Skandacor hosts first product launch inside the Taktisphere

Print Solutions

Skandacor, a print finishing supplier focused on practical finishing and embellishment solutions for print shops, joined Taktiful inside the Taktisphere for the platform’s first product launch event.

Hosted by Kevin Abergel, CEO of Taktiful, and Eric Vessels, chief experience officer of Taktiful, the event brought together printers, partners, and industry professionals for a hands-on look at digital embellishment.

The event featured Skandacor vice president, Jon Congdon, the Skandacor team, a live showroom demonstration, and a surprise reveal of a new large format addition to the Finishpro 3D line.

The session drew 35 attendees joining the live broadcast.

Digital embellishment continues to be one of the fastest growing opportunities in print. During the event, Jon Congdon shared preliminary figures from an industry study expected to be released later this month, pointing to a specialty embellishment market projected to reach around $45 billion by 2028.

The same research showed that the number of printers reporting increased customer demand for embellishment nearly doubled year over year, moving from about 29% to about 61%.

‘All these figures underscore what we at Skandacor have been feeling all the way along our 25 year journey,’ Jon Congdon said. ‘The industry for embellishment is rapidly growing, and investment in it is incredible to see. Print producers know they have to get into this space, and historically it has been so difficult to get into until now.’

After walking attendees through the Finishpro 3D 1623, Skandacor’s sub-B3 digital embellishment press, a new larger format Finishpro 3D model was revealed designed for B2 sheets – the Finishpro 3D 2346.

‘We now have the 24x36 format,’ Jon said. ‘A lot of shops running B2 for embellishment still had to make ready and mock up elsewhere — this checks that box, too.’

He confirmed the new format runs at the same speed and micron capability as the 1623, with throughput scaling only with coverage area, ‘the same way gravity works’.

Skandacor is taking orders now, with availability estimated at roughly six weeks. During the livestream, the first unit was reportedly sold to a Taktisphere community member.

The event also included a ‘Voices of the Industry’ segment with Chuck Stempler of AlphaGraphics Seattle, an early adopter of the Finishpro 3D 1623.

He shared how his shop had produced digital embellishment since 2011 on an older press that eventually reached the end. Within two weeks, AlphaGraphics Seattle had a Finishpro 3D 1623 installed through Skandacor, allowing the shop to continue offering embellishment without outsourcing or relocating production.

The machine helped the shop to regain floor space, improve the production environment, and maintain high quality embellished work.

The event also brought attendees live onto the Skandacor showroom floor for a production demonstration including the Lampro Cheetah S15 ​single sided laminator, which has lamination and digital foil applications at speeds up to around 39 to 40 feet per minute, with an optional auto feeder available.

The sheets then moved to the Finishpro 3D 1623 for resin application. At the demonstrated setting, the machine ran at around 30 seconds per sheet.

The workflow finished on the company’s Finishpro digital die cutting line, which includes models ranging from an entry level system to the flagship unit. The line allows for kiss cutting, through cutting, scoring, and, on Max models, an electronic oscillating tool for thicker materials like foam core and coroplast.