Print Week articles from April 2005

Print Week archives from April 2005

Wyndeham chiefs confident of profits.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Bullish bosses at Wyndeham are confident that the group will hit City profit forecasts of more than pounds 7m. In a trading update issued after its financial year-end, Wyndeham said: 'Maintaining the strong start to the year announced at...

Global, Microsoft make new format.(Global Graphics)(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Global Graphics has been working with Microsoft to develop a new document format for the next generation of Microsoft software. Microsoft announced details of the new XML-based format Metro at the beginning of this week, at the Windows...

SCS ownership switches after directors' MBO.(Superior Creative Services after management buy-out)(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Superior Creative Services is under new ownership after a management buy-out. The deal was staged by five of the Melksham firm's senior staff and was co-ordinated by independent financial adviser Monahans. The team is headed up by...

Bosses rescue WH from receivership.(WH Trade Binders)(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... WH Trade Binders has been bought out of administrative receivership by Adrian Johnson and Chris Molloy, previous managers at the firm, securing the jobs of the trade finisher's 56 staff. The deal, for an undisclosed sum, was closed two...

Stop Press: Robust trading for Printing.com.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Printing.com has reported that trading has 'continued to prove robust and in line with expectations' since its last market update in February.

Stop Press: Eastman Kodak reports a loss.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Eastman Kodak has posted a first quarter loss of pounds 74.5m (dollars 142m) compared to pounds 11m in the same period last year. 'While the first quarter's performance was disappointing, such short term volatility is to be expected as we...

Stop Press: Amicus GPMS agrees pay deal.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Amicus GPMS has agreed a pay deal for print workers in Scotland with the Scottish Print Employers Federation. Basic pay for skilled workers is to go up 3% to pounds 7.45.

Stop Press: Stora Enso to buy Schneidersohner Group.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Stora Enso has become Europe's second-biggest paper merchant after it agreed to buy German firm Schneidersohner Group for pounds 306m (EUR450m). Schneidersohner operates mainly in the Swiss and German markets.

Emap set to make pivotal decisions.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Emap's across-the-board print tendering exercise could herald a major shake-up in contract ownership. Decisions over whether or not to take some flagship titles gravure will prove pivotal to the web offset sector. Emap's newest launch,...

Intergraf sets e-auction code.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Intergraf, the European confederation for the printing and allied industries, has published a code of conduct for e-auctions. The 17-point code covers areas of concern for promoters, buyers and sellers including honesty, transparency and...

Bezier installs iGen3 at Poole.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Retail media specialist bezier has installed its first Xerox iGen3 digital press as part of a pounds 600,000 investment at its Poole factory. 'Variable data print is a rapidly growing market and an area that bezier has invested in...

Shorts: New Leaf Press buys printer.( Litho Supplies)(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Manchester-based New Leaf Press has bought an Agfa Grand Sherpa Universal 87in digital printer, the first sold by dealer Litho Supplies. 'It was the quality of the output that sold us,' said New Leaf's pre-press manager Ryan Sinnott, pictured...

Shorts: Direct Printing celebration.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Direct Printing in Brixworth, Northamptonshire is celebrating its 10th birthday by trying to raise pounds 10,000, to be shared by 10 local charities, with a 10-mile sponsored walk on 7 May. To make a donation call 01604 882588 or email...

Shorts: Newspaper Society clarifies maximum bundling weight.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... The Newspaper Society has clarified the maximum bundling weight for newspapers. The current limit is 18kg, although the Health and Safety Executive has set a target of 17kg, which will be implemented in the future. The maximum weight for a...

Shorts: Thieme to show new press.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Thieme is set to give a 'super-large' version of its 5000 series multi-colour screen printing press its first outing at Fespa 2005. A two-colour version of the Thieme 5000 XL will be shown at the Munich show, which runs from 31 May to 4 June....

Shorts: Howard Hunt Groups reaches top 50 in awards.
April 28, 2005... Howard Hunt Group has reached the top 50 in the Kent Megagrowth Awards for the fourth consecutive year. 'All of our achievements are without doubt down to the work of our highly qualified, motivated and loyal team,' said director Luke Piggott.

Shorts: T Snape & Co signs for automation package.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Preston-based T Snape & Co signed up for a Heidelberg Printmaster PM74-2 at Northprint last week. The Heidelberg house opted for the full-automation package on its two-colour press, with Autoplate, full wash-up, Classic Center off-press...

Shorts: Goldcrest (Adhesive) Products develops new range.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Goldcrest (Adhesive) Products has developed a range of scratch-off self-adhesive labels that can match virtually any colour. Coloured Scratch is suitable for security, gaming or promotional products and can also be incorporated into...

Shorts: Prestige Printing buys new press.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Prestige Printing bought the Shinohara 52IVP press direct from the Graphic Arts Equipment's Northprint stand last week, along with a Mitsubishi Eco platesetter. The pounds 250,000 deal meant the JDF-compatible four-colour perfector and the...

Shorts: Correction.(Correction Notice)
April 28, 2005... In last week's Product of the Week alternatives column (PrintWeek, 21 April) the phone number for GretagMacbeth should have been 01928 280050.

Print legend Peter Royle loses battle with cancer.(Obituary)(Brief Article)(Obituary)
April 28, 2005... Print is mourning the passing of veteran Peter Royle, the last chairman of the family-owned Royle Group, who died peacefully on 19 April after a battle with cancer. Royle, 70, was the fifth generation of the family to head the business,...

Baxter invests in CTP kit after moving plants.(John Baxter & Sons to install Computer to plate)(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Hinckley printer John Baxter & Sons has completed a pounds 1m investment to move to new premises and installed a raft of Heidelberg kit. The 18-staff firm has moved to CTP with a Topsetter 74P, which will produce plates for its new...

Polestar signs up for offshore repro.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Polestar has added another string to its pre-press bow signing a deal with offshore repro supplier Express KCS. It is targeting the Indian firm's services at the monthly magazine and catalogue market, and expects to announce the first...

Nova Direct set to develop its data business.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Nova Direct Mail is to grow its variable data handling division after more than tripling the size of its premises. The direct marketing house, which employs 60 staff and has a turnover of pounds 3.2m, has moved to a 2,100m2 building in...

Sun Chemical turns attention to Metal base inks.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Sun Chemical has become an official producer of MetalFX inks, and has signed a massive deal to provide ink to Polestar Sheffield. The ink manufacturer will distribute inks that are compatible with MetalFX, which uses a silver base ink...

JPS Group purchases Genius from Litho Supplies.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Litho Supplies clinched the deal to sell its first KBA Genius 52 to Poole-based printer JPS Group at Northprint last week. The five-colour machine, which was on Litho's stand, was shipped directly to the firm's digital facility in...

John Brailsford is first to snap up Riso MZ770.(John Brailsford Printers )(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Yorkshire high-street print chain John Brailsford Printers has bought the UK's first Riso MZ770 digital duplicator at Northprint. The two-colour machine, which produces A3 sheets at up to 600dpi and 150ppm, will be installed at the firm's...

Heidelberg posts profits of pounds 41.4m.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Heidelberg has missed its full-year sales target but profits are on track and the group is back in the black. Simultaneous to its results for the year to 31 March the group announced a three-year agreement with its workforce in Germany...

Polestar prints IPC's compact TV listings mag.(Polestar Sheffield )(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Polestar Sheffield has printed the UK's first compact TV listings weekly, TV Easy, published by IPC. The oversized A5 magazine measures 225x173mm, and had an initial print run of over 1.5m. Wyndeham Argent has won the repro contract for...

Sakurai to plough pounds 2m into new UK headquarters.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Sakurai is to spend pounds 2m plus on a new UK headquarters, which it hopes to move in to before Ipex next year. 'It's a real feather in the cap for us that Japan thinks we're worth spending that kind of money on,' said UK operations...

Picon seminar tackles export sales strategy.
April 28, 2005... Picon is to host a seminar targeting companies looking to expand into the export market. The event, titled Planning your Export Strategy, will take place on 19 May at the East Midlands Conference Centre in Nottingham. Speakers will...

Management trio takes over at CP3i.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... CP3i has been bought out of administration for an undisclosed sum, safeguarding the remaining 98 jobs and creating new firm impress3. The new operation is headed by equal partners Jo Williams, Paul Reeve and Martin Dockray, managing...

R Brookes Print in the hands of administrator.(Russell Brookes Print )(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Russell Brookes Print has gone into administration. The firm in Solihull and Redditch has provided print and print management services for clients including Yell Group, Unipart Group and ADT Fire and Security. The print management...

Komori SPICA proves pulling power at Northprint.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Komori notched up two sales of its entry-level four-colour SPICA at Northprint, and is confident of at least two more sales on the back of the show. 'I think our presence at the show was completely and utterly justified and we're...

Legal Notices.
April 28, 2005... This information is extracted from the print- and publishing-related notices that appear in the London Gazette. Further information is available from its website at: www.london-gazette.co.uk WINDING UP PETITIONS Paperflight Ltd RO:...

Northprint figures please exhibitors.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Exhibitors pronounced themselves pleased as punch with this year's Northprint. Initial unaudited visitor numbers were, at 4,200, up 20% on the last event in 2003 according to organiser IIR, which will release final numbers at the end of...

Flight tickets to end by 2008.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Cost-cutting airlines are to stop printing flight tickets by the end of 2007, according to a global trade group. International Air Transport Association is working on five pilot projects to trial internet-only ticketing. In the proposed...

BPIF launches online service.(British Printing Industries Federation)(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... The BPIF unveiled its Print TechnologyWarehouse.com service last week, offering 'considerable technical knowledge' online. 'It's a portal for the graphic arts industry, whether printer, buyer or service provider,' said BPIF technical...

Creo shows totally processless plate.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... The processless plates battle heated up at Northprint last week, with Creo demonstrating its Clarus PL plate in public for the first time in the world. Clarus uses switchable polymer technology, with the thermal imaging process in the...

New Esko inline UV exposure.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Esko-Graphics has launched inline UV main exposure for digital flexo platesetting. The technology allows digital flexo plates to be exposed at the same time as they are imaged, rather than requiring separate exposure on a light frame. It...

MAN to handle Lastra range.(MAN Roland GB)(Lastra Imaging UK)(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... MAN Roland GB has added plates to its consumables range after securing a deal with Lastra Imaging. 'We wanted to add to our consumables and this is an extension of our product range,' said MAN Roland GB regional sales manager Joe...

Shorts: Oce Business Services installs Odystar system.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Essex-based Oce Business Services (OBS) has installed automated workflow product Odystar. The system is based on Artwork Systems and Enfocus technology and can be integrated with RIPs and workflows from other manufacturers. 'Odystar allows us...

Shorts: Apple's Tiger to be available soon.
April 28, 2005... Apple's Mac OSX version 10.4 Tiger will be available on the market from Friday (29 April). Tiger has more than 200 new features including Spotlight, a desktop search technology that allows users to instantly find anything stored on their Mac.

Shorts: Zelix Proofing Solutions features software products.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... GMG distributor Xelix Proofing Solutions featured a range of software products at Northprint including ColorProof, FlexoProof, CamFlow and ColorServer. Xelix integrated GMG ColorProof with a file transfer product, Stingray from Pro2col, at...

Shorts: GIA, Canon and GretagMacbeth link up for seminars.
April 28, 2005... The GIA has linked up with Canon and GretagMacbeth to host a series of one-day seminars throughout Europe. The events will focus on digital colour training for photo and imaging professionals. The agenda includes a workflow overview and...

Shorts: Creo to show new management system.
April 28, 2005... Creo will show its new Synapse NewsManager workflow management system at Newstec 2005, from 23-25 May at the Brighton Metropole. The product enables an automated workflow from edition plan to plate production. Creo will be sharing its stand...

Shorts: Polestar Greaves orders new equipment.(Polestar Greaves installs StingRay file transfer server and Dev Zero G's PrintSure )(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Polestar Greaves has ordered a StingRay file transfer server and Dev Zero G's PrintSure web-based pre-flighting product, from Square Group. It follows two other StingRay installations at Polestar Bristol and Sheffield during March.

Shorts: Guernsey Press orders software products.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Guernsey Press has placed an order for all three of pcsdotNet's new generation Adapt software products. Adapt Production will go live in June followed by Adapt Editorial and Adapt Planning in August. Herts & Essex Newspapers has also upgraded...

Shorts: CT&Line demonstrates pre-press equipment.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... GMG dealer CT&Line was showing live demonstrations of a variety of pre-press equipment on its stand at Northprint. It included the UK debut of GMG products working in conjunction with an OKI 9300 laser printer. GMG's proofing products were...

sets up photographic arm.(Emeness to set up totalPIX)(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Hackney-based printer Emeness has set up a new division, totalPIX, to digitally produce consumer photo products. The NexPress customer is the first UK site to take a version of Dutch firm AlbumPrinter's software from NexPress. Customers...

WWAV Rapp orders DirecType.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Marketing agency WWAV Rapp Collins North has bought image personalisation software DirecType from reseller Consultaprint. The Leeds division of the agency will install the software and integrate it into its design process. The agency...

Shorts: Inca Digital printer sale.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Inca Digital, based in Cambridge, has sold its first Columbia Turbo 220 flatbed ink-jet printer. German point-of-sale and lenticular print specialist SchlieperColor, in Essen, has become world's first owner of the 3.2x2.2m machine....

Shorts: Colourgen teams up with Fo2Pix.(ArtMaster and ArtMaster Pro imaging software)(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Colourgen has teamed up with Fo2Pix to exclusively distribute its ArtMaster and ArtMaster Pro imaging software. Colourgen, based in Maidenhead, revealed the deal at the NEC's Sign UK 2005 exhibition. Colourgen managing director Jeff Biggs...

Shorts: Applied Graphics launches new paper.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Applied Graphics has launched a new photo-quality paper aimed at improving reproduction of reds and blacks for wide-format ink-jet users. AIT Quicksilver Universal is available in high-gloss and satin finishes and features a coating which the...

Shorts: Xclusive Solutions wins award.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Xerox has named Xclusive Solutions in Crawley, Sussex as its 2004 production reseller of the year. The accolade follows Xclusive's inclusion in a list of Sussex's 30 top growth businesses. Managing director Phil Tucker said: 'It has been a...

Shorts: ArtSystems launches a swatchbook.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... ArtSystems has launched a swatchbook to showcase its Xativa range of signage substrates. The Xativa Media Swatchbook, launched at Sign UK, features a range of substrates for solvent-based inks including canvas, Tyvek, polybanner, and scrim...

Shorts: ColourLink launches new range of papers.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... ColourLink has launched a range of self-branded papers for the wide-format market. The range covers matt, satin and gloss papers for plan printers and wide-format printers, from 120gsm billboard paper to 345gsm canvas. Products for the CAD...

Crown, Jetrion link to print ink-jet first.
April 28, 2005... US packaging group Crown Holdings and ink-jet specialist Jetrion have produced what is believed to be the world's first digital ink-jet-printed can. The breakthrough in high-quality printing for metal packaging comes after the two...

Henry Ling gets second Kodak Digimaster kit.(Kodak Digimaster E150)(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Henry Ling is targeting customised academic print after becoming the first UK printer to install a second Kodak Digimaster E150. The Dorchester firm, which specialises in academic publishing for clients including the British Museum, has...

Xerox set to debut new colour press.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Xerox is understood to be on the verge of launching an entry-level 50ppm colour production press as part of a raft of new products next month. Financial results released by the firm said that the digital giant will 'add to its portfolio...

Xeikon sells first Protector at bumper Northprint.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Xeikon is celebrating a successful maiden Northprint, racking up pounds 600,000 of sales, including the first four sales of its Print Protector unit. The firm sold the first of the machines, which coats stock with a silicon-based layer,...

Edwin Buckley fits DocuColor in pounds 250k move.(Xerox DocuColor 8000 )(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... London-based Edwin Buckley & Co has installed a Xerox DocuColor 8000 in a deal worth pounds 250,000. The kit was bought from Colyer Printing Systems and replaces an Indigo TurboStream. The digital colour press was installed due to...

Qualitech snaps up Stitchmaster at Northprint.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Qualitech has bought the Stitchmaster ST 350 saddle-stitcher that was on Heidelberg's stand at Northprint last week. The investment follows on from the group's pounds 2m spend last year, which included a six-colour Heidelberg Speedmaster...

Kopyrite takes delivery of MB folder-scorer.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Quickprinter Kopyrite has installed an MB CAS 38 computerised folder to bring its folding and scoring back in-house following its move into four-colour litho last year. 'We were using a small folder and hand scorer but we outgrew them,'...

Laser2Mail raises envelope output.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Bingley-based direct mail house Laser2Mail has increased its envelope inserting capacity by 20% after buying a CMC 250 from the CMC stand at Northprint. The trade-only firm, which was founded 18 months ago, took delivery of the...

Duplo sells flagship bookletmaker and first Bufalo.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Newly formed print finishing firm Hands On Print has bought Duplo's System 5000 bookletmaker, as part of its bid to break into the on-demand market. The deal, for an undisclosed sum, was signed at Northprint last week. The 5000 will...

Thompson fits Mailcrafter to handle inserts.(Mailcrafter 9800 )(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Edward Thompson has installed a Mailcrafter 9800 in its direct mail division to handle a 4m mailing project for Children with Leukaemia charity. The specialist job needed a mailing line that could match and insert a 25pp book of raffle...

First UK paper use rise in three years.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... The Confederation of Paper Industries (CPI) has released its annual review of 2004 and reported that 2005 is set to be a year of significant change. The figures for 2004 show that UK consumption of paper and board increased slightly to...

Tillhill wins Queen's honour.(Tillhill Forestry)(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Tillhill Forestry has been awarded the Queen's Award for Enterprise, International Trade 2005. The company, a subsidiary of Finnish paper producer UPM, received the award having more than quadrupled its export turnover between 2002 and...

Paper Pricewatch Carbonless, April 2005.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Strong demand, product innovation and the successful implementation of price rises point to a buoyant period in carbonless paper, writes Andy Scott. The increases announced in February by the major manufacturers have now been rolled out,...

Shorts: Mark Savage launches Allrol Solutions.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Mark Savage, former operations director at Roltech, has launched Allrol Solutions, a new firm to supply paper rolls for tills, ATM and chip-and-pin machines. Sam Burley, a label expert, helped launch the Cambridge-based firm, which is brand...

Shorts: Greenpeace takes authors to see forest areas.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Greenpeace has taken a group of European authors, including Ken Finn of the UK to Lapland in northern Finland to see ancient forest areas. The authors toured some of Lapland's threatened ancient forest, which the environmental organisation...

Shorts: Appointment at Southern Paper.(appointment of Grant Summers )(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Grant Summers has been appointed to the newly created position of area sales manager with Southern Paper. Summers will direct new business development in the region, and the role extends his current responsibilities as manager of the firm's...

Shorts: Curtis Fine Paper launches brochures.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Curtis Fine Paper has launched two promotional brochures, 1 Extreme 2 Another for eco papers, and All Journeys Have a Beginning. The two brochures promote the Scottish independent manufacturers Classic and Eco papers respectively, and...

Shorts: Store Enso finalises takeover deal.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Stora Enso has finalised the deal for its takeover of Papeteries de France, from International Paper. Stora said the acquisition would strengthen its merchant group Papyrus' presence in France and Western Europe.

Shorts: Pira holds training course.
April 28, 2005... Pira is holding an Advanced Paper Science Training course from 29 June to 1 July looking at sizing and coating. Nanotechnology Study Days on 5 and 6 July cover mass production and cost reduction. The conferences are in Leatherhead, Surrey....

Shorts: Independent Paper opens new branch.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Independent Paper is to open a new West Midlands branch and has taken on sales manager Steve Plant. He joins from Beswick Paper and reports to chairman Mike Gee, who has two sites in mind for the base. The firm has launched swatches for its...

Shorts: DFDS Tor Line launches new container service.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... DFDS Tor Line is to launch a new container service called AngloBridge South between Tilbury and Gothenburg. The move was prompted by Stora Enso's contract to ship 800,000 tons of paper a year to the distribution centre in Tilbury and the...

Shorts: Appointment at Howard Smith Paper.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Howard Smith Paper has taken on Andy Buxton in the newly created role of divisional director for UK commercial print. He joins the Northampton-based paper merchant group from rival merchant PaperCo.

Shorts: Jefferson Smurfit sells plant.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Jefferson Smurfit has sold its recycled fluting plant to the Pro-Gest Group. The facility in northern Italy produces 65,000 tonnes per year of corrugated medium containerboard, and the acquisition will make Pro-Gest Italy's leading recycled...

IPS lands Unilever print handling job.(Intelligent Print Solutions)(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Intelligent Print Solutions (IPS) has won a major contract to handle print for Unilever. The print manager in Tonbridge, Kent, will oversee production of marketing, direct mail and point-of-sale work for the UK ice cream and frozen food...

TfL seeking security printers.(Transport for London)(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Transport for London (TfL) is on the hunt for printers to roll out ID cards, security material with holograms and paper. The group overseeing the capital's transport system is inviting tenders for a four-year contract involving at least...

J Jays wins Scientist contract.(Brief Article)
April 28, 2005... Pre-press firm J Jays has secured a contract to work on Reed Business Information (RBI) title New Scientist. The Southend-based repro specialist will supply remote workflow and pre-press services for the publication. It becomes the last...

EU Tenders.(Public Notice)
April 28, 2005... Please read the important notes at the foot of the page, as PrintWeek cannot supply any additional information or pass on your details. The tenders below are abridged. It is essential that you obtain a full copy of the tender before...