Printing Industry News Digest May 28, 2010

Welcome to Printing Industry News Digest (PIND) issue 7, the weekly summary of major news stories from the printing, packaging and communication sectors. Published every Friday (except for last week!), PIND incorporates links to the week’s key news stories: every piece of bold, maroon text below can be clicked on to take you to more detail on that particular topic, which will open in a new window.

OK it seems that IPEX got the better of us! Whilst we had plans to put together an edition on the fly during the show, the other business of working the event got the better of us! Here, however, we can now summarise what most exhibitors are calling an excellent exhibition, and one that achieved good positive results for them. As a good starter our friends at PrintWeek have an IPEX 2010 news page that is worth checking through for general highlights and sales info happening at the event, whilst a digital perspective comes from Digital Printer magazine.

A few of the stories from the show that caught our eye are headed by the new partnership arrangements for Mitsubishi in the UK, with M Partners taking on the sales and service for the Japanese built litho presses. The show gave the new representatives a great opportunity to meet with existing Mitsubishi users and discuss any service issues that customers might have.

At the other end of the scale in terms of product size and price tag, Centurfax and Ripware had an extremely successful show with the introduction of the new microDot quality control tool. With dealers interest as well as end user sales, the new product, along with the recently introduced EasyDot, contributed to an order book including over 100 units! That’s a successful show!

Best known for its used press equipment, DPM also enjoyed success with its recently introduced GW guillotine range, a product that it sells from new. Used press sales certainly surpassed expectations, and the company is looking to close a number of guillotine deals after the show; more news as we have it!

On the stand sales were also the order of the day for Apex and Ryobi, with all of the equipment on the stand displaying a “sold” sign by the end of the show! Leicester-based Flexpress (Flexpress MD Steve Wenlock pictured, left) made its first move into B2 printing with the purchase of a Ryobi 785E small-footprint machine for its new premises, whilst Absolute Digital confirmed its order for a four-colour version of the same machine. More news to come on other orders!

Ink supplier Van Son enjoyed a very busy exhibition with dealer visits from across the world. The company was delighted with the success of its recently introduced Quickson PERFECT  four-colour set, a suite of inks formulated specifically for ISO 12647-2 printing.

Sales just kept on coming in for the Marlowe Graphic Services team, highlighted by one of the first sales to come from its recently signed agreement with FFEI. The purchase of a violet laser based Alinte 4 SAL machine was just one of the highlights for the company, with many enquiries also received regarding its recently announced tie-up with HighWater Products Ltd.

Software RIP provider StudioRIP also enjoyed much activity during the show, with various OEM versions of the product in use (though we can’t disclose where!), as well as dealer visits and end user interest. The product was included in PrintWeek’s “Ten Top Buys for £10k or Less” feature in its pre-show Technology Report.

One other huge success that Genesis did have some involvement with was the Z-folding media card detailing a map of the show. Some 30,000 of these were available to visitors as they arrived at IPEX. They just about all went. The promotion was all about printers being able to produce these products for themselves, with some help from The Z-Shed. See the links for full details.

And Finally . . .
In the week that saw Apple overtake Microsoft in terms of value, this very day also see’s the UK welcoming in Apple’s iPad. Are you likely to be stumping up the £450 to £650 required to join the iPad club? We would love to hear your thoughts and comments on this intriguing device, whether you are buying or not. Send your input on iPad to PIND.editor@gmail.com Amongst other things, we would love to know what you are going to use the device for, and where you will be using it.

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Printing Industry News Digest May 14, 2010

Welcome to Printing Industry News Digest (PIND) issue 6, 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 below can be clicked on to take you to more detail on that particular topic, which will open in a new window.

There is only one major topic on the lips of the printing industry in the UK (and for the very many international visitors as well, of course!): IPEX. The UK’s premier printing exhibition, held every four years at the NEC in Birmingham, kicks-off on Tuesday of next week, May 18. If you haven’t already done so (and I really can’t believe that you haven’t!) pre-book your show ticket here right now. It will save you £30.00. This edition of PIND will be dedicated to the delights of IPEX, and if you have already pre-registered you might like to add some of the following suggestions to your “My IPEX” facility within the show’s web site.

In saying that, my first tip is something that you can’t add to “My IPEX”: it’s to pick up a copy of the mini guide to the halls (a Z-folded pocket sized leaflet) available free of charge at the registration desks. There will be a special offer for all UK printers on this leaflet. Make sure you get yours! Two other "freebies" to make sure you get your hands on: the IPEX Daily, a daily version of PrintWeek produced by exhibitors and published at the show itself, carrying news and views from both exhibitors and visitors; and PrintWeek's excellent Technology Report, a supplement sent out with the May 14 edition that should also be available to IPEX visitors - keep your eyes open for it.

Let’s start our equipment guide at the very beginning, in pre-press. For the very latest in UK manufactured computer-to-plate solutions, you need to visit Marlowe Graphic Services, where information regarding the FFEI range of products awaits. Late breaking news also offers some great news for owners of HighWater CtP equipment, so do also visit Marlowe to talk about these products. To drive a CtP, imagesetter, large format device, DI press, or even a digital output device, you need a RIP, and there is no better solution in the independent RIP stakes than StudioRIP. The product will be shown on the same stand as Marlowe equipment.

More computer-to-plate offerings, including very cost effective polyester-based CtP products, visit the Apex Digital Graphics stand. Polyester-based product comes from ECRM, whilst the company’s metal plate solutions are provided by Screen.

I guess in the full workflow picture you could argue that MIS comes before pre-press! Well, whichever way one maps it out, for the very best in digital MIS you need to visit TimeHarvest. The company keeps up with the very latest in technology, as already highlighted in recent months with its cloud computing solution, and its iPhone application.

One process allied to pre-press activity focuses on quality control. Regular monitoring of the image quality on the plate is critical to achieving a consistent printing standard. See Ripware with its Centurfax EasyDot product for the very latest in this technology, as used by the PrintWeek Brochure Printer of the Year, Chapter Press.

Having produced our plates, we now need to print the job, and a full range of printing equipment will be exhibited by the team from Ryobi in conjunction with UK distributor Apex Digital Graphics. From the very latest in B3 format presses, compact B2 machines, to newly introduced B2 product, Ryobi has it all, right through to the very latest in B1 equipment. The company will also highlights its LED-UV drying solutions.

One essential ingredient for litho printing is of course the ink, and our friends at Van Son will be on hand to discuss and detail the very latest in ink technology for both litho, and flexographic and gravure printing. The company is especially keen to promote its Quickson PERFECT four-colour set, which has been blended specifically for ISO12647-2 print production.

Products for conventional printing, such as those already described, will certainly continue to thrive, but it is digital where many visitors will be focusing their attention, and there will be no better place to start than one of the digital pioneers, Xeikon. Commercial, transactional, and label presses will be to the fore on the Punch Graphix stand, as well as its excellent X-800 front-end solution.
Back on the convention route, used equipment is an essential ingredient in the print industry mix, enabling companies to move forward to new formats or new technologies at significantly less expensive prices. One of the UK’s leading used equipment businesses is DPM. A key player on the international stage, DPM exports many presses as well as serving the UK market.

A new print finishing breakthrough will be unveiled by DPM at this IPEX. See the stand and hopefully copies of the show daily for further information when you arrive at the show!

Also in the finishing mix will be M Partners and its range of GUK folding and inserting equipment. This highly specified machinery is particularly sought after in the pharmaceutical finishing market, but all forms of miniature and intricate folding can be undertaken. M Partners also expects to unveil some exciting news one day one of the show: visit them to find out more!

Well, hopefully that’s a start for you! It will, of course, be fascinating to see the very latest trends emerge, and to see what topics are hot at the show. I will hope to round up the best of the news next Friday, mid-show, and then summarise the event the following week. Your thoughts, comments and opinions about IPEX will all be gratefully received. Please do send them through to PIND.editor@gmail.com

Just one more final thing, which we just couldn’t ignore: UK iPad pricing was released during this last week. As an interesting point of comparison (well, it will be when it arrives!) I stumped up £65.00 of my own personal cash for a Chinese 7-inch Android-powered tablet this week because I want to see how good (or how bad!) is the machine you get for that relative “pocket money” amount. It’s coming from Hong Kong via paddle steamer, so sometime when IPEX is just a dim and distant memory I will report to you my findings on this intriguing bit of kit. In the meantime I think it’s going to look something like this . . .

Oh, and just one final, final thing: you are going to IPEX aren’t you?! Are you involved in print? Do you make a living from print related product of any kind? You need to be there! Everything about the print industry is changing. The best place to see the latest trends, the newest product introductions, and chat to the people “in the know” is at IPEX. You can’t afford to miss it! See you there!

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Printing Industry News Digest May 7, 2010

Welcome to Printing Industry News Digest (PIND) issue 5, 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 below can be clicked on to take you to more detail on that particular topic, which will open in a new window.

3D imagery has been popping up in various forms this week, notably from Fraunhofer in a poster context. The good folk at Engadget have highlighted this 3D effect which uses 250,000 lenses, each measuring 2mm in diameter.  3D video camera equipment from Sony is also causing a stir, whilst Toshiba get in on the 3D act with a 21-inch “glasses-free” HDTV screen to complete the picture. I guess that no talk of 3D would be complete without mention of Avatar, so here it is courtesy of our friends at PrintWeek!

Our usual visit to the world of tablets reveals that Apple are claiming 1 million iPad sales already, and for the man who has everything, why not stick one in your kitchen cupboard! Following last week’s news regarding HP and Palm, the former has cancelled its tablet introduction. One suspects a replacement plan will come along pretty soon. Samsung meanwhile has gone full steam ahead with an Android based tablet.

As an alternative approach, ASUS has come at this from a different direction: the portable keyboard. The EeeKeyboard comes equipped with a small screen on the right hand side, but can be plugged into a full size monitor when the traveller comes to rest. Interesting approach, but a rumoured four hours of battery time, and a similar price to a reasonable portable PC, the question “Why?” can’t be far away from your lips.

Back in the world of print and publishing, and Daily Telegraph has broken new ground with an ad running ahead of the front page. HSBC were involved in the ad which was printed on a transparent sheet which wrapped the cover of last Tuesday’s edition of the newspaper.

As mentioned on this site last week, Marlowe Graphic Services has announced a deal with one of the few UK CtP kit manufacturers, FFEI, to distribute commercial format product. The PrintWeek version of this story is now available, and a machine will be on show by Marlowe at IPEX.

With all printers now readying themselves for the delights of Birmingham and the IPEX show, a final sales drive by the organisers has brought in 75 more exhibitors, resulting in an extra 1,300 square meters of floor space being taken. New attendees include Adobe. A special overnight package for print buyers and procurement professionals has also been put together to help swell the crowds.
Your own thoughts on IPEX, print shows in general, the guys with no kit on the stand, and other exhibition stuff are all welcomed. Send them through to PIND.editor@gmail.com

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