Printing World articles from July 2002

Printing World archives from July 2002

Training levy: it's time for your say.
July 1, 2002... Printing companies are going to be asked for their views on a compulsory levy after the BPIF's national council decided not to recommend the introduction of a statutory levy to deal with the training crisis. Instead, there will be a...

Sonoco plans cuts.
July 1, 2002... Two former Smurfit Tubes works in Leek, Staffordshire, and Brechin in north-eastern Scotland have been earmarked for closure by their new US owner, the giant Sonoco company, which bought them from Smurfit last December. The two factories...

Beshara falls to printing novice.
July 1, 2002... Beshara Press has been sold to the newly formed AVG Corporation, despite holding long running negotiations with Birmingham print group Midland Publishing Holdings. MPG announced last month it had reached agreement to buy Beshara along with...

We'll drink to that.
July 1, 2002... A hot new bottle design in the world of mineral water is the new icicle- shaped clear PET container for Ty Nant still water, with clear self- adhesive labels and over-the-cap seals printed on Fasson PE Premium Top Transparent film by Simpson...

Helping careers.
July 1, 2002... Francis Mathew Stationers' Company's Scholarships are again being offered to young people in the printing, publishing and paper industries and associated trades. The awards, normally of #750, are intended for those between 18 and 35 years of...

ControlP evolves into Documedia Solutions.
July 1, 2002... ControlP, the company that floated as Ctrlp.com, is distancing itself further from its dotcom roots by changing its name to Documedia Solutions. "It's a name which better reflects what we are doing," says chairman Warren Tayler. "It puts...

Waddies' top two depart.
July 1, 2002... Waddies in Livingston has parted company with both managing director Brian Purves and chief executive Iain Pittman following its takeover by the Ormolu Group in May. Its new owner has also announced Waddies' Lasswade factory will definitely...

Omnia's Timson finds a home.
July 1, 2002... CPI (UK) has bought the 48pp Timson web from Omnia Books, Glasgow, it most up to date and most valuable piece of equipment. The press will be installed alongside other Timson and Strachan Henshaw presses at Cox & Wyman in Reading. It ends a...

Record year will not be repeated says KBA.
July 1, 2002... KBA president Reinhart Siewert has told the company's annual meeting that the record breaking performance of last year will not be repeated this year after sales and orders for web presses have crashed. In Q1 this caused new orders to fall...

BT buys Scoot.com.(British Telecommunications PLC)
July 1, 2002... BT has agreed to buy the assets and business of Scoot.com, the business finder directory service. The deal will comprise #5m cash and the assumption of deferred income balances and certain lease liabilities totalling approximately #3m,...

Matrix meeting.
July 1, 2002... Sun Chemical and Coates Lorilleux held a two day conference in Stevenage for more than 40 coldset sales, marketing and technical staff from across Europe, focusing on its Matrix portfolio of inks. Sales volumes of Sun Chemical's coldset...

Pelican turns phoenix.
July 1, 2002... Pelican Press in Manchester has risen from the ashes immediately after going in to liquidation, with its directors making no secret of the fact that it is a phoenix operation. Pelican called in liquidator Stephen Conn after magazine...

Cerutti coup for Midsomer Norton.
July 1, 2002... Lawson Mardon has bought a Cerutti 940 press, possibly the fastest packaging gravure press in the UK, for its factory in Midsomer Norton. At 500m/min, the 11-unit, 1,350mm-wide press is faster than the 940 installed at the company's...

Broughton opts for Diamond.
July 1, 2002... Express Newspapers northern printing site Broughton Printers is going ctp while West Ferry Printers remains a film based operation. Broughton is buying three Western Lithotech DiamondSetters, 200+ plates an hour machines which are produced in...

Millennium restructures in Walsall.(UK commercial printing firm targets international markets)(International Pages)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Millennium Print Group, the Walsall label, packaging, security print and brand protection specialist, has restructured and rebranded as Walsall Print Group in a bid to strengthen its UK and international markets. The group, with an annual...

Picon accolade.(Institute of Export's newest corporate member)(International Pages)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Picon has been accepted by the Institute of Export as a corporate member. Picon's head of international trade, Norbert Alter, says: `Export support is a traditional part of Picon's offering to members. The services the Institute of Export...

Silver anniversary.(Thermal printer manufacturer celebrates 25th birthday)(International Pages)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Datamax is celebrating its 25th birthday. The Harlow manufacturer of thermal printers for barcode labelling says: `In these days of short- lived success, we're proud to have reached this milestone. We put our longevity down to the reliability,...

Food for thought.(Intelligent Print Solutions outsourced printing contract production in Germany)(International Pages)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Intelligent Print Solutions, Tonbridge, has supplied more than 15 million game cards to McDonalds for its Red Hot World Cup promotion. Comprising a one-piece card with inline gluing and perforating, IPS sourced production in Germany at one of...

Cicely Brown steps up.(BPIF's executive board's new director, Cicely Brown)(International Pages)
July 1, 2002... Cicely Brown has stepped up to the BPIF's executive board as director of corporate and external affairs. Ms Brown joined the BPIF in January and is responsible for Government and industry, communications and information matters. Chief...

Irish Independent closes the loop.(Newspaper switches to digital advertising with QuickPrint software)
July 1, 2002... The Irish Independent today (July 1) becomes the first newspaper in Europe to close the loop on accepting digital advertising. The breakthrough comes with the help of Australian software developer QuickCut, the supplier of the technology...

Jack Deller dies at 81.(Krisson Printing managing director dies)(International Pages)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Jack Deller who was managing director of Krisson Printing and ran his own recruitment agency has died after a short illness aged 81. He left school at 14 when he replied to an advert for a "smart boy" placed by Krisson Printing, near Oxford...

Bowdler's plans for NS.(Trade association's new president, Tim Bowdler)(Humor)(International Pages)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Tim Bowdler, chief executive of Johnston Press, who succeeds Edwin Boorman, chairman of the KM Group, as president of the Newspaper Society today (July 1), has told members he plans to focus on maintaining the Society's position as a leading...

#4.5m investment for Cambridge.(Cambridge Newspapers to expand its press line and colour capacity)(International Pages)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Cambridge Newspapers has signed a #4.5m contract with KBA UK to extend its press line and colour capacity. The deal is phase one of a possible three stage investment programme that has so far seen an Autologic ctp line, digital cameras, stitch...

Conduit on the web.(International Typeface Corp. introduces 29 new fonts)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Twenty-nine new fonts are now available as part of the newly revised ITC Conduit typeface family from International Typeface Corporation. In addition to ITC Conduit's six original weights, the family now includes extra light, regular, extra...

Helping hand.(Independent Magazines aids children's medical research charity)(International Pages)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Independent Magazines, publisher of Ms London and Girl About Town is donating ad space worth about #10,000 to the children's medical research charity Children Worldwide, ahead of the Flora Lite Challenge fun run in September. Copyright:...

Indian wrap.(Toothpaste advertisement done as huge building wrap)(International Pages)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 1, 2002... Digital Prints & Impressions in Bangalore, India, has printed India's first building wrap using its Vutek UltraVu 3300. The 80x130ft toothpaste advertisement for Lever Brothers was completed in two days and installed in Bombay. Printed on a 100...

Elwes joins the PCC.(Council of the Printers' Charitable Corporation's Sir Jeremy Elwes)(International Pages)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... One of the country's former top publishing administrators and senior Conservative Party activist has joined the Council of the Printers' Charitable Corporation. Sir Jeremy Elwes is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a liveryman...

Bunzl sells paper unit to Aussies.(UK's Bunzl Fine Paper sold to Australia's PaperlinX)(International Pages)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 1, 2002... Bunzl has severed its ties with the paper industry with the sale of its Bunzl Fine Paper merchanting arm in the UK and Ireland to PaperlinX of Australia for #138.8m. PaperlinX is Australia's largest paper merchant and sees the deal as "a...

Jim Morton remembered.(Muller Martini's technical sales executive dies)(International Pages)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Representatives of printers and suppliers from Britain and Ireland travelled to Cardross crematorium, near Dumbarton, last week for the funeral of Jim Morton, who was Muller Martini's technical sales executive for Scotland, Ireland and the...

The lights go out at Parker UK.
July 1, 2002... Parker UK, the London E17 supplier of uv lamps, ovens and new and secondhand screen presses, has gone into liquidation. A new company called MA Parker has been set up, run by Colin Smith and operating from Parker UK's premises, but the...

Wrapid reaction.
July 1, 2002... Wrapid Contract Services, Manchester, the firm that provides solutions in the direct mail, packaging, printing and publishing has doubled the size of its production area. Director Tony Mottram says: `A speedy decision to add on 17,000 sq ft to...

Let's twist again.
July 1, 2002... Weetabix has called on Sonoco to produce a new twistable pack for its Weetabix Weetos cereal. The paperboard can with an internal fixed body wall has litho printed rotating outer segments. Plastic plug lids sit within the top and bottom of the...

Bousfield's promise.
July 1, 2002... Print industry supplier Bousfield has unveiled a new customer service programme. Described by managing director Andy Christie as a move to `make a good service better', some jobs will go but new roles will be created, meaning `little change in...

SPEF comes out fighting after gloom.
July 1, 2002... While current trading conditions are certainly hard for printers, Gordon Cunningham, president of the Scottish Print Employers Federation, does not believe the situation is disastrous. Speaking after its annual meeting in Glasgow, he said:...

Why there is cause for optimism.
July 1, 2002... Despite the serious trading and economic conditions facing Scotland's printing industry, there are grounds for optimism, according to Professor John Ireland, director of the Fraser of Allander Institute at the University of Strathclyde. ...

GPO costs row escalates.(Government Printing Office)
July 1, 2002... US groups opposed to the privatisation of the Government Printing Office have calculated that dropping regulations which force executive branch agencies to buy print through the GPO would add $335.2m rather than cut costs. The US...

Is training all over now too?
July 1, 2002... England's football team failed in Japan, after promising so much. This country's history is littered with broken promises of this type. In this industry, the training dilemma has come around again. A year after the publication of Print 21,...

RIP for RIP.
July 1, 2002... Rexam Image Products has finally been sold by Rexam, completing its exit from the graphic arts. RIP, which makes substrates and coatings for wide format printing, has been bought by Sun Capital Partners of Boca Raton, Florida, and will be...

Hill Bros sell-off.
July 1, 2002... Northcliffe Newspapers has agreed to buy the newspaper publishing interests of Hill Brothers, Leek, Staffordshire, for #350,000 subject to approval by the DTI. The Hill Brothers Group publishes the Leek Post & Times, Cheadle Post & Times and...

Croda quits sector.
July 1, 2002... Chemical group Croda International is shedding 150 jobs with the closure or sale of five factories in Yorkshire, Staffordshire and Leicestershire. The firm is withdrawing from the solvent recovery, varnish media and textile chemicals market, to...

UBM is `robust'.
July 1, 2002... United Business Media, parent company of Printing World publisher CMP Information, updated shareholders ahead of its interim results, saying its performance has been `robust'. CMP says revenues in the US were in line with its planned assumption...

Print chain progress.
July 1, 2002... Printing.com's preliminary results for the year to March 31 2002 show a reduced pretax loss for the period. Chairman George Hardie says: "[Printing.com] has continued to make excellent progress in its second year, with significant advances...

WPP offers bleak media outlook.
July 1, 2002... Media companies, and indirectly, printers shuddered last week when WPP, the world's largest advertising and marketing services group, warned that it would most likely miss its profit targets this year. It also says that there would be no...

US tax man probes Scitex.
July 1, 2002... The US Internal Revenue Service is to open an investigation into Scitex's federal income taxes for the years 1992-96. The two have been in negotiations with regard to an audit of the US operations and Scitex has already made advance...

Appointment of receivers.(Cornbrook Precision Colour Ltd. under receivership)(Legal Beat)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... * 24.7 Colour Ltd (previous name of company Cornbrook Precision Colour Ltd). Joint Administrative Receivers: MT Getliffe and DE Hull, CLB, 14 Wood Street, Bolton BL1 1DZ Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

Engaging idea.(Engage agreement with Real Time Image)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Engage has reached agreement with Real Time Image to link the RealTime Proof application to Engage's digital asset management tool. The aim is to boost the approval management component of the Engage application allowing users to operate across...

Prepress focus.(Pira International's small prepress exhibition)(International Pages)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Pira International stages its fourth two-day prepress event in September with the focus on real experiences of developments such as PDF workflow, online proofing, preflighting JDF and the integration between prepress and MIS. The conference is...

Software toolkits.(Internet-enabled printing services software products)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
July 1, 2002... Hewlett Packard has launched four software toolkits for Internet enabled printing services. Based on open standards, the kits help developers create business solutions so customers can globally manage, automate, customise and share their...

Pine Tree Systems plants its UK roots.(Expanding in UK through direct sales of software)(International Pages)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Pine Tree Systems is trying to carve out a name for itself in the UK having previously concentrated on selling through distributors including MCSi. That channel will remain open, but the effort is now to concentrate on building up the Danish...

Wireless print wars.(New wireless printing products from Xerox and Hewlett Packard)(Internet/Web/Online Service Information)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
July 1, 2002... Xerox and Hewlett Packard are going head to head over wireless printing and network connectivity. HP has developed its own solution around what it calls Public Access LAN hot spots. These allow passers with wireless devices including PDAs...

CIP4 checks out JDF.(Job Definition Format will automate printing processes)(International Pages)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... The CIP4 organisation has set up a number of sub-committees to work on aspects of JDF, the Job Definition Format which promises to help automate much of the printing process. The origination and prepress working group will look at what...

Reproflex 3 signs for HP Indigo.(HP Indigo digital press prints wide range of materials)(International Pages)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... A north of England repro house has installed an HP Indigo digital press to produce sample runs of flexo packaging. The HP Indigo WS2000 was originally intended to be a label press, but its ability to print on a range of materials makes it...

Kruger investment.(Paper mill connects equipment to cogeneration plant)(International Pages)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Kruger shut down its Corner Brook mill in Newfoundland for four days to connect equipment needed to start a C$29m co-generation project. Along with downtime for other improvements over the past few months, newsprint output was reduced by 12,000...

On the Paper Trail.(Seeks Heritage Lottery Funds contract)(International Pages)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... The Paper Trail Project at Apsley Mills in Hemel Hempstead has submitted a multi-million pound application for Heritage Lottery Funds. The Paper Trail hopes to be a centre of excellence for the design, publishing, print, packaging, paper, post...

Brighter images.(Xeikon digital print media improved)(International Pages)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
July 1, 2002... Folex has reformulated the special surface treatment of its Xeikon digital print media to produce brighter, sharper images with enhanced colour values. Four Folex Digiprint XE products, plus a new self adhesive grade, now carry the new toner...

It's in the bag for Donna.(Edinburgh College of Art contest for new bag concept)(International Pages)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Scottish packaging manufacturer Smith Anderson Packaging set BA Honours students of Edinburgh College of Art the challenge of designing a new bag concept. Michael Longstaffe, managing director and also the instigator and one of the judges...

Smurfit ponders another big bid.(Madison Dearborn, Texas Pacific compete to acquire Jefferson Smurfit Corp.)(International Pages)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Jefferson Smurfit Group has been approached by another bidder, thought to be investment company Texas Pacific, countering the E3.7bn takeover offer from Madison Dearborn's MDCP Acquisitions which JSG urged shareholders to accept last week...

Tullis Russell bounces back.(UK papermaker's launches major European ad campaign)(International Pages)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 1, 2002... Fife papermaker Tullis Russell has reported a strong recovery of its profitability and a significant reduction in net debt, with a pretax profit of #5.6m. This followed restructuring costs of #900,000 and a gain of #1.73m from the disposal...

Burgo refit completed.(New packaging paper division)(International Pages)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Italy's Burgo Group has opened its dedicated packaging business unit after three years' investment in technology, revamping works and improving product quality, and human resources. The new division is dedicated entirely to packaging...

This is what we have done, says Wrap.(UK newsprint waste and recycling program)(International Pages)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Wrap has published its initial Achievements Report, demonstrating the first year's progress of the waste and recycling organisation's three- year programme. One of the most significant developments is the award of a grant to boost the...

Nexpo news.(Newspaper Association of America's annual conference)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... The Newspaper Association of America will combine its Newspaper Operations SuperConference with Nexpo, the Association's annual newspaper show and conference from June 16-21 next year in Las Vegas. This will continue after 2003, when the event...

Latest release.(New Ad-Exemble enterprise system for publishing business' advertising)(International Pages)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
July 1, 2002... PcsdotNet has released its latest version of the Ad-Exemble enterprise system (formerly known as ABS) which manages the advertising needs of publishing business. It is currently installed at 14 sites adding up to more than 1,100 seats. Existing...

Online service.(Newspaper advertising departments targeted)(International Pages)(Internet/Web/Online Service Information)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Ready-Made-Ads is an online service aimed at newspaper advertising departments. It is the brainchild of David Smith, md of Robertson Smith Associates, which provides design ideas in the form of AdApt. Creative teams can access thousands of...

AdFast upgrade is here.(Newspaper Society's Internet-based artwork delivery system)(International Pages)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
July 1, 2002... The Newspaper Society has launched an upgrade to its AdFast Internet- based artwork delivery system. AdFast Phase II software, is available to download now from www.adfast.co.uk and on CD, free of charge with an unlimited user licence to...

Ctp makes a show at Nexpo.(U.S. newspaper industry's trade show)
July 1, 2002... The audience returned to Nexpo, the US newspaper industry's exhibition, after staying away in their droves from last year's event. And companies were prepared to spend money with presses and ctp topping the list. Thermal is starting to...

Protecting presses.(New newspaper press protection system)(International Pages)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
July 1, 2002... US manufacturer Baldwin Technology also used Nexpo 2002 for the debut of its NewsPro newspaper press protection system. It is part of the Newspaper Grade family of products which enables companies to reduce unscheduled pressroom downtime...

IntelliTune hits right note.(Agfa's image data analysis software, IntelliTune 2.0)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
July 1, 2002... More than 20 users have signed up for the latest version of IntelliTune 2.0, Agfa's image data analysis software solution released last year. Based on input from IntelliTune users, Agfa integrated new features, such as an intuitive...

You can bank on it.(Has been improving banknotes security, technology)(International Pages)(Brief Article)(Company Profile)
July 1, 2002... Secura Monde International shows that security printing is one area where the British have something to teach the rest of the world By Alex Grant Companies do not get much more British than Secura Monde, based in the sleepy Hampshire town...

How the future will work.(Commercial printers switching to digital equipment)(International Pages)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Tomorrow's industry as seen from Burnaby, Canada, home of Creo, will be run via web browsers from anywhere in the world By Gareth Ward A printer's success in the future is going to be determined by extracting the maximum performance from...

Running the wrong way.(Software products in the printing industry)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Is PDF the greatest thing since sliced bread? Believe that and you will believe anything By Gee Ranasinha, worldwide director of marketing Dalim Software If I hear one more person go on about how wonderful and perfect PDF is and how we are...

Callas update.(PdfPreviewMaker updated version)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
July 1, 2002... New from Callas Software (info@callas.de) is an updated version of PdfPreviewMaker, a plug-in for Adobe Acrobat that creates previews and thumbnails from PDF pages. This new version is now available at a price of g249 per single user licence....

ADG cast film.(Larger graphics made faster with new screenprinting film)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
July 1, 2002... Avery Dennison Graphics (01442 891609) has introduced a new cast film. Avery 6904 Easy Apply gloss white screenprinting film makes applications of larger graphics faster. Users can also expect clean removability of graphics, even after a number...

Latest line from ICP.(Network Attached Storage products )(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
July 1, 2002... The NAS-4100 Gigabit Ethernet server is the latest in a line of Network Attached Storage products from ICP (01732 867930). Supporting up to 640Gb with Raid Levels 0, 1 and 5, the unit also allows cross-platform support of Microsoft Networks...

Use ADSL with us says Vio.(New ADSL service packages)(International Pages)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
July 1, 2002... Vio has introduced a range of managed ADSL service packages, giving customers dedicated, high-speed access to its service, at contention performance levels which it claims are four times better than standard business ADSL connections from ISPs....

Encad unveils Cadjet T-200.(New Cadjet T-200 wide-format cad printer)(International Pages)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
July 1, 2002... Encad has released its new Cadjet T-200 wide-format cad printer. The 915mm model provides technological advancements that are claimed to combine print speed and line quality with easy-to-use, snap-on ink caddy technology. The T-200 enables...

ColorProof for Epsons.(ColorProof System offers 7-color technology)(International Pages)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
July 1, 2002... The ColorProof System from GMG (+49 (0) 7071 938 740) now supports the latest Epson Stylus Pro 7600 and 9600 printers. The key features are seven-colour technology with a new generation of UltraChrome pigmented inks and a maximum resolution...

Finadot aims to keep the balance.(Line of Finaset four-colour process sheetfed inks expanded)(International Pages)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
July 1, 2002... Sun Chemical Gibbon (01923 684051) has added a pillar box red Finadot printing blanket to its Finaset four-colour process sheetfed inks range, in a bid to ease the problem of ink/water balance. Managing director Graham Frost says: "Correct...

Heat is on thermal.(New platesetter machines)(Product Announcement)
July 1, 2002... Thermal is no longer the only game in town for quality ctp as violet imaging challenges for the high ground. The choice is yours By Laurel Brunner Once it had taken those first tentative forward steps, computer to plate technology has...

Screen test.(Development of digital screening in printing industry)
July 1, 2002... There is more to AM and FM than radio wavelengths, as the industry knows. Tune into the latest developments By Menno Mooij In today's world of sophisticated and automated prepress workflows, with heightened focus on topical issues such as:...

Binding firms get that feel good factor.(Specialist case binder company)(International Pages)(Brief Article)(Company Profile)
July 1, 2002... London specialist case binder Blissett Bookbinders is one of only a small number of short run dedicated case binders in the UK. Managing director Gary Blissett, the third generation of his family to run the 82 year old company, says business is...

Hydro-Dynamic Products - Appointment.(New business development director, Chris Searle)(International Pages)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Chris Searle has joined Hydro-Dynamic Products, Shoreham by Sea as business development director. His first job after leaving the School of Molecular Sciences at Sussex University in 1979 was with Frys Metals Graphics in Newhaven, the...

Bousfield - Appointment.(New finance director, Simon Fry)(International Pages)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Print supplies company Bousfield has a new finance director in Simon Fry who has moved from SCA. Mr Fry also has responsibilities for IT, sales administration and materials. His career path includes working for two packaging companies. ...

Gallus-Group - Appointment.(New service manager, Paul Nelson)(International Pages)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Gallus-Group UK field engineer Paul Nelson has stepped up to the role of service manager following the retirement of John Hall who was with the Swiss label press manufacturer for 25 years. Mr Nelson worked in a variety of print industry jobs...

Communic8 - Appointments.(New general manager, new business development manager)(International Pages)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Virgin-backed print supply chain management company Communic8 has taken on two recruits to support its planned expansion. Joining as general manager is Geoff Hughes, who was most recently managing director of Goodhead Print. Sarah Holmes is...