#Digital Printing

2020-01-09

Former Xaar CEO Doug Edwards joins EFI as Chief Technology Officer

Electronics For Imaging, Inc. has named veteran print technology executive Dr. Douglas Edwards as its Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Edwards replaces longtime technology leader Ghilad Dziesietnik, who recently retired after nearly 25 years with EFI – the last 14 as CTO. Edwards, who assumes his new duties today, has had an extensive career as a senior print executive and R&D technologist.

Immediately prior to this appointment, Edwards was CEO of Cambridge, England-based Xaar plc, a leading developer of inkjet print head technologies for industrial printing, and Chairman of Xaar 3D Ltd – the company’s 3D printing joint venture with Stratasys Ltd.

Before joining Xaar in 2015 Edwards was President of Kodak's Digital Printing and Enterprise Business with responsibility for flexo packaging, functional printing, electrophotographic solutions, commercial and consumer inkjet solutions with combined revenues of around $800 million. Prior to this, Edwards ran Kodak's largest graphics business, Prepress Solutions, with revenues of $1.5 billion. Edwards joined Kodak™ from Kodak Polychrome Graphics (KPG), a 50/50 joint venture between Eastman Kodak and Sun Chemical Corporation, where he was Vice President of R&D. He has also held senior R&D leadership roles with International Paper®, Zeneca Specialties (formerly ICI Colors & Fine Chemicals) and Ilford® Photographic Ltd in the U.K.

“Doug possesses one of the best technological backgrounds in our industry, and combines technology with demonstrated business accomplishments,” said EFI Chairman and CEO Jeff Jacobson. “EFI has a history of providing its customers with a competitive advantage by keeping them at the forefront of technology. I had the pleasure of working closely with Doug – when I was the CEO of KPG, as well as when I was the COO of Kodak’s Graphic Communications business – and I cannot think of a better person in our industry to lead EFI’s strategic and technology developments.”

Edwards, who is based in EFI’s Manchester, N.H. facility, has a Bachelor of Science in chemistry and a Ph.D. in conducting organic materials – both from London University. He has several patents, scientific papers and books to his credit in topics such as solid-state conductivity and photographic materials. He has also published research in textile dyeing, including work on the aqueous solution behavior of anionic azo dyes for textile fibers.

“EFI was a customer of mine while with Xaar, and I am very aware of the unique opportunity EFI has now to further develop a portfolio that includes many of the world’s leading digital inkjet and print workflow solutions,” said Edwards. “EFI, with its printhead-agnostic approach, is leveraging technology from many different vendors, and I look forward to bringing my inkjet experience to help drive value from this strategy and further enhance EFI’s ‘best of breed’ approach.

“Dating back to my time with Kodak and KPG, I have long appreciated Jeff Jacobson’s approach to innovation and technology development,” he added. “I look forward to working with him and the global EFI team to drive our customers’ success in high-quality print production.”

EFI and Fiery, LLC, reach agreement on Fiery acquisition of Inèdit software

Electronics For Imaging, Inc. (EFI™) today announced that it has signed an agreement for Fiery, LLC, to acquire all interests in Inèdit Software, the leading RIP and color management software company serving all brands of digital textile printers worldwide. Inèdit’s software products, including neoStampa, neoTextil and neoCatalog, serve the digital textile and specialty printing markets, and will enable Fiery to broaden its suite of solutions targeted at those markets. EFI Reggiani will continue its strong working relationship with Inèdit as an OEM partner.

UK Manufacturer Basic Prints commits to digital-first production model with dual investment in Kornit Digital’s Apollo

Kornit Digital, a global leader in sustainable, on-demand digital fashion and textile production technologies, today announced that UK clothing manufacturer Basic Prints has expanded its digital production capacity with a second Kornit Apollo Direct-to-Garment (DTG) system. This marks a strategic shift supporting Basic Prints’ digital-first manufacturing model.

Keeping print inclusive: Empowering women in the print industry

Across all industries, cultivating a diverse and inclusive workplace is increasingly recognised as valuable and essential to long-term success. However, despite the print industry’s significant advancements in technology and innovation, visible representation of women remains limited. As the sector grapples with low recruitment, it’s important to challenge outdated perceptions. Creating real change, however, requires collective effort - no single company can do it alone.

Express Print boosts production using an expanded fleet of Mimaki technologies

Express Print, a fast-growing Bulgarian provider of visual communication and soft signage solutions, has significantly enhanced its production workflow with a comprehensive portfolio of Mimaki digital printing systems. Based in Varna and active for more than 10 years, the company maintains a strong focus on the advertising sector. Over the years, it has steadily expanded its operations, driven by a clear vision to bring the full spectrum of large-format printing services in-house, avoiding outsourcing and ensuring complete control over production quality.

Hybris Productions scales licensed apparel production moving from screen to digital with Kornit Digital

Kornit Digital, a global pioneer in sustainable, on-demand digital fashion and textile production technologies, today announced that Hybris Productions has adopted Kornit’s direct-to-garment (DTG) digital production technology to scale licensed apparel manufacturing with greater speed, design flexibility, and on-demand production capabilities supporting retail and e-commerce growth.

Barmag presents the next generation of POY production – energy-efficient and partial-automated

With POY 2.0, Barmag is introducing a completely redesigned spinning concept that takes the production of partially oriented yarn (POY) to a new level in terms of technology and economy. The solution, which was presented to a selected audience of experts for the first time at ITMA Asia + CITME 2025, was met with great enthusiasm: several yarn producers worldwide immediately expressed their interest in a pilot plant.

Textile‑to‑textile recycling leader Circulose joins Spinnova’s ecosystem to accelerate technology scale‑up

Textile‑to‑textile recycling leader Circulose joins Spinnova’s ecosystem (consortium) to help advance the scale‑up of Spinnova’s technology. Spinnova has actively sought partners to accelerate commercial scale‑up, and Circulose, as a key player in textile recycling, strengthens the ecosystem by providing a raw material that is in high demand across the industry.