The recent Sign Africa Cape Town Expo, held at the CTICC from 14-15 May, saw a wide range of companies visiting to explore the solutions on display. The event saw visitors from all over the Western Cape as well as other parts of South Africa and across the borders, like: Gqeberha, Orkney, Lydenburg, Mossel Bay, Swakopmund, Harare, Gaborone and Malawi.
Exhibitors were pleased with the turnout and quality of leads they generated and the sales they made:
‘It was fantastic, it was my first time here. I loved it and would come again,’ Nicolette Cook, Trotec.
‘Cape Town was an experience for us. I loved the intimate setting and that I got so much time to explain things to customers. We’ll definitely be back,’ said Lizelle Jacobs, Signbox.
‘The show was very positive and we sold a few machines. The positivity is going to continue when we set up our machines in our showroom,’ said David Fenn, Wideformat Print Solutions.
‘The show was very pleasing. There were a lot of qualified customers, a lot of good leads and strong conversations. Customers actually wanted to buy the machines off the stand. It was a really good show,’ said Prakash Naidoo, Canon South Africa.
‘The show was very insightful. We had good quality leads coming through. We were very happy to see that the market is ready for our type of products and we look forward to many more,’ said Shawn Bezuidenhout, NSI-4-Africa.
‘We had an absolutely fantastic show. It was well attended. We saw some good quality customers and we gave some good quality input,’ said Clive Versfeld, ORAFOL South Africa.
‘It was very good, we got a few good leads. The quality of people that came through was very good, and it looks very promising,’ said Graham Beck, Chemosol.
‘The show was a great success. The customers that attended came from all over. We were very happy to see customers from Namibia, and even customers from Durban. We believe that we’ll get some good spin-offs from this,’ said Illze Bester, Kolok.
‘This year’s show was extremely good for Graphix Supply World, as we launched numerous Mimaki innovations for the sign and graphics industry. We also showcased all the applications that customers can create with the UJF 3042 MK2 direct to object printer, as well as the best-in-class selling JFX200-2513 EX flatbed,’ said Rob Franco, Graphix Supply World.
Judges visited each stand at the expo and judged the stands according to criteria based on design, construction, traffic flow, presentation, attitude of staff and messaging. The results are as follows:
Sign Africa Small Shell Scheme
First: Mr Plastic.
Second: JG Electronics.
Sign Africa Small Floor Space
First: Signbox.
Second: Graficomp.
Sign Africa Medium Shell Scheme
First: Stuart & Marks.
Second: Chemosol.
Sign Africa Medium Floor Space
First: Printbase Textiles.
Second: Acrylux, Kolok and ORAFOL South Africa
Sign Africa Large Floor Space
First: Titan Jet.
Second: Allrich.
Sign Africa Large Shell Scheme
First: Colorscreen.
Sign Africa Mega Large Floor Space
First: Graphix Supply World.
Africa Print Small Shell Scheme
First: Midcomp.
Second: DTF Printing Africa.
Africa Print Small Floor Space
First: IPlastics and MacTech.
Second: Media Frenzy and XLS.
Africa Print Medium Shell Scheme
First: Rexx Screen & Digital Supplies
Africa Print Medium Floor Space
First: Wideformat Print Solutions (WPS).
Second: Printing SA.
Africa Print Large Shell Scheme
First: NSI.
Africa Print Large Floor Space
First: Roland Speedwrap and Sign-Tronic.
Second: Stixo.
During the Sign Africa Expo, which was held from 14-15 May at the CTICC, Gerald Yapp, Creative Director at In Detail Advertising, presented the AI Workshop, which detailed how to make the most of AI tools to enhance your workflow and create better artwork and signage. This is a summary of his presentation.
AI represents either a threat or an opportunity, depending on how open you are to learning. It is really just a tool that can enhance your workflow, level-up the quality of your work and hugely influence the volume of tasks you can complete. It allows everyone to have the ability to be creative and visualise what they have in their mind. For example, someone who can’t play an instrument or sing can now create music; someone who can’t draw can now illustrate beautifully and someone with a story to tell can prompt it into a movie.
When AI tools arrived, there were doomsayers saying many jobs would be lost. The job losses have not been immediate as this technology was not that advanced. It has reached the stage now where you can clearly see that people will be replaced if they are specialists in a small skill group.
To make yourself indispensable, you need to dive-in and learn how to use the tools to get what you need done. AI may not replace you, but someone using AI could. So don’t wait, start experimenting.
It’s astounding that AI has only been with us for such a short time. It has impacted every aspect of our digital lives. So how do you make the most of AI and use it to benefit you?
As a designer, who sells creativity, why do I advocate AI when it could potentially endanger my work? My career started as an illustrator, then graphic designer and now a creative director at In-Detail Advertising – a small design and marketing agency which started back in 1991. Over the past 34 years, I have continually expanded my skillset past graphic design to web design, UX/UI design, coding, photography, videography, copywriting and app development.
I continually expanded my skillset to protect myself, to be a creative generalist and provide a complete service to my clients. So this is what drove me to jump into AI immediately. The future has arrived early and changes at ever increasing speed.
Prompt Mastery
AI uses large data to query and produce text and images – it is not in itself creative or highly intelligent. It can never replace human creativity or ingenuity. In order to get the best results, you need to know how to prompt in the right way, asking or requesting what you need in a way in which the machine can respond best.
There are plenty of resources online to assist, prompts to help you build out a marketing plan, generate an image in the style you are looking for or details to ask if you want to build an app.
All the AI’s work on a credit limit – you’ve probably experienced reaching the limit of the free plan on ChatGPT, and the same goes for the paid plans. If you prompt unnecessarily, you will reach your limit faster. So creating good prompts is not just needed to get the results you want, good prompting will save you money.
Fast Changing Tools
The AI landscape changes so fast that changes happen daily. Even in preparation for this AI presentation, the leaders in each space kept on changing, for example Runway and Kling were fighting for first place in video generation, then Google dropped Veo 2 and crushed both of them (in realism).
There are AI leaderboards tracking the development of AI and which tool is better for each execution – you can view it here.
As you get deeper into using AI tools, you soon realise you will need multiple tools to get things done. You might write your copy in ChatGPT, create a song in Udio, render an image in Midjourney, create a video in Runway and edit it all in CapCut. So you’ll use a multitude of tools to accomplish complete projects.
It is so strange to watch a complete movie now and at the end instead of seeing credits with ‘written by, filmed by, directed by, music by and edited by’ – you just see a single line saying prompted by! The future will be prompted, by you.
I couldn’t possibly cover all the AI apps and systems out there in a single presentation or article, or stipulate the exact ones to go for as they change so often and everyone has different needs, but if I were to specify two that will get the majority of things done, I would go for MidJourney and Freepik.
Language Or Text Based Generative AI
This is where most people have experienced AI, using something like ChatGPT to help write an email, website copy, a social post or simple contract.
It is capable of so much more than that. You can build out complex marketing strategies, do deep research and gather extensive data as it is connected to far more information that you could ever review. Upload a 200 page financial or legal document and simply query it – use it to explain it to you like you are a nine-year-old. Upload medical records and documents and ask for analysis. Generate detailed graphs of financial data in seconds or even just ask it to copy check a document for you.
The outright leader in this space at the moment is ChatGPT as their image generation model, which was just added, is spectacular. It allows you to generate full blown adverts just for a few simple prompts.
Claudeis said to be better at copy and coding by some users, but as with all these tools some are better than others depending on what needs to be generated. Although this constantly changes.
Grok from X deserves a special mention as it does text, code and images and used to be available only as part of X (Twitter) but is now a standalone app and website. It does not get a lot of mention although it should as it can do as much as ChatGPT does at a lower cost.
Perplexity AI represents a glimpse of things to come as it’s a combination of a search engine and a text based AI. You can task it to look for information for you and present it back to you in a second. For example, you could ask it to compare and rank a product or service by cost without needing to spend time visiting multiple websites to gather information. There is no need to use Google search anymore, which is leading to a decline in Google visits.
The future is AI agents: where you send it off to do something for you and it acts autonomously and completes a task and reports back to you.
Image Generation
The AI that got everyone to sit up in disbelief. Image generation started out with some laughable results with people having multiple fingers or limbs – some near nightmarish images. That has all changed and images generated now are indistinguishable from reality.
Text generation in images was also a big problem in the initial days and has also radically changed. You can generate images with copy, headings and more.
There are variable models that give different results. By far the best that I have seen in the mystic model is Freepik. The original and always improving Midjourney is also excellent.
The only limitation for image generation, besides your imagination, is the resolution. Some of the image generators are now building in upscaling to provide higher resolution images, while independent upscales like Topaz Labs or Magnific can upscale images up to 16x.
There is censorship preventing the generation of nude or salacious images. Plus plenty of censorships that pop-up now and then for the strangest things like ‘Chinese president’. But in general, avoid anything gory, illegal, drug related, violent terms or behaviour, adult or generally crude terms. If you also try to generate anything that seems antisocial or hateful, it will not generate the image and display a warning.
There are workarounds of course like installing an image generator on a local machine or using an online image generator that is unlimited and uncensored. Yes, there are even ones that specialise in the adult stuff.
Generative Fill or Remove
Sometimes you need more of an image, to expand the background area and this used to be a time consuming task that needed skill, especially if there was perspective involved. Almost all the AI tools can do this now – the most impressive I have seen has to be Photoshop.
Generative remove works by the same principle – just highlight the item you want removed and it will be taken out of the scene in seconds. This kind of retouching used to need an expert in something like Photoshop, now anyone can do it.
Logo AI
As a brand designer, logo generation in AI is not something I would use. You can create a detailed prompt that can get you pretty close to creating something unique, but it’s not something I could use out of the box. I could maybe use it for a small store or start-up which does not have the budget for a full blown brand identity. It is pretty good for idea fishing as I can get unexpected results that unlock an idea or execution that leads me to create something original and crafted.
Vectors – Not Great, Yet
Image generators are pixel based and render images in image format and let you save them as jpg or png, some with transparent backgrounds. Adobe Illustrator allows you to describe what you are looking for and it will render it out as vectors, but is still very basic. No doubt this will get better over time as Adobe constantly improves. The best way to get good vector graphics at the moment is to include ‘vector graphic’ in your image prompt and specify the number of colours.
So if you want to create an image you will use for a silkscreen print and want two spot colours, then prompt with ‘vector style graphic using 2 spot colours, white and green’. Then once you have the graphic you are happy with, do a vector trace in your drawing application or use one of the online image to vector tools. This is a Recraft and other example.
Product Mock-Ups
Setting up a product shoot takes time and is costly if you’re outsourcing to a studio. Product images are an important tool to convince people to buy, in adverts or online. AI really shines in this area, you can simply upload a product image and describe the scene you want the product in and you will often get a great result. Flair AI specialises in this and does a great job with less need to know how to prompt, but ChatGPT has caught up and also does incredible product mock-ups. Now you can generate shoots that would have been prohibitively expensive or impossible to create in real life.
This really has come of age, allowing you to generate absolutely convincing speech from text inputs. All you do is input your text and choose the personality you want – they even have South African accents now to choose from. Many of the AI tools allow you to train it on your own voice and then you just need to type to have a realistic sounding voice for your videos.
I have found this to be such a time and cost saver as we would have previously booked a sound studio, hired a voice-over artist and recorded a voice we needed for a radio advert or corporate video. Now we can do it quickly and cheaply online. There will be less demand for voice-over artists in the future as this gets even better. The leader in this space is without a doubt Eleven Labs. You can also try Amazon Polly.
Text to Voice
Music Generation
One of the fastest areas of constant improvement which started out with tinny sound and voices that sounded robotic, this has become quite astounding how you can create complex songs made up with any instruments you specify accompanied with smooth and dynamic voices.
All you need to do is think of a music style you want to replicate without mentioning an artist’s name as this will constitute copyright and the AI will reject your prompt. Then write some lyrics yourself or use an AI agent, input the style and lyrics and submit. A few seconds later you have a professional sounding song. You can write a hard hitting rock song, an electro-pop style jingle or even an operatic duet. The two leaders in this space are Udio and Suno.
Give it a try – even just to see what is possible or thrill your family and friends with a personalised song you made for the occasion.
Videos
You can create AI videos through text prompts or by uploading images and describing what you would like to happen. You will need to describe what the subject should do, the scene and the camera movements, so a basic knowledge of movie production helps.
Leaders in AI video are Runway, Hailuo, Kling, Pika Labs, Minimax and Sora Google Veo 2. This space moves quickly and leaders change very often. Who is the leader at the moment? It is subjective based on what you need to create and animate, but the consensus seems to be that Kling and Veo 2 are leading. Another one to try is Luma.
See this incredible example of video generation using only three AI tools, Midjourney, Runway, Udio and Capcut:
Code Generation – No Code Or Vibe Coding
This is a major area where jobs will be lost as AI code generation has come of age and is helping to turn everyone into a coder. Called ‘vibe coding’ because you just need to describe what you need and good, working code can be generated that will work, because a machine is creating it after all. You can describe what you need, test the application in a live test environment and fix bugs or request changes in plain English. Then once you have it working as you want – just connect a database, Github or your server and deploy it.
It has become so easy that some users are creating clones of the expensive applications they have been using and bypassing the need to pay for expensive subscriptions.
As someone who develops complex websites, online applications and mobile apps, AI coding often has me picking my jaw up from the floor. It’s simply incredible to watch something you described being live-coded right in front of your eyes.
A huge number of AI tools are fighting for the top spot in this area and more keep coming. Use Loveable for the easiest interface then Windsurf,Bolt, Gemini or Cursor – all depending on your code or interface preference.
Midcomp has received the Middle East and Africa Contractual Go To Market (GTM) Pioneer Award FY24 from HP. The award was received during the LFPro Channel Event 2025 at Port Aventura, Tarragona, Spain, during 9-11 April.
‘I am thrilled to congratulate Midcomp on receiving the prestigious award as the Large Format Contractual GTM Pioneer for FY24. This recognition is a testament to Midcomp’s exceptional efforts and innovative approach in the large format printing industry,’ said Abdallah Aoude, Cluster Manager, Large Format Printing, Middle East and Africa. ‘Midcomp has successfully launched and managed the Pay Per Use (PPU) programme for large format production printers, significantly lowering the entry point for customers to print value applications using HP Latex Technology. This programme has not only made high-quality printing more accessible, but has also empowered businesses to leverage advanced printing solutions without the burden of substantial upfront investments.’
‘Furthermore, Midcomp has maximised HP tools and collaborated closely with HP R&D to make this solution happen, showcasing their commitment to leveraging cutting-edge technology and research to benefit their customers. Their dedication to excellence and customer-centric strategies have set a new benchmark in the industry, and we are proud to have Midcomp as a partner. Congratulations once again to the entire Midcomp team for this well-deserved accolade,’ added Aoude.
With the comprehensive and customised Pay-Per-Use (PPU) programme, users benefit from predictable, fixed monthly costs per square metre based on their location, eliminating unexpected expenses. There is no minimum print volume required. The PPU model includes ink supplies, printheads, cleaning cartridges, service maintenance kits, labour, and spare parts, making it a cost-efficient and worry-free printing solution.
‘The phrase ‘Usership is the new Ownership’ was popularised by HP back in 2017, reflecting a broader shift in consumer behaviour. From property rentals and vehicle subscriptions to music streaming services, more and more aspects of our lives are moving towards models based on access over ownership,’ said Rob Makinson, Midcomp Group CEO.
‘At Midcomp, we’ve always prided ourselves on thinking outside the box. This mindset led us to ask a simple but powerful question: ‘Why not apply a usage-based model to HP Latex printers?’ The challenge lay in accurately predicting running costs so we could bundle all consumables and services into a fixed, usage-based fee. This is how our PPU programme was born.’
‘Crucial to the success of this model was access to precise production data. We collaborated closely with HP’s R&D team to develop the necessary tools and access protocols. Thanks to this partnership, we now have close to 200 printers operating under our PPU programme. However, we knew there was still one piece missing: incorporating the printer hardware itself into the model. That’s when we went back to the drawing board. By introducing a tiered usage-based pricing structure, we found a way to include the hardware cost in the billing model. This evolution gave rise to our PPUGRO programme, which has been exceptionally well received by our customers.
‘To our knowledge, Midcomp was the first HP Latex reseller globally to integrate such contractual models into a go-to-market strategy. Receiving this award from HP was not only an incredible honour, but also a strong validation of our vision and efforts in pioneering new ways to serve our customers,’ concluded Makinson.
Following the formal launch at FESPA 2025 in Berlin, Epson distributor Kemtek Imaging Systems has announced the availability of new wide format eco solvent professional signage printers. These include the Epson SC-S7100, SC-S8100, and SC-S9100 models.
The SC-S7100 is ideal for those seeking exceptional quality with a straightforward single CMYK configuration. It’s perfect for delivering vibrant prints without compromise.
The SC-S8100 six-colour device, equipped with additional light cyan and light magenta inks, takes output quality to new heights. It’s tailored for those looking to elevate their signage game.
The SC-S9100 is Epson’s flagship model and is designed for uncompromising quality, reliability, and stunning colour performance.
Also showcased at FESPA was the versatile SC-P9500 photo printer and proofer, which produces the most accurate colours on the market. It includes bulk inks to meet high image quality needed by professional photographers, proofers and fine art users. Cloud solution port software enables remote monitoring of devices, production status, print costs and output volumes. Accounting software ensures real time cost information.
The Roland DG South Africa Speedwrap Challenge was held at the Sign Africa Expo in Cape Town at the CTICC, from 14-15 May. Contestants could test their wrapping skills and see if they could beat the clock.
Day 1 Winners:
– Ryan Burns: R500.
– Gary Fortuin: R500.
– Vaughn Repsold: R750.
– Nqobile Mzulwini: R250.
– Faith Somagaca: R250.
– Anthony Roestoff: R250.
Day 2 Winners:
– Ryan Burns: R1500.
– Gary Fortuin: R3500.
– Faith Somagaca: R250.
– Lwandile Dudayo: R250.
Lime Laser specialises in the service, repairs and technical support for laser machines, such as CNC, fibre, CO2, plasma, and even printing machines and vinyl cutters. The company highlighted these services at the Sign Africa expo in Cape Town, held from 14-15 May at the CTICC.
Lime Laser’s David Msache explained that the company works alongside companies such as IPlastics and Trotec, so if Lime Laser don’t have a part that is needed, they can easily get it from the supplier of the machine. The company is based in Cape Town but travels all over South Africa, as well as to neighbouring countries.
The successful Change One Woman (C1W) networking event, sponsored by FP&M SETA, Printing SA and Graphix Supply World, was held at the Sign Africa Cape Town Expo on 15 May. C1W is an initiative dedicated to empowering women through connection, conversation and support.
Ladies who attended the Cape Town event each received our very first C1W badges, kindly sponsored by GSW. Be sure to visit the networking event at the Sign Africa Johannesburg event to get your C1W badge.
Michaela Franco from GSW introduced us to a project close to her heart, the CORA Project. The CORA Project (CORA) is a women-led non-profit whose mission is to support menstruators from underprivileged communities in South Africa by providing them with the knowledge and resources to end period poverty. We would love to encourage companies to collect and deliver period products directly to CORA.
Both suppliers and women in the branding, print and signage industries gathered to discuss their challenges, career journeys, and business opportunities at the valuable networking event.
The initiative aims to bring women together in these industries, building a community where ideas, experiences and support can be freely shared and put in action to make a change to uplift women in these industries.
Mimaki Europe presented a new vision, structure and strategy as it looks to the future after 50 years in business, at the recent FESPA Global Print Expo 2025 in Berlin. Mimaki’s new technology and pioneering ink products represented over half of the company’s product line-up demonstrated live on its FESPA stand.
These latest solutions included the new Mimaki UJV300DTF-75 printer, which leverages Mimaki’s UV printing expertise to deliver a reliable solution for object decoration, enabling high-quality, durable prints on surfaces that were previously unsuitable for direct UV printing.
Launched recently, the new Mimaki ELH and ELS inks were also showcased for the very first time. These sustainable inks deliver the same high-standard functionality as equivalent Mimaki inks but have been formulated to be completely free of Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) and, uniquely, Carcinogenic, Mutagenic, and Reproductive toxicants (CMR), therefore reducing the impact on human health and the environment.
Two new printers, the JV200-160 and Tx330-1800, made their debut in EMEA. An easy-to-use roll-to-roll printer, the JV200-160 uses eco-solvent inks and offers reliable signage production with outstanding print quality. Created for the textile and apparel markets, the Tx330-1800 is equipped with a dual ink set capability to seamlessly switch between textile pigment inks and dye sublimation inks for a more diverse range of applications in one machine.
Mimaki Europe will implement a new strategy that enables further ‘horizontal growth’, as Mimaki’s new product introductions continue to push the boundaries of what is possible and open up opportunities in new markets, and ‘vertical growth’ as it continues to support entry-level and industrial scale print production. Mimaki’s new ‘Print Different’ ethos underpins this approach. ‘Print Different’ not only encapsulates Mimaki’s legacy of breakthrough technologies but also highlights the company’s continuous commitment to driving creativity, differentiation and sustainability in the digital printing industry.
Trends In Africa
Charnia Yapp, Publisher at Sign Africa, interviewed Arjen Evertse, sales director at Mimaki Europe, and Hüseyin Şarerler, Mimaki Eurasia Area Sales Manager, at FESPA Berlin.
1. What are the top printing trends in Africa, and how is Mimaki tapping into these?
Direct to film (DTF) was something that Mimaki had never done before, and we knew that there was still a lot of room for us to do something in Europe or even in the US. When we had a conversation about Africa, we thought that given the price difference and the exchange rate, that DTF was probably not going to work in the region, but we couldn’t just assume it wouldn’t work without even trying.
So we had the conversation with Graphix Supply World (GSW), our Mimaki distributor in sub-Saharan Africa, and they decided to install a DTF unit in their demonstration room and explain to their customers what the technology was all about. GSW have been selling units every single quarter since, with really good success stories. We have countries in Western Europe that are not performing with DTF the way South Africa is performing for us right now, which is something completely different to what we expected.
There’s also a part of the market that is becoming less price focused, and more focused on continuity, reliability, availability of spare parts after one or two years, and someone who can service a machine – so it’s the whole system. You’re not just buying a printer, you are becoming part of an ecosystem, in which we take care of you, which is very different than us just selling a product to you and leaving you to figure things out on your own.
In South Africa, that understanding of the whole system is growing. More companies are investing in blue chip manufactured products that are part of such an ecosystem with the necessary support, supply and reliability, because every day you don’t print, it costs money. It’s about looking more at the longer term, and that is positive for us.
If we look at new unit placements, South Africa is one of the very few countries in the EMEA that is still growing. It’s a lot of entry-level equipment, because normally when you see a textile market which grows very fast, you also see that the type of printers that companies buy is changing from entry-level to more mid-range or higher-end. Last year, we sold quite a few mid-range products as well. So there’s very much a visible developing textile market.
2. Which product innovations at FESPA Berlin will be available in Africa?
During the FESPA Africa and Sign Africa expo from 9-11 September, we’ll probably be showcasing our 3.2m TS330-3200DS sublimation printer. UV DTF is something we should definitely bring to South Africa.
3. Can you comment on the importance of the African market to Mimaki?
It’s about the growth potential – Africa is one of the few areas where we can still grow a lot. It’s an important market.
Media Frenzy highlighted its cutting edge and top-quality print based textiles and locally crafted hardware at the Sign Africa Expo in Cape Town, which took place 14-15 May at the CTICC. Visitors could also learn about a fusion of tradition with futuristic fabrics for sublimation, setting a new standard of excellence.
Part of the company’s product range includes telescopic flags, sharkfin flags, gazebos, pop-up banners, pull-up banners, table cloths, and fabric swatch books, as well as dye-sublimation ink and director’s chairs.
Also part of the range is the locally crafted Media Frenzy hardware for both indoor and outdoor settings, featuring South African quality, as well as wall frames in various sizes and gazebo frames in aluminium or steel, and which are available in an array of sizes.
Media Frenzy contributed to an event that promised not only product quality and innovation, but an unforgettable experience, where success, innovation and luxury converged to set a new standard in the industry.
Sign Africa Cape Town Expo was sponsored by Stixo and Roland.
China Direct showcased golf shirts, locally made and imported T-shirts (180gsm), and caps at the Sign Africa Expo in Cape Town. The event was held from 14-15 May at the CTICC.
The company provides printing, embroidery services and heat press services. China Direct also provides plain shirts for customers who already have their own printers.
Sign Africa Cape Town Expo was sponsored by Stixo and Roland.
