The What’s Happening October-November 2023 edition covers a range of creative printing categories. First, we look at a new print service from Persnickety Box that transforms digital memories into photo keepsake boxes. We also look at the opening of a new Forever, Inc., digitization facility. Forever currently digitizes more than two million memories each year (including VHS tapes, films, photos and negatives), so people can bring old memories back to life.
Also in the mix is a sample of news from the Printing United Expo 2023, including from Fujifilm, Layflat.com as well as Epson. Also, we report on new models in Canon’s imagePrograf large-format inkjet printer lineup.
What’s Happening October-November 2023
Persnickety Box Subscription Service
A mom-founded brand, Persnickety Box transforms digital memories into eco-friendly keepsake boxes filled with quality Fujifilm prints. The new online app-driven subscription takes digital photos and converts them into 30 4×4-inch luster prints stored in a keepsake story box and delivered to your doorstep. 
The Persnickety Box subscription program is designed to get your photos in your hands without complicated uploading. This new form of scrapbooking was inspired by the Tinder swipe. It enables users to build cherished memories without uploading images.
“We want to disrupt the way social media has alienated people from the pleasure of the physical world and create a network of people who believe that the future is about building and preserving real connections tangibly,” said Chari Pack, founder. “Not only will quality-printed photographs last longer than digital files, but we know where they are! Statistics show that when children see photos of their childhood, the feelings of love and belonging arise and build self-esteem and self-worth.” 
You begin by downloading the free interactive photo app (iOS/Android) and selecting photos from your camera roll by swiping or clicking. The Fujifilm prints arrive with white borders in a recycled photo-safe box. Persnickety Box also integrates with Google Photos. The digital photos are processed with chemistry like film in a darkroom. The process embeds the image into silver halide paper that is fade, scratch and water resistant. The company says the archival prints will last more than 100 years.
The service costs $19.99 a month or you can opt for buy 10, get 2 free with a yearly plan. Subscribers also get discounts in print items.
Forever Memory Digitization Facility Opens for Business
Forever Inc.’s new memory digitization facility in Hobart, Wisconsin, outside of Green Bay, is open for business. The state-of-the-art facility was completed at a cost of $5 million, including new equipment.
Forever currently digitizes more than two million memories each year (VHS tapes, films, photos and negatives), so people can bring old memories back to life. The new facility will dramatically increase Forever’s digitization capacity. 
As a result of the 25,000-square-foot facility, Forever now operates “the world’s newest, highest-quality memory digitization facility,” said Glen Meakem, founder and CEO. The company employs 30 people at the facility. However, Forever plans to expand this number to 125 or more in the years ahead.
The new facility is highly secure and includes an indoor loading dock, warehouse, processing area, logistics area, team member break area, server room, media studio as well as offices.
“By leveraging the larger space, most sophisticated technology available, and our highly dedicated Green Bay area workforce, we will meet the growing demands of our customers across North America. We will ensure that their memories are immortalized with the utmost precision and care,” said Eric Napier, Forever’s director of Digitization. “At Forever, we do the highest quality digitization work on the planet. No one cares more than we do.” 
Forever, headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, serves clients globally with its cloud-based products and services. It provides a complete, permanent memory-keeping platform in the Internet cloud for people, families and organizations that want to preserve as well as share their precious memories today, tomorrow and for generations into the future. The company also offers a variety of custom photo items.
Layflat.com LF 2000 All-in Max at Printing United
Layflat.com AG, a maker of photo book production equipment, featured the LF 2000 All-in Max at Printing United Expo. The all-in-one station includes creasing, folding and inline automatic book pressing. Printing United 2023 was held October 18–20, 2023 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia.
“High-volume printers from around the world are seeing tremendous productivity gains using Layflat.com systems,” said Djawad Khorosh, CEO. “Layflat.com has evolved from an idea into a cohesive experienced international bookbinding. Our commitment is to work closely with worldwide book printers to provide advanced production systems for the rapidly growing premium Layflat book market.”
The LF 2000 All-in Max is a high-speed, fully automatic in-line book block system. Further, it produces layflat photo book blocks from single sheets. The LF 2000 can make promotional books by gluing paper back-to-back. However, the station also creates high-end products by inserting cardboard in between prints. The station performs creasing, folding and inline automatic book pressing.
Among its benefits are the ability to integrate auto feeding, gluing and assembling units in one automatic book press. In addition, it offers production speeds up to 2,000 cycles/hour. Plus, the company notes that the industrial-grade equipment can run 24 hours per day, with a large-volume paper and cardboard stacker. The unit produces photo book sizes up to 20.8×36 inches and has a fully automatic barcode scanning system.
Headquartered in Switzerland, Layflat.com has developed an alliance of companies from around the world. Consequently, it offers reliable regional manufacturing, sales and customer support. The company manufactures all systems to meet stringent EU requirements.
Canon Shows Large-Format Advances at Printing United
Canon displayed current and future digital technology at its booth (#B4033) during Printing United 2023. Booth visitors could experience Canon’s portfolio in large-format and display graphics; production printing; high-speed inkjet production printing; as well as workflow solutions. 
Highlights at the booth were the 2023 Printing United Alliance Pinnacle Award-winning UVgel White Ink technology in action on the Colorado M series. This ink solution offers “superb quality and reliability,” according to the judges. The Canon booth also featured new enhancements for the Colorado M series, as well as other wide-format technologies, including the newly announced imagePrograf TM series.
Also on display was the imagePrograf GP series, which contributed to Canon USA and Canon Europe winning the Buyers Lab (BLI) 2023–2024 Pacesetter Award in Production Print Applications: Color Embellishments Large Format from Keypoint Intelligence. Further, visitors saw the Arizona 2300 XTF flatbed printer with award-winning FLOW technology—a solution in large-format printing.
The U.S. trade show additionally saw the debut of Canon’s imagePress V1350 digital press. It produces offset-quality output and repeatability at speeds of up to 135 images-per-minute. In addition, the full imagePress V family portfolio was on display.
Moreover, visitors could learn about Canon’s high-speed production inkjet portfolio at presentations in the Inkjet Innovation area of the booth. Experts shared insights on Canon’s inkjet technology, including its inkjet history, current offerings as well as upcoming technology. Inkjet samples from devices across Canon’s production portfolio, as well as copies of “The Designer’s Guide to Inkjet”, were displayed in the Inkjet Innovation area.
Fujifilm at Printing United Expo 2023
Fujifilm had a full display at Booth #2506 during the Printing United Expo 2023. The booth hosted live demonstrations of existing print products as well as new introductions. Furthermore, attendees got a first glimpse of future Fujifilm printing innovations and complete end-to-end solutions. 
In addition, the company announced the Fujifilm J Press 750HS (high speed) press and its J Press FP790 press earned Printing United Alliance 2023 Pinnacle Awards in the Digital Press and Technology categories, respectively.
Fujifilm’s 9,000-square-foot booth featured demonstrations, application samples, as well as the latest print technology. Showcased products included an expanded Revoria color and monochrome sheetfed toner series; the new ApeosPro photo series; Acuity Ultra and Acuity Hybrid LED wide-format presses; and the award-winning J Press sheetfed inkjet press.
It also offered dedicated hands-on learning areas for advanced, high-performance workflow solutions to maximize production. Demos included Fujifilm’s ColorPath Sync cloud-based color management and XMF Press Ready.
In partnership with Fujifilm North America Corporation’s Imaging Division and Fujifilm North America Corporation’s Dimatix Division, the booth also showcased inkjet print bar solutions. In addition, photo galleries demonstrated the accuracy of Fujifilm’s image printing technology for photography.
Epson at Printing United Expo 2023
Epson participated in Printing United, the annual comprehensive printing event. Epson demonstrated solutions for a variety of applications—photography, indoor and outdoor signage, graphics as well a textile.
With the theme of the Seventy5 Video Arcade, the booth (#C2847) offered visitors the opportunity to play classic arcade games, enjoy a coffee drink and see live demos. They also received a first look at a new professional photography solution as well as a preview of professional desktop printing technology.
Epson booth attendees had a firsthand experience with wide-format solutions, including its four Printing United Alliance 2023 Pinnacle Product Award winners. Inside the arcade, visitors challenged a high score on a classic arcade game and viewed real-world print applications. Moreover, everything printed in the space was printed with Epson technology, from the mugs to the arcade game wrapping.
Products on display include dye-sublimation printers. The SureColor F-series dye-sublimation printers range from desktop to production printing capabilities. In addition, the SureColor V7000 UV flatbed printer offers a combination of image quality, productivity, and convenience. It touts 10-color inks and flexible features, for outdoor signage and promotional goods and more.
Furthermore, Epson showed production photo and graphic printers. For example, the SureColor P8570D wide-format photo and graphics printer and SureLab Photo Minilab Printers suite are for high-volume photo production printing.
Canon Debuts Multiuse ImagePrograf Large-Format Inkjet Printer Series
Canon released 11 imagePrograf large-format inkjet printers. They include the 36-inch TM-355/TM-350/TM-340 and 24-inch TM-250/TM-240 models plus multifunction scanning configurations. Further, the new models cater to various printing needs..
With high-speed printing and newly formulated magenta ink, the printers provide vivid color reproduction in an all-inclusive body design. They also allow for easier roll paper loading for beginner users. What’s more, with newly formulated magenta ink, the printers achieve red color development.
Further, new image-processing tables help ensure deep, vivid reproduction of overall colors. “Even when using plain paper, the printers produce highly visible posters, making it possible to create attention-grabbing retail POPs and engaging office displays in a cost-effective manner,” Canon stated.
The use of all-color pigment ink also helps ensure prints do not easily fade over time for long-term display. They are also provide water resistant for outdoor use.
More Features
Furthermore, a new L-COA Pro II image-processing engine enables quick start-up from sleep mode and high-speed printing to reach top speeds. Specifically, the TM-355/350 models produce up to 3.2 D-size prints per minute. That’s a 28% increase in speed compared to previous models. The new printers also achieve up to a 60% boost in processing speeds for USB thumb drive printing, thanks to the upgraded processor.
Also featured is a new flat top design. It lets users set roll paper by placing it on top of the printer, attaching roll holders and sliding it along a guide, even in confined spaces. The printers also offer automatic paper type and width detection as well as roll paper remaining estimation.
Moreover, a large touch panel displays paper width, type, remaining roll paper, and ink levels. The enlarged, 4.3-inch touch panel is adjustable. Consequently, users can tilt it for comfortable viewing from different angles and positions.
Green Machines
In addition, Canon is committed to reducing its environmental impact by eliminating expanded polystyrene foam from the printers’ packing materials. Instead, it uses cardboard. Notably, these models are registered as gold products in the U.S. EPEAT environmental assessment system by the Global Electronics Council EPEAT Climate Criteria. The nonprofit organization provides verification of the environmental attributes of imaging equipment. 
These models also hold Energy Star certification. This certification is established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy. The certification guarantees approved products utilize less energy, emit fewer greenhouse gases and deliver high-quality performance. Plus, to help improve printing efficiency, the printers are compatible with the Direct Print Plus software. It enables users to batch print multiple files in different formats with drag-and-drop operation.
What’s more, the new printers significantly reduce operating noise during printing. The TM-340/240 models have operating noise levels reduced to approximately 39dB, making them ideal for retail stores as well as small offices.
