Printing World articles from August 2003

Printing World archives from August 2003

Trinity transfers print production.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... In announcing that its Northern Ireland titles are up for sale, Trinity Mirror has also dealt its print plants a parting blow by transferring production of its national titles to the Belfast Telegraph's presses. Trinity Mirror used to own...

Everything up for grabs in Printhaus total clearout.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... Printhaus, the Northampton printer, has put all its finishing and printing equipment up for sale. Printhaus has instructed dealers Grafitec Management Services to put all three of its Heidelberg presses which comprise a ten-colour 102,...

Dimension scores on its green credentials.(Murrays the Printers installs ctp machinery)(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... Environmental considerations were an important factor when Murrays the Printers of Milton Keynes came to choosing its first ctp installation. Patrick Chard, managing director, says: "Many of the companies we do work for specify environmentally...

Moscicki apology.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... In Printing World last week George Moscicki, director of Challenger Print was incorrectly and inadvertently described in an inappropriate way. We accept that this was without foundation and apologise to him. He points out that although a...

G&D scores double.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... Currency systems specialist Giesecke & Devrient has won orders for nine BPS 500 and a BPS 1000 currency processing systems from the National Bank of Slovakia and the Czech National Bank, as the countries prepare to join the EU. The systems are...

Lamport to expand.(Lamport Gilbert looks for acquisitions)(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... Lamport Gilbert, the Reading commercial printer, is on the acquisition trail. The company is at the `higher end of the quality market', says Lamport Gilbert's production director Martin Lovegrove, and is looking to buy other companies'...

B1 markets begin to show signs of recovery.(B1 press units )
August 7, 2003... To judge by reports from the UK's B1 press suppliers, the recession in print may be easing to an end. According to an exclusive survey for Printing World, the big five of Heidelberg, MAN Roland, Komori, KBA and Mitsubishi the number of new...

DPM gets workflow.(AB Dick launches M-Workflow )(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... AB Dick has announced in the US that it is to launch Momentum a workflow designed primarily to work its DPM range of output devices. Also called M-Workflow the software is modular, most of which has been developed by AB Dick, but some...

Aylesford recycles trailer.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... It is a win-win situation for Aylesford Newsprint as it continues its recycling work by donating its exhibition trailer to Kent's Air Ambulance Trust. The company recycles 500,000 tonnes of used newspapers and magazines each year in the...

SC Digital's print addition.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... SC Digital in Tunbridge Wells has added print capability to its repro work by installing a Heidelberg Quickmaster DI464. Stephen Cameron, managing director, says the company had some quick thinking to do six months ago when, as a repro...

HSC concerns.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... The Health and Safety Commission is concerned about the growing trend of local authorities to reduce priority given to health and safety enforcement. A drop of 10% in inspection rates reflects the reduction of full equivalent officers over the...

Headhunter above board.(Colin Thompson )(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... Colin Thompson has begun working as a specialist in filling boardroom vacancies for Harrison Scott Associates. Mr Thompson says that the specialist headhunter able to recognise the right people for their clients, offers much better value than...

Esko's pack designs.(V3.0 of WebCenter released)(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... Esko-Graphics has released V3.0 of WebCenter, a collaboration tool for structured packaging designs allowing all those involved in the process to share up to date information. It includes a library of designs which a designer can search...

SoTA award.(Society of Typographic Aficionados )(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... The Society of Typographic Aficionados (SoTA) has announced its Hermann Zapf `Typography Award', which will be given annually to a talented up and coming typeface designer. SoTA recognised Hermann Zapf for his life's work in typeface and book...

Adare launches package.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... Adare Group has launched a total print solutions package for the UK corporate market. The group, which already lists HBOS, National Australia Group, Sun Microsystems, Royal Bank of Scotland and The Economist amongst its customers, now aims...

Wam!Net deal is common sense.(Savvis acquisition of file transfer business)(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... Wam!Net's commercial file transfer business has been sold to communications groups Savvis and both are saying that the deal is good for users. Savvis is paying $3m in cash for a business which has sales of around $30m. Depending on the...

Chatham links up.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... Chatham Printers' investment in infrastructure has successfully linked two recent acquisitions, Matkins Printers, Oakham, and Steers Printing, Rugby, to the main office in Chatham Street, Leicester. More than #1.5m has been spent on ctp,...

Xerox improves on holograms.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... Three scientists at Xerox's research laboratories in Webster, NY, have discovered a way to insert hologram-like images in common documents. The researchers believe their new patent pending Glossmark technology could be useful in identifying...

Bobst expands its service.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... Bobst for the past year has been conducting a series of surveys intended to provide information on where to pitch its levels of service. Neil Jones, service manager, says: "One of the things we have found is that as our customers move...

Jaguar up and running.(Jaguar Business Forms installs new machinery)(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... Jaguar Business Forms in Crawley has completed its transition from trade printer of continuous stationery to a production unit with a range of printed products for printing companies, designers and print resellers. It has installed a...

Ivanhoe goes to ctp.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... Ivanhoe Printing Company in Musselburgh has recently installed Fujifilm's Luxel Vx-9600 ctp system. Director John Hopkinson says the acquisition has cut work times dramatically with a 64-page full colour job now taking three days rather than...

Humans not required.(T. Freemantle launches the automatic operator)(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... T Freemantle has announced its latest innovation, the automatic operator. The development follows the success of its pre-glued sleever for ready meals etc. The system can be fitted to its semi automatic pre- glued sleevers and cartoners to do...

NexPress to help.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... NexPress Solutions is collaborating with Saepio Technologies to help users of the NexPress 2100 digital production colour press tap into the growing market for web to print. Both firms have signed an agreement to add Saepio's Agilis Media...

BPIF pushes training issue up the agenda.
August 7, 2003... BPIF chief executive Michael Johnson has set up a new Print Education Forum which will report back to the federation's council in the autumn and might recommend that the industry be consulted on a training levy next year. Mr Johnson warns...

Kodak expands portfolio.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... Encad, a Kodak subsidiary, has expanded its media portfolio with the introduction of a range of new Kodak wide format inkjet indoor and outdoor media products. The range, which includes polypropylene-based poly poster media, water...

Matatak prints Greater London.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... Matatak International, together with A Touch Creative design consultants, has produced a full colour mat depicting an aerial view of Greater London. The mat, commissioned for the GLA's reception floor was produced using some of the 200,000...

Healeys takes Heidelberg.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... Healeys Printers, Ipswich, has begun its ambitious growth project with the commissioning of a Speedmaster SM52 five-colour to replace a four- colour model and to run alongside a SM52-4 with coater and two SM52s. A week into commission,...

Spiral on show.(Astec Conveyors to unveil new conveyors)(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... Astec Conveyors, specialist UK manufacturer of materials handling equipment will launch its new range of spiral conveyors at the PPMA exhibition in September. The versatile conveyors can transport materials such as cartons, cans, sacks and...

Wide moves for Morane.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... Morane, the UK's leading manufacturer of thermal encapsulation and lamination films has appointed Printing Finishing Solutions as the exclusive distributor of its ultra wide format laminating machines. There are a number of different...

Print Plus picks Agfa.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... Print Plus has taken delivery of a complete Agfa prepress system, comprising Xcalibur 45 thermal platesetter, Apogee workflow and a Sherpa proofer. It is already saving the #100,000 the company spends on outwork buying in films for contact...

Howard Hunt runs first trial with InSite.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... Howard Hunt (City), one of the first web printers to migrate completely to ctp, is this week testing its first job using Creo's Synapse InSite workflow. Prepress manager Sean Pigott says that he spent a year looking at different workflows...

London first for Watch Tower.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... The Watch Tower Society, the promotional arm of the charity Jehovah's Witnesses, is about to commence printing on its new 64-page MAN Lithoman installed at its printworks in Mill Hill, north London. This London press is the first of seven...

$70m loss prompts Vertis shake up.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... Vertis, the American marketing and print group, has reshuffled management at its UK print operations (formerly known as Colorgraphic in Leicester and Olwen Direct Mail in Croydon) following disappointing second quarter results that saw...

The market hots up.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... As the mercury rises to the top of the scale most of us would rather be paddling at the beach than working in the breech, but reality cruelly intrudes and the struggle continues. For once though there is a glimmer of hope. Because in...

Letter: Why so little take up?(Letter to the Editor)
August 7, 2003... There has never been such a comprehensive range of support mechanisms, sources of help and expertise, and access to specialist knowledge to create a better future for printers, but why do so few companies and individuals, take advantage of...

Letter: Time gentlemen, please.(Letter to the Editor)
August 7, 2003... It was with great sorrow that I learned that GHE has been placed in a position where it feels it would be unrealistic to continue trading. This has come about by the withdrawal (at little or no notice) of the Perfecta franchise. Without this,...

United we stand.(United Business Media profits)(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... United Business Media, owner of Printing World publisher CMP Information, has achieved a 12% increase in interim pre-tax profits to #45.5m, despite a 16.7% fall in turnover to #344m. UBM's professional media operations performed best, with a...

Sappi down 20%.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... Sappi, the paper group has suffered a 20% fall in pre-tax profits in the third quarter, from $188m to $149m. Markets deteriorated as the quarter progressed, pulp prices have fallen by $40 a tonne, and advertising pagination in the US fell by a...

Scotsman is strong.(Scotsman Publications reports profits)(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... Scotsman Publications, the Barclays Brothers' company that publishes The Scotsman, Scotland on Sunday and the Edinburgh Evening News, has defied the economic gloom north of the border with a doubling of pre- tax profits to #8.2m, despite a...

London Litho case.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... The Securities and Exchange Commission in the US has settled its case against 18 alleged insider traders, many from New York firm London Litho, who had received confidential information that Fujifilm was about to acquire PrimeSource Corporation...

Mirror reorganisation means loss of 550 jobs.
August 7, 2003... Trinity Mirror is to shed 550 jobs and sell its Northern Ireland division, as part of the long awaited shake up by chief executive Sly Bailey. The job cuts will be made "across all the group and across all functions" including print and...

Print review will follow.(Trinity Mirror merging press centers)(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... The package announced last week will save #25m in costs by 2005, on top of #4m in cost savings this year and #16m next. Trinity Mirror has already started merging its regional press centres, with 90 jobs going with the opening of its new West...

SCA's profits take a tumble.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... Low prices for publication papers were blamed for SCA's fall in profit in its second quarter financial results. Poor consumer tissue prices and high market pulp prices early in the quarter were also pinpointed by the Swedish organisation, as...

Creo back in the black.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... Creo is enjoying big growth in sales and profits in the third quarter, especially in Europe. Sales are up 9% to $143.5m and Creo has made a pre-tax profit of $3.8m in the quarter, compared to a loss of $3.8m a year ago. "Revenues in...

Print in Scotland continues to lag behind.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... Scottish manufacturing, and above all its printing industry, is continuing to lag behind the rest of the UK. New Scottish gross domestic product figures show that manufacturing output north of the border sank by 1.4% in the first quarter of...

KAGT say deal is done.(acquisition of AGT)(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... KAGT Acquisition Corp says it has received acceptances of more than 60% for its cash tender offer from shareholders of AGT, the prepress empire that includes Seven Worldwide. The Kolhberg backed company says it will now move to the second stage...

Payment gets later.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... Companies in 2003 are taking five days longer to pay their bills than in 1998 according to research from Experian Business Information. The average payment period is now 57.9 days exactly the same as when the government brought in its late...

Oce UK integrates.(merged with Oce Print Management )(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... Oce UK has announced that its print management business has been fully integrated as Oce Print Management into Oce UK's Facility Services division. It was operating as Practical Print Solutions. The rapidly growing Facility Services division...

Print's fattest cats.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... Stuart Wallis, former chairman of Communisis and chief executive David Jones, have been indentified as fat cats by a report from the Labour Research Department. Mr Jones' 757% pay increase, thanks to a #3.65m bonus shared between the two, puts...

Baldwin seeks new lender.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... Baldwin Technology Company, the supplier of pressroom controls and web ancillaries, has bought itself some time as it seeks new financing. Baldwin made a third quarter loss of $1.1m in the three months to March 31, with sales down from...

Xerox stays steady.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... Despite a slight dip in second quarter sales and profits, Xerox says it is still on course for "strong results" for 2003 as a whole. There was 7% growth in production colour installations thanks to the Docucolor 6060 series and the IGen3,...

Compulsory winding up.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... The following cases are due to be heard at the Royal Courts of Justice, Strand, London WC2A 2LL * Printec Print Systems Ltd 38 Market Place, Chippenham, Wiltshire SN15 3HT on August 13 at 10.30am. Petition by Modo Merchants Ltd *...

Appointment of liquidators.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... * Ventura Complete Ltd Previous company name Ventura Litho Ltd Printers. Liquidators: NP Ailyan, Begbies Traynor, The Old Exchange, 234 Southchurch Road, Southend-on-Sea, Essex and Malcolm Cork, 1 Snow Hill, London EC1 * Imposition Ltd...

Meetings of creditors.(Calendar)
August 7, 2003... * Printology Promotions UK Ltd at Mazars, Regency House, 3 Grosvenor Square, Southampton, Hants SO15 2BE on August 7 at 12.30pm * Kent Pre-Press Ltd at Acre House, 11-15 William Road, London NW1 3ER on August 5 * Direct Print...

Disclaimers.(Public Notice)
August 7, 2003... * Century Litho (Truro) Ltd Century House, Kernick Industrial Estate, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9EP wishes to make it known that it has no connection whatsoever with Century Litho Ltd as mentioned in Legals of July 31 * Victoria Litho Ltd...

MAN is name.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... Omnigraph, the holding company for MAN Roland GB and five of the press manufacturer's other distributors, has changed its name to MAN Roland Western Europe Group. The change is part of wider strategy for MAN Roland's name to be carried by...

Sherpa's speed.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... WWAV Rapp Collins has taken delivery of a Grand Sherpa from Agfa to handle proofing of work generated by its inhouse Press Repro area. Proofs are provided to account managers twice as quickly as it managed previously. The agency is the UK's...

Second IGen3.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... DSI Digital has confirmed its order for a second IGen3 to be installed in its Rainham Essex, premises. Its first handles production of personalised holiday booklets for TUI and has been supported by DC2060 machines. The move will allow the firm...

Ten for Group Logic.(latest version MassTransit web client released)(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... Group Logic has released a version of its MassTransit web client for Mac OS X. This is the second of the three pronged move to support the new operating system. The last step, a plan to make the server version run on Mac OS X as a native...

VLM makes landmark.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... Birmingham digital printer VLM has passed the 25 million impression mark on the Heidelberg NexPress 2100s installed in June last year. Two were put in then and the third was added in February. The firm specialises in short run financial and...

External IT is boon.(The Print Room outsources IT support)(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... Chandlers Ford company The Print Room is outsourcing its IT support requirement to nearby Vermont Systems, Romsey, which offers three levels of back up.These are Lite, to cover basic responsive cover, Standard for preventative cover and Premier...

Fusion's guide to digital ad creation.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... London creative services group Fusion has put together a guide to the digital process involved in ad creation, relating specifically to the steps that are undertaken by Fusion's subsidiaries like Admagic and Production Response. The guide...

Heidelberg and Presstek forge agreement.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... Heidelberg and Presstek have reached agreement on terms for Heidelberg to supply a Presstek plate for its Quickmaster DI on Oem terms. This will be a further option to the Saphira Caleidoplate which was announced at CeBit. The new plate...

MGS beefs up workflow.(Marlowe Graphic Services launches PrintCentre 2)(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... Marlowe Graphic Services has released the latest version of its workflow management application PrintCentre 2. This is a client server application that uses job tickets to automate functions in the prepress process and which can integrate...

Digital world.(Brief Article)(Calendar)
August 7, 2003... Heidelberg is backing Digital Print World and will host workshops as well as display its NexPress 2100. Presentations will take place in the digital workflow cinema and digital output theatre where Heidelberg's staff will explain how the print...

Lightning strikes.(Derek Schultz appointed creative director at Stephenson McGurk)(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... Derek Schultz, (background) has become creative director of Stephenson McGurk after merging his company Design By Storm with the expanding Hull full service prepress operation. McGurk runs its design and photographic arm as Stephenson McGurk,...

Lighter weights.(new paper and board from Premier Paper)(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... New lighter weights of Galerie Art in both gloss and silk finishes have been launched by Premier Paper. The triple-blade coated paper and board is now available in 90 and 100gsm weights. It is quick drying, reduces set off and rub and resists...

TSOF seminar.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... Helping companies improve their environmental performance through independent environmental guidance is one of the aims of the latest seminar being staged by The Sustainable Office Forum. The non-profit organisation that provides independent...

Conqueror trials.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... Arjo Wiggins is offering Indigo printers trial reams of the Conqueror Digital Indigo sheets range. The mixed reams are designed to give printers the opportunity to test all the finishes. Printers using these samples are also being encouraged to...

Innovative additions to Curious Collection.
August 7, 2003... Making the most of demand for specialist grades is the aim behind the addition of thermo reactive papers to the Arjo Wiggins Curious Collection. Stocked by the Robert Horne Group, the range comprises three pale shades with flecks that...

M-real's degree of success.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... After close co-operation with both M-real's New Thames Mill in Kent and Evolve paper merchant Glenmore Business Papers (Robert Horne Group's specialist office paper division), Sheffield Hallam University has found the perfect paper to meet with...

Curtis sees green scene in Brazil.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... Curtis Fine Papers operations director, Paul Egan, took the opportunity of a recent visit to Aracruz Celulose in Brazil, to check out its environmental credentials. During the tour, Mr Egan monitored logging and nursery facilities at the...

Ctp comes to New Delhi.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... Ctp has arrived in the Indian newspaper industry. The Hindustan Times in New Delhi, will install three Krause LS Jet violet systems. The newspaper which publishes four different titles with a circulation in excess of one million. It will...

Herts goes live with ads.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... Herts & Essex Newspapers has gone live with the Ad-Exemble advertising system from pcsdotNet. The move formed part of a project to replace the majority of its legacy systems in a move to its Hertford base There will be support for three remote...

Robertson steps up.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... John Robertson, deputy chairman of the Newbury Weekly News has succeeded Tim Bowdler of Johnston Press as president of the Newspaper Society. During his first council meeting, Mr Robertson pledged to focus plans on industrial investment in...

Plimsoll list top 1,000.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... The top 1,000 newspaper companies have been ranked in a new study of the industry by analysts Plimsoll Publishing. The report, published this month, examines each company's overall efficicency and indentifies those better placed to generate...

Pressline finds way of reducing Goss cut offs.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... A US company that has made a business out of reducing web widths on existing newspaper presses says it has developed the means to modify the cut offs of Goss double-width presses while retaining the same side frames and inking systems. ...

Pomeroy solutions.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... Pomeroy Pressroom Products has two new Vegra fountain solutions for newspapers. Action N is an economy version for Goss presses and Action L is an economy solution designed for spray bar dampening. The firm is also making available in the UK...

Pressure on European newsprint price rises.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... Major North American newsprint suppliers have confirmed previously announced price increases of about 10% for August, however, official figures show prices in the US have followed Europe in remaining relatively flat. European newsprint...

Satellite shooting up.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... Satellite Newspapers, the network of print-on-demand newspaper kiosks, is expanding. The European company has sold the rights to its vending machines in the Americas to Satellite Enterprises Corp in Florida. Satellite Newspapers offers 122...

Reading the meter.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... Goss has won a Graphic Arts Technical Foundation InterTech award for its Digital Inking system. The digitally controlled ink metering system is designed to eliminate the need for fountain blades and can be mounted on new newspaper and...

Flashy and sharp.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... A flash new guillotine is arriving just in time for the busy part of the year at Acanthus Press. Greetings cards are about 10% of the business at the Taunton printer, the rest being general commercial work. A stack lifter is coming with the new...

Legion on the march.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... Royal British Legion Industries is giving its direct mail division a real shot in the arm with a new KAS Mailmaster mailing and inserter machine. The unit goes into its production facility at Leatherhead in Surrey, where the charity provides...

Heanor's Stitchmaster.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2003... Heanor Gate Printing has taken delivery of a refurbished year old Stitchmaster ST 300 from Heidelberg. The Derbyshire printer is looking to the unit to double its production compared with the Muller Martini unit it is replacing. The fact that...