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At JAPAN SHOP, one can learn about solutions aimed at future demand, based on detailed analysis of commercial-space design and urban planning today. The event provides an opportunity to learn about concrete solutions for more effective sales promotion materials from printer manufacturers who continue to make new progress every day, and based on the characteristics of print media. Your correspondent was able to view a wide array of products that can be expected to capture future demand, from a new information-sharing method modeled using a system to store and edit information from remote locations as image data, for use in such applications as tracking shelf management in chain stores, to family-friendly considerations in an age of falling childbirth rates.

The New Wave in Printers

Printers are essential for creating advertising materials and pop art, and one of the attractions of JAPAN SHOP is the ability to see the latest trends in printers. Here is one example from the many products on exhibit.

Sumitomo 3M was exhibiting a heavy-duty printer capable of printing directly to a variety material up to 2 meters wide and 44 mm thick. The printer is packed with innovations for high-precision printing, including a mechanism to prevent skewing during double-sided printing. The company also plans to start selling white ink in the near future, which is effective when printing to transparent media. "The printer is also environmentally friendly," says the product representative. "In the US and Europe, UV-curing printers are already becoming popular. As demand picks up in Japan, it may be possible to lower prices."

Mimaki Engineering was also exhibiting a variety of advertising materials printed using its own UV printer. The company's booth showcased a number of specific examples of printable media, including acrylic tile, stone, and PET plastic. Backing the media with white ink, the printer was among the first to commercialize technology that could match up the positions of color and white prints with a high degree of accuracy. Visitors to the booth had many specific questions about the exhibit. Media of up to 600 x 500 mm could be used. "Making the printer smaller allowed us to make it relatively inexpensive," says a representative, "but we want to lower the price even more."

Seiko I Infotech was exhibiting its new 100-inch solvent ink printer. "We raised quality as high as possible while keeping the product line below エ10 million," says a company representative. "We developed our own inks that prints black and red text ミ which is used heavily in Japanese advertising ミ very beautifully. This product also does not require a liner to prevent bleeding. We also aimed at reducing printing times," he continues. "A lot of companies are creating their advertising in-house, such as supermarkets, shopping centers, and home centers. We want to meet that demand."

Noritsu Koki unveiled a printing system with separate printer and heater, which achieves high-quality, highly durable printing through a combination of inkjet printing with distributed-dye inks and its own specially developed media. This new product improves site efficiency, including allowing printing and heating to be conducted in parallel.

Mutoh Industrials is the first company in the world to obtain DIC standard-color certification for a solvent inkjet. This makes it possible to create outdoor billboards and the like with uniform coloring based on the DIC colors. Printing and other services satisfying the demands of its client CI is a major point. The company also had a sublimation transfer system as a reference exhibit. "This is capable of producing printed materials with high added value for the customer," says a company representative. The company is developing next-generation printers, with one example being a jet printer equipped with cyclohexanone-free ink that does not require an engineer licensed to handle organic solvents. At the same time, the company is busy developing a wide range of peripheral products, including printing media and carriers, which make it possible for one person to carry and set up media that is growing increasingly larger and heavier. This company showed how today, research into improving printer performance is important, as well as a focus on peripheral products.

Technology and Creativity Support Rapid Response

Gear Nouve has developed an image-processing system for computer graphics that makes it possible to send images, taken with a special camera equipped with a communications device, to a server and enable immediate editing via the Internet. A number of people from the construction and logistics industries could be seen at the booth excitedly asking questions about the system. "We made it easy to use," says a company representative. "So for example, a construction worker could easily use it to view and edit information. A growing number of home builders are using it to instantly communicate information about construction progress." In addition to demand from companies requiring rapid transmission of information, it has a wide range of applications, including use by chain stores to communicate and analyze their shelf management status.

Epson distributor Digital Promotion Portal (DPP) is another example of a company giving a strong sense of future possibilities. The company, which has a proven track record in printers ranging from high-end model printers to business printers, had a notable array of information content and application software on exhibit. Providing information over the Internet makes it possible to offer on-demand printing of sales-promotion tools, such as the production of recipe cards for in-store distribution and the creation of pop art. "A lot of companies," says a company representative, "are creating their own printed materials and decorative accessories in-house, such as the hotel and restaurant industry and the logistics industry." This was a good example of a solution meeting commercial store needs through a fusion of hardware and software.

Stores and Public Facilities Need to be Family Friendly

As Japan's childbirth falls and its society ages, Japan is working hard to remove barriers to the differently abled: The revised "Heart Building" Law makes it mandatory for provide accessibility to people with handicaps, while many local governments are passing urban welfare ordinances. Today, it is also essential to design commercial spaces and environments to be family friendly. Combi With unveiled a "Mini Nursing Booth," which makes it possible to install infant nursing rooms in locations where space is limited. This small, 2 by 2-meter space contains a diaper-changing sheet, bassinet, sink with rinsing and warm-water faucets, and other accouterments for infant care. The booth is designed for comfort, including a special nursing care that prevents fatigue when nursing for long periods.

OAKS is a manufacturer of car-shaped shopping carts with toys and featuring popular cartoon characters for children to ride in while shopping, targeted mainly for use in supermarkets. The company offered a glimpse at new products scheduled for release starting this summer. "We thought of this product," says a company representative, "in order to enable parents to have an enjoyable shopping experience with their children, while not taking up their time. We are also receiving demand for our existing products from drugstores and other businesses. We plan to support demand for commercial facilities with limited aisle width and business types where shopping carts are not necessary."

Also at the JAPAN SHOP venue were Froebel-kan and Nishio Rent All, who were showcasing products geared toward children. In today's Japan, where childbirth is falling as society ages, creating family-friendly shops and environments is a must. The venue provided an opportunity to see how much the selection of products developed to improve the family experience has grown.

Solutions to Support diversifying Needs

A number of other products caught your correspondent's eye. One of them was washi (traditional Japanese paper) sold by Kawashima Planning. "We were founded in 1993," says a company representative. "We opened our showroom two years ago." Although young, this company already has an impressive record, taking special orders from architects and interior designers, mainly in the restaurant business. The young company employee says he learned the art of making washi while working together with seasoned artisans at the company's workshop. "As you weave four or five layers," he says, "combining with light creates a sense of depth. A growing number of architects and interior designers are coming to enjoy this characteristic. A lot of younger designers are interested in traditional Japanese materials."

Active Floor Sign, on display at the Sumitomo 3M booth, is an information communication system that projects an interactive image onto the floor with audio, which visitors can cause to move and change by walking over. The system uses infrared cameras to sense masks on the image, and processes the image on a PC along with this information. "The system also supports interactive floor advertisements," says a company representative. "We plan to propose a new paradigm in signs."

Many of the companies at JAPAN SHOP were actively promoting future potential based on products they have developed themselves leveraging their own technological strengths, from printer manufacturers showcasing products enabling more effective printing matched with print-media characteristics, to companies offering concrete solutions for on-demand printing support.

People's needs continue to grow more diverse. New solutions for commercial-space design and environmental planning will increasingly require both a deepened specialization and a broadened macro view to grasp societal trends. A focus on increased specialization together with a broad view of society will make it possible to create products that meet a wide range of needs. This is the focus that will uncover future need. Many of the exhibits gave one pause to recognize this anew.

(Noriko Kawakami, design journalist)