Printing World articles from November 2005

Printing World archives from November 2005

Stehlin plans to put Sun in shade in race to lead market.
November 3, 2005... Stehlin Hostag, the UK's number two ink supplier, has stepped up plans to take the market share from market leader Sun Chemical. This follows an announcement by Stehlin's parent company, Huber Group, that it has snapped up a majority stake...

Howitt acquires Bardon.(Howitt Group, Vertis Bardon)(Brief Article)
November 3, 2005... Howitt has beefed up its mailing capabilities by finalising a deal for Vertis Bardon. The firm has also acquired assets from the failed Vertis Leicester business to add personalisation to its web presses. Nick Dixon, Howitt ceo, said:...

Impressions goes eco.
November 3, 2005... Impressions has embarked on an energy efficiency project that could cut the company's power bills by one-third. The Chessington firm is currently trialling a Power Factor Correction unit through EDF Energy. The system records the...

IN BRIEF: Paper suppliers.
November 3, 2005... The Department for Transport has revamped the framework for purchasing recycled paper for central Government and public sector bodies. The contracted suppliers are Antalis, Howard Smith Paper, James McNaughton, Premier Paper, Robert Horne and...

IN BRIEF: Garnett's cashflow problems.
November 3, 2005... Employees made redundant at Garnett's paper mill in Otley, West Yorkshire, are facing delays in redundancy payments. The company blamed cashflow problems for the situation that could see payments spread over six months. Copyright: CMP...

IN BRIEF: On the spot maintenance.
November 3, 2005... MAN Roland has launched a range of packs containing electrical components that enable printers to carry out on the spot maintenance. Pro-E Press Packs are compatible with a printer's particular press and are being introduced at a discounted...

IN BRIEF: Research into standards.
November 3, 2005... Research into printers' customer service levels and quality standards are being unveiled by the BPIF, Vision in Print and Print Yorkshire on 6-7 December. The BPIF's BSI-backed kitemark scheme is also being launched at the event. ...

New PPA guidelines on horizon.
November 3, 2005... Printers will face increased pressure from publishers to meet quality standards next year with the introduction of new guidelines. Print4Press, the latest in the PPA's series of best practice specifications, is designed to become a quality...

Venture capitalists cause Communisis share rise.
November 3, 2005... Venture capitalists have been tipped to bid for print broker Communisis. The #300m-a-year company said talks with a small number of parties were at an early stage and it was "far from certain" an offer would be made for the group or its...

Amicus endorses joint deal.
November 3, 2005... Partnership at Work, the new-style national agreement for the printing industry, cleared its final hurdle ready for the official launch on 16 November. Amicus print members voted by more than two to one in favour of the joint deal with the...

Easy chair.
November 3, 2005... IPC'S `TV Easy', a weekly television guide, has joined stablemate `Chat' as a 100% recycled paper magazine. This is according to Jasper Scott, IPC manufacturing director. `Chat' - which has a print run of 600,000 - moved to 100% recycled paper...

Restructured Amicus in SOS job talks with Adare Pillings.
November 3, 2005... Amicus is in talks with Adare Pillings, a West Yorkshire litho commercial printer, to try to salvage its 80-strong workforce following the closure of the plant last week. The company - part of the Adare Group - said it has entered a 30-day...

Top MP hints at OF T magazines rethink.
November 3, 2005... A senior MP has fuelled hopes of a U-turn by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) over plans to radically overhaul the UK's magazine distribution. Gerry Sutcliffe, Minister for Employment Relations and Consumer Affairs, last week said the...

Bus passes.
November 3, 2005... Large format specialists Odessa and Glow Advertising represented UK print in the world's first ever global poster campaign. The companies produced six- and 48-sheet posters respectively for the project, developed by children's charity Unicef...

#2m MAN for KEP Print.
November 3, 2005... KEP Print Group, the former screen specialist acquired another large format litho press to boost its poster size printing capacity. The MAN Roland R905XXL, worth about #2m, will have five units and closed loop colour controls. The package...

On the same Tangent as empire eyes up imminent takeovers.
November 3, 2005... Tangent Communications is in talks to acquire three companies in the next two months, under plans to expand its direct marketing empire. Nicholas Green, joint partner with his brother Timothy, said negotiations were currently taking place...

Doc Outsourcing's 1m personal touch.
November 3, 2005... Document Outsourcing has personalised up to one million letters per month on its new Highlight Colour laser printers from Xerox. Document Outsourcing has upgraded its printers from 92ppm to 180ppm models and the new devices join two...

Blackburns adds brace of Kodak Versamarks.
November 3, 2005... Leeds-based Blackburns has installed two Kodak Versamark digital printing systems to personalise media inserts and direct mailers. The systems will be part of a new Scheffer inline finishing system installed in September on Blackburns' new...

Ex-Olwen duo target digital with #20m Real.
November 3, 2005... Two former Olwen Direct Mail directors have set up a #20m digital print business aimed to tackle the direct mail and digital print sectors. Peter Rivett and Andy Ruddle plan to have Croydon-based Real up and running by the beginning of...

Amicus in tribunal with Inprint Labels over pair's sacking.
November 3, 2005... Amicus has become embroiled in a row with a label printer after the company fired two union representatives. Amicus said that Wally Ross and Dave Glover were unfairly dismissed from Inprint Labels in Ashford, Kent, for their trade union...

London Underground trial puts poster printers under threat.
November 3, 2005... Poster printers have been warned of the growing threat from digital display boards after successful trials on the London Underground. Viacom Outdoor said it received positive feedback on the 66 electronic escalator panels installed at...

Screentec invests for POS success.
November 3, 2005... Screentec Print has expanded into new premises and added a screenprinting line to bolster its credentials in the display market. The company has moved to the Ferrybridge area of Wakefield in West Yorkshire. A two-colour Thieme uv...

Prize winner.
November 3, 2005... Howitt Digital managing director Paul Bridger won the Kodak Matchprint inkjet solution in the Kodak/Printing World competition. He collected his prize from Neil Yeomans, sales director of Kodak GS&S, at Digital Print World. Julian Weatherley,...

IN BRIEF: Howard Hunt award.
November 3, 2005... The Howard Hunt Group has won Best Work in Mailing and Fulfilment for the Smart Awards last week. The group picked up the award for a complete communication cycle involving print, data management, personalisation, enclosing, data capture and...

IN BRIEF: Coastguard contract.
November 3, 2005... The Maritime and Coastguard Agency is offering a contract to print its security documents. As a minimum the security devices should include special inks, uv inks, heat-sealed laminate with hologram, tamper proof stitching, bespoke designs and...

IN BRIEF: Steffprint's first Komori.
November 3, 2005... Steffprint, West Yorkshire, has invested in its first Komori. The company said the Spica four-colour perfector, to be delivered at the end of October, will give it the flexibility to handle two and four- colour B2 work much more efficiently....

IN BRIEF: Software Logistics contract.
November 3, 2005... Software Logistics has won a contract for prepress, printing and binding of the Birmingham City Council's corporate procurement services catalogue consisting of approx. 5,000 copies. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

IN BRIEF: Gretag Macbeth offer.
November 3, 2005... Gretag Macbeth has announced that it is bundling its award-winning accelerated Eye-One Pro colour management solutions with a new enhanced ruler system and carrying bag. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

IN BRIEF: Global Graphics alliance.
November 3, 2005... Global Graphics has entered into an alliance with QualityLogic to provide the print industry with the first set up of third-party tools for testing and printing XML Paper Specification. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

Kodak pledges equality for all customers.
November 3, 2005... Kodak said it will not be segregating its customers based on size of account following the integration of Creo and KPG. Small printers feared the service and attention they receive from their Kodak account managers would fall following the...

Hi resolution fast inkjet targeted.
November 3, 2005... Kodak has started working on a new generation of inkjets that will double the resolution currently available. Kazem Samandari, executive vice president for transaction and industrial solutions with Kodak Graphic Communications, said that...

Repro house in digital finish.
November 3, 2005... Glasgow's Advanced Images has installed a second Morgana DigiFold to keep pace with booming demand for digital print. The former repro house, has invested in the folder/creaser to handle stock from its two Xerox Docucolor 6060s and Xeikon...

New rules ease postal voting printers' burden.
November 3, 2005... The government is poised to introduce guidelines that will save printers time and money when producing postal voting forms. After lobbying from the BPIF, the Electoral Administration Bill has been amended to include several measures that...

Metal masters.
November 3, 2005... Plastiscene has received a vote of confidence from MetalFX. The uv litho printer is not only a licenced printer with MetalFX, but has also produced a CD mailing package for the pioneering technology company using MetalFX metallic ink on clear...

COMMENT: Keeping the bad pennies away.
November 3, 2005... Not since the depths of the recession of the early 1990s has the UK seen so many companies go bankrupt. Official figures for 2005 are a couple of months off, but those in the know are predicting the figure will fall just short of that...

Letter: Training clause is not troublesome.(Letter to the Editor)
November 3, 2005... Many thanks for the positive editorial `Cash for training is a must' (Printing World, October 20 ) on the new Partnership at Work Agreement and for highlighting the important issue of training. But I disagree that this clause is likely to...

Letter: Analysis was not a fair reflection.(Letter to the Editor)
November 3, 2005... I assume Mike Morris was trying to be funny when he wrote about his experiences of visiting Digital Print World in `All the fun of the fair' (Printing World, October 27 ). But he failed. I appreciate humorous observations as much as the...

Letter: Congratulations are in order.(Letter to the Editor)
November 3, 2005... I just wanted to write to congratulate all the team at Printing World on both its improved content and design. The news angles your reporters are taking have really sharpened up and are consistently good, managing to assess the real...

IN BRIEF: M-real profit.
November 3, 2005... M-real made a net profit after increasing delivery volumes and prices on some of its fine paper and paperboard grades. Third quarter profit was E2m, compared with a E32m loss in the same period last year and a E121m loss in the previous...

IN BRIEF: NUR Macroprinters restructures debt.
November 3, 2005... NUR Macroprinters' shareholders approved the $12m restructuring of the wide format inkjet company's bank liabilities. Fortissimo Capital has taken on half of NUR's debt, which earlier this year had threatened to drag the company into...

IN BRIEF: Baldwin increases sales.
November 3, 2005... Strong global demand for its spray dampening, cleaning and cooling systems boosted profits at Baldwin Technology by 66% to $1.2m in the first quarter. The web press accessories and controls company also increased sales by $2.6m to $42.6m. ...

IN BRIEF: Oce takeover.
November 3, 2005... Oce said close to 90% of Imagistics shares had been tendered in its takeover of the US officer equipment supplier. The Dutch digital print supplier had bid #418m for the preferred supplier to the US Office of Government Commerce. ...

IN BRIEF: Pensions new rules.
November 3, 2005... Companies attempting to sell their final salary fund will have to alert the pensions regulator, according to new rules. Marconi said last week that it wanted to offload its #2.4bn scheme. The regulator said deals would not be hindered if they...

IN BRIEF: Stora Enso joint venture.
November 3, 2005... Stora Enso has signed a joint venture in liquid packaging boards with the Chinese board producer Foshan Huaxin Packaging. Stora Enso will have an 80% stake and plans to switch a previously announced investment in white lined chipboard machines...

Stora Enso to leave thousands jobless.(Brief Article)
November 3, 2005... Stora Enso is to wield the axe across its global operations in a move that will mean the loss of thousands of jobs. It could also lead to higher paper and board prices. The Nordic giant is to shut 400,000 tonnes of capacity and put one...

Presstek profit dive because of transitions.
November 3, 2005... Presstek, reporting combined AB Dick operations for the first time, posted net profits down 64% in the third quarter. Edward Marino, ceo, said: "The challenges we experienced related primarily to transitions in our business, which we...

CMM turns the tide under new management.(Corporate Mailing Matters)(Brief Article)
November 3, 2005... Corporate Mailing Matters (CMM) is looking to expand through acquisition. This is after turning in a profitable first year of trading under new management. CMM - a direct mail company - was acquired from Orchestra in February 2004, having...

Sodra's storm boost.
November 3, 2005... Large wood volumes processed following January's hurricane boosted Sweden's Sodra group results for the first three quarters of the year. Sales were up from SEK 10,100m to SEK 11,800m, and after financial income and expenses amounted to...

Spending slowdown, claims report.
November 3, 2005... A new report has given evidence of a drop in advertising levels in the past three months. The study, by accountancy firm Ernst & Young, found that the value and number of mergers and acquisitions in the media and entertainment sector fell...

Appointment of liquidators.
November 3, 2005... * Impress Creative Imaging Ltd Graphic design and commercial printers. Liquidator: RG Butcher, Butcher Woods, 79 Caroline Street, Birmingham B3 1UP * Geo Barber & Son Ltd (t/a The Furnival Press Printing. Liquidator: I Franses, 24 Conduit...

Meetings of creditors.
November 3, 2005... * Digital Graphics Ltd at 50 Newall Street, Birmingham B3 3QE on October 27 * A&P Print Finishers Ltd at The Holiday Inn, Emerson District 5, Washington, Tyne & Wear NE37 1LB on November 2 at 11.00am Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

Final meetings.
November 3, 2005... * Libra Gravure Cylinders (Steel Division) Ltd at Unity Corporate Recovery & Insolvency, Clive House, Clive Street, Bolton BL1 1ET on December 14 at 11.00am for members and at 11.15am for creditors * CV Web Offset Ltd (formerly Cherwell...

Communisis gives Co-op their book of home truths.
November 3, 2005... Communisis in Leeds has produced a 175,000 print run of promotional literature for the Co-operative Group, which meets the Group's demand for using environmentally friendly paper and inks. The Little Book of Home Truths booklet is being...

Q&A What's in a name?
November 3, 2005... Reg Peplow outlines the rules you should be aware of when choosing a name for your business When do I have to start registering a business name? If your name is James Smith and you agree to set up business with your friend, Janet...

Getting there: Tom Gent.
November 3, 2005... Biography Tom Gent is sales director of the Colour Products Division at Turning Point Technologies (TPT), where colour expertise is key. What is your favourite restaurant? `Fajitas' in Ampthill, Bedfordshire. What was the...

WHY BUY: white inkjet ink.
November 3, 2005... With white ink now an integral part of the digital wide format inkjet sector, Sophie Matthews-Paul explains why it it is making such an impact White ink, familiar to screen printers, has become one of the de facto inclusions in the current...

MAKING A DIFFERENCE: Rare commodity is jewel in their crown.
November 3, 2005... The Durst Lambda 130 offers Tangent Communications new markets, print sizes and products. Mark Foxwell reports on why the machine has been so beneficial Tangent Communications was set up on 12 July after the merger of Documedia and London...

Durst Lambda: User categories.(Durst Phototechnik AG)(Brief Article)
November 3, 2005... Durst says the Lambda is ideally suited to four types of users: * For brand advertisers with high quality demands for their products and their brand image; * For exhibitions, photographic artists see their creative art supported by a...

KODAK: For the big picture, look at Kodak.(Company Profile)
November 3, 2005... Kodak aims to emerge from the pack of digital imaging companies as a world leader. Andy Cook visits Paris to check on its progress It is ten weeks since Kodak splashed out #520m on plate rival Creo. Ten weeks since the last piece of Kodak's...

BRIEF HISTORY: KODAK.
November 3, 2005... Brief history of the inevitable evolution of one of the world's best known photographic film companies August 2003 Kodak announces it has formed a commercial print division that aims to challenge Xerox and HP as the number one...

PLATE PRICES: Industry prepares for price hike.
November 3, 2005... The new year should be a time to celebrate. But printers could be hit by a hangover that hurts. Tom Hawkins explains. Printers will fall back into the new year with a bump, facing the usual seasonal slowdown with the additional challenge of...

PAPER: Don't shoot the messenger.
November 3, 2005... Rod Hayes says the more paper printers use from sustainable forests, then the stronger the fight becomes against global warming Printers and paper manufacturers have for too long been an easy target for anyone seeking a scapegoat for every...

Premier way to learn about environment.
November 3, 2005... In response to the pressure printers and paper companies face to be more ecologically aware, Premier Paper has compiled an environmental information pack. The documents provide swatches as well as technical and environmental details on...

IN BRIEF: Xerox success.
November 3, 2005... Xerox claims success from its iGen3 user group held last month. Delegates discussed the future direction of the iGen3, exchanged technical and marketing ideas and sat through presentations on the AlphaPicture Portal for variable data marketing....

IN BRIEF: Mac version of calibration tool.(new tool from Colour Confidence)(Brief Article)
November 3, 2005... Colour Confidence has introduced a Mac version of its ColorVision ColorPlus monitor calibration tool. This includes a Spyder calibrator for monitor calibration and the necessary software to generate an ICC profile. Geoffrey Clements, managing...

IN BRIEF: New pitch signage.(Horizon Marketing, Robert Horne Sign and Display, Carlisle United Fottball Club)(Brief Article)
November 3, 2005... Robert Horne Sign and Display, along with Horizon Marketing, has co- designed a new lockable click frame system for Carlisle United FC. This will replace the pitch signage wrecked in freak floods at the start of the year. The new system allows...

IN BRIEF: Gammerler sales at Print 05.
November 3, 2005... Gammerler,the German firm, registered sales at the Chicago Print 05 show. Orders included Dartmouth Printing, Quad Graphics plus Worcester Telegram and Gazette, for equipment ranging from the PL500 log Palletizer to the RS164 trimmer with...

IN BRIEF: DiMS appointment.
November 3, 2005... DiMS, the Dutch MIS developer, has appointed Martijn Kemperman as worldwide chief operating officer. As vice president of new business he was responsible for setting up DiMS' American HQ and managing large ERP implementations in the printing...

Fujifilm rolls out no -frills platesetter upgrade.
November 3, 2005... Nessan Cleary Fujifilm has released a low cost, no-frills platesetter based on the company's existing Luxel V-6 B2 device. Graham Leeson, Fujifilm marketing manager, said: "The B2 market is very price sensitive so we've taken the bare...

Ricoh add core trio to Aficio range.(Ricoh UK)(Brief Article)
November 3, 2005... Ricoh introduce three mono multifunctional devices to its popular UK Aficio range. New models, 2016 and 2020, offer output speeds of 16 and 20 pages per minute respectively, with the 2020D capable of duplex printing as standard. Ricoh...

Q2ID plug-in will convert Quark pages to InDesign.
November 3, 2005... Markzware has unveiled a new plug-in for Adobe's InDesign that converts QuarkXPress 3.3, 4x, 5x and 6x documents into InDesign's native format. Although QuarkXPress pages can be opened in InDesign, the feature is limited to recent...

Superb Pitstop strategy.(Gradual Software's workflow tool's capabilities)(Brief Article)
November 3, 2005... Gradual software announced that its PDF workflow tool, CaslonFlow 5.5, can deliver more automated PDF-based workflows if combined with Enfocus Pitstop Server. CaslonFlow 5.5 automates Pitstop Server's hot folder based workflow to include...

UPM wins European FSC award.
November 3, 2005... UPM's forestry and wood sourcing organisations in Finland and central Europe have been granted an FSC chain of custody certificate. The organisations received their last PEFC-certified chain of custody two years ago. UPM's wood-procurement...

Greenpeace backs recycling revolution.
November 3, 2005... Catherine Carter Howard Smith Paper's Arriba! Recycled Extra grade has been given the green light by the world's most elite environmental group Greenpeace. The high-performance paper, which has also been awarded Blue Angel and Nordic...

Matt gloss weighs in for M-real.
November 3, 2005... M-real has added a product with a matt finish to its Galerie Art range of premium papers. The manufacturer has also introduced new weights to the Galerie Art Gloss and Galerie Art Silk ranges. Galerie Art Matt, a double-coated...

Branding creates new identity for Warren.(Warren Board)(Brief Article)
November 3, 2005... Warren Board, the Leicester-based carton and graphic board merchant, has relaunched its corporate identity with a contemporary twist. Designed to reflect the company's development of new sectors and its modern approach to business, the...

Parkers invests in booklets.
November 3, 2005... Parkers Printers, Canterbury, has bought a Kasfold Sprint 3000 bookletmaker to back up its investment in a Xeikon 32D digital press. The machine, purchased from Ashgate Automation, was specified with an online trimmer to minimise manual...

Peach Media gains the Advantage with Rollem.
November 3, 2005... Peach Media Group, Chesterfield, has installed the UK's first Rollem Advantage 765 finishing system. The machine has enabled the company to crease, perforate and scoreslit. It comes with a wide turbo air feed and an inkjet printing system...

Diamond to sparkle with Autobond.
November 3, 2005... Diamond Print Services, a north London finishing house, aims to boost production of laminated book jackets and covers by ordering two Autobond laminators. The first, a B1 Compact 102T, will be installed next month, with a B1 Mini 76TP...

High interest pays off at Workshop 05.(Friedheim International conducts workshop and demonstrate its products)(Brief Article)
November 3, 2005... Friedheim International recently announced how successful Workshop 05, the JDF-linked open house at Komori's showroom in Leeds, proved to be. The prestigious event, which Friedheim, Komori, Muller Martini and Print Finance collaborated on,...

ECRM adds FleXarm technology.
November 3, 2005... ECRM is poised to make a mark in the large-capacity violet ctp newspaper market in Europe with a 250 plate version of the NewsMatic platesetter for smaller publications. The 250 plate-integrated cassette and trolley is a factory...

Adobe InDesign flows into more applications.
November 3, 2005... Two front-end system suppliers aim to improve workflow by upgrading their applications with new products incorporating Adobe InDesign CS2. DTI launches a more automated version of its editorial pagination system that uses Adobe InDesign CS2...

KBA and MAN Roland 4x1 launches.
November 3, 2005... The market for high-capacity, double-width, one-plate-across presses hots up following the launch of products by KBA and MAN Roland, as well as the sale of presses by Goss and Mitsubishi. The 4x1 version of the Commander nine-satellite...

Doing `The Business' globally.
November 3, 2005... NewspaperDirect has signed up The Business, the weekly business newspaper owned by Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay. Paul Woolfenden, managing director of The Business, said linking up with the Canadian company's 400 print locations in...