Print Week articles from May 2009

Print Week archives from May 2009

Buckingham Binders boss buys assets after closing firm down.
May 1, 2009... A print finisher in Kent who bought his company back after calling in the liquidators has said he had no choice. Buckingham Binders appointed liquidator David Cork of McCabe Ford Williams on 14 April 2009. A meeting of creditors has been...

Former Capital chief faces misconduct charge.
May 1, 2009... Former Capital Print and Display (CPD) director David Gill is due to appear in court at the end of June in connection with his conduct while at the now-defunct business. Gill and eight members of his family stand accused of breach of...

X1 to expand offering after Jackson Print buy.
May 1, 2009... Print and design company X1 aims to double its turnover to pounds 3.2m following the acquisition of local printer Jackson Print and an investment in a B3 Ryobi 524 GX press. The 22-staff Slough-based printer is looking to hit the pounds...

Ex-Dsicmm staff set up P2P Mailing.
May 1, 2009... A group of former Dsicmm directors and managers has come together to set up P2P Mailing in a joint venture with CYC Logistics and Distribution. P2P's management team comprises founder Ian Dowie, managing director Paul Galpin, operations...

Grafitec brings Brazilian press to UK.
May 1, 2009... A Brazilian narrow-web label press pitched as delivering 'amazing' quality for its size and price is now available in the UK through Grafitec. Brazilian manufacturer Etirama's Flexo Wine central impression cylinder press has a compact...

Ipex 2010 names US print guru as third 'Champion in Print'.(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Ipex 2010 has named US print guru Frank Romano as the third 'Champion in Print' for his contribution to education in the print industry. He said: 'I am delighted to receive this award. Print has survived many challenges in the past and I...

Appointment at Superstore.
May 1, 2009... Printers Superstore has appointed John Emery as its machinery sales director for the UK and Ireland. The Leeds-based company is the UK and Ireland distributor for manufacturers including Gronhi and Sanxin Emery's tasks include increasing market...

Introductory training day launched.(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... 4impression Training has tied with events and conference organiser Alexander Watson Associates to launch an introductory training day on print production. The course is being pitched as a jargon-busting tutorial that can help delegates avoid...

Fighters Only celebrates its 50th issue.(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Fighters Only, the mixed martial arts and lifestyle magazine, has celebrated its 50th issue with an 8pp history of the sport in the UK The title, which is printed by Wyndeham Heron and is also published in the US, Canada and Germany, will...

Nitecrest awarded The Queens Award for international trade for the second time.
May 1, 2009... Nitecrest, the specialist card printer, has been awarded The Queens Award for international trade for the second time. The company, which sells into the telecoms, retail and banking sectors, is the only company in the card payments sector to...

Screen showcases its wide-format inkject printer at Sign & Digital UK.
May 1, 2009... Screen showcased its wide-format inkjet printer, the Truepress Jet2500UV, at Sign & Digital UK. The manufacturer demonstrated printing on a range of flexible and rigid substrates, as well as direct to textile UV printing. Screen UK managing...

Appointment at KBA.
May 1, 2009... KBA has appointed Chris Jackson to the role of consumables sales manager to increase its presence in the market. Jackson will promote the manufacturer's new 'Approved Consumables' initiative and develop relationships with KBA press users. He...

Affinity Connected rescued in pre-pack deal by director's dad.
May 1, 2009... Print manager Affinity Connected has been bought out of administration by a company owned by the director's father, Lord Evans of Watford. Hertfordshire-based Affinity Connected went into administration with Peter Hughes-Holland and Frank...

Screenprint Plus calls in the administrators.(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Screenprint Plus, a division of the SPP Group, has gone into administration, putting the jobs of up to 170 staff at risk. Administrators Andrew McTear and Chris Williams, of McTear Williams & Wood, were appointed to the Norfolk-based...

Webmart makes free portal site 'trade only'.
May 1, 2009... Webmart has relaunched its free self-service print management portal, freeprintmanagement.com, as a 'trade-only' site in a move that it claims will help give printers 'the print management profits of the future'. The website gives printers...

SME's tax break hopes dashed as Darling seeks to fill coffers.
May 1, 2009... Printers hoping for a significant tax boost from the Budget were disappointed last week as chancellor Alistair Darling unveiled little support for SMEs and predicted the deepest fall in GDP since the Second World War. Many were hoping for...

Industry doubtful insurance 'top-up' scheme will prove beneficial.(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Aon has said the new 'top-up' trade credit insurance scheme, announced in the Budget, will not help if trade credit limits are completely withdrawn from printers. Under the terms of the top-up scheme launched last week, suppliers can...

Skills measures please sector training bodies.(Train to Gain scheme)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... The government should be commended for 'holding the line' on skills and training, according to leading figures in the print industry, after it set out its stall for the sector in last week's Budget. A range of measures were revealed in the...

Unite hails aid for the jobless.(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Unite assistant general secretary Tony Burke welcomed a number of initiatives in this year's Budget, including the decision to increase statutory redundancy pay and initiatives to help the unemployed back into work. In the Budget statement...

Polestar renews NatMags deal.
May 1, 2009... Print giant Polestar has extended its contract with the National Magazine Company (NatMags), covering 10 monthly titles, to 2012. The titles - Company, Cosmopolitan, Cosmopolitan Travel, Country Living, Good Housekeeping, Prima, Prima Baby,...

Northprint a 'success' despite poor turnout.(Northprint trade show)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Last week's Northprint trade show has been praised by visitors and exhibitors, despite a significant drop in the numbers of both. Bookings for the Harrogate-based show were badly affected by the economic downturn, which led to notable...

Komori closes Leeds facility.
May 1, 2009... Komori has closed its UK showroom facility in Leeds after the equipment manufacturer decided to centralise its demonstration and training facilities in Utrecht in the Netherlands. The company has redeployed two staff and sold two demo...

Reader reaction: Did the budget bring any good news for your business?(Viewpoint essay)
May 1, 2009... We ask whether the 2009 budget brought any cause for optimism among the print industry. DM GROUP, Nick Dixon, chief executive, Lateral Group 'It's more of a political budget than an economic budget. I don't think there was much in it...

Alderson PoS ready for launch after pounds 6m spend.(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Alderson Print Group is gearing up for the launch of its new division, Alderson Point of Sale, which it expects to be fully operational by the end of May, following around pounds 6m worth of investment in the past six months. Two...

Tangent set for DPP brand relaunch.(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Tangent Communications is to relaunch the Digital Print Partnership (DPP) on 4 May, following its acquisition of the brand from VLM. The DPP is a web-to-print digital trade service aimed at litho and high street printers. Harnessing...

Lefa: mergers offer better control.(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... A Greater London print management company has said that print companies should merge in order to realise the economies of scale needed to offer stable prices. During the past 18 months, Sidcup-based Lefa Print and Allied Services has...

Legal Notices.(Public notice)
May 1, 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 WINDING UP PETITIONS Pure Colour Print &...

TPI signs strategic partnership with IOI after plug-ins launch.(Company overview)
May 1, 2009... Turning Point Integration (TPI) has signed a strategic partnership with US-based IO Integration (IOI) and a distribution deal with Canada-based Unlimi-Tech Software, as well as announcing its first new products. TPI, which was founded last...

Agfa launches new conventional plate range for Luscher UV setter.
May 1, 2009... Agfa Graphics has launched a conventional plate range designed for Luscher's Xpose! UV platesetter, which was launched two years ago. The two companies have entered into a joint marketing agreement for the new Aluva plates, although Agfa UK...

J Thomson boosts pre-press with Screen kit.
May 1, 2009... J Thomson Colour Printers has upgraded its pre-press setup with the installation of a new Screen PlateRite 8800Z platesetter, following its recent acquisition of two Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 105 presses. Allan Harrop, pre-press director at...

EFI unveils Pace entry-level MIS.
May 1, 2009... US pre-media and inkjet manufacturing giant Electronics For Imaging (EFI) used last week's Northprint exhibition, held in Harrogate, to launch its Pace MIS in the UK and Europe. EFI Pace general manager Jay Farr said he expected the...

Inprint and Design moves into web-to-print with Xerox kit.
May 1, 2009... Inprint and Design has spent more than pounds 1m on Xerox digital presses and workflow software to boost capacity and expand into web-to-print services. The investment has significantly upped capacity at the company, which is a joint...

MPG Biddles buys Oce VarioStream to meet mono digital print demand.
May 1, 2009... MPG Biddles says it has 'filled the void' between its litho and digital book printing offering after ramping up mono capacity with an Oce VarioStream 9210 digital web press. The King's Lynn, Norfolk-based printer, part of the MPG Books...

Ricoh launches trio of presses for B&W work.
May 1, 2009... Ricoh has unveiled a trio of new mono digital presses designed to help central reprographic departments (CRD) and on-demand printers cut outsourcing costs by bringing work back in-house. The Pro 907EX, 1107EX and 1357EX machines cater for...

Digipress buys a Presstek 34DI.(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Digipress has responded to a growing demand for four-colour printing and made a push to boost its green credentials by investing in a Presstek 34DI digital offset press. The Didcot-based digital printer said it had 'become more...

LIS: UK requires DM trade show.
May 1, 2009... Integrity inspection kit manufacturer Lake Image Systems (LIS) has said the lack of a specialist UK trade show for direct mailing has forced it to take its product on the road. The company's Read and Print camera technology is aimed at...

Priority grows mailing facilities with SM15 buy.
May 1, 2009... Priority Mailing & Digital Print is aiming to stay 'at the forefront of technology' after bringing envelope inserting in-house with a Sitma SM15 envelope mailing line. The Wiltshire-based company made the significant investment after...

Thanet hails its fifth mini folder.(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Margate-based printer Thanet Press said it can offer more competitive prices for pharmaceutical print, following the installation of its fifth miniature folder. The 85 staff, pounds 6.5m-turnover firm has installed a Herzog+Heymann KL112...

A&R pools purchasing power with Printworks in double DC445 spend.(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Sheffield-based A&R Trade Print has said printers should work together in order to boost purchasing power, as the trade printer signed for two DC445 DuCreasers at Northprint on Thursday - one for itself and one for local printer, Printworks....

Elanders boosts press speed via BDF purchase.
May 1, 2009... Swedish-owned printer and publisher Elanders has said the purchase of a CP Bourg BDF machine has allowed it to maximise the productivity of its Oce press. The Newcastle-based company had invested in an Oce Varioprint 6250 last year, which...

Poor Q1 results put pressure on Stora and M-real to cut output.(Financial report)
May 1, 2009... Paper giants Stora Enso and M-real have reported first-quarter losses and have subsequently forecast a further reduction in volume and a focus on cashflow during the year ahead. Stora Enso has said it will make 2,000 staff redundant as it...

Paper industry stalwart Gee set to take control of NAPM reins in 2010.
May 1, 2009... Denmaur Independent Papers managing director Mike Gee is to take over as president of the National Association of Paper Merchants (NAPM) next year. President-elect Gee will take over from Robert Horne managing director Alistair Gough. ...

Ecco still confident on recycled mill viability.
May 1, 2009... Ecco Newsprint has said its project to build a recycled newsprint paper mill on Teesside is 'more robust' economically than it was a year ago. Despite the recession and reduced demand, a company spokesman said 'good progress' was being...

UPM to revamp Euro logistics.
May 1, 2009... UPM has said it will renew its paper business supply chain in response to the changing needs of the sector. It will restructure supply chain operations in northern and central Europe, creating one regional centre in Finland and two in...

Editorial: Onus is on government to act on its promises.(Editorial)
May 1, 2009... Budget bashing is the order of the day, it seems. Well before Alistair Darling took to the stand in the Commons last week, it was clear that this was not going to be an easy Budget statement. With the banks' reckless speculation costing tens of...

Comment: Printer's devil - Steamed up over on-demand.(Editoriale L'Espresso S.p.A)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... - Espresso needs more than novelty value It seems that some of the books produced on the Espresso book machine in the Blackwell store in London fell apart pretty quickly. This machine, installed last week, is a fantastic idea and is bound...

Comment: Talking business.
May 1, 2009... It's no time for optimism Mr Darling - we will be feeling this pinch for years. In presenting his second Budget, Alistair Darling faced an unenviable task: how to offer support that might hasten economic recovery, while at the same time...

Profile: Digital print partnership.
May 1, 2009... Tangent's relaunched DPP set to enable print firms to boost profits with digital. William Mitting finds that the DPP allows litho printers to offer digital print without the cost or the risk. We are not selling print, we are selling...

Showcase: Printweek awards 2009 - You have to be in it to win it.
May 1, 2009... There has never been a better time to boost your staff and attract new clients with a prestigious PrintWeek Award that officially recognises the quality of your work. How would you like the chance to be lauded for the quality or innovative...

Preview: Fespa Digital - Digital revolution to refresh sector.
May 1, 2009... Fespa Digital is more than just a chance to check out all the latest digital hardware (and software), it's also a great place to find inspiration for new applications and new markets, says Barney Cox. The Digital Revolution has been chosen...

Product Portfolio: Product of the week - Fastbind BooXTer Duo.(Product/service evaluation)
May 1, 2009... As on-demand enjoys a popularity surge, the BooXTer can bring fast and easy binding to the table, says Philip Chadwick. The Fastbind BooXTer Duo has been launched at what appears to be a sweet spot for the short-run book market. The demand...

Product portfolio: Me & my ... Heidelberg Speedmaster SM 52-8P Anicolor.(Interview)
May 1, 2009... Colourstream managing director John Greene has reduced makeready times, improved quality, boosted capacity and cut costs and paper waste with this eight-colour perfecting B3 press - What does the machine do? It gives us the ability to...

Product portfolio: Tried & tested - Duplo System 5000.(Product/service evaluation)
May 1, 2009... This bookletmaker's mix of automation and flexibility ensured strong sales in both the digital and offset markets, finds Philip Chadwick. Duplo International says its products can become an integral part of any printroom, be it litho or...

Product Portfolio: Buyers' Guide - Sheetfed presses SRA2 and above.(Product/service evaluation)
May 1, 2009... The credit crunch has hit sheetfed press sales, but manufacturers argue that now is the best time to buy a new model, finds Nosmot Gbadamosi. A quick snapshot of the offset market makes for pretty grim reading. KBA recently announced a...

Product Portfolio: Tom's Help Line - Self-adhesive seal is a sweet success.(Product/service evaluation)
May 1, 2009... Tom Hall tracks down the solutions to your technical troubles Q: A client of ours has asked if we can supply them with some hanging cards for bags of sweets. The card is printed on one side as usual, but on the reverse side the board is...

Product Portfolio: Technical tutorial - Reducing ink use.(Product/service evaluation)
May 1, 2009... Concentric is an AM screening technique for offset litho. The difference is that thin concentric rings are inserted in the screen dots. Dividing up the dot surface on the plate reduces the ink film thickness, which means ink use can be reduced....

Product Portfolio: Diary.(Brief article)(Calendar)
May 1, 2009... MAY FIPP Magazine Congress Date: 4-6 May Venue: London More information: www.fipplondon09.com FESPA DIGITAL Date: 12-14 May Venue: Amsterdam RAI More information: www.fespadigital.com CHINA PRINT 2009 Date: 12-16 May...

Post Script: Print is Crowe's leading lady in latest US thriller.(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Those fearing that Hollywood had fallen out of love with the printing industry need not worry following last week's release of investigative thriller State of Play. The film centres around a newspaper reporter's investigation into the...

Post Script: Memory Lane.(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... ONE YEAR AGO: Butler and Tanner's Mike Dolan threatened to close the company if a proposed strike went ahead... Print management firm JPS was hired by Asda to launch a 1,000-page catalogue... AccessPlus came closer to becoming the print...

Post Script: Print's past - Chapel solaces.
May 1, 2009... At one time, every printing house had a chapel to which all workmen belonged. It enforced the customs of the trade, acted as a mutual benefit society and negotiated over disputes with employers. The chapel imposed a number of rules on its...

Q&A: Robert Stabler.(Interview)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Robert Stabler is the country manager, UK & Ireland, for HP's Indigo Digital Print, Imaging and Printing Group. Although he's been in the industry for more than 20 years, he would gladly take over from Guus Hiddink as Chelsea FC manager. That...

Xerox terminates ODC contract after supplier kickback protest.
May 8, 2009... Xerox will terminate its preferred supplier contract with Kall Kwik and Prontaprint owner On Demand Communications (ODC) from 24 May in favour of dealing directly with the firm's franchisees, it has emerged. The surprise decision, which...

Screenprint Plus sold to its former director.(Screenprint Plus)(Brief article)
May 8, 2009... Screenprint Plus, a division of SPP Group, has been bought out of administration by a newly formed company controlled by one of its former directors. The sale to Rencourt, run by former Screenprint Plus director Ian McCreadie, was...

72 CUP print jobs saved following consultation.
May 8, 2009... More than half the printing jobs at risk at Cambridge University Press (CUP) have been saved following intense pressure from union Unite during the 90-day consultation period. In late January 2009, the university started consultation with...

Explosion disrupts Edenbridge.
May 8, 2009... St Ives Edenbridge in Kent was hit by an explosion in one of its web presses last week. According to the company, firefighters attended the scene after a 'small' explosion in the oven of one of its two webs. No one was hurt during the...

Unite: 'Do not work without pay'.(Brief article)
May 8, 2009... Unite has warned its members it is better to stop working if an employer does not pay than hold on in the hope of receiving payment later. The warning came as figures released by the Insolvency Service last week showed there was a 56%...

Longbridge Print has overhaul.
May 8, 2009... Longridge Print has overhauled its press and pre-press operation with a Heidelberg investment. The Crowborough commercial printer has taken delivery of a five-colour Speedmaster SM 74-5 with coater, a Suprasetter 75 CtP, PrintReady workflow and...

BemroseBooth appoints Jean-Paul Ansel.(Brief article)
May 8, 2009... BemroseBooth has appointed former investment banker Jean-Paul Ansel as managing director following the departure of Dave Murray last month Ansel, who will take control in the coming weeks, is tasked with 'improving efficiency and streamlining...

BBC Magazines reveals plans to close BBC Good Homes.
May 8, 2009... BBC Magazines has revealed it plans to close its interiors and home decorating title BBC Good Homes. It has said that the July 2009 issue, due out in June, is likely to be the Polestar-printed publication's last, after it entered into...

Chesapeake's sale completed.(Brief article)
May 8, 2009... Chesapeake's sale to a management team backed by private equity houses Irving Place Capital Management and Oaktree Capital Management has been completed. Chesapeake will now operate as a private, independent company led by industry veteran...

Investment in 10-colour KBA for Catalent.
May 8, 2009... Catalent Pharma Solutions has invested in a 10-colour KBA press for its printed components business. The pharmaceutical company will take delivery of the Rapida 106 machine at its Dublin facility in June. The new KBA will be used to produce...

GAE to hold demonstrations.(Brief article)
May 8, 2009... GAE is to hold a series of events to demonstrate how next generation bindery systems can improve efficiencies for printers. The events, entitled Get Smart!, will be held at Perivale (13-14 May), Livingston (19-21 May) and Rotherham (2-4 June)....

Clarification.(Brief article)
May 8, 2009... Clarification: In last week's Me & My... on Colourstream's Heidelberg Speedmaster SM52 Anicolor (PrintWeek, 1 May), we incorrectly stated that the firm's Speedmaster was an eight-colour machine when in fact it was a 10-colour machine....

Industry welcomes UK opt-0ut of 48-hour working week rule.
May 8, 2009... The print industry has welcomed news that the UK will retain its opt-out of the 48-hour working week limit, after talks in the EU Parliament broke down last week. In December last year, the European Parliament voted to end the UK's opt-out...

KBA and Heidelberg sales tumble as orders rocked by financial crisis.
May 8, 2009... Press manufacturers KBA and Heidelberg have both reported a double-digit drop in sales for 2008 as the current financial crisis took its toll on capital investment. KBA reported a 10.1% drop in sales to EUR1.5bn (pounds 1.3bn) for the...

DCSF work goes to Communisis.(Department for Children, Schools and Families)(Brief article)
May 8, 2009... Communisis has been awarded a six-year contract by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) to provide an 'integrated managed service' for all of its publication production, management and delivery. Communisis said the...

Worker killed in incident at mill.
May 8, 2009... A man has died after becoming trapped in a paper machine at Arjowiggins' Ivybridge fine paper mill. Emergency services were called to the site in Devon last Tuesday (28 April). The man was flown to Derriford Hospital by Devon Air...

Litho Supplies records first loss for 42 years.(Brief article)
May 8, 2009... Litho Supplies has posted its first loss in 42 years of trading, following an annus horribilis in 2008. The group had already warned shareholders that it would not declare a profit, and while acquisitions helped sales last year grow by...

Creditor payout due for Bay Print.(Brief article)
May 8, 2009... Insolvency practitioner Tenon Recovery Brighton has said that there is a 'reasonable' chance creditors of Littlehampton-based printer Bay Print (Sussex) will get a dividend payout. The company called in the liquidator earlier this month...

Reader Reaction: Are company mergers the way forward during a recession?
May 8, 2009... We ask if mergers are a way of saving money and pooling resources or a risk not worth taking. Union Tony Burke, assistant general secretary, Unite 'In a recession it is inevitable that companies will merge. For some companies it...

Spenaprint buys brace of HP digital presses.
May 8, 2009... Spenaprint has set its sights on developing its product offering and growing the business's client base after investing in a brace of HP digital wide-format presses. The Tyne & Wear printer has scooped two UK firsts after signing for an HP...

BPIF hires Woodward to transform training.(British Printing Industries Federation)(Brief article)
May 8, 2009... The BPIF has appointed Kathy Woodward as executive chairman and Kay Smith as director of change development in a bid to transform the way it delivers training. Their remit is to help firms use the pounds 2m funding available for training,...

Equality Bill to hamper SMEs.
May 8, 2009... The government's newly published Equality Bill could 'disproportionately' affect SMEs in the print industry, according to recruitment consultancy Mercury Search and Selection. The bill aims to promote equality and transparency, as well as...

Legal Notices.(Public notice)
May 8, 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 Winding Up Petitions Co.No: 6623524 ...