Printing World articles from April 2002

Printing World archives from April 2002

Xerox hits back to quash fears.(licensing fee rumor)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Xerox has acted swiftly to quash fears that users of its production printers would face annual licence fees to use the operating and diagnostic software necessary for its presses. Users had contacted Printing World after receiving letters...

Newsquest expands in Oxon.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Newsquest, publisher of the daily Oxford Mail and weeklies the Oxford Times and Oxford Star, has submitted a planning application to rebuild its factory at Osney Mead, on the edge of the town, and almost double it in size. The plans, which...

Best of British.(Clays of Bungay prints Margaret Thatcher book)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... HarperCollins, publisher of Margaret Thatcher's new book Statecraft which has caused great controversy by blaming the ills of the world on Europe, has remained true to the sentiment of the book by having it printed by a British company. Clays...

It's all mapped out.(Lonely Planet moves all production to Melbourne)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Travel guide publisher Lonely Planet is moving all its production and cartography operations to Melbourne, Australia, after a `short-term but significant' drop in sales after the September 11 terror attacks. But British book printers are...

KBA hit by stoppage.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... German engineering union IGMetall last week staged a strike at KBA's sheetfed press plant in Radebuel near Dresden. The union represents 2,000 workers at the plant. It has been seeking a 6.5% pay increase and has been organising strikes...

Dunstable down as Country Life goes web.(Polestar Specialist Colour may cease printing)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... The end of printing at Polestar Specialist Colour in Dunstable looks almost certain as Country Life is changing after 30 years from sheetfed litho to web offset at Polestar Chantry Web. Negotiations have begun with unions over the future of...

Receiver hopes for quick Omnia Books sale.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Omnia Books has been placed in receivership by the Bank of Scotland with Ian Bennett from PricewaterhouseCoopers' Glasgow office in charge of trying to sell the company at short notice. As Printing World went to press last week staff at the...

Vio cashes in.(receives funding)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Vio has revealed that the #3m backing it secured in January (Printing World, February 4) has come from LMS Capital, the venture capital arm of FTSE 250 company London Merchant Services. It has prompted speculation that Vio is heading for a...

Board changes.(Agfa-Gevaert)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Agfa-Gevaert's annual meeting of April 30 will be asked to approve changes in the board as Andre Leysen, chairman, and Hermann Josef Strenger, vice chairman, have resigned for age reasons. The board has named Andre Leysen honorary chairman....

Queen dines.(Newspaper Society's annual launch)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were guests of honour at the Newspaper Society's annual launch at The Savoy in London last Tuesday. The Queen said she believed the regional press performed a vital community role which she hoped would be...

GPMU's welcome.(EU Directive on Agency Workers)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... The GPMU has given a guarded welcome to a new EU Directive on Agency Workers, published last week. Although the union has concerns over some loopholes, it welcomes the equal rights the directive will extend to the growing number of agency staff...

Parvenu folds.(Parvenu Press)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Parvenu Press in Woolwich, south-east London, went into administrative receivership on March 15 at the instigation of its parent company, Grangewood in London E9. Grangewood, which is wholly owned by GHL Solutions of Woodford Green, Essex,...

Bridge Direct bought in one day.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... The assets of Bridge Direct, a Nottingham print management company, have been bought by local rival PPL just one day after receivers from KPMG moved in. PPL had been in talks with Bridge about a takeover before receivers arrived on March...

Dorset collapses.(Dorset Printers)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... There is growing anger in Scotland as details of the spectacular collapse of Dorset Printers in Glasgow become clearer. After failing to find a buyer or raise new finance, and the refusal of the banks to place it in receivership, the...

Gallus No 3 for Glasgow.(Gallus EM 280 press)(International Pages)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Labelgraphics, Glasgow, has celebrated winning a print award by ordering a third Gallus EM 280 press. Managing director Alex Mulvenny collected the prestigious Efta International Silver Award for Flexo Labels with a 50,000 run for Ballantyne's...

Epson reseller.(Retail inkjet printers deal)(International Pages)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... City & West End Solutions in London has been made a reseller for the Epson 24 and 44 in Micro Piezo inkjet printers. The company supplies the Epson Stylus Pro printers, media and ink. and claims that the Epson printers serve customers who...

Montrose emerges from the ruins of CTP.(Montrose Press formed after failure of Clifford Thames Printing)(International Pages)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Clifford Thames Printing, Chelmsford, has gone into receivership and quickly re-emerged as Montrose Press after a buyout led by managing director Rick Child. Although it looks like a classic phoenix operation, Mr Child vehemently denies...

Reverse gear at De La Rue.(Singapore printing division formed)(International Pages)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... De La Rue is closing a banknote printing works in Singapore, and in a reversal of the usual economic rules will transfer production back to Gateshead and Malta. Other sites in Kenya and Sri Lanka could also benefit from the closure, which will...

McGregor says farewell.(Printing industry executive retires)(International Pages)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Printing industry veteran Jimmy McGregor has retired after 43 years with Bath Press in Glasgow. Most recently factory manager at the CPI UK company, Mr McGregor joined the firm when it was Simplicity Patterns at East Kilbride in 1959. ...

Noosh claims better times are here.(Printing industry software company forms European subsidiary)(International Pages)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Peter Palframan (left), managing director of CPI UK with Jimmy McGregor (centre) and Steve Probyn, sales manager for colourwork at Bath Press Noosh, a US provider of print procurement and collaborative working software claims its customer...

Doctors' orders.(CDP Print Management gets new print supply contract)(International Pages)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... South Buckinghamshire NHS Trust has extended its single source print supply contract with CDP Print Management until April 2003. The contract covers more than 300 product lines and includes storage, call- off delivery, pick and pack, and full...

Trio for Picon.(UK printing industry)(International Pages)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Picon has welcomed three new members. Optimation is an East Midlands supplier to the UK print, packaging and converting industries. Alphasonics, Merseyside, is also a supplier to the print industry and manufactures ultrasonic roll cleaning...

Pole position.(New copiers and business machines contract)(International Pages)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... The Boss group has signed a #100,000 contract to supply copiers and business machines to Arrows and to the KL Minardi Asiatech Formula One racing teams. Part of the supply is Ricoh's Ecabinet networked document management system, which provides...

KBA signs NCS to dangle Karat.(New printing press contract)(International Pages)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... On the back of successful 74Karat and 46Karat sales, KBA has appointed NCS Group to sell the presses in the UK and so reach new sectors of the industry. NCS will support KBA's digital sales efforts in England, Scotland and Wales, while...

Print 21 forum looks for backers.(Printing Industry Forum)(International Pages)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Michael Johnson, BPIF chief executive, is attempting to corral the industry's leading companies into a Printing Industry Forum. This will be one of the first actions to emerge from last year's Print 21 assessment research. He takes his cue...

Harry Elson makes early exit from CPI's empire.(book manufacturing company)(International Pages)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... CPI's UK sales and marketing director Harry Elson has unexpectedly resigned following earlier restructuring within the book manufacturing company. Mr Elson joined the CPI Group as sales director of the Bath Press and was promoted to UK...

Linney scores with first Acoro A7.(Muller Martini's new Acoro A7)(International Pages)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
April 1, 2002... Linney Print, Mansfield, has become the first company in the UK to install Muller Martini's new Acoro A7, the perfect binder being officially launched at Ipex. It represents the company's first move into perfect binding. Managing director...

KBA UK website.(Online data on company's printing press sales and installations)(International Pages)(Internet/Web/Online Service Information)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... KBA UK has launched its website at www.kba-print.co.uk. The site provides details of the company and its products, news on press sales and installations, links to sales partners in the UK and to Koenig & Bauer's corporate site. A map and index...

Taking the biscuit.(United Biscuits provides new printing contract)(International Pages)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Simpsongroup, Tyne & Wear, has won the contract to supply United Biscuits with 3D promotional units. Managing director Mark Simpson says: `Having worked with United Biscuits in the past we were confident that we could meet its ongoing needs and...

Plotter price cuts.(Mimaki products)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Mimaki distributor Hybrid has announced price cuts on its range of cutting plotters. All Mimaki cutters are compatible with industry standard signmaking equipment on both PCs and Macs. They are delivered with a ready to use Windows driver which...

Burton goes for a Ferag.(Burton Daily Mail, Ferag mailroom system)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... The Burton Daily Mail has ordered a Ferag mailroom system, due for commissioning in July, to make production schedules more flexible. The order, from WRH Marketing UK, includes two conveying and stacking systems each consisting of a TTR...

Hewlett Packard closes Indigo deal.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Hewlett Packard is aiming to transform the commercial printing market and make itself the leading player in the industry now it has completed the acquisition of Indigo. Talking in a conference call last week, Vyomesh Joshi, president HP...

Football first for stamps.(David Beckham and Michael Owen appear on stamps)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... David Beckham and Michael Owen are among the first living people, royalty aside, to grace a collection of Royal Mail stamps. The Isle of Man Post Office will release the stamps, designed for the World Cup 2002 in Japan and Korea, on May 1....

FlatRite proves popular.(printing machinery)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... The Screen FlatRite 1050 is proving a popular ctp choice pre Ipex, with installations at Peter Turpin Associates in York and Hulbert Press in Wootton Bassett. Both companies aimed for a fully automatic prepress operation and time savings. ...

Turn on, tune in.(new speakers from DS Smith, NXT)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... The Bristol Sound & Vision show was the official launching of SoundpaX, the first full range, hi-fi quality, ultra lightweight board speakers from DS Smith Packaging in conjunction with Huntingdon company NXT. The pyramid shaped speakers are...

Film Pageant.(Pageant Graphics contract with Fujifilm)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Consumables distributor Pageant Graphics has signed a seven figure deal to supply Fujifilm consumables exclusively to its commercial print customers. Pageant will now supply the entire range of Fujifilm plates and films, including the recently...

Ikon for Flora.(Ikon Office Solutions supplies Flora London Marathon)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... For the 13th year running, Ikon Office Solutions will be the sole supplier of office equipment to the Flora London Marathon and produce the official race results document for the world's media. Ikon will supply a variety of fax and digital...

Print-Leeds spends #1m on move to print.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Leeds repro house Print-Leeds has spent more than #1m moving into printing, with its new name, a new factory and a specially commissioned uv B2 press from Heidelberg that allows it to operate in niche markets by printing on a variety of...

PlateRite at Miro Press.(new equipment)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Miro Press has installed the first Screen PlateRite 8000II ctp system in the UK following on from the installation of an eight-page Heidelberg web press that used to belong to Norwich printer Jarrold. The investment in the past year is...

Canon cuts complete.(layoffs)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Canon has completed its consultation process with staff following the announced restructuring proposals (Printing World, January 28), but is reluctant to discuss the business areas which have been hit. It is thought that 400 people have...

Paterson Printing takes first Purlux.(stitcher-trimmer)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... GHE has delivered the first Purlux stitcher-trimmer line in the UK to Paterson Printing in Tunbridge Wells. The six-station machine with cover feeder, has a top speed of 10,000/hr. Production director Ray Butler says: "Any doubts over being...

Do you want to be in our gang?(creation of the Print Forum)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... And so Print 21 gets underway with the creation of an industry-wide Print Forum, organised by the BPIF and welcomed by the Government in the form of the DTI. At last printing is going to be noticed by the powers that be. At last the...

Call to arms.(Xerox's development of IGen3)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Valentin Govaerts of Xerox Europe is going into the digital printing battle with all guns blazing By Rod Hayes There is a strong whiff of General Patton about Valentin Govaerts, the senior vice president of graphic arts for Xerox Europe....

The big guns.(overview of printing machines from 10 companies throughout the world)(Industry Overview)
April 1, 2002... 74Karat The astonishing compactness of the 74Karat has not prevented the clever techno boffins at Radebeul shoehorning in a dedicated coater. The 74Karat would almost certainly have qualified for our Top Ten as a standard four-colour...

Variable and viable.(overview of advancements in digital printers)(Brief Article)(Industry Overview)
April 1, 2002... Colour digital printing is making a breakthrough with lower costs and higher quality making it viable By Gareth Ward The years of waiting may be coming to an end. Personalised digital printing is gaining a head of steam that is already...

Ready, willing and able.(guidelines for deciding to buy digital printers)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Before investing in digital technology, think, then ask questions of yourself and your supplier By Alex Grant How do you know you are ready to make the leap from offset to digital printing? For many firms, installing a digital press is...

Short change.(digital printing industry)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Although digital printing technology has moved on, the biggest change since 1998 is in terms of who owns whom By Alex Grant While many of the digital printing suppliers at Ipex in 2002 are exactly the same as at the last show in 1998, who...

A decade of digital leaps and bounds since 1993.(digital printing)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... It is hard to believe that it is now almost ten years since Ipex 1993 when Xeikon and Indigo first launched on the world's printing stage. By then, digital toner presses primarily in the form of the Xerox DocuTech and similar competitive...

Digital battleground.(Heidelberg and Xerox debut printing machinery)
April 1, 2002... It is the heavyweight championship the industry has been waiting for: Heidelberg v Xerox By Robin Meade Ipex will be the battleground for the hearts and minds of printers grappling with the new generation of digital colour printing kit: the...

Heidelberg.(discussion of NexPress printing press)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Heidelberg says the NexPress at Ipex is more than a headline offering. `It is the European launch and as such is the first time we will be showing it to the mass market,' says spokesman Chris Matthews. `We had a very early version at...

Xerox.(testing new printing presses)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Xerox will not have the benefit of customer feedback to persuade visitors to its Ipex stand. However, the company is promising to come armed with detailed information. Spokesman Fred DeBolt says: `We are in the early phases of beta-...

Up close and personal.(digital printers from Indigo and Xeikon)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... The legendary print run of one remains a myth, but inroads are being made in the world of personalisation By Gareth Ward Ever since Indigo and Xeikon first showed digital printing technology at Ipex in 1993, there has been confusion about...

Speaking volumes.(overview of the digital printing machine industry)(Industry Overview)
April 1, 2002... Amid the Ipex hype, printers are posing two questions: does the technology work and how much work is out there to fill a digital press? By Alex Grant It has become a cliche to point out that the growth in digital printing, of books in...

Inca foils up.(Inca Digital demonstrates foiling process)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Inca Digital will be encouraging Oems at Ipex not to miss the running of a new digital foiling process from API Foils. Demonstrations will take place using a purpose-made machine on Inca Digital's Stand 494 in Hall 5. Heather Kendle, Inca's...

Better lamination.(D and K Group's nylon, polyester films)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... On Stand 250 in Hall 6 the D&K Group will be showing its SuperStick nylon and polyester films. These, says D&K, run as well or better than other thermal films, with less static, less adhesive transfer and better handling ability when...

Updated look for Screen.(Screen Europe's new image and web site)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Screen Europe has brought a new look to its image and created a new website at www.screeneurope.com to match. Phil Eaves, European marketing manager, says: "The familiar Screen logo remains the same, but we have strengthened our overall...

Duplo sets its cap at on demand.(new products)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Duplo is to set up a softback book production line as the central feature of its stand emphasising how its digital dedicated three-knife trimmer is key to book printing on demand. The company also launches its new cutter, slitter, creaser...

QTI steps closer.(to debut computer-controlled printing machinery)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... QTI will be showing the next stop towards the mythical "lights out pressroom". A new platform, called Icon, allows for remote management of commercial and newspaper web presses. The product supports QTI's existing RGS Vector register...

Safety awareness.(medical issues to be presented at Ipex trade show)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... The harsh reality of printing's inherent dangers - skin diseases, musculoskeletal complaints and general hazards - are being underlined at Ipex. This year the Printing Industry Advisory Committee, one of the Health & Safety Commission's...

Calendar breakthrough.(Swigraph offers printing machinery that improves printed calendars)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Any printer or finisher that produces calendars may be interested in a new development on the stand of Swiss manufacturer Swigraph. It has produced a device called the HGY-400 that allows companies to spool up longer hangers for insertion...

Doing a good turn.(Albo System's pile turner)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Albo System will be demonstrating its automatic pile turner and showing new features achieved by integrating options like programmable functions, clamp sensors and foot control into the running of its equipment. Albo claims its pile turner has...

ECRM enters violet forum with Mako 2.(platesetter)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... ECRM Imaging Systems, Tewkesbury manufacturer of platesetters, is entering battle with HighWater and Global Graphics through the launch of the violet laser Mako 2 platesetter. According to ECRM, the Mako 2 embodies the reliability and low...

Ipex swansong for Searson.(Dave Searson)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... This will be the last Ipex for Dave Searson because after 28 years in print selling to web offset printers, he is hanging up his boots. He started life working at Hazells Offset after completing a litho apprenticeship, with his later work...

Roland Club meets up with PPS.(Pershke Price Service)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Pershke Price Service expects more than 60 users of MAN Roland's R200 to go along to a VIP presentation on its stand in which it will attempt to sell them the new R205 press. The users are known as the Roland Club 200 and on Saturday, April...

Japanese paper.(Mitsubishi HiTec Paper)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Mitsubishi HiTec Paper is showing three kinds of papers at Ipex: Giroform carbonless Laser papers for digital presses, Thermal and Coated Inkjet. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

NexPress sales boost for show.(Heidelberg's sales at CeBit were good; company expects sales at Ipex)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... If CeBit is anything to go by, Heidelberg will be in for a busy Ipex. The pressmaker says that visitors to its stand at the CeBit show, held in Hanover in March, were well up on last year with 20% of them from beyond Germany. Most of...

Color Master module gives quality assurance.(X-Rite to debut Colr Master software at Ipex trade show)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... X-Rite will be using Ipex to launch its Color Master modular software for quality assurance and ink formulation. Also at the show will be its upgraded 500 series and the European version of ATD News. Color Master is networkable with...

GHE cuts down on wastage.(Geliot Hurner Ewen)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Geliot Hurner Ewen says it will be showing what it claims to be a revolutionary new three-knife trimmer, ideal for books on demand, with dramatically lower levels of wastage than is the norm. The Circuit Bod automatic pile trimmer does not...

T/R Systems shares with Minolta and Xerox.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... T/R Systems will be on the Minolta and Xerox stands showing its digital software solutions, MicroPress and Maestro. On the Minolta stand, the MicroPress document production output management software will be driving two Di750s and a colour...

First timer.(PrintCo UK)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... PrintCo UK, an ink pump and doctor blade maker from Northamptonshire, does not have far to go to the NEC but is exhibiting at Ipex for the first time in its ten year history. It will be showing a FoamFree ink pump, guaranteed to eliminate...

DuPont holds onto its proofing crown.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... DuPont is aiming to hold onto its keystone position in proofing by taking contract proofing digital across the Internet. It is hoping its Icertification protocol will become a standard for remote contract proofing, following its launch at...

Bredel 620 available with Varmeca.(DPM press contest)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... If visitors to Ipex cannot afford to buy a press at Ipex, they could win one. Secondhand dealer DPM, Westerham, is throwing out this challenge to Upex visitors to its stand. There they get the chance to guess the clock count on a...

Losses double.(at Future Network)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Pretax losses at Future Network, the magazine publisher, have doubled to #121m after it cut staffing by half. Future had expanded rapidly in the wake of dotcom fever but has had to retrench sharply since, closing down a number of titles. But...

Successful appeal.(by Aberdeen Journals)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Aberdeen Journals has successfully appealed against a #1.3m fine from the Office of Fair Trading. The OFT had accused the newspaper publisher, owned by Northcliffe Newspapers, of anti-competitive steps, including discounted advertising provided...

Rexam share price.(Rexam rumored to launch bid for Crown Cork and Seal)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Rexam, whose shares have hit a seven-year high of 491p before falling back to 480p, could be about to launch a bid for US consumer packaging group Crown Cork & Seal, which might only be able to go ahead if Rexam dispose of certain businesses....

Papelco bought.(by De La Rue)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... De La Rue has made yet another acquisition: the banking automation business of Papelco, a maker of self-service cash machines in Portugal, which had turnover of #35m last year. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

4Imprint sees profits halved.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Profits at the 4imprint Group, part of the old Bemrose Group, have halved from #4.8m to #2.4m because of the "toughest market conditions experienced for a number of years". 4imprint Group supplies promotional merchandise, much of it ink on...

MotionPoster sets example.(for viability of digital printing services)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... MotionPoster, the company behind "moving" posters on subway walls, says that demand is growing "exponentially" even though there is no sign yet of the phenomenon reaching British shores. The company is a good example of how digital printing can...

Amberley ends print ties.(sells Metacol units to Vita Thermoplastic, Colourmatters)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2002... Following closely after its sell-off of Bousfield, Amberley Group has exited the graphic arts for good with the sale of its pigment maker unit. Metacol is being sold as two items, with the liquid pigments side of the company going to...

Heidelberg parent gains power.(RWE AG acquires Innogy)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... RWE, parent company of Heidelberg, is buying another British energy company - Innogy, which owns NPower, formerly called National Power, one of the UK's biggest power generators. RWE already owns Thames Water and if its #3.1bn takeover of...

Williams Lea flotation still on cards after four years of speculation.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Print management group Williams Lea says it is still planning to float at some point - four years after it first started talking about going public. But Williams Lea's marketing director Madeline Williams has rejected reports that a...

Some BASF sales up.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2002... German chemicals giant BASF saw sales fall 9.6% and profits plummet by nearly a third in 2001, according to new figures - but not because of its graphic arts operation. In the performance products division that includes paper, coatings and...

Appointment of liquidators.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... * Hexstream Ltd Printers copy shop. Liquidator: PA Roberts, Sterling Ford, Stanhope House, 4-8 Highgate High Street, London N6 5YH * Graphic Image (Business Forms) Ltd Manufacture of paper stationery. Liquidators: AH Beckingham and SR...

Enfocus chosen.(Twofoldmedia using Enfocus Software's publishing software)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Twofoldmedia in The Netherlands has chosen Enfocus Software to provide a secure PDF workflow for its new electronic service which unites publishers and advertisers in a business transaction. Twofoldmedia has developed an advertising service...