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!

Printing Industry News Digest No.81, December 17, 2011

Welcome to Printing Industry News Digest (PIND) issue 81, providing a summary of major news items from the printing, 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!

A little quieter on the Manroland front this last week as the dust settles and people become used to the issues. Reuters summed up the current position on December 13, focusing on likely buyers and possible break-ups of the German press manufacturer. “The Offset Pressman” blog also takes a stab at forecasting the future, with a focus on potential Chinese investment.

Elsewhere in newspaper land, we have another of those often written pronouncements on the death of the newspaper: this one is five years away. However, there is always some reality to these stories, and Roy Greenslade brings us up to date in the Guardian this week with regard to the number of UK weekly newspapers that are no longer with us. Some thirty-one titles worth of closures.

InPublishing takes a more positive stance with its summary of a year of digital innovation in regional media. A US study also advises us that time spent on mobile phones has now passed the time spent viewing print media. Whilst internet time passed print some while ago, this latest set of figures relegates the newspaper/magazine combination even further down the media pecking order.

On a very much more digital slant, we find that iPad has maintained its tablet dominance with a 61.5 per cent share of the world market, with Android perched at 32.4 per cent. Tech Radar, however, tells us the second-generation Android tabs are taking the fight to Apple. As usual, we will see how things develop. Our own Galaxy Tab 10.1 experiences are still proving favourable, by the way: still there are better apps on Apple though!

A nice infographic details how cloud computing has changed business. Well worth a look. On the subject of cloud action, Microsoft has, and not before time, expanded the use of its SkyDrive storage space. Action has also been duly noted in the expansion of Microsoft’s OneNote, which now works well on our iPad. This just helps to close the loop, and makes it more of a useful competitor to Evernote. Want something to sync via your Dropbox instead? Try Speed Notes.

Back to the wonderful world of print, and an InfoTrends study gives us an up to date insight into the high-speed continuous colour inkjet market.

On the subject of inkjet technology, French manufacturer MGi has been in the news this week having been awarded the prestigious Engineering Prize for Innovation.

In the world of packaging, the Department of Health in the UK has announced the timeframe for planned consultation on plain packaging for tobacco products as spring 2012 – not long in other words!

Almost finally, my entry for the least surprising headline of the week award: Amazon doesn’t care about your local bookstore. Wired gives us the details.

Finally, do keep checking back to see what will be featured in our next edition, PIND 82. With the Christmas holidays and New Year break soon to be upon us, this next edition is likely to be in 2012, unless major news requires an emergency edition. 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!

PIND081

Missed Issue 80, including a further update on Manroland? Then simply click here!

Issue 79: Manroland update plus KBA at Luton
Issue 78: press supplier Manroland in trouble
Issue 77: Siri, Kindle Fire, and your CV



Get Your Print News Every Day!

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

Printing Industry News Digest No.80, December 10, 2011

Welcome to Printing Industry News Digest (PIND) issue 80, providing a summary of major news items from the printing, 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!

As added to last week’s PIND on Tuesday, Manroland GB announced that it had entered administration. This news follows a turbulent time for the German press manufacturer over the last two weeks. More recent news items from PrintWeek have highlighted the issues for current users regarding spare parts. The German press have focused on any potential future for the manufacturing giant. If you German language skills are not up to it, Google Translate provides a very reasonable English version of the article – enough to understand the general meaning at least.

Businesses that have already ordered Manroland equipment must be questioning the way forward right now. Two Lithoman machines orders for Australian companies are the subject of this piece from Print 21 magazine.

Meanwhile banknote production at Manroland sheet-fed press user De La Rue is booming according to The Print Business magazine. Should the Euro end up in the bin then a number of smaller states may well come knocking at the door too!

Whether Manroland is at Drupa or not, it’s never too soon to get your hands on the Messe Dusseldorf mobile app. This link provides a detailed video of the app in action. The software is available for iPhone, iPad and Android, and includes interactive hall maps.


Heidelberg in the meantime have delivered their customary end of year press briefing, offering a state-of-the-market summary, as well as a glimpse of what Heidelberg will be focusing on for Drupa.

In the world of e-readers, Apple along with a number of publishers is being investigated by European regulators over their arrangements for e-book sales with regard to competition rules.

At the same time Waterstone’s is again suggesting that its own e-reader is not far away. Whilst knocking bitter rival Amazon, Waterstone’s is seeking to emulate the Barnes & Noble approach to the market.

Wired details for us the latest news regarding Google Currents, the long awaited magazine-style publishing platform for tablets and smartphones. Wired suggests that we have a platform for publishers to quickly develop magazine-style touchscreen layouts.

On the subject of apps, the Financial Times has launched an Android version of its publication, says the team at InPublishing.

Android apps have hit 10 billion downloads, but no surprise that games take the largest slice of that. Apps for Android are still some way behind Apple still in our opinion. Just a glimpse of the Guardian’s top 50 iPad apps listing from September reminds us that there is still just that added depth to the Apple offering. As a further homage to Android, Lifehacker offers us a look back at three years of software and devices.

Almost finally, PrintWeek offers us an examination of the world of virtual reality, including a look at QR codes and near-field communications.

Finally, do keep checking back to see what will be featured in our next edition, PIND 81. We aim to add details of our next edition this link during the course of the week. 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!

PIND080

Missed Issue 79, including an update on the Manroland situation? Then simply click here!

Issue 78: press supplier Manroland in trouble
Issue 77: Siri, Kindle Fire, and your CV
Issue 76: PUR binding for digital print



Get Your Print News Every Day!

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

Printing Industry News Digest No.79, December 3, 2011

Welcome to Printing Industry News Digest (PIND) issue 79, providing a summary of major news items from the printing, 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 on from last week’s headline news regarding Manroland, some updates, some general opinion, and some slightly “ship steadying” news from the team at PrintWeek, along with a news release from Manroland USA.

The good news is that some litho presses are being sold! Coventry Building Society has detailed the installation of a Ryobi 784E B2-format four-colour offset litho press which will enable it to cut out some £300,000 worth of outsourcing. That sounds like a quick payback!

Perhaps of more significance to Manroland was the news that Richard Desmond and team fired up its KBA kit in Luton for the first time this week, rolling off full colour copies of the Daily Star for all to enjoy.

Meanwhile, at Manroland user GMG some interesting alliances have been announced during these last few days. The Guardian is now proudly showing off its digital connections with both Spotify and Facebook as it continues to struggle with the question – detailed last week – as to whether it should continue to print its own paper copies or subcontract the work.

For publishers seeking to get the online payment solution sorted, why not take a look at what the Economist is doing? It has claimed this week that digital subscribers now top 100,000 whilst operating profits have jumped by 6% to £26.2 million.

Trader Media Group has also released figures this week regarding double-digit growth in its digital revenues.   The Auto Trader owner has reported an operating profit of £63.6 million in the six months to October 2^nd 2011. Hopefully this is due in no small part to the use of Wave2 software technology to drive its automation of ads!

One of our other regular favourites, the QR code, has been wonderfully summed up this week by print buying expert Matthew Parker. He offers a number of positives on the subject along with his own acronym: TIM. It stands for Tell, Incentivise, and Measure. If you want to incorporate some QR code action in your customers print, have a read: it should certainly give you some new ideas.

We have told you about Microsoft’s SkyDrive before: a big chunk of cloud storage space that is yours for free. Well, we are told this week that Microsoft is overhauling that offering. This includes better file management and “app-centric” sharing.

We were delighted to see that Engadget was promoting a Braille label printer this week (no pun intended!). The machine can actually be operated by the visually impaired to print out their own labels. An intriguing move forward in a very stagnant market.

Still fascinated by the potential of Apple’s Siri product (as regular readers can testify), we were further intrigued this week to see the launch of a new web site dedicated to Life with Siri. Want to feel at home with Siri? Check out LifeWithSiri.com

Almost finally, in case you are still trying to work out the answer, TechCrunch told us all recently how to be the best entrepreneur in the world. The author has unearthed what he describes as the “10,000 hour rule”. The suggestion is that if you have clocked up more than 10,000 hours of work in a particular field you should be pretty damn good at it! He might have a point.

Finally, do keep checking back to see what will be featured in our next edition, PIND 80. We aim to add details of our next edition this link during the course of the week. 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!

PIND079

Missed Issue 78, including alarming news regarding Manroland? Then simply click here!

Issue 77: Siri, Kindle Fire, and your CV
Issue 76: PUR binding for digital print
Issue 75: In my command? Apple’s Siri



Get Your Print News Every Day!

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