Print Week articles from August 2006

Print Week archives from August 2006

New Jarrold loses top directors as it falls into administration.(David Medler)(Chris Doggett)(Bob Pitts)
August 3, 2006... New Jarrold Printing (NJP) has crashed into administration and undergone a cull of top management after it failed to firm up relocation plans. The Norwich web printer called in administrator PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) on Tuesday...

Energy prices to soar in autumn.(British Gas )(Brief article)
August 3, 2006... Printers are facing energy price hikes of at least 10% from September after British Gas announced increases in its gas and electricity prices. From 4 September, the firm will increase prices by 12.4% for those on variable tariffs....

Stop Press.
August 3, 2006... News International is to go head-to-head with the Evening Standard by launching a free London evening paper this September. - Smurfit Kappa is to close its coated paper mill in Snodland, Kent, after failing to compete with cheaper imports...

Receivers slash 72 jobs at Pillans & Waddies.
August 3, 2006... Receivers at Pillans & Waddies have blamed slow August trading for the first job cuts since they were called in less than three weeks ago. A total of 72 redundancies were made by receiver Ernst & Young last week due to a slowing of orders...

Revill to head MAN Roland GB arm.(Norman Revill)(Brief article)
August 3, 2006... MAN Roland GB has confirmed that Norman Revill will head up its British arm. Revill, who has worked at MAN Roland for 17 years, will take over from temporary managing director Chris Marks, who took over when Malcolm Pendlebury left to set...

BGP wins two titles from Garnett.(Benhamgoodheadprint)(Brief article)
August 3, 2006... Benhamgoodheadprint (BGP) has won out in business magazine publisher William Reed's roster review. The printer has picked up two titles previously printed by Rotherham-based Garnett Dickinson, monthly H and fortnightly Restaurant. ...

In Brief: Shares in Printing.com pick up.(Brief article)
August 3, 2006... Shares in Printing.com picked up at the start of this week after their price plummeted with news of 'soft' trading since the start of June. Shares in the firm, headed up by chief executive Tony Rafferty (pictured) fell by 12.5p from 65.5p to...

In Brief: Ultrachem completes acquisition.
August 3, 2006... Ultrachem has completed its acquisition of Durham-based North East Graphic Supplies. The firm will continue to offer services to all North East printing companies and provide the complete range of Ultrachem products.

In Brief: Targeted inspections from HSE inspectors.
August 3, 2006... The Printing and Publishing Industry Advisory Committee has been informed that newspaper publishers and printers will be receiving regional targeted inspections from HSE inspectors from September through to March 2007. The inspections will...

In Brief: Guardian's online version of the paper launched.(Brief article)
August 3, 2006... G24, The Guardian's online version of the paper was launched on Friday (28 July). The eight- to 12pp A4 PDF newsletter is updated every 15 minutes and is aimed at lunchtime and afternoon readers. Guardian Newspapers chief executive Carolyn...

In Brief: BPIF Training achieves Grade 2.
August 3, 2006... BPIF Training has achieved an overall score of Grade 2, the Adult Learning Inspectorate has confirmed. After receiving an earlier failing score BPIF chief executive Michael Johnson said: 'I was determined that the industry should not only be...

In Brief: De La Rue reports increased first-half volumes.(Brief article)
August 3, 2006... De La Rue has reported increased first-half volumes in its currency sector and said that it remains on track to hit its financial objectives for the year. In an AGM statement released to the stock market last Thursday (27 July), the firm said...

In Brief: Heidelberg appoints southern divisional director.(Andy Rae )(Brief article)
August 3, 2006... Heidelberg has appointed Andy Rae (pictured) as southern divisional director for its UK company, a promotion that comes only a year after he was appointed as manager for the region. Rae has been with Heidelberg for 10 years, having transferred...

Caution urged after Royal Mail ends unaddressed mail limits.(Brief article)
August 3, 2006... DM print companies have called for restraint on the use of door drops after the Royal Mail announced plans to scrap the cap on unaddressed mail. The Royal Mail unveiled the plans as part of a pay deal for postal workers that has been...

Couple planned to move in May.(Gloss Image's David and Alex Affleck to set up their own print business )(Brief article)
August 3, 2006... Plans by two former Gloss Image employees to set up their own print business were made months before the West Yorkshire company's slide into administration, it has emerged. Husband and wife David and Alex Affleck have confirmed that they...

Hull is latest casualty in DMGT restructuring.(Daily Mail and General Trust)(Brief article)
August 3, 2006... Daily Mail & General Trust (DMGT) has closed its Hull print site as part of an ongoing restructure of the newspaper group's regional division. Hull is the latest Northcliffe Press site to go after the closure of Exeter last summer and...

Astron contract extended by BT.
August 3, 2006... Astron has won a pounds 59m extension to its print-and-mail contract with British Telecom (BT). The two-year extension, on top of three years remaining on the existing contract, includes the printing and distribution of bills, statements...

EC consents to impact review of Eco-labels.(European Commission )(Brief article)
August 3, 2006... A two-year campaign by the Periodical Publishers Association (PPA) to take the European Union's proposed print Eco-label back to the drawing board has turned a corner. Last Wednesday (26 July), the PPA's European representative, the...

Dot Factory has bespoke site.(Brief article)
August 3, 2006... Manchester DM and repro specialist The Dot Factory has moved to purpose-built studios that should cut production times by a third. The firm has spent over pounds 500,000 on the move to a 960m2 site at Trafford Park, Manchester, which...

Set Sail.(MAN Roland Sailing Challenge)(Brief article)
August 3, 2006... The UK's newspaper industry took on the magazine sector last week in the MAN Roland Sailing Challenge for UK web customers. The two rival teams, Heat Set, dressed in hot red and Cold Set, in cool blue, sailed the Solent and circumnavigated the...

In Brief: Monster Digital installs additional NUR Fresco 3200.
August 3, 2006... West Midlands firm Monster Digital has installed an additional NUR Fresco 3200 at its Halesowen facility. Commercial director Simon McKenzie said: 'We're looking at investing in further equipment, and NUR will once again be our first choice.'

In Brief: Delta Group completes installation of second press.
August 3, 2006... The Delta Group has completed the installation of its second MAN Roland 900 XXL press, making it the only printer in the UK to operate two of the behemoths. Managing director Mike Phillips said he expected a 30% increase in production now that...

In Brief: Argos rolls out recycling initiative.
August 3, 2006... Argos is rolling out a recycling initiative to coincide with the launch of its Autumn/Winter catalogue. The scheme aims to boost the number of old catalogues being recycled. A 2003 schools survey conducted by parent company GUS found that about...

In Brief: BTZ Technology launches free support package.
August 3, 2006... BTZ Technology, the large format colour division of the Zund UK Group, has launched a free support package for Onyx Postershop users and released version 7 of the RIP software. The firm has hired Gary Dare as technical support manager to...

In Brief: Presstek records consolidated revenue.
August 3, 2006... Presstek recorded consolidated revenue of pounds 39.7m (dollars 74.2m) for the second quarter of 2006 and net income of pounds 1.4m. President and chief executive Edward J Marino said: 'Growth of the firm's consolidated revenue was driven by...

In Brief: Thomson Press invests in India's first Goss M-600 D press.
August 3, 2006... Thomson Press, the largest commercial printer in Southern Asia, has invested in India's first Goss M-600 D press. It is the first to be installed in the country since the machine's launch at Drupa 2004.

In Brief: City Press Leeds upgrades its press.
August 3, 2006... The City Press Leeds has upgraded its B3 Ryobi 524HE press to a 524GX with coater and IR dryer in response to what managing director Keith Park described as 'a trend for shorter runs and faster delivery times'. It was supplied by UK distributor...

PrintIT! seeking school 'twins'.
August 3, 2006... PrintIT! is once again on the hunt for printers to 'twin' with schools for the Picon-led work placement scheme as it progresses into its second year. Last year, more than 500 schools registered for the programme and, six weeks from the...

NWN, Broughton order KBA Commander lines.(North Wales Newspapers )(Brief article)
August 3, 2006... KBA has secured a brace of major deals with newspaper printers to supply its top spec Commander press. The Commander line will star in North Wales Newspapers (NWN)'s plans to build a new pounds 16m site at Deeside and also leads a pounds...

Inflation rising faster than pay.(Brief article)
August 3, 2006... Average pay rises in the print and paper sector are lagging 0.5% behind current inflation rates, according to figures published by the Industrial Relations Services (IRS). A report in IRS Employment Review showed that for the three months...

Reader Reaction: Should company directors face jail for corporate manslaughter?
August 3, 2006... PACKAGING PRINTER - Dominic Walsh, chief executive, MSO Group 'Perhaps. As a company director, such legislation would only be adding to so much responsibility I already have - I have duties to people including shareholders and employees....

Alexander is group MD as Garnett profits rise.(Nick Alexander )(Garnett Dickinson )(Brief article)
August 3, 2006... Garnett Dickinson has promoted Nick Alexander to group managing director after the magazine printer was boosted with improved profits and turnover in its full-year results. Alexander was previously commercial director and took on the newly...

Guardian racks up pounds 49.9m loss.
August 3, 2006... Guardian Newspapers has posted total losses of pounds 49.9m in the financial year in which it made the move to its unique Berliner format. In results for the year to 2 April 2006, turnover for the company that publishes The Guardian and The...

Hard times.(B and H Colour Change product development)(Brief article)
August 3, 2006... Boiling an egg might soon be easier to time thanks to ink developed by B&H Colour Change. The company has designed a thermochromic invisible ink, which turns dark when the egg reaches a certain temperature. The ink shows the logo of Lion...

Legal Notices.(Public notice)
August 3, 2006... 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 Appointment of Administrators Ex-Pac...

Morning Star financial strife due to Olympics.(Morning Star)(Brief article)
August 3, 2006... Marxist daily the Morning Star is facing financial difficulties following an overhaul of its pre-press systems forced by printer Newsfax's Olympic move. The paper currently sets film at its own offices in Bow from a 20-year-old Talbot...

NCS in talks to acquire TPT to form UK's largest pre-media handler.
August 3, 2006... NCS Integrated Solutions is in talks to create a major national force in pre-media by buying Turning Point Technologies (TPT). Sources close to the deal say talks are expected to complete by the end of summer. The acquisition would...

In Brief: The Blue Printing Company installs second platesetter.(Brief article)
August 3, 2006... The Blue Printing Company has installed a second platesetter, to back up its existing one, after an influx of new contracts for City finance clients. The Hackney-based B1 printer installed an Agfa Xcalibur to run alongside its Screen PlateRite...

In Brief: Frontline photolab software doubles its installation count.
August 3, 2006... Frontline photolab software has doubled its installation count over the past 12 months. The workflow software is now installed at 200 sites, a milestone that developer Frontline Systems claims marks a 'break with the past pattern of closed,...

In Brief: Apago releases version four of PDF Shrink.(Brief article)
August 3, 2006... Apago has released version four of file size-reduction software PDF Shrink for Mac OS X. PDF Shrink can reduce files, including those created by Mac OS X iLife and iWork, Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Word and PowerPoint, by 90% of their...

In Brief: Knocklayd Print installs a Fujifilm Luxel V-6.
August 3, 2006... Knocklayd Print, a B2 commercial printer, has installed a Fujifilm Luxel V-6 violet platesetter with photopolymer plates. The Belfast-based printer hopes to take advantage of the engine's ability to upgrade to the Fuji chemistry-free violet...

In Brief: Adobe announces marketing deal with SAIC.(Science Applications International Corp.)(Brief article)
August 3, 2006... Adobe has announced a marketing deal with US-based research and engineering firm Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC). SAIC will provide enterprise software and integration knowledge via its business consulting services. Vice...

In Brief: Colorware's Pressview software put to the test.(Brief article)
August 3, 2006... Colorware's Pressview software was put to the test by the BPIF Technical Standards Committee as part of a study of colour calibration methods at Heidelberg's site in Brentford, Greater London. The committee performed printing tests using Fogra...

EFI revenue rise after 2005 loss.(Electronics For Imaging Inc.)(Brief article)
August 3, 2006... EFI has posted solid 2006 second quarter financial results, with improved revenue and income. Revenue for the period was up 38.7% at pounds 73.6m (dollars 137.3m). GAAP net income was at pounds 6.3m, up from a net loss of pounds 17.8m in...

US firm unveils fully automated on-demand book printing line.(On Demand Books's Espresso Book Machine)
August 3, 2006... A US company has launched a machine, which, it claims, will revolutionise on-demand book printing. On Demand Books has created the Espresso Book Machine, which can automatically print, bind, trim and laminate a paperback book 'in minutes'....

UK sales office set up for Raster Printers.
August 3, 2006... Clint Green, former general manager of digital solutions at Robert Horne, has set up a UK subsidiary for California-based Raster Printers. The Oxford-based sales office is a dedicated supplier of Raster products and is currently offering...

TPF installs Oce kit to increase its personalised direct mail ability.(Brief article)
August 3, 2006... TPF Group has added to its digital firepower and is setting its sights on producing more personalised direct and transactional mail, after spending pounds 500,000 on Oce equipment. A VarioPrint 5160 and a VarioStream 7650 will go into its...

Diamond boosts capacity as it goes on a pounds 2.5m Kolbus spree.(Brief article)
August 3, 2006... Diamond Print Services has made a pounds 2.5m investment and doubled its softcover book capacity. The Enfield-based trade finisher has installed two 8,000cph KM 473 Ratiobinders, complete with the latest ZU 841 gatherers and HD 152...

New guillotines in at Witherbys.(Brief article)
August 3, 2006... Witherbys, England's oldest printing firm, is to replace two Wohlenbergs with two Polar 92X guillotines. James Greene, managing director of the Clerkenwell-based company, said: 'Both Wohlenbergs were more than five years old so we needed...

Friedheim named as Audion agent.(Friedheim International contracts)(Brief article)
August 3, 2006... Friedheim International has expanded its packaging range with its appointment as UK agent for Dutch company Audion Elektro. Audion Elektro specialises in manufacturing equipment for the packaging industry, supplying a complete range of...

Ashgate plans brace of London debuts at DPW.(Digital Print World)(Brief article)
August 3, 2006... Ashgate Automation will be using its stand at this year's Digital Print World to give London debuts to two products - a creaser and a hardcover maker. KAS Paper Systems' Crease Matic 150P, which was launched at this year's Ipex in April,...

Stora Enso, M-real, UPM report mixed H1 figures.
August 3, 2006... Three of Scandinavia's biggest paper manufacturers have reported very different results in half-year figures out this week. M-real reported a worse pre-tax loss than for the first half of 2005, while UPM's pre-tax profit for the first six...

Strike threat to Mondi, Sappi.(reports on strikes)(Brief article)
August 3, 2006... Producers Mondi and Sappi are facing possible strike action at their mills in South Africa after wage talks failed. The Chemical Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood & Allied Workers Union threatened to give the firms notice of a strike if they...

Eco-friendly Rooney.(Brief article)
August 3, 2006... Arctic Paper's Munken grade has scored a top contract to provide paper for England striker Wayne Rooney's new book, My Story So Far. The publication, the first in a stomping series of at least five books from Rooney and publisher HarperCollins,...

In Brief: Koehler Paper Group signs agreement with NCR.
August 3, 2006... Koehler Paper Group has signed an agreement with NCR Corporation to license its simultaneous two-sided thermal-paper technology. The licence will give Koehler the ability to sell two-sided thermal paper to any paper converter worldwide.

In Brief: M-real's paper mill unveils Bowater Archive.
August 3, 2006... M-real's Sittingbourne paper mill last week unveiled the Bowater Archive, a collection of social-economic and industrial heritages. The archive dates back to 1703 when it notes the burial of papermaker Peter Archer in the local church. It is...

In Brief: James McNaughton launches publication called Outlook.
August 3, 2006... James McNaughton has launched Outlook, a quarterly publication for its customers. The 4pp newspaper will carry news and updates on McNaughton issues, including environmental news, product updates plus details on the firm's Review awards.

In Brief: Folex extends its range of artists' archival materials.(Folex fine art photo paper )(Brief article)
August 3, 2006... Folex has extended its range of artists' archival materials with a traditional mould-made paper designed specifically for fine art photographic reproduction using conventional large-format inkjet printers. Folex Fine Art Photo paper is made...

In Brief: Robert Horne improves whiteness of its grades.(Soporset Premium Offset and Soporset Pre-Print)(Robert Horne Group PLC)(Brief article)
August 3, 2006... Robert Horne has improved the whiteness of its Soporset Premium Offset and Soporset Pre-Print grades. To celebrate the improvements, the manufacturers of Soporset took six customers to the World Cup. Ian Cunningham of The Print Factory in...

In Brief: James Cropper's Kendaline Mottle granted eco-label.
August 3, 2006... James Cropper's Kendaline Mottle has been granted the German Blue Angel Eco-label. The product is the characteristic mottled paper used in the production of lever arch files.

Contract update.
August 3, 2006... Wyndeham Grange has been awarded the print contract for six titles published by FT Business, a specialist arm of the Financial Times Group. Production of the publications, which are a mix of weekly, fortnightly, bi-monthly and quarterly...

Client Audit: Caspian Publishing.(Caspian Publishing is celebrating its 10th anniversary)
August 3, 2006... London-based Caspian Publishing is celebrating its 10th anniversary this month. The privately owned B2B specialist currently spends its entire pounds 1.5m annual print and paper budget in the UK, so how can UK print firms maintain this status...

Editorial: Can you afford to wait around for payment?(Editorial)(Brief article)
August 3, 2006... Procrastinate - to delay or postpone action (Oxford English Dictionary). The idea that one in five UK companies wait until the end of the month before sending an invoice sounds positively Dickensian. In Noli Dinkovski's feature on the...

Comment: Suppliers manage their facilities.
August 3, 2006... Vidal Sassoon encapsulated the thoughts of most business people with the saying: 'The only place where success comes before work is in a dictionary.' Nowadays managers have to grapple with constant change on myriad fronts, including advancing...

Comment: All your computer contents contained in a device the size of a grain of rice?
August 3, 2006... Remember this: memory is hot news this summer. Radio 4 is running a six-week series on how the human variety works. But it's new developments in the computer version that look likely to affect our end of the business over the next few years....

Profile: M-Real - Finnish firm's Sittingbourne sites blend historic past with a determined future.(Company overview)
August 3, 2006... Papermaker honours Kent heritage with renewed energy and an eco-friendly attitude, finds Helen Morris. Peter Archer was buried in a church yard in the Kent town of Sittingbourne in 1703. This papermaker's 16th-century life may now be lost...

News Analysis: Eco-labels - Print demands EU green label revamp.
August 3, 2006... Proposed 'EU flower' for print is going back to the drawing board, writes Joanne Gardner. Ecological buying is here to stay. But controversy has hit proposals from the European Union to introduce its environmentally friendly kite-mark, the...

Maxwell - the movie!
August 3, 2006... As Hollywood prepares to commit the tycoon's life to celluloid, Paul Simpson takes a light-hearted look at some of the myriad storylines waiting to make it a blockbuster. Robert Maxwell may have sunk off the coast of Tenerife in 1991, but...

Better Business: Credit Control - Pursuing payments.
August 3, 2006... Clear terms of trade can help ward off the curse of late payment, but chasing up will still be necessary to avoid spells of bad debt, finds Noli Dinkovski. More than one in 10 businesses wait a fortnight from receipt of goods or services...

Technology Report: Sheetfed - Requiem for a four-colour?
August 3, 2006... Demand for more units and the rise of one-pass printing spell the beginning of the end for the famous format in the UK. Karen Charlesworth reports. Here in the UK, the four-colour press is, if not dead just yet, then definitely dying. It...

Product Portfolio: Product of the week - Buhrs 4000.(Product/service evaluation)
August 3, 2006... Buhrs is keen to tap into the paper wrapping and personalisation markets with its new fleet of machines, finds Karen Charlesworth. Times are tough for mailing houses. There's a lot of competition around - not just from other mailing houses,...

Product Portfolio: Me & my ... Muller Martini Diamant.(Product/service evaluation)
August 3, 2006... Diamond Print Finishing case binding manager Nick Dingwall gets better quality books with the continuously holding gripper, says Simon Creasey. What is it? It's a bookline casing-in machine for producing hard-cover books. How...

Product Portfolio: Tried & tested - HighWater Platinum 2330.
August 3, 2006... It can use silver plates in a variety of sizes and even multiple plates at once. Although a third of the speed of the Python, it's easy to use. The B2 HighWater Platinum 2330 platesetter was introduced in 1997, at a time when most printers...

Product Portfolio: Buyers' guide - Newsprint.(Buyers guide)
August 3, 2006... Newspapers are a tough business but, provided publishers find ways to adapt to new media, the future of newsprint is secure, writes Tess Raine. In his 2006 Livery Lecture speech to the Stationers and Newspaper Makers livery company the...

Product Portfolio: Diary.(Brief article)(Calendar)
August 3, 2006... SEPTEMBER ERA ANNUAL MEETING Date: 18-20 September Venue: Manchester Price: pounds 757 (EUR1,095), pounds 480 for ERA members Contact: 00 49 89439 5051 WORKSHOP 06 Date: 26-28 September Venue: Komori Showroom, Kirkstall Road,...

Product Portfolio: Philip's help line - Ruby restoration & Tanto teaser.
August 3, 2006... Philip Chadwick tracks down the solutions to your technical troubles. Q: We have a Ruby 3500 two-colour portrait press which was supplied by AB Dick. The gear wheel in the damper motor now requires replacing and since Presstek took over,...

Product Portfolio: Technical tutorial - Processless plates.
August 3, 2006... Processless plates continue to raise interest on cost and environmental grounds. If CTP eliminated the film process, processless plates could cut out the chemical processing. It is a fast-evolving market. To date all commercially available...

EU Tenders.
August 3, 2006... Please read the important notes below as PrintWeek cannot supply any additional information or pass on your details. These tenders are abridged. It is essential that you obtain a full copy of the tender before contacting any of the...

Post Script: Chic chicks don classy custom-printed tops.(Brief article)
August 3, 2006... Stag and Hen parties aren't renowned for bringing out the best tastes in fashion. But women are now calling on designers at Thinkprint, a Cheshire-based print and design firm, to help bling them out in the latest customised T-shirts. Paul...

Post Script: Memory Lane.
August 3, 2006... 1 YEAR AGO: Bay Print acquired the assets, and took on 16 of the staff, of collapsed Ferncourt Printers... Buckingham Colour Group linked its e-commerce, MIS and digital press to offer clients the UK's most advanced e-production system......

Post Script: Print's Past - Ice cream printers.(Brief article)
August 3, 2006... Lyons Maid has manufactured hand-held confections (lollipops) since WWII with ice cream classics such as Zoom, Fab and Mivvi. Zoom was introduced in 1963 as part of the Steve Zodiac Fireball XL5 TV programmes. Priced 6d, it was the first...

Post Script: Q&A - Andrew Rafferty.(Target Direct Print)(Interview)(Brief article)
August 3, 2006... Andrew Rafferty is client services manager at Target Direct Print Scotland and has been in the industry for 18 years. He enjoys golfing and lives with his partner Alison and their three-year-old daughter Georgia. Spending six months unloading...

Polestar seeks crucial injection of funds to stay operational.(securities of Polestar Group )
August 10, 2006... Polestar Group is attempting to secure a vital debt refinancing deal amid reports that Investcorp is no longer prepared to provide financial support for the print firm. The company's future now hinges on its ability to secure what would be...

Consultant raps new passports.(Security Printing and Systems Limited sold to 3M Co for introducing biometric passports and ID cards)(Brief article)
August 10, 2006... Biometric technology behind the government's plans to introduce a new generation of passports is 'brain damaged' and does not improve security, an expert computer hacker has claimed. Lukas Grunwald, a German security consultant, said he...