Print Week articles from July 2010

Print Week archives from July 2010

Plans for bankruptcy protection scheme welcomed by industry.
July 30, 2010... The Insolvency Service has proposed an alternative to the current administration process, similar to Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the US, which could lead to a reduction in pre-pack deals. A consultation was launched on Monday (26...

Richmond set to follow Cavendish into admin.
July 30, 2010... Commercial printer Richmond Printers, which trades as Richmond Cavendish, is on the verge of closure with administration expected imminently. As PrintWeek went to press, the Leicester-based company was continuing to trade. However, a...

Cable says banks must loan to SMEs.
July 30, 2010... Business secretary Vince Cable has threatened banks with legislation to limit bonuses and dividends unless they increase lending to small businesses. Cable's comments came as the department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) launched a...

Formpro leaves creditors short.(Formpro Mail Marketing )(Brief article)
July 30, 2010... All of the creditors of failed mailing house Formpro Mail Marketing have been left out of pocket by the company's administration, with only the secured creditors seeing any return on their debt. According to the administrator's report, there...

ITL invests in extending LED UV applications facility.
July 30, 2010... Integration Technology Limited (ITL), the UV-curing specialist, has invested pounds 100,000 in extending its LED UV applications facility. The Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire-based company has increased its available space by 30% and installed a...

Gail Cartmail seeks union leadership.(Brief article)
July 30, 2010... Unite assistant general secretary Gail Cartmail is seeking to become the first female leader of the union after announcing she is standing for the position of general secretary. 'I have everything to play for and even more to offer the union if...

The COI publishes its annual report.(Central Office of Information )(Brief article)
July 30, 2010... The Central Office of Information (COI), which controls all central government media buying and ad spend, has published its annual report and accounts for 2009/2010. The report shows that the government spent a total of pounds 531m on marketing...

EasyFairs announces support is growing.(Brief article)
July 30, 2010... EasyFairs has announced that support for its Packaging Innovations London show, which takes place on 7 and 8 October, is growing by the day. Dick Searle, chief executive of the Packaging Federation, said: 'It is great to see a packaging show...

Wifag restructures.(Brief article)
July 30, 2010... Wifag, the Swiss press manufacturer, has moved in with its sister company Polytype as part of a major restructure. The company has also sold its production property in Bern to heavy-duty transmission manufacturer Mali International. ...

UK POS launches its new window display section online.(Brief article)
July 30, 2010... UK POS has launched its new window display section online, which it is targeting at estate agents that want to ramp up marketing campaigns The new section includes chrome and satin display fittings, as well as versatile cable and rod display...

Daler Rowney invests in B.Matic sheet-counting machines.
July 30, 2010... Daler Rowney, the art materials supplier, has invested in two B.Matic sheet-counting machines from UK distributor Advanced Dynamics The company has bought a pair of floor-standing Protec dual-system sheet-counters, which will handle paper grades...

Cuts in public sector could offer opportunities for gain in print.
July 30, 2010... Suppliers to public sector authorities are coming under increasing pressure to cut prices, according to a number of printers. Following last month's emergency Budget, government departments were ordered to reduce annual budgets by 25% before...

Staff anger over 'late payments'.
July 30, 2010... Academic book printer Cromwell Press has denied allegations that it is underpaying staff and accused 'a small number' of them of endangering the Wiltshire company's future. The Trowbridge-based printer hit out after a local newspaper reported...

HP's MagCloud moves into Europe and offers further output options.
July 30, 2010... HP's print-on-demand magazine service MagCloud has come out of beta, extended into Europe and expanded its range of output options. Output features available include an iPad reader, plus perfect-bound printed copies, which takes the maximum...

Expert Print in Spica purchase.
July 30, 2010... Commercial printer Expert Print has purchased a secondhand Komori Spica 29P from White Horse Machinery as part of a pounds 350,000 spend. The company made the perfector investment along with a Polar guillotine, a Stahl 66 folder and a Duplo...

Z-Card launches AR and 2D barcode products.(Brief article)
July 30, 2010... Z-Card, the firm behind the eponymous pocket media folding card, has launched a range of products using augmented reality (AR) and 2D barcodes. 'AR and 2D codes more than bridge the gap between print and digital - they offer a synergy with...

NS Print installs Speedmaster.
July 30, 2010... NS Print has opted for its second Heidelberg press in two years after investing in a two-colour Speedmaster SM 52-2 for its factory in Wem, Shropshire. The new press will replace a four-colour and a single- colour GTO, but despite losing...

Reader Reaction - Are you in favour of Ipex moving from the NEC to London?(Viewpoint essay)
July 30, 2010... IIR is pondering a move from Birmingham to London's Excel, we ask which you would prefer. MANUFACTURER Christian Knapp, managing director, KBA UK 'I support a move to Excel as I think it would have a positive impact on the level of...

Arvia trials removal of colour from UPM water.
July 30, 2010... Water treatment start-up Arvia Technology has concluded trials of its Nyex process to remove colour from process water at UPM's Shotton recycled newsprint mill in Deeside, Wales. The small-scale trial to remove a straw-coloured tinge from the...

BFS unveils new on-press die-cutter.(BFS Pressroom Solutions)(Brief article)
July 30, 2010... BFS Pressroom Solutions has begun distributing PerF-Offset in the UK, a perfing product that is claimed to enable inline cutting, creasing or perforating on offset presses, without damaging the blanket. The Spanish-manufactured product, which...

Sapphire analysis service launched.(Communisis has launched a benchmarking service )(Brief article)
July 30, 2010... Communisis has launched a benchmarking service aimed at optimising companies' marketing strategies. The Sapphire service, which is priced according to the scale and level of detail required, analyses a company's existing marketing process and...

Legal Notices.(Public notice)
July 30, 2010... 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 WINDING UP PETITIONS Moor Graphic (Design &...

Agfa starts Azura TS production at Seacroft to meet user upturn.(Brief article)
July 30, 2010... Agfa has begun producing thermal Azura TS plates at its Leeds Seacroft factory following a surge in demand for its chemistry-free plates. Seacroft, which employs 90-staff, now makes a 'significant proportion' of Agfa's plates, whereas...

Tailored unveils latest Traxx MIS.
July 30, 2010... Digital label printers could slash their pre-press processing time by 90% or more, according to US-based software developer Tailored Solutions. The latest release of the company's Label Traxx MIS features a new digital file planner that...

H&W cuts chemistry requirement with Screen buy and Pro-V switch.
July 30, 2010... Hulbert & Woodall Print (H&W) has switched to Fujifilm's Pro-V violet plates following its acquisition of a Screen PlateRite 2055Vi-S platesetter, purchased through UK reseller Apex Digital Graphics. H&W's PlateRite 2055, which...

Wave2 adds video to publishing package.
July 30, 2010... Software developer Wave2 Media Solutions has launched version 5 of its Wave2 Publishing Platform. The release includes a host of new features, such as built-in video support, which will enable users to construct a video via the same interface...

L&S expands growth potential with wide-format kit spend.(EFI Vutek QS3220 flatbed printer )
July 30, 2010... L&S Printing has invested in an EFI Vutek QS3220 flatbed printer and a Zund G3 digital cutter. The new wide-format equipment, supplied by Robert Horne, was installed earlier this month. According to the Worthing, west Sussex-based...

Nipson names new UK boss.
July 30, 2010... Nipson UK has appointed former Xaar business development manager Bryan Palphreyman as its managing director. Palphreyman, who was working most recently in an independent consultant role, replaces David Mooney who retired after 39 years in the...

Stralfors makes continuous-feed investment to expand in Europe.
July 30, 2010... Stralfors UK has installed a Xerox 980 colour continuous-feed printer in a bid to win personalised and transactional print contracts. The company will use the new toner-based printer at its facility in Redruth, Cornwall to produce full-colour...

Xaar reports a surge in printhead orders.
July 30, 2010... Strong demand from the ceramic and digital labels sectors has led to a rise in orders for Xaar's Platform 3 printhead products, the inkjet specialist has reported. In a trading update for the six months to 30 June, the manufacturer said that...

Muller binder for short runs.(Muller Martini launched the Diamant MC digital book-binding machine)(Brief article)
July 30, 2010... Muller Martini has launched the Diamant MC digital book-binding line, which is designed to finish digitally-printed photobooks. According to the manufacturer, the new machine will 'guarantee efficient binding' of books in volumes as low as a...

Pitney Bowes launches new breed of envelope.(Brief article)
July 30, 2010... Finishing equipment manufacturer Pitney Bowes has launched an enveloping line that features no envelopes. The WrapStar series, which comprises the WrapStar 20 and WrapStar 30, combines paper-wrapping machines with Pitney Bowes software to...

FRIP launches sample pack.(FRIP Finishing)(Brief article)
July 30, 2010... Lamination specialist FRIP Finishing has launched an online sample collection book for potential customers, to coincide with the unveiling of its new-look website. The sample collection, which sales director Shaun Morris believes will...

Horizon adds option of single-book runs.(Brief article)
July 30, 2010... Horizon has announced a software upgrade for the Horizon BQ470 four-clamp perfect binder that will allow the machine to produce book runs of as few as one. According to UK distributor Intelligent Finishing Systems (IFS), the upgrade enables...

Cypher Digital speeds production by using one-pass colour finisher.(installation of Duplo DC-645 production colour finishing equipment)(Brief article)
July 30, 2010... Digital printer Cypher Digital has slashed its turnaround times after investing in a Duplo DC-645 production colour finisher from finishing equipment reseller Glendale Presentation and Graphics. The Kendal-based firm said it had been able to...

De La Rue halts some banknote output after quality concerns.
July 30, 2010... De La Rue has temporarily suspended aspects of its paper production at its largest plant in Overton, Hampshire, following the discovery of 'quality and production irregularities' in its production facilities. Last week, shares in the company...

Intern'l Paper gets eco label.
July 30, 2010... International Paper has achieved EU Eco-label status for its Rey Adagio range of tinted papers. As part of the EU Flower assessment criteria, the paper manufacturer had to show the origin of all fibres, as well as demonstrate that 10% of...

PaperCo offers 9lives clients eco performance print statements.(Brief article)
July 30, 2010... PaperCo is to supply printers that use 9lives born again paper with a statement specifying the environmental savings the product achieves for a given job. The statement, which can be added to any printed document, details savings made in...

Peak Performance.(Elliott Baxter)(Brief article)
July 30, 2010... Staff at Elliott Baxter (EBB) have conquered the Navigator 3 Peaks Challenge and raised over pounds 5,000 for the Alzheimer's Society. On 26 and 27 June, 17 staff climbed the highest peaks in Scotland, Wales and England. The team was sponsored...

Editorial: Power list reflects ups & downs of a tough year.(Editorial)
July 30, 2010... Before I start, a few words of warning: if you don't want me to spoil some of the surprises in the Power 100, which is published in the following pages, then look away now. Obviously, the tough trading conditions of the past 12 months have...

Comment: Get stuck into a sticky substrate.
July 30, 2010... Non-sticky sticky stuff As part of an occasional series on 'interesting things Jo saw at Ipex', I give you Fujifilm's Solvent WonderTack substrate. Essentially it's self-adhesive, but without any adhesive. The back side of the polypropylene...

Comment: Talking business.(Viewpoint essay)
July 30, 2010... New procurement rules governing the tender process will stamp out foul play. As those who contract or tender with the public sector might know, the EU Remedies Directive was brought into effect in the UK around Christmas through the...

Analysis: Incentives - Equity isn't the only way to up morale.
July 30, 2010... Giving staff a stake can boost business fortunes but dialogue is essential, finds Tim Sheahan. Last week's revelation that staff at Blackwood-based magazine printer Pensord Press are set to pocket thousands of pounds thanks to a free...

2010 Power 100.
July 30, 2010... Welcome to the ninth annual PrintWeek Power 100, our roll call of the most powerful people in print. Every year, the debates involved in putting together this list of the great and the good get more heated - we wouldn't want it any other way...

Product Portfolio: Product of the Week - Pitney Bowes WrapStar.(Product/service evaluation)
July 30, 2010... Wrapping used to be the poor cousin of the envelopes market, but Adam Hooker says its quality has improved and this machine is part of the move towards it becoming a credible alternative. Print is always moving, never more so than in the...

Product Portfolio: Me & My ... Screen PlateRite FX870.(interview with managing director of Ticketmedia Jeremy Burbidge)(Interview)(Brief article)
July 30, 2010... Jeremy Burbidge, managing director of Ticketmedia, informs Simon Creasey that he chose this platesetter on the strength of Screen's Trueflow package and its presence in the digital market. - Describe your company We specialise in selling...

Product Portfolio: Tried & Tested - Manroland 200.(Product/service evaluation)
July 30, 2010... Manroland's 200 range of compact presses has become a driving force in the market by offering flexibility and power, writes Nosmot Gbadamosi. In the late 1980s, Manroland hit upon the idea of manufacturing a compact press that could...

Product Portfolio: Buyers' Guide - Web offset inks.(Product/service evaluation)
July 30, 2010... Ink manufactures are finding it hard not to pass on rising costs to printers and new web offset products tough to find, discovers Nosmot Gbadamosi. For ink manufacturers, the past few months have been pretty grim. Raw material prices have...

Product Portfolio: Jo's Help Line - Seeking a stingray and a US partner.(Product/service evaluation)
July 30, 2010... Jo Francis tracks down the solutions to your technical troubles. Q: We want to buy an ECRM Stingray 46 imagesetter. Where could we purchase one? Semiu Badmus, Kaden Printing, Nigeria A: ECRM sells refurbished Stingrays when it can get...

Product Portfolio: Diary.(Brief article)(Calendar)
July 30, 2010... JULY PRINT POWER Date: 10 June-1 August Location: Lady Barber Gallery, Birmingham More information: www.barber.org.uk SEPTEMBER YMP NATIONAL TRAINING WEEKEND 2010 Date: 10-12 September Location: Derbyshire More information: www.ymp.org.uk PRINT...

Product Portfolio: Technical Tutorial - Employee share schemes.
July 30, 2010... Employee share schemes are a potentially tax-free way to incentivise staff by giving them a greater vested interest in a business's long-term success. There are a number of options available, but there are only two that are approved by HM...

Post Script: Daft punk taps a fresh vein for grisly posters.
July 30, 2010... There's daft and then there's really daft. And, if you were in any doubt, printing with human blood falls into the latter category Nevertheless, this is really what daft New York-based designer 'Metastazis' has done for Swedish 'black metal'...

Post Script: Memory Lane.
July 30, 2010... ONE YEAR AGO - Paragon Group acquired Ward Knowles' flagship Oswaldtwistle facility, saving 70 jobs... Pindar posted a modest pre-tax profit of pounds 934,000 for 2008... Litho Supplies agreed to take on Mitsubishi sales for the UK and Ireland...

Post Script: Print's past - A printers' strike.
July 30, 2010... An Account of the Rise and Progress of the Dispute between the Masters and Journeymen Printers (1799) is a little known tract, which reveals what working conditions in the trade were like at that period. It contains a report of five...

Post Script: Q&A - Howard Turner.(Interview)
July 30, 2010... Howard Turner shares directorship of former Prontaprint franchise Printing Plus with wife Marianne, which sounds like an achievement of spousal harmony in itself. The pair have two children and, at 55 years of age, Turner completed his first...

'Impatient creditors' torpedo SV.Two repayment measures.
July 23, 2010... SV.Two has claimed that its bid to pay off creditors of its closed litho outfit was scuppered by impatient creditors. The litho side of the business, Quantum Print UK, which traded as SV.Two, was closed in March this year after attempts to...

Pyramid International buys Art Group assets.
July 23, 2010... Poster and calendar printer Pyramid International has bought the stock, brand name and some of the machinery of failed fine art printer The Artful Group (AG), which traded as The Art Group. Will Wright and Mark Orton of KPMG were appointed as...

Paragon Buys Bemrose Sites and Saves 160 Jobs
July 23, 2010... Around 160 jobs have been saved at BemroseBooth after Paragon Group bought the failed print group's Hull and Teesside sites out of administration. The deal, which was for an undisclosed sum, comprised BemroseBooth's ticketing and secure...

Polestar in Applied redundancies.
July 23, 2010... Magazine printer Polestar has announced redundancies at both its Applied Solutions DM and business forms sites. A total of 58 jobs in Leeds and Nottingham are under threat in a consultation that began on 6 July 2010. According to group...

Ipex considers London Excel move.
July 23, 2010... Ipex 2014 may be held at Excel in Docklands, which would mark a return to what many consider its spiritual home, London. A decision on whether the show will relocate to London or remain at the NEC in Birmingham will be made within the next...

Mimaki's metallic ink to be available from October.
July 23, 2010... Mimaki's retrofittable metallic ink for its eco-solvent printers will be available from October this year, the company has confirmed. The ink is compatible with the firm's JV33 and CJV machines, spanning a range of widths from 600mm to 2.6m. ...

Appointment at Johnston Press.
July 23, 2010... Johnston Press has appointed Kjell Aamot as a non-executive director of the company from 1 August 2010. He previously served as a member of the board of Nordea Bank. Ian Russell, chairman of Johnston Press, said: 'Kjell will be a tremendous...

Appointment at Shiraz Software.
July 23, 2010... Shiraz Software has appointed Tom Mooney as business development manager in order to secure European distributors of its RIP software Led by Mooney, London-based Shiraz will look to appoint resellers in Germany, France, Russia, Turkey and...

Squeezy International overall victor in Fespa 2010 Wrap Cup.(Brief article)
July 23, 2010... Squeezy International emerged as the overall victor in the Fespa 2010 Wrap Cup, which was held at the Munich show last month. The Dutch firm was picked as the winner from the 30 vehicle wrappers that competed in the competition, all bidding for...

ITL plans to expand market share in Europe.(Ink Technologies Limited )(Brief article)
July 23, 2010... Ink Technologies Limited (ITL) is planning to expand its market share in Europe. The UK aftermarket ink manufacturer, based in Cheshire, has appointed wide-format industry veteran Leo Vermeiren as European sales and development manager. 'His...

Sappi announces winner of competition.(Brief article)
July 23, 2010... Sappi has announced Superior account manager Natasha Porter (pictured with Sappi sales manager Barry Gregory) as the winner of its 'Guess Who the Gold Winner Is?' competition, held at Ipex in May. She correctly identified the winner of the...

Correction.(Correction notice)
July 23, 2010... In last week's Best of British feature, the managing director of Domino should have been listed as Nigel Bond and not Nigel Dunlop PrintWeek apologises for any embarrassment caused by this error. -------------------- Did you find this...

Cash windfall for Pensord staff after share scheme comes good.
July 23, 2010... Pensord staff are in line for a financial windfall as a result of the MBO sale of the Welsh company, thanks to a stakeholder scheme introduced six years ago. Following the MBO of the magazine printer, led by commercial director Darren Coxon...

Prompt payment vow 'not benefiting SMEs'.
July 23, 2010... Small businesses are not seeing the benefits of a public sector initiative to pay invoices within 10 days, according to the Forum of Private Business (FPB). It claimed that, while most central government departments pay main contractors...

Luncheon Meet.
July 23, 2010... The Printing Charity's 183rd annual luncheon is due to be held at Stationers' Hall, London, on 4 November. Tickets, priced at pounds 85, include a drinks reception and three-course lunch. The event, which has taken place every year since 1827,...

Repropoint revamps digital kit to expand web-to-print service.
July 23, 2010... Repropoint is aiming to open up new markets following an investment in digital print equipment and the expansion of its web-to-print offering. The business, which has four sites in Surrey and Hampshire, said it has come though a tough 18...

Avon winner to be announced.
July 23, 2010... Cosmetics company Avon is poised to reveal the winner of its multimillion pound catalogue production review. Incumbent Pindar has printed for the beauty giant for a number of years, first picking up the contract for Avon's main catalogue in...

Printing.com unveils W2P strategy as trading in June 'softens slightly'.(Brief article)
July 23, 2010... Printing.com has said that trading conditions softened slightly across its franchise network in June, ahead of its AGM in Manchester last week (16 July). Overall, trading continued to undulate over the past quarter, although chief executive...

Honda employs Crayon to create 'paper world'.(Brief article)
July 23, 2010... Data and digital agency Crayon has created a 'paper world' as part of Honda's direct mail push to promote its requalification campaign. The initial DM wave, which is backed up by preand post-email messaging, will target 250,000 prospective...

Heidelberg says orders up 43%.
July 23, 2010... Heidelberg has cited the success of Ipex and Brazil's ExpoPrint tradeshows as the reason for a 43% increase in incoming orders to EUR786m (pounds 666m) during its first quarter. According to the print kit manufacturer's preliminary figures,...

BAPC announces Burch as conference speaker.(British Association for Print and Communication )(Conference news)(Brief article)
July 23, 2010... International business guru, television presenter and author Geoff Burch will be one of the headline speakers at this year's annual BAPC conference. Burch, star of the BBC business show All Over the Shop, will provide guidance to delegates on...

Newsquest sells Cheshire facility.(Newsquest Media Group Ltd acquires M&A Pharmachem)(Brief article)
July 23, 2010... Newspaper publisher Newsquest has sold its Cheshire plant to pharmaceutical company M&A Pharmachem. The Wingate Industrial Park plant was closed in early 2009 due to 'extremely tough trading conditions'. Titles including the Bolton...

Reader Reaction: Is the BPIF right to ban pre-packs from being members?(British Printing Industries Federation )(Viewpoint essay)
July 23, 2010... We ask whether you support the BPIF decision to exclude pre-pack printing companies. COMMERCIAL PRINTER - PETER WISE, MANAGING DIRECTOR, MINUTEMAN PRESS 'I was thrilled when I heard that they had done that, it's brilliant. I hear the vote...

Blackwell buys XL 75 to speed up makereadies.
July 23, 2010... Blackwell Print & Marketing has invested in a 'robust' four-colour Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 75 following its recent visit to Ipex 2010. The four-colour plus coater, which will replace a 10-year-old SM 74 machine at the Great Yarmouth-...

KBA unveils greener print scheme.
July 23, 2010... KBA has teamed up with ClimatePartner to offer customers a platform to address their carbon footprint. The two businesses, which have worked together since 2008, have launched an online service that printers can use to calculate the...

Southernprint wins Toy Story job.(Brief article)
July 23, 2010... Southernprint has been awarded the print contract for a new monthly magazine based on the highly successful animated film franchise Toy Story. The Egmont-published magazine is being launched to coincide with release of Toy Story 3 at cinemas...

Legal Notices.(Public notice)
July 23, 2010... 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. WINDING UP PETITIONS Keniston Print Ltd Co.No:...

Vio and GMG team up to better automate ad delivery process.
July 23, 2010... Vio Worldwide has formed a strategic partnership with GMG UK that will allow pre-press companies to integrate both companies' software to better effect. That integration is intended to further automate the process of colour profiling and...

PerfectProof in UK office move.(Brief article)
July 23, 2010... PerfectProof, the Belgium-based digital proofing specialist, has opened an office in Manchester to spearhead its UK expansion plans. The office will be headed by UK sales director Mathew Faulkner and will provide sales and support services...