Print Week articles from September 2008

Print Week archives from September 2008

Polestar scores double win with Census & IPC.
September 5, 2008... A consortium including print giant Polestar has won a pounds 150m contract to support the delivery of the 2011 Census for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The bumper contract win, which includes production of 34.5m information...

Johnston plant closure definite.
September 5, 2008... Johnston Press has confirmed that Northampton Web will close on the 14 September with the loss of 67 jobs. A spokesperson for the newspaper printer confirmed the date to PrintWeek. The move follows last month's announcement of the...

Francis makes a welcome return.(Haymarket Print Group)(Brief article)
September 5, 2008... Jo Francis, associate editor of Haymarket Print Group, returns to the pages of PrintWeek this week. From this issue onwards she will compile a round-up of her regular blogs posted on printweek.com, covering topics such as the similarities...

Ricoh's Ikon deal set to shake up digital sector.
September 5, 2008... Ricoh is set to bolster its position in the digital market after announcing it will purchase office equipment distributor Ikon Office Solutions for dollars 1.6bn (pounds 800m). Ikon is currently well positioned in the low-end production,...

Reed makes all staff redundant.(Brief article)
September 5, 2008... All staff at Reed Print & Design have been made redundant following the appointment of administrators PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to the company (PrintWeek, 29 August). PwC confirmed that all 128 staff at the Tyne and Wear-based company...

Goss and Manroland settle dispute.
September 5, 2008... Goss International and Manroland have resolved their US patent infringement case involving web-offset press sleeve blanket technology. Terms of the agreement, which marked the culmination of a patent infringement lawsuit filed in 2003,...

Rogerson vists MPKCS Trade Print.(Brief article)
September 5, 2008... KCS Trade Print, the Launceston, Cornwall-based printer, has been visited by Dan Rogerson MP, the Liberal Democrat Communities and Local Government shadow spokesperson, in recognition of its recent FSC and PEFC certification. Managing director...

Daily Telegraph completes move.
September 5, 2008... The Daily Telegraph this week completed its move to News International's new printing super sites in Broxbourne, Knowsley and Scotland. The newspaper is now available in full colour and, to mark the occasion, a series of new features have been...

Web Offset Champion Group compendium.
September 5, 2008... The Web Offset Champion Group has launched a 242-page Tool Box compendium of its seven best-practice guides, which is available to web printers in both English and German at a cost of around EUR100 (pounds 81.50). The guide is available to buy...

HHBV to submit RSDB bid.(HHBV acquired Quebecor World's European assets)(Brief article)
September 5, 2008... HHBV, the private equity house that acquired Quebecor World's European assets in June, has until today (5 September) to submit its bid for RSDB to the Dutch equivalent of the FSA. The private equity house had expected to complete its submission...

Perspektiv Direct appointment.
September 5, 2008... Perspektiv Direct has appointed Liam McDermott as business development manager. He will be responsible for developing sales opportunities within the business. He said: 'Perspektiv has experienced great success over recent years and I am looking...

Sun Chemical launches SunGuard Apollo.(Brief article)
September 5, 2008... Sun Chemical has launched SunGuard Apollo, which it claimed represents a new generation of infrared security inks to be used to deter counterfeiting. The SunGuard Apollo portfolio uses infrared responsive pigments that can be used either within...

FSB conducts study.
September 5, 2008... The Federation of Small Business (FSB) has conducted a study that found employees in small businesses are the most satisfied at work. The What Workers Want survey of 2,500 employees included more than 600 who work in the UK's smallest...

Print companies at risk as credit insurers cut limits, warns ICSM.
September 5, 2008... Credit insurance companies are cutting credit limits, threatening the financial stability of printers as the economic climate worsens, experts have warned. Suppliers are increasingly being forced into altering payment terms for printers,...

Debt forces start-up to close at cost of 12 jobs.(Four Four Two )(Brief article)
September 5, 2008... Start-up printer Four Four Two has gone into voluntary liquidation after being hit for more than pounds 50,000 from a bad debt earlier this year. Insolvency practitioner Ideal Corporate Solutions was appointed on Tuesday 26 August. ...

Ex-Communisis firm rebranded after MBO.
September 5, 2008... Bath Business Forms, the former Communisis subsidiary been rebranded and is now trading under the name Integrity Print. The rebranding, which came into effect on Monday (1 September), follows the pounds 12.8m MBO of Bath Business Forms and...

Unite hits out at FSB on call for cut in training red tape at SMEs.
September 5, 2008... Unite has rubbished calls from The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) for a reduction in red tape on training, saying it was 'talking nonsense'. Unite rebutted the FSB after it criticised regulations surrounding the 'time to train'...

Fujifilm books into TPE show.
September 5, 2008... Fujifilm has become the latest company to sign up to Total Print! Expo (TPE), which runs from 14 to 16 October, in what will be its first appearance at the show. The centre piece of the manufacturer's stand will be its XMF hybrid workflow....

BPIF's Johnson blasts Sainsbury's for 'phoney' environmental move.
September 5, 2008... BPIF chief executive Michael Johnson has accused Sainsbury's of 'pulling the wool over our eyes' following the decision to distribute its annual shareholders' report electronically. Sainbury's shunned print this year by sending its 120,000...

Flint launches green cleaner.(Frame Multi Clean)(Brief article)
September 5, 2008... Flint Group's pressroom consumables division, Day International, has launched what is said to be a fully biodegradable cleaner, the HDP Press Frame Multi Clean. The environmentally friendly cleaner is designed for pressroom cleaning...

Taylor Bloxham in 30% boost in productivity.
September 5, 2008... Taylor Bloxham has defied the economic slowdown with a pounds 1.5m investment in new pre-press, printing and finishing equipment, giving it productivity boost of up to 30%. The Leicester-based company, which recently bolstered its finishing...

RPM signs book publishing deal.
September 5, 2008... RPM Print and Design has teamed up with book distributor Booksource in a deal designed to help independent publishers distribute across the UK. The Chichester-based printer will use the distribution deal to bolster its existing services by...

Reader reaction - Are government tenders accessible enough to SMEs?
September 5, 2008... Following the industry's criticism of Supply2.gov.uk, four print bosses share their views. MAGAZINE PRINTER - Adrian Clark, sales manager, Southernprint 'All tenders are a complete pain, whether for small or large jobs, chargeable or...

Levenmouth invests in UK's first Sanxin YK524.(four-colour YK524 )(Brief article)
September 5, 2008... Levenmouth Printers has become the first British printer to invest in Sanxin's four-colour YK524 press. The 14-staff company said the press will allow the business more versatility in short- to medium-run work. The Sanxin machine,...

Survey says companies prefer print to email.
September 5, 2008... Print is still the preferred method of communication for businesses despite the rising popularity of email, a survey has found. New research from Kall Kwik revealed that 93% of businesses still choose to use printed mailings over electronic...

Scots mark 500 years of print.(Brief article)
September 5, 2008... Scotland is marking the 500th anniversary of its printing heritage this year with events being held across the country. Innerpeffray Library in Perthshire is currently hosting an exhibition of printed items from the past five centuries, the...

Legal notices.(Public notice)
September 5, 2008... 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 Heanorgate...

Communisis bucks trend with profits rise in half-year results.(Financial report)(Brief article)
September 5, 2008... Communisis is on the hunt for acquisitions following a 92% increase in profits in its interim results for the six months ending 30 June, bucking the current trend of poor results in the industry. The Leeds-based print management group...

Economist says recession here.
September 5, 2008... A recession is already upon us and will last for a full year, according to a leading City-based economist. Capital Economics economist Vicky Redwood told PrintWeek that the current outlook is the worst since the early 1990s and that this...

Print Direction moves business to single site.(Brief article)
September 5, 2008... Print management company Print Direction has moved to a new 976m2 site in Llandow, South Wales. Managing director Neil Taylor said the new single site in Vale Business Park would allow better communication compared to the two units...

Litho Supplies results hit by tough economy and restructuring costs.(Brief article)
September 5, 2008... Litho Supplies has announced its interim results, which show a fall in profits that the company blamed on reorganisation costs, challenging trading conditions, rising raw material prices and unfavourable currency fluctuations. The kit and...

Flint Group to launch two new flexo products at US trade show.
September 5, 2008... Flint Group Flexographic Products is gearing up to unveil two new products at next week's Labelexpo Americas in Chicago, US. The US-based company will hand North American debuts to both its nyloflex FAB printing plate and Rotec Hybrid...

Screen extends flexo CTP range.
September 5, 2008... Screen has expanded its range of flexo platesetters with the addition of the new PlateRite FX1524. The 1,076x1,524mm-format unit can output flexo and letterpress digital plates, as well as thermal ablation film. It has been designed...

EskoArtwork and SAP to integrate ArtiosCAD and ERP at Model Group.
September 5, 2008... EskoArtwork has announced a 'significant systems integration contract' that will see its ArtiosCAD design software married to SAP's Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) application. The integration, which was requested by Swiss-based...

Ashleigh in processless move with H'berg/Fuji.
September 5, 2008... Ashleigh Print has switched to processless CTP with the installation of a Heidelberg Suprasetter A52 platesetter. Managing director Diane Ashleigh, whose office wall had to be knocked down to take delivery of the new platesetter, said she...

Pureprint invests in two Indigo 5500s to boost digital capacity.(Brief article)
September 5, 2008... Pureprint Group has more than doubled its digital print capacity after investing in two HP Indigo 5500s. The investment is the cornerstone of the group's on-going expansion, which includes a new 186m2 digital printing department. Mark...

Roland reveals new printer.(Brief article)
September 5, 2008... Roland DG has unveiled its latest wide-format printer, the 64in VersaArt RS-640, designed to produce posters and outdoor signage. The four-colour machine employs eco-solvent inkjet technology and comes complete with VersaWorks professional...

Digital Book Print buys UK's first MGi Meteor for short-run work.
September 5, 2008... Print start-up Digital Book Print (DBP) is targeting the short-run book market after investing in the UK's first MGi Meteor DP60 colour digital printer. The Milton Keynes-based company opted for the Drupa-launched machine to offer runs as...

McKesson in InfoPrint 4100 double purchase.(Brief article)
September 5, 2008... McKesson UK has bought a brace of duplex InfoPrint 4100 continuous forms production printers to handle the work it carries out for National Health Service (NHS) payroll. The company prints 1.2m payroll slips each month, the equivalent of...

Chesapeake in Bobst purchase.
September 5, 2008... Increased sales and a growing demand for more complex products have inspired packaging group Chesapeake to invest in a Bobst Mistral folder-gluer. The machine, which has been installed at the US-owned company's pharmaceutical packaging...

Pagefast invests pounds 100k in kit and site extension.(Brief article)
September 5, 2008... Magazine and commercial printer Pagefast has spent pounds 100,000 on new finishing equipment and an extension to its existing facility. The Lancaster-based company has bought a Stahlfolder TA52 and Polar 78X guillotine from Heidelberg. ...

Muller speeds binder set-ups.(Brief article)
September 5, 2008... Finishing equipment manufacturer Muller Martini has claimed that saddle stitchers in the recently launched Primera family are easier to operate thanks to a new makeready device. The Primera 130 and 140 models have been fitted with an...

Folio moves into laminating with purchase of Tauler PrintLam CTIS.(Brief article)
September 5, 2008... Trade finishing specialist Folio (Bristol) has made the move into laminating with an investment in finishing kit from Friedheim International. The company has bought a Tauler PrintLam CTIS 105 B1 large-format laminator. It is a landscape...

Driftgate in StitchLiner buy to expand offering.
September 5, 2008... Commercial printer Driftgate Press has added a Horizon StitchLiner and an AFC566 folder from UK distributor GAE to its finishing arsenal. The JDF-ready StitchLiner features fully-automated makereadies and works from flat four-page sections....

Neckar put into administration in spite of a 'successful' August.(Brief article)
September 5, 2008... Neckar Paper, the German mill that was formerly a subsidiary of Steinbeis Temming and also known as Papierfabrik am Neckar, has been placed into administration, putting the jobs of its 190 staff at risk. The company makes recycled uncoated...

Stora bosses in GET reshuffle.
September 5, 2008... Paper giant Stora Enso has made senior management changes to its Group Executive Team (GET), following a year of restructuring. Hannu Ryopponen, deputy chief executive and chief financial officer, will hand over his chief financial...

NAPM: Public is 'poorly informed' over paper.
September 5, 2008... The environmental impact of paper is still not understood by the general public, according to a survey of media buyers carried out by the National Association of Paper Merchants (NAPM). The results showed that 95% of respondents believed...

Arctic uncoated sales up despite growing overseas competition.(Financial report)
September 5, 2008... Arctic Paper has reported a sales increase of uncoated paper, but warned of 'extremely tough' new competition from Asia, the US and Canada. The fine paper manufacturer sold 205,000 tonnes of uncoated paper during the first six months of...

Contract update.
September 5, 2008... St Ives has printed a 352pp bumper Decanter World Wine Awards 2008 edition of monthly wine magazine Decanter. The awards special, which came out on 3 September 2008, comes bagged with a 32pp Chile special. The magazine usually runs between...

Client Audit: CBS Outdoor.
September 5, 2008... CBS Outdoor holds advertising contracts with the majority of bus operators in the UK and Ireland. Its clients also include the London Underground, four tram networks and much of Network Rail. The outdoor advertising contractor has offered...

Editorial: Autumn will be neither mellow nor fruitful.(Editorial)
September 5, 2008... It's (almost) official: we're in recession. Presumably this won't come as much of a surprise to any of you. UK economic growth stalled in the second quarter, according to revised government figures, and it is widely predicted that when the...

Comment: Take your marks, get set, print!
September 5, 2008... - Organic ink? You must be certifiable I've just learned that the Soil Association's organic certification stamp can also apply to print and it turns out that the UK has Europe's only certified organic t-shirt printer, the aptly named T...

Talking business: Comment - Government legislation means health and safety is now a board-level issue.
September 5, 2008... More than 300,000 workers are employed in the printing industry and each year approximately 1,200 of them suffer accidents at work. More than 200 of the reported accidents will be classified as major injuries, which include fractures and...

Profile: Pureprint group - Award-winning business shows green print doesn't have to be a compromise.(Company overview)
September 5, 2008... Twice winner of a Queen's Award for Enterprise, Pureprint epitomises lean and green craft. Tom Hall reports. In May this year, Pureprint Group bowed down to be 'knighted'. The company won a Queen's Award for Enterprise - its second in five...

Analysis: Economic slowdown - Credit crunch shows no sign of abating.
September 5, 2008... William Mitting finds little to fuel optimism for printers as confidence continues to plummet. One only has to glance at the pages of PrintWeek over the past few weeks to realise that these are extraordinarily difficult times for UK print...

Scottish Printing: Thistles and fonts.
September 5, 2008... This year marks the 500th anniversary of print in Scotland Caroline Archer charts the industry's history north of the border. Printing was a long time coming north of the border: it wasn't until 1508 that Andrew Myllar and Walter Chepman...

Better business: Don't get burnt by bad insurance.
September 5, 2008... Insurance policies may seem like unaffordable luxuries at the moment, but Philip Chadwick explains why it is paramount for the survival of your business that you get the right cover. So you've bought that new press with all the bells and...

Product Portfolio: Product of the week - Brandtjen & Kluge EHG.(Product/service evaluation)
September 5, 2008... The EHG is Brandtjen & Kluge's first B2 hot-foiling, embossing and die-stamping machine and the step up in size from B3 has been cleverly dealt with, discovers Karen Charlesworth. Value-added finishing has become something of a cliche in...

Product portfolio: Me & My... Blumer Atlas 1110 LS.
September 5, 2008... Alan Rees, operations director at Gilmour & Dean, hopes the Atlas will help him attract business as a punching and finishing sub-contractor. - What does the machine do? The machine cuts strips of labels for punching and banding. It is...

Product portfolio: Tried & tested - Manroland R300.(Product/service evaluation)
September 5, 2008... An enormously popular press when it was released, the high-spec R300 still has a lot to offer secondhand, says Nosmot Gbadamosi. According to Manroland, the R300 is 'a good honest press' - a machine where all the bells and whistles come as...

Product portfolio: Buyers' guide - Letterhead paper.(Product/service evaluation)
September 5, 2008... Nosmot Gbadamosi finds that paper stocks with high environmental credentials are proving a popular choice for company communications. Sometimes it's the little things that make all the difference. A survey by Arjowiggins found that 90% of...

Product portfolio: Joanne's help line - Kit for calendars & cover queries.(Product/service evaluation)
September 5, 2008... Joanne Gardner tracks down the solutions to your technical troubles. - Q: I run a small business making greeting cards and want to expand into hanging calendars. I already have a printer that will do the job, but what other kit will I...

Diary.(Calendar)
September 5, 2008... SEPTEMBER The Print for business 2008 exhibition Date: 16-18 September Venue: NEC Birmingham Price: free Contact: www.ipia.org.uk BPIF's 3RD national finance and investment conference Date: 18 September Venue: London Price:...

Technical tutorial: WEEE Directive.
September 5, 2008... The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive was introduced last summer, and the bad news is that it could have an impact on your business. In the WEEE directive, electronic equipment is separated into 10 different categories....

Post Script: Meandering across the moors for a good cause.
September 5, 2008... 'To say it is hard is an understatement,' said Steve Sullivan, plant manager at Pamarco Global Graphics, referring to his recent gruelling 42-mile run from Osmotherley to Ravenscar, North Yorkshire. Despite this warning, Sullivan and...

Post Script: Memory Lane.
September 5, 2008... ONE YEAR AGO Quebecor and Wyndeham lost their top Emap contracts to gravure companies... Oce launched what was claimed to be the world's fastest toner-based digital printer... TPF landed a pounds 50m contract with insurer...

Post Script: Print's Past - Old for new.(Brief article)
September 5, 2008... Not all the best printing projects depend on up-to-the-minute technological solutions and I am always pleased when new generations of designers start to use old technologies in a contemporary manner. Johanna Basford's collection of...

Post Script: Q&A - Duncan Summers.
September 5, 2008... Duncan Summers, 38, is SVTwo's sales director. He started working in the print industry at 16 and lives with his 'better half' Lindsey and two sons Oliver and Louie. His passions are Man Utd and playing cricket, but he'd rather be in the Girls...

Administrators ready to step in at MPI if final rescue deal fails.(Media & Print Investments )
September 12, 2008... The future of print group Media & Print Investments (MPI) was in doubt as PrintWeek went to press, with administrators lined up to step in in the event of a potential sale falling through. Speculation surrounding the company broke out at...

Caris 'still committed' to RSDB consolidation.(Brief article)
September 12, 2008... John Caris, the chief executive of Roto Smeets' parent company RSDB, has said he remains committed to pan-European consolidation in the print industry despite the collapse of the deal to sell the company to HHBV. Caris said that the...

PrintWeek leads tenders petition.
September 12, 2008... PrintWeek has launched a petition urging the government to make tenders more accessible to smaller firms. The e-petition follows criticism in the industry about the cost of bidding through the government's tender website supply2.gov.uk and...

TL Visuals' debts block acquisition.(Brief article)
September 12, 2008... TL Visuals' proposed sale to Pepper Communications has fallen through as a result of larger-than-anticipated debts at the Bristol-based printer. Pepper, a Plymouth-based direct mail house, pulled the plug on the deal following the...

PrintCity Alliance offers book free of charge.
September 12, 2008... The PrintCity Alliance is offering its new 72pp book Connection of Competence Book free of charge at www.printcity.de/shop. The title introduces the range of work conducted by the strategic alliance and provides an introduction to its current...

Appointments at Danwood Scotland.(Brief article)
September 12, 2008... Danwood Scotland has bolstered its senior sales team after making two new appointments. David Macartney has become commercial sales director for the northern region and Craig Hamilton has become Danwood Scotland's commercial sales director. The...

Domino Printing Sciences helps charity.
September 12, 2008... Domino Printing Sciences is doing its bit for charity with employees taking part in the recent annual London to Cambridge bike ride. The event was held in aid of Breakthrough Breast Cancer. The first of the Domino team completed the gruelling...

Qualitech Group celebrates 30 years in business.(Brief article)
September 12, 2008... Qualitech Group celebrated 30 years in business on 10 September The Stockport-based printer, founded by Stuart Anderson, said it expects to 'continue to invest heavily in technology to stay at the forefront of the print industry'. Steve...

Manroland takes on new trainees.
September 12, 2008... Manroland has taken on more than 120 new trainees covering roles such as mechatronics, electronics, mechanical engineering and business administration. Training is taking place across the company's Offenbach, Mainhausen, Augsburg and Plauen...

Michael Birch launches Wordia.(Brief article)
September 12, 2008... Bebo founder Michael Birch is hailing the end of the print dictionary with the launch of his latest business venture Wordia, an online video dictionary. Birch, who founded the social networking website, will claim 'the much-loved print...

Screen set to showcase newspaper printing service.
September 12, 2008... Screen is set to showcase its remote 'Digital-On-Demand' newspaper printing service at Ifra Expo 2008. The service uses a Truepress Jet520 digital printer to produce same day copies of titles including Daily Mail, The Guardian, Le Monde and El...

Trinity and Newsquest closures threat endangers 200 print jobs.
September 12, 2008... Almost 200 newspaper printing jobs could be lost following the announcement of potential plant closures by Trinity Mirror and Newsquest. Trinity Mirror announced last week that it was planning to move its North West portfolio, including...

Heronsgate CVA is last bid to prevent closure.(Brief article)
September 12, 2008... Heronsgate faces closure if a 38.5p in the pound offer to restructure its three-quarters of a million pound debt is rejected by creditors. A meeting of the creditors will take place on 18 September when they will vote on Heronsgate's...

AccessPlus's Emerson in surprise departure.(Brief article)
September 12, 2008... Daniel Emerson, managing director of AccessPlus, has announced his planned departure from the company just over three months after it was bought by stationery group Office2Office (O2O). Emerson, who joined the print manager around five...

Proskills expects LSC go-ahead for the NSA after initial setback.(Learning Skills Council)
September 12, 2008... Proskills has said it hoped to get the green light for the National Skills Academy (NSA) before the New Year having made good progress in its ongoing negotiations with the Learning Skills Council (LSC). The sector skills council was knocked...

Chapman starts new business.
September 12, 2008... Curtis Fine Papers' former managing director Keith Chapman has launched a consultancy business to offer re-financing and turnaround support to companies in the paper, packaging and plastics sectors. Revelation Consultants, based in...