Print Week articles from May 2010

Print Week archives from May 2010

Spending at Ipex suggests that industry is regaining its vigour.
May 28, 2010... The print recovery has started, according to exhibitors at Ipex 2010, who said that the success of the show heralded a fight-back by the industry. Prior to the event, there was a nervous feeling amongst printers and suppliers, concerned that...

Ipex 2010: News special - Press manufacturers enj oy buoyant Ipex.
May 28, 2010... Printers flocked to Ipex 2010 in their thousands with their chequebooks primed and ready for press purchases. While digital sales probably outstripped offset, litho presses were also snapped up in significant numbers. A headline sale came...

Ipex 2010: Millions spent on pre-media deals.
May 28, 2010... Millions of pounds' worth of pre-media deals were signed at Ipex last week, with Agfa, EFI, Fujifilm and Epicor among the suppliers announcing business wins. Agfa finalised a pounds 500,000 contract to upgrade magazine printer Stephens...

Ipex 2010: Used machinery dealers hail brisk business.
May 28, 2010... Used machinery dealers enjoyed an Ipex boom, with brisk sales of secondhand kit at the show. DPM alone sold more than pounds 1.8m worth of used presses at the show, comprising 50 print units. 'We bought four machines from a Heidelberg...

Ipex 2010: 'Cinderella story' for finishing companies.
May 28, 2010... Duplo UK managing director Tony Lock described the finishing sector as the 'Cinderella story of the print industry' after a successful Ipex for post-press. Duplo had a bumper show after it sealed its biggest ever UK order, with Synergie...

Ipex 2010: Ipex in numbers.
May 28, 2010... 8%: International visitors Increase from 2006 in attendance from overseas visitors to 48% 100k: Floorspace (m2) Space taken up by companies across the 11 adjoining exhibition halls 13: Companies Number of partners involved in...

IPEX DEALS.
May 28, 2010... Service Graphics, St Ives' large-format division, signed for the UK's first Durst Rho 500R on the opening day of Ipex and promised more investment to follow as it embarked on an ambitious growth strategy. The company will take delivery of the...

Fears of knock-on effects after MMC calls in the administrators.
May 28, 2010... Printers and publishers have been warned that they could suffer 'adverse effects' further down the line following the administration of The Magazine Marketing Company (MMC) - the UK's largest independent newstrade distributor. Sallyanne...

Police seize cash in forgery raids.
May 28, 2010... West Yorkshire Police recovered around pounds 600,000 worth of counterfeit banknotes in a two-day search last week. Lee Mitchell, 38, of Swinnow Gardens, Christopher Brooke, 28, of Pudsey, Leeds, John Hartley, 60, of Cheltenham Road in...

Tangent shrugs off the impact of HIPs axing on company's future.(Home Information Packs )(Brief article)
May 28, 2010... Tangent Communications, one of the main printers of Home Information Packs (HIPs), has said it will be largely unaffected by the decision to abolish the controversial scheme. Joint chief executive Nicholas Green said the pounds 17.5m-turnover...

Top flight football.(Brief article)
May 28, 2010... Tim Baigent, of Taunton-based Glyder, has been crowned winner of PrintWeek's Ricoh-sponsored Fantasy Football League, winning pounds 10k worth of Ricoh kit to boot. The season climaxed with a monthly winners of the league vs PrintWeek team...

GNM launches mini edition.(Guardian News & Media)(Brief article)
May 28, 2010... Guardian News & Media (GNM) has launched a free, miniature version of its flagship paper specifically for London commuters. The 'mini Guardian' was distributed at key stations such as Waterloo and Marylebone on several days earlier this...

KBA reveals details of Express press set-up.
May 28, 2010... KBA has revealed additional information about its substantial press deal with Express Newspapers. The order, which according to the publisher forms part of a pounds 100m upgrade of its printing facilities, comprises 22 KBA Commander CT 4/2...

CMYK goes into administration.(Brief article)
May 28, 2010... CMYK, the print business of Blackpool-based CMYK Group, has gone into administration and ceased trading. The 19 staff at CMYK, which changed its name from Blackpool Printers in December 2005, were sent home when it went into administration...

Reader reaction - It has been billed as the start of print's recovery, but we ask how the show was for you.(Viewpoint essay)
May 28, 2010... What was your experience of this year's Ipex exhibition? Book printer Kevin Sarney, managing director, Butler Tanner & Dennis 'Spending a few days at the show, it was clear that the growth of digital print technology cannot be...

Shanghai Electric takes full ownership of Goss.
May 28, 2010... Shanghai Electric Group (SEG) is to acquire press manufacturer Goss International after taking a majority share in the manufacturer last year. A share issue in September 2009 gave SEG around a 40% stake in the company, which was previously...

Liberty in 'rebellious' newspaper initiative.(Brief article)
May 28, 2010... High-end fashion store Liberty of London has demonstrated its love for traditional print by producing a hand-drawn customer newspaper in order to celebrate its range of menswear. 'The Liberated Press is our unofficial and underground...

TV Quick listings mag set to close.
May 28, 2010... Polestar Colchester is set to lose the long-running job of printing TV Quick, after its publisher announced the magazine could close this summer. Staff at the 122,847-circulation weekly listings magazine, published by H Bauer, have now...

Legal Notices.(Public notice)
May 28, 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. APPOINTMENT OF LIQUIDATORS Arcade Design &...

Tharstern's new Primo system offers MIS performance boost.
May 28, 2010... Tharstern has used Ipex to launch its new MIS package Primo and has extended its support for packaging printers with the integration of EskoArtwork's Artios software. Primo incorporates a raft of new features, underpinned by an overhauled...

Buy-out reinforces Press-sense's future after investors pull plug.
May 28, 2010... Israeli business software firm Press-sense has been bought out by US software developer Bitstream, a move that it hopes will secure the future of the company after investors pulled the plug on Press-sense in March. The asset acquisition,...

Agfa sales rise 8% as consumables recover.(Agfa-Gevaert AB )(Financial report)(Brief article)
May 28, 2010... Agfa-Gevaert's UK graphics business has boosted sales 8% for the first quarter of this year as the consumables market shows signs of an early recovery. Laurence Roberts, Agfa UK director, said: 'This year, without a doubt, is better. The...

GMG launches online proofer.(Brief article)
May 28, 2010... GMG has launched an online proofing service, Proofr, and signed a strategic partnership with Chinese company the Yuncheng Plate Making Group, the world's biggest producer of gravure cylinders, at Ipex. Proofr allows users of GMG's ColorProof...

Epson markets SurePress after favourable customer response.
May 28, 2010... Epson is commercialising its SurePress digital label press and has partnered with software manufacturer EskoArtwork on a front end for the machine. The SurePress L-4033A was shown as a technical demonstration at Drupa and Labelexpo, and the...

Portfolio acquires Fuji UV Acuity to boost large-format capacity.
May 28, 2010... West Yorkshire company Portfolio Display has invested in a Fuji UV Acuity flatbed printer in order to boost its capacity by 20%. The Elland-based large-format digital business paid pounds 90,000 for the flatbed, which it said would enable it...

DPI obtains UK's first Xerox Colour 1000.
May 28, 2010... Design & Print Integration (DPI) has bought the UK's first Xerox Colour 1000 press on the opening day of last week's Ipex. The Colchester company opted for the new press, supplied by Bytes Documents Solutions, after it enjoyed a 20%...

HP IPG sales up 13% in Q2 2010.(Financial report)
May 28, 2010... HP's commercial printing and imaging hardware revenues grew 13% in the second quarter of 2010, a contributing factor in the group's better-than-expected results. The manufacturer reported a group profit of dollars 2.2bn (pounds 1.5bn) for...

Kern to become UK distributor for rival manufacturer Buhrs.(Brief article)
May 28, 2010... Mailing equipment manufacturer Kern has announced its intention to become the UK distributor for rival Buhrs. The two companies are currently undergoing due diligence negotiations and expect to close the deal in the coming weeks. Kern...

Kensett purchases MBO K800.2 at Ipex after binder boosts business.(Brief article)
May 28, 2010... Trade finisher Kensett Bookbinders and Finishers bought an MBO K800.2 off equipment supplier Friedheim International's stand at Ipex last week. The four-plate pallet-fed folder with navigator control will be delivered within 10 weeks, along...

DPM to sell Guowang guillotines in the UK.(Brief article)
May 28, 2010... Used machinery dealer DPM has moved into the new equipment market after securing the UK agency for Chinese manufacturer Guowang Machinery's guillotines. The Westerham, Kent-based company unveiled the tie-up at last week's Ipex, where it had...

Printondemand buys laminator.
May 28, 2010... Printondemand has bought a Komfi Delta laminator to enable it to produce 5,000 covers a day. The machine, which was supplied by finishing specialist Intelligent Finishing Systems, features controlled sheet-feeding into the laminating unit,...

Kodak to add pre-treatment capability to Prosper 5000XL.
May 28, 2010... Kodak has announced its paper strategy for the Prosper 5000XL press, which includes the development of an inline paper pre-treatment module, following its launch at Ipex. In a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the manufacturer's stand at the show,...

Arctic Paper under great pressure from adverse market conditions.
May 28, 2010... Book and graphic paper manufacturer Arctic Paper has said it is under 'great pressure from unfavourable market factors', including raw material and energy prices and exchange rates, in its latest quarterly statement. In the first quarter of...

UPM Eco range is sustainable.(Brief article)
May 28, 2010... UPM has launched the UPM Eco range to offer 'sustainable and economical benefits' to its customers. The company has named its SC-B products under the Eco range, which will also include new products UPM EcoPrime G and UPM Eco X. Kaisu...

Antalis backs Brunel.(Brief article)
May 28, 2010... Antalis has continued its support for the Brunel Museum by providing 5,000 sheets of Goatskin parchment paper to create posters for the re-opening of the Thames Tunnel. The 1843 tunnel beneath the Thames was opened for the first time in 140...

Editorial: The show is over but the recovery is in full swing.(Editorial)
May 28, 2010... So, that was the show that was. There's no doubt that the day before the show opened there were thousands of people anxiously pacing their stands with their fingers firmly crossed. After all, on the eve of the show, there were still the...

Comment: Ipex is the apex of print know-how.
May 28, 2010... Get set, makeready, go! While out and about at Ipex, I was asked this: 'Which of the B1 presses here has the fastest makeready?' A suitably lively and entertaining discussion ensued. But if I were to be giving a serious answer to this...

Comment: Technically Speaking - Printed electronics is seeping up from the underground to transform print.
May 28, 2010... A recent spate of articles on printed electronics in the trade media has given this interesting sector a long-overdue public airing. While it has been in the realm of academia and the high-tech industry for quite a while, the average print or...

Analysis: Hasty suppliers add to credit problems.
May 28, 2010... Some unsympathetic suppliers are demanding payment before the due date, writes Jez Abbot. [TX]When Bryn Oakley felt the hairs on the back of his neck prick up it had nothing to do with static down the phone line. The partner at Astra Printing...

Business Inspection - Continuous Improvement: Comment.(Brief article)
May 28, 2010... Margins are under pressure like never before. The solution for the best companies is to take major cost out of the company without cutting your own throat by getting rid of staff you may need in the longer term The principle tool for this is...

Diary.
May 28, 2010... [TB]JULY BPIF AGM Location: London Date: 6 July 2010 More information: www.britishprint.com Heidelberg Lean Champion Passport - Harnessing the Power of Teams Location: Tamworth Date: 8 July 2010 More information: www.britishprint.com All-Party...

Pepper takes first lean steps.
May 28, 2010... The Plymouth printer has made early gains on the road to continuous improvement, writes Philip Chadwick. Pepper Communications has already learned a great deal after taking its first steps towards lean manufacturing. The Plymouth-based direct...

World Cup Printing: Printers' nimble footwork.
May 28, 2010... The Ipex of football, the World Cup, is upon us, and opportunities abound for printers to stick it in the back of the net, writes Jo Francis. When the ball rolls its first circumference on June 11 to start the 2010 FIFA World Cup's opening...

Product Portfolio: Product of the Week - Meital 300.(Product/service evaluation)
May 28, 2010... Despite being a newcomer to the large-format game, Meital is making a name for itself, writes Barney Cox. Meital might not be a familiar name in the world of large-format, but the people behind the machine have a proud heritage developing Nur...

Product Portfolio: Me & My ... EskoArtwork Automation Engine.(VCG Connect)(Interview)
May 28, 2010... Dave Piercy, production director at VCG Connect, has found that version 10 of this software creates intelligent workflows, writes Philip Chadwick. - Describe your business We are a packaging pre-press company specialising in high-end...

Product Portfolio: Tried & Tested - Muller Martini Presto.(Product/service evaluation)
May 28, 2010... As a replacement for the popular Minuteman, the Presto has proved it too has staying power in the used kit market, discovers Nosmot Gbadamosi. Following in the footsteps of the Swiss manufacturer's Minuteman, the Presto saddlestitcher hoped...

Product Portfolio: Buyers' Guide - Digital colour presses.(Product/service evaluation)
May 28, 2010... The digital market continues to respond to demands for faster speeds and higher quality with increasing success, writes Nosmot Gbadamosi. Manufacturers of colour digital presses are currently in their element There's a seemingly unquenchable...

Product Portfolio: Jo's Help Line - Name those presses and a glossy query.(Product/service evaluation)
May 28, 2010... Jo Francis tracks down the solutions to your technical troubles. Q: I attach a copy of a photograph from circa 1900 of the printroom of Borough Road Polytechnic Institute, now London South Bank University. I want to know the three printing...

Product Portfolio: Diary.(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
May 28, 2010... JUNE Pulpaper 2010 Date: 1-3 June Location: Helsinki, Finland More info: www.finnexpo.fi Digital Book Printing Forum Date: 9 June Location: Royal Society, London More info: www.inter-quest.com Fespa 2010 Date: 22-26 June Location: Messe-Munich...

Product Portfolio: Technical Tutorial - Pressroom Chemistry.(Product/service evaluation)
May 28, 2010... Chemistry is the forgotten hero of the pressroom. It is critical to the litho process and to the quality of printed results but no one gives it a thought unless something goes wrong. Even at the selection stage, printers should consult their...

Post Script: Unexpected fittings expose nature of loo.(Brief article)
May 28, 2010... It is impossible for an Ipex to pass without at least 50% of the industry embarrassing themselves, and this year was no exception. Most of these incidents occur in the evening and almost all involve consumption of alcohol. However, one...

Post Script: Memory Lane.
May 28, 2010... ONE YEAR AGO: Heidelberg announced the conversion of its Brentford showroom to a finishing, pre-press and workflow suite... Allsignsgroup came 45th in the Sunday Times' 60 Best Green Companies 2009... David Cameron called for an end to MPs'...

Post Script: Print's past - What's the point?
May 28, 2010... Nowadays everyone has access to a computer, and selects a type size defined in 'points', despite the operating system specifying all other measurements in metric or imperial. Few question the term 'point' or the odd mixing of printers' measures...

Post Script: Q&A - Chris Jewkes, Diro.(Edward Fox & Son)(Interview)(Brief article)
May 28, 2010... The director of Edward Fox & Son, Chris is 49 years old and has been in the print industry for 33 years. He is married and has three children. His main hobby used to be golf but after moving to a new home it has been replaced by DIY. -...

Ipex organiser hails 'resilience' of exhibitors amid adversity.(Ipex 2010 )
May 21, 2010... Event director Trevor Crawford paid tribute to the 'incredible resilience and commitment of exhibitors' at the official Ipex opening ceremony this week. 'What with volcanic ash, the potential strike at BA and the recent problems with the...

... as millions are spent on opening day orders.
May 21, 2010... The first day of Ipex 2010 has lived up to expectations, with millions of pounds' worth of business being concluded across the show's halls. Welsh magazine printer Stephens & George signed a pounds 500,000 plate deal with Agfa as part of...

Stephens & George in third XL 105 purchase.
May 21, 2010... Magazine printer Stephens & George has installed a third Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 105 to complete an pounds 8m investment programme. The 10-colour long perfector joins another 10-colour and an eight-colour XL 105 at the 240-staff,...

Herald Business Forms in admin.(Brief article)
May 21, 2010... Herald Business Forms, which traded as Weston Business Forms (WBF), has gone into administration with the redundancy of all 31 staff. James Tickell of Portland Business and Financial Solutions was appointed as administrator to the...

Inc Direct takes iGen total to four.
May 21, 2010... Inc Direct has spent pounds 1.3m on an array of digital and finishing kit, including two Xerox iGen4 digital presses. The order makes the company one of the biggest iGen houses in the country, with the new machines joining two iGen3 presses....

Proskills calls on government.(Brief article)
May 21, 2010... Proskills has called on the coalition government to protect the level of investment in manufacturing skills, arguing it will help push the UK further towards economic recovery. Its plea was backed by Unite national officer Steve Sibbald, who...

Flint Group to manufacure Hybrid Sleev.(Brief article)
May 21, 2010... Flint Group Flexographic Products is to manufacture a thin-walled printing sleeves product, the rotec Hybrid Sleeve, at its plant at Ahaus, Germany. The company said the product had a 'hard fibreglass' composite surface, a high resistance to...

Domino to work with EskoArtwork.(Brief article)
May 21, 2010... Domino has announced it will work with EskoArtwork as workflow partner to deliver the digital front end of its new Domino N600 range of four and five-colour digital presses. Geert De Proost, director of software engines for EskoArtwork, said:...

AMS launches the AMS Astrojet M1.(Brief article)
May 21, 2010... AMS has launched the AMS Astrojet M1 colour page printer with Memjet inkjet technology at Ipex. The product is designed to achieve high-speed colour printing at low cost and is being showcased on stand 18/D861. The Memjet printhead spans the...

Goss fives debut to Ecochill dryer.
May 21, 2010... Goss has given a European debut to its Ecochill dryer enhancement at Ipex. The company said the product improved web press speeds by eliminating condensation on the chill rollers to prevent print defects It does not require additional power and...

Antalis supported a number of exibitors.(Brief article)
May 21, 2010... Antalis has supported a number of exhibitors at this year's Ipex These include Canon Europe, Haybrooke Associates and Presstek Europe, which was supplied with Novatech Gloss and Matt so that it could demonstrate the printing capabilities of its...

Clarification.(Correction notice)
May 21, 2010... Clarification: Gemini Group companies Concord Press and Andus Print have moved into new premises in central Brighton, not Birmingham, as stated in last week's PrintWeek (14 May). -------------------- Did you find this article useful? Why...

Printers forced to raise prices as a result of paper cost increases.
May 21, 2010... Printers are being forced to put up their prices despite the risk of losing business, following last week's announcement that paper merchants were set to raise prices next month. Merchants revealed price increases of up to 15%, as of 1 June,...

Web offset sector expecting further casualties as two sites face closure.
May 21, 2010... The web offset sector is preparing for further job losses after St Ives revealed it was planning to close its Edenbridge site and G&H Group subsidiary G&H Web Offset announced its fall into administration. Consultation has already...

102 franchisees plan ODC claim.
May 21, 2010... Some 102 franchisees at Kall Kwik and Prontaprint have appointed franchise law specialists Field Fisher Waterhouse (FFW) in a potential group claim against their franchisor On Demand Communications (ODC). A letter has been sent out to ODC...

Printers want budget to tackle UK deficit and promote growth.
May 21, 2010... Printers want next month's emergency budget to tackle a range of measures from fuel tax to phoenix firms and have echoed worries voiced in a poll of small companies. The survey by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) followed the...

Komori debuts B2 Enthrone 29.
May 21, 2010... Komori has given its new B2 press, the Enthrone 29, pride of place at the front of its Ipex stand this week. The 13,000sph press was given its worldwide launch, running live at Komori's 1,025m2 booth (6/B520) in a five-colour configuration....

Coalition government gets mixed reception from printing industry.
May 21, 2010... The election of the UK's first coalition government since 1945 has been met with a mixture of optimism and scepticism by the print industry. Barry Hibbert, chief executive of Polestar Group, one of the UK's largest print employers, questioned...

PBB purchaser Celinco set to be liquidated.(Piggott Black Bear Cambridge )(Brief article)
May 21, 2010... Creditors of B1 magazine printer Piggott Black Bear Cambridge (PBB) are facing more uncertainty after it emerged that Celinco, the company that bought PBB's assets, is set to be liquidated. A meeting of Celinco's creditors will be held at the...

Fespa lays down wrap challenge.(Fespa 2010)(Brief article)
May 21, 2010... The world's most talented 'wrappers' will be able to show off their skills at Fespa 2010, thanks to the launch of the Fespa Wrap Cup - a competition to find the best vehicle wrapper. The competition, which will span the five-day show, will...

Xerox unveils solid ink application during Ipex.
May 21, 2010... Xerox has taken the wraps off its inkjet strategy at Ipex with a demonstration of a continuous feed machine based on the solid ink technology currently used in its office products such as the ColorCube. Xerox's solid ink technology, which it...

Unite in second Glasgow strike.
May 21, 2010... Unite has announced its second 24-hour strike at Newsquest Glasgow, with a further 48-hour strike expected at a later date. The union is also taking legal advice after Newsquest brought in agency workers to cover for striking employees...

Reader Reaction: How significant an impact do major events have on print?(Viewpoint essay)
May 21, 2010... We ask whether events like the general election or World Cup bring an increase in print work BROCHURE PRINTER Neil Long, managing director, Longridge Print 'I don't think the World Cup or other major events would make a big difference....

Legal notices.(Public notice)
May 21, 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. Appointment of Administrators Goniec Ltd Co.No:...

HP takes the wraps off 'baby' inkjet web press.
May 21, 2010... HP has unveiled a second inkjet web press, the T200, to compete in the 2-up monochrome toner replacement market currently served by Infoprint, Kodak, Oce, Screen and Xerox. The T200, on show at Ipex, is a 61m/minute colour, or 120m/minute...

Johnston Press plans pounds 15m savings.
May 21, 2010... Newspaper publisher Johnston Press said it expected to make annual cost savings of at least pounds 15m this year. However, according to its interim management statement for the 18-week period to 8 May 2010, the company still has debts of...

Air Mail.(Brief article)
May 21, 2010... AIR MAIL - the world's official largest envelope went on show last week, measuring 9.98x8.24m. The envelope, which was produced by Great Malvern-based Pendragon Presentation Packaging, was commissioned by philatelic experts Stanley Gibbons....

Kodak in pricing shake-up with launch of Insite Storefront v6.
May 21, 2010... Kodak has said that it is targeting market share with the latest version of its web-to-print (W2P) software, Insite Storefront 6, which it will be demonstrating at Ipex. In addition to introducing extra functionality to the product, Kodak has...

Free Navigator copies at Ipex.
May 21, 2010... Xitron subsidiary VGI Europe has teamed with L&M Imaging Systems to give away two copies of the Xitron Navigator Workflow Server software at Ipex 2010. To take part in the prize draw, visitors to the show can register at the L&M...

New company HighWater Products takes on Python/Cobra CTP ranges.
May 21, 2010... A new company, HighWater Products, has been launched to continue the manufacture of the Python and Cobra violet platesetter ranges of the recently liquidated HighWater Designs. The company, which has no common shareholder or director with the...