Print Week articles from September 2007

Print Week archives from September 2007

Print firms' fury over claims of lower pay for migrant workers.
September 27, 2007... Printers have reacted angrily to claims in a national newspaper that they are using migrants to drive down the pay and conditions of permanent British workers. Quebecor World, St Ives and Trinity Mirror were named by The Guardian as...

Olympics tender delay over surge of interest.(Olympic Delivery Authority)(Brief article)
September 27, 2007... The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has delayed contacting shortlisted bidders for the London 2012 print tender after being inundated by expressions of interest. The original schedule stated that would-be suppliers who passed the first...

FSA launches tender worth pounds 21m.(Financial Services Authority)(Brief article)
September 27, 2007... A tender for print and repro work worth up to pounds 21m has been launched by the Financial Services Authority (FSA). Tender documents for the seven-year framework, which is split into five lots, were posted earlier this month. Work will...

SV.Two sets sights on expansion.(Brief article)
September 27, 2007... SV.Two, the financial services printer, is looking for acquisitions after investing pounds 1m in a six-colour B2 Heidelberg Speedmaster. The London-based firm, which also deals with the luxury retail, report and accounts and...

In Brief: Mastercolour achieves FSC accreditation.(Forest Stewardship Council)(Brief article)
September 27, 2007... Mastercolour, the Tunbridge Wells-based B1 and B2 printer, has achieved FSC accreditation. Assistant managing director Mark Lewis said: 'Initially, we have been client-driven in achieving environmental standards. But within the next six...

In Brief: Official naming of Fujifilm yacht.(Brief article)
September 27, 2007... Fujifilm, the Class 40 racing yacht sponsored by the Japanese imaging technology group, was officially named at the Southampton Boat Show last week. The 40ft vessel was christened by Fujifilm UK managing director Hiroshi Saigusa, who wished...

In Brief: Day International to exhibit at Ifra 2007.
September 27, 2007... Day International will exhibit at Ifra 2007, which takes place on 8-11 October in Vienna. The Flint Group-owned company will showcase its tensioning, metal-backed and tubular blanket technologies

In Brief: Appointment at Benhamgoodheadprint.
September 27, 2007... Benhamgoodheadprint has hired Helen Tomes as customer service director. Currently magazine circulation director at Reader's Digest, she will join the Bicester-based firm in November

In Brief: Apex Digital Graphics to stage event.
September 27, 2007... Apex Digital Graphics will stage a 'Solutions for Profit' event at its Hemel Hempstead headquarters on 30 October-1 November. It will include a wide range of equipment suppliers, in addition to its own range of Ryobi presses and ECRM Screen...

In Brief: Simpson Group secures accreditation.
September 27, 2007... Simpson Group has claimed to be the first point-of-purchase printer in the UK to secure PAS 75. The accreditation, which has been developed jointly by the BSI and BPIF, aims to improve processes and enhance service

In Brief: Appointment at Domino UK.
September 27, 2007... Domino UK, the Cambridge-based ink jet and laser manufacturer, has promoted Gary Girling to tactical marketing manager for the UK. He joined from Alphadot, which was acquired by Domino in 2005

In Brief: Colour Collective offer.
September 27, 2007... The Colour Collective, based in Warwick, is offering Linotype Hell and Heidelberg scanner users the chance to update their scanning software and move over to the latest Mac platforms with the SilverFast 6.5.5 package

In Brief: Antalis teams up with Breast Cancer Campaign.
September 27, 2007... Antalis is teamed up with the Breast Cancer Campaign for 2007 and 2008. Over the next 12 months, the Leicester-based paper merchant has committed to raising a minimum of pounds 25,000 through the sale of pink opaque envelopes

Union in last-ditch attempt to save Wace after sale falters.
September 27, 2007... Unite has launched a last-ditch effort to find a buyer for Wace after a deal to buy the Swindon firm fell through at the eleventh hour. The union said a deal to sell Wace to a company called Corporate Securities UK was imminent last...

Cosy PM days are over, says Communisis CEO.(print management)(Brief article)
September 27, 2007... Communisis chief executive Steve Vaughan has added fuel to the changes in print management by declaring that 'the way we've seen print management over the past 10 years is dead'. Vaughan told delegates at this week's BPIF/Print Yorkshire...

Open day.(RGL expansion)(Brief article)
September 27, 2007... Former chancellor of the exchequer Ken Clarke has performed the opening ceremony at RGL, marking the end of its pounds 2m expansion. The Nottingham printer's development comes after an internal reorganisation, during which managing...

Astra buys rival Devon printer.(Astra Printing Group acquired Cullompton Press )(Brief article)
September 27, 2007... Commercial and specialist printer Astra Printing Group has acquired local rival Cullompton Press for an undisclosed sum. As of 1 September, the Cullompton, Devon-based firms have been operating under the Astra brand. Partner Bryn...

HarperCollins switches paperback list to FSC.
September 27, 2007... Book publisher HarperCollins UK (HCUK) has taken a further step in its environmental drive by switching its entire mass-market paperback list to printing on FSC-accredited stock. The move means that 55% of all books produced by the...

Howard Hunt is carbon neutral.(Brief article)
September 27, 2007... Howard Hunt Group has announced its carbon-neutral status after working with The CarbonNeutral Company to measure and reduce its carbon footprint. The Dartford firm made changes to its internal systems as well as offsetting CO2 from gas,...

Manufacturers put focus on B1 and packaging presses at Igas.
September 27, 2007... The commercial B1 and packaging press arenas are set to hot up after a host of Japanese manufacturers used this week's Igas show in Tokyo to premiere new presses. Shinohara launched its 109, a 18,000sph 788x1,090mm oversized B1-format...

HBPG acquires Xerox iGen3.
September 27, 2007... Horner Brothers Print Group (HBPG) has bought a Xerox iGen3 as part of a pounds 500,000 project that has been part-financed by the European Union's European Regional Development Fund. Aid for the investment came through the South...

ICSM unveils bill tracking system.(ICSM Partnership)(Brief article)
September 27, 2007... Credit checking specialist ICSM has launched a new service to help printers chase up unpaid bills. The new Legal Letter System is an online service that can be accessed by ICSM subscribers. Letters cost pounds 3 each and carry both...

Directions study points to bullish print outlook.(Brief article)
September 27, 2007... Printers are optimistic about the current quarter of 2007, despite this summer failing to live up to expectations, according to the latest BPIF Directions survey. The study claims that print's level of optimism is at its highest level...

Green St moves to bigger site.(Green Street Bindery)(Brief article)
September 27, 2007... Green Street Bindery in Oxford has left its home of 25 years for new premises. The firm has left Green Street and is now located two miles away at the Horspath Trading Centre. According to the company, which currently employs 15...

Reader reaction: Is the printing industry ready for 100% recycled paper?
September 27, 2007... As the National Trust magazine goes green, we ask if printers are embracing fully recycled stock PAPER MANUFACTURER - David Turnbull, UK sales director, Curtis Fine Papers 'The threat we all face from climate change means that this is no...

Legal notices.
September 27, 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 Lanham Print...

Evans eyes pounds 10m sales after Affinity merger.(Richard Evans)(Brief article)
September 27, 2007... Former Centurion director Richard Evans is hunting for acquisitions after merging Affinity Print Management and Richard Evans Affinity Services (REAS) to create Affinity Connected. Evans, son of Centurion founder and chairman Lord Evans...

Consultancy launches old-kit marketplace.
September 27, 2007... A free service that enables printers to advertise redundant stock and equipment has been launched by business and advice consultancy company Principle Partners. Principle Partners managing director Ian Brown said: 'I have seen printers...

On yer bike.(Printers Charitable Corp. to give bikes for leading manufacturer in PrintWeek Awards ceremony)(Brief article)
September 27, 2007... The Printers' Charitable Corporation is to give away four bikes from leading manufacturer Specialized, worth more than pounds 2,000, at this year's PrintWeek Awards ceremony. The raffle prize consists of two state-of-the-art Globe City adult...

FFEI to launch CTP range aimed at high-end newspaper sector.
September 27, 2007... FFEI is gearing up for a major assault on the newspaper sector ahead of next month's Ifra, where it plans to unveil a new range of platesetters aimed at the newspaper industry. Hemel Hempstead-based FFEI, which was bought from parent...

Halstan opts for chemistry-free.
September 27, 2007... Halstan Printing Group has gone chemistry-free with an Avalon thermal platesetter from Agfa following the recent award of its ISO 14001 accreditation. The Amersham-based book and commercial printer installed the new platesetter this...

Emap cuts proof time on six titles with integrated Dalim workflow.
September 27, 2007... Emap has implemented a new pre-press workflow that will 'maximise' its in-house editorial page production. Six Emap titles are using the Dalim Software-enabled tool, supplied by London-based Rival Colour, which will provide online access...

PS2 switches to metal with Suprasetter A74.
September 27, 2007... Digital and B3 litho printer PS2 Digital has upgraded from polyester to metal CTP with the installation of a new Heidelberg Suprasetter A74. The Runcorn-based company, which started out as a repro house, before adding digital, direct...

New Info-Tec digital press will play key role in firm's future.
September 27, 2007... Info-Tec Distribution is to distribute a new digital press which will play a 'significant part' in the firm's future. The Poole-based company has signed a deal to distribute the Intec CP2000 aimed at the corporate, in-house production and...

InfoPrint launches an AFP colour printer for the direct mail sector.
September 27, 2007... IBM and Ricoh's joint venture, InfoPrint, has been focusing on the front end of its offering with the launch of two products. The company claimed InfoPrint Color Solution was the first open standards-based, end-to-end AFP colour product...

DsiCMM picks up innovation title.
September 27, 2007... DsiCMM won one of the top awards at the Printing Innovation with Xerox Imaging awards. It was feted in the collateral category for the University of Surrey prospectus, which was printed on a Xerox iGen3. Each featured customised course...

Flower power.(ColourMaster Images to produce range of colourful prints)(Brief article)
September 27, 2007... ColourMaster Images has produced a range of colourful prints with a horticultural theme. The Leicestershire-based company has created a range of photographs by award- winning botanical photographer Clive Nichols. The images were printed...

Tech-ni-fold in website drive.(Website overview)
September 27, 2007... Finishing equipment manufacturer Tech-ni-fold has launched its website in six foreign languages as it looks to increase its presence abroad. The company is also making videos of all its products available on the website for people that...

In-house finishing to grab spotlight at DPW.(Brief article)
September 27, 2007... In-house finishing is to take centre stage at next month's Digital Print World (DPW) show as a host of finishing kit manufacturers push the benefits of minimising outsourced work. More than 15 finishing kit firms including Watkiss, Terry...

Pitney expands DA mailer range.
September 27, 2007... Mailing manufacturer Pitney Bowes has launched a range of fixed-head, high-speed address printing systems, the DA Series. The firm said that the range offers frequent mailers enhanced productivity and labour savings. Mailing...

Chris Fowler International fires up PowerSquare 200 bookletmaker.(contracts with Watkiss Automation)
September 27, 2007... Finishing manufacturer Watkiss Automation has revealed its first customer for its PowerSquare 200, Chris Fowler International (CFI). The London-based, pounds 9m-turnover financial and commercial printer went into production with the...

Bucks Binders orders Hohner saddlestitcher.(Buckingham Binders)(Brief article)
September 27, 2007... Trade finisher Buckingham Binders is set to expand its services with a new Hohner HSB10000 saddlestitcher. According to managing director Nigel Crook, the new machine will be the first of its kind to be installed in the UK. The...

Printers quizzed on implication of Antalis's acquisition of MAP.(Map Merchant Group)
September 27, 2007... UK printers are being canvassed by the EU Commission over the impact that Antalis's proposed pounds 258m acquisition of MAP Merchant Group may have on the market. The Commission's competition watchdog sent questionnaires to several UK...

M-real to raise reel cost by 5%.
September 27, 2007... UK printers will be hit with another round of paper price increases as M-real Publishing announced its intention to raise the price of its coated magazine reels by 5%. Staff at the Finnish paper giant are contacting customers with...

Dual accreditation for Independent Paper.
September 27, 2007... Independent Paper has bolstered its environmental credentials after attain- ing dual FSC and PEFC accreditation. The merchant completed the audit for the accreditations, which include chain-of-custody certification, earlier this month....

Caught in colour.(Curtis Fine Papers to produce promotional folder )(Brief article)
September 27, 2007... Curtis Fine Papers has produced a promotional folder to highlight the 'light and reveal' aspect of its new security feature, Curtis Intone. It is designed for high-value ticketing applications and provides immediate proof of authenticity. The...

Contract update.
September 27, 2007... Stralfors has won the deal to manage Stonebridge International Insurance's daily print fulfilment in a three-year contract worth over pounds 1.5m. The Swindon-based firm will produce welcome packs and policy renewals, amendments and...

Client audit: University of East London.(Brief article)
September 27, 2007... The University of East London (UEL) is growing fast, recently undergoing a pounds 112m investment. Steve Marlow,head ofprintservices at UEL is coping well with this change, settling into the university's new bespoke print centre, opened in...

Editorial: Will the 2012 Olympics really cheer printers?(Editorial)
September 27, 2007... As a journalist, even one writing about the print industry, it's hard to ignore anything that has even the smallest link to three little words: 'London', '2012' and 'Olympics'. The same, it seems, applies for printers. As we report this...

Comment: Study has always been dismissed.
September 27, 2007... David Nestor, the young founder and managing director of First4Print Finishing in Blackburn, was indirectly quoted in a recent issue of PrintWeek as observing that the printing industry is inclined to value and nurture trade experience more...

Comment: Talking business.
September 27, 2007... Credit crisis hits confidence but wider economic implications remain unclear. In his book Freakonomics, Steven Levitt wrote about 'unintended consequences'. His example was a fine levied on parents who had left their children at nursery...

Profile: Ian McDonald - The man behind NI's new sites brings down the curtain on a 51-year career.
September 27, 2007... But Ian McDonald won't retire till he has seen the pounds 660m project through to its conclusion, says Adam Hooker. In November Ian McDonald, managing director of operations at News International (NI), will switch to working two days a...

Analysis: News International - NI takes giant step closer to full-colour.
September 27, 2007... Broxbourne, Eurocentral and Knowsley sites set for completion by year-end, finds Adam Hooker. Thursday 13 September 2007 may not go down as the most significant date in print history, but two weeks ago today marked the beginning of the...

Product Portfolio: Product of the week - Duplo Esper DM-19.(Product/service evaluation)
September 27, 2007... Duplo's compact collator sets sights on short-run market with its small footprint and fast set-ups, finds Karen Charlesworth. Unaddressed mail - also known as door-drops - is a fast growing sector in the direct marketing industry. After...

Product Portfolio: Me & my ... Autobond Mini 105 TPH.(Product/service evaluation)
September 27, 2007... Rossington and Corden Print Finishers director Duncan Rossington believes his Autobond Mini produces the most efficient laminating on the market. What does the machine do? It is a B1 landscape thermal laminator, capable of laminating...

Product Portfolio: Tried & tested - Fuji Luxel V-6.(Product/service evaluation)
September 27, 2007... A model of flexibility and automation, Fuji's B2 platesetter offers smaller printers the chance to compete for key contracts. By Nosmot Gbadamosi. In 2004, Fuji used Drupa to launch its Luxel V-6 B2 violet platesetter into an expanding...

Product Portfolio: Buyers' guide - Screen process presses.(Product/service evaluation)
September 27, 2007... While screen faces mounting pressure from digital and litho, its specialist appeal is guarding its relevance to the industry. By Nosmot Gbadamosi. Despite being in the grip of digital's tightening stranglehold, for very large substrate...

Product Portfolio: Joanne's help line - Money copyright & photo wallets.(Product/service evaluation)
September 27, 2007... Joanne Gardner tracks down the solutions to your print problems. Q: A client wants us to use a photograph of a pile of money as part of a promotional campaign. I have been told by a colleague that there may be legal implications here....

Product Portfolio: Diary.
September 27, 2007... OCTOBER DIGITAL PRINT WORLD Date: 16-18 October Venue: Earls Court 2, London Price: Free Contact: www.digital printworld.co.uk PRINTWEEK AWARDS Date: 22 October Venue: Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London Price: pounds...

Product Portfolio: Technical Tutorial - Climate change levy.(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
September 27, 2007... There's a very easy rule of thumb to work out whether or not you're obliged to pay the Climate Change Levy, and the simple answer is always 'yes'. The Climate Change Levy is currently 0.15p per kilowatt hour (kwh) on gas, and 0.43p per...

EU tenders.
September 27, 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: After 40 years in print, she who (A)dares wins.
September 27, 2007... Back in 1967, The Beatles' seminal Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band hit the record stores, flares graced the ankles of any self-respecting hipster, and one 15-year-old entered the offices of Hirst Buckley, kicking off a career that...

Post Script: Memory Lane.
September 27, 2007... ONE YEAR AGO - Prinovis revealed Argos, Tesco and Ikea as big-name clients for its Liverpool gravure supersite... PlasTec folded after administrators failed to find a buyer... Heidelberg prepared for an assault on the packaging market......

Post Script: Print's Past - Provincial print.(Brief article)
September 27, 2007... On a recent visit to the Roman city of St Albans, I was reminded of the significant part that city has played in the history of printing in the UK. It was William Caxton who first brought printing to England in 1477, at which time there...

Post Script: Q&A - Neil Arnott, Horner Brothers Print Group.(Interview)(Brief article)
September 27, 2007... Neil Arnott is operations director at Horner Brothers Print Group He has worked in print for 17 years, although he does have a yearning for the agricultural life. In his spare time he likes watching comedy films and television shows. He also...

Royal Mail set to hand massive PM deal to St Ives, say sources.
September 20, 2007... St Ives is understood to be on the verge of signing its first big-ticket print management contract after it emerged as the front-runner in Royal Mail's huge print tender. It is understood that Royal Mail has begun due diligence at St Ives...

Blaze rips through Donnelley's Kadocourt site.(RR Donnelley Kadocourt)(Brief article)
September 20, 2007... RR Donnelley Kadocourt has been rocked by a huge fire, which at its peak could be seen 15 miles away. The Aylesbury book binding and finishing house was attended by more than 70 firefighters on Saturday (15 September). According to...

Team Impression's float sets up expansion plan.
September 20, 2007... Team Impression, the Leeds-based printer, is planning expansion through acquisition and kit investment after floating on the Plus Markets stock exchange. Shares in the pounds 6.7m-turnover firm were due to start trading on the Plus...

Scotland marks print anniversary.(Brief article)
September 20, 2007... Celebrations to mark the 500th anniversary of print's arrival in Scotland began this weekend. King James IV issued the first licence to print to two Edinburgh-based entrepreneurs, merchant Walter Chepman and bookseller Androw Myllar, on...

Unite calls for employment rights.
September 20, 2007... Hundreds of print and paper workers are expected to descend on Bournemouth this Sunday to support greater employment rights. Unite, the UK's biggest union, which is based in London, has organised a demonstration at Gordon Brown's first...

Technotrans to showcase its central water cooling system.
September 20, 2007... Technotrans will showcase its central water cooling system, beta.ps, at Heidelberg's upcoming open houses. The feature will be shown on a Speedmaster XL 105 UV. Technotrans operations director Peter Benton said: 'Climate control within the...

Greenpeace blockades ship carrying cargo of wood pulp from Canada.
September 20, 2007... Greenpeace has blockaded a ship carrying a cargo of wood pulp from a Canadian freshwater port. The ship was destined for a Stora Enso plant in Germany

Envirowise to run a web seminar.
September 20, 2007... Envirowise is to run a web seminar on 11 October offering free guidance on cleaner packaging design. The 'webinar', which will start at 11.30am, will feature presentations from expert advisors, including an update on current and future...

Bertelsmann pushing for cost-cutting programme.
September 20, 2007... Bertelsmann, the German media group, is pushing for a cost-cutting programme at its gravure printing arm Prinovis, according to press reports. It aims to cut 150 jobs at its German sites

Correction.(Correction notice)
September 20, 2007... Due to an error, the wrong sponsor's statement was printed in last week's Awards shortlist for Direct Mail Printer of the Year. It should have read: 'Elliott Baxter is the leading truly 'independent paper supplier' in the UK. Ten...

Clarification.(Correction notice)
September 20, 2007... In last week's sponsor's statement for SME Company of the Year, we published the incorrect sponsor's statement and phone number for Close Print Finance. The correct number is 020 8309 4415, apologies for any confusion caused. The statement...

Rivals feel heat as Heidelberg completes VLF assembly hall.
September 20, 2007... Heidelberg's long-awaited entry into the very-large format (VLF) sector has come a step closer with the completion of a pounds 31m (EUR45m) assembly hall. Hall 11 of Heidelberg's Wiesloch-Walldorf site, where the firm's Speedmaster XL1...

UK 'behind' Europe in web-to-print stakes.(Brief article)
September 20, 2007... UK printers are lagging behind the rest of Europe in the adoption of web-to-print software, according to a report from InfoTrends. It found some 60% of UK companies had no plans to run web-to-print systems, with only 20% saying that they...

Buy strengthens hand for HP in wide-format.
September 20, 2007... HP has bought MacDermid ColorSpan in a move that will buoy up its wide-format arm. The deal, for an undisclosed sum, means HP will have a foothold in the small-to mid-size signmaking and display graphics market. MacDermid ColorSpan...

AW Clowes branch into cartons with new site.
September 20, 2007... Packaging printer Arthur W Clowes has moved its entire operation into one facility after a pounds 2.5m investment. Investment in new machinery has also meant that the skin and blister pack specialist can branch out into the carton market....

Firstan eyes expansion after secondary MBO.(management buyout)(acquired Lloyds TSB Development Capital)(Brief article)
September 20, 2007... Firstan, the Cambridge-based food and pharmaceuticals packaging printer, is on the lookout for acquisitions after completing a secondary buyout from Lloyds TSB Development Capital. The deal, backed by asset-based lending firm KBC Business...

Communisis gives P&G access to supplier base.
September 20, 2007... Communisis has signed up worldwide FMCG firm Procter & Gamble (P&G) as a new customer in a deal described by chief executive Steve Vaughan as 'print management as you've never seen it before'. Under the service, revealed this week as...

XGS secures Europart document contract.(Xerox Global Services)(Brief article)
September 20, 2007... Xerox Global Services (XGS) has clinched a pounds 41m pan-European deal with Europart as it steps up its document management work with Italian motorbike manufacturer Ducati. The seven-year Europart contract means XGS will manage the car...

First DM job win for Flexeprint.
September 20, 2007... Print management firm Flexeprint has signed a pounds 200,000 marketing contract with Stagecoach Theatre Arts, the world's largest part-time performing arts school network. Under the two-year contract, Flexeprint's partner, The Sherwood...