Take a look at some of the offerings from decorating equipment suppliers, spotted at the recent Impressions Expo Atlantic City and beyond.

Mini, But Mighty

The @mrcompanies Copperhead Pro Mini screen-printing press from @NazdarSourceOne in action at @Impressionsexpo Atlantic City last week. #screenprinting pic.twitter.com/o0sO1EGLf0

— Theresa Hegel (@TheresaHegel) March 31, 2023

Nazdar SourceOne, a seller of screen- and digital-printing equipment, inks and supplies, was showing off the capabilities of the M&R Copperhead Pro Mini automatic screen-printing press at Impressions Expo Atlantic City recently.

At the show, the press – set up with two colors and three flashes – was printing shamrocks on the sleeves of green T-shirts. But the small press has a variety of other uses, including printing tagless neck labels, pocket logos, swim caps and baby onesies.

“It can print over 2,000 shirts an hour, which in most cases is faster than anyone can unload it,” according to Nazdar rep Meghan Patke. “It’s a great add-on for people’s shops that want to offer their customers a little more in a smaller footprint.”

Clamp Down on New Sales

Fairfield, OH-based Hooptech Products featured a variety of embroidery hoops and clamps at Impressions Expo Atlantic City. Of note were specialty models that allow embroiderers to sew on nontraditional substrates.

The shoe clamp series is a single-window specialty clamp designed for sewing on the sides of shoes. The heavy-duty clamps are made with high-strength aluminum. The company notes that the clamping pressure required to hold a stiff leather shoe like a soccer cleat is extreme, but adds that its shoe clamp is up to the task. The company’s glove clamp allows embroiderers to add designs to the back of gloves, socks, sweatbands and other tricky-to-hold items.

A Positive for Negatives

Absolute Inkjet Inc., a Glenview, IL-based manufacturer of digital inks and media, has launched Absolute Black VET inks for clear film printing on Epson Ecotank model printers. Using a special UV-absorbing dye that effectively blocks light, Absolute Black inks can be installed in all tanks on a printer for all-black film positive/negative printing for use in exposure applications, such as screen positive, flexo plates and photo engraving.

The company says that the inks provide superior light blocking compared to regular full-color inks for longer exposure times, and that films produced with the inks are more scratch-resistant than regular color inks, so films can be kept and reused.

Epson’s Ecotank printers are well suited for film positive and negative printing, according to Tony Martin, president of Absolute Inkjet. “With Absolute Black VET inks installed, these printers produce deep black prints that can be exposed for longer. Using bulk ink makes them far more cost-effective and reliable when compared to cartridge-based printers,” he added.

More information is available at screenpositive.com.

Go Bold With Fluorescent Stickers

Need your message to stand out? Stickers International, a division of Top 40 supplier World Emblem (asi/98264), now offers vinyl stickers in fluorescent yellow, orange, pink and green. The stickers are tear-, UV- and water-resistant and are suitable for application to almost all flat or slightly curved surfaces.

Made of high-quality vinyl, they have been developed for use on police cars and emergency vehicles. Outdoor durability for the yellow is 24 months and 18 months for the orange, pink and green. Graphics are printed in full-color, high-resolution digital printing; dark colors, especially black, show up best. The stickers come on sheets and have a glossy finish.

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