"And the winner is", was the catchphrase when the Best of 2014 Award was announced for the eighth time on the first day of the viscom, the international trade fair for visual communication, on the evening of 5 of November. Awards were given to nine novelties from viscom exhibiters that had not been on the market for more than one year, provided a noticeable added value for the user and could be implemented when taking into account the economic, design and ecological aspects.
This was carefully reviewed and evaluated by the seven-member jury of representatives from trade journals and professional associations, after the products had been submitted in the five categories of "Sign Making", "Fabric Finishing", "Large Format Printing / LFP", "Illuminated Signs" and "Software". The Winners are:
Category Signmaking
In the Sign Making Category, the jury gave the Best of 2014 Award to two products. One of these is the self-adhesive poster frame DURAFRAME ® POSTER from Durable Hunke & Jochheim GmbH & Co KG – for noticeable advertising in shop windows and also for informative posters. The frame can be stuck inside windows in landscape as well as in portrait format and can be easily equipped with new posters thanks to the magnetic functionality. "A clever idea" is how a member of the jury described this product. In particular, the jury praised the simple handling, good adhesion as well as the "super" price/performance ratio and the "lovely" design. The poster frame looks the same from both sides, can be removed and newly positioned and is space-saving due to its flat design.
The second award winner in the Sign Making Category is TLS International with its Tension LED System. This consists of a LED lighting system, that can be used from both sides and with all the required components can be assembled by the customer. In particular, the jury was convinced by the carefully thought out system, which provides the user with a very easy to apply and install complete solution. In addition, the good logistics was a factor for the award for this product.
Fabric Finishing Category
Two awards were also given this year in the Fabric Finishing Category. The first award winner is A. Berger GmbH. Especially due to the submitted product re. Tex® Revolution FR (4435-26re), taking up the topic of durability, the award was given to this recyclable, both sides digitally printable fabric, which can be easily disposed of with the domestic waste. re. Tex® Revolution FR, a further development of the fabric submitted in the previous year, collected additional plus points with its crease-resistant characteristic and its low weight. In addition, the jury took note of the good quality and attractive appearance with a matt and a glossy side.
Like A. Berger GmbH, EPSON Deutschland GmbH was able convince with its submitted product SureColor SC-F2000 in the Fabric Finishing Category. As a complete system for the direct printing of T-shirts and bags, the DTG printer was found to be impressive, since it has invigorated the competition through its excellent price/performance ratio. The system proved itself to be reliable and highly suitable for entry into the market as well as being a supplement for screen printing. The Jury stressed that EPSON offers a system with components that are completely from the company by itself: push-buttons, ink, software and hardware. This ensures a high reliability and system security.
Large Format Printing Category
Three prizes were awarded this year in the Large Format Printing Category. The first award winner is Hewlett-Packard GmbH, which received the award from the jury for its submitted HP Latex 360 printer. The new generation HP 360 Latex printing system, produces high-grade and long-lasting prints for indoor and outdoor applications on a multitude of signing substrates - with borderless printing function. Apart from detail optimisations, the jury especially praised the improved scratch resistance of the prints, the reduced print temperature from 90 to 60 degrees and the optimised ink formulation.
The second award went to Mimaki Deutschland GmbH. It received a community award for its submitted UV-LED printers JFX200-2513 and UJV500-160. According to the jury, both the LED flatbed printer JFX200-2513 as well as the 3M certified roll printer UJV500-160 are exceptional machines at a good price, which provide a number of exciting features as an overall package. Both printers can be operated with several sets of ink, including white and clear varnish, which provides more space for creativity and can be used on diverse media.
The third product to receive an award in the Large Format Printing Category was the high-flyer ColorPainter M-64s from Seiko Instruments GmbH. The jury justified its decision as, since its introduction to the market, the inkjet printer has become a popular best-seller for indoor and outdoor applications with a high level of customer satisfaction. Especially the possibility for "unattended printing", made possible through simple operation via social networks, such as Twitter, were just as impressive as the print speed.
Illuminated Signs Category
An absolute novelty was given the award in the Illuminated Signs Category. The Media Blind, of mediabiose GmbH, in Munich, developed by the Managing Director, Mariana Yordanova appears to initially be a standard blind, which thanks to LEDs becomes an illuminated advertising space. Graphics as well as moving texts can be displayed and simply updated with very little expense. The jury thought that the innovative combination of a sunshade and advertising space was "a great idea". In particular for use without a direct shop window design, the media blind is especially suitable, for example, above ground floor height.
Software Category
The only award winner in the Software Category was thought to be an outstanding new business idea: The Roland DisplayStudio from Roland DG. The software for playing digital signage systems proved itself as a simple entry level variant with an attractive price/performance ratio. "With the Roland DisplayStudio, the value added chain can be extended and prolonged", said a member of the jury. Actually, the design of the digital signage content is an agency service and is not part of the core business of Roland. This addition to the portfolio gave the company the viscom Best of 2014 Award in the Software Category.
