Print Week articles from June 2005

Print Week archives from June 2005

Vutek lifts lid on its 3.2m-wide PressVu.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Vutek has used Fespa to launch its largest flatbed printer to date, the PressVu UV 320/400. The 3.2m-wide press is convertible, in under a minute, from either flatbed rigid or flexible roll-to-roll running. The 400dpi 320/400 will be...

Daily Mail to build flexo op at Didcot.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT) is to build a greenfield flexo print plant on the outskirts of Didcot as part of its pounds 100m move to full-colour newspapers. The publisher of the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday already has...

MBO team takes over GNE from Adare.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Adare has sold envelope supplier division Great Northern Envelopes (GNE) to a management buyout team. The five-strong MBO team is headed up by GNE managing director Warren Shermer and was supported by Yorkshire Fund Managers (YFM). The...

Polestar hires Tame as MD of Colchester site.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Polestar has moved quickly to appoint a new managing director for its Colchester plant - Michael Tame started at the company this week. Tame replaces Jim Algar, who announced he was leaving to join Wyndeham Heron last week. Algar will work...

Stop Press: Norske Skog to shut down newsprint production.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Norske Skog will shut down newsprint production on a paper machine in its Norske Skog Follum mill in Norway next month, as a response to overcapacity in the newsprint market.

Stop Press: Mail order distributor buys former print works.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Bradford-based mail order distributor HC Slingsby has bought the former print works of Shipley-based WE Berry, which went into administration in December 2003.

Stop Press: Money pledged to print education scheme PrintIT!(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... MAN Roland and Turning Point Technologies have each pledged pounds 10,000 to print education scheme PrintIT!

Stop Press: Liverpool Daily Post doubled its print run.(Liverpool Daily Post )(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... The Liverpool Daily Post doubled its print run to more than 40,000 last Wednesday night, following Liverpool's European Cup victory.

Stop Press: Cradley Group grants share options to senior staff.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Cradley Group has granted 800,000 share options to senior staff, including 250,000 for finance director Ross Cheshire. Its share price settled at 9p this week after hitting a 52-week low of 7p in mid-May.

Agfa releases two products at Fespa.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Agfa launched two new joint venture products at Fespa this week, the M-Press digital/screen hybrid press and the Anapurna 100 flatbed UV system. Beta site SMP Group in London will be the first firm in the world to install the M-Press, a...

Sale first after CP3i collapse.(CP3i )(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... The collapse of Barnoldswick's CP3i will result in a double-decker Komori 'super perfector' press being sold as a used machine for the first time in the UK. Specialist auctioneer King Sturge is selling the press by private treaty on behalf...

RR Donnelley in Astron offering.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... RR Donnelley has completed a pounds 546m (dollars 1bn) debt offering to fund its acquisition of Astron. The deal was in two pounds 273m tranches due in May 2010 and 2015. It covers the pounds 541m the firm agreed to pay for Astron,...

Joe Fulbrook wins Volkswagen Racing Cup.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Joe Fulbrook 'put pedal to the metal' last week to win the Volkswagen Racing Cup. The managing director of Maidenhead Printing clocked up speeds of 115mph in his Komori-sponsored Bora Turbo to take the chequered flag at Knockhill track near...

Shorts: UK Screen Printing Association adds to range of services.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... The UK Screen Printing Association has added digital printing to its range of member services. It has also changed its name to the Digital & Screen Printing Association.

Shorts: Kall Kwik named UK's top franchisor.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Kall Kwik has been named the UK's top franchisor by the British Franchise Association at its annual awards. Managing director Mike Hutter (centre) collected the award from BFA chairman Sir Bernard Ingham (far left) at London's Savoy Hotel.

Shorts: Mike Taylor of Fulmar joins 'Question Time' platform.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Mike Taylor, CEO at Fulmar, is joining a 'Question Time' platform with best-selling writer Lynne Truss, author of Eats Shoots & Leaves, at the Stationers' Company strategic forum on 20 June at London's Stationers' Hall. Tickets, pounds 20,...

Shorts: Queen's Award for Enterprise organisers call for entries.(Queen)(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Queen's Award for Enterprise organisers are calling for entries to the 2006 awards. UK-based firms boasting good international trade, innovation or sustainable development can apply by 31 October. Individuals can also be nominated for an...

Shorts: AB Dick holds seminars on direct-imaging technology.(AB Dick )(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... AB Dick is holding seminars on direct-imaging technology on 14, 15, 16 June at its showroom in Brentford, Middlesex. Contact Carol Broughan: 020 8326 1317.

Shorts: Steve Haithwaite moves to Littlewoods and Shop Direct.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Steve Haithwaite, former Argos Retail Group director of publications and new media, has moved to Littlewoods and Shop Direct as director of publications. He left Argos in 2004 and joined Media Square as chief executive of its retail division.

Shorts: Joanne Hurst flicks switch on new web press.(VNU)(72pp Lithoman )(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Joanne Hurst, production director at VNU, flicked the switch on a new MAN 72pp Lithoman web press at St Ives Peterborough. Hurst recently commissioned the 72pp Lithoman at St Ives Roche.

Shorts: First of three 12-colour presses for Anton Group.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... The first of three 12-colour Heidelberg Speedmaster 102 perfector presses ordered by Anton Group at Drupa is going into its Brentwood, Essex base. The DM firm has won contracts from Tesco, RBS and Virgin and needs more capacity, said managing...

Shorts: Gallus Group UK makes Wim Brunsting managing director.(Gallus Group UK)(Appointed Wim Brunsting as managing director)(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Gallus Group UK has made Wim Brunsting (pictured) its managing director. He brings eight years of Gallus experience to the subsidiary having worked at the firm's Dutch sales office. 'Terrific pressure on prices' meant machine makers had to work...

Shorts: Punch Graphics placing new shares on London's Stock Exchange.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Digital and pre-press group Punch Graphics is raising pounds 19.3m by placing more than 21m new shares on the Alternative Investment Market of London's Stock Exchange. The price of each share is 98p, and the company has a market capitalisation...

Kingfisher switches to CTP with Fuji's B2 Luxel.(Kingfisher Press )(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Kingfisher Press is to install Fujifilm's 1,000th violet CTP system. Suffolk-based Kingfisher has invested in a Fuji Luxel V-6 B2 platesetter, its first move into CTP. Kingfisher is aiming to increase the amount of repro it does in-house...

Oce's high-end VarioPrint 5140 gets UK launch.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Oce has launched its high-end production printer, the VarioPrint 5140 onto the market. The 5140 targets corporate data centres and commercial printers with monthly print volumes of between 800,000 and 1.5m. The machine is part of the Oce...

Finnish stalemate starts to hit stock.(Finnish paper mills )(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... The lockouts at Finnish paper mills have been extended by another two weeks, until the end of June, with supplies to paper merchants already being disrupted. 'This (latest extension) is just in case, but serious negotiations are ongoing...

Guardian buys first Colorbus proofer packs.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Guardian Print Centre is to install the UK's first Cyclone Visual Proofers from Colorbus, following a pounds 35,000 deal struck at Newstec last week. The East London site, which has been built to print The Guardian and The Observer in a...

Communisis appoints chief of direct mail division.(Mike Normyle appointed as sales director )(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Mike Normyle is back at Communisis to help steer the firm through its ambitious growth plans. Normyle has been appointed sales director for the print management and print group's direct mail set-up, and will lead teams in Leeds and...

Factory go-ahead for Johnston Press.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Johnston Press has gained planning permission for the pounds 45m extension to its News Centre print plant in Portsmouth. Portsmouth City Council approved the plans, which will heighten part of the factory to house a 120pp triple-width MAN...

Walsall given packaging nod.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Walsall Print Company has been awarded the PS 9000:2001 quality standard that will allow the firm to provide packaging for the pharmaceutical industry. Part of the Walsall Print Group based in the Midlands, Walsall Print Company is now one...

Apsley gets eco project cash.(Apsley Paper Trail contract with Landfill Resources Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Apsley Paper Trail has been awarded pounds 500,000 for a project to divert 10,000 tonnes of paper waste per year from landfill. The Waste Resources Action Programme (WRAP) has provided the funding, as part of its campaign to increase...

Shorts: The TSO notches up Pantone's printer accreditation.
June 2, 2005... The Stationery Office (TSO) has notched up Pantone's printer accreditation, recognising commitment to producing consistently accurate colour. The accreditation programme took six months and TSO had to show it could print and proof to...

Shorts: MAN Roland takes on Danny Cain.(appointment)(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... MAN Roland has taken on Danny Cain in a consultancy role. The former sales director with Sun Chemical has 30 years of sales experience. 'I love the industry and the people in it,' said Cain (pictured left).

Shorts: Goss International announces new initiative.(First Line Maintenance initiative)(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Goss International has announced a new First Line Maintenance initiative for the UK and Eire. It forms part of the Goss Lifetime Support range of services and offers press owners a tailor-made press up-keep programme. The scheme, provided for...

Shorts: Printing.com wins HSBC award.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Printing.com has won the HSBC award for enterprise at the British Franchise Association's franchisor of the year awards. The firm aims to list 175 outlets by the year's end, said CEO Tony Rafferty. Franchising clocks up nearly pounds 10bn for...

Shorts: CPC launches packaging tins for CDs and DVDs.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... CPC has launched packaging tins for CDs, DVDs and other products, boasting their street cred for 'high-impact promotions'. Packs can be embossed or screen printed to give an image of 'technology and innovation', said the firm.

Shorts: Jason James becomes chairman of IPIA.(appointed Jason James as managing director. )(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Jason James, managing director of commercial print maker John LR James & Co, has become chairman of the Independent Print Industries Association. He replaces Tim Ducksbury of Origin Communications and wants to make the IPIA logo a 'quality...

Shorts: Paper Co appoints marketing manager.(appointed Ian Braithwaite as marketing manager.)(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Paper Co has appointed Ian Braithwaite to the new post of marketing manager. He joins from sister PaperlinX firms in Australia and New Zealand and the post was made to provide an extra 'executive resource' for marketing director Bob Ide, said...

Shorts: Heidelberg shows its third-party MIS at user group.(Management information systems at Tharstern's user group )(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Heidelberg is showing its third-party MIS at Tharstern's user group next week. It will use the 7 June meeting in Bradford to help expand the number of systems that can be linked to its Prinect networking system.

HumanEyes creates value version of 3D software.(MiniStudio 3 Dimensional software)(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... A more affordable version of special effects/lenticular software, HumanEyes 3D has been launched. MiniStudio 3D, the latest addition to the Israeli company's expanding lenticular portfolio, costs pounds 5,000 and is aimed at the PoS and...

Publishers fear rise in Chinese printing costs.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Customers enjoying low-cost printing from China are monitoring its economy amid fears an expected currency revaluation may push up their costs. Firms such as Penguin, which relies on China for up to 70% of its 56m Dorling Kindersley books...

Cardinal steps up paper bag output.(Cardinal Packaging investment to increase capacity)(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Cardinal Packaging is investing pounds 6m in buildings and equipment and will create 70 jobs as part of an expansion drive in the specialist paper bag market. The south Wales family-run business aims to increase production to more than...

De La Rue plans share buyback on profit surge.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Security printer De La Rue is to return pounds 70m to its shareholders. In a trading statement to accompany its year-end preliminary results to 26 March 2005, the firm said the payout would be equivalent to 38p a share. This will be...

Creo gives details of Traceless users.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Creo has revealed details of two of the first few users of its Traceless security taggant which it launched last year. It has joined forces with the US label maker Acucote for self-adhesive label printing stock to be aimed at the cosmetic,...

Vertis lays off 14 at Leicester.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Vertis has made redundancies at its Leicester division, citing 'market forces'. A total of 14 staff have been laid off due to the mothballing of its 8pp inline web press. A consultation period with Amicus GPMS has started, which is...

Colour Secure breakthrough.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Colour Secure has launched a low-cost technique for preventing counterfeiting. The Cambridge-based firm has devised special inks that can create unique discreet colour signatures to be printed onto labels or documents using standard...

Legal Notices.
June 2, 2005... 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 WINDING UP PETITIONS Ice Media International...

Trinity orders two Krause LS violets.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Trinity Mirror has snapped up two Krause LS Jet II violet platesetters, with one set to be installed at its Oldham plant within a fortnight. The second model will be up and running by autumn at an as-yet-unnamed site. Trinity Mirror CTP...

ITG launches GoFlow website.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Software start-up In The Garden Software (ITG) has launched a website to promote the launch of its flagship workflow, GoFlow. The package has been developed by Robin Keith, who founded the company in 2003. The website features around...

Iceni shows low-cost PDF tool.(Iceni Technology's Portable document software)(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... A new PDF editing tool that costs just pounds 55 (dollars 99) had its first public showing at Newstec last week. Iceni Technology's Infix programme is an easy-to-use, fully functioning PDF editor that's described as 'a revolutionary word...

Shorts: Creo launches two new digital camera backs.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Creo has launched two new digital camera backs, the Leaf Aptus 22 and 17, with resolutions of 22m and 17m pixels respectively. The Leaf Aptus features a 6x7cm touchscreen display, and can take up to 1,000 frames without interruption. Pricing...

Shorts: Itek Colour Graphics launches ScanXact XI.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Bristol-based scanner manufacturer Itek Colour Graphics has launched ScanXact XI, an upgrade to the firm's ScanXact drum scanner software. The new package includes improvements to the dynamic colour range and the RGB scanning process. For more...

Shorts: Extensis wins patent for software.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Extensis has won a patent for software that examines font files for corruption. The technology has been integrated into the firm's font management and library products.

Shorts: Fujifilm Graphic Systems launches new violet plate.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Fujifilm Graphic Systems has launched a new violet plate for the newspaper printing market. The Brillia LP-NNV features a second-generation emulsion which, the firm claims, will reduce dot gain. The plate is capable of run lengths up to 300,000...

Shorts: Dantex Graphics signs non-exclusive deal.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Dantex Graphics in Bradford has signed a non-exclusive deal to distribute Luscher Flexo's FlexPose!direct laser ablation plate maker. Dantex will sell the machine in the UK, France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg. Luscher...

Shorts: GretagMacbeth begins shipping latest version of Eye-One.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... GretagMacbeth has begun shipping the latest version of its Eye-One colour management package. The accelerated version includes a newly designed Eye-One Pro spectrophotometer, new Match 3.2 software, and a new Match Digital Camera module, which...

Shorts: Communisis Print Management Services installs proofer.(DuPont Cromalin B2 proofer)(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Communisis Print Management Services in Leeds has revealed the installation of a DuPont Cromalin B2 proofer. The eight-colour machine was installed in October 2004. The plant's head of production, Dave Robinson, said: 'For certain customers,...

Shorts: GretagMacbeth teams up with Creo for offer.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... GretagMacbeth has teamed up with Creo to offer its iCColor 200 series automated chart readers as part of a bundle with Creo's Profile Wizard Digi v1.0, the firm's colour management package for the digital market. Creo will continue to bundle...

Durst unveils new top-end flatbeds.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Durst launched two new UV-cured flatbed printers at Fespa this week, including the Rhopac, a machine targeted at the corrugated packaging market. It has also launched a new top-end version of its Rho flatbed for the display and sign...

Screenprint buys Nur Tempo.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Screenprint Productions based in Elland, West Yorkshire, has just invested pounds 500,000 in a Nur Tempo flatbed ink-jet press in a bid to produce higher-quality print. The eight-colour plus white and spot colour ink-jet flatbed printer...

Shorts: Xativa launches new Cockle resistant paper.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Xativa has launched a new Cockle resistant paper that reduces the likelihood of deformation due to uneven shrinking. The premium bright white cockle resistant matt-coated paper allows high ink saturation and is suitable for lamination. It is...

Shorts: Latest product promoted on truck sides by Agripa.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... The latest product to be promoted on truck sides by Agripa is computer game FIFA Street from Electronic Arts. City Trailers are a new option for Agripa customers on the sides of 60 Tesco trucks used to deliver to city centre stores. Agripa uses...

Shorts: Konica Minolta Business Solutions is preferred supplier.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Konica Minolta Business Solutions is a preferred supplier of digital copiers and printers to public sector bodies in Scotland for the next five years following the renewal of its authorities buying consortium contract. The contract awarded to...

Shorts: TimeHarvest was runner up in FileMaker award.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... TimeHarvest was a runner up in the FileMaker Business Solution of the Year award at last month's MacWorld Awards for its digital printer customer database repair programme, FileFix. FileFix, a standalone programme for PC or Mac, removes...

Shorts: Media North develops concept.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Media North, a designer and manufacturer of PoP and PoS material based in Bradford, has developed a concept that allows direct printing onto doors, small cupboards, screens and partitions. Graphics can be printed onto substrates up to 40mm...

Shorts: Linx Printing Technologies appoints directors.(Appointments)(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Linx Printing Technologies has appointed Henk van Duijnhoven as managing director and Tony Stafford as its group finance director. The appointments follow Linx's acquisition by the US Danaher Corporation this January. Duijnhoven comes from the...

Shorts: B&P Lightbrigade Group prints wide-format digital print.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... B&P Lightbrigade Group, the large-format digital printer based in Surrey, has printed 20m metres of wide-format digital print - equivalent to a strip from its UK base to Sydney, Australia.

Henkel takes over US adhesives firm.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... German adhesive giant Henkel has bought US-based Sovereign Speciality Chemicals in a pounds 315m (dollars 575m) deal. 'It's a real step forward for Henkel, giving them a strong manufacturing and laboratory base in the UK for their...

Duplo event draws in buyers.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Duplo International's 'South East Showcase Event' generated nearly pounds 250,000 worth of business at its Esher, Surrey showroom last week. The post-press firm used the event to give customers based in the South, who couldn't attend...

Haslam heads Benwell MBO.(Paul Haslam joined Benwell Seebard)(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Paul Haslam has led a management buy-out of the foil blocking, embossing and stationery specialist, Benwell Seebard. Haslam, previously sales director, becomes managing director of the 39-year-old Bermondsey firm after buying it from Paul...

Shorts: New fully powered pallet truck.(Logitrans)(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... A new fully powered pallet truck is 'man enough' for light-duty moving and lifting in small warehouses and stock areas, says its supplier, Logitrans. Panther Mini has a top width of 680mm, can squeeze through narrow aisles and costs pounds...

Shorts: Pitney Bowes chalks up BSI certification.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Pitney Bowes Management Services has chalked up a BSI certification. BS 7799-2: 2002 recognises the firm's razor-sharp response to creating a secure environment and iron grip on data confidentiality. The firm spent six months designing an...

Shorts: BCA Group installs Morgana DigiFold.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... BCA Group has installed a Morgana DigiFold for finishing work that rolls off a Xerox DocuColor 5252. The firm in Edmonton, north London is led by managing director Mark Cottee and runs a digital print-on-demand service.

Shorts: Last Bros buys a Polar 115XT guillotine.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Last Bros, the trade finisher in Cheshunt, Herts, has bought a Polar 115XT guillotine to take on wider-width work for a variety of sheet sizes and substrates. It runs beside a smaller Polar 92ED installed two years ago and replaces an Italian...

Shorts: Autoprint produces 3,600 sheets an hour.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Harwich-based Autoprint is producing 3,600 sheets an hour after installing a fully automated PitStop creaser and perforating machine. The kit, from Encore Machinery, works alongside Sakurai and AB Dick presses and a Xerox DocuColor. Senior...

Shorts: Classique Design & Print buys Polar 66 guillotine.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Classique Design & Print has bought a Polar 66 programmatic guillotine to handle bottlenecks in finishing created by its Heidelberg Printmaster QM 46-2. The Colchester firm needed to speed up cutting on larger volumes, and so it replaced its...

Shorts: TNT Mail rounds off its management team.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... TNT Mail has rounded off its management team by making Theo Hoenders operations director at its Maidenhead headquarters. He will handle ongoing operational strategy thanks to his experience managing a big sorting centre in Amsterdam. Andy...

Shorts: Bridgeshire Packaging installs semi-automatic diecutter.(Young Shin SA1800SII)(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Derbyshire's Bridgeshire Packaging has installed a Young Shin SA1800SII semi-automatic diecutter in its Alfreton plant. Supplier Cosland said the kit produced 3,000 impressions an hour and handled maximum sheet sizes of 1,300mmx1,800mm.

Warehouse expands Bay Mailing hand-finishing.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Bay Mailing is expanding its hand finishing division with the opening of a purpose built 18,288m2 warehouse and the creation of additional jobs. Managing director Tim Brawn said the move was prompted by contracts and that had been work...

Move prompts Damart to add to post facility.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Damart Thermaware has enhanced its post-press facilities with 16 new pieces of kit and the consolidation of its print, finishing and enclosing operations. The move to relocate its printing operation from Bingley, West Yorkshire into its...

Scheffer back-up for Eclipse's Goss.(Goss M600 web press)(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Eclipse Colour Print is set to boost the productivity of its new Goss M600 web press with a Scheffer Inline finishing line. The US-built Scheffer represents an investment of pounds 750,000 and it will arrive at the Kettering plant in July....

Book-saw buy helps Irish firm raise capacity.(Microprint installed Kolbus book-saw )(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Microprint has invested over pounds 130,000 on the installation of Kolbus book-saw on its binding line in order to produce two-up booklets. The TR 160 book-saw was retrofitted into the middle of its 20-station computer-controlled Kolbus...

Digital kit revamp boosts 4DM's binding capacity.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... 4DM has upped its bindery capacity following a complete re-equip of its digital lasering facilities earlier this year. The Kettering direct mail house has invested in two new Buhrs BB600 envelope inserters, with full 'read-in and read-out'...

Paper giants plug into e-purchasing.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Three major European paper producers have gone live with PPConnect, an e-procurement platform aimed at significantly reducing their external purchasing costs. M-real was the first of three companies to activate PPConnect on 27 May,...