Capability Changes Everything: Inside the swissQprint Takeover of Taktisphere Live!

https://youtu.be/JngvuOT_9Jo

There are equipment demonstrations, and then there are moments when an entire room begins to rethink what is possible. The latest Taktisphere Live! takeover with swissQprint belonged firmly in the second category.

From the opening message, “Capability Changes Everything,” the conversation was never limited to print speed, ink channels, or technical specifications. It focused on what happens when new capability changes the work a printer can accept, the customers it can serve, the margins it can command, and the ideas it can bring to life.

Hosted by Kevin Abergel and Eric Vessels, with wide-format expertise from Jason Leonard, the event brought together swissQprint’s Eric Norman and Adam Carver of Pixelwerx for an unscripted look at specialty effects, business growth, and the company’s new Chicago demonstration facility. Viewers heard both the manufacturer building the platform and the printer using it every day.

More Than a Special-Effects Machine

swissQprint is known for attention-grabbing output, but Norman made an important distinction early in the event. The company is not only interested in helping customers produce beautiful trade-show samples. Its larger goal is to help print providers create remarkable work while handling the everyday production that keeps a business moving.

A printer may need to run high-volume work during one part of the day, then shift to a short-run, customized, high-margin project the next. According to Norman, swissQprint systems are built to move up and down that scale. They support routine production while giving operators the freedom to create work that is tactile, dimensional, interactive, and difficult to reproduce through conventional methods.

The effects included neon inks, Chameleon color shifting, Pyramid printing, Drop Gloss, varied varnish appearances, bright orange, and Droptix, a lenticular-style effect that creates motion and depth. The real power comes from combining color, white, texture, varnish, and precise drop placement in one piece.

Norman explained that many innovations begin with a customer asking, “I wonder if we could do this?” Application specialists, operators, designers, and prepress teams test the idea together. Those experiments can eventually become repeatable tools for the wider swissQprint community. Innovation does not only flow from the manufacturer to the market. It also flows from creative printers back into the platform.

The “Never Settle” Taktisphere Exclusive

The centerpiece of the event was a live unboxing of a new swissQprint sample created specifically for the Taktisphere audience. Built around the phrase “Never Settle,” the piece featured a mountain scene with a compass, carabiner, and Swiss Army knife.

The message was clear. Printers are constantly climbing toward new capabilities and growth. The compass represents direction, the carabiner provides security during difficult moments, and the Swiss Army knife represents versatility.

The production was even more impressive. The sample combined approximately 14 layers and was produced on a Nyala 5, although Norman said the effects could be created across the swissQprint flatbed portfolio. Printed on ACM, it used white buildup layers, color, texture, Chameleon technology, and several gloss treatments.

The “Never Settle” lettering used precise channels to shift color as the viewing angle changed. The compass received Drop Gloss, while the carabiner and Swiss Army knife featured additional gloss and dimensional buildup. Even the swissQprint name was raised in white ink.

The hosts estimated that parts of the carabiner rose roughly 200 to 300 microns from the surface. More important was the contrast between the effects. Different areas felt completely different, creating several tactile experiences in one image.

Norman estimated a production time of roughly seven and a half to eight minutes per piece when imposed across a full bed. That is not meant to compete with basic four-color output. It is a premium application that can replace several outsourced processes and create a product with far greater perceived value.

What Capability Looks Like in a Real Business

The conversation became even more compelling when Carver shared the Pixelwerx story. He launched the company from his basement in 2004 as a graphic designer with a pair of small printers.

Over time, Pixelwerx climbed what he described as a ladder of capability, adding equipment, attracting stronger clients, and expanding into more applications.

Today, the Minnesota-based company employs roughly 75 to 80 people and was experiencing approximately 50 percent growth at the time of the event. Its work spans retail graphics, vehicle wraps, signage, wallpaper, installation, cutting, routing, and other wide-format services. The business operates 11 printers and supports projects from design through installation.

Despite that production floor, Carver said the company had reached a wall. Pixelwerx could produce a tremendous amount of work, but it needed a new level of quality and capability to reach customers outside its existing range. That is where the Nyala 5 entered the picture.

Carver’s equipment-buying logic was practical. A new printer should add bandwidth, add capabilities, and reach clients the company could not previously serve. When all three conditions are met, the investment is easier to justify.

Pixelwerx had been outsourcing ADA work, Braille, and raised printing. Bringing those applications in-house reduced turnaround time and gave the company greater control. Spot varnish and raised text also provided an accessible starting point for building its embellishment business.

Wallpaper offered another example. After acquiring Murals Your Way, Pixelwerx began producing significant volumes of commercial and customized wallcoverings. Carver emphasized color consistency and repeatability. A panel printed today may need to match one produced months later, making accurate reproduction essential.

New Capability Creates New Customers

One of the strongest moments came when Carver described how customers responded before the Nyala 5 was installed. High-end retail and cosmetics clients already understood the swissQprint name and what it represented.

When Pixelwerx announced the purchase, some proactively requested samples and pricing. The company began proofing, quoting, and preparing projects in advance. Once the printer was operational, purchase orders for high-end work began arriving.

The opportunity was not driven only by special effects. Exceptional four-color quality and fine detail also opened doors. Carver said the system could produce one-point text that remained readable under magnification. For demanding brands, that precision becomes a meaningful differentiator.

His advice to designers was equally important: do not design around assumed production limitations. Bring the concept first and let the production team determine how to make it work.

Physical samples are central to that process. A designer can hear a description of dimensional ink or tactile varnish, but seeing and touching the result creates understanding almost instantly. Pixelwerx uses proofs, facility tours, and samples to educate clients and agency partners. Once designers understand the capabilities, they become advocates who introduce new ideas to their customers.

The Ferrari and the Bulldozer

Asked what would drive growth over the next three to five years, Carver pointed toward differentiated, high-margin applications. The more customers see dimensional, tactile, and color-shifting samples, the more they begin to imagine new uses for them.

He also challenged the idea that embellished production is automatically slow. Compared with a basic four-color pass, a complex build may take longer. Compared with outsourcing multiple stages, arranging couriers, waiting for suppliers, and managing separate quality-control points, producing the complete effect in-house can be remarkably efficient.

Carver described swissQprint as a combination of a Ferrari and a bulldozer. It delivers the precision and refinement needed for premium tactile work while functioning as a rugged, productive machine for everyday output.

That metaphor led into a conversation about affordability. Carver and Norman argued that smaller print businesses should not assume swissQprint is outside their reach. A company in the $2 million to $5 million range may use one versatile system instead of multiple devices while reducing downtime, outsourcing, and labor dependency.

The ownership horizon matters too. Carver noted that swissQprint systems are often kept for 10 to 12 years, far longer than many printers he would replace after only a few years. When the investment is evaluated across its useful life, production range, and labor impact, the economics look very different from the initial price alone.

A Showroom Built for the Community

The event closed with a live tour of swissQprint’s new Chicago demonstration facility. The roughly 5,000-square-foot demo room was designed for education, training, hospitality, and application exploration.

Viewers saw a Kudu, a Nyala 5 producing the “Never Settle” sample live, packaging, backlit graphics, fabrics, art reproduction, interior décor, neon applications, and a raised topographical map.

Norman described the facility as a community center where printers can learn what is possible with flatbed and roll-to-roll production. He also opened the door to future Taktisphere Live! events at the location.

Ahead of PRINTING United, the team encouraged viewers to experience the technology in person and join the Taktisphere XL wide-format and embellishment tours, with swissQprint included as a featured stop.

That invitation captured the spirit of the session. Technology matters, but community accelerates what people do with it. When manufacturers, printers, designers, operators, and customers share knowledge openly, the market grows faster.

The takeaway from the swissQprint takeover was clear. Capability is not a feature list. It is the ability to say yes to better work, reach more valuable customers, shorten production chains, give designers greater freedom, and create output people cannot ignore.

Capability changes everything, and the printers who refuse to settle will be the ones who change with it.