Print Week articles from December 2009

Print Week archives from December 2009

Digital printers to seek redress over Xerox toner supply issues.
December 18, 2009... Printers have said that they will seek compensation from Xerox after the company suffered problems in supplying toner for its 700 series digital presses. The full extent of Xerox's toner shortage is just beginning to emerge: of the 18 DC700...

Administrators take over as B&P Group fails.(Brief article)
December 18, 2009... Screen printing specialist B&P Group has gone into administration, appointing Andrew Poxon and John Titley of the Bury office of Leonard Curtis to handle the case. According to documents filed at Companies House on 10 December, the...

Lateral Group appoints Cromack chief executive.(Jason Cromack)(Brief article)
December 18, 2009... Jason Cromack, former TripleArc chief executive and Office2office managed services development director, has been appointed chief executive of Lateral Group. In his new role, Cromack will report directly to current Lateral Group chief...

Archant refinances its pounds 50m debt.
December 18, 2009... Regional newspaper publisher Archant has refinanced its pounds 50m debt, with a new agreement in place until April 2013. According to the company, the move has secured its cashflow for 'strategic investments' over the next four years. The...

CDMS takes on Transactis identity.(Brief article)
December 18, 2009... Print, mail and data group CDMS has rebranded under the name Transactis, the transactional data business it acquired at the beginning of the year. The rebranded company will be based across two sites, in Merseyside and London, and will be...

Hollingworth and Moss set up photobook division.(Brief article)
December 18, 2009... Hollingworth and Moss (H&M) has set up a photobook division after spending pounds 180,000 on new kit from Ashgate Automation. Leeds-based H&M installed one of the first Fastbind FotoMount F46e large-format, lay-flat photobook makers...

Micro Matic buys first Mimaki CJV30-100 printer.(Brief article)
December 18, 2009... Micro Matic has bought its first roll-fed Mimaki CJV30-100 printer. The 40in four-colour solvent printer/cutter prints at up to 17.3m2 per hour on substrates less than 1mm thick. Micro Matic print manager Paul Welsh said: 'This is a...

Companies sign up to The Copenhagen Communique.(Brief article)
December 18, 2009... Sappi, HP, APRIL and Heidelberg are among some of the companies that have signed up to The Copenhagen Communique on Climate Change initiative. In total, 908 businesses have called on G20 leaders to tackle climate change, following last week's...

PaperCo's recycled stock used for charity book.
December 18, 2009... PaperCo's 9lives offset recycled stock has been used for Macmillan Cancer Support's charity book The Little Green Book of Fundraising Ideas. The 94pp, 120x168mm book used 140gsm, 170gsm and 250gsm papers that are FSC certified and 100% recycled....

Proskills chief executive calls on employers.
December 18, 2009... Proskills chief executive Terry Watts has called on employers to 'look afresh' at the skills in their business after the body successfully applied for a new trademark licence. The sector skills council for process and manufacturing completed an...

PrintIT! attracts more than 100,000 students.
December 18, 2009... PrintIT! has attracted more than 100,000 students to participate in its innovative school-based campaign. Paul Evans, project director of PrintIT! said: 'This figure is a landmark for PrintIT! and a milestone we are delighted to have achieved...

Cre8ive Press aims to increase productivity.(Brief article)
December 18, 2009... Cre8ive Press is aiming to increase its productivity by as much as 40% after installing a Perfecta 115-TS guillotine and a VAC-Turbo PowerCollator, both from GAE. Ian Wicks, managing director of the Letchworth, Hertfordshire-based company,...

Lick buys Topcopy and claims it's Yorkshire's biggest digi printer.(Brief article)
December 18, 2009... Lick Group has acquired Leeds-based Topcopy to become what it claims is Yorkshire's largest digital print company. The PrintWeek SME of the year 2008, acquired Topcopy from Prime Active Capital, which disposed of its other print interest,...

Polestar Sheffield staff vote on pay agreement.
December 18, 2009... Staff at Polestar Sheffield are voting on a three-year pay deal tabled by the company in a last-ditch attempt to avoid a vote on possible industrial action at the site. Unite members at Polestar's flagship gravure site were headed for the...

Have your say.
December 18, 2009... Tell us what you think was the biggest story of the decade by voting at www.printweek.com/decade. We've published our rundown in part one of our Review of the Decade on page 15, but vote for your top pick online - the results will be in the 8...

Pre-budget Report Special: BPIF criticises NI rise but print not hit hard by PBR.
December 18, 2009... The BPIF has hit out at the planned increase in National Insurance (NI) unveiled in last week's pre-Budget report (PBR), billing it as an 'attack on job preservation'. Businesses went relatively unscathed in last week's PBR, as chancellor...

Pre-budget Report Special: CPI criticises PBR climate levy cut.
December 18, 2009... The Confederation of Paper Industries (CPI) has said it was 'extremely disappointed' by Alistair Darling's decision to cut the rate of Climate Change Levy (CCL) relief from 80% to 65%. The chancellor made the announcement in his pre-budget...

Pre-budget Report Special: Patent changes backed by Picon.(Brief article)
December 18, 2009... New legislation that aims to drive innovation by offering a reduced rate on income from patents has been deemed a 'positive and encouraging move' by print industry confederation Picon. The 'Patent Box', which was unveiled in the pre-Budget...

Pre-budget Report Special: Comment - Caught between competing demands, the government met neither.
December 18, 2009... pounds 1.5 trillion. That, according to last week's pre-Budget report, will be the national debt by 2014. And with the government running a spending deficit of pounds 178bn this year, many commentators fear that the true figure could be far...

Cowan installs SM 52-5 for short-run quality.
December 18, 2009... Commercial printer Cowan Print has claimed that installing a Heidelberg Speedmaster SM 52-5 is a better option than buying a new digital machine. According to managing director Craig Cowan, the Glasgow-based printer can handle short runs more...

Motoring site in debut print bid.
December 18, 2009... Haymarket Media Group, publisher of PrintWeek, is extending its PistonHeads motoring website into print for the first time with the release of a 2009 annual. The 15,000-run compendium, entitled The Best Bits 2009, will feature highlights from...

Legal Notices.
December 18, 2009... This information is extracted from the printand publishing-related notices that appear in the London Gazette. Further Information is available from its website at www.gazettes-online.co.uk Meeting of Creditors Kelleway Media Ltd Co.No:...

Seasons Greetings Cards.
December 18, 2009... Redcar-based printer Studio Print has got into the Christmas spirit with help from its digital Kodak Nexpress and artwork created by some creative schoolchildren. The digital and litho printer is producing personalised greetings cards for 380...

Adobe support for ePub fuels e-book wrangle.
December 18, 2009... Adobe fired a warning shot at Amazon's Kindle e-book reader last week as the battle over what format should be used in the electronic book publishing market heated up. In what has been widely interpreted as an attack on the Kindle's use of a...

Dalim adds to ES Core range.
December 18, 2009... Dalim Software has used this year's annual worldwide technical meeting, which took place near Strasbourg, to introduce ES Connect to its ES Core range. ES Connect allows the integration of both Dalim Twist and Dalim Mistral with ES Core,...

Rufford installs chem-free CTP.
December 18, 2009... Rufford Printing has brought its platemaking 100% in-house following an investment in a Presstek Vector chemistry-free platesetter. Rufford is using the CTP system, which can output up to 20 plates an hour, to image its Presstek Freedom...

MBA Group invests in GMC PrintNet software.
December 18, 2009... MBA Group is set to enhance its high-volume, personalised transactional and transpromo document production service with the installation of GMC Software Technology's PrintNet personalised printing software. Commenting on the decision to...

Prime Group expands personalised product range with Pageflex Server.
December 18, 2009... Prime Group has expanded its range of products and services following the installation of Pageflex Server to complement an earlier investment in Pageflex Storefront. The company recently used the web-to-print software to produce flight maps...

Repropoint to launch B2C photo products service in new year.
December 18, 2009... Repropoint is developing an online photoproducts service called Fotoboox, which it will launch in the new year. The company has invested in the UK's first Canon ImageRunner Advance C9070 Pro to handle print for the venture. The new machine...

Pyramid invests in Inca Spyder.(Brief article)
December 18, 2009... Pyramid Visuals has reacted to demands for faster turnaround by adding an Inca Spyder V large-format UV inkjet printer from Fujifilm. The Surrey-based all-digital large-format specialist also expects to expand its level of work in the...

Integrity Print sets up digital label operation with Xeikon installation.
December 18, 2009... Integrity Print has established a digital label printing division and expanded its presence in the label market after investing in a Xeikon 3300. The digital colour label press, which was specified with in-line finishing, complements...

Canon bid to buy Oce is 'making progress'.(Brief article)
December 18, 2009... Canon and Oce have confirmed that 'good progress' is being made in the preparations for the offer from Canon to acquire the Dutch manufacturer. Both companies confirmed that notifications have been filed with the competition authorities of...

M-real to halt Reflex units and streamline German operation.(Brief article)
December 18, 2009... M-real is to shut down two speciality paper machines at its German Reflex mill and 'streamline organisation' at Reflex and its Gohrsmuhle site, also in Germany. Paper machines 1 and 5 are expected to cease production at the Reflex Zanders...

Abitibibowater site FSC certified.
December 18, 2009... Abitibibowater's forest management units 27-51 and 24-51 in the Lac Saint-Jean region in Quebec have been certified by the FSC. The certification covers over 6.1m acres of forestlands, making it the single largest FSC certificate to be issued...

Mitsubishi HiTec Paper to increase paper prices from early next year.
December 18, 2009... Paper manufacturer Mitsubishi HiTec Paper is to raise the price of its giroform carbonless paper, sheets and reels, and thermoscript point-of-sale thermal papers early in the new year. The price of giroform paper will go up by 8% from 4...

Turning a New Leaf.
December 18, 2009... Arjowiggins Creative Papers has launched a campaign in support of the United Nations Climate Change Conference, which includes a hand crafted paper tree growing from a piece of paper. Some 2,000 copies of the mailer have been produced and will...

Editorial: In 2010, a fitter industry will adapt & overcome.(Editorial)
December 18, 2009... Well, that was the year that was - and what a 12 months it's been. Looking back over 2009 would be a pretty brutal experience, so rather than our traditional review of the year, we've decided to look back over the past decade in a two-part...

Comment: Phoenix firms distort the numbers.(Brief article)
December 18, 2009... The truth from Tenon? When I first read the Tenon statement about 'nine out of 10 printers being in danger of collapse', my reaction was similar to that of a fair few PrintWeek readers. It seemed ridiculously over-the-top. However, Tenon is...

Comment: Talking business - Print and paper can lead the way in the post-COP15 quest for a greener world.
December 18, 2009... By the time you read this article, the dust will be settling on COP15, the crucial climate change summit in Copenhagen. In all likelihood, we will be told that much progress has been made, but a lot of the detailed work has yet to be done....

Review of the Decade: The 00s.
December 18, 2009... As the curtain falls on the decade, the printing industry will be hoping that the next 10 years bring better fortune than the last. In a two-part look at events since the turn of the millennium, PrintWeek trawls the archive to revisit the...

Product Portfolio: Product of the Week - Komfi Delta.(Product/service evaluation)
December 18, 2009... While the name change may confuse some, this laminator is still a good choice for printers looking to add to their finishing options, finds Barney Cox. For all the ardent laminator fans out there, scratching your heads and asking why GAE is...

Product Portfolio: Me & my ... Duplo DC-615.(Zoom Digital)(Interview)
December 18, 2009... Richard Smith, director at Zoom Digital, tells Philip Chadwick that this slitter, cutter and creaser combines automation with accurate output. - Describe your business We are a relatively new company, coming towards the end of our second...

Product Portfolio: Tried & Tested - Mitsubishi Diamond 1000.(Product/service evaluation)
December 18, 2009... This was one of the first B2 presses to offer printers auto-plate loading, but its reliability is the key to its secondhand success, says Nosmot Gbadamosi. Every printer needs a press capable of churning out work 24/7. A reliable, high-volume...

Product Portfolio: Buyers' Guide - Pressroom consumables III.(Product/service evaluation)
December 18, 2009... Taking the cheaper alternatives when it comes to blanket washes and plate cleaners can be a false economy in the long term, finds Nosmot Gbadamosi. It's no surprise that printers are looking to cut costs at the moment, such is the...

Product Portfolio: Jo's Help Line - Sample specialists & label additions.(Product/service evaluation)
December 18, 2009... Jo Francis tracks down the solutions to your technical troubles. Q: I want to print a logo on our latest Dotmeter, but initially I want to do some short runs with different logos, etc, as one-offs. Obviously digital is the way to go, but does...

Product Portfolio: Technical Tutorial - Photobook Production.(Product/service evaluation)
December 18, 2009... There's a lot of talk at the moment about the profitability of photobooks However, like all new technologies, there are a few questions worth asking to ensure you understand what you're getting into. Firstly, assess the market you want to...

Product Portfolio: Diary.(Brief article)(Calendar)
December 18, 2009... JANUARY 2010 Printweek Breakfast Briefing: The Digital Opportunity Date: 20 January Location: Manchester More: www.printweek.com/go/breakfastbriefings FEBRUARY 2010 Publishing Expo Date: 24-25 February Location: Olympia, London More:...

Post Script: Colour of the Year 2010 beats the winter blues.
December 18, 2009... The festive season is one of many hues: the auburn carpet of fallen leaves, the green of the Christmas tree and the leaden grey sky permanently installed over the UK. Not in the world of Pantone though. For Pantone, the only colour that...

Post Script: Memory Lane.
December 18, 2009... ONE YEAR AGO: CPI began a consultation with staff at its Mackays trade book printing subsidiary... G&H Group planned to close its Chorley factory... Kodak said it remained committed to the print industry... FIVE YEARS AGO: TripleArc...

Post Script: Print's past.
December 18, 2009... Schoolboy compositors In 1933, my father won a scholarship, which allowed him to attend a full-time course at the Vittoria Street School of Art and the School of Printing in Birmingham where the renowned Leonard Jay taught him compositors'...

Post Script: Q&A - Duarte Goncalves.(Interview)(Brief article)
December 18, 2009... Duarte Goncalves is managing director of DXG Media. He is married with three children and admits to being the wrong side of 40. While he may have dispensed with the private dick's 'tache, he still has a penchant for flashy cars. Phoenix managers...

Union and staff attack 'flawed' redundancies process at G&H.
December 11, 2009... Question marks have been raised regarding the handling of redundancies at Northern Ireland printer Graham & Heslip (G&H) following a pre-packed sale earlier this month. The Belfast-based company went into administration, with Brian...

Wyndeham remains cool over strike threat.(Brief article)
December 11, 2009... Wyndeham Group has played down the threat of strike action at subsidiary Southern-print as Unite announced that it was balloting staff over redundancy conditions. Unite confirmed this week that it was organising a ballot over redundancy pay,...

Cats acquires UK assets and business of LDSI.
December 11, 2009... Cats Solutions has bought the UK business and principal assets of Legal Document Services International (LDSI), creating a pounds 15m-turnover group. The London-based print manager closed the deal last week, after LDSI, which has branches...

RAM shuts and 40 made redundant.(Brief article)
December 11, 2009... Response Analysis Mailing (RAM) has closed its doors, making all of its 40 employees redundant. Glyn Mummery of Vantis Redhead French was appointed administrator for the London-based mailing house on 25 November - the same day the plant was...

Xerox toner delays due to demand.
December 11, 2009... Digital press manufacturer Xerox has been hit by a world-wide toner delivery problem due to increased demand from customers. However, the company said that the problem was a short-term one that would be solved quickly. PrintWeek has been...

BPIF to host finance and investment conference.(British Printing Industries Federation)(Conference news)(Brief article)
December 11, 2009... The BPIF is to host a finance and investment conference entitled 'The New Normal', aimed at understanding and adapting to the current business climate. It will be held at the Ricoh Stadium in Coventry on 2 February 2010. Speakers will include...

New finishing tabel for Fujifilm.(Brief article)
December 11, 2009... Fujifilm Graphic Systems UK has installed an EskoArtwork Kongsberg i-XL24 finishing table in its showroom in Bedford. Mark Stephenson, sales manager for digital solutions, said: 'By adding EskoArtwork finishing tables to our showroom, we are...

PCC and Stationers' Foundation to work together.
December 11, 2009... The Printers' Charitable Corporation (PCC) and the Stationers' Foundation have agreed to work collaboratively for the first time following changes in the print sector. The PCC will now handle the administration of grant applications and...

Royal Mail to offer discount.
December 11, 2009... Royal Mail is to offer a 20% discount on new or additional mailings in March and April 2010. It is the UK's first ever DM sale and its aim is to help advertisers try new marketing tactics. Advertisers wishing to take advantage of the sale will...

Imail launches Mailshot service.(Brief article)
December 11, 2009... Imail has launched a Mailshots service for short-run and tactical direct marketing campaigns. It's available to companies of all sizes and complements Imail's existing postcard and letter services. No minimum charge is included and mailing is...

Benson Group reveals landmark performance.
December 11, 2009... Benson Group has revealed details of a landmark performance from its first Heidelberg XL 105, with the press passing the 100m sheet count after 25 months of production. In comparison, a recently replaced CD102 at the carton printer's Bardon...

Clicks Digital tops Ricoh fantasy football.
December 11, 2009... Clicks Digital employee David Spaul has topped the Ricoh fantasy football table for November. As this month's winner, Spaul receives two tickets to a Coventry City match, as well as the chance to nominate two people to play at the Ricoh Arena...

Industry reacts with anger to Tenon's 'misleading' statistics.
December 11, 2009... The print industry has hit back at a Tenon Recovery report that claimed nine out of 10 printing companies are in danger of collapse. Last week, the insolvency practitioner said 9,742 print companies faced 'probable collapse and potential...

Iggesund staff vote for strike.
December 11, 2009... Unite members at Iggesund's paper mill in Workington have voted in favour of strike action, with an overwhelming majority of 266 to 30. The ballot is in response to 99 proposed redundancies and what members claim are inferior severance...

Stralfors to scale back its business forms division and focus on digital.(Brief article)
December 11, 2009... Print and mailing specialist Stralfors is set to make 32 staff redundant as it scales back its traditional forms printing business in response to falling demand. As part of the plans, the company will take out four of its forms printing...

Durst develops ink for glass.
December 11, 2009... Durst has developed an ink that can be printed directly onto glass. The sol-gel ink is a UV-cured ink that is printed directly to the glass with no primer, then bonded to the glass by baking. It has been developed to meet the increasing...

Paperlinx to close mills and stop making paper.(Brief article)
December 11, 2009... Paperlinx is to stop manufacturing paper and is planning to close its Tasmanian Wesley Vale operation and part of its Burnie operation, as part of an ongoing process to cut costs. Paperlinx will instead be a sole merchanting company and...

Wyndeham gets new mag deals.(Haymarket Media Group. )(Brief article)
December 11, 2009... Wyndeham Group has been awarded the print contracts for an additional three titles by Haymarket Media Group. Following the renewal of its contract with PrintWeek publisher Haymarket Media until 2012 earlier this year, Wyndeham has now picked...

Reader Reaction: How do you ensure the security of your customers' data?
December 11, 2009... After the ICO was awarded the power to impose pounds 500k fines, we ask how you keep data safe Industry body Jonathon Britton, products and business information manager, FPB 'When it comes to data security for clients, a lot of it is...

London event kicks off digital print briefings.
December 11, 2009... Attendees at last week's inaugural PrintWeek Digital Opportunity Breakfast Briefing, supported by HP, were handed a buyer's insight into digital print by mail order specialist Boden. Claire Gibbon, head of graphic design and production at...

Domino sales boosted by niche markets move.(Domino Printing Sciences PLC)(Financial report)(Brief article)
December 11, 2009... Domino Printing has posted an 11% increase in pre-tax profits for the year to 31 October as strong growth in niche printing markets defied the recession. The inkjet developer recorded a pre-tax profit of pounds 28m on a turnover of pounds...

Tangent Toolkit aids campaign.(Brief article)
December 11, 2009... Tangent Direct has been appointed by the Dutch Socialist Party to design a bespoke local marketing tool to manage its campaign ahead of the country's general and local elections next year. The London-based marketing communications company...

Legal notices.
December 11, 2009... This information is extracted from the printand publishing-related notices that appear in the London Gazette. Further Information is available from its website at www.gazettes-online.co.uk Appointment of Administrators Nipson Digital...

Klearvision says Kolor-D offers push-button colour retouching.
December 11, 2009... Klearvision has launched Kolor-D, a 'next-generation' colour server that combines image enhancement and separation optimisation, including ink-saving. Applications for Kolor-D include publishing, photo products, pre-press and photography for...

Quay 63 offers free plates trial.(Brief article)
December 11, 2009... Quay 63, a newly launched trade plate provider for B3 and B2 offset litho printers, is offering a complementary set of plates to businesses wishing to 'test drive' its services. Steve Edwards, managing director of the Shrewsbury-based...

Global Graphics takes on market leaders with free rival PDF creator.
December 11, 2009... Global Graphics has mounted a challenge to the dominance of Adobe Acrobat with the launch of its own enterprise-level free PDF creation software, gDoc Creator. The software developer said that it was 'fighting for a place on the corporate...

Erskine Print receives software donations.
December 11, 2009... Erskine Print, the Renfrewshire-based printer run by veterans' charity Erskine, has installed a copy of DigiQuote-Lite and two copies of FileMaker Pro. The software packages, which were donated by TimeHarvest and FileMaker International...

AMM installs Xerox Nuvera and DocuColor to increase capacity.
December 11, 2009... Direct mail company Accelerated Mailing and Marketing (AMM) has expanded its print capabilities with two Xerox machines supplied by Xeretec. The Sussex mailing house has installed a Xerox Nuvera 288 and Xerox DocuColor 8000AP, which it said...

Canon buys 20% of Oce sharehold.(Canon U.S.A. Inc.)(Brief article)
December 11, 2009... Canon has acquired 20% of the shareholding of Oce as its bid to create 'the number-one presence' in the digital market gathers pace. Shares in Oce had risen marginally above the EUR8.60 (pounds 7.80) offer price following an objection from...

Ricoh UK 'harmonises' back-office functions with InfoTech integration.(Brief article)
December 11, 2009... Ricoh UK has officially completed the integration of the Infotec (formerly Danka Europe) business and brand it acquired in January 2007. The company said the purchase of Infotec marked a 'key milestone' in Ricoh's acquisition strategy, which...

First Class Post buys second Renaddress.(Brief article)
December 11, 2009... Envelope printer First Class Post has increased its capacity by installing a second Renaddress inkjet printer. The pounds 10,000 Rena 616 can run at speeds of up to 40,000 postcards per hour at 600dpi and has six print heads. Andy...

Funky Pigeon buys UK's first Duplo Ultra coater.
December 11, 2009... Newly launched personalised gift card website Funky Pigeon has bought the UK's first Duplo Ultra 205A UV coater. The Bristol-based company launched its service in October and has now made it available for other companies to brand their own...

CFH in pounds 12m Hays Docmail deal.(CFH Total Document Management)(Corporate Docmail system )(Brief article)
December 11, 2009... Mailing specialist CFH Total Document Management has won a three-year contract worth pounds 12m to install its Corporate Docmail system at recruitment company Hays. The document management and hybrid mail system will be installed at Hays'...