Printing World articles from October 2004

Printing World archives from October 2004

First UK Kolbus Ratio goes into Wares.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... Wares, the perfect binding specialists in Clevedon near Bristol, has just completed extending its premises by a further 15,000sq ft and will install in it the UK's first Kolbus KM473 Ratio perfect binding line. This line was given its...

Polestar staff seek work.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... Former employees of Polestar Direct Leeds' sheetfed division are looking to transfer into roles across the group, following the firm's decision to focus solely on web work. Around a dozen of those to lose their jobs have applied for...

Laurie Baxter dies.(Brief Article)(Obituary)
October 7, 2004... Laurie Baxter, the man credited with introducing Komori to the UK, has died aged 84. After working for Pershke Price and Goss, then the Financial Times and Westerham Press, he joined Thomas E Knight in 1960, becoming managing director of...

Acquisition of Graphic Communications World.(The Hayzlett Companies)(Quoin Communications)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... The Hayzlett Companies, a business development, marketing, and media company, has announced the acquisition of Graphic Communications World (The Green Sheet), a twice monthly, award-winning newsletter, from Quoin Communications. In addition to...

Liquidator of White Productions.(formerly Perivan White Dove. )(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... It is expected that the official receiver will appoint Menzies Corporate Recovery as the liquidator of White Productions and parent the Buzwell Group this week. Winding up petitions were served on the companies by Begbies Traynor after the...

Grasmere Digital Imaging sold.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... Grasmere Digital Imaging, which was taken into administration last month, has been sold. The buyer is thought to be the original developer of the technology behind GDI's Card Corporation division. Badge and business card specialist Big Group...

Spyder2 management technology.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... Colourvision and Pantone have announced Spyder2, the next generation of affordable colour management technology. The Spyder2 is the latest addition to the Pantone Colourvision product line, delivering a new level of on-screen colour accuracy....

Second KBA Rapida press.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... Pantone has signed an acceptance certificate for its second KBA Rapida press, which is slated for commissioning within the next few weeks. The Rapida 105 will be used exclusively to print the colour charts, which have made Pantone a household...

GlassCeram Deco 2005.
October 7, 2004... GlassCeram Deco 2005, the seminar for the glass and ceramics digital and screen printing industry, will take place on May 30 at Munchen's Messe, the day before FESPA 2005. Speakers and sponsors are still being organised, and anyone interested...

Karran Group to apply for CVA.(Creditors Voluntary Arrangement)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... Karran Group is applying for a Creditors Voluntary Arrangement after cut throat pricing and over capacity in the summer added to a number of years of cashflow difficulties. This resulted in a heavy loss in July and the realisation that...

Friary Press to switch CD102 to Komori.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... The Friary Press just on the outskirts of Dorchester is to install a ten-colour long perfecting Komori Lithrone LS40 early in January. This will be the first of its kind in the UK, and will replace a five-colour Heidelberg CD102. Friary...

No surprise as KPG is set to sell NexPress.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... To the surprise of almost nobody, KPG is to sell NexPress and Digimaster presses on behalf of Kodak. As early as Drupa this suggestion was greeted by KPG ceo Jeff Jacobson with the answer that "we are in discussions about NexPress. I think...

Bezier helping Honda.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... Retail print specialist Bezier is helping car manufacturer Honda do its bit for the environment by producing an `adopt a tree' kit. The personalised gift, which can be opted for ahead of the traditional bunch of flowers, is contained in...

Debut appearance.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... An illuminated, digital version of the Qur'an has made its debut appearance at Frankfurt's 56th annual book fair, which opened on Tuesday. Produced by Germany's Tradigital and Conservation Technologies, the Thesauraus Islamicus Foundation...

Bookforce appointments.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... Bookforce, Grantham, has made three new appointments. The digital service and print on-demand supplier, part of BookSurge, has appointed Graham Miller as managing director, Ellie Cripps (previously with the representation and sales department)...

Free newspaper.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... Perth and surrounding areas now have a free newspaper, published by Scotsman Publications division Herald & Post. The sister title of Edinburgh, West Lothian and Fife's Herald & Post publications was launched after a cross-media advertising...

Digital Textile 2005.
October 7, 2004... Digital Textile 2005, the European digital print and prepress conference for the textile industry, will take place on March 3-5, 2005 at Berlin's new Radisson SAS Hotel. March 3 will be used to give visitors a study tour, while new technologies...

Kodak closing Nottingham film factory.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... Kodak is closing its Nottingham film finishing factory and axing 600 jobs. The plant's closure will result in 350 job losses, while a further 250 will occur when Kodak reduces its Harrow workforce. Harrow will eventually become Kodak's UK...

CVC ends speculation and buys BASF.(CVC Capital Partners)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... The printing inks and plates division of BASF, together with ANI Printing Inks, have been bought by private equity group CVC Capital Partners. The sale covers all of BASF printing systems' operations, including photopolymer flexo plates,...

DTI cuts could threaten printing industry.(Department for Trade and Industry)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... The Department for Trade and Industry's cost cutting measures could lead to print being neglected by government, according to four leading industry organisations. The BPIF, Vision in Print, the Print Education Forum and the GPMU have...

CPF meets standards.(Clinical Print Finishers)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... Clinical Print Finishers has become the first finishing house in the UK to achieve PS9000:2001 status. The Leicester specialist invested heavily both in training and organising its premises, to meet the rigorous standards required to meet the...

Primary sponsor.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... Leading Edge, a label and packaging printer in Gravesend, appeared as a primary sponsor of Kent Pharmaceuticals/HTML Pontiac, at the final 2004 Days of Thunder event at Rockingham Motor Speedway. The event took place on October 3, with 100% of...

New Sample Centre in Finland.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... M-real has opened its new Sample Centre in Finland, providing a faster and more comprehensive sample service for its customers. The centre supplies dummies as well as plain and printed samples of M-real's graphic papers. It also holds real...

New guidelines.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising is trying to clean up the reputation of direct marketing by implementing new guidelines. The direct marketing charter outlines the rules that the IPA, after consolation with agencies, believes...

Inca Digital ranked at 11.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... The Sunday Times Tech Track 100, a listing of the UK's fastest growing technology companies, ranked Inca Digital, Cambridge, at 11. The company was the only printing related firm in the listing. The position was based on the company's annual...

22 count complaint.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... The National Labor Relations Board has issued a 22 count complaint charging Quebecor World Inc with anti-union conduct at its plants in Mississippi and Tennessee. The complaint alleges the company violated US labour by aggressively preventing...

Maund & Irvine moves in with Alpine.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... Alpine Press and Maund & Irvine have combined their businesses on Alpine's Kings Langley site in a merger which may become a model for other independent printers. Maund & Irvine has sold its Komori presses and used the proceeds to buy a...

NCS switches to Screen.(NCS Integrated Solutions)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... NCS integrated Solutions has acted swiftly to replace Creo with Screen as its supplier of choice for platesetters and workflow. NCS will distribute the entire range from B3 violet diode machine to the VLF Platerite Ultima. "The market for...

Artistic impression.(New Jarrold Printing)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... New Jarrold Printing has passed the design stage for its #40m superplant with full details coming next month. The factory will house two new 64pp webs and a 16pp press as well as the three 64pp and one 16pp machine currently in the Whitefriars...

Scottish Enterprise contract to be reviewed.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... Work will begin shortly on a detailed assessment of the two-year print management contract awarded in June 2002 by Scottish Enterprise, the economic development agency north of the border. The #2m contract was won by Practical Print...

Valley Inks catalogue.(released a new offset inks catalogue)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... Valley Inks, Charlton, has released a new offset inks catalogue to coincide with its 15th birthday. Valley Inks is the major distributor for Sun Chemical Coates Lorilleux inks and supplies, and supplies Agfa, Varn and other major offset brand...

Second conference.(Power of Inkjet Materials')(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... The second `Power of Inkjet Materials' conference is to be held on December 2-3 in Berlin. Fifteen presentations will take place over the event, addressing developments and presenting research results. Divided into four sessions, the conference...

Six-figure contract.(Resource Print Solutions signed a contract with debt purchaser Lowell Group)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... Resource Print Solutions, Leeds, has signed a six-figure contract with debt purchaser Lowell Group. Lowell originally asked RPS to print 2 million annual mailings, but this requirement has increased threefold in the last three months as Lowell...

Microsoft Tech Track league table.(Pelikon, best known for producing unique flexible illuminated interfaces on thin plastic)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... Pelikon, best known for producing unique flexible illuminated interfaces on thin plastic, has been placed third in the Sunday Times' Microsoft Tech Track league table of the fastest growing technology businesses. The last three years have seen...

Success for Grafitec.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... Gulf Pack and Print 2004 was a success for Grafitec, who sold a Stahl casemaker to a printer from Sharjah. Gulf Pack and Print took place at Dubai Airport Expo in September and is the Middle East's largest print and packaging show. ...

Polestar signs off #10m for Chantry.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... Polestar has approved a #10m spend in finishing and mailing equipment to fuel expansion at its Chantry site in Wakefield. The first phase of the investment gets underway this month with two Sitma 950 mailing lines and a Muller Martini...

Chalvington upgrades with Screen.(Chalvington Press)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... Chalvington Press, Hampshire, has upgraded its prepress department by investing in an eight-up Screen PlateRite 8000II ctp recorder and Trueflow system. The hardware and workflow combination were chosen "because of the automation. It was...

Sherwood adds to range.(Sherwood Technology)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... Sherwood Technology has extended its DataLase range of colour changing additives to allow variable images to be marked onto transparent materials. DataLase Clear is an additive that dissolves in clear solvent-based coatings. It enables...

Edale new site.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... Narrow web flexo press manufacturer Edale has shifted the production of its Alpha and Beta ranges into a new factory unit close to its existing facility in Romsey, Hampshire. The company says that the expansion was necessary because it had...

BBC sale of Worldwide may be avoided.(BBC Worldwide Ltd.)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... The BBC's director general has hinted that the sale of its commercial arm, Worldwide, may be avoided by the broadcaster opting for joint ventures or partnerships instead. While Mark Thompson has not ruled out Worldwide's sale, he told the Royal...

On target to meet recycling target.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... Europe's paper and board industries are on target to meet 2005's 56% recycling target, the European Declaration on Paper Recovery Annual report 2003 said last week. The target was set in 2000 and the last five years have seen a 16.3% rise in...

Pira conference.
October 7, 2004... Pira is holding its fourth Future of Packaging conference at the Renaissance Salzburg Hotel, Austria on November 30-December 1. The conference will see 24 speakers, including some from companies such as Nestle and Tetra Pak, addressing future...

Print factory to be restored.(Gwasg Gee )(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... Wales' oldest print factory is to be restored with a view to turning it into an exhibition area and workshops. Gwasg Gee in Denbigh, North Wales, closed in 2001 with most of its presses still in place. The listed building started as the site...

New free newspaper.(Trinity Mirror Newspapers is to launch a new free newspaper)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... Berkshire Regional Newspapers, part of Trinity Mirror Southern, is to launch a new free newspaper. The Maidenhead Express, which will launch on October 8, will be produced with the aid of six new editorial and five new advertising staff. It...

Muller A52 stamps its mark on Walsall.(Walsall Security Printers)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... Walsall Security Printers, West Midlands, has installed a ten-colour Muller A52 litho web press, enabling the company to increase its production of security stamps by 1 million a day. The press, obtained from Holland, is five years old and...

Largest Comco at Leading Edge.(Leading Edge Labels)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... Leading Edge, a label and packaging printer in Gravesend, has invested #1.5m in a Comco nine-colour wide web press, allowing the company to grow its business in sleeve packaging, particularly in prepared foods. The Comco, which is...

Many star attractions.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... Tullis Russell's Cypher paper was only one of many star attractions at The Big Draw campaign launch on September 26 in Trafalgar Square. Celebrities Rolf Harris, Linda Barker and Bill Oddie, among others, were present in conjunction with the...

Report says that City printers are in danger.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... A report published this week suggests that printers surrounding the City of London are "facing a number of serious challenges", with small companies facing extinction unless they improve "the fundamentals of their businesses". The report,...

New Pit Stop creaser.(Encore Machinery)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... Encore Machinery is to launch the new Pit Stop creaser. The digital creaser and perfector is the first on the market with deep pile feeder and delivery. The fastest creaser available, it operates at 8,000 sheets per hour and uses a CAM and...

Magazine Production Conference and Awards.
October 7, 2004... PPA's Magazine Production Conference and Awards will take place on October 25 at London's Millennium Mayfair. After presentations on topics including finishing, repro, paper and environmental issues as well as details of the new Pic4press...

Weird Cars book.(Haynes)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... Haynes has published Weird Cars, a book about the most awkward, ugly and bizarre cars ever designed. Written by Stephen Vookins, who has worked at Beaulieu's National Motor Museum for over two decades, the book contains descriptions and...

Meaning of Life portfolio book.(achievements and awards)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... Visual media group Zefa's Meaning of Life portfolio book has won the prestigious IF communication design silver award in the category of print media information. The 300-page book contains photographs and illustrations based on the seven deadly...

Survey results should spark debate.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... The BPIF and GPMU have released the findings of an industry-wide survey of companies and workers in print. The research, undertaken by Vision 21, is a key element of the DTI backed Partnership at Work scheme. Its purpose is to provide an...

AIT integrates Shiraz Rip with Mimaki printers.(Applied Image Technology )(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... Applied Image Technology has intergrated its Shiraz V6 large format Rip and the new Mimaki JV3-75SP printer and CG-75FX plotter to create a complete production system that can cut while it prints. The machine allows cutting to begin as soon...

NGP pairs up solutions.(Networked Graphic Production)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... Networked Graphic Production has announced the development of over 140 pairs of integrated solutions, designed to increase revenues and decrease costs by providing a seamless flow of job and production data across the production process. ...

Franklin updates.(ITC Franklin Gothic)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... After nearly 25 years the ITC Franklin Gothic typeface family is to be updated, enlarged and rebranded. The typeface, named after Benjamin Franklin used for Printing World's headlines, is expected to grow to 72 fonts which will be offered...

Win an IPod with DPW.
October 7, 2004... Pre-registration for this year's Digital Print World will not only mean that visitors are automatically entered into a free prize draw to win an IPod, but are also given a chance to appreciate the work of the Digital Print Shop, a collaboration...

Evonprint replaces presses for efficiency.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... Evonprint, Henfield, West Sussex is replacing two B2 presses with one long perfector in a move towards greater efficiency. In December a four-colour SM74 and a five-colour Komori Lithrone will be substituted by a Heidelberg SM74-10P long...

Mark Andy for Windmill.(Windmill Tapes and Labels inatalls Mark Andy 2200)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... Windmill Tapes and Labels has installed a six-colour Mark Andy 2200 to target new customers and better serve its existing ones. Windmill's managing director Andrew Southern says: "The niche we occupy and those we intend to target require...

Interest in Azura, says Agfa.(Agfa Corp.)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... Agfa says that its Azura chemistry-free platemaking system is attracting strong interest just weeks after it was rolled out in the UK. The company has booked in 15 demonstrations in the three weeks since the Azura/Acento package was...

Discussion on DAM.
October 7, 2004... A seminar took place on September 23 to inform print and repro industry members about the advantages of Digital Asset Management (DAM) systems. Speakers from various software and hardware companies, including Adobe and Apple, discussed the...

COMMENT: Collaboration not competition.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... Consolidation is the order of the day as the pressures of the last months and years are forcing companies to act in order to survive in any form. The old idea of selling your business and retiring to the sun to live off the proceeds from a...

Letter: There's life in Rubylith still.(Letter to the Editor)
October 7, 2004... I have just read your article on Rubylith, `The way it worked: Rubylith' (Printing World, September 30). It made interesting reading for me. I have been in the sign and printing industry for 17 years, and have seen the rise and decline of...

Letter: Smashing memories.(Letter to the Editor)
October 7, 2004... What a nice article `The way it worked: Repromaster' (Printing World, September 30) was. It provoked memories of odd things like putting objects like apples on the copyboard and getting a really good result, unless the heat cooked the apple...

Letter: Scottish printers are not the backward firms you criticise.(Letter to the Editor)
October 7, 2004... We write in connection with your article `DC Print puts Scots work to England' relating to DC Print being unable to source a Scottish printer (Printing World, September 30) and would add these comments. Mr Cant is well named, as he can't...

Letter: Scots have invested.(Letter to the Editor)
October 7, 2004... I was slightly more than a little incredulous at the article, `DC Print puts Scots work to England, (Printing World, September 30) where Mr Darren Cant clearly demonstrates a lack of knowledge of the Scottish print market. His...

Letter: And from the SPEF.(Letter to the Editor)
October 7, 2004... I totally deplore a print broker using Printing World in your article `DC Print puts Scots work to England' (Printing World, September 30) to market his services by denigrating the Scottish printing industry. Of course, competition knows...

Letter: Beam me up.(Letter to the Editor)
October 7, 2004... I was interest to read the article `KBA wins race to kit out Alito Hackney site' regarding Alito/Oaktree Press (Printing World, September 23). But I was surprised to see that you inserted a picture of Capt Kirk rather than one of Terry Brady....

Letter: Down memory lane.(Letter to the Editor)
October 7, 2004... Memories of the Agfa Repromaster, `The way it worked' (Printing World, September 23)? Picture this, me as a shy 16-year-old girl, straight out of school and not knowing what career path to choose. A friend of my older sister was a...

Introduction of legislation.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... October hails the introduction of several pieces of legislation that are estimated to cost industry up to #2bn. The costs include a 35p per hour rise in the minimum wage, the Disability Discrimination Act and a possible narrowing of the pay gap...

Expected to post rise.(Emap Consumer Media)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... The UK consumer division at magazine publisher Emap is expected to post a 6% rise in revenues, with circulation increasing by 5%. The company, which publishes FHM, Zoo and Closer, struggled earlier in the year with its French listings business...

US listing.(The News Corporation Ltd.)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... News International's parent company News Corporation says it will move its main stock market listing to the US despite concerns over corporate governance. The media firm, which generates most of its revenues from the US, argues that a US...

Alan Johnson suggestion.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... Pensions secretary Alan Johnson says that people should be able to choose when they retire and that the national retirement age should be abolished in an interview with the Sunday Times this week. Mr Johnson's suggestion borrows a great deal...

Toyo Ink Group warning.(Toyo Ink Manufacturing Company Ltd. reports growth forecasts)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... Ink manufacturer Toyo Ink Group has issued a warning that growth in the year to March 31, 2005 will be flat as raw materials prices continue to rise and trading conditions remain challenging. Keen competition has forced the company down to...

Study by the Pensions Institute.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... A study by the Pensions Institute at Cass Business School in London shows that finance directors at SMEs doubt the benefits that company pension schemes bring to their businesses and actively discourage employees from joining them. ...

Service Graphics targets acquisitions.(Service Graphics Inc. is planning on acquisition trail)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... Display and large format player Service Graphics is hot on the acquisition trail and may be closing in on at least one target by the end of the year. The news follows first-half figures showing revenue up 10% to #17.6m and operating profit...

Vale-Tech doubles sales.(Vale-Tech Ltd.)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... Ink dispensing specialist Vale-Tech has reported a doubling of sales in the first six months of the year. The Newmarket company has achieved sales of over #1m in the period, with particular growth in small in-plant dispensers in the optical...

Score Press forecasts rise in profit.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... Score Press, the print and publishing division of Scottish Radio Holdings, anticipates a 9% yearly rise in profits for the first half. According to a trading update that coincides with the retirement of chief executive Richard Findlay,...

VNU to sell World Directories.(VNU World Directories is going to be acquired by Apax Partners Ltd.and CINVen)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... Dutch media giant VNU is to sell its World Directories division to a private equity group for E2.1bn. The acquisition by Apax Partners and Cinven follows their previously profitable investments in Yell Group and Thomson Directories. ...

Sales increase at Oakhill.(Oakhill Group Inc.)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... Yearly sales in the first half at Oakhill Group were slightly higher in the first half of 2004 but management called for caution amid increasingly challenging market conditions and price pressures. Operating profit from the group's card...

Compulsory winding up.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... The following case is due to be heard at Bristol District Registry, The Guildhall, Small Street, Bristol * Graphic Solutions Ltd Stephen M Fryer, Westgate House, Spital Street, Dartford, Kent DA1 2EH on October 6 at 10.00am. Petition by...

Appointment of liquidators.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... * DPD Printing & Stationery Ltd Printers. Liquidator: RM Rutherford, 44 Old Hall Street, Liverpool L3 9EB * Finishing Touch (Northern) Ltd Print finishers. Liquidator: TJ Hargreaves, TH Associates, Towngate House, 116-118 Towngate, Leyland...

Appointment of receivers.(BJ's Trade Bindery Ltd.)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... * BJ's Trade Bindery Ltd Printing and binding. Receivers: MW Young and NJ Hamilton-Smith, Vantis Business Recovery, Torrington House, 47 Holywell Hill, St Albans, Herts AL1 1HD Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

Meetings of creditors.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2004... * ICP Europe Publishing plc at 53 Davies Street, London W1K 5JD on September 23 * Positive Print Solutions Ltd at 11 Lime Hill Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN1 1LJ on October 13 at 11.15am * Network Printing Solutions Ltd at The...