Print Week articles from February 2006

Print Week archives from February 2006

Deutsche Post makes play for majority stake in Williams Lea.(Brief Article)
February 16, 2006... Logistics and postal giant Deutsche Post World Net (DPWN) has made a surprise offer to acquire 51% of Williams Lea, after private equity house 3i decided to sell its stake. The deal comes less than a year since fellow UK BPO innovator...

NJP shuts down its London ops.(New Jarrold Printing)(Brief Article)
February 16, 2006... New Jarrold Printing has cut 20 jobs and closed down its London operations in a series of cost-cutting exercises. 'We were told it was getting pressure to cut costs from financiers backing the new plant,' said Amicus GPMS East of England...

Sun to close its Watford plant.(Sun Chemical Corp.)(Brief Article)
February 16, 2006... Sun Chemical's Watford site will close in June after an 18-month reduction of its production operations. Vernon Robson of Amicus GPMS said the site was financially unable to meet environmental standards. He said most of the 45...

MITIE secures PwC document handling work.(Brief Article)
February 16, 2006... MITIE has won a pounds 50m contract to manage and distribute documents for one of the biggest accountancy firms. The five-year deal with PricewaterhouseCoopers is the firm's largest to date and includes repro services, stationery supply...

Press.(Brief Article)
February 16, 2006... DSTi Output has won a five-year contract from Sutton and East Surrey Water to take over print for bills and recovery letters... 4word Page & Print Production has launched in Bristol offering design, print and binding to publishers....

Sky stretches The Print Factory deal five years.
February 16, 2006... The Print Factory's (TPF) primary source print management contract with Sky has been extended for five years. The deal is estimated to be worth up to pounds 100m. It comes after a two-year deal, signed in November, worth more than pounds...

Duplo picks up ex-Babs agencies.(Brief Article)
February 16, 2006... Duplo International has won the exclusive rights to distribute Ideal guillotines and shredders and Eurofold folders after the closure of Babs International. Both former Babs agencies will now be distributed by Duplo after the rights were...

Government revamps TUPE rules.(Brief Article)
February 16, 2006... Changes to the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) or TUPE regulations on 6 April are set to make buying and selling companies easier. Old TUPE regulations stipulated that owners of companies bought out of insolvency...

In Brief: Turning Point funds.
February 16, 2006... Turning Point Technologies helped raise money for children with muscular dystrophy at the London Love Run in Battersea Park. The team included Steve Maynard, Steve Emerson, Luke Lanham and Dominic Sbicca. Parent Project UK organised the...

In Brief: NewspaperDirect prints.
February 16, 2006... NewspaperDirect is digitally printing and distributing international newspapers at the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. The New York Times, Der Tagesspiegel and Yomuiri Shimbun are being printed for the athletes' village, hotels and shops....

In Brief: Solutions for Quality win.
February 16, 2006... Solutions for Quality in Falkirk has won a contract from Hungarian print and packaging firm VesperStar to implement systems to ISO 9001 standards.

In Brief: Walshe Print press.
February 16, 2006... Walshe Print in Waterford has installed Ireland's first MAN Roland 500 B2-format press. The five-colour machine is part of a pounds 1.3m spend that will include relocation to a new 800m2 building. Managing director Steven Walshe said it was...

In Brief: Inc Direct buys press.
February 16, 2006... Inc Direct in Enfield, London, has bought its second iGen3 digital press six months after buying its first. The firm has spent pounds 1.75m on digital kit and its projects include producing more than 1.3m welcome packs for Carphone Warehouse...

In Brief: Printing.com shares.
February 16, 2006... Printing.com has allotted over 81,000 shares at 1p each to staff under a share-option scheme run by the company. An application will be made for the shares to be listed on the Alternative Investment Market.

In Brief: Archant charity ride.
February 16, 2006... Archant staff raised pounds 37,275 for charity last year a figure mirrored by the firm's dedicated match-fund scheme Archant Gold. Its team of cyclists completed a 120-mile ride to rack up pounds 1,252 for The Alzheimer's Society.

In Brief: JR Crompton hope.
February 16, 2006... Administrators hope to save paper firm JR Crompton after it was hit with high energy prices, tough competition and 'balance sheet issues'.

In Brief: No Deloitte jobs shed.
February 16, 2006... Deloitte partners Nick Dargan and Bill Lawson have not shed any of the 461 jobs at Manchester, Lydney and Exeter.

In Brief: Acorn Labels press.(Acorn Labels)(Edale Alpha)(Brief Article)
February 16, 2006... Acorn Labels may follow up the recent purchase of two Edale presses with a five-colour Edale Alpha 250, costing around pounds 60,000 to push it into the drug and manufacturing sectors. Production manager Sam Heneker said the Huntingdon firm...

Preston jobs on the line if Goss opts for US press production.(Brief Article)
February 16, 2006... Goss is considering moving press manufacturing from Preston to one of its US sites. Preston will retain R&D, sales and support functions. Goss has confirmed 'a potential reduction' of the 346 Preston employees, but wouldn't disclose...

Creasey Flood in liquidation.(Brief Article)
February 16, 2006... Commercial printing firm Creasey Flood has stopped trading after losing its largest customer and being stung by bad debt. 'Myself and my staff were made redundant last Friday,' said Robert Stimpson, managing director of the 35-staff firm...

Autonomous logistics companies thrive in relaxed postal sector.(Target Express, UK Mail )(Brief Article)
February 16, 2006... The newly deregulated postal sector has allowed independent delivery firms Target Express and UK Mail to expand their services. Target has linked with DM production firm Lloyd James for a 5,500-piece campaign. It was the first commercial...

NI's move to full colour will mean 650 job cuts.
February 16, 2006... Rupert Murdoch has confirmed the loss of 650 production jobs across all News International (NI) UK print operations as part of the newspaper group's move to full colour by 2008. Last week, News Corporation's second-quarter results...

Stationers' outlines rebrand plan.(Stationers' Social Society )(Brief Article)
February 16, 2006... The Stationers' Social Society is to rebrand and consult the Charity Commission. Addressing the organisation's annual dinner in London last week, new president Barry Fowler said that the Society had recognised the need to embrace change....

ABC figures bode well for Berliner Observer.(American Broadcasting Companies Inc.)(Brief Article)
February 16, 2006... The first ABC figures since The Observer's Berliner launch have 'exceeded expectations' at Guardian Newspapers. Month-on-month figures showed an increase of almost 26% to 542,075. However, because of the usual jump in sales between...

Stehlin fast dry ink set for Ipex.(Stehlin Hostag Ink UK)(Brief Article)
February 16, 2006... Stehlin Hostag Ink UK is to launch Rapid-A-More, a full-colour sheetfed ink that offers fast drying and high gloss, at Ipex. A spokeswoman said that the ink's 'superfast' drying capability would enable 'immediate turning and post-print...

In Brief: Acorn and King's team up.
February 16, 2006... Acorn Web Offset has partnered with King's High School in Pontefract to promote career options in printing. Backed by Print Yorkshire, the scheme involves visits to the company's Wakefield site. 'We want to rid pupils of any preconceptions...

In Brief: Drytac appointment.
February 16, 2006... Drytac, the Bristol-based maker of mounting adhesives, laminating films and finishing kit, has made Rebecca Clark its new sales representative for the South West. In the past 10 years, she has worked at Hot Press, Paragon and, most recently,...

In Brief: Popjet launched.(Brief Article)
February 16, 2006... B&P Graphic Systems' Uniform brand has launched a range of 'problem-free' display films and over laminates for banners that it claimed do not warp. Popjet comes in 125, 165 and 200 micron weights and can be used with dye and pigmented...

In Brief: WPG notches level two.(Brief Article)
February 16, 2006... WPG has notched up level two of the Green Dragon environmental standard. The Welshpool-based printer was rewarded for its commitment to reducing environmental impact, said managing director Brian Jones. Powermaster Products, the...

In Brief: Linney Print certificate.
February 16, 2006... Linney Print has won a Forest Stewardship Council chain-of-custody certificate. The company, based in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, already holds an Environmental ISO 14001 certificate and stated that it would switch an increasing amount of...

In Brief: ICI paint.(Imperial Chemical Industries PLC)(Brief Article)
February 16, 2006... Bezier and its design division Bluetouch have created and printed point-of-purchase marketing material for ICI's Flex, Light and Space paint products. 'ICI has built its brand on fresh, airy colours and simple design and we were keen to carry...

In Brief: Kan-do-it appoints.
February 16, 2006... Kan-do-it, a supplier of promotional carrier bags, has made Kay Lindars an account manager. She will help to develop a promotional clothing division and reports to managing director Catrina Clarke.

Flint reshuffles European arm.(Dirk Aulbert to replace Helmut Schmidt in Flint Ink Europe)(Brief Article)
February 16, 2006... Newly consolidated ink giant Flint Group has rearranged its European management team. Dirk Aulbert has been appointed president of its European ink business. He replaces industry veteran Helmut Schmidt, who will remain for a...

Komori opens its pounds 39m cutting-edge factory.
February 16, 2006... Komori has unveiled its new pounds 39m (Y8bn) B1 factory in Tsukuba, Japan. 'The Tsukuba plant will be a 21st-century manufacturing base without parallel,' said president and chief executive Yoshiharu Komori. 'The factory allows us...

Calls for green grades grow.(Brief Article)
February 16, 2006... Recycled content paper demand will increase over the next year as more firms and government departments switch to recycled grades, said the Recycled Paper Advocacy team at the Waste Resources Action Programme (WRAP). WRAP paper product...

Reader Reaction: What effect will rising paper prices have on your production?
February 16, 2006... NEWSPAPER PRINTER Nick Schiller, managing director, Archant Print - 'In a market that's fairly aggressive, the hikes are less than welcome for regional newspapers and we are looking to offset them elsewhere across the business. We aim to...

Magnadata snaps up Norprint Labelling.(Magnadata Group acquires Norprint Labelling Systems Ltd.)(Brief Article)
February 16, 2006... Norprint Labelling Systems has been bought by Magnadata group. The acquisition is part of Magnadata's strategy to become one of the 'lead players in RFID technology'. Both firms are based in Boston with Magnadata specialising in...

St Ives plans Peterborough cuts.(St. Ives Laboratories Inc. in talks with Amicus)(Brief Article)
February 16, 2006... St Ives has entered into talks with Amicus at its Peterborough plant after losing a swathe of work from Emap. Zoo, Yours and Heat all changed hands in the recent tender review, leaving St Ives with a multimillion pound hole to fill. ...

Sappi reviews future of Nash mill.(Sappi Nash Mills)(Brief Article)
February 16, 2006... Sappi is in talks with staff and representatives over the future of its Nash mill and its 160 employees. The South African fine paper producer has entered into a 90-day consultation period over the future of the Hemel Hempstead mill,...

Legal Notices.(Public Notice)
February 16, 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 Direct Binders &...

MSO Group lifts sales by pounds 12m following Storey Evans deal.(Storey Evans & Co.)(Brief Article)
February 16, 2006... Belfast-based packaging print firm MSO Group has boosted its turnover to around pounds 35m after buying Storey Evans. Bradford-based Storey Evans specialises in pharmaceutical packaging and has a turnover of pounds 12m. According to MSO...

Easy job costing with Symmetry.(Brief Article)
February 16, 2006... A dedicated job costing product targeting the print industry has been unveiled by Bristol-based Symmetry. The financial management and accounting software firm has released bluQube, which is designed to provide profit statistics on...

Clowes hunts bolstered business with new expansion blueprint.(William Clowes PLC)(Brief Article)
February 16, 2006... William Clowes has unveiled growth plans that include new staff, kit upgrades and a possible factory expansion. 'We have grown in size by 20% over the past two years, and clearly if that carries on, we will look to expand,' said chief...

XL excels for McLay.(Brief Article)
February 16, 2006... A McLay & Co has become the third UK company to install a Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 105, following in the footsteps of John Dollin Printing Services and Hampton Printing. Cardiff-based commercial printer McLay has taken a six-colour with...

BPIF Excellence Awards judges face tough task over shortlist.(White Horse Press )(Brief Article)
February 16, 2006... White Horse Press and last time's winner TJ International are well placed to pick up awards at this year's BPIF Excellence Awards, having been shortlisted in several categories. This year will be the first time the awards ceremony, which...

Speed record boat to be unveiled at Ipex.(Brief Article)
February 16, 2006... Quicksilver, the superboat that backers hope will break the world water speed record, is to be unveiled at Ipex. Sponsored by Upex, the used printing equipment show which runs alongside Ipex, Quicksilver has a predicted speed of 350mph....

Esko to debut Scope 3 workflow software.(Esko-Graphics Inc. (Kennesaw, Georgia))(Brief Article)
February 16, 2006... Esko-Graphics is to launch its Scope 3 workflow software at Ipex. The packaging pre-production supplier claimed that the new version offered closer interaction between its CAD and graphic aspects, while adopting PDF as the native file...

Kodak's PressProof set to buoy soft-proofing.(Eastman Kodak Co.)(Brief Article)
February 16, 2006... Kodak has announced a monitor proofing system designed for the pressroom. PressProof, which will be launched in April, uses Kodak's MatchPrint Virtual Proofing technology for accurate and consistent colour proofing on qualified LCD...

X-Rite launches PerfectPalette.(Brief Article)
February 16, 2006... X-Rite has launched PerfectPalette, a software package that allows users to create customised palettes from Pantone libraries. The package aims to help printers match spot colours accurately. Companies with six- and seven-colour presses...

Blaze and Ceti unveil Pre-Press Tracker.(Blaze Creative, Ceti Systems)(Brief Article)
February 16, 2006... Pre-press specialist Blaze Creative has developed Pre-Press Tracker, its own system for online approval, flat-planning and job tracking. It costs pounds 4,000 and was produced in conjunction with software company Ceti Systems. Pre-Press...

In Brief: Troika LithoCam Lite.
February 16, 2006... Troika Systems is to cease production of its PlateCam lithographic plate reader at the end of the month. The Highworth company will instead introduce LithoCam Lite. Based on LithoCam, the new model debuts at Ipex, costs pounds 950 and is...

In Brief: Extensis launch.
February 16, 2006... Extensis has launched Suitcase Fusion, a single-user product for Mac OS X users. The new font management upgrade builds on Suitcase X1 and Font Reserve 3.1. New features include a font vault and typeface activation.

In Brief: Apago introduction.
February 16, 2006... Apago, the document management software specialist, has introduced PDF Constructor, a document creation product which it said enabled users simply to create PDF files from industry-standard XML files for both web and print.

In Brief: Markzware upgrade.
February 16, 2006... Markzware has launched an upgrade for its FlightCheck Professional and FlightCheck Designer products. FlightCheck Professional v5.8 is available on Macintosh and Windows platforms and carries expanded PDF checking based on the Ghent PDF...

In Brief: GMG certification.
February 16, 2006... GMG, the colour management and proofing solution company, has received Fogra certification for halftone printing for its GMG DotProof proofer on the Epson Stylus Pro 4000 and 4800. GMG ColorProof with the 4800 was certified by Fogra last year.

In Brief: Allander Suprasetter 74.
February 16, 2006... Allander is taking a Suprasetter 74 from Heidelberg in a switch to thermal CTP. The Edinburgh-based firm, which provides a range of work for print management companies, designers, agencies and educational bodies, has three presses, including...

In Brief: Marlowe and ROI partnership.(Brief Article)
February 16, 2006... Marlowe Graphic Sales & Services is to bring ROI's Xralle web-to-print software into its digital portfolio. Under the new partnership agreement, Marlowe will roll out Xralle to its customers and plans a range of regional seminars in the...

In Brief: Kodak reshuffle.
February 16, 2006... Kodak's Graphic Communications Group is to reshuffle its Israeli personnel in the run-up to the departure of country manager Michael Rolant, who leaves at the end of March. Avi Waldman will lead operations, with general managers Hezy Rotman...

In Brief: QuarkCopyDesk launches.
February 16, 2006... XChange International has launched QuarkCopyDesk, a word processing application for installations using QuarkXPress. It supports QuarkXPress colours and style sheets and allows layouts to be shared in the workflow without the need for...

Cats adds City site and eyes other towns too.(Cats Solutions)(Brief Article)
February 16, 2006... Cats Solutions is to open a new copy shop in the City of London. The firm already has two contracts in place. According to Cats managing director Greg Smith, the site will be for contracted clients only and will focus purely on office...

Fespa to grow thanks to exhibitor demand.(Federation of European Screen Printers Associations)(Brief Article)
February 16, 2006... Fespa's first Digital Printing Europe show has almost sold out to exhibitors and the organiser is looking to take on another hall. Exhibition director Frazer Chesterman announced that a two-day conference programme will run in conjunction...

EFI to sell XMPie products in US.(Brief Article)
February 16, 2006... EFI is to start selling XMPie's PersonalEffect and uDirect personalisation tool in the US and plans to push them in the UK by the beginning of May. Ivor Dixon, managing director of Positive Focus, which distributes XMPie personalisation...

In Brief: InteliCoat brand repackage.
February 16, 2006... InteliCoat Technologies has repackaged its Magiclee brand of digital fine art and photo papers in cut-sheet format. According to InteliCoat, it reflects a 'new and improved, consumer-friendly design'. The new look is available immediately. Go...

In Brief: PB Group installs press.
February 16, 2006... PB Group has installed a Kodak NexPress 2100 digital press. The machine will run alongside an existing Heidelberg sheetfed press at the Rochester-based firm. PB managing director Trevor Lodge said the new purchase will offer customers greater...

In Brief: Xaar approves inks.(Brief Article)
February 16, 2006... Xaar has approved four of SunJet's Crystal range of UV-curable inks, all of which were designed for use with Xaar's drop-on-demand ink-jet technology. The UFX acrylate-based and UNW white pigment-based inks were developed for Xaar's XJ126 and...

In Brief: Colourgen plans.
February 16, 2006... Colourgen has announced its plans for Digital Expo, which takes place from 9-11 May at the NEC. Kit on show will include wide-format printers the Kodak 1200i and the SII Infotech ColorPainter 100S. Colourgen will also be giving visitors a...

In Brief: Blackburns presses.(Blackburns of Bolton)(Brief Article)
February 16, 2006... Blackburns of Bolton has installed two HP Indigo 5000 presses. As well as increasing on-demand capacity, the new purchases will provide a platform for the company's e-commerce business-to-business offering. Its Tharsten MIS sends customer...

In Brief: IBM launches tool.
February 16, 2006... IBM has launched a software management tool for high-speed production printers. Infoprint Process-Director is a Linux-based operating system that can control host-to-post process management from a single point. IBM says the system enables...

In Brief: Canon offers LFP media.
February 16, 2006... Canon is offering customers pounds 220 worth of LFP media when they buy an imagePrograf W6400P or W8400P from a reseller. Purchasers also get a pounds 75 or pounds 150 voucher, redeemable against any of Canon's large-format media.

Autobox launches box making kit Rollacut.(Brief Article)
February 16, 2006... Autobox has launched Rollacut, a range of short-run box-making systems. The six new flatbed roller die-press machines can produce anything from small crash-lock boxes to large PoS material. Autobox estimates the Rollacut range can...

WRH unveils JobStacks 20 and 75.(WRH Marketing)(Brief Article)
February 16, 2006... WRH Marketing is to launch two compensating stackers, the JobStack 20 and JobStack 75, for the newspaper and commercial markets. 'Both machines are aimed at the entry-level, lower-cost end of the market,' said UK technical and marketing...

ArtSystems boosts Xativa offering.(Brief Article)
February 16, 2006... ArtSystems has extended its range of Xativa wide-format laminators, with three new models. 'It is our aim to supply 'no nonsense' lamination which is simple but productive,' said ArtSystems sales director Steve Hawker. 'These are...

In Brief: Gammerler appointment.
February 16, 2006... Gammerler UK has appointed Gary Cowley as its southern sales manager. Cowley previously worked in packaging transportation and has acted as a consultant to Ferag, promoting its transport conveying system to national newspapers. Gammerler...

In Brief: Satellite Direct inserter.
February 16, 2006... Satellite Direct has installed a KAS Paper Systems Mailmaster C565 envelope inserter. The Mailmaster C565 inserts DL to C5 sized envelopes. The machine can complete 5,000 envelopes per hour to assist with Satellite Direct's larger direct mail...

In Brief: Boylan trimming unit.
February 16, 2006... Boylan Print in Drogheda, County Louth, has ordered a RS111 inline rotary trimming unit from Gammerler to automate its bindery operations. The RS111 is a modular unit with two segmented knife-trimming units and one-bump turn. The machine was...

In Brief: Polar 100th anniversary.
February 16, 2006... Polar joint-managing director Michael Neugart has promised special offers for customers to celebrate its 100th anniversary. 'We would like to express our gratitude to our loyal customers all over the world,' he said. 'We have prepared a...

In Brief: Colour Network AutoCreaser.
February 16, 2006... Colour Network has installed a Morgana AutoCreaser to help with its increasing workload. The company also uses a Morgana Junior folder alongside its HP Indigo 3050 and Heidelberg Speedmaster 74 DI. The Glasgow-based printer has the capacity...

In Brief: Graphic Arts StitchLiner.(Brief Article)
February 16, 2006... Graphic Arts Equipment has installed its 50th Horizon StitchLiner. The machine was delivered to Collective UK, a sister company of Mansion House Press (MHP). It's the second machine to be ordered by Leeds-based MHP. Tony Sidebottom and Eddie...

In Brief: Monarch Indexing machine.
February 16, 2006... Monarch Indexing Company has purchased a Durrer fully automated index cutting machine. This will allow the Yorkshire-based printer to run all book sizes automatically.

Strikes and paper costs hit M-real 2005 results.(Brief Article)
February 16, 2006... M-real's consolidated losses almost doubled in 2005 to pounds 98m (EUR142m), due to the impact of the Finnish labour dispute last summer and falling prices for uncoated paper. The labour dispute cut pounds 58m-pounds 62m off the Finnish...

Premier to offer training scheme.(Premier Paper)(Brief Article)
February 16, 2006... Premier Paper has launched Premier Development, a personal training scheme. The scheme, which will run in tandem with Vision in Print's Premier-sponsored Snapshot, is being held at Warwick University in conjunction with training company...

Paper Pricewatch: Carbonless, Feb 2006.(Brief Article)
February 16, 2006... More producers have announced price increases, writes Andy Scott. M-real has become the latest carbonless paper producer to announce a price increase, which comes into effect immediately. The Finnish paper producer has said that...

In Brief: Sappi exhibits photographs.(Sappi Europe-Sappi (UK) Ltd.)(Brief Article)
February 16, 2006... Sappi is exhibiting 700 photographs of the natural world online to publicise its Magno brand. The pictures, which were submitted by printers, designers and photographers as part of the Magno Intensity Challenge photo competition, can be...

In Brief: Amicus pay vote.
February 16, 2006... Amicus union members in the papermaking industry have voted to accept a national pay deal. It is worth 2.9% on the nationally agreed rates and 2.5% on the locally agreed pay agreements. Members voted for it in a secret ballot by almost two to...