Printing Industry News Digest No.85, January 28, 2012

Welcome to Printing Industry News Digest (PIND) issue 85, providing a summary of major news items from the printing, publishing, packaging, digital, and communications technology sectors. PIND incorporates brief summaries and links to the week's key news stories so that you can look up that all important detail, digging deeper behind the headline. Do also take a look at our automated Twitter-based GenesisNews Print Daily publication; why not take out a free subscription for a daily digital delivery!

Following last week’s excessive excitement regarding Manroland, Kodak, and Heidelberg, a calmer week offer us just one major update on those three. Only the Kodak story has developed appreciably, with an announcement regarding print and packaging being singled out as having potential for valuable growth. It is currently aiming to secure £610 million to provide liquidity.

On the topic of finance, we have seen some activity this week from used press specialist DPM. Check out the company’s latest used machine offerings via video: they include a Manroland 505+LV B2-format machine; a Heidelberg Speedmaster CD102 six unit; and a Komori Lithorone L540.

With video’s to the fore, the software team at StudioRIP have been busy getting their web site up to date, and this also includes a neat video presentation on the many features of the software RIP product. The company has also started work on its Twitter site.

Elsewhere in the pre-press arena Apex Digital Graphics have been keen to mention their latest Screen CtP installation, with a PlateRite 2055Vi machine being installed at Basingstoke’s Fineprint.

In post-press, Morgana Systems have come to an agreement with Swiss equipment manufacturer Multigraf AG regarding a number of patents. The two companies have issued a joint statement stressing their commitment to stop the influx of unlicensed post-press product entering the EU from the far-east.

In the world of high tech, Apple have been posting even more staggering numbers than expected, and the Guardian asks if it can become the world’s first trillion dollar company.

However, debate still continues about the benefits of a low-cost iPad in the market. Wired tells us that it won’t threaten the march of the Kindle Fire.

The world of QR codes is somewhere that we haven’t visited for a while: we should be looking at QR in packaging; and QR codes in direct mail.

Also in the tech world, the ultrabook is now the weapon of choice for laptop manufacturers. Lifehacker asks what is an ultrabook and do I need one? Are we seeing ultrabook overload? Check out the latest specs.

Finally, do keep checking back to see what will be featured in our next edition, PIND 86. For an RSS feed of PIND, copy this link into your feed reader; and click here for the GenesisNews Print Daily – you can even take out a free subscription for this daily news update on print, publishing, packaging and associated technology!

PIND085

Missed Issue 84, including Manroland break-up; Kodak Chapter 11? Then simply click here!
Issue 83: tech snippets and software
Issue 82: Kodak news and publishing topics
Issue 81: Manroland, newspapers and cloud



Get Your Print News Every Day!

Got friends that might like GenesisNews? Tweet them now: click here!

Printing Industry News Digest No.84, January 21, 2012

Welcome to Printing Industry News Digest (PIND) issue 84, providing a summary of major news items from the printing, publishing, packaging, digital, and communications technology sectors. PIND incorporates brief summaries and links to the week's key news stories so that you can look up that all important detail, digging deeper behind the headline. Do also take a look at our automated Twitter-based GenesisNews Print Daily publication; why not take out a free subscription for a daily digital delivery!

Some clarity has been delivered this week with regard to the Manroland situation. Following a meeting of creditors on Wednesday where some initial bids for the business were tabled, the result was a breaking up of the business. The Augsberg web offset factory is to be sold to German conglomerate Possehl Group. The same company may well also acquire the Plauen factory. The future of the Offenbach sheetfed facility is less clear, but it currently appears to be the subject of a management buyout with finance from an as yet unnamed financier. There has to date been no official comment regarding the future of the Manroland subsidiary companies, such as Manroland GB. Initial estimates with regard to jobs suggest a cull of some 50% of German jobs. Further detail will surely follow.

In the same week Heidelberg has announced the loss of some 2,000 jobs, with 1,200 of these taking place in Gremany as the company aims to cut production capacity by 15%.

Kodak offered perhaps even bigger headline material this week as it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the US. This provides the business with legal protection from creditors while it reorganises its finances and its business units. It is not the end for Kodak, in the same way as Chapter 11 was not the end of General Motors, which used the protective measures to great effect in recent years. However, it is certainly not generating positive news for the once dominant film producer.

We have to stay "big" after those three, so Google financials certainly fits the bill. Full year revenues for 2011 up 29% and last quarter revenues of $10.58 billion seems suitably "big" to us, but not everyone was impressed!

Microsoft's Windows division is apparently also struggling along with revenues of $4.7 billion, but this is 6% down. Everything is relative you see.

Scaling things down just a bit, Google has also been advising us that some 250 million Android devices have been activated and a whopping 11 billion apps have been downloaded from Android Market.

On the subject of Android, the Guardian offers an interesting view regarding Google's loss of control of the operating system. It makes an interesting comparison between where Android is right now v. iOS.

Also this week Apple has been telling the world all about iBooks 2, and its aims for the text book market. The potential for interactive text books has to be huge, but publishers will again need to adjust to the new rules of the game.

Combining all of the last three topics, and moving the goalposts just a bit, Engadget offers us a view on where Window 8 tablets are right now. It suggests that there is already an apparent pricing problem, with a struggle on to get an end user price of less than $600. Arguably, with recent CES topics in mind, this is still too expensive anyway! Already $450 (sub-£300) is more realistic in the Android arena in our opinion.

Finally, do keep checking back to see what will be featured in our next edition, PIND 85. For an RSS feed of PIND, copy this link into your feed reader; and click here for the GenesisNews Print Daily – you can even take out a free subscription for this daily news update on print, publishing, packaging and associated technology!

PIND084

Missed Issue 83, including tech snippets and software? Then simply click here!

Issue 82: Kodak news and publishing topics
Issue 81: Manroland, newspapers and cloud
Issue 80: Further update on Manroland



Get Your Print News Every Day!

Got friends that might like GenesisNews? Tweet them now: click here!

Printing Industry News Digest No.83, January 14, 2012

Welcome to Printing Industry News Digest (PIND) issue 83, providing a summary of major news items from the printing, publishing, packaging, digital and communications technology sectors. PIND incorporates brief summaries and links to the week's key news stories so that you can look up that all important detail, digging deeper behind the headline. Do also take a look at our automated Twitter-based GenesisNews Print Daily publication; why not take out a free subscription for a daily digital delivery!

Lots of little tech snippets this week, including a very good question from the Guardian: where would be without Microsoft Word? The word processing programme in the hands of many a wordsmith, including the starting point for every PIND document, many newspaper articles, and, as pointed out by the author of the Guardian’s comment, most new books!

In the world of tech TechCrunch sums up 2011, and tells us that many of the products that have been pipe-dreams for such a long time actually came into the real world this last year.

Many Siri-like software products have been unleashed on the world in the last few months, and whilst many have been found wanting Vlingo seems to cover the basic bases pretty well for iOS users. Mashable offers us four alternative Siri-like products, including both Vlingo and the voice control already built-in to the iPhone 4. We wouldn't go as far as recommending that one! You can always take a closer look at SRI, the original creators of Siri.

Another software given the PIND seal of approval this week is CameraSync. The product provides an effortless way to get your iPhone pictures semi-automatically despatched to your home PC or Mac via Dropbox or BoxNet.

The dawning of 2012 left your design lakes dry? Take a look at these 10 inspirational typography design blogs – they might just help! Just for good measure, you might want a similarly inspirational set of business card designs.

Plenty going on at CES 2012 during this week of course, with new Asus Eee PC netbooks being revealed for starters. Samsung offers us future-proof voice-controlled television too.

Orange launches the Tahiti in the UK, described as seven inches of Huawei hardware heaven! Yes, well that might be a bit overboard. It’s a seven inch tablet, but Orange is hooking in one expensive contract in our opinion. Let us know what you think of course: PIND.editor@gmail.com

This computer-in-your-desk project from Lifehacker caught our imagination. A neat, space saving solution for sure!

In the world of print, Xeikon has been busy acquiring this week, with the flexographic CtP manufacturer Flexolaser moving into their camp along with the rights to the Thermoflex trademark, which have been acquired from Eastman Kodak.

Finally, do keep checking back to see what will be featured in our next edition, PIND 84. For an RSS feed of PIND, copy this link into your feed reader; and click here for the GenesisNews Print Daily – you can even take out a free subscription for this daily news update on print, publishing, packaging and associated technology!

PIND083

Missed Issue 82, including Kodak news and publishing topics? Then simply click here!
Issue 81: Manroland, newspapers and cloud
Issue 80: Further update on Manroland
Issue 79: Manroland update plus KBA at Luton



Get Your Print News Every Day!

Got friends that might like GenesisNews? Tweet them now: click here!