Digital printing was the big winner at the 2019 InterTech Technology Awards, with over half of the ten winning technologies part of the digital sector. 

The awards, organised by the Printing Industries of America (PIA), honour ‘truly innovative’ technologies that are expected to have ‘a significant impact on the graphic communications industry.’

Companies making digital advances included Global Graphics Software, which was recognised for PrintFlat, a software which removes banding in inkjet printing.

‘This is a truly outstanding achievement by our development teams,’ said managing director Justin Bailey. ‘PrintFlat is an exciting technology that I believe will be a game changer in digital inkjet. Banding has been a problem that printers have been putting up with for too long, having to accept that some jobs just can’t be printed with inkjet. PrintFlat changes all this by solving the banding issue in software, opening up the whole print market to the benefits of digital inkjet.’

Another software breakthrough to win an award was Tilia Phoenix 7.0, developed by Canadian company Tilia Labs. ‘Because it applies authentic, cutting-edge AI to the problem, Phoenix can consistently find better solutions that simply are not possible by traditional software means, resulting in return on investment that can be measured in months or even weeks,’ said CEO Sagen de Jonge. ‘We’re truly thrilled that PIA has recognised this achievement and its significance for the future of print.’

HP’s water-based ink was another innovation which impressed the judges, who noted its ability to deliver vibrant images on coated and uncoated corrugated boards, that it can be safely used for sensitive products and primary packaging and the absence of any odours.

‘PIA recognition is an additional confirmation of the value the industry sees in HP’s free of UV chemistries ink formulation that will help HP and its customers transform the corrugated industry to a more sustainable, safe and environmentally responsible industry,’ said Eric Wiesner, general manager, PageWide industrial division.

Another HP technology acknowledged was PrintOS Color Beat, an operating system developed by HP Indigo and Vistaprint. PrintOS Color Beat was recognised for its ability to automatically monitor and drive colour excellence across fleets of HP Indigo 12000 digital presses, while keeping to Vistaprint’s colour standards.

‘HP PrintOS Color Beat will help HP and its customers transform print into a more productive, profitable industry,’ said Alon Bar-Shany, general manager, HP Indigo. ‘Over the last decade, the printing industry has become highly competitive. To attract and retain customers, printing companies must become increasingly efficient in all processes. One of the most important processes is colour control. Color Beat is everything offline colour process control systems are not: automatic, consistent, and fast. We are honored by the PIA recognition.’

The full list of winners was:

  • Océ ProStream 1000
    Canon Solutions America
  • Print Control Wizard
    Esko USA
  • PrintFlat
    Global Graphics Software
  • HP PageWide True Water-Based Inks
    HP Inc.
  • HP PrintOS Color Beat
    HP Indigo and Vistaprint
  • HYBRID VDP
    Hybrid Software Inc.
  • VRCut Ready Triumph Cutter Line
    MBM Corporation
  • Kodak Flexcel NX Ultra Solution
    Miraclon
  • RICOH Pro VC 70000
    Ricoh USA, Inc.
  • Tilia Phoenix 7.0 
    Tilia Labs