Print Week articles from April 2009

Print Week archives from April 2009

Press manufacturers announce 3,400 redundancies worldwide.
April 3, 2009... Around 3,400 jobs within the press manufacturing sector have been put at risk in the past week as the recession forced ever greater cost cutting measures to be taken in response to falling demand for new equipment. Heidelberg announced it...

BPIF: overcapacity is at worst level for 18 years.(British Printing Industries Federation )(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... More printers are operating below capacity than at any time in the past 18 years, the BPIF's Printing Outlook survey has revealed. Printing Outlook, which replaced the Directions survey last year, found that all respondents were working...

Grgprint closes after contract loss.(Grgprint.com)(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... Grgprint.com has closed its doors following the loss of a major European telecoms contract to Poland. The Leeds-based company incurred a 'massive bad debt', but had recovered to make a small profit for the year. Managing director of...

Polestar to cut up to 90 positions.
April 3, 2009... Polestar is set to shed around 90 jobs with the planned closure of its Worcestershire-based polybagging facility Newspac and a reduction in finishing staff at its flagship gravure site in Sheffield. The Newspac facility is set to close in...

Talks continue for CUP and Unite.
April 3, 2009... Cambridge University Press (CUP) and Unite continued to hold talks this week, following last week's revelation that nearly half the 120 proposed redundancies at the print division could be saved. Unite national officer Ann Field said that...

Call for Office of Fair Trading to relax regulations.
April 3, 2009... The Local Media Association (LMA) members, including newspaper publishers Johnston Press, Trinity Mirror, Daily Mail and General Trust and Newsquest, have called for the Office of Fair Trading to relax regulations regarding media ownership. The...

Hari Karki, Pitney Bowes.
April 3, 2009... Pitney Bowes employee Hari Karki, a technical sales support manager at the group, has passed away aged 49. Karki had more than a decade's experience working for companies in the mail and messaging sector Colleague Hina Brahmbhatt said: 'I have...

PCC AGM.
April 3, 2009... The Printers' Charitable Corporation (PCC) is to hold its 182nd Annual General Meeting on 28 April 2009. The charity, which supports those who have worked in the print and graphic arts industry, will hold its meeting at 11:15am, at Southwood...

Ultrachem wins distribution rights.(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... Ultrachem has won the exclusive UK distribution rights for Slovenian printing blanket manufacturer Savatech's Sava printing blanket. Igor Hafnar, Savatech managing director, said: 'We are extremely pleased to have signed such a well-established...

37th Congress brochure printing begins.(Federation of the Periodical Press)(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... FIPP's World Magazine Congress began the printing of its brochure for the 37th annual event last week. Dort und Schmitt director Alexander Dort and Anderson Norton Design studio manager Jo Cartlidge were part of a team from PrintCity and the...

Clarification.(Correction notice)
April 3, 2009... In last week's article 'Polestar to build new colleges as part of training expansion', we said Polestar was 'leading the way for a National Skills Academy'. PrintWeek would like to make clear that, while the in-plant is seen as a possible model...

St Ives' Edwards warns against consolidation as profits plunge.
April 3, 2009... St Ives' outgoing chief executive Brian Edwards has warned that consolidation of the large print groups would be 'a very dangerous game'. 'My personal view is that consolidation is unlikely, and that people will consolidate by going bust,'...

Cooper Clegg's debts revealed.
April 3, 2009... Failed magazine printer Cooper Clegg left an estimated pounds 6.7m in debts to trade creditors, finance companies, HM Revenues and Customs and accruals, it has emerged. According to the creditors' report, the total debt for trade...

Union urges gov't action to stem UK manufacturing 'Armageddon'.(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... Unite has urged the government to give financial support to UK manufacturing to avoid 'Armageddon' in the sector. Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday (31 March), Unite joint general secretary Tony Woodley said manufacturing may never...

Carlton closed & assets sold off.
April 3, 2009... Begbies Traynor has failed to find a buyer for the Carlton Press Group and has sold off most of its assets. The Manchester-based commercial printer, which went into administrative receivership on 6 March with the loss of 63 staff, had...

Print buyers 'choosing PM' as budgets tighten.(print management )(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... The recession is driving more print buyers to turn to print managers, with the heaviest focus on cost reduction rather than other added-value services, according to several sector leaders. Adare chief executive Robert Whiteside said: 'Print...

Prestige installs five-colour SM.
April 3, 2009... Prestige Print has invested in its second five-colour press, a Heidelberg SM 52-5. The company expects to double capacity with the machine, which it will use to attract business from the lower end of the B3 printing market. ...

Reader Reaction - Are eco accreditations out of reach for smaller printers?(environmental standards for printing industry)(Viewpoint essay)
April 3, 2009... We ask how easy it is for smaller-sized businesses to access current environmental standards. COMMERICAL PRINTER - Alan Squires, general manager, FS Moore 'As a small business, I would say it's difficult for the smaller printers to...

Garnett Dickinson gives Agfa vote of confidence.(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... Garnett Dickinson has signed a pounds 1m deal with Agfa that includes two new Avalon 24 VLF platesetters, an upgrade to the latest version of Agfa's Apogee workflow and a six-year contract for Agfa's Energy Elite plate. The Rotherham-based...

BAS order book full for next quarter.
April 3, 2009... The company that bought BAS Printers at the end of last year has praised its integration and said its order book for the next quarter is full. CCR Data, the Wiltshire-based data and mailing company, said that the risks involved in...

GES curtails Scottish wage increase.(Graphic Enterprise Scotland )(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... Graphic Enterprise Scotland (GES) has decided not to award a Scottish wage increase this year, after a survey among members revealed the industry believes it can't survive further increases to its cost base. The trade association,...

Legal Notices.(Public notice)
April 3, 2009... Appointment of Administrators The Burlington Press Ltd Co.No: 04768180 Admins: Alexander Kinninmonth and Carl Stuart Jackson (IP Nos 9019 and 8860), Tenon Recovery, Highfield Court, Tollgate, Chandlers Ford, Eastleigh, Hampshire SO53...

Targetcolour - H Bauer launch is 'breakthrough for soft proofs'.(H. Bauer Publishing launch of cookery magazine Eat In using proofing systems )
April 3, 2009... Soft-proofing could be on the verge of a major breakthrough following H Bauer's launch of cookery magazine Eat In, its first title to use soft-proofing throughout production. Bauer made the shift to soft-proofing with the aid of ICS Remote...

Elpical releases Claro version 6.(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... Digital image enhancement and management specialist Elpical has launched version 6 of its Claro product range with extended support for Photoshop (PSD) files. New features include the ability to optimise different layers within PSD files...

'Father of CTP' Gelbart presented with printing technology award.
April 3, 2009... Dan Gelbart, the founder of Creo and the man credited as the father of modern CTP technology, has been awarded the 2008 Printing Industries of America Robert F Reed Technology Medal. Gelbart, who joined Kodak following its acquisition of...

PPP installs complete truePAK MIS package.
April 3, 2009... PPP Digital Imaging has installed a full suite of truePAK modules from software developer Out of the Box to replace its outmoded in-house MIS. The Manchester-based repro house, which specialises in providing a flexographic service to...

HP claims new digi label press 'can handle 80% of flexo jobs'.
April 3, 2009... HP has launched its latest digital label press, the HP Indigo WS6000, which it claims can handle up to 80% of jobs printed on traditional flexographic presses. The WS6000, which is targeted at the packaging and marketing sectors, builds on...

Hine Labels buys UK's first Xeikon 3000 to improve digital offering.
April 3, 2009... Hine Labels has boosted its digital print setup by investing in the UK's first Xeikon 3000 label press. The Rotherham-based business has replaced an existing Xeikon 330 machine with the new model, which will help the printer cater for...

Seiko to launch at Sign & Digital.
April 3, 2009... Large-format kit distributor Colourgen is to give a European launch to the solvent inkjet Seiko II ColorPainter V-64S at this month's Sign & Digital UK. The 64in entry-level, mild-solvent inkjet printer will be showcased before...

New kit and long work days boost DPI's output.
April 3, 2009... Digital Printed Image (DPI) has responded to increased demand from its client base by taking delivery of a third mono Xerox 4127 printer. The Dorset digital print house has also increased its working day by four hours to cater for contract...

Coatings Direct to buy 2nd SPS.
April 3, 2009... Coatings Direct is hoping to expand its SPS battery with a second XP1 UV screen press to complement one installed last year. The finishing company invested pounds 150,000 in an XP1 line for its Norwich site from Huddersfield-based...

Duplo develops remote service diagnostics to upgrade DC-645.
April 3, 2009... Duplo will be a step ahead of users' service needs with a remote tool to speed up maintenance and boost reliability. The e-tandem software, which will come as standard with its DC-645 slitter/cutter/creaser from September, was launched at...

Friedheim closes UK sales, service and training deal for Pfankuch kit.
April 3, 2009... Friedheim International has signed a UK and Ireland deal with manufacturer Pfankuch Maschinen to supply sales, service, spares and training. Pfankuch's range includes high-speed feeders, shrink packaging systems, and ancillary items such...

Demand drives folder spend for Woodfield.(Woodfield Industries uses hand folding machine)(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... Woodfield Industries has grown beyond hand folding with an A3 Challenge Medal-ist 870 machine from distributor Terry Cooper Services. Woodfield manager Ivan Pratt said the company made the investment in response to a customer request. ...

Arjowiggins to sell loss-making carbonless papers arm in MBO.
April 3, 2009... Arjowiggins has said it will sell its loss-making carbonless paper division in a management buyout, which is being led by an as yet unnamed member of staff. The paper manufacturer said it has received interest from a number of parties for...

Antalis publishes leaflet outlining Royal Mail cost-reduction scheme.
April 3, 2009... Antalis has produced an information leaflet explaining Royal Mail's new discount scheme Sustainable Mail, which it is claimed could save companies up to 4.7% on postal costs. Sustainable Mail will be launched next month and is aimed at...

Unite and Paperlinx in sole recognition talks.(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... Unite is in discussions with Paperlinx to establish a sole-union recognition agreement with the paper merchant, which it said it hoped to finalise in May. John Ball, director at Paperlinx's logistics business Delivery Co, said that many...

Mitsubishi backs NAPM campaign.(National Association of Paper Merchants)(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... Mitsubishi HiTec Paper has offered its support for the National Association of Paper Merchants (NAPM) Two Sides campaign. The main objective of the campaign is to communicate the benefits of paper as well as dispell myths regarding its...

Editorial: Silver lining for service in heavy metal fallout.(Editorial)
April 3, 2009... If you're a press manufacturer, last week seemed to be a time to bare the bad news. No less than three of the biggest - Goss, Heidelberg and KBA - announced substantial job cuts in the face of collapsing demand. In KBA's case, the...

Comment: Times are turbulent at the top.(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... Big, bigger, biggest Intriguing comments from Polestar boss Barry Hibbert, who said conditions were right for mergers in both the European gravure market and the UK offset market. What's it to be, then? Will Polestar pull off one of the...

Profile: FFEI.
April 3, 2009... From a baptism of fire in the Buncefield disaster, FFEI has proven its longevity. After its inception in the aftermath of the Buncefield fire, FFEI has blazed a trail to success, discovers Simon Nias. At 6.10am on 11 December 2005,...

Analysis: Sustainable Pricing - Who is to blame for falling print prices?
April 3, 2009... Prices have been pushed lower and lower to the point where they are unsustainable. Print managers tend to get the blame, but Steven Kiernan asks if some of the fault lies with printers. Ethical pricing may seem to some as a contradiction in...

Interview: Jurgen Rautert - Strategies for historic times.(Interview)(Company overview)
April 3, 2009... Heidelberg sales chief Jurgen Rautert talks to Darryl Danielli about the recent workforce cuts at the manufacturer, the economy and the rise of digital. Described by his contemporaries as that rarest of things, an engineer with a...

Preview: Northprint - Take a small step to show success.
April 3, 2009... Budgets are tight and extravagant spending is on hold, but the small and smart investment can still make all the difference, says Philip Chadwick. Sometimes less is more. With companies choosing to postpone major investments in kit, there...

Product Portfolio: Product of the week - Alwan/X-Rite Print Standardizer.(Product/service evaluation)
April 3, 2009... The Alwan/X-Rite could be an increasingly attractive option as colour control gains importance and finance becomes harder to come by, says Barney Cox. According to Alwan Color Expertise's Elie Khoury, controlling colour on-press is key to...

Product Portfolio: Me & my ... Glunz & Jensen PlateWriter 2000.(Stuart Way)(Interview)
April 3, 2009... Stuart Way, co-owner of Speedprint UK, has reduced company production times by up to 50% with this easy-to-use, low-cost metal platesetter. - What does the machine do? The PlateWriter 2000 produces metal litho printing plates direct...

Product Portfolio: Tried & tested - Sanwa TRP 1060-SE.(Product/service evaluation)
April 3, 2009... Hugely popular in its native Japan, this die-cutter is able to handle a wide range of material thicknesses making it versatile, says Nosmot Gbadamosi. Japanese finishing manufacturer Sanwa has had a strong presence in its home market for...

Product Portfolio: Buyers' guide - Perfect binders & 3-knife trimmers.(Buyers guide)
April 3, 2009... With a surge in popularity for on-demand books, finishing is reaping the rewards by picking up the knock-on work, writes Nosmot Gbadamosi. The on-demand book market is giving many finishers cause for optimism Publishers are cashing in on...

Product Portfolio: What's new in ... Perfect binders & 3-knife trimmers.(Morgana launched several perfect-binding products at Total Print! Expo )(Watkiss has introduced Lamibind 420 perfect binder)(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... - Finishing manufacturer Duplo has added PUR binding to its range of products with the latest DuBinder model. The DPB-500 PUR perfect binder follows on from the DuBinder, launched in 2006. - Kolbus has unveiled the KM 412.E, an 18,000...

Product Portfolio: Tom's help line - Security systems and 3D curiosity.(Product/service evaluation)
April 3, 2009... Tom Hall tracks down the solutions to your technical troubles. Q: We are a medium-sized company that has recently introduced flexible working times for our employees. We are looking for a system by which staff can scan their cards when they...

Product Portfolio: Diary.(Brief article)(Calendar)
April 3, 2009... APRIL GULF PRINT & PACK Location: Dubai Date: 6-9 April More information: www.gulfprint.info THE LONDON BOOKFAIR Date: 20-22 April Venue: Earls Court, London More information: www.londonbookfair.co.uk NORTHPRINT 2009 Date:...

Product Portfolio: Technical tutorial - Blanket life.
April 3, 2009... A variety of operating factors can contribute towards blanket wear, but perhaps the single most important factor, to ensure longevity and high performance, is to initially choose the ideal blanket for the press and print application. The...

Post Script: Paper tiger lampoons banks' media lackeys.
April 3, 2009... Finally, after tearing the industry to pieces for the best part of a year, the financial crisis may be helping the newspaper business. Protesters heading to the G20 Summit in London last week went armed with spoof copies of the Financial...

Post Script: Memory Lane.
April 3, 2009... ONE YEAR AGO: Communisis' Sainsbury's contract came up for grabs for the first time in almost a decade... Royal Mail workers threatened to strike as managers rejected a pension offer... HH Associates, the pan-European print manager, opened...

Post Script: Print's past - Zoom.(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... In the mid-20th century, nearly every European country had their own professional photographic periodicals and France in particular issued a large number of titles in this field. In 1960, Hachette launched Photo, but this met with stiff...

Post Script: Q&A - Nick Henn.(EVC Graphic Design & Print)(Interview)(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... Nick Henn is EVC Graphic Design & Print's sales director. He is married with three daughters and has been in print for 15 years. He was once an extra in a film about The Beatles and would like to time travel to 1966. Unfortunately however, he...

Goodman boss revives factory in new venture.
April 10, 2009... Clive Parkes, one of the former owners of Goodman Baylis, has launched a new print company, Vertis Group, on the Worcester-based site of his former business. Parkes, who with former co-owner Roger Muir sold Goodman Baylis to MPI last year,...

Tangent Communications buys up VLM assets.
April 10, 2009... Tangent Communications has acquired the software and goodwill of failed digital printer VLM after the company went into administration last month. The deal, signed with administrator UHY Hacker Young, gives Tangent access to VLM's...

Folium goes into administration.(Folium Group )(Brief article)
April 10, 2009... Financial printer Folium Group has gone into administration with the Birmingham office of insolvency practitioners Leonard Curtis. Administrators were appointed to the company on 1 April, however, at this stage it is unclear what factors...

BDP raided for alleged part in illegal DVD scam.
April 10, 2009... The UK's largest-ever illegal DVD manufacturing facility has been closed down after a raid took place at the operation's alleged print facility at Wembley-based commercial printer BDP (UK). Located in Ironbridge Business Park, north-west...

Beattie to leave in NatMags cuts.
April 10, 2009... The National Magazine Company (NatMags) group manufacturing director Alice Beattie is to leave the company as a result of a cost reduction plan. Beattie, who was appointed to the role in November 1997 and oversaw NatMags adoption of CTP...

Apple Web Offset staff to lose jobs.(Trader Media Group Ltd.)(Brief article)
April 10, 2009... Apple Web Offset, the print facility of Trader Media Group (TMG), has entered into a consultation period with staff at its Warrington site. TMG, parent company of motoring website and magazine Auto Trader, announced the 90-day consultation...

Kellogg's contract awarded to BBC Magazines.
April 10, 2009... BBC Magazines has been awarded a contract to promote the new Kellogg's cereal, Nature's Pleasure, in its titles including Good Food, Olive and Gardeners' World. Kellogg's has decided to launch a new cereal without any TV promotion, putting its...

B&P Lightbridge.
April 10, 2009... B&P Lightbrigade's consumables division has been sold out of administration to a new company set up by two previous B&P directors. B&P Graphic Supplies, incorporated on 27 February and headed up by former directors Andrew Wilson and...

Record month for ICSM.(Brief article)
April 10, 2009... ICSM, the credit-checking organisation, has announced a record month in which it recovered around pounds 1.72m for printers. According to the Bristol-based business, the haul takes its total for the year so far up to pounds 4m. However, ICSM...

Investment for Supagrafics.(Brief article)
April 10, 2009... Supagrafics has invested in a wide-format digital Apollo 2216ww flatbed press and said that business in the large-format retail market is holding up, despite the recession. The Essex-based large-format digital printer bought the Apollo...

Appointment at PCC.(Printers' Charitable Corporation )(Brief article)
April 10, 2009... The Printers' Charitable Corporation (PCC) has appointed Joanna Havers to the newly created role of fundraising and marketing director Havers, who has previously worked for Sussex Housing & Care The Wildlife Trust and RSPB, will report directly...

New purchase for Paton Brown.(Brief article)
April 10, 2009... Paton Brown, the Manchester-based mailing house, has bought a Heidelberg Speedmaster SM 74-5 with JDF connectivity in an attempt to increase efficiency during the recession. Managing director Ian Cooper had initially decided to buy a secondhand...

Laundry service introduced.(Brief article)
April 10, 2009... CSG has introduced a laundry service for the contaminated wipes that are generated throughout the print process and classed as hazardous waste. Neil Richards, treatment and disposals director at CSG, said: 'We believe that providing this...

AGI Media sells labels business to MBO led by MD Scrimgeour.
April 10, 2009... AGI Media European managing director Andrew Scrimgeour has led an MBO at the group's UK label operation, AGI Labels. Following the deal, which was signed last week, the 50-staff, pounds 5m-turnover Littlehampton, West Sussex firm has been...

Board shake-up for Wyndeham.(Wyndeham Press Group acquired Walstead Investments )(Brief article)
April 10, 2009... Wyndeham Press Group has unveiled a new management board following its acquisition by Walstead Investments last December and announced a press upgrade at its Basingstoke-based subsidiary Wyndeham Impact. In addition to chief executive Paul...

Press Gazette and Maxim printing ceases due to falling circulations.
April 10, 2009... Dennis Publishing has axed the print edition of men's lifestyle magazine Maxim as year-on-year circulation for the title continued to fall. The June issue, which goes on sale later this month, will be the final issue of the UK version of...

Print hits out at flexible hours.
April 10, 2009... Measures to offer increased flexible working hours to parents have been branded as another 'nail in the coffin' of the small printer. Under the new rules, which came in to force this week, parents of children up to the age of 16 can...

Inflation-busting mail increases to impact DM.
April 10, 2009... The direct mail sector has said the Royal Mail's latest price increases will force companies to make mailings more focused and better targeted. From 6 April, prices for business customers increased by an average of 4.2%. First-class stamps...

Business rates increase halted.(Brief article)
April 10, 2009... The chancellor backtracked on a planned increase in business rates just hours before it was due to be introduced last week. Alistair Darling had intended to raise rates by 5% from 1 April, but said the day before that, in light of the...

Reader Reaction: What's your business's outlook for the upcoming quarter?(Viewpoint essay)
April 10, 2009... Following the BPIF survey, we ask if you will be operating under capacity in the coming months. - Hub and spoke printer - Stuart Mason, managing director, The Ink Shop 'Let's not kid ourselves that it's easy out there. We've been...

Pureprint responds to sales with SM 105 buy.
April 10, 2009... Pureprint Group has responded to a 10% growth in sales for the first six months of its financial year by investing in a new six-colour Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 105 with coater. The machine, which replaces one of the group's existing...

Howitt in 1.5m voting pack mailout.
April 10, 2009... Howitt has overseen the production and mailing of around 1.5m voting packs after completing a statutory mailing project for a proposed merger between Britannia Building Society and Co-operative Financial Services. The company, part of the...

Howard Hunt ties with Kent college.
April 10, 2009... Howard Hunt Group has teamed up with Kent's Swanley Technical College to help train a group of young creative students as part of a joint BPIF/Proskills initiative. When visiting Howard Hunt's Dartford site, the Year 10 students received a...

Legal Notices.(Public notice)
April 10, 2009... Winding-Up Orders - Wizard Print UK Ltd Co.No: 5987606 RO: 2 Lower Teddington Road, Kingston-upon-Thames KT1 4ER HC: High Court of Justice 0010525 of 2009 18 March 2009 > Appointment of Administrators - Affinity Connected Ltd...

Xinet's Seebass claims DAM and cross-media capability are key.
April 10, 2009... Xinet chief executive Scott Seebass has stressed the importance of Digital Asset Management (DAM) to running a profitable business, ahead of the company's next major software release. Seebass, who founded Xinet in 1991, said: 'Right now, if...

Flashlight searches for UK ImpoProof dealer.(Brief article)
April 10, 2009... Flashlight Digital is looking for UK, EU, Middle East and South American dealers for the ImpoProof 8000S automated double-sided imposition proofer. US-based reseller Flashlight has been tasked with expanding the ImpoProof's global sales by...

EFI claims colour consistency with latest Fiery print server for iGen4.
April 10, 2009... EFI has unveiled its next generation high-performance Fiery print server for the Xerox iGen4 press this week. The EX Print Server powered by Fiery, which features enhanced colour management tools and in-line output profiling, was seen...

Agfa reduces its plate packaging.
April 10, 2009... Agfa Graphics has halved the amount of packaging used to transport its Azura and Amigo printing plates, as part of a drive to reduce its environmental impact. Both the Azura and Amigo plates already use Agfa's ThermoFuse technology, which...