Print Week articles from November 2011

Print Week archives from November 2011

Improved Goodhead results damaged by BGP 'snow' loss.(Financial report)
November 25, 2011... An avalanche of new work - and snow - has been blamed for BGP's latest results going off piste. In the year to 31 May 2011, turnover at parent Goodhead Group grew 3.2% to pounds 68.5m, while pre-tax losses reduced by 22.5% to pounds 9.7m. The...

Charles Jarrold takes on Synergie position.(Brief article)
November 25, 2011... Charles Jarrold has joined Synergie Group as a non-executive director. Jarrold had been managing director at St Ives' magazine printing business up until its sale to Walstead in April, and continued to work with Walstead-owned Wyndeham Group...

Investment of pounds 1m doubles Precision's digital capacity.
November 25, 2011... On-demand trailblazer Precision Printing has doubled its digital print capacity with a pounds 1m investment in two additional HP Indigo 7500s, as the company ramps up for its busiest period, when it will be processing up to 35,000 orders a day....

Dixon returns to head up IOS and Lateral.(Brief article)
November 25, 2011... Lateral Group founder and former chairman Nick Dixon has returned to the business he sold to Innovative Output Solutions (IOS) in August this year, following the surprise departure of IOS chief executive Mark Felstead. IOS confirmed this week...

'Training fund must help SMEs'.
November 25, 2011... Printers and training experts have urged the government not to overlook the needs of SMEs with its new pounds 250m fund aimed at helping employers to develop their own training programmes. Employers who wish to develop their own training...

Henry Colman dies.
November 25, 2011... 'He deserves recognition for what he achieved. He was known around the world' Peter MacLachlan, who worked in sales for Henry Colman's company Cornerstone, comments after Colman's death last week aged 99 Cornerstone became famous for its...

Pukka Pads acquires firms with pounds 3m combined worth.
November 25, 2011... Stationery and office products firm Pukka Pads has acquired business forms printer Inspired Forms and Grimsby-based duplicate forms manufacturer Cardinal Brands. According to Pukka Pads managing director Chris Stott the acquisition moves the...

Editor's Comment: Photobooks VAT dodge isn't likely to be open very long.(Editorial)
November 25, 2011... Among the many snippets of print news that find their way into my inbox on a daily basis, one in particular caught my eye this week. Surprisingly it was not the return of Lateral Group founder Nick Dixon to the head of IOS - fascinating though...

GMG moots closure of print sites in cost-cutting review.(Guardian Media Group )
November 25, 2011... Guardian Media Group (GMG) could close its print plants and contract out the print of its titles. The proposal was suggested as part of a review of the group's facilities in Manchester and London in a bid to further reduce costs. Around...

Eclipse in pounds 500k Heidelberg finishing spend.
November 25, 2011... Eclipse Colour Print has invested pounds 500,000 in new Heidelberg finishing equipment and increased press time on its Goss M600 webs by nearly 50 hours in response to continued growth at the Kettering-based business. The company said it had...

Bluepoint invests in Lithrone S529 press.
November 25, 2011... Bluepoint Cambridge has installed a new B2 Komori Lithrone S529 press with coater as part of a pounds 1m investment programme. The pounds 6m-turnover group has also installed a Xerox 1000 colour press and a Horizon PUR binder as part of its...

Seven Days in Print.
November 25, 2011... Pounds 125k: Spandex - List price of the SwissQPrint Impala flatbed UV printer, which the company is now distributing in the UK, page 12. 3: Tech-ni-fold - Years to settle patent dispute between the auxiliary finishing equipment manufacturer...

Seven Days in Print: Wyndeham merges pre-press firms.(Brief article)
November 25, 2011... Wyndeham Pre-Press and sister company Masterpiece have been merged to form Rhapsody, a new pre-media company based around Wyndeham's Emagine workflow. Wyndeham Group business development director Les Pipe has been appointed managing director...

Seven Days in Print: Door-drop vouchers top trust poll.
November 25, 2011... UK adults trust printed door-drop leaflets or vouchers more than any other medium, according to new Royal Mail research. The findings from a study conducted by FreshMinds, revealed that 43% of those surveyed placed their trust in the...

Seven Days in Print: CeWe unveils greetings card service.(Brief article)
November 25, 2011... Warwickshire-based CeWe Color is taking on Moonpig and Funky Pigeon with its 'premium' Card Town personalised greetings card service. Online marketing manager James Morgan said the company decided not to follow the Moonpig template. 'We...

Seven Days in Print: UK printers get close up of world's first MM Diamant Hybrid.
November 25, 2011... A group of UK book printers visited DPG printing company in Germany last week (14-15 November) to see the world's first installed Muller Martini Diamant MC Hybrid bookline in action. The Diamant MC Hybrid and Diamant MC Digital study tour was...

Seven Days in Print: Poll.
November 25, 2011... Do your late-paying clients pay before or after the SME average of 28 days beyond agreed terms? Before 20% After 80% Next question - Will the government's loan top-up scheme help UK print? Have your say at printweek.com. ...

Seven Days in Print: Pick of the posts.
November 25, 2011... Royal Mail tenders for PM jobs Royal Mail never fail to make me smile. Apart from being this country's biggest 'Life on Mars' company - trapped in the 1970s while trying to make contact with the modern world - it persists in shooting itself...

Seven Days in Print: Xerox secures five-year mailing contract from BA.
November 25, 2011... Xerox Managed Print Services has been awarded a five-year enterprise print services contract by British Airways (BA) and been tasked with cutting the airline's total print and mailing costs by up to 25%. The contract, which is for an...

Seven Days in Print: Who bought what.
November 25, 2011... ABC Imaging boosts digital firepower ABC Imaging has bolstered its digital print capacity after investing in two Canon imagePress C7010VPS systems, the UK's first company to do so. bit.ly/pw-25abc JR Print invests in Presstek workflow...

Seven Days in Print: Hot Topics - The most read stories on our website.
November 25, 2011... 1. Moonpig to lose VAT relief under new legislation: 1,765 Legislation ending tax exemption for firms based in the Channel Islands will hit online greetings cards retailers such as Moonpig and Funky Pigeon. 2. Royal Mail tenders for pounds...

Seven Days in Print: Manroland shareholders mull sale.
November 25, 2011... Manroland's major shareholders MAN and Allianz are exploring options around a potential sale of the company, with a European engineering firm from outside print said to be interested, reports have claimed. A Dow Jones article cited a MAN...

Seven Days in Print: Truprint wins VAT battle.
November 25, 2011... Truprint, the Newton Abbot-based photo finishing business, has triumphed in a three-year tax battle with HM Revenue & Customs over whether it should have been charged VAT on its photobook sales. The company, which is owned by Harrier LLC,...

Seven Days in Print: Cropper posts improved results.(Financial report)(Brief article)
November 25, 2011... Paper manufacturer James Cropper has seen a slight increase in year-on-year pre-tax profit in its half-year results to 1 October. The company recorded a pounds 1.4m pre-tax profit, up more than 16% on the same period last year, when it posted...

Seven Days in Print: Communisis appoints Rushton MD.(Brief article)
November 25, 2011... Marketing services provider Communisis has promoted Dave Rushton to the newly created position of group managing director. Rushton, formerly managing director of the group's specialist production and sourcing (SPS) division, will be...

Briefing Finance: Gov't pounds 95m capex pot: the ri ght idea at the wrong time?
November 25, 2011... The government is offering a grant programme of pounds 95m to be divided among SMEs who need cash for equipment. But is it money well spent? Support for UK manufacturing is something to which British politicians usually pay lip service and...

Briefing Finance: Opinion - SMEs need aid for working capital, not new equipment.
November 25, 2011... Any help that can be given to SMEs is going to be worth trying. However, I can see a number of pitfalls and problems with this structure. How many businesses will actually need to go and buy new capital equipment? Many companies on the lead up...

Knowledge Bank: Legal notices.
November 25, 2011... 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 Stelro Print & Design...

Knowledge Bank: Research - Infotrends: digi print to grow 5% by 2015.
November 25, 2011... InfoTrends has forecast a 5% increase in the retail value of digital print by 2015 in its latest forecast for the global digital printing market. The report, entitled Global Production Copying and Printing Market Forecast: 2010-2015, predicts...

Knowledge Bank: Killer app - Connekt delivers edgy art.
November 25, 2011... Artist Elizabeth Gossling wanted three works of art using print on the edges of paper to be produced for her solo exhibition at the B&N Gallery in London, which ran from 3-24 November. Gossling's artwork recreates photographs of television...

Knowledge Bank: EU Tenders.
November 25, 2011... PrintWeek cannot supply any additional information or pass on your details. These tenders are abridged. You must obtain a full copy of the tender before contacting any of the organisations listed. The Post Office requires printing and related...

Heidelberg to put focus on bespoke finishing options.
November 25, 2011... Heidelberg UK has said that it wants to talk to customers about bespoke finishing lines for its standard machines, by integrating elements such as digital print. The German press giant joined forces with Kodak and perfecting unit manufacturer...

Spandex named sole UK supplier for SwissQPrint Impala.(Brief article)
November 25, 2011... Signmaking and graphic arts kit supplier Spandex has been named as sole UK distributor for the SwissQPrint Impala flatbed UV printer. The Impala, which is priced at around pounds 125,000 depending on specification, is aimed at graphics...

New body to boost UV curing take-up.
November 25, 2011... Integration Technology, Lumen Dynamics and Phoseon Technology have teamed up to form the UV LED Curing Association, with the aim of promoting the use of UV LED curing technology in industries including the graphic arts. The new body will be a...

Tech-ni-fold secures patent battle victory in US lawsuit.
November 25, 2011... Auxiliary finishing equipment manufacturer Tech-ni-fold has finally put an end to a near three-year patent battle over its products. In early 2009, the firm warned substandard copies of its products had appeared in the US, as well as in other...

Flint blames materials and energy costs for price rises.
November 25, 2011... Flint has blamed forthcoming price hikes for its Nyloflex and Nyloprint plates on increases in the cost of raw materials and energy. The ink and printing plate manufacturer said it would be forced to raise its prices in 2012, but could not...

GBC launches Magnapunch 2.0.
November 25, 2011... GBC has launched Magnapunch 2.0, its latest tabletop paper punch, which it says virtually eliminates mis-punches. It features proprietary edge-detection technology and fast set-up and change-over. The new machine has a half-second punch cycle...

LithoTechnics releases Metrix 2011.1.
November 25, 2011... LithoTechnics has released Metrix 2011.1, the latest version of its automated job planning and imposition software, which promises 'zero touch' automation. The software is said to automate the whole pre-press process up to and including...

Enfocus outlines update to Instant PDF.(PDF-creation software)(Brief article)
November 25, 2011... Enfocus has outlined an update to its press-ready PDF-creation software, Instant PDF, which adds annotated error reporting and support for Apple's OSX 10.7 OS. Instant PDF 10, which will be available in the first quarter of 2012, also features...

Product Portfolio: Post-press - Me & my ... Horizon BQ160.(Product/service evaluation)
November 25, 2011... A move into digital revived Plumridge Print's fortunes, but also highlighted the need to bring at least some finishing services in-house. A three-floor, 200-year-old ex-bakery sat in the middle of a conservation area is probably not the first...

Product Portfolio: Pre-media - Star product - Fujifilm XMF Workflow V4.(Product/service evaluation)
November 25, 2011... Fuji says the latest version enables printers to do more, more easily. What does it do? The XMF cross-media Workflow Version 4 does everything that needs to be done to turn a PDF into an offset or digitally printed product, according to...

Top 500 2011: A glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel bold character fill to end.
November 25, 2011... Having cut costs and improved efficiencies to survive the hard times, the signs are that printers are now being rewar ded with more orders and increased profits. It's that time of year when tinsel starts appearing on inanimate objects,...

Business Women in Print: Playing catch-up in the gender equality race.
November 25, 2011... Print lags behind business in general in terms of women in the workplace, so why is it that, even in the 21st century, the pressroom is still so male dominated? When Precision Printing announced a new pressroom assistant would be joining the...

Community: This week in 2001 - 'PrintWeek Top 500 reveals the who's who of print'.
November 25, 2011... The barrier for entry into the PrintWeek Top 500 rose again to just over pounds 4m, while at the top Rexam held its position at number one, with St Ives leapfrogging Polestar and Chesapeake into second. Ten years on and this year's 500th...

Community: Overmatter.
November 25, 2011... While we may all have attended conferences that have strayed - often extensively - into the field of advanced tedium, packaging manufacturer Hi-Cone has helped lift the phenomenon to a whole new level by sponsoring Boring 2011, the first...

Community: Jo's Help Line.
November 25, 2011... Jo Francis, contributing editor of PrintWeek, tracks down the solutions to your technical troubles. I am trying to take a client alcohol-free, printing on a Heidelberg SM 74 with Alcolor Dampening. The peak is at 7 degs. I know that the...

Community: Q&A - Matthew Boam, Joint director, Print 4.(Interview)
November 25, 2011... Matthew is 38, although he says he feels more like 50 - 'that's how print ages you'. He has been involved in print since he was 15, starting out in the camera room. He is unmarried, but points out that he has been 'very happily living in sin for...

FPB says micro-firms need protection from cost hikes.(Forum of Private Business )(Brief article)
November 18, 2011... The Forum of Private Business (FPB) has called for measures to be implemented to protect micro-businesses from growing costs, particularly from energy companies. A survey carried out by the FPB found that 94% of micro-businesses have seen...

Seven days in Print: Poll.
November 18, 2011... Do you support the government's efforts to make it easier for firms to dismiss unproductive staff? No 31% Yes 69% Next question: Do your late paying customers pay before or after SME average of 28 days beyond the terms? Have your say...

Community: This week in 2010.
November 18, 2011... 'One-third of Southernprint staff face axe in new year job cuts' - More than 100 jobs were put under threat at Southernprint and Southern Binders as a result of plans to cut 'uneconomic capacity', while remaining staff faced changes to their...

Royal Mail shuts down iRed print management business.
November 11, 2011... Royal Mail has closed its iRed document management subsidiary after it failed to turn around its pounds 9.9m 2010 net loss into a target break-even position by the end of the current year. It is unclear how the closure will affect Royal...

Departures prompt restructure at APG.(Alderson Print Group )(Brief article)
November 11, 2011... Alderson Print Group (APG) is in the process of a major restructure of its businesses, following the departure of a number of key employees. Former joint managing director Andrew Campbell and sales director Phil Blackwell, among others, left...

SME debtor book hits pounds 33bn as late payment levels rise.
November 11, 2011... Small printers are being urged to demand payment upon receiving orders after research revealed the amount owing to SMEs has hit pounds 33.6bn. Figures published by Bacs, the company behind direct debits and credits, revealed that business...

Peecho recruits CeWe to production net.
November 11, 2011... Start-up Peecho has signed European photobook specialist printer CeWe to its production network. The company, which was started in November 2009, provides back-end ordering of printed products for any online service, enabling them to quickly...

IOS starts r estructure of UK ops.
November 11, 2011... IOS's strategic review of its operations following its acquisition of Lateral Group has begun with the relocation of presses to focus sheetfed manufacturing at Lateral's Howitt site in Nottingham. According to an internal memo seen by...

Apex's Parker exits print.
November 11, 2011... 'Bernard will be remembered by many in the industry for his steely grin, perfectly groomed hair, and manicured clothing' Bob Usher, fellow joint managing director at Apex Digital Graphics on his colleague Bernard Parker's retirement. ...

Profitable Q3 hindered by euro crisis, reports BPIF.(Brief article)
November 11, 2011... The BPIF has released its latest Printing Outlook study of the health of the industry in Q3, showing that while printers experienced a more profitable period, price levels did not match their predictions and margins were squeezed by rising...

Editor's Comment: Late Payment Directive will not help in its current form.(Editorial)
November 11, 2011... It's all too easy to become almost blind to numbers in the current climate, where billions and even trillions seem to be part of everyday conversations, but even so, reading that the amount of money currently owed to SMEs in the form of...

Digital Plus targets growth following pounds 750k site spend.
November 11, 2011... Digital Plus is aiming to double its turnover to pounds 3m within three years after expanding into new premises that have enabled the Leeds-based printer to consolidate two smaller units into a new purpose-built site. The Kirkstall-based...

Printing.com profits dip on software costs.(Financial report)(Brief article)
November 11, 2011... Printing.com has posted a 19.4% drop in pre-tax profit to pounds 500,000 for the six months to 30 September 2011 on turnover of pounds 10.7m (2010: pounds 7.1m), partly due to the cost of launching its new FlyerZone, BrandDemand and...

OFT barred KMG deal despite Ofcom 'OK'.(Office of Fair Trading )(Brief article)
November 11, 2011... The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) referred the proposed purchase of seven Kent titles by Kent Messenger Group (KMG) to the Competition Commission, despite getting the all-clear from Ofcom, PrintWeek can reveal. KMG pulled out of a proposed...

Seven Days in Print.
November 11, 2011... 2.64m: HP - Print width of the new L28500 DesignJet, which was unveiled alongside a 1.54m L26500 model in Barcelona last week, page 12 6%: Sun Chemical - Average price increase across the ink manufacturer's product range, page 13 Pounds...

Seven Days in Print: Epson launches borderless printing.
November 11, 2011... Epson has unveiled an adaptation kit for borderless printing on its Stylus Pro GS6000 64in printer, which it claims is a first in the eco-solvent, wide-format sector. Epson is pitching the enhancement at companies that are producing...

Seven Days in Print: Kodak issues Q3 results warning.(Financial report)
November 11, 2011... Kodak has warned that its survival may hinge on its ability to raise sufficient proceeds from the sale of non-core assets and the potential sale of its digital imaging patent portfolio. The cautionary statement came in its third quarter...

Seven Days in Print: Label Solutions buys Xeikon 3030.
November 11, 2011... Label Solutions has said it has opened up new sales channels and entered the trade printing sector after making its foray into digital print with a Xeikon 3030 digital label press. The Brentwood, Essex-based business opted for the five-colour...

Seven Days in Print: Poll.
November 11, 2011... Is the increasingly international footprint of print management firms good for UK printers? Yes: 23% No: 77% Next question - Do you support the government's effort to make it easier for firms to dismiss unproductive staff? Have your...

Seven Days in Print: Printers do their bit for charity at annual luncheon.
November 11, 2011... More than 170 guests attended The Printing Charity's Annual Luncheon last week, where chairman Bill Offer received a Pro Merito award from the charity's president and former ambassador to the US Sir Christopher Meyer in recognition of his work...

Seven Days in Print: Pick of the posts.
November 11, 2011... Collins vs Kodak: the facts Andy Tribute's analysis of the Kodak/Collins dispute (PrintWeek, 4 November) looked at an interesting subject which no doubt will be with us for a while. The bottom line is that the equipment...

Seven Days in Print: LightBrigade expands capabilities.(Presstek 34DI digital offset press)(Brief article)
November 11, 2011... LightBrigade has completed the latest stage of its capital equipment investment programme after buying a Presstek 34DI digital offset press. The Chertsey, Surrey-based business installed the machine three weeks ago to 'fill a gap' for...

Seven Days in Print: HP unveils new additions to Scitex.
November 11, 2011... HP has unveiled a raft of new additions to its Scitex wide-format platform including the Scitex FB7600 industrial press that uses HP's latest FB225 Scitex inks. The 500m2 an hour FB7600 builds upon the existing FB7500 model, and can print on...

Seven Days in Print: Prontaprint launches competition.(Brief article)
November 11, 2011... Prontaprint has launched a search for the UK's top entrepreneur. The print franchise network is searching for an individual whose business idea has been so inspirational they can be crowned Prontaprint Entrepreneur of the Year 2012. The...

Seven Days in Print: BGP gets full marks from BPIF.(Brief article)
November 11, 2011... Web offset giant BGP has become the first UK printer to achieve 100% in the BPIF's health and safety seal of excellence certification. The certification scheme aims to help printers show their customers how they have improved their...

Seven Days in Print: Hot topics - The most read stories on our website.
November 11, 2011... 1. VistaPrint acquires Albumprinter in pounds 51.5m deal: 1,186 clicks Vistaprint has expanded into the photobook production sector after acquiring Dutch business Albumprinter for an initial EUR60m (pounds 51.5m) 2. HP launches latest...

Seven Days in Print: Who bought what.
November 11, 2011... - Ink Shop completes short-run revamp Scottish printer Ink Shop has completed a pounds 500,000 upgrade of its facility in order to set itself up as a short-run specialist. bit.ly/pw-11inkshop - Fidelity is early adopter of Xerox 770 ...

Briefing Finance: Are medium-sized businesse s being left out in the cold?
November 11, 2011... The CBI argues a lack of finance options is hampering the growth of medium-sized businesses and, as a result, stymying growth in the UK economy. CBI research on how to help the UK's medium-sized businesses (MSBs) obtain finance and exploit...

Briefing Finance: Opinion - Germany could teach the UK some very important lessons.
November 11, 2011... Despite its relatively high labour costs, Germany is the world's largest goods exporter after China. Much of this success is attributed to the country's legion of small and medium-sized firms, known as the Mittelstand, that are renowned for...

Knowledge Bank: Legal notices.
November 11, 2011... 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 The Midas Press Ltd...

Knowledge Bank: Events - HP backs Morgana finishing event.
November 11, 2011... Finishing kit manufacturer Morgana Systems is hosting the latest in its Evolution roadshows at Headingley rugby ground on 16-17 November. The event will be supported by HP, who will print a series of jobs on several HP Indigo presses, to be...

Knowledge Bank: Killer app - AGI book is virtuous circle.
November 11, 2011... AGI World and Celloglas jointly produced the former's new company brochure using a combination of creative die-cutting and spot UV. What was the job? The brochure, which will be sent to existing and prospective clients, features...

Knowledge Bank: EU tenders.
November 11, 2011... PrintWeek cannot supply any additional information or pass on your details. These tenders are abridged. You must obtain a full copy of the tender before contacting any of the organisations listed. Colchester Borough Council Requires printing...

HP focuses on solvent users with latex Designjet models.
November 11, 2011... HP has launched two new Designjet printers, the 2.64m-wide L28500, and the 1.54m-wide L26500, as it continues to aggressively target market share from solvent-based devices. Both printers use the same HP 792 latex inks that are used in HP's...

Ricoh integrates InfoPrint operations into UK business.
November 11, 2011... Ricoh UK production print director Stephen Palmer has said he is confident the company can 'consolidate its position as the UK's leader in the digital production print sector' after integrating the InfoPrint Solutions business within its...

Kern boosts productivity of K130 cutter.
November 11, 2011... Finishing equipment manufacturer Kern has launched a high-performance cutter, the MK33, aimed at the pharmaceutical and newspaper industries. It has also announced that its K130 rotary cutter has been improved thanks to the incorporation of...

Shuttleworth revamps MIS to improve user experience.
November 11, 2011... Shuttleworth Business Systems has launched the latest iteration of its management information system (MIS), which features a completely redesigned interface. Version 5 has adopted the 'look and feel' of Microsoft's Outlook for its revised...