Print Week articles from October 2007

Print Week archives from October 2007

Royal Mail strikes spell three weeks of chaos for DM firms.
October 4, 2007... Direct mail printers are facing postal chaos over the next few weeks with strike action set to be stepped up by Royal Mail workers. Two strikes are likely to go ahead for 4-6 October and 8-10 October. Talks between Royal Mail and the...

TPF confirms Wace to cease as going concern.(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... The final nail looks set to be hammered into Wace's coffin as its parent firm TPF Group has confirmed it is to close. A closure was first mooted publicly in July, but interest in the company from several parties meant that a sale rather...

Alphagraphics NE rejigs to upgrade digital kit.
October 4, 2007... Alphagraphics North-East is to undertake a major pounds 4m restructure and investment programme, a significant part of which will be to acquire new digital technology. A contract with Xerox has been signed to update the digital presses...

Unite wins Guardian recognition.
October 4, 2007... Trade union Unite is celebrating after it secured union recognition with the Guardian's print centre in London. The agreement covers all of the workers at the facility, including pre-press, press hall, post-press, engineering, maintenance...

Stager signs deal with Clear Pack.(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Clear Packaging has set up a co-operation agreement with Swiss packaging group Stager as part of a bid to expand its product range. Under the agreement, the Coventry-based firm will have access to Stager's technical expertise and will...

Birch Printers installs Komori Lithrone S29.
October 4, 2007... Birch Printers has installed a five-colour Komori Lithrone S29, ending 15 years as a Heidelberg house. The switch came after the Bradford printer failed to find a secondhand press to meet its requirements. Birch Printers managing director...

Simpson Group becomes first UK PoP printer to secure PAS 75.(point of purchase)(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Simpson Group, the North East-based point of purchase (PoP) printer, has become the first UK PoP printer to secure PAS 75, the print industry Kitemark. The accreditation, developed by the BSI and BPIF, aims to improve processes and enhance...

Mastercolour achieves ISO 14001 environmental accreditation.
October 4, 2007... Mastercolour has achieved ISO 14001 environmental accreditation The Tunbridge Wells-based printer expected the accreditation to take 18 months, but in the end it took under a year. Mastercolour assistant managing director Mark Lewis said: 'We...

Evening Standard vendor sites to undergo a major investment.(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Evening Standard vendor sites are to undergo a major investment to support the 'revolutionary' Eros cashless payment card. The card will allow users to purchase the London-based paper from Eros' cashless payment machines. Evening Standard...

AGI Labels wins top labelling honour at UK Packaging Awards.
October 4, 2007... AGI Labels won the top labelling honour at the UK Packaging Awards The ceremony, organised by PrintWeek's sister title Packaging News last month, applauded the West Sussex firm's Dulux Rich Matt 5 litre printed labels.

Inprint installs a Suprasetter A52.(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Inprint, the North East litho printer has installed a Suprasetter A52 in preparation for the arrival of a Speedmaster SM 52-10P and an SM52-2, all part of a pounds 1.5m investment. The 10-colour B3 press will be installed in December, followed...

Clarification.(Correction notice)
October 4, 2007... Kodak is not taking its own stand at Digital Print World, which is being held on 16-18 October. However, its products will be on display on the Infotec and Postive Focus stands at the Earls Court, London show

PPG boosts its eco credentials with purchase of KBA Rapida.
October 4, 2007... B1 printer Polar Print Group (PPG) has invested pounds 3m on two new KBA Rapida 105 presses which the firm believes will be the world's first carbon-neutral machines. According to PPG managing director David Gask, the new six- and...

Trinity disposal spree ends with Racing Post.
October 4, 2007... Trinity Mirror has brought its disposal spree to an end with the sale of Racing Post to Irish private equity firm FL Partners, and its decision to take the remaining titles that were up for sale off the table. The newspaper group will...

Prinovis installs final press of KBA order.
October 4, 2007... Prinovis Liverpool has reached a key milestone after installing its fourth and final KBA gravure press, a third 4.32m-wide machine, which will go into full production later this month. Managing director Richard Gray said: 'It's ramp-up...

BPIF survey: industry expects further M&A.(British Printing Industries Federation)(Report)(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... The industry is set to experience further consolidation over the next two years with increasing merger and acquisition activity, according to a new BPIF report. The survey, into structural and strategic change across the print, media and...

Print workers triumph at apprentice awards.
October 4, 2007... Two print workers have been commended at Proskills' first Apprentice of the Year awards, despite stiff competition from rivals representing a variety of sectors. Mark Browne and Mark Rowe, both from Dalkeith-based diary printer Charles...

Sun Chemical set to bring in price hikes of up to 12% across Europe.(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Ink and consumables giant Sun Chemical has revealed Europe-wide price rises of up to 12% from next month. The company has blamed the rises, which will range from 6% to 12%, on continued and rapid increases in the price of raw materials, as...

Arctic Adventure.
October 4, 2007... Hampshire Flag Company has raised awareness of global warming by backing record-breaking endurance swimmer Lewis Gordon Pugh, 36, the first person to undertake a long distance swim at the North Pole. The Waterlooville-based printer supplied...

Unite targets tougher laws.(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Unite has called for stiffer penalties in corporate manslaughter cases, including imprisonment for company directors and senior managers. Speaking at last week's Labour Party conference, Unite assistant general secretary Tony Burke said:...

Printer's assets sold in auction.
October 4, 2007... More than 150 buyers descended on the Deeside home of Graphoprint last week, where the assets of the ill-fated printer went under the hammer. Print disposal specialist King Sturge was appointed to handle the auction. It lasted for seven...

Ward Knowles in sales boost after acquisition.(Northwest Continuous)(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Ward Knowles is anticipating a pounds 3m sales boost following its acquisition of Preston-based forms business, Northwest Continuous. Ward Knowles bought Northwest Continuous out of administration in February and subsequently rolled it into...

Reader reaction: How would you improve public sector tendering?
October 4, 2007... With the Olympic tender criticised for its complexity, we ask how the process could be improved. COMMERCIAL PRINTER Phil Wilce, sales director, Formara 'Why have the Olympic Delivery Authority gone out for separate tender for...

Legal notices.
October 4, 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 Ajac Direct Ltd...

Multi Labels buys pounds 1m Gallus for extra work.(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Multi Labels has invested nearly pounds 1m in a new Gallus EM 410 S combination press, which will give it additional capacity to handle an extra pounds 1.5m of work a year. The Northampton-based label printer bought the press on the opening...

BPIF runs event on book sector.(Conference news)
October 4, 2007... To coincide with the British Book and Design Awards, the BPIF is to hold a conference looking at the rapid changes facing the UK book market, specifically the impact of global market supply chains. Cambrian Printers sales development...

Zoom In.
October 4, 2007... Wyndeham has won the contract to print car manufacturer Mazda's Zoom Zoom magazine, which is launching to support the new Mazda6 car The Redwood-published magazine will be printed in English, German and Spanish on three of Essex-based Wyndeham...

Expo debut for Visual Proof.(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Compose System's next generation Visual Proof soft proofing tool had its debut at Labelexpo last week. The Hong Kong-based software developer said the tool would enhance total system throughput, allowing an operator to preview ripped files...

Integration deal for Gradual and Alwan.(partnerships of Alwan Colour Expertise and Gradual Software )(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Alwan Colour Expertise has teamed up with Gradual Software to integrate its preflighting, standardisation and CMYK Optimizer colour technology within Gradual's Switch product line. The companies said this would provide users with added...

Nightingale invests in ECRM DPX2 platesetter to improve efficiency.
October 4, 2007... Nightingale Press has bought a new ECRM DPX2 platesetter to replace its existing eight-year-old DPX system. The Hertfordshire-based firm, specialising in short-run, four-colour periodical book and commercial print, said the new machine was...

Veterans launch repro firm to target the adland publishers.
October 4, 2007... Two former adland bosses, Steve Hobbs and Andy Huntley, have joined forces with fellow repro veteran Dean Baker to launch a pre-media start-up company called Zone. Clerkenwell-based Zone, which is currently in its fourth week of operation,...

Dialogue re-equips and turns focus to account management.
October 4, 2007... Dialogue Solutions has completed a pounds 400,000 refurbishment of its premises and launched two cross-media software platforms to combine personalised print with SMS and online communications. The firm, which was known as Howitt Digital...

HP forms label partnerships.
October 4, 2007... HP has extended its reach in the label sector after linking up with EskoArtwork and AB Graphic International. The strategic alliance with EskoArtwork is an extension of its relationship with HP, which has developed and integrated pre-press...

Cunningham shakes up CGI management.(CGI Group)(Michael Cunningham)(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... A management reshuffle has taken place at CGI Group just four months after Michael Cunningham returned to the company as chief executive. Phil Cherry has now been appointed as UK sales director at London headquartered CGI Europe. The...

Art Attack.
October 4, 2007... GSM Graphic Arts, Europe's largest labels and nameplates manufacturer, is revolutionising contemporary art using the innovative Primodise technology. The musically inspired work, by Leeds-based artist Christopher Dayman, is digitally printed...

Friedheim hires sales specialist.(appointment of Jon Dunks at Friedheim International)(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Jon Dunks has joined Friedheim International as product sales specialist. He will be covering London, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire and Middlesex. Friedheim International UK and Ireland sales manager for post-press products Stuart Bamford...

Police blame arson for blaze at Donnelley site.(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Police investigating last month's fire at RR Donnelley's Kadocourt bindery have said that it was caused by arson. The RR Donnelley-owned company suffered a 'huge' blaze over the weekend of 15 September, which had fire services on site for...

MBO offers new conveyor table.
October 4, 2007... MBO has launched a new conveyor table to be used alongside its T1420 Perfection buckle folder, designed to make the changeover to double stream easier. Machine operators now have the option of lifting up conveyor tables that are not being...

Arc Colourprint buys Wohlenberg 92 to cut mistakes and speed up.(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... A digital and B2 printer in Edinburgh has invested in a new Wohlenberg 92 guillotine, replacing a 20-year-old machine. Arc Colourprint purchased the cutter from MAN Roland GB to speed up its job turnarounds and reduce mistakes. Arc...

GBC to premiere latest equipment at Viscom.(GBC Commercial Laminating Solutions Group)(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Finishing equipment manufacturer GBC Commercial Laminating Solutions Group has announced its line up for the forthcoming Viscom Italia event. The show in Milan on 8-10 November 2007 will mark the debut of the company's new GBC 620 degs...

Norske Skog to reduce newsprint production.
October 4, 2007... Norske Skog has finalised details of a plan to cut 270,000 tonnes of newsprint production. The reduction is planned to counter newsprint overcapacity in the European industry, a move which goes against recent plans to build new newsprint...

Hey Presto.
October 4, 2007... Junkers & Mullers' Mediatex Presto fabric has been used at the Kufstein Operetta Summer Festival in Tyrol, Austria. The German-based manufacturer's digitally printable fabric covered the entire stage set of a production of comic opera Die...

Fedrigoni UK produces environmental guide.
October 4, 2007... Fedrigoni UK has produced an environmental guide to encourage wider environmental thinking. The guide, produced in conjunction with environmental expert Clare Taylor, contains information on the importance of forests, FSC certification, waste,...

Elliot Baxter launches Satimat Green.
October 4, 2007... Elliott Baxter (Ebb) has launched Satimat Green, a new range of silk coated paper and boards that are 50% recycled and 50% FSC virgin fibre. The paper merchant has also appointed Ian MacPhail as outside sales executive at its Birmingham branch....

Robert Horne Group to organise series of local events.(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Robert Horne Group will organise a series of local events throughout the UK to celebrate customer loyalty for its coated range Hello. It will be Hello's tenth anniversary in 2008, and customers have already been involved with a series of local...

Howard Smith Paper Group makes first of number of appointments to team.(appointment of Kevin Booth)(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Howard Smith Paper Group has made the first of a number of appointments to its customer value proposition team. Kevin Booth will join as its specialist in strategic business development, cost in use He has spent the past five years as sales...

UPM Raflatac's president calls for urgen industry collaboration.
October 4, 2007... UPM Raflatac's president Heikki Pikkarainen has called for urgent industry collaboration on sustainability issues. Speaking at the Labelexpo Europe 2007 seminar in Brussels last week, he said that the labelling industry should not view...

Winners of Antalis' Tyvek promotion.(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Antalis' Tyvek promotion has resulted in Cardiff-based Allens Print print director Jonathan Mills and production director Mark Stephens winning a weekend break in Paris and tickets to see the Rugby World Cup Final on 20 October. The promotion,...

Contract update.(TU Ink to contract with membership magazines)
October 4, 2007... Print management company TU Ink has renewed its contract to print Unison's monthly and quarterly membership magazines. The London-based firm has managed the union's titles for the past 18 months. The contract will run for two years, with an...

Client audit: Young Vic.
October 4, 2007... Set up to nurture the talent of younger theatre professionals, the Young Vic in London is the home of young theatre artists and directors Young Vic marketing and sales manager David Roots is in charge of the company's print spend. 'Print...

Editorial: The best managers can make money in print.(Editorial)
October 4, 2007... Media & Print Investments' Mike Dolan's entrance into the world of print reminds me of the old industry joke: How do you make a small fortune in print? Start off with a large one. However, Dolan's drive to create a large and profitable...

Comment: The psychology of colour choice.
October 4, 2007... Scientists at Newcastle University recently published, in an issue of Current Biology, the results of research examining the colour preferences of the sexes. Any colour predilections were deemed to be biologically based and not culturally, a...

Comment: Technically speaking.
October 4, 2007... Kodak and Xerox lead the fight against the counterfeiting that blights print. On foreign trips to places like China, many of us delight in haggling for apparently branded goods in the street markets. This is for items we obviously know to...

Analysis: Print management - Dawn of a new print management age.
October 4, 2007... Communisis' Steve Vaughan believes technology is the key to the next strategy, finds Barney Cox. At the Finance and Investment National Conference held by the BPIF and Print Yorkshire last week, Communisis chief executive Steve Vaughan...

Interview: Mike Dolan - Hitting the right notes in business.(Interview)
October 4, 2007... From music mogul to founder of one of print's fastest growing companies, it seems Mike Dolan can do no wrong. He talks to Darryl Danielli about his new-found passion for the industry. From a standing start, Mike Dolan's Media & Print...

Workflow: Technology report - Cashing in on the content.
October 4, 2007... It may sound like code at first, but metadata is the driving force behind the industry's path to greater automation and margins. Workflow, workflow management, manufacturing management, total production workflow. Congratulations if you...

Product Portfolio: Product of the week - Roland VersaCamm VP-300/VP-540.(Product/service evaluation)
October 4, 2007... Roland's combined printer/cutters offer signmakers versatility and easy maintenance at an affordable price, discovers Karen Charlesworth. There haven't been the vast technological advances in signmaking that have variously ravaged and...

Product Portfolio: Me & My ... Pitney Bowes APS.(Interview)
October 4, 2007... CDMS director Martyn Viquerat has increased efficiency and been able to downsize without affecting productivity thanks to his new inserter. - What is it? A Pitney Bowes advanced productivity series (APS) inserter. - What does the...

Product Portfolio: Tried & Tested - MAN Roland 700.(Product/service evaluation)
October 4, 2007... The 700 series is digitally driven with a range of inline options and technology allowing multi-tasking, finds Nosmot Gbadamosi. At Drupa 1990, MAN Roland launched its B1 700 series machines to replace the 600, the first unit the German...

Product Portfolio: Buyers' Guide - Coated board.(Product/service evaluation)
October 4, 2007... User demand has meant a shift to more environmentally friendly coated board, but there is still progress to be made, finds Nosmot Gbadamosi. Environmental issues continue to be an important consideration for customers, according to...

Product Portfolio: Joanne's help line - American interns & basic courses.(Product/service evaluation)
October 4, 2007... Joanne Gardner tracks down the solutions to your print problems. Q: I study Graphic Communications at Clemson University in South Carolina with interest in the print buying, art direction and design side of print. I would like to do an...

Product Portfolio: Diary.(Brief article)(Calendar)
October 4, 2007... OCTOBER Digital Print World Date: 16-18 October Venue: Earls Court 2, London Price: Free Contact: www.digitalprintworld.co.uk PRINTWEEK AWARDS Date: 22 October Venue: Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London Price: pounds 215...

Product Portfolio: Technical Tutorial - Screen versus pad printing.(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Screen printing and pad printing are widely used industrial marking processes, employed because digital ink technology can't cope with the huge variety of substrates. The screen printing process offers extra versatility because it can also...

EU Tenders.
October 4, 2007... Please read the important notes below as PrintWeek cannot supply any additional information or pass on your details. These tenders are abridged. It is essential that you obtain a full copy of the tender before contacting any of the...

Post script: A Second Life printer? Come claim your prize.(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Print works its way into every area of our daily lives - even online. Despite this, Post Script couldn't help but raise an eyebrow when it heard that the US print federation, Printing Industries of the Americas (PIA), had launched a new virtual...

Post script: Memory Lane.(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... ONE YEAR AGO Communisis won its largest billing contract, a seven-year deal with British Gas owner Centrica, worth pounds 28m a year... St Ives was approached by an unnamed company over a possible buyout... Ward Knowles acquired Armin &...

Post script: Print's Past.(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Printed in Watford The old Sun Printers in Watford was once a dominant feature on that town's landscape. Today, the site has been levelled and in its place stands The Rising Sun, a rather ironically named hotel. Printing in...

Post script: Q&A - Barry Duckworth.(Interview)(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Barry Duckworth is sales office manager and buyer at Rosefox paper, where he has worked for 22 years. In his spare time, 49-year-old Duckworth likes playing football and doing crosswords. He once thought the paper industry would be a good...

Congestion Charge giant plots PM push after hiring Simpson.(Capita Group PLC)(print management)(Paul Simpson)
October 11, 2007... Capita, the business process outsourcing giant behind projects such as the London Congestion Charge, is to mount an assault on the print management market after poaching Communisis print management supremo Paul Simpson. Simpson is...

Jobs safe after Flaxby Moor fire is contained.(Brief article)
October 11, 2007... Job fears at RR Donnelley's directory printing site, Flaxby Moor, have been allayed after another fire at the site proved not to be as disastrous as first thought. The fire is reported to have broken out on a folder connected to a MAN...

Cambrian switches to FSC paper for all jobs.(Forest Stewardship Council)(Cambrian Printers)(Brief article)
October 11, 2007... Cambrian Printers has further enhanced its environmental credentials after revealing that it will print all of its standard work on FSC-certified paper. The journal and magazine specialist, which is shortlisted in the environmental...

Printing.com expands into Iceland.(Brief article)
October 11, 2007... Print franchise pioneer Printing.com's overseas expansion plans are gathering pace, with Iceland the latest country to buy into the firm's global vision. In a trading statement released this week, Printing.com revealed its second overseas...

Don't miss out.
October 11, 2007... Time is running out to ensure your place at the PrintWeek Awards 2007. There are only a handful of seats left for the industry's night of nights, where the winners of print's most prestigious awards will be honoured. The ceremony will be held...

Joint attendance for first public outing.(PaperCo)(Roland DG Corp.)(Brief article)
October 11, 2007... Roland DG and PaperCo will be using their joint attendance at Digital Print World next week as the first public outing for Roland's recently launched range of wide-format printers specifically developed for the graphic arts industry. The Roland...

Exhibition promises to be biggest ever.
October 11, 2007... Digital Print World's organiser IIR Exhibitions has promised the capital's biggest-ever line-up of digital print technology for visitors to next week's show. The exhibition, which runs next Tuesday to Thursday at Earls Court, London, will...

Quark uses IfraExpo to release Quark Publishing System 7.
October 11, 2007... Quark has used this week's IfraExpo in Vienna to release Quark Publishing System 7, its latest collaborative workflow system. It introduces enhanced features aimed at streamlining editorial processes and improving production

MediaCo awarded ISO 14001.(Brief article)
October 11, 2007... MediaCo, the Manchester-based large-format digital printer, has been awarded the ISO 14001 environmental accreditation. Mark Wardle, managing director, said: 'This is a fantastic achievement for the company and is just one of the key objectives...

Stralfors appoints Dave Mills.
October 11, 2007... Stralfors has appointed Dave Mills as head of IT for its UK operations. Mills will be responsible for all IT activity in the UK. He was previously chief technology officer for the Book Club Associates, part of the Bertelsmann publishing group

Mark Andy presents new range of servo technology.
October 11, 2007... Mark Andy, the manufacturer of narrow-web printing equipment, presented a new range of servo technology for the production of film labels and flexible packaging at the recent Labelexpo in Brussels. This includes the Comco C2, which brings more...

Alcan launches campaign to reduce carbon emission.
October 11, 2007... Alcan Packaging's Cumbria site has launched 'Batteries Not Included', a campaign designed to help reduce its carbon emissions. The campaign challenges all staff to reduce energy consumption by an additional 10% by September 2008

Atex Group wins INM contract.(Independent News and Media PLC)(Brief article)
October 11, 2007... Publishing pre-press supplier Atex Group has won a major contract with Independent News & Media (INM) to provide cross-media and content management software. In a deal announced at this week's IfraExpo, the publisher of The Independent...

UV drying could be an option.(ultraviolet drying)(Brief article)
October 11, 2007... UV drying could become a viable alternative to heatset drying for newspaper printers looking to expand out of coldset printing, according to a report from PrintCity to be released early next year. PrintCity director of marketing and...

MAN plots plate-change revolution with robots.
October 11, 2007... Robotics are to be incorporated into printing presses for the first time in an initiative by MAN Roland that will cut makeready times on newspaper presses to just two and a half minutes. The German press manufacturer used this week's...

New Didcot site prompts job fears at Harmsworth's Staverton base.(Brief article)
October 11, 2007... Newspaper printer Harmsworth Printing's site at Staverton in Gloucestershire could be set to close with up to 100 jobs at risk. The company started a consultation with its employees on the redundancies at the end of last month. ...