Printing Industry News Digest April 30, 2010

Welcome to Printing Industry News Digest (PIND) issue 4, a weekly summary of major news stories from the printing, packaging and communication sectors. Published every Friday, PIND incorporates links to the week’s key news stories: every piece of bold, maroon text can be clicked on to take you to more detail on that particular topic, which will open in a new window.

We’re going to start this week with a piece of fiction; an obviously “manufactured” video. However, we do so because this short, soundless film has another take on the newspaper format of the future. Not a tablet, but our old friend “digital paper”. It’s becoming more like “The Daily Prophet” from the Harry Potter films all the time! Perhaps we might start a digital paper v. tablet debate; you can always e-mail your thoughts through to PIND.Editor@gmail.com

Earlier in the week, this piece of news about the iPhone offered some interesting thoughts on the latest potential for video calls, but then haven’t we been there before? Will iCall provide the necessary branding to make phone video take off? Do you really want to see my “first thing in the morning face” when you make a call?

HP buys Palm: this combination has to be capable of producing some exciting communications tools for sure. Watch this space. The reported $1.2 billion HP has paid includes the purchase of all of Palm’s patents too; a good deal do we think? Certainly it has to give HP a smartphone future.

Getting back on the print track, PrintWeek’s latest IPEX preview focused on the key topic for this year’s show: digital, with inkjet very much to the fore. On the subject of digital, there was a very interesting report first seen on the US Newspapers & Technology site about a Kodak monochrome inkjet product being purchased by Carlisle-based CN Newsprint, with the aim of adding “personalised” information to a standard newspaper product. The printweek.com version of this story is now also available, or the full PR version.

We recently featured the Ryobi 525GE press on video. The latest edition of Print & Paper Monthly online features the same machine in its Centrespread feature, along with a review of the UK’s first Ryobi 524GE user. B3 print shops should take a look!

In the meantime, Apex Digital Graphics and Ryobi have announced the release of a new B2 varient, the Ryobi 750G. Apex also announced that it will be working with Xitron’s Navigator Elite workflow solution at IPEX.

For UK printers, we should acknowledge the recent appearance of the Print Monthly web site, which is now active and providing news and information to the British print community.

Computer Corner: Do you work from several different computers during the course of a day or week? You might need Dropbox, a fantastic bit of freeware that allows you to synchronize your favourite files between your computers, and even your iPhone, with 2Gb of free space. You can add to this space by the way if you need to, though it will cost a few £$! Already a user? Our friends at LifeHacker have today detailed some additional ways to use your Dropbox account.

And finally this week, we return to the computer end of things: dual-core simply isn’t enough anymore, and those clever chaps at AMD are now introducing a six-core processor, the AMP Phenom II X6! Yikes! Does that mean I have to type even faster?

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Want to read issue 3? Click Here!

Printing Industry News Digest April 23, 2010

Welcome back to Printing Industry News Digest (PIND), a weekly summary of major news stories from the printing, packaging and communication sectors. Published every Friday, PIND incorporates links to the week’s key news stories: every piece of bold, maroon text can be clicked on to take you to more details on that particular topic, which will open in a new window.

Our award for the most thought provoking article that we have read this week goes to InPublishing for its piece on pricing content for the internet. Its take on the business-to-business magazine sector was of particular interest to those of us in the print sector. As if to highlight the issues mentioned it was but the twinkling of the eye before news arrived regarding the end of US title Graphic Arts Monthly.

Graphic designers looking for exciting print products to offer their customers should take a look at what is being produced by Curveball Print Media. The company specialises in a range of folding media cards, such as the Zeddie, as well as a wide range of branded products such as desk tidies.

Our friends at Centurfax and Ripware have announced details of the first installations of the new EasyDot dotmeter product. “Starting at the top” might be an accurate description when one of your first installs is at the current PrintWeek Brochure Printer of the Year, Chapter Press. You might be forgiven for asking why they need a quality control tool; they say it’s all about knowing that your plate production is 100% accurate all of the time. Can’t argue with that!

Printing in 3D is now part of HP’s armoury. Details of the printing devices were shown earlier in the week on Engadget, and some rough idea of pricing. It doesn’t indicate whether you get the special glasses included in the purchase price though.

Packaging news from our friends at Benson Group includes some new cartons produced for some exciting new chewing gum entitled Peppersmith. The innovative boxes produced by Benson Group are “five-sided” in order to accommodate the throw-away papers included with the gum.

Find a fix for that broken gadget or tell everybody else how you came up with a fix for your problem! These are the topics at iFixIt. Once an exclusive Apple domain, the site has now extended its reach to encompass all gadgets.

Finally, a little bit of a “plaything” for the typography lover: take a look at Wordle, a fascinating and artistic word arrangement and display software. Let me know what you think!

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Printing Industry News Digest April 16, 2010

Welcome back to Printing Industry News Digest (PIND), a weekly summary of major news stories from the printing, packaging and communication sectors. Published every Friday, PIND incorporates links to the week’s key news stories.
The Apple iPad continues to make the news, firstly due to the fact the UK/European release has been put back due, it is said, to significant demand for the product in the USA. For those keen enough, and with some cash burning a hole, it looks as if later in May is going to be your time!
If Apple gives you the pip, there are still new PC based tablet offerings coming to the fore. They are not going to be delivered any quicker, but they will at least be able to play Flash. Someone undoubtedly had a sense of humour in coming up with the WePad.
Certainly one exciting demonstration of the iPad’s capability was offered by this YouTube video, which illustrates what the Daily Express might look like in iPad form. An interesting presentation in its own right, for sure, but the big press manufacturers might consider these images the stuff of nightmares!
Twitter pointed us in the direction of one really interesting article on the topic of marketing issues for printers. It really does hit the spot for me when it asks: “Podcasting. RSS. Blogging. WOM. Viral marketing. YouTube. Facebook. Twitter. LinkedIn. Digg. StumbleUpon. How many of these terms are recognizable to you?” If you can’t answer “all of them” without clicking on Wiki you should have a read.
Printing Impressions in the USA recently posted some interesting “hints and tips” on printing in UV. Specific focus here is given to colour sequence and lamp placement.
The subject of pre-packs won’t go away in the UK. Direct mail printer Lick UK is the latest to stir up the hornet’s nest. Again, you will find plenty of reader comment at the foot of this PrintWeek.com article. Latest PrintWeek thoughts on pre-packs here.
IPEX Preview focus from PrintWeek is given over to the delights of paper and consumables. Our friends at Van Son get a nice generous mention in the inks section.
Manroland continues to find headlines, but whether they constitute good publicity or not is for you to decide. The previously announced merger with Swiss web press supplier WIFAG hit stony ground this week, and would now appear dead in the water. Meanwhile, it is also suggested that they have moved their usual IPEX press conference slot (the day before the show starts) to a less noticeable Thursday afternoon (show day three).
On the subject of IPEX, have you pre-registered for the event as yet? Just a month or thereabouts to go you know, and its FREE! In my humble opinion, everybody associated with the UK printing industry should be there. Register now, don’t leave it. If you don’t go, you’re competitor surely will!
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Want to check out issue one? Click here.

Printing Industry News Digest April 9, 2010

Welcome to Printing Industry News Digest (PIND), a weekly summary of major news stories from the printing, packaging and communication sectors. Published every Friday, PIND incorporates links to the week’s key news stories.

Easter weekend saw the official release of the Apple iPad in the USA. As with everything Apple, this generated much American hype and excitement! The UK release of the hand held touch-pad is expected to take place before the end of the month. New “apps” also on the increase!
Alternatively, a PC based product might be your preference. An early “road test” of one such “slate” is encouraging, though don’t expect to buy it tomorrow: more like August.

Best Cover sold out of administration to previous owners. A pre-pack or not? Some heated debate has already taken place on the printweek.com web site. An entertaining read for sure!

PrintWeek distributes its IPEX show guide to MIS and Workflow via e-mail as well as last week's version of the printed magazine. A web based version of the article is also available, including in the Workflow section some information on StudioRIP and TimeHarvest. The main MIS feature also includes details of TimeHarvest.

New video material from PrintSpeak.co.uk has been added to its YouTube site: a QuickDemo of the recently released Ryobi 525GE press is worth a look, especially if a small footprint B3 format press is your desire!
 
Direct mail specialist Mailcom shuts its Boldon, Tyne & Wear site with some 80 personnel losing their jobs. In the same week near neighbour Spenaprint, the successor to Norscreen, has also been placed in the hands of the receiver.

Punch Graphix UK Ltd has announced the appointment of Digital Print Business, headed by Paul Hopkins, as the sales agent for Xeikon digital colour presses covering the whole of Ireland.

Our friends at Ripware and Centurfax are featured in the latest PrintWeek “Tried & Tested” feature, with a review of pre-owned CCDot dotmeter products.

Details of Van Son's new Aquabase+ coatings were posted on PrintSpeak.co.uk this week, whilst Flint Ink is talking about a significant 6% hike in ink pricing in USA, as reported by Newspapers & Technology. A later semi-retraction said that this doesn’t apply to newspaper inks, but to UV inks specifically.

Punch Graphix Announces Sales Agent for Ireland

Punch Graphix UK Ltd has announced the appointment of Digital Print Business, headed by Paul Hopkins, as the sales agent for Xeikon digital colour presses covering the whole of Ireland. Full story here.

Free and Easy to Use Ink Estimator from Van Son

Van Son, with headquarters and production plants in The Netherlands, has detailed the availability of its online Ink Estimator software. The free calculation tool is available for all printers to use from the Van Son web site: see http://www.vanson.nl/ink-estimator.html for more details. For the full story click here.

GenesisNews: Highlights for the Month of March

Genesis Marketing is delighted to present a collection of the leading stories that appeared on GenesisNews during the month of March. Click here for our top five stories of the month.