The Practical Printer

Digital Printing for Practical People. 30 years of direct, practical experience in large-format digital printing.

[The Practical Printer @printpractical1]

Tired of adhesives that leave a goopy mess or rip paint off walls? Our Trifecta adhesive guarantees clean removability for up to a year, protecting your walls. Stick it and forget it, knowing removal will be a breeze. #Adhesive #HomeImprovement

[The Practical Printer @printpractical1]

Discover Trifecta, the versatile roll with adhesive that sticks, repositions, and comes in textured options like Linen and Sand. It's wall-covering and floor-graphic ready, with Class 1A fire and UL 410 slip ratings – no lamination needed!

[The Practical Printer @printpractical1]

If you are ever in Barcelona, you must attend a performance at the Palau de la Musica. Midori was exquisite playing Mendelson’s violin concerto. But the highlight was Tchaikovsky’s fifth symphony. No better venue in the world to hear a concert. FESPA begins on Tuesday

[The Practical Printer @printpractical1]

Marc Rannow from CutWorx USA joins me to talk shop and to announce their products for the ISA Sign Expo later this week in Orlando. They will be in booth 1311 with their complete portfolio, and will have products dotted around the show floor. Stop by and see them. I will be in their booth at noon on Wednesday for some interviews with the guys.

Cutworx USA has the largest portfolio of finishing equipment for the graphics, signage, packaging, and textiles worlds. If you need to cut it, trim it, or refine it, they have it. Based in Irving, Texas, their crew boasts over 175 years of combined finishing know-how and offers a killer lineup of digital flatbed cutters like the award-winning Apex M series, lightning-fast die cutters, CNC systems, lasers, laminators, foam cutters, foil fusion sleeking machines, and automation wizardry that handles everything from contour-cutting stickers and rigid panels to creasing boxes and heat-pressing sublimation graphics. Cutworx delivers the gear, expert installation, hands-on training, and expert support to bring your jobs to completion. @cutworxusa @isasignexpo

#SignExpo #Graphics #FinishingEquipment #DigitalCutters #CNC #Laminators #Textiles #Automation #PrintingIndustry #practicalprinter

[The Practical Printer @printpractical1]

Josh Cormany and I go back decades. He's a big fish in the digital printing industry. He’s heading up the Dimense project over at Media One. I think the results on the Roland Dimense printers speak for themselves. Wow! Nothing like it. Visit booth 2441 at the ISA Sign Expo April 8-10 to see this remarkable technology in action and have Josh show you what it can do.

The new Roland DIMENSE DA-640 is a groundbreaking large-format dimensional surface printer that allows you to produce full-color prints with true, tactile texture and embossing up to 2 mm high. Instead of relying on heavy ink layering, it uses specialized media, structural ink, and precision heat to create impressive, premium 3D effects. You can use this for high-end applications like interior décor, wallpaper, signage, fine art, and other high-value jobs. Best of all, because the DA-640 is water-based, eco-friendly, and PVC-free, you can deliver on-demand creativity and profitability quickly, all in a single, efficient pass. Media One has set out to become the world-wide experts with this new technology.

Media One is North America’s top full-service provider for large-format digital textile printing. Headquartered in Garden Grove, California. And since 2001, the company has been serving wide-format and textile print shops by offering you a complete ecosystem: printers, proprietary digital fabrics, inks, substrates, finishing equipment, and expert technical support. Media One is your one-stop partner for everything related to digital textile printing: hardware, media, finishing equipment, and expertise.

Full interview here: https://t.co/TE7oUcuvdZ
Media One here: https://t.co/bcngHMDx6l

#DIMENSE #RolandPrinters #LargeFormatPrinting #3DPrinting #EcoFriendlyPrinting #DigitalTextile #InteriorDecor #ISAExpo #MediaOne #PrintTechnology #thepracticalprinter

[The Practical Printer @printpractical1]

I am a big fan of Patrick Howell and Howell Studios, and I've finally had a chance to have him on The Practical Printer for an interview. His marketing and sales software is the best in the business. I'm going to be partnering with Patrick and his team at this upcoming ISA International Sign Expo 2026 in Orlando! Visit the Howell Studios team at Booth 257 from April 8–10 to discuss how Patrick can elevate your digital marketing to another level--and register to win a free year of his services--a 10k value.
https://t.co/EsKAwiHGEY
Full Interview: https://t.co/0MyvnHh6J8

https://t.co/Bwmfhal3OW

[The Practical Printer @printpractical1]

I am a big fan of Patrick Howell and Howell Studios, and I've finally had a chance to have him on The Practical Printer for an interview.

Howell Studios has a remarkable suite of products tailor made for the printing industry in every vertical segment, whether you are a print shop or a manufacturer, they will meaningfully improve the way to market your business. And all seamlessly linked together.

Howell Studios is redefining how the digital printing industry connects with its audience. They don't just create content; they build the technical marketing infrastructure that helps print firms, packaging specialists, and sign shops turn complex capabilities into compelling stories. From immersive video production to high-impact brand strategy, Howell Studios offers the visual and digital tools necessary to stay competitive in an automated landscape.

As the industry pivots toward AI and more sophisticated lead generation, Howell helps businesses prepare their systems for the next generation of rapid growth. Their focus is on the "emotional why" behind every print project, ensuring that your technical precision is matched by a brand narrative that resonates. Stop chasing leads manually and start converting them through scalable, data-driven marketing stacks. Adapt or die.

I'm going to be partnering with Patrick and his team at this upcoming ISA International Sign Expo 2026 in Orlando! Visit the Howell Studios team at Booth 257 from April 8–10 to discuss how Patrick can elevate your digital marketing to another level--and register to win a free year of his services--a 10k value.
https://t.co/EsKAwiH8Pq
https://t.co/0MyvnHgyTA

#HowellStudios #DigitalPrinting #PrintMarketing #AIinMarketing #BrandStrategy #LeadGeneration #ISAExpo2026 #PrintIndustry #MarketingInfrastructure #ThePracticalPrinter

[The Practical Printer @printpractical1]

Nekoosa is the world-wide leader in carbonless paper. I chat with Director of Commercial Print, Daniel Garrity at Printing United 2026 to explain their portfolio. Nekoosa is the apex choice for creating multi-copy documents without the mess of old-school carbon sheets.
Nekoosa specializes in high-quality carbonless paper that transfers images cleanly across layers, perfect for things like invoices, receipts, order forms, medical records, and contracts. They're known for brands like Nekoosa Coated Products and NCR PAPER*, with a focus on reliability, good looks, easy printing, and even eco-friendly options.
Here's a quick breakdown of their main products:
U20® Carbonless: Great for everyday multi-part forms, emphasizing sustainability and sharp imaging.
NCR PAPER Superior*: A trusted go-to for professional use, delivering consistent results.
Digital Carbonless: Designed for laser printers and copiers—runs smoothly without jams, ideal for custom or short-run jobs. Comes pre-collated in 2- or 3-part sets (like white/canary or white/canary/pink).
Universal Carbonless: Works for both traditional offset printing and modern digital setups, with special coatings for easy form assembly.

These papers come in standard sizes (e.g., 8.5x11 or 8.5x14), various colors and part counts, and even perforated options. The tech uses tiny capsules that activate under pressure for smudge-free copies, making it a staple in retail, auto shops, healthcare, and finance. If you're streamlining your business ops or printing needs, Nekoosa's lineup could save time and hassle. What do you use for your forms? #PrintingSolutions #BusinessForms #OfficeSupplies #Nekoosa #Carbonlessforms #NCRPaper #U20carbonless

[The Practical Printer @printpractical1]

I sat down with Onyx CEO, Matt Crawford, at @PRINTINGUnited to discuss core virtues of both ONYX Align and the new ONYX 25 RIP. Onyx has grown into a comprehensive solution for both your RIP software but also for estimating, quoting, and finishing software.

ONYX Align is the cloud-based "get your shop organized" tool from Onyx—think of it as the one dashboard that finally kills all those random spreadsheets and sticky notes. You hop in from any browser and handle instant quoting (they've got a killer one just for vehicle wraps), create orders, track every job, send invoices, take payments, and actually see your real profit margins without doing math in your head. It hooks right up with ONYX Thrive so jobs fly straight to production, and you've got a nice Job Board for the team to see what's cooking, plus QuickBooks sync and status views for estimates, orders, and cash flow. It helps you price things right, cut manual busywork, spot money leaks, scale up without freaking out, and spend more time actually printing and growing the business instead of playing detective with paperwork. Oh, and it will work as a stand-alone with any RIP you have, so you can pair this with any RIP out there.

ONYX 25 is the newest version of Onyx Graphics' RIP software, and it's all about making your life in the print shop easier and smarter. They've listened to what actual printers are saying and added a great Layout Tool where you can just drag and drop things around, auto-templates for jig jobs, double-sided prints, and board work, plus you can tweak nests on the fly—rotate pieces, nudge them into place, whatever. You get better previews with color-managed cut lines, gutter marks, and easy rotation switches, plus more accurate ink tracking so you're not guessing how much you're burning through. They've thrown in G7+ calibration for killer gray balance on tricky substrates, support for more cutters and spectros, and tighter ONYX Sync integration so you can keep an eye on jobs and get alerts from anywhere. Onyx 25 cuts down prep time, kills a bunch of little errors, saves media, and just lets you crank out better prints faster.

#Onyx #ONYX25 #ONYXAlign #OnyxRIP #RIPsoftware

[The Practical Printer @printpractical1]

If you are looking for an outstanding backlit fabric, you should be looking at either Berger Textiles USA Samba or Lumina. You will not find a better backlit for your UV, Latex, or Sublimation printer. I have used both with different ink technologies for over a decade with outstanding results.

Berger Samba is widely regarded as the "all-rounder" and industry standard for backlit applications. It is a 100% polyester woven fabric known for being airtight, watertight, and crease-resistant, which allows it to be folded for shipping without permanent wrinkles. What sets Samba apart is its unique "lotus effect" on the uncoated side, making it water and dirt-repellent and suitable for both indoor and short-term outdoor use, such as tents, inflatables, and lightboxes.

Berger Lumina, while also a premium backlit fabric, is specifically engineered to excel in dye-sublimation printing (both direct and transfer). It is a more tightly woven fabric than Samba, which results in even higher color brilliance and a deeper color gamut when illuminated from behind. While it shares Samba's crease-resistant properties and "ship-from-fold" capability, Lumina is the preferred choice for high-end retail and point-of-sale lightboxes where maximum vibrancy and smooth light diffusion are the top priorities. Both fabrics are now also available in EVO versions made from 100% recycled PET bottles for brands focusing on sustainability.

#berger #samba #bergerusa #lumina #backlittextile #dyesublimation

[The Practical Printer @printpractical1]

Coldenhove Xtreme® Sports is a premium dye-sublimation transfer paper specifically engineered for high-demand industrial sportswear printing. Available primarily in both 70 GSM and 100GSM, it excels in handling high ink loads for vibrant, full-coverage designs on polyester fabrics, delivering sharp, bright, and consistent colors even in complex or heavily saturated graphics. Its standout feature is ultra-fast drying speed, which significantly reduces production downtime, prevents issues like creasing or rivering, and allows for quicker cycles on high-speed industrial printers. I met up with Gijsbert Harmsen to discuss this new transfer paper at @PRINTINGUnited Expo 2025

This makes Xtreme® Sports ideal for high-volume production of activewear, team uniforms, and performance garments, where it minimizes ink contamination in the calender, boosts transfer efficiency, and cuts down on waste and reprints. Trusted worldwide as a top choice in the sublimation market, it combines speed, reliability, and superior print quality to help printers achieve durable, professional results with maximum output.

https://t.co/v9XivM5mVW

#coldenhove #xtremesports #transferpaper #dyesublimation #sublimation

[The Practical Printer @printpractical1]

Among the many headwinds that DTF printers face include the issues with color and layering associated with software. DTF software is a critical part of creating high quality finished images--especially white ink control. Caldera RIP has stepped into this opportunity with an outstanding software RIP solution designed specifically for the DTF market. Caldera Direct-to-Film RIP software benefits from all the quality and experience Caldera brings to the digital printing software market--and adds a tremendous ease-of-use for people who are new to the industry. They took everything they know about color and workflow and distilled it down to a single, focused product.

This powerhouse simplifies DTF workflows like never before—perfect for beginners crushing their first custom tees or pros scaling up vibrant apparel runs. It offers intuitive interface (no overwhelming extras!), killer white ink management for pop-on-dark-fabrics, spot-on color matching (up to 12 inks incl. fluorescents & varnish), auto-mirroring, knockout tools, expert presets, and built-in training guides to level up fast.

Caldera DTF runs natively on Mac, Windows, & Linux—total flexibility! Now widely available with editions from Essentials to Max. If you're in garment deco, this is your ticket to faster, accurate, brand-true prints. Check it out: https://t.co/u68DMLo5iB #DTFPrinting #CalderaRIP #CustomApparel #PrintLife

[The Practical Printer @printpractical1]

The Neolt Factory Automatic Feeder and Stacker is a new automation system launched in 2025 for handling rigid panels on flatbed printers. It integrates seamlessly with the new HP Latex R Series, including the compact R530 model we show here, and can be customized for other printers or cutting tables. This is how you run a high-efficiency print shop.

I met with Neolt Factory owner Ettore Briccoli Pontiggia at the PRINTING United Expo HP booth to show off his equipment and have him explain how it integrates with the R530. It’s a breeze to attach and remove, and the HP techs tell me it has been very reliable and easy to learn. I particularly like the vacuum suction cups for precise automated loading and the pneumatic motorized rollers for safe unloading and stacking. Neolt Factory manufactures everything themselves in Italy and can make almost any custom product you want, too.

This is a great way to maximize labor efficiency by automating what the HP R-Series does so well: feed precut boards with accuracy and ease. This setup enables unattended high-volume production without someone standing around feeding and collecting boards. Set it and forget it. Now where is my espresso?

Where do you buy one? At @cutworxusa of course. Ask Raum Divarco sr. and the guys about this. Hurry, sales have been brisk; Neolt found a very high-demand niche for a very successful printer. Nice pairing.

https://t.co/k8dHhzpaRV

https://t.co/0MyvnHgyTA

#neoltfactory #cutworx #HPR530 #digitalprinting #wideformatfinishing

[The Practical Printer @printpractical1]

Klieverik calendar press: roller, drum size, temp control, output speed—optimize each. Plan for growth, not just now. #Klieverik #CalendarPress #Manufacturing #Tech #Innovation #FutureGrowth #MachineDesign #Engineering

[The Practical Printer @printpractical1]

I have been racking my brain trying to think of what to get everyone for Christmas. There’s a lot of you all these days. I thought about boring everyone with the “12 Days of Opera Christmas” posts, but my wife strongly cautioned against that. Instead, I’ve decided to make you a classic Christmas Mixed Tape of all the best that has been sung and played in the traditional American Christmas Jazz songbook–with some other gems tossed in because I said so. Merry Christmas, everyone. Enjoy the moment, it slips away in the blink of an eye. Cut the world, your family, your friends, and yourself some slack for a day or two.

https://t.co/wyviXYnNHO

[The Practical Printer @printpractical1]

Every product has key features about it that I absolutely love. PrintFactory has the easiest color calibration and matching and control I have ever used. All you need is an i1 spectrophotometer and you can build your own color profiles, on any media, and never rely on a canned profile again. And your colors will look exceptional! Presto, voila, you are now a color profile genius! Yes, you! Then go make your printers match each other. It’s just like Lindsay says, “it’s so easy I thought I did it wrong”

I can train someone to get excellent color fidelity, with neutral grey, and with the least amount of ink, in under 30 minutes--and with no formal color background. PrintFactory is very strong on matching color between different ink technologies and different printer platforms. Why use canned profiles when you can make excellent ones on your own in minutes.

Product manager, Lindsay Frendt, meets with me at PRINTING United Expo 2025 to show you all the printers that look alike–but came from different printers.

PrintFactory works across Windows, macOS, and Linux; supports 1,000+ printer/cutter models from any brand; includes built-in tools for PDF editing, automation, and multi-site management—no modular add-ons needed. Virtually any printer or finishing device will work perfectly. I have also found the support to be superb, with quick response times (2-4 hours) and stable performance for high-volume operations. @PrintFactory_

Check out the other PrintFactory video we made on YouTube

https://t.co/oWB9GKpimu
https://t.co/mxkIqZHrMj

#printfactory #printingunitedexpo #ripsoftware #wideformatprinting #digitalprinting

[The Practical Printer @printpractical1]

DreamScape offers innovative wall coverings, from durable commercial-grade to unique textures and digital print effects. Elevate any space with these options. #WallCovering #DreamScape

[The Practical Printer @printpractical1]

Roy Ritchie Jr. and DreamScape Digital Wallcovering have the largest and most complete portfolio in the industry. They have everything you could possibly want for digitally printing wallcoverings and films. They offer the wildly successful Dreamscape Suede, the environmentally friendly Terralon, and the new Novalon, a great hybrid between the two. And then there are all the patterns and weights and surface types.

If you want to know about printable, digital wallcovering, this is an excellent place to begin. Roy goes through the history and portfolio and explains what all of the different products are for and how they work. Roy explains Type 1, 2, and 3 so you understand the differences and what those weights are for.  Roy also covers the new Sterling, which is a new adhesive backed metallic film. Very cool, versatile, and perfect for white ink LED UV printers. And we discuss the great idea of both a print provider network and a new installation network for Dreamscape products. Love that! We cover the new Novalon in another video, so check that out, too. @PRINTINGUnited @dreamscapewalls

#dreamscape #dreamscapewalls #novalon #digitalprinting #printingunitedexpo

https://t.co/0MyvnHgyTA
https://t.co/aCvJtSu9Hy

[The Practical Printer @printpractical1]

Synaps: durable, synthetic polyester paper by Nekoosa. Perfect for UV & Latex printing. Easy to clean, offering a versatile alternative to traditional paper and lamination. #SyntheticPaper #Nekoosa