SALES TEAM: 020 7842 1555
EMAIL: sales@designsupply.co.uk
SALES TEAM: 020 7842 1555
EMAIL: sales@designsupply.co.uk
21 September 2026
Canon’s biggest imagePROGRAF refresh in a while, PRINTING United Expo opening its doors in Las Vegas, and HP confirming its line-up for The Sign Show back home — plus a practical look at what your RIP software is actually doing, and what’s worth checking before you choose one.
Canon has announced 12 new imagePROGRAF devices across its TM and TX series. Highlights include the TM-610M and TM-510M — the first TM-series machines with integrated large-format scanning — plus TX-series MFPs with a new Smart Roll Paper Set for automatic paper detection and an optional double-roll feed. The new models debut at PRINTING United Expo this week.
One of the industry’s biggest trade shows runs 23–25 September at the Las Vegas Convention Center, with nearly 850 exhibitors across a million square feet of floor space, plus a new AI pavilion and an expanded vehicle-wrap zone. A wave of product launches is expected around Media Day on 22 September.
Closer to home, HP has confirmed its line-up for The Sign Show, running 29 September – 1 October at the NEC Birmingham, headlined by the Latex 830W alongside the Latex 630W Print & Cut, Latex R530 and Latex FS60. HP is also running a trade-in offer worth up to £5,000 against a new HP Latex printer for orders placed between 1 September and 9 October.
Every large format printer needs a RIP — a Raster Image Processor — sitting between your design file and the printer itself. It’s easy to take for granted if you’ve only ever used the basic driver that ships with your machine, but the RIP you use has a real effect on print quality, media waste and how much of your day gets eaten up by production rather than design work.
In simple terms, a RIP converts your vector or pixel file into the dot pattern the printhead lays down, applying colour profiles, halftoning and print-mode settings along the way. A basic driver does a rough version of this too, but a dedicated RIP (Onyx, Caldera, Wasatch or the software bundled with your printer) typically adds:
Not sure whether your current software is holding your printer back? Ask us — we can usually tell within a couple of questions whether an upgrade would pay for itself in saved media and time.
If any of this week’s news, or the RIP software question above, has raised something for your own setup, get in touch — whether that’s sourcing consumables, sizing up a new printer, or just a second opinion on your current workflow.
We’re now in our 36th year supplying large format printer solutions and have sold over 7,000 printers to architects, photographers and signage businesses across the UK — more about us here.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
