Print Week articles from January 2009

Print Week archives from January 2009

Edwards to leave St Ives as firm issues profit and jobs warning.(chief executive Brian Edwards resigns from St Ives )
January 30, 2009... St Ives surprised the industry last week when it announced the departure of chief executive Brian Edwards, issued a profit warning and revealed 170 job losses within the space of three working days. Edwards' departure was announced last...

Heidelberg to withhold credit to pre-packs.
January 30, 2009... Heidelberg has taken the unprecedented step of announcing that it will refuse credit to companies that have been the subject of pre-pack deals unless they show willingness to repay debts owed by the former company. The manufacturing...

Print buyers safeguard against print closures.
January 30, 2009... Print buyers have been taking drastic measures to reduce the risk of 'committing professional suicide' following a spate of closures in the print industry. Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) production manager Diana Levy said: 'Despite...

Printhaus goes into administration.(Brief article)
January 30, 2009... Printhaus has gone into administration after making a number of its staff redundant at the end of last year, it has emerged. Michael Kiely of UHY Hacker Young was appointed to the Northampton-based printer on Monday 19 January. However,...

Goodhead in pounds 18.3m pre-tax loss.(Brief article)
January 30, 2009... Goodhead Group made a pre-tax loss of pounds 18.3m for the year ending 31 May 2008, on a turnover of pounds 46.1m, according to its latest accounts filed at Companies House. The group, whose subsidiaries include Bicester-based web offset...

Ipex 2010 names 'Champion in Print'.(Harry Potter author JK Rowling recieved award)(Brief article)
January 30, 2009... Ipex 2010 has named Harry Potter author JK Rowling as its second International 'Champion in Print' for her contribution to the book printing industry. Her books have sold more than 400m copies worldwide and have been translated into more than...

GMC Software Technology appoints sales manager.
January 30, 2009... GMC Software Technology has appointed Simon Harris to the role of sales manager for London and the South East. Harris has previously worked for Anacomp and Microgen as well as holding a background in transactional document processes. ...

Seal Graphics unveils new film.
January 30, 2009... Seal Graphics has unveiled a new film targeted at companies producing roll-up, pop-up and banner displays. Print Shield Crystal Lite is a 140 micron polypropylene film laminate designed for the creation of display panels. The film, which is...

KBA releases book of coating samples.
January 30, 2009... KBA has released Coating Sample Book - Technology by KBA a book of coating samples for sheetfed printers. The book contains details of how to achieve each effect with the suitable press configurations. Hybrid inks, matt and gloss effects are...

DistributorX announces offer.(DistributorX has announced offer a free copy of Enfocus Instant PDF as promotion startegy)(Brief article)
January 30, 2009... DistributorX has announced it is to offer a free copy of Enfocus Instant PDF with every full or upgrade purchase of QuarkXPress 8. The promotion, which is valid in the UK and Ireland, is claimed to save pounds 285 by offering the PDF creation...

The BPIF set to relaunch its scholarship scheme.
January 30, 2009... The BPIF, along with Unite and the Printers' Charitable Corporation (PCC), is set to relaunch its scholarship scheme to support young people training for a career in the printing and graphic arts industries. The Print Futures Awards offers...

OKI offers chance to budding photogaphers.(Brief article)
January 30, 2009... OKI is offering budding photographers a chance to win a trip of a lifetime to the Shamwari Game Reserve in South Africa by entering its wildlife competition. Run in conjunction with the Born Free Foundation, entrants can submit their best...

CUP move to offshore print puts 133 jobs at risk of redundancy.
January 30, 2009... More than 130 jobs at Cambridge Printing Services have been put on the line after Cambridge University Press (CUP), the world's oldest continuous serving publisher, launched a 90-day consultation with staff. The consultation began last...

Team Impression chief blasts 'silly' pricing.
January 30, 2009... Team Impression managing director Peter Crowson has hit out at 'nonsensical' pricing policies being adopted by printers, after the firm had to temporarily lay off 10% of its workforce. He claimed that several printers had employed...

Ex-Midway MD Boden buys Cromwell Press.(Midway Press acquired by Cromwell Press)(Brief article)
January 30, 2009... Former Midway Press managing director John Boden has returned to the industry with the acquisition of academic book printer Cromwell Press. Cromwell Press went into administration with KPMG on 12 January, with 40 out of the 63 staff...

Eco standard for DM launched to widespread industry approval.
January 30, 2009... The launch of PAS 2020, the direct mail (DM) industry's environmental standard, has been met with enthusiasm by the sector. Under the initiative, which is aimed at promoting DM as a self-regulating industry, businesses will be provided...

Pre-pack debate focuses on print.(2002 Enterprise Act regulated on printing industry)(Brief article)
January 30, 2009... A scathing analysis of the process of buying ailing companies through pre-pack administration deals was broadcast on Radio 4 last week, with the print industry taking centre stage. Presenter Julian O'Halloran examined the rise of...

Printing.com sales fall but group plans US expansion in the spring.(Brief article)
January 30, 2009... Franchise print group Printing.com has unveiled its US expansion plans, but warned that sales suffered a 3% drop in the last three months of 2008. In a profit warning to the stock exchange released last week, Printing.com said that...

Three Celloglas plants close at cost of 42 jobs.(Brief article)
January 30, 2009... MCR, administrator for failed finishing giant Celloglas, has closed three facilities, but said it was currently agreeing sale contracts over four former Celloglas sites. As PrintWeek went to press, MCR said it was in talks with a number...

Russians buy up London paper.(Brief article)
January 30, 2009... An agreement has been reached to sell London's Evening Standard to a Russian consortium that includes former Russian prime minister Mikhail Gorbachev and ex-KGB member Alexander Lebedev. The agreement, announced last week, ends weeks of...

Government 'screwing up' training, says Snee.(Brief article)
January 30, 2009... Proskills board member Mark Snee has accused the government of 'screwing up' on its pledges, following a Commons committee report that branded industry specific skills training 'a dog's dinner'. Snee's comments followed a report that...

US inauguration ups paginations.(media coverage of inauguration of Barack Obama by newspaper publishing)(Brief article)
January 30, 2009... Last week's inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th US president sparked a busy time for newspaper presses across the country, as publishers rushed to capitalise on the biggest story of the year. Many of the nationals increased print...

Reader Reaction: Is the print industry likely to be able to raise prices soon?
January 30, 2009... Following the recent spate of administrations, we ask if price increases are on the horizon. PRINT FINISHER - Nigel Crook, managing director, Buckingham Binders 'I wish. There are still idiots offering silly prices. Until those...

Strong year-one results for 'green' Redwood.(print company Redwood )(Brief article)
January 30, 2009... Environmentally focused print company Redwood has reported a strong first year of trading, in which it recorded a turnover of pounds 700,000, and has targeted a revenue of pounds 1.2m in 2009. The Liverpool-based company was established...

ESP buys XL 75 to increase turnover.
January 30, 2009... ESP Colour is aiming to build upon its pounds 12m turnover after investing in a five-colour Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 75. The new press replaces a B1 Speedmaster CD102 at the commercial and publications printer and is targeted to produce...

Win an ipod.
January 30, 2009... What does the push to 'green up' mean to the UK print industry? PrintWeek would like to know how the drive for a more sustainable printing industry is affecting your business. We're running two surveys, one aimed at print buyers and one aimed...

Legal Notices.(Public notice)
January 30, 2009... 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.gazettes-online.co.uk APPOINTMENT OF ADMINISTRATORS Cromwell Press...

Marstan Press completes pounds 500k investment with Suprasetter.
January 30, 2009... Marstan Press has completed a pounds 500,000 investment in pre-press and finishing kit with the installation of a Heidelberg Suprasetter 74 platesetter and Prinect workflow. London-based Marstan, which has also added ImageControl colour...

Mtadigital signs for Agfa upgrade.(installation a B1 Avalon LF plate- setter )(Brief article)
January 30, 2009... Mtadigital has signed up to install a B1 Avalon LF plate- setter and run Agfa's Azura TS chemistry-free plate, which was launched at Drupa last year. London-based Mtadigital, previously known as MTA Reproductions, bought the Avalon to...

Vpress launches free Digital Asset Management module for clients.(Brief article)
January 30, 2009... Web-to-print software developer Vpress has announced the launch of a free Digital Asset Management (DAM) module for users of its print management systems. From 1 February, users of CorePrint, CoreDirect, CoreImpact and CoreQuick will...

Presstek sues Prograf for selling VIM plates.
January 30, 2009... Presstek is continuing its fight against distributors of Israel-based VIM Technolo-gies plates with a lawsuit against US-based Prograf Digital Services. Printing plate manufacturer Presstek alleged that Prograf had violated its rights by...

Xerox 6204 gets an inline folder.
January 30, 2009... Xerox has unveiled an in-line folder for its 6204 digital wide-format printer and copier. The mono machine, launched in 2006, can now offer folding that adheres to industry standard DIN fold styles. The company claimed the folder...

KEP in Indigo 5500 buy for variable data drive.
January 30, 2009... KEP Print Group has targeted expansion after making its first foray into the variable data arena with the purchase of a HP Indigo 5500 digital press. The new five-colour machine will handle work that was not cost effective to run on its...

OKI signs deal for net.tickIT.(software developer Pierhouse to launch a system management software )(Brief article)
January 30, 2009... OKI has struck a deal with marketing management software developer Pierhouse to launch a system that it claimed could save up to 25% on retail point-of-sale (PoS) waste costs. The system consists of the OKI C5000, C800 or C9000 series of...

Oce offers Onyx RIP for ColorWave 600 users.
January 30, 2009... Oce has broadened the applications of its ColorWave 600 wide-format printer to include the display market with the incorporation of Onyx Graphics' eponymous RIP. Oce said the ability to use Onyx's workflow software, including...

The Digital Press sets sights on new markets with Xeikon 5000 buy.
January 30, 2009... The Digital Press is hoping to open up new markets for heavy stock short-run work after investing in a Xeikon 5000 digital colour press, complete with Xeikon's Web Finishing Module. The Bournemouth-based printer said it would use the new...

SPS promises 'big plans' for CFI following Horizon install.
January 30, 2009... Spanish printing group Service Point Solutions (SPS) has made its first major investment at Chris Fowler International (CFI) since acquiring the company last August. SPS has spent pounds 300,000 on a Horizon 4000 computer-aided binding...

Zulu appointed as Komfi agent.(equipment distributor Zulu Packaging contracts with Komfi Europe)(Brief article)
January 30, 2009... Lamination equipment distributor Zulu Packaging has been appointed as the UK agent for manufacturer Komfi Europe. Czech Republic-based Komfi terminated a European-wide distribution deal with GBC Laminating Group on 31 December last year....

Inky Little Fingers tops off 2008 kit spend with DuBinder DPB-500.
January 30, 2009... Litho and digital printer Inky Little Fingers has taken its total kit spend for the past 12 months to pounds 200,000 with the purchase of a new DuBinder DPB-500 from Duplo. It joins a Duplo Series 5000 bookletmaker, a Morgana Autocreaser...

Hobbs in PUR Perfect Binder Buy from GAE
January 30, 2009... Hobbs the Printer has attracted new customers after investing in a PUR perfect binder from finishing equipment supplier Graphic Arts Equipment (GAE). The short-run specialist has added the Horizon BQ470 to an existing BQ270 binder, which will...

Paper prices set to rise despite fall in consumption, says PPL.
January 30, 2009... UK paper prices are set to rise over 2009, despite an anticipated fall in consumption, according to a report by PPL Research, which blamed the weak pound for the anomaly. UK Preview 2009, which is the latest in PPL's paper and board...

WWF rebranded as Gould Paper.
January 30, 2009... WWF Paper Sales UK and P3 Salehurst have rebranded under the name of their American parent, Gould Paper Corporation. The UK publishing division, WWF Paper Sales UK, has become Gould Paper Sales UK. P3 Salehurst has been rebranded as...

International Paper finds potential buyer for part of Inverurie facility.
January 30, 2009... Part of International Paper's (IP) Inverurie mill in Aberdeenshire could be taken over by Biowood Norway - a Norwegian company that produces wood pellets. The mill entered into a consultation process on strategic alternatives last year...

CPI rejects PAS 2020's brown paper stance.(Confederation of Paper Industries pass BSI PAS 2020 standard on paper recycling industry)(Brief article)
January 30, 2009... The new BSI PAS 2020 on direct marketing does not reflect the reality of the paper recycling industry, according to the Confederation of Paper Industries (CPI). Although it described the standard as a 'laudable' attempt to address the...

Editorial: Edwards' availability will scare print bosses.(Editorial)
January 30, 2009... Clearly two weeks is a long time in print. While I've been on leave a raft of companies have gone under and Cooper Clegg has closed, the UK is now officially in recession, fears have heightened over the withdrawal of credit insurance, the...

Comment: Goodhead's efficiency in question.
January 30, 2009... End of Edwards era Why should I be surprised when a financially secure chap who is approaching 60 and with a pension pot with a transferable value of pounds 3.2m, jacks in the day-to-day grind and heads off to enjoy the fruits of his...

Comment: Talking business.
January 30, 2009... Forestry certification schemes need to improve - and the print sector can help. In my last column I raised the question of carbon neutrality and whether its use by print companies in their marketing stacks up. While carbon claims might...

Profile: Maglabs.(Magnet Harlequin)(Company overview)
January 30, 2009... The Magnet Harlequin subsidiary prides itself on keeping ahead of technology. Having broken away from its parent company, Maglabs now has fingers in all sorts of pies including mobile marketing, enterprise and digital screen systems,...

Analysis: Web-to-print - Education is key in battle for online sales.
January 30, 2009... Knowing how to get the best out of your website will boost your business, finds Tim Sheahan. Earlier this month, Italian digital printer Pixart.it launched its online ordering service into the UK market. The 14-year-old company, based in...

League Table: Print management - PM mixes it up.
January 30, 2009... Print management cashed in during the last recession, but this time around it will have to offer a more diverse product range to turn a profit, discovers Simon Nias. Now is not a great time to be making predictions. As the UK officially...

Product Portfolio: Product of the week - Ryobi 920.(Product/service evaluation)
January 30, 2009... Ryobi's 920 press has finally hit the European market and is out to prove good things can still come in small packages, finds Philip Chadwick. The European market has been waiting for some time for the Ryobi 920 press - two years to be...

Product Portfolio: Me & my ... Autobond Mini 76 TH.(managing director Jamie Mathers talks about sheetfed laminators )(Interview)
January 30, 2009... Sherwood/Daybrook Print Finishers managing director Jamie Mathers says the 76 TH has been extremely reliable since it was installed six months ago. - What does the machine do? The Mini 76 TH is a sheetfed laminator that will apply...

Product Portfolio: Tried & tested - Sitma C80/750.(Product/service evaluation)
January 30, 2009... This polywrapping machine's constant updates and robustness has ensured its enduring popularity, discovers Nosmot Gbadamosi. It's a bold claim to make that your product is the most successful in the world, but Sitma believes that, in the...

Product Portfolio: Buyers' guide - Platesetters 2-up, 4-up & 8-up.(Product/service evaluation)
January 30, 2009... Platesetters may have reached their limit in terms of development, but there are still key variables to consider, writes Nosmot Gbadamosi. The small to mid-range platesetter market has come a long way since its creation, but the signs are...

Product Portfolio: Joanne's Help Line - Belly banding and selling old linotype.(Product/service evaluation)
January 30, 2009... Joanne Gardner tracks down the solutions to your technical troubles. Q; I am looking to offload some linotype that was left over from my company's old letterpress and am wondering if they have some worth as novelty items or as scrap...

Product Portfolio: Technical Tutorial - Ink Reduction.(Product/service evaluation)
January 30, 2009... Using grey component replacement (GCR) or under-colour removal (UCR) can reduce ink usage by up to 12-15%. For a commercial printer, with say 20 printing units running double days and producing mainly four-colour work, the annual ink spend...

Diary.(Brief article)(Calendar)
January 30, 2009... FEBRUARY PACKTECH Date: 11-12 February Venue: NEC Birmingham More information: www.easyfairs.com PUBLISHING EXPO Date: 11-12 February Venue: Olympia 2 exhibition centre More information: www.publishing-expo.co.uk THE YMP...

Post Script: Chocolatier goes nuts & milks health fears.
January 30, 2009... Print is primarily designed to convey a message. However, not all messages are born equal as Cadbury demonstrated by including the warning 'Contains milk' on a chocolate bar that is not only called Dairy Milk, but carries a picture of the...

Post Script: Memory lane.(Barclaycard announced 160 redundancies )(Williams Lea appoints Darren Murray as head of pre-media)(Brief article)
January 30, 2009... ONE YEAR AGO - Barclaycard announced 160 print redundancies with the closure of its Northampton statement and credit card facility .. Polestar Sheffield appointed Paul Erickson, its fourth managing director in four years... FIVE YEARS...

Post Script: Print's past - Character recognition.(magnetic ink character recognition system )(Brief article)
January 30, 2009... By the 1960s computers were performing complex tasks to serve humanity; communication between man and machine depended on an alphabet that was readily intelligible to both. In 1961 the Stanford Research Institute successfully addressed this...

Post Script: Q&A - Sarah Pickering.(Brightsource)(Interview)(Brief article)
January 30, 2009... Sarah Pickering is a client service manager at Brightsource. She is 34, married and has worked in print for seven years. Her dream job would be a worldwide restaurant critic and her ideal piece of kit would come in very handy for the role....

Silver lining for offset print as Cooper Clegg closure finalised.(impact of closure of Cooper Clegg on web offset printers)
January 23, 2009... Web offset printers could benefit from improved trading conditions following the closure of Cooper Clegg last week, industry experts have said. Tewkesbury-based Cooper Clegg, which went into administration in December, became the latest...

Optimistic Deloitte confirms interest in NSL.
January 23, 2009... Administrators for Norscreen, which trades as NSL Integrated Print Solutions, remained hopeful of a sale on Tuesday after receiving at least one offer for the business. Ian Brown of administrator Deloitte confirmed that he had received...

Dsicmm buys Emeness to boost press capacity.(Brief article)
January 23, 2009... Dsicmm has increased its turnover to pounds 120m after continuing its aggressive acquisition strategy with the takeover of commercial printer Emeness. The deal for the Stratford, London-based B1 litho business was completed on 24...

Lime PM put into administration.(Brief article)
January 23, 2009... Print and direct mail company Lime PM has been placed into administration as a result of two substantial bad debts. The Aldershot-based business called in administrator Begbies Traynor on 15 January, placing the jobs of its 35 staff at...

Inc Direct in pounds 1m digital kit spend.
January 23, 2009... Inc Direct has revealed plans to double its turnover to pounds 8m within two years after investing pounds 1m in a quartet of new Xerox digital presses. The digital kit spend included a mono Nuvera 288, a brace of 125ppm Xerox 4127...

In brief: St Ives Westerham Press produces catalogue.
January 23, 2009... St Ives Westerham Press, the fine art, report and accounts printing division of St Ives, has produced an exhibition catalogue for Tate Publishing, featuring information about the renowned artist Francis Bacon. The 280pp catalogue accompanied...

In brief: Humidity Solutions signs exclusive agreement.
January 23, 2009... Humidity Solutions has signed an exclusive agreement with Merlin to distribute its range of high-pressure water humidifiers throughout the UK. Humidity Solutions sales director John Barker said: 'We have researched into all of Europe's...

In brief: PIA announces deadline for awards submissions.
January 23, 2009... Printing Industries of America (PIA) has announced the deadline for submissions for its annual Intertech Technology Awards, which recognise innovative technologies deemed likely to have a major impact on the graphic arts industry. Completed...

In brief: Well-known figure in publishing production has died.(Obituary)
January 23, 2009... Vanessa Godsmark, a well-known figure in publishing production, passed away on 30 December, following her battle with lung cancer. A remembrance gathering is being organised for friends and family and will be held on 12 February at 6.30pm at...

In brief: Adapt Graphics doubles its digital print capacity.
January 23, 2009... Adapt Graphics has more than doubled its digital print capacity with an investment in a new Konica Minolta bizhub Pro C5500 Plymouth-based Adapt said it opted for the Konica Minolta machine because it offered a cost-effective, high-quality...

In brief: Colourgen to showcase new printers.(Brief article)
January 23, 2009... Colourgen has announced it is to showcase the new Seiko II ColorPainter H-Series mild solvent printers at Sign and Digital UK. The distributor will also be demonstrating the Epson Stylus Pro GS6000 solvent printer and the Seal Ultra Plus 62...

In brief: Pitney Bowes opens mail service facility.
January 23, 2009... Pitney Bowes has opened a new international mail service facility in the Hayes. The 3,158m2 site will initially employ 55 staff and will have the capacity to process 27,200kg of mail, marketing material, publications and parcels per day. ...

Experts fear government bank bailout will not help print firms.
January 23, 2009... Industry experts have voiced doubts over whether the government's latest plans to boost bank lending will benefit the industry. The government's bailout package for the UK banking system, aimed at boosting banks' ability and willingness...

Holiday redundancies at Printhaus revealed.
January 23, 2009... Commercial printer Printhaus has made a number of redundancies as speculation mounts over a possible bid to buy the business. PrintWeek has learned that the Northampton-based company made redundancies at the end of last year. Sources...

UPM sales bosses leave in company restructure.
January 23, 2009... Two leading members of the UPM sales team have left the company following a shake up of its UK sales organisation. It is understood that Graham Fraser, UPM's director for magazine papers, and Mike Holland, UPM UK sales director, left the...

Suppliers should refuse credit to pre-pack firms, urges BPIF.(British Printing Industries Federation)
January 23, 2009... Suppliers have been urged to refuse credit to pre-packs as part of a series of recommendations from the BPIF. In a submission to an enquiry by the Business and Enterprise Select Committee, the trade association said suppliers should be...

IIR to add value at Northprint.(IIR Exhibitions)(Brief article)
January 23, 2009... Northprint organiser IIR has said the emphasis at this year's show will be on adding value and the opportunities from online services. The exhibition, which takes place from 21-23 April in Harrogate, will run under a 'Building Value in...

AML buys Applied Labels to boost production capacity and growth.(AM Labels acquiring Applied Labels of Corby)(Brief article)
January 23, 2009... AM Labels (AML) has acquired rival label manufacturer Applied Labels of Corby, increasing its production capacity and providing a platform for growth. Tony Mariani, managing director of Kettering-based AML, said the group would expand...

Matching Colour.
January 23, 2009... Sun Chemical has launched a new range of Optima digital solvent inks, designed for use on a range of Seiko Colour Painter, Hewlett-Packard and Oce wide-format presses. The company said the new inks, which follow on from the 439 Series, used...

Newsstand gets first Espresso.(NewsStand Inc. installing Espresso Book Machine)(Brief article)
January 23, 2009... Newsstand has installed the UK's first Espresso Book Machine (EBM) and is now targeting publishers with its on-demand book printing service. The company, which has printed around 550 books since installing the EBM last year, pipped...

WHP makes first digital foray with Indigo buy.
January 23, 2009... White Horse Press (WHP) in Newbury has invested pounds 750,000 investment on new kit, including its first digital press, a six-colour Indigo 5000 press. The commercial printer, which also bought a four-colour B1 Heidelberg press, was...

New London site for Brightsource.(Brief article)
January 23, 2009... Brightsource has boosted its UK presence after opening up a new London office following 27% year-on-year turnover growth in 2008. The direct marketing print management business will use the new site to serve a large number of its clients...

Reader Reaction: What can be done to boost lending to the print industry?
January 23, 2009... Following the BPIF and Unite's appeal to the chancellor, we ask how bank lending can be improved. COMMERCIAL PRINTER - Andrew Pindar, chairman, Pindar 'Change has to start with the banks as they hold the strings. They were the ones...