Printing World articles from January 2004

Printing World archives from January 2004

Bemrose sold to US paper firm Appleton.(BemroseBooth)(Appleton Papers Inc.)
January 8, 2004... Leading UK security printer BemroseBooth is now part of US speciality paper producer Appleton following a #34m sale completed on December 23. The move comes less than four years after a management buyout of the printing division, valuing...

Boxes Edson set to fold.(Boxes Group)
January 8, 2004... Boxes Group has announced it plans to close its Boxes Edson plant in Watford with the loss of 89 jobs. Carton production will be shifted to Boxes' other plants at Great Harwood and Northampton, which are profitable, already employ 290...

Williams Lea lands O2 contract.(Williams Lea Group Ltd.)(O2 UK Ltd.)
January 8, 2004... Williams Lea has won the contract to manage all marketing and point of sale print for mobile phone operator O2. Terms of the deal are not being disclosed, but its value is described by Williams Lea as "significant" and the timescale...

Ross Burton joins Southernprint.(Brief Article)
January 8, 2004... Southernprint has bagged its new sales director, recruiting NatMags production director Ross Burton to join the Poole web printer. Stephen Clark, managing director of Southernprint, is expecting Mr Burton to take up his position after a...

Top 100 Suppliers.
January 8, 2004... The Top 100 Suppliers feature included inaccurate figures for MIS supplier Imprint. The last filed figures, for the year to March 31, 2003, have the company with turnover of #842,130 and generating a net pre-tax profit of #280,797. The...

Jem quality.(Jem Education Marketing Services)
January 8, 2004... Jem Education Marketing Services, which is part of the Orbital Marketing Services Group, has been awarded the new BS EN ISO9001:2000 quality standard. General manager Andre Kleinman says that Jem Education Marketing Services is delighted...

Thomson solution.(Thomson Holidays Ltd.)(Media Moguls)
January 8, 2004... Thomson Holidays, which is a division of TUI UK, has successfully implemented a Media Mogul digital asset management solution from Picdar to centralise its image content inhouse and automate the production and deployment of content for both web...

KPG embedded colour profile.(Kodak Polychrome Graphics)(Gretag Macbeth Eye One)
January 8, 2004... Kodak Polychrome Graphics has incorporated Gretag Macbeth Eye One spectrophotometer and a new embedded colour profile simulating ISO12647- 2 printing specifications to its Matchprint Inkjet colour proofing package. In addition to this, Kodak...

Wyndeham merger.(Wyndeham Press Group)
January 8, 2004... Wyndeham Press Group is to merge the management of its ET Heron and Impact divisions which will result in the loss of three positions. Impact is the group's Basingstoke division known for printing magazine covers. An interim management team...

Berry staff go as buyer sought.(WE Berry)
January 8, 2004... WE Berry, the Shipley printer that went into administration last month, lost nearly two-thirds of its staff in the week before Christmas as it still looks for a saviour. On December 2 the family-owned, independent commercial web printer...

Pira has buyer in mind for site.(Pira International)
January 8, 2004... Pira International has found a potential buyer for its current site in Leatherhead and is hoping to have made the move to new premises by the spring of next year. The research company has occupied a sprawling collection of buildings on a...

Rolf's brush with Basil.(Rolf Harris)
January 8, 2004... Antipodean artist Rolf Harris recently visited the University of East London's Docklands new Fabric Print & Design Bureau to see how his 50th anniversary shirt for his Royal Albert Hall performance was printed. The Fab Pad houses 14...

Technotrans - appointment.(Jamie Boggis)(Brief Article)
January 8, 2004... Jamie Boggis has joined Technotrans' sale division. Mr Boggis will play a key role in Oem support building on experience gained while working for Infranor for seven years. He is initially shadowing service engineers at Technotrans to get a...

Kalamazoo Security Print - appointment.(Trevor Pratt )(Brief Article)
January 8, 2004... Trevor Pratt has been appointed to the new role of market development director at Kalamazoo Security Print. Mr Pratt has previously worked in European sales, marketing and product development roles at American Express, Proctor and Gamble and SC...

Antony Rowe investment.
January 8, 2004... Antony Rowe is installing its fourth Heidelberg Speedmaster in January. The Chippenham book printer says that due to press automation, litho can now compete with digital printing for runs as low as 200. An investment in two further two-colour...

Graphic Arts Show offer.
January 8, 2004... The Graphic Arts Show Company has announced that it will offer companies exhibiting in its October Graph Expo and Converting Expo, at McCormick Place South, Chicago, a special machinery material handling package. The offer allows exhibitors to...

Fulmar warns profits to be below forecast.
January 8, 2004... Fulmar has warned shareholders that its end of year profits will be below earlier expectations, but the company is saying that it has performed well in the prevailing circumstances. The shortfall, which will see pre-tax profit before...

New firm on Challenger site.
January 8, 2004... Maidstone's Challenger Print is no more but a new company is already trading from the same premises with a director who shares the same surname as ex-boss George Moscicki. The new company, Linton Print, was incorporated on August 12, 2003...

Creo signs US deal with Xerox.(Creo UK Ltd.)(Xerox Corp.)
January 8, 2004... Creo has signed an agreement to sell Xerox's mid-range colour printers, but the deal covers only the US and Canada and there are no plans to extend this to Europe. The Creo Spire colour server is coupled with the DC 3535, DC5252 and DC6060...

Annual 2CV race.(Robin Greenhalgh, Duplo International)
January 8, 2004... Robin Greenhalgh, group managing director of Duplo International, has successfully finished the annual 24-hour 2CV race in Belgium for the third year running. Despite blowing an engine and spending two hours on the hard shoulder the Duplo...

Centaur looking for buyers.
January 8, 2004... Conference organiser and publishing group Centaur is looking for buyers. Although there has not been a formal notice of sale or auction, the company which had a turnover of #68.7m last year, is believed to be looking for #140m and has appointed...

Kall Kwik press.(Hamada Printing Press Company Ltd.)
January 8, 2004... Kall Kwik in Aylesbury proprietors John and Chris Hardwick have bought a four-colour Hamada landscape press from AB Dick to cope with fast expanding short run four-colour work. The additional press means they can accommodate customers' changing...

Freeman of the Stationers Company.
January 8, 2004... Rupert Murdoch, chairman and chief executive of News International, became a Freeman of the Stationers' Company on November 11, 2003. Sponsored by the Master and Wardens he has become the latest in a series of high profile newspapermen to...

Fellow of the Institute of Direct Marketing.(Paul Holohan)
January 8, 2004... Paul Holohan, chief executive of Richmond Capital Partners, has been elected a Fellow at the Institute of Direct Marketing. The award recognises his service to the industry and his continuing business support to companies. Mr Holohan was a...

Agfa buys Dotrix as Barco completes sale.
January 8, 2004... Agfa has bought Dotrix from fellow Belgian company Barco, which has now completed the disposal of its printing industry interests. Instead Dotrix will become part of Agfa's Graphic Systems business and marks a return to selling digital...

Goss action.(Goss Graphic Systems Inc.)
January 8, 2004... Workers at Goss Graphics in Preston are stepping up industrial action to try to get the company to the negotiating table in a pay dispute. The company's offer of 2% in 2003-04, backdated to October 1, and a further 1% later this year was...

Lads mags battle.
January 8, 2004... A weekly print battle for the hearts, humour and cash of the UK's lad is about to commence. Emap will thrust into this new market at the end of January with Zoo Weekly but IPC Media is hoping to steal its thunder by launching its own version,...

Stibo and VWR join forces.(VWR International)(Stibo Graphics)
January 8, 2004... Scientific supplies distributor VWR International has centralised its European catalogue printing through collaboration with Danish publishing systems specialist Stibo Graphics and in the process shaved 20% from its catalogue budget. The...

Polestar Watford's future.(Polestar's Watford)
January 8, 2004... Negotiations over the future of Polestar's Watford magazine plant are continuing with the company considering proposals put forward by the GPMU. Tony Burke, deputy general secretary of the union, says: "We are negotiating over the proposal...

Smith and Ouzman 25 year club.
January 8, 2004... Smith & Ouzman recently welcomed three new members to its `25 year club'. John Howard, machine minder and supervisor, Barbara Putland, assistant production planner and Gordon Firth, finishing assistant, were presented with an engraved...

KBA UK - appointment.(Terry Smith )(Brief Article)
January 8, 2004... KBA UK has recruited Terry Smith as south-east area manager within its national sales team for sheetfed presses. Mr Smith comes from consumables supplier Hydro Dynamic Products and has experience with both Heidelberg and Mitsubishi. He will...

B3 Printers revises target.
January 8, 2004... Offset start up B3 Printers has surpassed its expected first year turnover after six months and revised its target from #120,000 to #250,000. It is taking delivery of a polyester ctp platemaker, a Printmaster QM46 two-colour portrait press and...

UK agent for Hildebrand.(WRH Marketing UK)
January 8, 2004... WRH Marketing UK has become the UK agent for Hildebrand Systems, a supplier of press cleaning technology. Hildebrand's system is environmentally friendly and designed to improve quality and can be used on web and sheetfed presses. WRH Marketing...

Clowes has capacity to tackle book rivals.(William Clowes PLC)
January 8, 2004... William Clowes will be able to print more than 1 million extra books per week when it moves to its new site and is confident it can pierce the UK book printing dominance of St Ives and CPI to find the extra work. The company will install a...

CTS Finishing starts up in Wales with help of grant.
January 8, 2004... A specialist finishing service has opened in Wales for wallet and folder production boasting the first machine of its type in the country. CTS Finishing in Pontypridd was established by Geoff Done and Jon Press with the aid of a #50,000...

Healeys adds to B3 with SM52.(Healeys of Ipswich)
January 8, 2004... Healeys Printers of Ipswich is continuing to invest in B3 equipment with a four-colour Speedmaster SM52 from Heidelberg, a Topsetter and Prinance MIS system all arriving early 2004. The company is currently running a SM52-5, SM52-4L, two...

Scitex's Kodak deal gets clearance.
January 8, 2004... US authorities have cleared the $250m acquisition by Kodak of Scitex Digital Printing. The decision means that the Dayton company will be known as Kodak Versamark with Homi Shamir taking charge of a business that had previously led when a...

Bezier - appointment.(Susan Winter)(Brief Article)
January 8, 2004... Susan Winter has been appointed as sales director at Bezier. Ms Winter will spearhead new business at the Poole and London sites and the appointment means that three of Bezier's six sales directors are female, an unusual situation in the...

IBM to manage workplace technology.(Zurich Financial Services)
January 8, 2004... Zurich Financial Services has announced that IBM will consolidate and manage all its employees' electronic workplace technology across five European countries, the US and Canada. IBM will provide Zurich with a number of on-demand activities,...

Registerprint services.(Brief Article)
January 8, 2004... Registerprint in Surrey has expanded its services to include an engineering team to assist customers source parts and repair machinery. The service was put to good use recently when it helped out FG Screenprint in Croydon and rebuilt and...

Newspaper Society concerns.(British Broadcasting Corporation Ltd.)
January 8, 2004... The Newspaper Society has outlined its concerns surrounding the BBC's subsidised online activities and the effect on the regional press. David Newell, director at the Newspaper Society says fair competition is vital to ensure the future...

Kalamazoo receives grade one mark.
January 8, 2004... Adare Group's Kalamazoo Security Print has received a grade one mark from standards agency Pira International for toner adhesion on its new range of security cheques. The tests mimic attempts to tamper with cheques after laser printing by...

BPIF Training is given government all clear.(Brief Article)
January 8, 2004... BPIF Training, the print employer's federation commercial training arm, has been found to be satisfactory by government inspectors 18 months after they gave a damning report. Overall, BPIF Training is now deemed satisfactory, whereas...

Bob Cole dies.(Obituary)
January 8, 2004... Bob Cole, one of the characters of UK print, died over the New Year aged 69. His death comes as he appeared to be cheerfully winning a personal battle against cancer. Bob Cole was a tireless worker for the Printers' Charitable Corporation...

`Skills needed' vote.(printing industry)
January 8, 2004... Developments in print equipment design have most definitely not eliminated the need for a skilled workforce, according to the outcome of the Institute of Printing's House of Commons 2003 annual debate. The debate, sponsored by Oce,...

Roland 700 for Jaymer.(Jaymer Packaging)(Brief Article)
January 8, 2004... Jaymer Packaging, Crewe, begins the new year with a new press, a five- colour Roland 700 with coater. This is the company's third Roland in its 27-year history and is the most sophisticated to date. The press, although a secondhand...

COMMENT: Making a difference in 2004.(printing industry)
January 8, 2004... Will 2004 be better than last year? It could scarcely be worse, will be the instinctive response and indeed the signs are that the coming 12 months should be easier going than the last. But that does not mean it will be easy, either for...

Letter: Open opportunities.(Letter to the Editor)
January 8, 2004... I read your feature `Back to school' (Printing World, November 6, 2003) with interest. I have finished my MBA with the Open University, which covered a variety of topics and I felt it was a good broad experience. The course required you to...

Letter: Designer jackets.(Letter to the Editor)
January 8, 2004... I read with great interest your article with regard to the British Book Design and Production Awards (Printing World, November 27, 2003). I do feel that you highlighted the publishers and the manufacturing companies - many of which,...

Letter: Independent Antalis.(Letter to the Editor)
January 8, 2004... I read with interest your feature `Tracing paper' (Printing World, December 11, 2003). You inaccurately referred to Antalis as being Arjo Wiggins' merchant. Antalis is an independent merchant wholly owned by Worms & Co. Antalis and Arjo...

M-real issues warning.(M-real Corp.)
January 8, 2004... M-real, the paper corporation formerly called Metsa-Serla, has issued a warning that it will record a negative result for 2003. This is largely because of reduced paper prices and the weaker dollar and pound. The fourth quarter also brought...

Bertelsmann - appointment.(Dieter Vogel)(Brief Article)
January 8, 2004... Bertelsmann, the German media supergroup that owns Random House and Gruner and Jahr and has a giant Arvato printing division, has a new figurehead taking over in the New Year. Dieter Vogel has been appointed chairman of the supervisory board...

New European directive.
January 8, 2004... All businesses must accept e-mailed invoices from January 1, thanks to a new European directive that may well be yet another nail in the coffin of the printed bill. While many companies already accept e- mailed invoices, the change may place...

United Business Media improves margins.
January 8, 2004... United Business Media, owner of Printing World publisher CMP Information, says it improved margins in the second half of 2003. Profitability at CMP Information is therefore likely to be `well ahead of the first half' and there has been a faster...

Transcontinental buys direct mail printer.
January 8, 2004... Transcontinental, the Canadian printer-publisher which is attempting to make the purchase of Optipress in the US, has succeeded in buying CC3, another American direct mail printer. CC3 has eight plants across the US, employs approximately 1,100...

Print at the bottom of productivity league.
January 8, 2004... Productivity in the printing industry is still the lowest of all manufacturing sectors and print was one of only two industries to see output fall in the third quarter of 2003, according to new figures. New figures from the Office for...

Cradley's losses increase.(Cradley Group Holdings)
January 8, 2004... Cradley Group Holdings, the West Midlands magazine printer that is increasingly diversifying into commercial print, saw sales fall further and losses nearly double to #2.6m in the year to June 30 2003. Although the group says there was...

Polestar gets Prisa go ahead.(Brief Article)
January 8, 2004... Polestar has received clearance from the European Commission to merge its Spanish web printing operations with those of Prisa, a Spanish magazine printer and publisher. The deal was first announced last October but was dependent on EC...

Two new names enter Hollinger frame.(Brief Article)
January 8, 2004... Two new potential bidders seem to have emerged for the Telegraph newspaper titles, which may yet be put up for sale by their troubled parent Hollinger International. Ex-Telegraph managing director Jeremy Deedes is reported to be in talks...

Independent plans to cut staff.(Independent News and Media PLC)
January 8, 2004... Independent News and Media has warned that it plans to cut staffing levels by 5% and make annual savings of E18.4m by the start of 2005, following a number of acquisitions around the world. The savings, identified by consultants from Booz Allen...

BAPC legal helpline.(British Association for Print and Communication)
January 8, 2004... A large majority of calls to the BAPC's 24-hour legal helpline are about employment and contract issues, the association has revealed. Some 46% of calls are on employment issues and 19% about contractual matters, but less than 1% relate to...

MeadWestvaco productivity initiative.
January 8, 2004... MeadWestvaco has launched a $500m `productivity initiative' with the objective of generating $250m extra profits each year by the end of 2005. No one at any of Mead Westvaco's UK companies was available to comment on what the implications may...

Amberley to move listing.(Amberley Group)
January 8, 2004... Amberley Group, the listed cash shell that used to own the print consumables company Bousfield, is to move from the London Stock Exchange to an Alternative Investment Market listing and then wind up. Amberley will return all remaining cash to...

Printing.com enjoys buoyant trading.
January 8, 2004... Printing.com, the copyshop franchise chain, says it enjoyed buoyant trading in the last few months of 2003, clocking up a record #1m retail turnover in the four weeks leading up to December 7. In addition, the chain has recently found a new...

BPI and Macfarlane boost.(British Polythene Industries PLC)(Macfarlane Group PLC)
January 8, 2004... Both British Polythene Industries and Macfarlane, which failed in its bid to take over BPI in 2001, issued relatively upbeat trading statements in the run-up to Christmas. BPI says its second half has started well, although raw material...

Warning on waste.
January 8, 2004... Businesses need to take more care when disposing of sensitive documents, according to Experian and Camden Council, which have recently conducted a clandestine survey of commercial rubbish bags. Researchers found that among a random...

Compulsory winding up.
January 8, 2004... The following cases are due to be heard at the Royal Courts of Justice, Strand, London WC2A 2LL * Cope Brothers (Printers) Ltd 141 New Bedford Road, Luton, Bedfordshire LU3 1LF on January 28 at 10.30am. Petition by Beswick (Northampton)...

Appointment of liquidators.
January 8, 2004... * Hi-Light Ltd Printers. Liquidator: R Valentine, Valentine & Co, 4 Duncastle Court, 14 Arcadia Avenue, London N3 2HS * Fairway Litho Print Services Ltd Lithographic print services. Liquidators: PA Roberts, Customs House, 9-10 Hampshire...

Meetings of creditors.
January 8, 2004... * Preprint Imaging Ltd at Deloitte, 1 City Square, Leeds LS1 2AL on January 14 at 11am * Moorgate Reprographics Ltd at The Chatsworth Hotel, The Steyne, Worthing, West Sussex BN11 3DU on December 23 * Jelly Print Ltd at Gable House,...

Notices to creditors.
January 8, 2004... * Magazines and Periodicals Ltd Creditors to send claims to SG Paterson, Moore Stephens, Victory House, Admiralty Place, Chatham Maritime, Kent ME4 4QU by March 31 * Litho Partners Ltd Creditors to send in claims to MC Armstrong, Allen...

Final meetings.
January 8, 2004... * 1st Class Printers Ltd at Doyle Davies, 21 St Andrews Crescent, Cardiff CF10 3DB on January 16 at 10am for members and at 10.30am for creditors * Matt Publishing Ltd at Houghton Stone Business Recovery Ltd, The Conifers, Filton Road,...

Learoyd sold.(Flytrack Ltd. acquires Learoyd Packaging)(Brief Article)
January 8, 2004... API Group, which last month said it was looking to dispose of its converted products division, has already found a buyer for Learoyd Packaging in Burnley. The loss-making producer of metal and plastic film packaging for food has seen sales fall...

Round the clock work for Resource in Leeds.(Resource Print Solutions)
January 8, 2004... There are plenty of sleepless nights at Resource Print Solutions, Leeds, following a switch to 24/7 working on the back of contractual business wins taking turnover to #3.3m. The company became Resource Print Solutions late last year after...

Top ten predictions for 2004.
January 8, 2004... 1 Remote proofing The acceptance of on screen proofs will become one of the biggest changes in the coming 12 months. The reason is simple: it plays to the demand for faster turnrounds and takes advantage of increasing use of the internet...

Getting there: Lisa Elrod.(from Bezier Group)(Interview)
January 8, 2004... What has been the best moment of your career? Being appointed sales director at Bezier. What was the `One that Got Away'? I'd like to think they don't get away in the end but you may need to lose a few battles before you win the...

Why buy: Fuji Rampage.
January 8, 2004... Fujifilm's latest version of its Rampage workflow is an extremely flexible and open system that will not break the bank By Nessan Cleary Fujifilm produces some of the best scanners, plates and platesetters available, but is less well...

Natural progression.
January 8, 2004... In Japan there is almost a sense of shame if company reports are produced without the waterless logo and now in Europe increased awareness of green issues means that waterless could take off here too By Rod Hayes A brightly coloured...

INVESTIGATION: Check it out.
January 8, 2004... Contract publisher Communications Team had an impressive customer roster, but when it failed creditors were left with nothing because of a clause in the new Enterprise Act. So what is the best protection against bad debt? By Alex Grant ...

How to avoid being caught out.(credit checking)(Brief Article)
January 8, 2004... The usual route for safeguarding your business against bad debt is to use a credit-checking agency such as ICSM, Experian or Dun & Bradstreet to make sure you are only dealing with customers with a good credit history. Then stick to strict 30...

Resolve to evolve.
January 8, 2004... After 20 years of steady evolution digital technologies are finally transforming both the role of the printed page and of the organisations that produce it. Those not prepared to evolve with the technology may be left behind By Gareth Ward...

BPIF delegation to California.(British Printing Industry Federation)
January 8, 2004... Mike Hopkins earlier this year led a BPIF delegation to California to monitor developments in one of the most advanced markets in the world. The visit that created most impact was to an $85m company which had been a traditional printer...

Suite as a nut.(InSite)
January 8, 2004... Martin Price IT manager at Unwin Brothers went to Belgium to view Creo's Prinergy, but it was the InSite suite that made an impression on him and has made a great impact on business By Gareth Ward It is a case of pages from China, ads...

Unwins' story.(Unwin Brothers Ltd.)
January 8, 2004... Unwin Brothers is a subsidiary of Martins Print Group and is a specialist printer of directories, year books, journals and magazines, especially for professional institutes and associations. It has long been at the forefront of industry...

VLF CTP: Size matters.(platesetters)
January 8, 2004... The VLF sector is the smallest for platesetter suppliers, so Screen will need to offer more to win orders for its Ultima By Gareth Ward The market for VLF platesetters is not large, at least not in the UK. However, there are enough...