Mikkelsen Graphic Engineering, Inc. (MGE), an EskoArtwork Company and the industry reference in vision controlled finishing solutions for cutting tables in the sign-making, screen-printing and digital printing marketplaces, will present its latest complement of production finishing systems to provide full ‘Lights-out production, from design to finishing’ during Graph Expo in booth 4847.

MGE is the developer of the patented i -cut^® vision system. Its i -script^™ workflow has become the de-facto international standard through its integration into the RIPs of all major digital flatbed presses. MGE has also been EskoArtwork’s distributor for the Kongsberg i -XL and i- XE digital converting tables into the US sign & display markets since 2004.

This will be MGE’s first demonstration of a number of system enhancements, including new software for the sign and display market, working in conjunction with its parent company, EskoArtwork:

- EskoArtwork’s new application, SignUP , allows designers to take designs created in standard graphics software products such as Illustrator ^® , and optimize placement on a substrate. Once the designer specifies production requirements for a number of individual graphic images, SignUp assembles them efficiently into fully nested files for print through industry standard RIPs and, concurrently, for finishing on the EskoArtwork iX Kongsberg table, on display at the MGE booth.

- The Kongsberg cutting/finishing system includes a newly redesigned AutoFeeder with scissor-lift table that expands the quantity of print runs that can be pre-stacked in a fully automatic operation.

- The new i -cut^® 7.0 Vision software (demonstrated as a beta release at Graph Expo) takes print material specifications from the work stream, including cutting keys that supply operators with optimized tool settings and blade/bit recommendations. This makes finishing setup even easier and simplifies the tasks necessary for start-up of each unique job. In addition, i -cut 7.0 sports a new, streamlined user interface and is fully Microsoft VISTA compatible.

- Finally, automatic stacking of finished graphics is handled with the new i -cut^® AutoStacker pick and place system . Now, finished graphics can be collected at the end of the conveyor without the need for human involvement.“As has been accomplished in the offset world, it is now possible for the graphic designer to take full responsibility for the print and finishing of specialty graphics for the sign and display market with similar ease,” explains Steen Mikkelsen, EskoArtwork Vice President. “While MGE and EskoArtwork have worked closely together for nearly four years, Graph Expo 2008 marks the first opportunity to show the sign & display, screen and digital printing communities a ‘sign’ of things to come from our newly combined strong entity.

About Mikkelsen Graphic Engineering

MGE, an EskoArtwork company, began in the mid-eighties as Sign-Tronic USA and changed its name to Mikkelsen Graphic Engineering in 1996. In the past, MGE was a distributor of Zund cutting machines. In late 2004, MGE partnered with EskoArtwork to bring about a more rugged and powerful multi-purpose digital cutting system for the Kongsberg product line.

As a software developer, as well as a distributor, MGE is constantly trying to integrate the best digital cutting systems into solutions for all of its varied customers' needs.

MGE has grown from a 6 person company in 1996 to a 38 person company today. It has corporate office in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin and sales offices located in California, Arizona and Germany. The company has also successfully established a network of international OEM, distribution and marketing partnerships with more than 25 leading RIP and printer developers, creating a strong and growing distribution channel as well as complete workflow solutions from design through most wide format RIPs to the printers and over a dozen different manufacturer’s cutters.