Printing Industry News Digest No.106, July 28, 2012

Welcome to Printing Industry News Digest (PIND) issue 106, 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.

The newest version of OS X for Mac is out this week. Code-named Mountain Lion, this latest update provides tighter integration with the mobile iOS operating system, notably with apps such as Notes and Reminders, both of which interface with iCloud. Another big feature amongst the 200 additions is Dictation which provides support for speach-to-text in any software that requires keyboard input. For $20 / £14 Mountain Lion is very well worth the upgrade.

Manroland’s sheetfed operation in the UK has parted company with its MD and sales manager this week. We understand that its premises will soon be sold too, as the building is the only asset of value of the now defunct Manroland GB business.

Printed or plain cigarette packaging is a big question it would seem. Answers in UK have been put back to August 10th in order for further debate and input. Issues regarding job losses in print and packaging and a strong argument with regard to counterfeit products are countering the obvious focus on deaths by the Department of Health.

Plans are in place at Newsweek for the eventual transition to a digital only publication. The 79-year-old publication cites a key driving force as being production costs of a weekly magazine.

Religious too are seeing the invasion of the e-book. A new colour e-reader incorporates, it would seem, “special religious features”. The Android based tablet will cost you some $150  in Family Christian stores. An app is also available for both Android and iOS.

The book business, meanwhile, is celebrating the way that digital print has saved the industry. Frank Romano, as part of his Frankly Speaking tour, offers this summary of the wonders of digital production for publishers. From another angle, e-books just seem to be getting ever cheaper: is that a good thing? What about the author?

In the world of newspapers, doom and gloom appears to be everywhere. However, the UK-based Daily Mail & General Trust has reported a 3% revenue increase in its third quarter interim results. This reversed a 4% drop in revenue in the previous quarter according to our good friends at PrintWeek.

Regular readers might have noted that last week we mentioned quarterly earnings reports for both Microsoft ($18.6 billion) and Google ($12.2 billion) in PIND105. This week we can compare these numbers with Apple ($35 billion) in its Q3 announcement.

Our favourite 7-inch tablet, the Google Nexus 7, has received more plaudits this week, and also a new distribution point, with Carphone Warehouse now stocking the machine. Not too sure whether you really need a contract with it: £20 per month and a free device? (the 16Gb Nexus is only £199). Our own review of the product still glows: small enough to be portable, large enough to be readable; very handy and easy to pick up in the evening for couch surfing purposes too!

Commentators are convinced that Apple must deliver a product in this format. More news to come, we are quite sure.

Almost finally, UK readers rejoice. Our 4G network is now on its way! Just hang on until next year . . .

Finally, 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 update on print, publishing, packaging news and associated technology!

PIND106

Missed Issue 105, including Google Nexus 7 launch? Then simply click here!

Issue 104: Kodak bosses bonuses
Issue 103: Printed electronics latest
Issue 102: British banking



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Printing Industry News Digest No.105, July 21, 2012

Welcome to Printing Industry News Digest (PIND) issue 105, 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.

Further to our recent preview mentions in PIND, the Google Nexus 7 is now shipping, and further to our previously publicly stated aim to avoid the temptation of placing an order, we failed miserably and are now the proud owners of one of these new and most exciting 7-inch tablet devices.

Our positive comments: it’s smart, and very well presented (packed almost as well as an Apple product); the hardware is high-quality; the software is slick and speedy; and overall it has banished our previously stated apathy towards the 7-inch form factor. The slip-in-your-jacket-pocket size has pluses. A 10-inch tablet is certainly not that portable, and the 7-inch screen size does make the web more readable than on a phone. Google designed hardware with the very latest Google built operating system (Android Jelly Bean, or 4.1), and Google’s own Chrome browser for Android, all work extremely well together. This is Android as it should be. And it’s useful.

Our negative comments: currently no external storage capability (could be useful for films / video); no support for Flash, so your BBC news video’s or iPlayer visits are a no-go (argue that this is a BBC problem if you like); no 3G option, so it’s wi-fi or nothing. In short, it’s not perfect, but then for £159.00 [for the 8Gb version] minus £15 worth of free Google Play voucher = £144.00, it is still tremendous value for money, and we say that is putting it very mildly! It’s a bargain. [NB: the 16Gb version has now officially sold out, but you can set a reminder on the Play store for when stocks are replenished.]

Further impact of the Nexus 7 can be seen in Engadget’s latest tablet buyer’s guide, where it makes two appearances.

Moving off in another direction, the Guardian appears to be passing round the hat for the poor beleaguered newsagent, suggesting that some 10 independent newsagents per week are going out of business. It also suggests that you are not helping by buying your news from the wrong place, such as the supermarket or the garage. They appear to be missing the point by a country mile: you are not buying your news in printed format anymore, and why would you. The times they are a changing . . . ! Meanwhile GNM has slashed 100 more jobs as year-on-year sales drop another 10.7% according to PrintWeek.

Even in-flight magazines could be on their way out. Qantas has detailed this week how handing out iPad’s – even in Economy Class – is a cost saving measure when their weight is compared to the built-in video viewing hardware that has been used.

Some really interesting numbers to compare in the world of the computer heavyweights: Microsoft announced Q4 revenues of $18.06 billion, with a $492 million loss; Google announced Q2 revenues of $12.21 billion, with a $2.79 billion profit.

With a very late attempt to get a positive print story in this edition of PIND, we were very pleased to attend PrintWeek’s Power 100 event this last week, held at the most splendid Stationers’ Hall in central London, where the great and good of the UK industry were gathered for the great reveal of the 2012 listing.

Back in newspaper world, WRH Marketing has installed kit at the Telegraph to put sticky notes on the front of the paper. First one went out last weekend. Results expected soon!

Finally, 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 update on print, publishing, packaging news and associated technology!

PIND105

Missed Issue 104, including Kodak bosses bonuses? Then simply click here!

Issue 103: Developments in printed electronics
Issue 102: British banking
Issue 101: Microsoft Surface



Updated daily, get Tech News as it relates to print and publishing.

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

Printing Industry News Digest No.104, July 14, 2012

Welcome to Printing Industry News Digest (PIND) issue 104, 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.

In what might appear to some to be taking a leaf out of the British bankers books, Kodak executives seem, according to reports this week, to be keen to pay themselves nice chunky bonuses for jobs well done (while creditors remain unpaid, of course). Do please read right though to the comments section at the bottom of the page: you will surely find it tremendously entertaining. Thoughts and comment in e-mail form to PIND.Editor@gmail.com by all means.

Following up on last week’s news on printed electronics, PrintWeek has reported on the funding package that has been secured by The Centre for Process Innovation.

It was a great pleasure in early July to be present at a PrintWeek briefing delivered by the legendary Frank Romano, professor emeritus at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Whilst Drupa focused, Frank also offered his thoughts on the various sectors of print production: where they are right now, and where they were heading. A summary of the event now appears on the PrintWeek web site.

In the same vein as Frank’s industry snapshot, a report that came to our attention this week summarising the current state-of-play in the business-to-business magazine sector. Whilst there are, of course, problems, the report focuses on the changes that have had to be made in order for success. One b-2-b publication in the print world that still manages to hold its head up high is Labels & Labeling, so it was good to see this week that the chairman of publisher Tarsus Group, Neville Buch, has been recognised.

The big number crunchers at Nielsen have provided data this week to support all of that: magazine advertising down 1.4%; internet ads up 12.1% in Q1. Meanwhile Next Issue has delivered a new digital magazine package for readers, providing a great big chunk of publications for your pleasure at an all in price.

The New York Times meanwhile highlights the fact that time really is running out for newspapers to change their game and get on the digital boat before it sails.

At PIND we love positive news, and there can be little more on the plus side than this story from Austria, where a town has effectively created its own library through the use of QR codes. It is suggested that the QR code near the local police station could wiz you off to the text of Arthur Schnitzler's The Killer, but we suspect that this is just journalistic imagination!



In tablet talk you just can’t get away from the Google Nexus 7 as the first orders start to arrive. The Guardian provides this week’s review of the product. We have managed to keep our money in our pocket here at PIND for now.

The big comms story of the week – though we do try to steer clear of phones here at PIND – has to be the serious outage at O2. The reasons are focused on here, but, in a more general sense, this has to be a major concern as we rely more and more on our digital kit. It follows hot on the heels of the serious bank computer problem at Nat West. Reliable and effective back-up solutions, with a tried and tested disaster recovery plan, have to be top priority.

And nearly finally, we feel the need to make mention of Microsoft again. They tell us this week that late October is the likely time-frame for the official release of Windows 8. Can’t wait.

Finally, 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 update on print, publishing, packaging news and associated technology!

PIND104

Missed Issue 103, including printed electronics developments? Then simply click here!

Issue 102: British banking
Issue 101: Microsoft Surface
Issue 100: newspaper news



Updated daily, get Tech News as it relates to print and publishing.
Got friends that might like GenesisNews? Tweet them now: click here!

Printing Industry News Digest No.103, July 7, 2012

Welcome to Printing Industry News Digest (PIND) issue 103, 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.

Printed electronics comes back to the top of the shop this week, with Andy Thomas, editor of Labels & Labeling magazine, taking a look at developments at The Centre for Process Innovation, where more or less standard narrow web kit is being used to achieve exciting results.

With the dust settling on Drupa, our Australian chums at Print21 offer up their detailed Benny Landa interview. Worth a read if you want a deeper understanding of nanographic presses, and their potential to change the market. You can also see the full Landa Drupa presentation here.

Meanwhile, the final financial details of the Manroland GB sheetfed and web operations were announced this week by the administrators. Even with the dramatic reduction in the size of this press manufacturer, there are still too many suppliers chasing too few orders. One almost has to ask, who will be the next to go?

The publishing of e-books is easy right? Well, not quite so. Publishing – in whatever format – still has to cross a number of rivers and climb various mountains. Andrew Zack takes us on a publishing journey.

We made mention of the Google Nexus 7 last week, and you may well have already seen the Google video of things taking shape. You can now also put your pre-order in.

However, such moves from Google have re-ignited rumours that Apple will get going this year with product in the 7-inch space. Could be interesting. PIND has never championed the smaller format tablet: you have a phone for portable work, and you would need an additional data contract if you want almost-anywhere internet. The format is still going to be popular this year though – it is the affordable point of entry into the tablet market that makes the big difference. Can we resist the pre-order page above . . . [big struggle ensues!]

Existing Galaxy tabs, in the meantime, are strongly rumoured to being close to an ICS upgrade. We will confirm when we actually see this in real life! By the way: what is Samsung doing right, as profits surge 79% in its second quarter?

ZDNet has been asking questions regarding Microsoft in the form of: Why Microsoft is Building a Tablet, but Won’t Build Smartphones. Whole different distribution / partner system me thinks. In almost the same breath, we are advised that Amazon is planning a smartphone.

Talking of Microsoft, as we do very occasionally, are they taking yet another leaf from the Apple book? A Windows 8 upgrade for Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7 will be available for download for just $39.99. That should help take a lot of people on the new journey (eventually!). Experience may well tell us, don’t jump too soon. Let everybody else iron out the bumps first.

Skype fans should be aware of both PC and Mac updates aimed at further improving stability.

An interesting read for software geeks, and not-so-geeks too: the best Google features that you probably don’t use. And this can be more of an eye opener than you are expecting. My money is on you finding something here that you didn’t already know, and that will prove useful!

Almost finally, one question all parents should be asking: do smart devices make smart kids? The BBC poses the question and attempts some answers.

Finally, 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 update on print, publishing, packaging news and associated technology!

PIND103

Missed Issue 102, including thoughts on British banking? Then simply click here!

Issue 101: Microsoft Surface
Issue 100: newspaper news
Issue 99: PIND Drupa wrap-up



Updated daily, get Tech News as it relates to print and publishing.

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