By Jeff Peterson, FSEA executive director
Amplify Print, the print finishing and embellishment event, a collaborative venture of WhatTheyThink and the Foil & Specialty Effects Association (FSEA), will take place June 10-12, 2025, at the Donald Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont (Chicago), IL. The Amplify experience includes a unique aspect to its event that sets it apart from many other shows and conferences. As part of its exhibits and overall programming, Amplify Print has created a Technology Zone on the event floor, surrounded by the exhibit booths. At the upcoming Amplify, seven finishing/embellishment machines/accessory equipment will be on display and running in the Technology Zone, and another 20+ machines and accessory equipment pieces will be on the exhibit floor.
All the equipment within the Technology Zone will have a specific programming/demonstration time and will take place during expo hours of the three-day Amplify event. The programs are spaced throughout the day, which provides additional time for the equipment to run for attendee demonstrations.
“The Technology Zone provides something exciting on the event floor where programming takes place right on the machines,” explained FSEA Executive Director Jeff Peterson. “This helps keep attendees engaged and creates excitement throughout the day.”
“It is an excellent addition to our entire Amplify programming and sets us apart from other events,” continued WhatTheyThink CEO Thayer Long. “We have many of the leading machine suppliers in the finishing industry involved with the Technology Zone.”
The following is a rundown of the Technology Zone programs attendees can expect to see:
Breit Technologies Cast and Cure™ Unit
A full program by Breit Technologies will demonstrate its recently redesigned Cast and Cure™ finishing unit retrofitted on the Sakurai MS-80DDS cylinder screen press. The presentation will showcase the use of the unique Cast and Cure process that provides a clear holographic finish, matte and/or textured effects to print through a specialized Cast and Cure™ film material that casts surface effects into UV varnishes and coatings. The “casting” process allows the film material to be reused several times, saving overall material costs. Also, since the film is used just to emboss the surface of the varnish, there is no transfer of material to the substrate. This allows the package’s recyclability to be unaffected by the Cast and Cure™ process. With its small footprint, it can be installed inline with screen printing units, offline coating equipment and offline digital/inkjet UV varnish presses.
Fujifilm REVIROA PRESS™ SC285S
A program will take place on the new Fujifilm REVORIA PRESS™ SC285S, demonstrating Fuji’s new technology for both digital print and digital embellishments. The Revoria press can handle a variety of media from small cards to long banners, including specialty, metallic and synthetic substrates. Today, people are looking for print that is super-special, meaning the addition of customized CMYK+ embellishments and hyper-targeted personalization – without slowing the process or adding undue costs. See the Revoria demonstrate inline embellishment capabilities and market-leading software options to help customers do it with ease. FUJIFILM’s print servers and integration-ready workflow automation software will be discussed and will showcase how it simplifies processes, reduces errors and enhances productivity. The REVORIA PRESS™ SC285S also includes sustainability features with its energy-efficient components and waste-reducing workflows. The REVORIA PRESSTM SC285S program and presentation will take place June 11th at 10:30 a.m. on the show floor.
Signature Folder Gluer with Leary Glue System and IMPACT Packer
This program will include several participants, including Signature Folder Gluer, W.H. Leary, IMPACK and Capital Adhesives, showcasing a fully integrated finishing line designed to optimize efficiency and quality in packaging production. The Signature Compact Folder Gluer’s key features include its carton aligner to ensure perfect alignment with each carton, variable speed on transfer, and an ejector system to automatically remove defects – all in a condensed footprint to maximize floor space. W.H. Leary will showcase its advanced gluing and quality assurance solutions with the Leary Array controller and Monet operating software. Leary will demonstrate precise cold glue and hot melt application utilizing the Sempre-i Cold Glue valve and CleanStart technology. It also will demonstrate the next generation LearyVIEW Flex solution for the inspection of glue, carton flaps/handles and skewed cartons. IMPACK will display its ERGOSA compact packer that facilitates fast, efficient and ergonomic horizontal packing of straight-line and certain small to medium-sized 4/6 corner cartons, allowing increased productivity even in tight spaces. It is designed for fast and easy changeovers to accommodate the packing of a wide range of packaging formats and sizes. Capital Adhesive will present its range of cold and hot melt adhesives, highlighting its products for optimal performance with the Leary gluing and detection system on the Signature Folder Gluer line.
KAMA ProCut 76 Finishing Machine
The KAMA ProCut 76 Foil Stamping, Embossing and Finishing Machine will be on display in the Technology Zone, where a program and demonstration will take place. The ProCut 76 is an extremely flexible machine, providing diecutting, creasing, perforating, braille, hot foil stamping and holograms for security. It can convert from diecutting to hot foil stamping in just a few minutes and vice versa. The foil guide, the special KAMA heating system and pneumatic tool locking make this flexibility possible. The servo main drive for the ProCut 76 increases the performance of the hot foil stamping, increasing output by as much as 50%. The KAMA ProCut program and demonstration will take place Tuesday, June 10th at 11:30 a.m. on the show floor.
Sakurai Screen Coater with Foil Unit
A program and demonstration will take place on the Sakurai Maestro MS-80DDS cylinder screen press for spot UV coating with its ScreenFoil LQM-105 hot foil stamper. The fully automated, labor-saving DDS press was designed for easier operation and a scratch-free conveying function, even for difficult materials. New features to improve operability and efficiency include a larger LCD touch screen operating panel, a presetting mechanism for sheet size and plate positioning, and a remote access function to simplify operation and maintenance. Sakurai’s exclusive CCD optical camera registration system checks register marks for sheet alignment to improve productivity and performance. The ScreenFoil LQM-105 hot foil stamper improves productivity and allows both screen coating and hot foil technology as an optional processing function in one system. High accuracy of registration with the foil on multiple impositions will be on display and discussed. The Sakurai Screen Coater program and demonstration will take place June 10th at 3:30 p.m. on the show floor.
CARTES JDS Digital Foil Embellishment Technology
The CARTES JDS Digital Foil Embellishment Technology will be showcased during a Technology Zone program at Amplify. It can apply up to 240 microns in a single pass, allowing companies to create multi-layer effects such as spot coating, complex tactile raised effects and braille printing, as well as very detailed foil and metallic doming transferring. In just one step, labels can be personalized and beautified with no tooling costs, instantaneous start-up and no material waste. Materials that are embellished with the CARTES Technology do not need to be varnished or treated, eliminating the possibility of distorting the “texture” of the material. CARTES offers many different types of Digital Foil Embellishment Solutions as well as complete Digital Laser Diecutting Solutions. The innovative digital finishing technology offers amazing results for films, standard paper and special textured face stocks, which makes it very difficult to implement added-value finishing. The CARTES program and demonstration will take place June 10th at 1:00 p.m. on the show floor.
Sharp BP-1200S 6-color Digital Print and Embellishment Press (program in booth #4511)
Sharp is set to provide a full program and demonstration on the BP-1200S 120-page-per-minute (PPM) 6-color press, featuring the latest FS600 Pro codebase for the powerful NX series BP-PE12 Fiery print server. This cutting-edge combination enhances the capabilities of Sharp’s high-speed press, delivering unmatched quality in digital printing. With stunning 4-color imaging that can be expanded with up to two specialty colors – such as metallics, vibrant pink, and now specialty white and clear toners – printers can push the boundaries of creativity. These enhancements offer graphic designers greater flexibility to produce high-impact visuals while enabling print providers to capture higher margins through premium embellishments. The ability to deliver striking finishes and enhanced textures makes the BP-1200S an ideal solution for brands looking to elevate their print materials and stand out in competitive markets. As a bundled turnkey solution, the integration of Color-Logic and Touch7 software will be discussed that ensures seamless metallic and fluorescent embellishments, setting a new industry standard. The Sharp presentation will take place during Amplify hours on the event floor.
In addition to the Technology Zone programs, there will be over twenty additional pieces of finishing/embellishment equipment on the exhibit floor, as well as all of the leading suppliers of consumables and other services in the graphic finishing/embellishment industry. Other equipment will include B&R Moll Digi-MollPAK System In-line Folder/Gluer, Diversified Graphic Machinery’s SCS DCH 200 Die-cutter/Foil Stamper, Duplo DuSense DDC-8000 B2 Raised Spot UV Coater, Duplo DSM-1000 B2 Platen Die Cutter, IMPACK GenieCut In-line Window Patcher, Nobelus Komfi Amiga 52 Laminator with Sleeking Unit, Plockmatic’s Morgana DigiFold, Plockmatic’s ColorCut Digital Packaging/Label Cutter, Rollem’s Insignia 6H PLUS Rotary Diecutter, Skandakor’s LAMpro Cheetah Photo S15 and Skandakor’s FINISHpro 1523 Max Diecutter.
To learn more about Amplify Print, including registration, exhibitors and the full schedule of speakers and programs, visit www.amplifyprint.org.