers — including the new Océ Arizona 360 XT model — share the same award-winning image quality and robust architecture, offering the Océ values of quality, reliability, productivity and user-friendliness. Océ Arizona Series printers are, quite simply, a technology disruption: UV curable flatbed and roll-to-roll inkjet printers that deliver exceptional image quality to take display graphics to the next level. Customers can use them to add new services by printing photo-quality images on virtually any media imaginable and taking on work that was never before possible with other printing systems, thereby giving users numerous opportunities to increase display graphics revenues.

Arizona 360 XT

Browse upcoming issues of the SGIA Journal for information about each of the Product of the Year award winners, and how the specialty imaging community is using the innovative products in 2012. For details about how to enter the 2012 Product of the Year competition, contact SGIA's Digital Printing Analyst, Jeff Burton.