Two Nifty New Retail Print Apps
January 2008Brooke International has been bringing innovative print applications to the imaging industry for years now – look now further than their Hope Jigsaw Puzzle machines.
The company has recently teamed with the Hope Development Co. once again to announce another winner with the intro of the Press Cutter 2000, a machine that produces mini keychain-esque photo books. The unit can take what is essentially a photo contact sheet and produce a mini flip album in about two minutes.
The Mini Albums measure 1-1/4” x 1-1/2” with 18 or 20 images (sides), and Classy Pocket Album 2-1/4” x 3” with 12 images (sides). Mini Album prints can be made with any output method (silver halide, inkjet, dye-sublimation printer, color copy etc.).
“Output devices today come in many sizes and price levels—this does not require any unique type of printer or specific printing process—just turn out a 5x7 for the Retailer Mini Album cutting (manual) system or an 8x12 for the Puzzle Machine/Mini Album (motorized) cutter. This makes the Mini Album system very attractive to businesses starting out with a low end (cost) personal printer capable of 5x7’s,” the company explains
Brooke adds the process of making the mini album is simple—from the print layout to cutting the page to folding and finishing the album. The learning curve of putting a mini album together is short while the results are very professional—in just a few minutes, they explain.
From New York-based MagnaSigns comes a magnetic media that allows the user to print their images on a thin magnetic sheet of media to make their own magnetic vehicle signs. The company is looking to sell the media and concept to retailers as well to sell as a novelty along with regular print services. The magnetic sign sheets are available in two sizes: 8.5x14, 11x17-inch and two finishes – Gloss and Matte.
The media can be used in printers with either dye or pigmented based inkjet printers, and color laser printers. The image-forming surface is made of special coatings for waterproof and fade resistant prints. The company tells us the final results are easy to place on any vehicle or metal surface and are scissor friendly and easy to size up and will hold up well outdoors. The process is dubbed “cuichu” and the company tells us that the media, “is based on swellable polymer coatings, micro-porous and cast coated paper technology platforms.” Check out this video demo at www.cuichu.com/demo.htm.
