Print Week articles from June 2007

Print Week archives from June 2007

Gray becomes Prinovis chief as Southernprint hires sales head.
June 7, 2007... Gravure supersite Prinovis Liverpool has firmed up its top management team with the appointment of a new managing director from the newspaper sector to replace Bob Robinson. Richard Gray, who was previously director and general manager at...

Heidelberg stock soars amid sale rumours.
June 7, 2007... Shares in Heidelberg shot up 10% on Monday, amid speculation that a private equity firm could be looking to buy a stake in the manufacturer. Heidelberg shares jumped pounds 2.56 (EUR3.78) to pounds 27.48 on Monday, before closing on pounds...

Police: factory fire was arson.(Northampton Print Finishers )(Brief article)
June 7, 2007... A fire at a Northampton finishing factory is being treated as arson by local police. Emergency services were called to the Northampton Print Finishers' site at Scotia Close, Brackmills, at around 6pm last Thursday evening (May 31). ...

Stop Press.
June 7, 2007... Fespa in Berlin opened its doors earlier this week with organisers promising it would be a record-breaking year with a total of 11 halls exhibiting screen and large-format printing kit... UPM has blamed the weak dollar for a decision to...

Printing.com confirms further global licences.(Brief article)
June 7, 2007... Hub-and-spoke franchise chain Printing.com's international expansion is gathering pace, with an agreement to set up in France and a deal close to completion in the US. In results published on Tuesday, the firm revealed that its services...

SP Group to beta test Inca's Onset.(contracts of Inca Digital Printers Ltd. and SP Group A/S)(Brief article)
June 7, 2007... Large-format powerhouse SP Group has been named as the beta test site for Inca Digital's latest UV digital flatbed printer, the Onset. Redditch-based SP Group, which is part of St Ives, is to take delivery of the Onset in June and will...

Gask and Hawley rebrands as G&H.(Brief article)
June 7, 2007... Gask and Hawley has completed a reorganisation of its divisions and rebranded them under the G&H banner. The holding company is now called G&H Print Services and its divisions comprise of G&H Pre-Press, G&H Sheet Fed, G&H Direct Mail, G&H...

In brief: Pureprint licence.
June 7, 2007... Pureprint Group, the print group that owns Beacon Press, has invested in a MetalFX System licence. Aaron Archer, group technical manager said: 'We looked into MetalFX as a result of customer demand for metallics.' The group hopes the system...

In brief: KBA press sale.
June 7, 2007... KBA has sold the first triple-width version of its waterless Cortina newspaper press to Druckzentrum in Bremerhaven, Germany. Unlike conventional offset presses, the machine is able to switch between coldset and heatset with no change of inks

In brief: Richard Edward accreditation.
June 7, 2007... Richard Edward, the London-based playing cards specialist, has achieved ISO 9001 accreditation. 'It is a fantastic accolade to further guarantee our clients the very best results and service', said marketing manager Louise Moger

In brief: Journal in Newcastle 175th.
June 7, 2007... The Journal in Newcastle has celebrated its 175th birthday with a 96pp supplement charting stories since its first edition in 1832. All articles were printed in their original format

In brief: Park Communications awarded.('Green Business Awards)(Brief article)
June 7, 2007... Park Communications has won the 'Green Business Awards' against two other shortlisted candidates. The Docklands Business Club and East London Chamber of Commerce Awards 2007 chose the London-based firm ahead of AA Security and catering and...

In brief: Kodak helps winemakers.
June 7, 2007... Kodak is helping winemakers in California protect premium wines from fraud, by developing an anti-counterfeiting printing technology that uses invisible markers added to inks that are detectable only with special readers

In brief: DSTi Output 'Multibill'.
June 7, 2007... DSTi Output, the transactional mail specialist, has launched 'Multibill', a new service that allows companies to send out multiple pieces of transactional mail in a single bundle. The firm said that Multibill would reduce transactional mail...

In brief: Goss appoints Wong.
June 7, 2007... Goss International has appointed Simon Wong as service coordinator in its UK service department. He will oversee commercial web press service support in the region and brings over 27 years of experience working with Goss branded products to the...

In brief: Correction.(Correction notice)
June 7, 2007... Gerry Hoare is regional director, London, at Belgian bank KBC, not KBR, as we stated in an article on setting budgets in last week's Finance Guide (PrintWeek, 31 May)

NI could print Telegraph if West Ferry staff strike on pensions.
June 7, 2007... News International could take on the printing of The Daily Telegraph overnight in the case of strikes over pension provisions at West Ferry, PrintWeek can reveal. Executives from the two rival newspaper groups have drawn up a contingency...

Sharman in pounds 1m plant upgrade.
June 7, 2007... Newspaper printer Sharman & Company has splashed out pounds 1m to upgrade its Peterborough facility, including two new web-offset printing towers from Tensor Group. 'It gives us more colour capacity,' said director Nicholas Sharman. 'The...

Newsquest to offer 100% colour with pounds 4m KBA Colora extension.
June 7, 2007... Newspaper publisher Newsquest's plant in Glasgow will be able to offer 100% colour by December after a pounds 4m extension of its KBA Colora press line. The upgrade will allow the pressroom to produce up to 150,000 full-colour, 128pp...

Print by numbers.
June 7, 2007... Johnston Press - Pre-press redundancies at the newspaper group's Chesterfield offices, page 12 - 96% Braille - Books printed in the UK that the RNIB claims are never produced in large-print, Braille format, or as audio books, page 10 -...

Unite lashes out at temp 'abuse'.(Print union Unite)(Survey)(Brief article)
June 7, 2007... Print union Unite has presented the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) with the results of a survey it says contains 'damning evidence' of the 'abuse of temporary and agency workers'. It has asked the government to implement the EU...

Star conman's security paper.
June 7, 2007... A security printing expert, whose criminal past was given the Hollywood film treatment, has put his name to a new high-security watermarked paper. Frank Abagnale has launched the Frank W Abagnale Signature Watermark Safety Paper with...

PrintIT! urges printers to 'twin' with schools.
June 7, 2007... Educational initiative PrintIT! is calling for printers to participate in its 'twinning' scheme. Marketing for this year's scheme started this week to encourage printers to link up with their nearest PrintIT! school and mentor students...

DMA to meet minister over opt-in proposals.
June 7, 2007... The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) is to meet environment minister Ben Bradshaw in a bid to clarify the government's plans to create an 'opt-in' scheme for direct mail. A meeting has been scheduled for July in which the DM industry will...

Driven to Succeed.
June 7, 2007... A dream nearly came true last week for Andy Fenwick, managing director at County Durham-based NEC Security Forms, when he came close to celebrating the first ever simultaneous Jim Clark National and Jim Clark Reivers rally wins. After a...

Seminars set at Newstec event.
June 7, 2007... The seminar programme for next week's Newstec event has been announced, with some of the industry's heavyweights set to share their views. Seminars set to be hosted at the newspaper industry event include a panel discussion on the...

Westdale Press finalises overdue deal for XL 105.
June 7, 2007... The Westdale Press has finally signed a deal for a Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 105, two years later than it originally expected to take delivery of the press. Cardiff-based Westdale, part of the Westdale Printing Group, was set to become the...

Sports weekly moves online.(Brief article)
June 7, 2007... A newspaper in Lincolnshire has dropped its printed weekly sports newspaper and opted for an online-only publication. This Saturday (June 9) will bring to an end the Sports Telegraph's 100-year printed history. At its height, the...

Reader Reaction: Are stress levels rising in the industry?
June 7, 2007... PRESS MANUFACTURER - JIM TODD, SALES DIRECTOR, HEIDELBERG 'Yes, stress is an increasing problem for all of us. Recognising and managing stress is now a critically important management/HR skill. The key thing is recognising it early, as the...

MP petitions for more Braille and large print.
June 7, 2007... A Derbyshire MP and ex-printer has highlighted the plight of the partially sighted and the lack of suitable reading material, and has urged the government to help ensure more books are printed in Braille or large print. Labour MP Mark...

4DM installs two Oce VarioPrints.
June 7, 2007... Direct mail specialist 4DM has installed two Oce VarioPrint 5160 sheetfed presses, as part of a pounds 250,000 investment. The equipment replaces older A3 duplex flat sheet lasers for the Kettering-based company, and will add to its...

United Colours.
June 7, 2007... Print union Unite has supported a range of anti-racism posters designed by graphic design students at Leicester College and Leeds College of Art and Design. The posters are displayed in workplaces, football stadiums, schools, colleges, prisons...

Legal notices.
June 7, 2007... 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 CLPM Dot Com Ltd...

Fuji raises plate output with second China site.(Fujifilm)(Brief article)
June 7, 2007... Fujifilm's march towards its target 40% share of the global CTP market advanced another step last week with the opening of its second Chinese plate-manufactur-ing facility. The new plate line, which has been set up in Suzhou, in China's...

Wave2 strikes global OEM deal with Atex.(original equipment manufacturers)(contracts of Wave2 Media Solutions and Atex Inc.)(Brief article)
June 7, 2007... Content management software developer Wave2 Media Solutions has signed a worldwide OEM agreement with newspaper systems specialist Atex. The deal, which came into effect last week, will allow Reading-based Atex to integrate Wave2's...

Johnston lays off repro staff.
June 7, 2007... Johnston Press has made 30 staff redundant at its Chesterfield offices as a result of its plan to close the site's pre-press department. The Edinburgh-based publisher revealed last month (PrintWeek, 19 April) that it intended to transfer...

In brief: Cowan Print platesetter.
June 7, 2007... Cowan Print, a 20-year-old Scotland-based family-run print firm, has invested in a Suprasetter A74 platesetter from Heidelberg following its decision to bid farewell to film. The company's new CTP set-up is due for installation in August, when...

In brief: Kodak products.
June 7, 2007... Kodak has launched the Kodak Security Solutions suite of products, designed to protect against counterfeiting and piracy. The firm said that the suite includes invisible markers embedded during the manufacturing or printing process that can be...

In brief: GMC appointment.(Roger Payne appointed)(Brief article)
June 7, 2007... GMC Software Technology has appointed its business solutions manager Roger Payne, who joined the Swiss-based company three years ago, to support Oce's sales operations in the UK and Scandinavia. The appointment has grown out of GMC's two-year...

In brief: HumanEyes proof preview.
June 7, 2007... HumanEyes has included a proof preview feature in version 1.5 of its Creative3D software. The Israel-based firm said that the feature would allow display proofs of lenticular and 3D designs to be viewed as Flash files. Creative3D 1.5 is...

In brief: Adobe Systems launch.
June 7, 2007... Adobe Systems has announced the launch of Adobe Acrobat 3D Version 8 software. Adobe said that Acrobat 3D Version 8 can convert almost any 3D CAD file, including large assemblies of more than 500mb, into a single PDF document. More than 10,000...

In brief: Dynagram software.
June 7, 2007... Dynagram has released version 2.0 of its inpO2 Acrobat-based PDF imposition software. New features include support for Acrobat 8 and Universal Binary, for Mac and PC, Spanish-language support and an improved wizard feature. Existing inpO2 users...

Inca improves Columbia Turbo, Spyder 320 in time for Fespa.(Inca Digital Printers Ltd.)(Brief article)
June 7, 2007... Inca has unveiled two new products at this week's Fespa event in Berlin. The Cambridge-based company has launched the Spyder 320 Q Fine Quality digital UV flatbed printer for the high-end and 'closely viewed' markets. It also plans to...

Xeikon to demo 330 label press.
June 7, 2007... Xeikon's label printing capabilities will be on show later this month at an open day at CS Creative Screenprint. The West Midlands-based firm is to demonstrate its recently installed Xeikon 330 digital label press, complete with inline...

NUR aims wide-format Expedio Inspiration at billboard sector.(NUR Macroprinters Ltd.)(Brief article)
June 7, 2007... NUR Macroprinters has launched its latest wide-format challenger, Expedio Inspiration, at Fespa this week. The machine has a maximum speed of 110m2 per hour and can print on substrates 3.2m wide. Targeting sectors that include the billboard...

Star Attraction.
June 7, 2007... The red carpet was out at last month's Cannes Film Festival and HP was responsible for the spectacular 500m2 'casquette' over the Palais de Festivals. Produced on an HP DesignJet wide-format printer, the display featured stars including Samuel...

Muller lifts lid on expandable Proliner newspaper inserter.
June 7, 2007... Muller Martini is to launch a new newspaper inserting line at Newstech later this month. According to the manufacturer, the Proliner boasts several unique features including four-gripper pockets and a quality control system that ensures no...

Plan 4 Print equips finishing arm with Perfecta and Horizon kit.(Brief article)
June 7, 2007... Plan 4 Print has brought the bulk of its finishing in-house following an investment in new equipment from GAE. The company has installed a Perfecta 76TVC guillotine and a Horizon AFC5466F six-plate folder at its Ilkeston site. ...

Restart expects surge from Watkiss system.(Restart Print purchased booklet making system from Watkiss system)(Brief article)
June 7, 2007... Trade printer Restart Print has boosted its productivity with the purchase of a new collating and bookletmaking system from Watkiss. The Tamworth-based company is predicting that its profitability will increase at 'unprecedented levels'...

Warners wraps up pounds 10m spend.(Warners Midlands)(Brief article)
June 7, 2007... Warners (Midlands) has completed a pounds 10m investment at its Lincolnshire plant with the installation of a Corona C13 perfect binder from Muller Martini. The company plans to double turnover by 2012 to pounds 40m and the new binder,...

M-real hit by rumours of private equity bid.
June 7, 2007... M-real's chief executive has hinted that the Euro- pean paper industry needs more consolidation, amid newspaper speculation that the Finnish paper giant could be the target of a private equity bid. According to reports in the Financial...

Botnia pushes up pulp prices.
June 7, 2007... Botnia, the Scandinavian pulp manufacturer, has increased its European pulp prices as the group revealed an increase in sales and operating profit. The company, which is co-owned by M-real, Metsaliitto Osuuskunta and UPM-Kymmene,...

Doctor Green.(GP newspaper accrediated)(Brief article)
June 7, 2007... GP, the weekly newspaper for UK family doctors published by PrintWeek publisher Haymarket, has become the first of the group's titles to be printed on Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) accredited paper. The magazine has been running a 'Green GP'...

In brief: Freelife Merida.
June 7, 2007... Alphabet Art, a Leicestershire-based greetings card company, has become the first UK company to use Fedrigoni UK's recycled Freelife Merida. The smooth or felt-marked product uses 40% de-inked post-consumer FSC fibre, 55% FSC wood-free pulp and...

In brief: 'Corrugated Recycles'.
June 7, 2007... The Confederation of Paper Industries and the Sheet Plant Association have launched a campaign called 'Corrugated Recycles'. The campaign aims to promote the message that corrugated cardboard has the highest recycling rate of any type of...

In brief: PaperChain withdraws support.(2007 Recycle Now Week)(Brief article)
June 7, 2007... PaperChain has announced that it is withdrawing its support for the '2007 Recycle Now Week'. It has supported the event since 2004, but felt the campaign was failing to deliver a message that supported sustainable recycling. PaperChain is a...

In brief: Graphics & Print wins draw.
June 7, 2007... James McNaughton Group has revealed that Graphics & Print, Telford, has won the 365 Everyday Essentials Adestor Self-Adhesive free prize draw promotion. James McNaughton regional sales manager Adrian Barker presented Graphics & Print managing...

In brief: ERPC Recycling Award.
June 7, 2007... European Recovered Paper Council (ERPC) is encouraging paper recycling initiatives to apply for its first annual European Paper Recycling Award. The event recognises the efforts of local authorities and educational institutes. It hopes to...

In brief: Arjowiggins brochure.
June 7, 2007... Arjowiggins has launched a new brochure as part of a campaign to highlight the quality and versatility of its business communications brand, Conqueror. The aim is to provide merchants and printers with an informative sales tool for use with...

In brief: PaperCo manager.(Tracey Rolfe appointed)(Brief article)
June 7, 2007... PaperCo has appointed its first training and development manager, Tracey Rolfe. She joins the firm from the Valuation Office agency, an arm of HM Revenue & Customs, where she was a senior training consultant for four years. PaperCo managing...

Contract update.
June 7, 2007... - Precision Colour Printing (PCP) has won new contracts to print three children's magazines for Redan Publishing. The Telford-based web and sheetfed printer will produce the new learning title Fun to Learn Peppa Pig along with existing...

Client audit: Christian aid.(Company overview)
June 7, 2007... The charity Christian Aid works with 700 local organisations across 50 developing countries. Working with poor communities, it trains people to deal with the effects of climate change and prepares them for the threat of natural disaster. These...

Editorial: Smoking checks out, but must DM opt-in?(Editorial)
June 7, 2007... So in just over three short weeks the government's much heralded smoking ban comes in to force and, as a result, non-smokers everywhere will finally be able to take a (smokefree) sigh of relief (p29). I don't think many can argue that it's...

Comment: Making sense is the only solution.(Brief article)(Column)
June 7, 2007... The fellow in the column upstairs recently wrote that 'words are set to be the saviours of the printed media'. His conclusion was based on 'a limit to how much information I'm comfortable reading online'. He additionally noticed that...

Comment: Technically speaking - HP targets growing population of web users but its inkjet shows real promise.
June 7, 2007... At the annual HP Imaging and Printing Conference for industry analysts in New York, the company unveiled 'Print 2.0' - the strategy that aims to make printing 'empowering' as both personal and professional content increasingly moves from the...

Profile: The TALL Group - Security specialist bucks the trend as it builds its empire both home and away.(Company overview)
June 7, 2007... From FTSE giants to Nigerian ballot papers, Tall continues to carve out a niche for itself, writes Helen Morris. 'The past 18 months have been tough,' says Martin Ruda, managing director of The Tall Group. And yet, despite his comment,...

Analysis: Waste - Opt-in plans could spell disaster for DM.(direct marketing)
June 7, 2007... Government waste initiatives are hitting direct mail and packaging hard, finds Philip Chadwick. A government initiative is rarely met with universal applause and last week's Waste Strategy for England was no different. Alongside the fines...

End of the line for timetables.(www.networkrail.co.uk)(www.barrydoe.plus.com)
June 7, 2007... Following the final print run of railway timetables, Karen Charlesworth writes an epitaph for the 150-year-old national icon and latest victim of the internet. If you set a pub-quiz question on the inventor of time, what's the betting the...

Smoking ban: Better business - No smoking.
June 7, 2007... Give up or go outside - that is the stark message employers will have to enforce. Joanne Gardner looks at government recommendations and requirements. If you're reading this from the comfort of your office having just lit up a Woodbine,...

Technology report: Lightweight paper - Can lighter paper hit new heights?
June 7, 2007... Often dismissed for their fragility and poor print quality, lightweight grades are bouncing back with significant cost savings. Should printers still be concerned over the 'quality' of lightweight papers or simply focus on the huge cost...

Product Portfolio: Product of the week - Tauler Printlam CTI 105.(Product/service evaluation)
June 7, 2007... What this B1 laminator lacks in speed, it makes up for in its versatility and small footprint, writesKaren Charlesworth. Thermal laminating was first introduced in the late 1970s, but it was only a decade later that it really took hold of...

Product Portfolio: Me & My... Konica Minolta C6500E.(Product/service evaluation)
June 7, 2007... Paul Thomas, director of business development at Loughborough firm Q3 Digital Litho, is pleased he chose Konica for Q3's foray into digital colour. - What does the machine do? It prints colour duplex up to SRA3 size. - Why did you...

Product Portfolio: Tried & Tested - Agfa Galileo.(Product/service evaluation)
June 7, 2007... Agfa's first foray into computer-to-plate produced a reliable machine that is still in use at the majority of sites it was first installed, writes Lisa Berwin. The Galileo was Agfa's first platesetter, launched at Ipex in 1998, but it was...

Product Portfolio: Buyers' guide - Proofers.
June 7, 2007... A lot has changed since the days of hard copies on the back of motorbikes, now remote systems offer instantaneous virtual proofs, says Lisa Berwin. Telekinesys Software managing director Chris Hopwood uses an analogy when explaining the...

Product Portfolio: Joanne's help line - Chemical disposal & NJP calendars.(Joanne Gardner)(Interview)
June 7, 2007... Joanne Gardner tracks down the solutions to your print problems. - Q: I'm designing a 2008 calendar of before and after pictures of sites around Norwich, including the former New Jarrold Printing site, to raise funds for repairs to one of...

Product Portfolio: Diary.(printing industry)(Diary entry)(Brief article)
June 7, 2007... June Print production training Date: 11-15 June Venue: Pira International Price: pounds 525 Contact: 01372 802 051 bpif/printing world excellence awards 07 Date: 14 June Venue: Royal Lancaster Hotel, London Price: pounds 190...

Product Portfolio: Technical tutorial - Label production for plants.(Product/service evaluation)
June 7, 2007... Plant label production requires printing labels that have enough lightfastness, water and scratch resistance for the period between nursery production and retail sale, as the plant will be exposed to constantly changing environments. The...

Post Script: Bud Harris comeback shows he's still got it.(Graham Harris)(Brief article)
June 7, 2007... Graham Harris, managing director of Tech-ni-fold and sometime American football star, was one of the heroes of the day when a veteran American football team raised pounds 50,000 for charity. Harris starred as a wide receiver when the...

Post Script: Memory Lane.
June 7, 2007... ONE YEAR AGO - Insolvency firm Harris Lipman closed Olwen Direct Marketing Services, the croydon arm of Howitt, with the loss of all 130 jobs... MSO Group closed down Galloways packaging plant following its high-profile acquisitions... Label...

Post Script: Print's Past - The Proms.
June 7, 2007... The Sir Henry Wood Promenade Concerts (the Proms) is an annual eight-week summer season of daily concerts. July marks the 80th anniversary of the BBC taking over its running and, to celebrate, the British Library is holding an exhibition...

Post Script: Q&A - Duarte Goncalves.(dialogue with Duarte Goncalves)(Interview)(Brief article)
June 7, 2007... Duarte Goncalves is managing director at DXG Media and has spent the past 20 years in the print industry. He is married to Angie and has, as he puts it, 'three lovely brats'. In his spare time, he plays veterans football or, again as he...

Rapid Response counts debt as administrators look for buyer.
June 14, 2007... East London printer Rapid Response (Europe) has called in the administrators. The administration of the firm, which boasts automotive and telecoms companies among its blue-chip customers, is being handled by PKF, who stepped in last Monday...

TPF targets BPO with appointment of IT head.(appointment of Paul Seaborn)(Brief article)
June 14, 2007... Print management firm TPF Group has appointed a new group IT director in a bid to bolster its business process outsourcing (BPO) offering. The company has hired Paul Seaborn, who was previously a director of Polestar Applied Solutions, to...

St Ives appoints head of finance.(appointment of Matthew Armitage)(Brief article)
June 14, 2007... St Ives has hired a replacement for former finance director Ray Morley from the marketing sector. Matthew Armitage, who is 38, will join the firm in September from Tequila London, a below-the-line marketing agency that is part of the...