UV QuickPrint

News

Label Traxx Debuts New Direct Press Data Collector

A new direct press data collector, developed by Tailored Solutions Label Traxx, will debut at Labelexpo Americas 2010 in Chicago, September 14-16. The new data collector is going to be a key part of Label Traxx Version 5.6, which will be released late 2010. A bustle wheel encoder which mounts on almost any press, the Auto Traxx encoder utilizes a USB port to record substrate roll data and can track up to three materials at once. It also collects speed, label per hour and job number data for each run.

"With the introduction of the Auto Traxx encoder, Label Traxx takes the next step in automating and providing traceability in the label production process" said Ken Meinhardt, president of Tailored Solutions.

"This new direct machine interface further reduces keying and eliminates still another potential source of error in label management. Direct press data collection is particularly useful to HP Indigo and other digital press users, because short run lengths and quick turnarounds typically complicate data acquisition and management. With the Label Traxx Auto Traxx encoder, label printers can increase machine utilization and reduce data errors significantly. The Auto Traxx encoder is the result of extensive testing and evaluation by members of the Label Traxx user group."

08/13/10

PIA Gathers on Capitol Hill to Protest USPS Rate Hike

Members from the Printing Industry of America will gather on Capitol Hill in September to stand against a proposed postal rate hike that would significantly erode current limits on postal rate increases imposed by Congress in 2006. The USPS is petitioning to raise current rates higher than allowed by current law, stating that the recession and widespread use of email is forcing them to increase prices to stay afloat.

The Printing Industries of America's Print Voice 2010 Conference is being held September 14-15 in Washington, DC. The conference is free for members of Printing industries of America and will focus on key legislative issues concerning the environment, labor and tax policy. A special session concerning postal policy will also be held.

"With the decision to raise postal rates looming, it's more important than ever that printers stay educated on the politics that affect their business," said Lisbeth Lyons, vice president of Government Affairs at Printing Industries of America. "Print's Voice 2010 will equip printers with the resources necessary to have their voice heard in our government. Additionally, face-to-face meetings with Congress is a valuable step to increase the visibility of the printing and graphics communications industry among lawmakers and to urging policy positions that positively affect the printing industry."

08/13/10

Mark Pollack Signs Onto be Konica Minolta’s Marketing V.P

Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., made a public announcement today that Mr. Mark Pollack has signed onto the company as the Vice President of Marketing Communications and Program Development.

Mr. Pollack, when asked to comment on the position stated, “Konica Minolta's ability to listen to and adapt to customer needs and truly drive customer satisfaction represents the solid foundation for our marketing efforts and continued revenue grow.” He also adds "I look forward to continuing – and advancing – the development of our marketing campaigns, and to introducing corporate initiatives and business strategies to further strengthen Konica Minolta's market leading position."

Responsibilities for Mr. Pollack include advertising, channel marketing, events and communications. Mr. Pollack joins Konica Minolta from holding the Vice President of Marketing position at Pitney Bowes. Mr. Pollack will report directly to Kevin Kern, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A Inc.

When asked to comment, Mr. Kevin Kern issued this statement:"We are excited to welcome Mark to the Konica Minolta team with the assets he brings including industry expertise and an energetic approach to the business. Mark arrives at an exciting time when market share is growing steadily and our industry presence is strong. He will be an integral part of our continued success in ensuring that customers can always count on Konica Minolta for leading products and solutions that meet all their needs."

08/02/10

Padgett’s Benito Parades Celebrates his 30th Anniversary

Padgett pressman Benito Paredes chose to share his celebration and festivities for his 30th anniversary with the company, and he chose to share that day with all the employees that work alongside him at Padgett.

The company held a celebration to honor Mr. Benito Paredes and to emphasize the recognition for all the commitment and hard work he has put into the company throughout the last thirty years. David Torok, the Padgett President and CEO congratulated Mr. Paredes with a check, and the whole company followed that with a roaring round of applause. Padgett has an outstanding record of employee longevity. Roughly ten percent of Padgett's employees have been with the company thirty years or more.

08/02/10

SUNDANCE papers Recruited by Neenah Papers

Neenah Paper has tacked on SUNDANCE Papers 100 PC White Smooth Finish to its digital folio, which already includes the SUNDANCE Papers 100 PC White in Felt Finish. This premium paper is not only budget savvy, it is also FSC certified and produced with a hundred percent post consumer fiber.

Neenah Paper’s Brand Manager, Mr. Greg Maze states, “We are pleased to give our customers this value-priced smooth finish option for digital production print jobs," he continues adding; "As we expand the Neenah Digital portfolio, we give our customers the versatility they need for today's print communications."

SUNDANCE Digital is certified for HP Indigo, which is convincing enough that the paper meets the highest HP Indigo performance expectations.

08/02/10

Komori Set to Debut New Innovative Pieces this October

Komori America Corporation, a first class producer of both sheetfed and web offset printing presses, is planning on showcasing two brand new developments they have been working hard on and they plan on revealing them at an open house on Saturday, October 2 at the Rolling Meadows facility. Marking an importance, October 2nd has importance due to it being the U.S. premiere of Komori's new KwikDri UV drying system and the Enthrone 29, a new half-size press. The open house event is set to begin at 4:00 pm and Komori America will be providing spectators with transportation to and from their hotels in Chicago to their facility in Rolling Meadows and even more for the lucky Komori guests! They will also be treated to dinner and live entertainment.

Sheetfed product manager for Komori America Corporation, Mr. Doug Schardt , says that "The KwikDri UV drying technology was first shown at IPEX 2010 and is an ideal drying system for two-sided printing-delivering mark-free, bindery ready sheets," said, "The Enthrone 29 is an economical half-size press that is perfect for short-run work because of its fast make-ready and outstanding print quality. Demonstrations of the presses will focus on press efficiency, reduced waste, and will highlight how Komori America's presses can get to stable color in just 20 sheets."

"Many of our customers will already be in Chicago at this time to attend Graph Expo. This event will give us an opportunity to showcase our latest developments and spend enjoyable time with our customers in the process," said Susan Baines, director of marketing for Komori America Corporation.

07/28/10

Xitron Unveils New Interface for Heidelberg Prosetter

Xitron, the industry's leading independent prepress developer for image processing, management, and workflow software announced earlier today that they are excited to bring forth the release of an interface to drive the Heidelberg Prosetter family.

From what we already know about Xitron's successful USB interface design, the new prosetter interface will support the P52, P74 and P102 models, providing the option of using both the single cassette loader and multi cassette loader. The interface is available for Xitron's entire family of image processors and workflow solutions.

Xitron's President and CEO, Mark Eisenschenk, comments saying, "For 33 years, Xitron has specialized in providing prepress solutions driving a wide array of output devices," stated. "Our dealers and end-user customers expressed strong interest in an interface for the popular Heidelberg Prosetter and we are pleased to announce this exciting development."

07/20/10

WorkflowOne Appoints David Buckley as the Vice President of Marketing

Announced today was WorkflowOne’s decision to appoint Mr. David Buckley as the new Vice President of Marketing. Mr. Buckley will be reporting to William Antoskiewicz, who holds the position of Executive Vice President, Strategy, Marketing and Customer Services.

William Antoskiewicz commented on the situation saying,

“David brings a wealth of experience in marketing and strategic development” he also adds that, “In addition, he will work closely with the Solutions and Sales teams in helping them develop and deliver a strong portfolio of products and services that will deliver high value to our customers through simplifying their marketing and supply processes, providing best in class procurement capabilities, while reducing overall costs.”

Prior to this new position at WorkflowOne, Mr. Buckley served as the Vice President of Client Leadership at one of the top in customer care and target marketing programs in the world; ,Dunnhumby USA. His responsibilities included initiative handling for all forms of marketing, pricing/ merchandising, pricing, customer communication.

“I look forward to leading WorkflowOne’s marketing team in developing the strategy that underlies the company’s sales techniques, business communication and business development,” said Buckley. “In addition, I’m eager to further develop and enhance the WorkflowOne brand, positioning, product and services for the company’s internal and external stakeholders.”

07/20/10

Bangkok Phya Publishing Co. Installs first ProLiners In Asia

Bangkok native Si-Phya Publishing Co. hHas finally had two brand new new Muller Martini ProLiners installed in their facility to provide the best and clearest inserted business for the Daily News newspaper. The installation of the ProLiners is the first known of its kind in all of Asia.

Si-Phya often jackets its broadsheet Daily News using a heatset commercial product. The ProLiners, each equipped with four feeders, support three different types of production:

Si-Phya has three flexible options for making the advertising environment in the Daily News, which can feature up to 40 pages, even more appealing, and for generating additional advertising revenues. Asia's first two ProLiners were commissioned at the end of May. The two machines were assembled and subjected to rigorous testing at the Muller Martini plant in Switzerland prior to delivery, ensuring that the commissioning process in Bangkok went without a hitch.

07/20/10

Pricing Increase Announced Today By the Flint Group for August 1st

Heightened drastically throughout the last few months are costs for important raw materials needed for ink and by drastic growth, we are talking about over 30% increase in the last 6 months alone.

The yoyo –ing of the raw materials and chemical stock markets worldwide is the key factor towards what has caused de-stocking of most raw material supply chains. Consequently the costs of base chemicals have increased continuously since early 2009. The price increases in specialty chemicals are double digit on key feed stocks while a number of force majeure situations have added to the pressure.

Vice President Strategic Marketing for Flint Group, Mr. Web Michael Impastato, further explains the situation saying:

"Flint Group is conscious that its customers continue to face a difficult business environment, and many materials together with energy and transportation continue to rise."

He concludes:

"However, Flint Group is not exempt from this global situation, and although our technical team is constantly searching for ways to mitigate these effects, we are incurring tremendous cost increases despite our ongoing cost containment programs. The cost increases have now proven too large, and the need to pass on these higher costs to our customers is necessary."

07/20/10

Bob Weber Announces Launch Of New Website

Bob Weber, Inc. a well known supplier for digital prepress equipment worldwide, staged a public announcement earlier today where they declared the initial web site which is www.Bob-Weber.com.

Their website highlights improved listings for prepress equipment for Platesetters, and Imagesetters. The resource section includes videos on the refurbishing of digital prepress equipment as well as a comprehensive white paper on computer-to-plate technology written by Robert J. Weber. Other features include ChatLive, access to a library of PDF specification brochures on Platesetters and Imagesetters, a section for dealers, and a Hard To Find item section.

07/19/10

Budco announces new direct mail marketing partnership

Budco, a leading direct mail marketing company based in Highland Park, Michigan, announced today a new step in its quest to provide leadership to the direct marketing world by becoming an affiliate member of the DiscMail Direct Coalition (DMDC).

The DMDC's primary goal is to create a new form of disc-based mail and to educate marketers, ad agencies and brand managers about the latest technological advancements that can be achieved when DVDs, Blu-ray and CDs are used as complementary direct mail mediums for print and online marketing.

"Budco has been supporting the use of optical-based media through client specific initiatives for years so we are excited to become a member of the DiscMail Direct Coalition," remarked Jeff Sierra, Budco's Vice President of Marketing and Product Development. "With advancements like the ability to add personalized, variable content, optical discs have become another powerful tool to deliver relevant marketing communications to targeted audiences. Since Budco has a great deal of experience designing and executing effective multichannel fulfillment and direct marketing initiatives, we are confident we can add value to the coalition."

07/16/10

FUJIFILM gains award from I3A

Today FUJIFILM gained an award from the International Imaging Industry Association (I3A) for demonstrating the highest levels of safety performance and leadership. The non-profit I3A represents almost all leading and emerging graphic imaging firms and is the largest imaging industry group worldwide. Fujifilm won 4 "Safety Excellence" awards and 3 "Best in Class" awards from I3A in honor of the safety performance by its Hanover Park, IL; Irving, TX; Rochester, NY, and Greenwood, SC facilities.

"We are honored by these awards," said Ryutaro Hosoda, president and CEO, FUJIFILM North America Corporation. "A critical element of our efforts to build sustainable businesses involves the education, training and safety of Fujifilm employees. The safety record at these facilities, as recognized by I3A with these awards, is important validation of our efforts."

I3A's Safety Excellence Award criteria takes into account the lowest recordable days away from work accidents rate in addition to a low overall recordable incidence rate with the most hours worked during a calendar year. Award recipients are celebrated as being the best in their class among I3A member companies.

Awards will be presented at the International Imaging Industry Association's 64th Annual Conference in San Jose, CA in November, 2010.

07/16/10

KBA launches CO2 computation software for printers

KBA has become the first printer manufacturer to offer eco-minded clients a personalized, user-friendly solution for calculating the greenhouse gas emissions generated by printing production runs.

KBA was one of ClimatePartner's first commercial industry partners; the two companies have been working together since 2008. Starting today, KBA will be providing their own online platform in co-operation with the environmental protection consultancy out of Munich. Print shops and firms can utilize the software to calculate the exact amount of CO2 emitted during their printing production runs, which can then be eliminated by engaging in certified climate protection projects.

Printing firms who register at www.climateneutralprinting.com/kba can submit emissions data and obtain information on their shop's individual carbon footprint. Understanding a printing shop's carbon footprint is the beginning for making improvements in environmental protection. The Würzburg printer manufacturer is hoping to educate their customers to the dangers presented by climate change.

07/15/10

Chinese paper importing slowly destroying US industry

The paper industry employs more than 4,000 people in U.S. Rep. John Boehner's congressional district, and those jobs will be at risk if nothing is done about the massive subsidies the Chinese government provides its rapidly growing paper industry. That's the message paper industry executives took to the U.S. House minority leader's West Chester Twp. office Tuesday, July 13.

The Alliance for American Manufacturing delivered a new Economic Policy Institute report stating that China's rapid rise in the global paper industry has been fueled by an excess of more than $33 billion in government subsidies from 2002 to 2009.

This has allowed China to triple its paper production since 2000, which led to it overtaking the United States as the world's largest paper producer in 2008.

It's the reason why SMART Papers in Hamilton has had to let go roughly half of its workforce in the past 18 months, according to SMART Papers CEO Tim Needham. The plant now employs little more than 258 people, he said.

Needham and the trade group say that the United States is in a better position than China to be a paper provider, as America has more trees and China will not be able to compete without the government subsidizing pulp purchased from other countries.

"They buy the pulp from us, we ship it...they convert it into paper, they then ship it back to us and under-sell the U.S. domestic market," Needham said. The subsidies violate international trade rules, according to Donnie Blatt, a representative from United Steelworkers who represented paper mill workers in the meeting with Boehner's office.

United Steelworkers asked Boehner to join other lawmakers in signing a letter to President Barack Obama to support raised tariffs on imported Chinese paper. This issue is currently being debated by the International Trade Commission and U.S. Department of Commerce. A final decision is expected in September.

"We're asking the president to take whatever measures are necessary to stop this practice to ensure we don't lose any more of our domestic paper industry," Blatt said. "We think any time China doesn't follow the rules - whether it's the paper industry or any other industry they are flooding the market with - they do impose tariffs on them."

Boehner was in Washington D.C. Tuesday, so he missed the meeting.

"At this time Congressman Boehner is continuing to monitor the investigation, and he believes that the investigation should continue unimpeded by politics," said Boehner Spokesman Cory Fritz when asked if he would sign the letter to Obama.

07/15/10

Print Shop Gets Heidelberg Printer with Rainbow Printing Capabilities

A Russian printing company that is best known for its security printing has received the new Speedmaster SM 102 six-color UV press from Heidelberg which is significant because it is the 150th printing unit equipped with a rainbow device. The process of Rainbow printing allows immediate processing of different inks in a single ink fountain.

Print shops specializing in security marked printing in countries and regions like Brazil, United States, and Europe also use Heidelberg’s special presses with similarities to that of the rainbow. The presses are mainly used for the print of banknotes, security papers, check cards, driver's licenses, identity papers, postage stamps, and tax stamps.

The rainbow device features an individually adjustable ink distributing option, and ink division through the ink fountain. The Ink fountain has a new look as well, which is a special knife-type. The different inks combine in a single ink fountain to produce controlled fine lines on the sheet. The resultant vignette within the print motif is key to security printing.

07/14/10

Color-Logic: Opens Certification Program for Graphic Designers

Color-Logic has publically announced their fully Certified Designer Program. In order to receive your Certification as a Designer, Color- Logic has made it mandatory for all graphic designers to turn in two example artwork pieces that have been done with the use of the Color-Logic Process Metallic Color System and then, those pieces must have been printed by a Color-Logic licensed printer.

Mr. Mark Mayers has become the primary certified graphic designer under the program for his Illustration and Design. Mark Geeves, Color-Logic Sales and Marketing Director issued a press statement the program, saying:

"The Color-Logic Certified Designer program assures brand and product managers that their graphic designer is fully qualified to execute their metallic designs and has a relationship with a licensed printer. As the first Color-Logic Certified Designer, Mark Mayers has demonstrated his expertise with metallic printing, from design concept to the final product."

07/14/10

EPG: Named Sole American Dispenser for Welas Products

Connecticut KeyColor ink control manufacturer, EPG or otherwise known as Essex Products Group, has signed a contract which declares EPG the select North and South American dispenser of Welas products. Welas produces laser-cut hardened carbon-steel and stainless-steel segmented ink blades for accurate ink metering and customizes blades for all press types. This partnership secures a unique nationwide distributorship of Colortronix's job presetting and color scanner interface systems.

EPG just recently gained custody for the sole distributing rights for Colortronix LLC Herman products as well. Colortronix products are strictly sold under the EPG alias brand, Adelphi. The Adelphi AutoSet system presets ink keys on presses having non-EPG ink control systems.

Managing Director for Welas, Livio De Cet , said,"EPG is a proven global leader in ink control technology, offering high-quality products and services comparable to those of the Welas brand. We are very excited to have them represent us and look forward to bringing exceptional value to printers in North and South America."

07/14/10

Electronics For Imaging Inc. Gets Possession of Radius Solutions

Electronics For Imaging, Inc., considered a powerhouse in customer-focused digital printing innovation, issued a statement earlier today that it concluded its attainment of Print MIS solutions provider, Radius Solutions which had on its own been announced prior to forging ahead with the gaining process.

Also as formerly noted, Radius Solutions will merge with the Advanced Professional Print Software division of EFI which stands to combine numerous amounts their highly commended products which include Digital Storefront, Auto-Count, Fiery, and PrintFlow to name a few. The successful gain of Radius continues to increase the strength of EFI's ever-growing product catalog of listed software components, UV Inkjet digital presses and of course, their inks.

07/08/10

CreatorUrban Backlight Approved For HP Latex Ink Usage

Torraspapel, one of the leading European manufacturers of coated and specialty papers and a part of the Lecta Group, have recognized their new variety of papers made to be suitable for large-format digital printers called: CreatorUrban Backlight DPI, for HP printers that utilize advancements like latex ink. By using the HP latex ink, the situation becomes environmentally-friendly for the print.

With 300 years of history behind it, Torraspapel is with an output capacity of more than 1 million tons. Firmly committed to sustainable environmental management, all of its manufacturing sites hold EMAS, ISO 14001, PEFC and FSC environmental certifications.

The CreatorUrban Backlight DPI range includes a line of matte coated paper which was particularly produced for the act of digital printing on back-lit advertisements.

07/08/10

International Paper Successfully Purchases SCA Packaging Asia

International Paper has successfully executed the purchase of ownership for SCA Packaging Asia. The price paid for the acquirement of this plant cost International Paper a staggering $200 million dollars, which now brings the number of plants owned to a total of 27. Twenty-one of their facilities are based in China, and 25 are scattered in between Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.

President of International Paper Asia, Mr. Paul Brown issued a statement saying,

"This acquisition strengthens International Paper's industrial packaging business in China the largest corrugated market in the world, and it extends our presence in Southeast Asia," He further comments saying, "We have an experienced leadership team in place and our business will now be more competitive and better able to serve customers in this fast growing region of the world."

07/08/10

Baldwin Tech Inc. finalized Acquirement of Nordson UV Ltd

Baldwin Technology Company, Inc., a leading worldwide company in process automation technology for the industry of print, fulfilled its motion to purchase of Nordson UV Ltd. This announcement was made primarily on June 14th. The attained company has provided UV curing systems for the majority of the graphic arts market, as well as carrying their own line of ultraviolet lamps and other parts.

Managing Director of Nordson UV Ltd. Mr. Jim Ainsworth commented: "Everyone in the Nordson UV organization is excited to be part of Baldwin, a highly respected company in the graphic arts industry. Their strong global brand name, international presence and well-established customer relationships in all major markets for print will provide the platform for synergistic delivery of UV curing and IR dryer solutions to our customers and strengthen the competitiveness of the combined companies."

Also commenting on the matter is Vice President of Operations for Baldwin, Mr. Steffen Weisser saying, “I am pleased to report that teams from both companies have already initiated preparation for integration of the two companies. The combination extends our previous alliance to a global reach and introduces Baldwin to the expanding opportunities in UV applications and the digital (ink-jet) market sector – new markets for Baldwin within our core competence of process automation for the print media market.”

07/07/10

Robin Tobin Acquires New Partnership With Trekk- Cross Media

Trekk Cross-Media has made the decision to bring Robin Tobin on as new collaborator on board. has joined the partnership as Principal and Executive Vice President of Business Development & Relationship Management.

In this chief position, she will utilize her former knowledge in product, partner and marketing, and from that she will be expected to expand and carry programs that churn mass revenue as well as market shares, and the growth of customer services. All Trekk clientele will most certainly benefit from Robin Tobin’s strong ability to maintain a fine balance of all her responsibilities.

Tobin’s academic background includes a bachelor of science in computer science from Rochester Institute of Technology, and a Master of Business Administration from Clark University. She currently serves on many councils and boards, which shows her involvement and extensive firsthand knowledge of the industry. Some of the boards and councils she belongs to are; the Printing Industries of America's eBusiness and Digital Printing Council Advisory Boards, and Print on Demand Initiative Marketing Advisory Board , to mention a few.

Robin held the position as the Principal Manager of Adobe Systems Inc’s Print Industry Marketing in the Creative Solutions before having joined Trekk last year. At Adobe Systems Inc, her work duties consisted of driving adoption of Creative Suite, InDesign Server, VDP solutions, Acrobat, Adobe PDF workflow, workflow automation solutions, PostScript, PDF Print Engine and services, and binding strong relationships with other vendors and most importantly, customers all throughout the print industry Worldwide.

07/07/10

Mutoh America Announces Summer Printer Promotion

Mutoh America has released a special promotion for the summer to all sign shops for one of its most popular printers: the ValueJet 1304 54" MSRP of $18,495.00! For only $14,995.00 which is an approximate 20% discount. Also, a 2nd year warranty is included. This promotion is valid for a limited time only.

The ValueJet 1304 comes equipped with Mutoh Edition SE RIP Software. The ValueJet 1304 reaches print speeds up to 145 sq ft per hour in production mode, using Eco-Ultra Ink.

The VJ1304 is deemed as the classic favorite in the family of Mutoh printers and a top favorite of most Mutoh users due to its easy and smooth. The ValueJet 1304 has the capabilities to produce all banners, posters, POS displays, long-term backlit signs, stickers, as well as signs

07/07/10

Yutak Kwok offered promo by Spencerlab Digital Color Laboratory

Catherine Fiasconaro, director of the SpencerLab Digital Color Laboratory is pleased to announce the promotion of Yutak Kwok to the position of Information Technology Engineer, effective immediately.

Yutak began his employment with the SpencerLab group in 2007, working as a junior color engineer and his main objectives and contributions included deeply examining both color and monochrome quality prints through digital ink/toner as well as conventional methods. Yutak had timelessly demonstrated his expanding knowledge of the IT disciplines, as well as taking on multiple amounts of IT tasks including server management and administration, network and computing infrastructure, system performance evaluations, technical support and troubleshooting.

SpencerLab President, Mr. David Spencer, noted, ''Continuously incorporating the latest technological methods and concepts within our IT infrastructure and testing environments,'' He also adds that, ''Yutak maintains the momentum of the dynamic changes occurring within the technology industry, keeping SpencerLab IT at state of the art.''

07/07/10

Survey Advantage helps companies interact with clients

As part of its promise to offer member and client companies develop profitable, attentive, customer-based organizations, Mailing and Fulfillment Service Association (www.mfsanet.org), the trade association for professional mailing and fulfillment services management, has revealed that it will be offering members the Survey Advantage program for collecting client and employee feedback designed for printing, mailing, and graphic media networks. Survey Advantage provides its clients with a wide array of options to assist in gaining valuable insights.

“There is no question that succeeding in today’s marketplace requires companies to stay abreast of their customers’ needs. The low cost, easy to implement programs offered by Survey Advantage makes this a perfect fit for our members,” said Ken Garner, President of Mailing and Fulfillment Services Association. “Their services offer companies seeking a cost-effective solution a way to gain valuable feedback. Their programs alert managers of disgruntled customers while identifying sales leads with loyal customers.”

“MFSA’s commitment to helping members sharpen their business focus makes the Association a natural strategic partner for Survey Advantage,” said Michael Casey, president of Survey Advantage. “The many businesses that are members of MFSA are sure to benefit from the customer feedback provided by our three industry specific services.”

Survey Advantage’s feedback programs are fast becoming the industry standard for customer interaction and feedback. Hundreds of graphic communications companies already rely on Survey Advantage for key worker evaluations to maximize performance and customer relations.

07/02/10

Taopix uses Facebook with Photobook America

TAOPIX, a UK photo book software manufacturer, has installed its first US MultiSite Production solution at Photobook America, part of the Photobook Worldwide group.

The new software is perfect for large print and photo lab professionals and firms looking for a cost-effective 'hub and spoke' multisite photo book operation.

Photobook America already operates established production sites in Malaysia and Canada and this latest installation represents a specific focus on the United States, with Facebook at the center of its marketing strategy.

Says Charlene Callaghan, Marketing & Communications Director for Photobook America:

"We are excited at the prospect of bringing our photo products to the American market. We have built a solid reputation for quality and value and are confident we can emulate this success in the US."

Comments Gadi Kovarksy, TAOPIX VP Sales (Americas):

"Photobook Worldwide is one of our most enterprising TAOPIX customers and excels at business to consumer marketing. Their implementation of TAOPIX Photobook with its ability to allow customised websites in multiple languages, currencies and payment gateways has been a key component in their success to date."

Adds Charlene Callaghan:

"We have customers all over the world, so adapting to and using social media to our benefit is important. Our Facebook fanpage has increased by thousands since we launched and started to use the page for various marketing initiatives. Photobook now has over 19 thousand fans on the page and it continues to grow daily."

07/02/10

Alcom partners with PIA for G7 certification

Alcom has partnered with PIA (Printing Industries of America) to achieve the qualification of G7 and implement its methodology. The methodology allows commercial printers to improve the visual similarity between a proof and printed sheet from different presses. The method depends largely on defining and using gray balance to control and manipulate images.

G7 methodology is a valuable tool for printers looking to keep up with the high expectations of their clients while maintaining consistency throughout the entire printing process. Assistant chairman and CEO of Alcom, Douglas Yeager, says

"We're looking for ways to add value to our processes and products, and completing the certification in G7 is one example. Its use will provide customers with the highest level of color consistency possible."

Dr. Mark Bohan, vice president of technology and research at Printing Industries of America, echoes the benefits of G7, saying

"The use of specifications and standards is improving the quality and consistency of print to customers, and we are committed to helping printers implement these types of solutions. I am excited with the positive outcome achieved at Alcom."

To become a G7 printer, Alcom obtained the help of a certified expert to verify that their equipment met the G7 methodology as well as running the company through a strict training program. Douglas Yeager says

"Printing Industries of America was a great help to us because they understand the technical process so well. In fact, after reaching G7 qualification, they smoothly transitioned into helping us achieve the ISO 12647-2 print standard."

In addition to helping printers achieve G7 qualification and meeting ISO 12647-2 standards, Printing Industries assists print firms in setting up procedures and methodology to meet GRACoL guidelines and print specifications. They test inks as well, ensuring that they meet the ISO 2846 ink standard, which is a requirement for both ISO 12647 and G7. Certificates of compliance are provided to print firms that are able to demonstrate that they meet G7 and ISO 12647 specific color management requirements.

Alcom is an integrated marketing company located 45 minutes outside of Philadelphia in Harleysville, Pennsylvania. They provide their clients with high quality commercial print, direct mail marketing, and business development solutions using proven integrated cross-media strategies.

07/01/10

UPS WorldShip and CRC publicly announce their merger

CRC Information Systems, the well noted creator of the leading MIS/ERP system called Nucleus, has proudly announced the complete merger with UPS WorldShip.

Both companies hope that this new joint venture will expand and increase the percentage of accuracy in the workflow from both companies’s shipping. This new move also incorporates current data from all customers and jobs through Nucleus into UPS WorldShip to mass produce shipping labels and paperwork, then right after that step is complete, UPS WorldShip sends back all the billing and shipment info to Nucleus without double data entry needed.

A family-owned and operated printer in business for over 50 years located in Minster, Ohio is the best way to describe Globus Printing and Packaging Inc. A recent set up the integration between UPS WorldShip and Nucleus with great success. "Before we were able to take advantage of this new feature in Nucleus, we were using a third party application, Kewill ClipperShip, to handle our shipping workflow," said Kathy Winner, IT Analyst for Globus.

"By integrating, we have been able to eliminate our costs associated with using the third party software. Because of the seamless flow of data, we are now able to take advantage of features such as archiving shipment tracking and billing information within the job records." She added, "With the exceptional support from CRC's developers, getting our team up and running on the new integrated workflow was easy and virtually seamless."

06/28/10

IDG Computerworld's 2010 Best Places to Work in IT

IDG Computerworld's 2010 Best Places to Work in IT honoree this year goes to the company, International Paper. International Paper has been recognized as an organization that pushes their top notch staff to excel while at the same time, rewarding their staff by offering multiple benefits and of course, competitive compensation. All of this year’s chosen Honorees will be featured in Computerworld's media output alongside the results from the 17th annual Best Places to Work in IT questionnaire.

Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer for International Paper, Mr. John Balboni, comments saying; "We are extremely proud to have earned a place on the Best Places to Work in IT list.” "At International Paper, the Information Technology organization is an integral part of the day-to-day operations and strategic direction of our many business and staff organizations. We recognize that hiring and retaining the best IT talent is critical to the success of our mission.”

Balboni also said; "Our IT team has successfully delivered on a tremendous number of initiatives under extremely difficult economic conditions over the past 18 months,” "These challenges have served to energize and engage the entire organization. I congratulate our team for their spirit, efforts and accomplishments that have led to this honor."

With its Main Headquarter located in Memphis, Tennessee, and more than 1,200 employed IT professionals, International Paper's IT organization is starting to expand systems throughout their global operations. This group is in charge of overseeing all upgrading, designing and sustaining, all information as well as the information infrastructure that support and enable our worldwide operations.

"To be among the Best Places to Work in IT, it's not enough just to seek out and hire the most talented IT people, offer them competitive pay and provide great benefits," said Scot Finnie, editor in chief of Computerworld. "The organizations that made this year's Best Places to Work list sustain a dynamic work environment in which IT professionals keep their hands on the latest technologies and work on projects that are business critical."

06/28/10

Flint Group Seals the Deal on Torda Gain

Leader in providing worldwide solutions for Packaging and Print Media, Flint Group, made an announcement today to publicize its successful acquirement of the ink packaging company Torda.

Torda is one of the biggest manufacturers of printing inks throughout Northern Europe, and the Middle East with a considerable hand in Eastern Europe. Torda has generated total revenues of around 23 million euro in 2009 alone.

President of Flint Group's global Packaging and Narrow Web division, Dr. Dirk Aulbert, adds commentary stating, "We will now focus to quickly develop the significant potential of the Torda business within Flint Group's global packaging inks business building on the excellent fit of Torda's business model with respect to its geographic reach and its product portfolio."

06/23/10

Companies Nela and Proteck Join Forces to Create Large Corporation

NELA has publicly declared their decision to move ahead with the formation of a corporation shared with Proteck from India. Both these companies will share all efforts in the workloads which include engineering, sales and service for all plate ovens and CtP processors for the print markets in North and South America.

Proteck is one of the foremost graphic arts suppliers in India and is already directly distributing their processors to North and South America. In Order to boost the customer sales, service, and satisfaction, Proteck will be counting on their new partner NELA, to provide support towards engineering, and assembling and they will be doing it all from their home base location in Wisconsin. NELA is able to use Proteck to their advantage as well by adding Proteck’s processors and ovens to its product catalogue.

NELA’s President, Mr. Dave Klein, states: "We are very happy to have found an extremely competent business partner like K. Vaidyanathan, President of Proteck. This partnership combines his expertise and NELA's Know-how, Marketing and Technical Field Service to better serve the North and South American marketplace. We are very confident that this partnership will provide outstanding value to the customers looking for superior engineering and full service capabilities in their supplier."

06/23/10

Agfa Graphics Partners up with Nustream Graphic

Agfa Graphics announced today that Nustream Graphic, a company that leads in the field of full-service dealings, has forged a distribution agreement with Agfa's prepress solutions. Nustream Graphic is a diverse company that is comprised of knowledgeable industry professionals with hands-on technical and sales experience.

According to Guy Potvin, Executive Vice-President at Nustream Graphic, "We are very excited about working with Agfa. Today, cost-effective solutions that help printers reduce waste and improve efficiency while protecting margins are in high demand. Agfa's portfolio of products has been well-received in the industry and increasingly in Canada because they meet these requirements." Nustream has carefully and thoroughly selected one industry veteran, Jonathan Rogers, to manage Ontario-based accounts and Steve Daigle for Quebec-based accounts.

"Nustream's sales approach is exemplary. While distributing advanced technologies is a sweet spot, their main focus is helping small- to mid-sized printers identify the solutions that best fit their business environment. Ultimately, we believe this new partnership allows Agfa to expand our reach as we work to help more printers address their business challenges in this competitive market," said Agfa Inc’s Managing Director, Ruben Silva.

05/28/10

IPEX 2010 Declared a Success!

Now that the Ipex Convention has concluded, looking back on the event, Rainer Kuhn, Managing Director for PrintCity made a closing speech where she says, "Ipex has been an important event for our members ever since 2002, when the long term alliance was first promoted here. 2006 was a major stepping stone for us, and this year we have successfully launched our new concept for PrintCity international exhibitions here.”

"Our nine members Leonhard Kurz, manroland, MEGTEC, Merck, Océ, Sappi, Tolerans, UPM and Weilburger Graphics have made multiple customer contacts at Ipex 2010 under the shared three themes Print: Lean, mean, green. This has been done in a in a most efficient way, focused on our 'connection of competence' networking and knowledge sharing with all visitors.”

"Comments from these customers confirm that our Ipex show presence was very effective, including a central Value Added Printing & Packaging samples and case studies display – delivering a practical and flexible shared exhibition presence for everyone.

"We all have a very positive feeling about this year’s Ipex show, reflected also in the good show attendance data from the organizers."

05/28/10

Big Romanian Print Firm Obtains MGI’s Meteor DP60 Pro Press

At this year’s Ipex, a company called Eclipse s.r.l which is one of Romania’s top offset Printing Firms, agreed to acquiring one of MGI's Meteor DP60 Pro multi-substrate digital presses and a Jet varnish digital inkjet spot UV coater.

To address the obstacles regarding variety of the market available and the pressure of printing in high volumes, Eclipse has made the executive plan to purchase the Meteor DP60 Pro and Jet varnish combination piece from MGI.

"We chose MGI's digital solutions because they are the most flexible and innovative on the market," said Alexandru Anita, founder of Eclipse. "The Meteor DP60 Pro and Jet varnish will expand one of our highest-demand product ranges, offering customers both quality and economic advantages during a difficult time."

05/28/10

Employees at Ankeny Print expected to Lose Their Jobs Early July

Ankeny city officials said Wednesday that they were notified that a check printing facility that employs around 90 workers will be shutting down its doors.

City Officials state that Harland Clarke will proceed to shut down its Ankeny facility at beginning of July. Officials also said that they are working with both the company and the Iowa Workforce Development to help those workers that will need aiding once they have lost their jobs.

Steve Van Oort, Mayor of Ankeny issued a news release Wednesday saying “We understand what a difficult time this is for the employees of Harland Clarke and are committed to working with our partners to make the road easier for these workers.”

City officials said they intend to work with Harland Clarke representatives to attract another business to the area. Harland Clarke's facility has been open in Ankeny since 2003.

“We understand that businesses change over time and it sometimes involves job losses. That is why we work hard to help existing businesses grow in Ankeny and why we continue to attract new businesses to our community. We are confident that our work will result in new career opportunities for residents of Ankeny and Central Iowa.”

05/28/10

Kodak to Form Unified Workflow Solutions for Comm

KODAK, having a wide variety of graphic solutions for communications, has decided to merge all the solutions together to form KODAK Unified Workflow Solutions which will ultimately help their customers organized and allow them to manage their production processes to guarantee that they are using their equipment to its fullest potential.

If service providers are searching for one of a kind- personal assistance, Kodak is also debuting its Print Practice Consultancy. This brand new service will aid customers to pinpoint and apply fixes from the setbacks they might be receiving in their personal environments, deliver specific client solutions. Those making the transition from print service provider to marketing service provider, or looking to grow their client and revenue base, will benefit from the technical expertise and market knowledge Kodak offers. Within the Print Practice Consultancy, Kodak assesses a customer's needs and designs an optimized solution to achieve their individual business goals.

"From our unique, interactive booth space and the discussions taking place in the K-Zone to the revolutionary new products and the expertise of our dedicated staff, only Kodak provides such a unique combination of conventional and digital solutions in a unified workflow," concluded Perez.

KODAK Products are all supported by the KODAK Service and Support. The support service consists of more than 3,000 professional individuals performing service tasks in 120 countries. It is a leading multi-vendor integrated services provider, delivering consulting, installation, maintenance and support services for commercial printing, graphic communications, document imaging, data storage and retail industries. KODAK Service and Support professionals are uniquely qualified to provide services that control costs, maximize productivity, and minimize business risk.

05/26/10

U.K. Opens Up New Print Shop: 1st in Many Years

After a long decade of the same routines, the same events occurring, the break off comes right now. For the first time, a new commercial printing facility will be making its debut in the United Kingdom. Grapho Media, an independent commercial web printer which will focus on commercial, press finished and sheeted jobs, and Q.I. Press Controls will be behind the new print shop and they are showing their support by installing their own sealed loop color control solution.

Grapho Media has been established by former Graphoprint personnel. The company has received backing from the Welsh Assembly Government. They hope to expand to 24 employees within a year. The production will start in June. All of Grapho Media's directors and the directors at QI and Gämmerler have considerable expertise in the printing industry. "We want to create a very lean business that is totally customer focused, bringing speed to the market for our customers," states Andy Edwards, Manufacturing Director of Grapho Media. "The solutions of Q.I. Press Controls will contribute in realizing our goals in terms of producing most effectively and efficiently with regard to costs and quality.

"It quite a venture to start a new commercial printing company at this time," states Erik van Holten. "We are pleased that we can support them by offering our extensive expertise in press automation. Our solutions will make sure their printing jobs will reach the best possible quality in a very short period of time at very low waste figures. This will fit Grapho Media's strategy to be lean and quick perfectly."

05/26/10

Genesis Press: Victorious Over False Accusations

Printing Company, Genesis Press, has been awarded $14.5 million settlement by a federal jury on Thursday. The Jury had found that The Hartford insurance company was completely in the wrong to deny the printing company's insurance claim and falsely accused the company's owners of conspiring to burn their own business in order to have a believable reason as to why they refused their claim.

Genesis Press was given 2 million dollars extra on top of what had initially been asked for and, ultimately, the Greenville-based printing company's attorney said "speaks volumes about the need for much better regulation in insurance companies' claims practices."

05/26/10

Turkish Print Company Snags KBA Press Displayed at Ipex

During the Ipex Showcase event, a giving out from a Turkish printer called Egesan seemed to have caused some confusion and shock at the KBA wing when it snatched up the Rapida 105 that was displayed on the stand. While both KBA and their Turkish sales agency, Dereli Graphic had been in touch back and forth on this matter for some time now prior to the show, Egesan's management staff aimed for this popular B1 (41in) monster only after researching, viewing, and inspecting a number of other presses displayed at Ipex.

Egesan is a commercial printer with a total of eight small and medium format litho presses. The five-color Rapida 105 with will be this company's first KBA press. Special features on this press include, automatic plate changing, a board-printing capability, a nonstop facility at the delivery, DensiTronic color control and boost productivity. The press will plan on being shipped to Egesan directly from the show. This, and the high print quality it delivers, was what swung the decision in its favor.

05/26/10

Pyrisma: Interference Pigments Now Made for Printing Apps

In the following of its successful introduction in exterior applications in the coatings sector, the Pyrisma range now also includes interference pigments that Merck KGaA is offering for use in printing applications. The pigments pop out from extraordinary saturation in color, which takes the narrow corridor of design and stretches, is open to allow infinite possibilities. So far, the colorful Iriodin interference pigments have included colors such as green, blue, yellow, red and violet. This palette of colors has now been blended by three random yet useful colors: magenta, indigo and turquoise. As a result of intense research, Merck has succeeded in developing a special particle size distribution and coating technology that generate highly individual color chaos.

The Pyrisma product range has been developed in agreement with the Merck Color Space, which is based on complex color metric calculations. This allows the achievement of the optimum shade strictly in line with physical criteria. Natural mica coated with metal oxides serves as the basis for Pyrisma.

05/25/10

Flint Group Announces big changes ahead

The Flint Group made an announcement earlier that the following changes were to take effect on the organization: Thomas Telser, Currently the President of Flint Group Flexographic Products will be given the new title of Chairman of Packaging, effective July 1st 2010. In this fresh established role, he will be giving knowledgeable direction to the Flexographic Products and Global Packaging divisions.

Another change to take place will be Mr. Mario Busshoff will be named Vice President and General Manager for the Flexographic Products and will continue responsibility for operating the leadership of the Flint Group Flexographic Products division.

05/25/10

KURZ: New Innovative Stamping Foil to become a necessity

The newest development from the company Kurz is called Luxor/Alufin MP. According to Kurz, This stamping foil can be described as a universal troubleshooter and, has flooded in a new age in hot stamping.

Until now, it was a common necessity to check that the stamping foil utilized is evenly tailored to the substrate, ink and lacquer system, stamped motif, stamping die and stamping machine. Company Luxor/Alufin MP already holds the processor and it comes with a great deal more flexibility. Virtually for all surfaces in the graphics can this stamping foil be used. Even for very testy surfaces for stamping such as UV lacquers and inks. Luxor/Alufin MP complies nicely to a large variety. The stamped foil can go through processing at countless speeds, is highly preferred for the empty mass designs and embossed stampings, and can be overprinted without difficulty. Furthermore, the foil is easy to process on all commercially available stamping machine systems. The foil can be used in large variety of applications and delivers a high stamping quality in all cases: it achieves a very good gloss level, temperature-resistance, abrasion and scratch resistance, a high edge definition, and high coverage even on rough surfaces.

According to Kurz, Luxor/Alufin MP has fulfilled many a processor's dreams. This versatile stamping foil simplifies storage requirements and shortens delivery times. Processors who only use stamping foils in small quantities, or who accept orders with a very diverse range of requirements, will profit a great deal from this versatility. Luxor/Alufin MP is available in a wide selection of standard colors and can also be produced in many custom colors. For further information on this new hot stamping foil visit the Kurz booth D921 in hall 17 at Ipex 2010.

05/25/10

05/24/10

Mutoh America Recruits New Sales Manager

Mutoh America Inc. a worldwide manufacturer of large format commercial inkjet printers is proud to announce the addition of Todd R. Molzahn as Central Regional Sales Manager. Molzahn brings more than 25 years of sales experience to his new position at Mutoh. His prior position at Brother as the Sales and Training Manager for the GT product line coupled with his hands on experience should be a valuable asset to his new position. His addition adds to the growing list of Mutoh new hires within the last several months.

As Central Regional Sales Manager, Molzahn will be responsible for a sales territory consisting of 17 states throughout the Midwest and south. Working closely with new Director of Sales Gary Rudnick, Molzahn will work with the reseller partners within his territory as well as tap into new markets which would benefit from Mutoh's large format inkjet printers. Molzahn has attended over 60 industry shows throughout the country and is familiar with Mutoh's dealers and other markets in the large format printing industry. Molzahn will be based out of Mutoh America's central regional office in Schaumburg Illinois just outside of Chicago.

Molzahn will spend the next few months attending trade shows and meeting individually with Mutoh's dealers throughout his territory in an effort to establish and maintain Mutoh's long lasting and highly valued business relationships. Molzahn shared a few of his thoughts regarding his new position, "It's an honor to be chosen to be a part of the Mutoh family. Mutoh is a much respected company in this industry and I look forward to a successful career within Mutoh and meeting clients throughout my region."

05/21/10

The Jones Company for the Gold

The Jones Company, owned and operated by Nationwide Graphics, is the proud recipient of the "Sappi North American Printers of the Year" Gold Award. Along with 10 other companies, The Jones Company was selected from approximately a field of 3,000 entries as a gold winner.

Chosen for its printing excellence, relevance and design, the "Shaw Living Area Rug Catalogue 2009" is a great example of the type of quality The Jones Company continually produces. The judging was carried out by print professionals, and to qualify its significance, the judges came from all fields and facets of the communication world.

"Winning the gold award is an exemplary achievement for the Jones Company," said CEO Carl Norton. "It's imperative that we continue to be a forward-thinking company, and that our work is a reflection of our mantra."

05/21/10

NRI Selects Online Print Solutions as their new Partner

Web-to-Print & Cross Media marketing has officially been chosen by NRI, a primary member of the ReproMAX international network, as its choice partner that will deliver them with a storefront for Web-to- Print & multi-channel marketing solutions.

A speaker on behalf of NRI named Frank Plum announced that "after acquiring two Xerox iGens, we realized that we had additional markets we can support and expand our services. By utilizing the OPS platform, we can offer other ReproMAX members an opportunity to receive outstanding trade printing as well as offering 1:1 marketing and fully integrated Cross-Media campaigns. We have already targeted our existing customers and we are excited to expand our market offering to other vertical markets with additional services."

After searching high and low NRI chose Online Print Solutions as they were much more professional than any other technologically enhanced facility they had reviewed. NRI believes the OPS system should be the choice of software for other ReproMAX network members to enhance their existing businesses.

Online Print Solutions is the top trendsetter in web-to-printmedia solutions. Whether it comes from storefronts, web retail sites & online web design, to even cross-media solutions, Online Print Solutions provides the answers for everyone no matter the field, or how you interact with your clients.

05/07/10

Sappi Fine Paper Raises the Bar When Going Green

Sappi Fine Paper Company, which serves all of North America, has officially launched their “going green” promotional “EQ Tool” a virtual guide through on the website that provides the environmental qualifications of its paper in a virtual interactive and graphically enhancing format.

The web legend tool, like Apple computer widgets; presents facts and figures on environmentally conscious topics such as Renewable Energy, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Managing Process to Minimize Waste, Carbon Offsets, Sustainably Harvested Wood, Initiatives for Sustainability and Recycled Fiber. It also includes a calculator that will generate a summary of the environmental benefits a custom order of Sappi papers.

05/07/10

Government Financial Websites Attacked by Hackers

The Bureau of Engraving and Printing from the The United States Treasury's has fallen victim of an attack by computer hackers. The minute they had realized that the websites were breached, they were immediately taken down.

The Bureau, along with three other official government web sites, were being targeted in an attack that redirected visitors to web sites enclosed with hateful material. The focused attack websites were BEP.treas.gov, BEP.gov, Moneyfactory.gov and lastly Moneyfactory.com.

According to security experts at anti-virus software maker AVG, the web sites were hacked using an iFrame application that injected malicious codes into the site. The malware to send data to computers from another disclosed location. VG Chief Research Officer, Roger Thompson, added that an initial study of the attack shows that there was an 80 per cent chance it was mounted from a third-party site visitor counter. If this was the case, he said, the problem might be difficult to fix.

Roger Thompson told tech blog V3.co.uk: “City and country-level sites get hacked all the time in the US and UK but it’s very unusual to see an attack like this.”

05/07/10

Financial Reports Completed for American Reprographics Co

American Reprographics Company, being the nation's foremost provider of reprographic services and machinery today reported its grossing results for their primary quarter which ended on March 31, 2010. The Company reaffirmed its forecast of annual earnings per share in 2010 to be in the range of $0.15 to $0.30 on a fully-diluted basis, and annual cash flow from operations in the range of $65 million to $80 million.

"As the commercial construction market struggles to find its feet, ARC continues to operate well," says Suriyakumar, The President and CEO. "While we expect to see signs of life in employment, vacancy rates and credit availability in 2010, such improvements in the general economy are likely to be in advance of any recovery in the AEC market. Thus we remain prepared for a challenging year, and confident in our ability to manage costs, generate cash, and explore new opportunities within our core competencies as we have done throughout the downturn."

The revenue for the company’s first quarter of 2010 was $112.2 million, and the company's gross was at 32.9% for a three month period ending March 31, 2010. The Net income also for this first quarter of 2010 was $717,000.

Chief Financial Officer, Jonathan Mather, said that "Revenue continues to be challenged by the softness in the U.S. AEC market, but we continue to implement incremental cost controls, produce healthy margins, and maintain a strong balance sheet."

05/06/10

Konica Minolta Develops New Revenue Boosting Program

Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. presented a new business development program at the company's "The Power of Performance" Business Conference and Product Expo at the JW that took place today at the Marriott Hotel in L.A. Live. The program will focus on helping customers drive revenue growth in the production print marketplace.

This new promotion provides Konica Minolta customers with access to powerful educational tools including white papers, videos, webinars, and ROI calculators that will help them develop innovative digital business strategies, launch new digital applications, and learn from customer success stories.

Kevin Kern, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. says "Customers can count on Konica Minolta to offer significant support to their efforts of exploring new sales opportunities, and take their business to the next level with this comprehensive business development offering."

As part of this program, customers have the opportunity to access a dedicated Web portal featuring a range of business development tools. Customers will also be invited to attend a series of educational Webinars that address strategies for growth. Konica Minolta is partnering with industry leaders in cross media communications, digital imaging and document solutions to combine independent, third-party perspectives with real-world Konica Minolta success stories. The first business development Webinar, entitled, Building a Digital Business, is scheduled for June 2010.

"With the changing dynamics surrounding the printing industry, creative strategies for building and transforming businesses have never been more important," said Barb Pellow, Group Director, InfoTrends.

05/06/10

Pitney Bowes victory in Contract with Department of Energy

Pitney Bowes- Government Solutions, Inc. abbreviated as PBGS, is a completely owned secondary branch of Pitney Bowes Inc. that was recognized and awarded a contract for the duration of five-years by the U.S. Department of Energy to which enables them to administer four print and reprographic shops from the Idaho National Labs.

Jon Love, whom is currently the PBGS President made sure to include as part of the contract PBGS has with the Government Printing Office is pre-selected, together with a host of competitors to bid on government printing contracts.

"We are honored to have been selected as part of the DOE team in Idaho and look forward to a successful relationship," says Jon Love.

Pitney Bowes- Government Solutions Inc. performs many jobs like designing, planning out and operating the solutions that will give both Federal and State government agencies with urgent documents, recorded materials and logistics services to fully meet component standards and to aid in the satisfaction of legislative mandates.

05/06/10

GMC and DirectSmile Announce Joint Partnership

Customary in modified communication, GMC Software Technology announced its joint recommended merging partnership deal with DirectSmile, a company which stands tall as one of the highly supreme dealers of software for image personalization and cross media marketing. This joint venture, hopes to bring mutual constructive advice in terms of discussions on how to deliver software solutions, enterprises, printing shops and direct mail companies the chance to create personalized images and output in one data stream.

Axel Marciniak, the Managing Director of DirectSmile said; "When it comes to transactional printing, GMC has always been the measure of all things. We are proud that now the market leaders in transactional output and image personalization are working together, our products are a great match and we share the same philosophy of selling best quality software solutions."

GMC’s technologically advanced software line enables the speedy creation, leadership,and production of composite personalized documents for direct marketing ,customer communication, transactional applications TransPromo, and on-demand publishing. International banks and financial institutions, insurance companies and print providers are just a few of GMC’s customers that spread worldwide. Besides the global financial deficit we are all feeling and being affected by, GMC has continuously shown proof towards their objective which is to thrive and flourish as an reputable head player in the field of personalized communications.

CMO at GMC Software Technology, Bill Parker mentioned that "The combination of DirectSmile and GMC will enable end-users to tap a highly-scalable solution that can be delivered via print, email, the Web and mobile phones. In addition, the partnership will expose image personalization to new markets including transactional and TransPromo, providing customers in those markets with an integrated solution for high-volume image personalization and multi-channel output.”

05/05/10

BCC Software Takes Technical Support to Another Level

Top developer of high-performance mailing technology BCC Software issued the press release to kick off the availability of a new maximum leveled support system for its customers, through software programs. With the launch a live support system formed to carry on after-hours technical assistance. For Premium 24/7 Support, BCC clients will now have to access the core or essential support that can help lock down continuous production and consistency.

BCC has been committed to providing superior customer service for over 30 years. A recent 2010 Customer Support survey showed that 97.4 percent of people who filled out the survey information marked that they were "satisfied" or "very satisfied" when it had asked about the quality of BCC's Customer Support performance. Taking that standard support satisfaction and lifting it one step further is the company Premium 24/7 Support by spreading the ability to receive aid for critical issues and rather than limiting support to business hours, the premium to after-hours, weekends and holidays.

BCC Executive Vice President, Chris Lien says; "We're delighted to offer this new Support service to our current and future customers. High-volume postal operations run around the clock, and technical issues don't observe a 9-to5 workday. This is another way to help ensure our customers have access to the support they need, when they need it."

BCC presents ground-breaking products and services for professional print shops and direct mail distributors of all sizes and specialties. The BCC mail prep. Software secures both mailing lists and checks that addresses are all current with the correct postal barcode to the maximum allowable automation discounts from the Postal Service.

05/05/10

Toryon Tech. Appointed Natl’ Distributor for Sun Chemical

A company called Sun Chemical appointed a company called Toryon Technologies as its national distributor for circuit product materials. The new new joint relationship will push Sun Chemical to go North America beyond just reaching its print electronic clientele in faster and more effectively. Toryon Technologies will carry Sun Chemical's full line of materials for printed circuit boards, and jointly with Sun Chemical, will provide customers with technical and product support.

"We are pleased to have Toryon as a partner in the distribution and logistics of our printed circuit board product lines," said Stuart Down, Business Development Manager, Electronic Materials, Sun Chemical. "This agreement will help better meet the needs of all our customers and extend Sun Chemical's reach in the circuit boards marketplace while bringing efficiency in delivery and local service. Toryon has a tremendous reputation as a distributor in the printed circuit board technologies industry and we look forward to a successful partnership with them."

05/05/10

Graphicolor Printing Adopts Heildelberg’s Suprasetter A52

Graphicolor Printing, Inc. made an updated decision to obtain and use Heildelberg’s Suprasetter A52 CtP unit which would then replace the company’s current standard thermal platesetter . For nine years, Graphicolor Printing has been professionally serving mostly local clients which include nonprofit organizations, local schools, and freelance designers.

According to Graphicolor’s President, Mike Huebner, the company is notable from its shared advancement in customer service, not to mention its strong dependency on Heidelberg as their highly treasured business partner and company supplier.

“Heidelberg equipment absolutely does what Heidelberg says it will do,” says Mike Huebner, adding that “our old platesetter ran too slowly, diminishing our plate production capability.”

The newly upgraded piece of machinery, the Suprasetter A52, runs much cleaner and much cooler. It utilizes less electricity in comparison to the old platesetter, and due to an optional Automatic Top Loader that decreases physical labor while preparing plates, the unit can run unattended. Most certainly a proud moment for Graphicolor when Huebner issued a statement saying “Our print quality has improved. We now print at 200-line screen, up from the 175 lpi we achieved with our older equipment.”

This new machine does not even need a complete programming in order to sync with the rest of the company’s prepress workflow, because due to its smooth transitioning, the Suprasetter A52 has full compatibility with the older machinery.

04/27/10

Mutoh America Appoints Chris Prince as new Marketing Coordinator

Mutoh America Inc. , located in Phoenix Arizona, is proud to announce Chris Prince as Mutoh America’s new Marketing Coordinator. In a prepared statement, Chris Prince said,

“I am very excited to be joining the team here at Mutoh America. I want to thank everybody for making me feel so welcome. I look forward to a great future here at Mutoh America Inc."

Prior to his employment with Mutoh America, Chris worked as the Sales and Marketing Assistant at Moving Pictures film distribution, and also Moving Pictures Magazine. Chris gained plenty of experience in marketing with a strong focus on the entertainment industry, which, for his Marketing Coordinator role, will result in a leveled evolution.

Earlier before his work in the field of entertainment Chris had scooped up some experience in the Hospitality Industry. He was employed as the Banquet Manager at the Hilton Hotel located right next to the Los Angeles Airport; his responsibilities including throwing large high-end events like weddings and corporate meetings.

Chris graduated in May 2007 with a degree in Hospitality Management from Northern Arizona University.

Chris Prince’s responsibilities for his employment with Mutoh America Inc. will involve planning out future trade show events while providing assistance in marketing and promotion to Mutoh America's website. Chris will also oversee the delivery of professional company-issued press releases and aide the sales department by gathering sales leads.

All those job duties are in addition to personally responding to all customer concerns and customer support calls that have any relation to Mutoh America's products. Chris Prince will carry out these duties given to him for his employment under the guidance of the Director of Marketing Hiro Futsukaichi and Assistant Marketing Manager Crystal Baus.

04/27/10

Newpage Corp. and Spicers Paper Strike Agreement

Both NewPage Corporation and Spicers Paper made announcements today declaring that they have come to a mutual agreement in which NewPage Corp. will be supplying Spicers Paper with an exclusive line of coated paper named Discovery. Discovery is a well-known Paper brand used for Spicers that stands as the core of the company's exclusive assortment of coated paper products known as the Advantage Grade. Discovery, supplied by NewPage, proposes the option to enhance the value for customers who will be benefiting from a locally made product that can be found almost anywhere.

. The President of Spicers Paper, Charlie Whitaker, comments by saying,

"Spicers Paper is excited to partner with a leading United States fine paper manufacturer such as NewPage. The future of our coveted Discovery brand, a key component of our Advantage Grade portfolio of coated products, is in very capable hands. This change represents an enhanced value proposition to our customers on many fronts including Sustainable Forestry Initiative certification and a long-term sustainable source of supply for Discovery."

"We are very pleased to be teaming up with Spicers Paper to supply a domestically-produced and environmentally sound product to the print community," says Barry Nelson, the Senior Vice President of sales for NewPage corp. "Print will continue to play a vital role in our economy, and our relationship with Spicers Paper will help us achieve our growth objectives in the sheet segment while providing Spicers a continuing source of supply for this brand. We are excited about this opportunity to serve the North American paper market from North American paper mills."

The new accord that has been stricken between NewPage Corporation and Spicers Paper is underway and small moves are in the works towards paper line, the Discovery, to distribute it into Spicers Paper routing stops that run across the United States.

04/27/10

Shiraz Software Launches New Server Package for New HP Line

Well Known RIP manufacturer Shiraz Software has done some updating on its Server package to form compatibility with HP's Designjet L65500 and L25500 printers.

The founders of Shiraz programmed the software to work with this new ink type in particular as well as with the Print machinery from HP. This server packaging contains complete support for HP's media profiles and precise accuracy in color calibration, which is the antidote to latex technologies. For users who already own Shiraz RIP Server v6.6 or later, this new package is available as an upgrade which is compatible with the Windows 7 system and for Apple computers, the latest version of Mac OS X.

During a thorough judging and test examination, the new software was awarded positive scores in all categories of HP's Designjet RIP certification method, which is performed to guarantee stability testing areas such as printing performance, ink consumption vitality for numerous and large sized jobs, proper calibration. When tested in each individual category, Shiraz attained the highest scores possible.

Business development director for Shiraz Software, Ramin Shahbazi claims that "Existing users will benefit from this offering in being able to add HP's latex printing technologies to their equipment line-up straightaway,"

"For potential investors in this line of printers, the combination of a specific formulation for this new ink type and Shiraz's existing strengths – such as ease of use, streamlined workflow and support for the most recent Macintosh, Linux and Windows platforms – will prove an unmissable opportunity to get the most out of their RIP and hardware combination."

04/22/10

Greenleaf Book Group Spreading the Green Love

When it comes to providing the main materials used in industries like construction and Print, we really need to value the importance of trees and how much they provide and help us in our everyday lives. With the National Arbor Day around the corner, Greenleaf Book Group is in full effect educating businesses about what an impact they have on the environment and how going Green is the best thing for it.

With large amounts of trees being removed and the tree population rapidly decreasing every day, consumers are slowly begining to become aware of how much deforestation actually impacts us every day and are now making purchases depending on a corporation’s vow to go green and protect the environment.

Greenleaf Book Group adopted an agreement to balance out tree consumption by sponsoring the Tree Neutral initiative, which plants a tree every time one is torn down and used for paper. From the commencement of this agreement in 2007, over 14,000 trees have been planted as replacements as agreed upon through the partnership between Greenleaf and Tree Neutral. To take the program to greater heights the company's mass usage of paper in their offices will also be balanced with the planting of replacement trees.

04/22/10

Eforms from Xerox Take the Hassle Out of Manual Work Forms

Ever find filling out business paperwork to be a long and tedious process? Now with the help of Xerox we can eliminate manual work forms! Xerox Corporation's eForms software plans to take all those hard copied forms and replace them with digital ones. With the creation of digital files, companies that switch to eForms as part of the Platform called DocuShare Enterprise Content Management, can now safely obtain, review and organize information at a far more rapid pace than we ever have before.

Vice President of Xerox Corporation’s DocuShare Business Unit, David Smith states that

"Manually filling out, routing and filing hard copy forms are a drain on productivity, not to mention time-intensive and costly," He also adds that, "eForms are easier to use, yield greater data accuracy, and are more cost effective, allowing employees to focus less on administrative tasks and more on revenue generating projects."

The eForms can be stored on websites both secured and internal, or accessible to the public. Once you fill out and send the digital eForm, the information that is documented is then stored with DocuShare in formats such as PDF and XML.

04/22/10

New Estimating Software Announced by Company Estimator

With Offset and Wide-Format Printing showing growth in popularity, Estimator Corp, a top distributer of estimating and entry-work print managing software, is uniquely assembled to meet the market's demands as they are attuned with Windows XP and Mac.

Estimator, with its one-of-a-kind aspects, brings convenience to your finger tips by providing the quickest, simplest single-screen error free print-estimating possible with setup and programming done in each clients own facility.

Estimator also presents Printers with a stand-by solution, delivering nineteen reports which include e-mail-able Quote, Order Confirmation, Job-Ticket, Stock & Services PO, Shipping Labels, Invoice and Job Scheduling & Tracking Reports and many more all in an error-free, single screen environment.

04/21/10

Mimeo to Open Print Production Platform for 3rd Party

Mimeo, a leader in online printing, has brought forth its plan to unveil a platform for print production that will be available to third parties. This new move made by Mimeo opens doors and possibilities for partners to influence Mimeo’s market leading front-end applications, production routine, printing and its availability for distribution.

After nearly two years worth of investments on the development of applications and its cloud-based communication, it is the reasoning behind Mimeo’s platform plan that makes it so strong. As a third party partner, one can now take up any part of the Mimeo web to print platform as if one owned it to begin with, having full freedom to do as one pleases.

The platform’s blueprint is designed in layers, in order to support different components: online applications, partner websites, enterprise integrations, and production services. A team assembled for business solutions has been placed to work with companies that are eager to utilize this new software technology and print resources. In the following weeks ahead, Mimeo will announce its first platform partners.

04/21/10

Manroland provides supporting Program for IPEX

Manroland, playing the role of supporting program for IPEX, is now offering new wave Technology discussion panels on a variety of different topics and is being held at the Print Technology Center. These discussion panels are designed to tie in with the focus on wise solution finds for printers worldwide.

The first chat forum is scheduled to be held one day prior to the opening of IPEX which is on the 17th of May. Manroland will demonstrate the different ways to boost your productivity and profit margins. A new development promised to be something quite extraordinary is planned for unveiling when Manroland demonstrates and discusses the practice of making standard prints into ravishing pieces. Using a cold foil technique, you can conjure numerous print products. Manroland knows no limits, from all sides of the size spectrum, whether it is large or small, Manroland has defined and displayed the technology and the resolution for all formats and every substrate.

On 20 May, Manroland is set to perform a forum about printing lightweight paper. On the 21st of May, forum is set for large-format printing with a special worldwide premiere of a giant sized format perfecting press. Many more forums and demonstrations have been set during this whole event with the ending day being the 26th of May; all attendees are predicted to have a wonderful time.

04/21/10

Printing Through Google Cloud

Internet super-power Google has issued plans to enable print through the Cloud using Google’s Chrome OS version. Printing is and always will be considered a task that remains dependent on print drivers, direct connections, or even targeted local network configurations.

“Developing and maintaining print subsystems for every combination of hardware and operating system– from desktops to netbooks to mobile devices — simply isn’t feasible.” Chrome OS developers have all said adding that, “Our goal is to build a printing experience that enables any app (web, desktop, or mobile) on any device to print to any printer anywhere in the world.”

Programs go ahead and submit their print jobs to this service from the standard web-based print dialog offered by the service. Google Cloud Print then steps in, transfers the printing job to the designated printer that the program user had originally signed up to the service with. Its truly amazing to see how far technology has taken us in print especially with a new class of cloud-aware printers connects directly to the service and offers the best user experience.

04/21/10

New Xerox Wide Format device offers high-speed precision printing

Rochester, N.Y. – During the printing process it's vital that accuracy doesn't come at the cost of extra time. Enter the new Xerox Wide Format 6622! It delivers crisp, precise detail printing at very rapid speeds.

The wide format black-and-white digital printer, copier and scanner is perfect for engineering, construction and architecture firms where technical drawings need to be readily available and duplicated quickly. For example, government offices can use the 6622 Solution to print surveying blueprints and construction plans, giving home owners and contractors fast access to vital information.

The Xerox Wide Format 6622 Solution prints 22 D/A1 (24" x 36") prints-per-minute and offers crisp 600 x 1800 dpi printing and 600 x 600 dpi scanning options. An on-board color scanner can repair copies of worn originals – automatic background suppression makes fingerprints and lines less noticeable and old documents readable again. Scans can be viewed on the color touch screen UI before being printed, which helps to confirm quality, avoid errors and save paper.

The 6622 device is powered by Xerox's FreeFlow Accxes Print Server and can easily be included into existing workflow patterns. FreeFlow Accxes offers color calibration with other network printers, enhanced management of the print queues to easily duplicate previous jobs and the power to effortlessly scan documents to a mailbox on the print server, network FTP location or remote network printer.

The FreeFlow Accxes Print Server unifies the print server software across the entire Xerox wide format monochrome portfolio, allowing customers to have a seamless workflow.

The Xerox Wide Format 6622 Solution adds to the company's robust line of wide format printers designed for technical printing, which includes the Xerox Wide Format 6604/6605 Solution and the Xerox 6279 Wide Format device.

04/14/10

Burnishine Products revives Aqua Blue

Lake Villa, Illinois - Burnishine Products revealed today that Aqua Blue plate cleaner is now available from graphic arts retailers worldwide. Commenting the new availability of the product, Burnishine Products President Roger Giza commented:

"The previous owner of Burnishine Products discontinued Aqua Blue, but consistent demand from printers has prompted us to return the product to the marketplace. Aqua Blue is an acidic cleaner, conditioner, and scratch remover for use on most aqueous metal plates such as those made by Fuji, Agfa, Lastra, and Kodak. Aqua Blue has an established reputation for extending the life of plates, and it may be applied to plates already on the press, in mid-run. Aqua Blue removes ink, scum, minor scratches, gum, and oxidation. It makes plates more receptive to ink and desensitizes plates for longer, higher quality runs, while producing sharper images."

Since 1887, Burnishine Products has manufactured a broad line of pressroom chemical products, including plate chemicals, blanket and roller cleaners, fountain solutions, and a line of related cleaning products. All Burnishine products are manufactured in the United States.

04/14/10

Polestar: Automation Plant Project Announced

Polestar is in works to computerize all their work-in-progress and completed material movement within their plant in Sheffield, stemming from the speculation of ten lasers guiding technologically advanced Automated Guided Vehicles otherwise known as AGV.

This recent venture backs Polestar's dedication towards state of the art technology as Polestar’s Managing Director Gravure, Andy Reynoldson explains:

"Automatic transport on this scale has been limited to date within the industry and this project reflects Polestar's forward thinking approach to maximize value for its customers. AGVs provide robotic, unmanned product movement and tracking, as products proceed through production. All our work-in-progress will be transported to and from each process on demand, including movement of consumables and inserts, without the need of manpower."

Reynoldson also mentions that

"This project is an innovative installation within the print sector. Only a small number of printers worldwide use this technology and it is generally limited to dispatch or paper reel handling only. At Sheffield, we intend to transport automatically multiple printed products from press to bindery then onto polywrapping and dispatch. Sheffield is perfectly suited to AGVs. We have high speed press and finishing technology which is now complemented with automated supply to each process. These vehicles are bespoke and are able to transport standard palletised and Ferag multi disc products."

04/14/10

Heidelberg USA Welcomes Clemson University Students

The Kennesaw, Georgia North American Print and Packaging Technology Center is where Heidelberg USA played host to 35 special students from Clemson University. The 35 chosen students are all members of Clemson University's Graphic Communications 440 class, which was designed to take a closer look at the general study of commercial printing with detailed emphasis on offset sheet-fed technology. Receiving special request from the Clemson University Graphic Communications Department was all it took to carry out the purpose of this event which was to hand students the chance to obtain knowledge of a live production setting, absolute incorporating workflow and of course the latest printing technological advancements.

An 8-page, 4-color book, a student assignment that is a major requirement of the 440 curriculum was designed by Clemson University and Heidelberg in order to make the experience for students unique. While getting a first-hand glimpse at the transformation from digital files to a finished book, students were ordered to follow a book project selected which ranged from prepress to bindery. By preflighting and printing, Heidelberg USA presented each individual student’s project as a book. Each book was made with the Speedmaster XL 75, folding performed on a Stahlfolder TH 82, and lastly, books were saddle-stitched on a Stitchmaster ST 450. Throughout the whole process, The students received knowledgeable advice and help from Heidelbergs’ pre-press, press and post-press experts.

Russ Barton, Director of Demo Operations for Heidelberg USA mentions that

"It was a great exposure for Clemson students to have the 'Heidelberg experience,' being able to see first-hand the cutting-edge technology that we have here in our Technology Center."r

The GC 440 instructor from Clemson University, Dr. Eric Weisenmiller couldn’t agree more, saying

"The field trip opened our students' eyes to the wonders of automation, the realities of real world production, and the numerous opportunities that await them in the field of graphic communications."

Turning out with such success, Dr. Eric Weisenmiller announced that Clemson University has plans underway to bring its summer GC 440 class through Heidelberg's Technology Center to encounter the same experience.

04/14/10

Midland Information Resources Opens New Chicago Based Office

World-Wide source of information distribution solutions, Midland Information Resources (MIR), made a statement announcing the opening of a new Chicago, Illinois based office.

While operations for the bulk of production will proceed at MIR's Iowa headquarters in Davenport, the new Illinois branch will be opening its doors with a core team of workers whose main focus revolves around establishing and locking in business relationships in the city of Chicago.

President of MIR, Tom Sheehan, stated,

"We are excited to be joining the Chicago business community. We feel that this office will allow our workforce in Chicago the additional office and meeting space we need to better serve our existing and future clients in the professional manner they have come to expect."

"Many of our customers and key technology partners are located here." said Matt Forcey, The new Chicago branches’ Business Development Manager.

"Expanding in Chicago is another step in providing exceptional service to our clients in all geographies and markets."

04/14/10

Burnishine Products revives Aqua Blue

When your children are sick you always seek the best medical care, no matter where the facility is located or how much the cost will be, which can sometimes throw excess weight onto families which can cause tension. The Ronald McDonald house is the answer for those hard times with volunteers working around the clock to make sure that you feel at home.

The Ronald McDonald House truly represents the hands that serve, filled the hearts that care. Near Loyola University Medical Center, the Ronald McDonald House opened its doors in July 1995. Serving over 8,200 families, Ronald McDonald House has the space to comfortably accommodate 18 families nightly. Dining room, a large kitchen, playrooms, and exercise facilities are only a few of the amenities that they have. Guests also enjoy the creativity put into the house; it even has a secret spiral staircase leading to a whimsical tree house.

Ronald McDonald House and its staff strongly believe that when families are together, they become stronger and they heal better. Maintaining that warm "home away from home" feel where families can rest, relax and eat hot-cooked meals, while meeting and supporting other families dealing with similar hardships is the main and most important goal for the Ronald McDonald House.

In December of 2009 the Manroland Company joined the team of caregivers at the house by serving as a sponsor of the Loyola location. Over the last few months Manroland’s volunteers openly lent a hand by delivering Christmas presents to the children, cooking dinners, and collecting pop-tops for extra funding to provide the guests with "wish list" items.

Director of Human Resources for Manroland, Lisa Manegold commented saying

"We chose to contribute to the Ronald McDonald House program because it was a way for manroland families to help other families in the community get through difficult times,"

04/14/10

Heidelberg Announces New White Paper Packaging

In addition to expanding their Georgia based Printing and Packaging center the well-known company Heidelberg has unveiled a brand new white paper that marks Heidelberg’s plan for packaging. The launch has been given the title "Packaging Printing: Complete Solutions from A Single Source", which addresses the current trends and open opportunities available in Packaging. Also included is Heidelberg's packaging record of all activity made by the company within the last two decades, which begins with first packaging and printing press, the Speedmaster CD 102 in 1987, as well as the 2003 growth development into postpress packaging which smoothly transitioned the launch of top performance die cutters and folding carton gluers. Heidelberg has earned and maintained its position as one of the finest broker of packaging equipment, as well as the sole manufacturing source for package printing.

Heidelberg’s new white paper defines how proper skills are applied in the packaging industry with sheetfed offset printing and even the production aspect. Using wise strategy like slicing makes time, and limiting waste production, while combining Heidelberg’s prepress, press and postpress packaging are the key concepts to providing the lowest possible cost per carton fold.

04/13/10

Papierfabrik Scheufelen to Raise Prices

Declared official as of June 1, 2010, Company Papierfabrik Scheufelen will be raising their prices for all coated woodfree paper range products with an increase of at least 10 percent. For example, this is equivalent to a minimum increase of EUR 80.00 per tonne for BVS, the coated woodfree sheets brand from Scheufelen. Prices of coated woodfree paper in reels as well as the ExclusiveLine and TrendLine brands will be adjusted in the same way.

Despite extensive cost reduction measures it has not been possible to compensate for the dramatic costs situation, particularly for pulp. Therefore a price increase is unavoidable. This measure applies to all countries.

04/13/10

GraphTec Earns Grand Q Award

Commercial printing company GraphTec, located in the town of Jessup, Maryland, has earned the 2010 Excellence in Print competition Grand Q award. Sponsored by the Printing & Graphics Association MidAtlantic (PGAMA), the highest level of achievement for the regional industry contest is The Grand Q. This contest has become somewhat a desirable goal for most print firms, serving as a golden marketing tool if attained. Presented at Martin's Crosswinds in Greenbelt, Maryland on March 24th, the Excellence in Print Awards Gala was where this coveted award was given to Graphtech.

The technologically advanced Komori Lithrone LS640 offset press is what was utilized when Graphtec’s prize piece was prepared for Dauses Press. They also became the winning recipients for the title of Best of Category in the field of Catalogs, and Company Capabilities. Independent judges were picked to perform the task of selecting the winner of the Best in Show, chosen by the Grand Q.

Serving as a secondary of Consolidated Graphics, Graphtec’s history in the print industry has shown to be highly successful, and has been an active member in PGAMA since 2007. The plant operates twenty-four hours a day, five days per week offering services such as pre-press, binding, digital printing, mailing and fulfillment, and more.

Membership in PGAMA, a non-profit trade organization, is open to printing and graphic communications firms and suppliers located in Maryland, Northern Virginia, D.C., and Southern Pennsylvania. The Association headquarters is located in Columbia, MD.

04/07/10

Chairman of Xerox announces Retirement

Xerox issued an official announcement this morning that Chairman and director of the board for Xerox, Anne M. Mulcahy will be stepping down from those positions. Xerox noted that this event will be official on the 20th of May which happens to also be the yearly shareholders meeting. Assuming the role of chairman will be Xerox CEO Ursula M. Burns.

"Leaving Xerox is not easy, but the time is right," said Mulcahy. “This decision is made infinitely easier by the knowledge that I turn the company over to a gifted leader at a point when our strategy is sound, our financial position is strong, and our opportunities for growth are considerable."

The 57 year old Chairman attained the position of chief executive officer for Xerox on Aug. 1, 2001, and the role of chairman on Jan. 1, 2002. Before taking those positions on, she was holding the title of President and Chief Operating Officer of the company from May 2000 through July 2001. She began her Xerox career as a sales representative in Boston in 1976. During her 34-year tenure with Xerox, Mulcahy has held senior management positions in sales, human resources and marketing, and led the Xerox business division that sells products for reseller and dealer channels.

"Anne leaves a rich legacy that is defined by her close connection to Xerox customers, her active engagement with Xerox people, and her steadfast commitment to the values of the company that are inherent in its culture and in her effective leadership," said N.J. Nicholas, Jr., lead independent director of Xerox's board of directors. "As important, she has worked closely with the board to ensure a seamless and well planned leadership succession. She has earned our tremendous respect and our deepest gratitude."

Last July Burns became CEO of Xerox. The board has elected Burns to succeed Mulcahy in the chairman role, effective May 20.

04/07/10

West Coast Printing Company becomes first to be SGP Certified

Greenerprinter, a printer located in Berkeley, California has attained its certification to become an SGP Printer by The Green Printing Partnership. With only a few establishments around that hold this certification, Greenerprinter has not only become the first west coast recipient, it has increased the number of certified facilities to 19.

With 22 years of printing solutions work experience behind them. Greenerprinter has grown recognition for their remarkably high environmental methods and standards while taking pride in their outstanding importance of being green.

To become eligible for certification with the SGP Partnership, all applying print facilities must be located in the United States or Canada. In addition to qualifications based on geographic location, facilities must exhibit uniformity with a universal approach to environmental aid will have to undergo and pass an onsite audit. To advertise SGP certified printers, each facility is given a certification number and logo for use on their prints to show proof.

Mario Assadi, proud CEO of Greenerprinter commented on this achievement by saying

"We are proud of our commitment to sustainable products and practices, and look forward to continuing our green journey. By embracing new technologies that enhance the effectiveness of print while reducing waste and increasing value, we are helping to make printing more efficient and sustainable by nature."

04/07/10

Xplore Scholarship Program Commences application screening

Florida based Corporation Xplor International, the worldwide electronic document systems association, made a press announcement which introduced a new member scholarship program during the March 17th Xplor Global Conference and Vendor Forum held in Tampa Bay. The Xplor Scholarship Program was established to recognize the new wave of future professionals in the electronic document and management industries specializing in customer communication.

With the aid of the association's Elite Sponsorship Program, the new scholarship program by Xplor has some large names backing it. Some of these power names include ; GMC Software Technology, Kodak, Hewlett-Packard Company ,Océ North America, InfoPrint Solutions Company, Pitney Bowes, and Xplor Canada to name just a few.

Scholarships are granted based on the application’s written essay, scholastic achievement with participation in extracurricular activities, aiding the community (community service), honors classes, and relationships established between student and organizations with educational objectives.

Skip Henk, President and CEO of Xplore International made a commendable announcement in regards to the Scholarship Program saying

"We have worked hard to bring it to fruition and could not have done it without the support of Xplor's Elite Sponsors. All of us at Xplor are excited about this new member benefit"

Consideration and Eligibility for an Xplor scholarship mandates that students have the following:

*Applicant must be a Full-time student attending an accredited college or university as of fall 2010 with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
* Applicants must be active members of Xplor International and/or must be immediate family to an Xplore member
* Desire in obtaining in a career within the customer communications management or Document Management industries.

03/30/10

Konica Minolta U.S.A announces Management Change

Leading advanced imaging and networking technologies provider Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A. Inc, announced changes in their senior management division today from

their headquarters in New Jersey. The Current President and Chief Executive Officer Jun Haraguchi will be returning to Japan with the new title General Manager of Worldwide Sales and Marketing for the Konica Minolta Business Technologies Inc. sector.

With this new position comes new responsibilities and Mr. Haraguchi is now responsible for marketing strategy and global sales operations. having spent 13 consecutive years in positions that held increasing responsibility within the superpower corporation Konica Minolta, Mr. Haraguchi has held the title of President and CEO of Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A for the last five years as During his term, he led the successful assimilation of Konica and Minolta, while improving market shares and the overall bases of operation performance. He will remain on the board of directors of Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A.

"It has been a privilege leading a dynamic organization such as Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A.," said Haraguchi. "Despite the tough economy over the past two years, our corporation has been able to grow market share and improve operating performance. Ned will be assuming responsibility for a company that is led by a strong senior management team and is well positioned for future success. I want to thank the entire Konica Minolta family for their unwavering support and dedication during my time here, and I look forward to their future success - both individually and as a group."

Nobuo (Ned) Umehara has been named President and Chief Executive Officer of Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A. effective April 1, 2010. Mr. Umehara, who until recently served as General Manager of OEM Sales for Konica Minolta Business Technologies, has been with Konica Minolta for 33 years. He has considerable experience in the U.S. market having worked here on two separate assignments in the past, once in the printer division and once within the MFP sales operation. Mr. Umehara will be leading an organization with strong brand awareness, award-winning product lines, and a solid infrastructure in place.

"I am honored to take on this important role at this time in our company's history," said Umehara. "Leveraging the strength of the operation, I envision continuing our strategies to expand our presence in commercial print, managed print services, and the solutions business while gaining share in the core MFP business. One thing is certain, and that is our business partners and end users will not be affected during this transition. My number one goal is to ensure them they can continue to count on Konica Minolta for industry-leading technologies and superior service."

03/30/10

Veteran Printing Shop in Jacksonville has been sold

On Friday March 26th, a company called Production Press bought and took over veteran shop Krell’s Quick Print and Advertising Specialties. In 1976, The Krells settled in Jacksonville and shortly after they started Big Red Q Quick Print which turned into a franchise business. It wasn’t until 1984 that Big Red Q Quick Print had downsized and transformed into an independent printing shop called Krell’s Quick Print. Krell’s Advertising Specialties and Promotional Products was added to the title of the new shop in 1998.

Chuck Krell, owner of Krell’s Quick Print along with wife, Reva made an announcement saying

“We have been thinking about selling for the last couple of years and we wanted to find a company that would continue on with our customer service and printing quality. We thought Production Press fit that description.”

Production Press is a locally owned printing business that has been in operation also in Jacksonville since the early 1920’s. Production Press offers a variety of printing services, as well as specialty services in advertising, bindery, and mailing.

Production Press owner Joe Racey states that “Production Press and Krell’s have had a good working relationship for many years. With the downturn in the printing industry, it is a natural for Production Press to continue Krell’s fine history.”

Krell with continue to operate business for the next two weeks, at which time Production Press will start the transition by handling all of the printing and promotional services. To insure a smooth and organized ownership and shop transition, Krell will be continuing work for the next several months at the shop to provide ease and help for customers.

03/30/10

Harper Products Specialist Performs Anilox Roll Technology Seminar

Guests in attendance at a recent seminar for flexographic printing held in Charlotte, North Carolina got to engage in a two-hour conference led by Vice President of Sales at global Anilox supplier Harper Corporation of America, Pete Hartman. The Conference focused on the key points of Anilox roll printing.

The seminar consisted of thorough classroom- type instruction mixed with hands on print press training. Titled "Mastering Flexographic Principles" the two day seminar was sponsored by Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo’s Printing Pilot Plant. More scheduled dates in 2010 are underway for the school.

The university's Printing Pilot Plant Director, John Meyer, noted that a vital part of Pete Hartman's presentation emphasized on the best techniques for care and maintenance of anilox rolls and service life preservation. Half of the seminar attendees were made up of printing industry managers.

"Often people in the industry don't fully understand the economics of the printing process,” John Meyer said. "Certainly, Harper products are among the finest anilox rolls produced anywhere. Yet 70 percent of the rolls are damaged before they ever wear out. Pete is most effective at outlining the best steps for preventing damage and maximizing roll life."

03/25/10

Do you know Your Financial Standing? Obtain Your Company Z Score!

This past year, many printing companies have felt the damage from a struggling economy. It is estimated that the print industry closed 2,844 firms in 2009. All Print shop Closures including company bankruptcies, foreclosures, and auctions have been marked and counted for by WhatTheyThink.com as well as other trade publications.

Complete understanding and statistics of your company’s financial standing is very important for the company’s security but it becomes a dire must when business turns difficult to maintain. And even though we wish that we could get a whole financial breakdown analysis, it is highly unlikely to obtain but there are smaller measuring systems options that still give you a good idea of where you stand. The Z score is one of the smaller systems yet its popularity runs high.

Developed by a financial economist and professor at NYU in 1968, Edward Altman created the Z score. Assessing credit worthiness was the main intent for this development. The Z score ever since then has conformed into a highly noted way of dissecting a company’s financial standing and measuring the risk of bankruptcy.

Initially tested with a 72% rate of accuracy, the rate increased to the 80%-90% range in predicting bankruptcy. The Z score consists of five common financial ratios. Each of these ratios is then multiplied with a weighting factor. The values produced are then combined together to determine your company’s Z score.

The exact ratios and weighting factors for confined industrialized firms is as follows:
• (Working Capital / Total Assets) X 0.717
• (Retained Earnings / Total Assets) X 0.847
• (EBIT / Total Assets) X 3.107
• (Book Value of Equity / Total Liabilities) X 0.420
• (Net Sales / Total Assets) X 0.998

Calculate on a quarterly basis as one part of your company’s financial review. Completing a quarterly follow up is highly recommended as part of your management duties. Receiving a Z score of above 2.90 determines that the likeliness of bankruptcy is slim to none. A score that is lower than 1.23 however, becomes a good indication that the possibility for bankruptcy is high.

03/25/10

Cataloger J. Crew Presents Multi-Year Renewal Contract To Quad/Graphics

Quad/Graphics, a Wisconsin based design company, has received an amazing renewed multi-year contract from well known and upscale apparel company J. Crew Group, Inc. The contract agreement ensures that Quad/Graphics will be responsible to prepare and print 40 million annual catalog issues and add the construction of J. Crew’s individual title for its successful crew cuts line of apparel for children’s.

Mike Braaten, Vice President of for J. Crew Print Production states that

“Over the past few years Quad/Graphics has proven their ability to consistently deliver what we need,” Mr. Braaten also mentions that “From a quality and service standpoint, Quad has been exceptional. The partnership we’ve formed with Quad/Graphics is important to us because print is a vital component of our marketing mix it gets our image out there and adds to the success of our brand.”

President and CEO of Quad/Graphics, Joel Quadracci made a statement saying, “It’s gratifying to know that J. Crew, one of America’s best known catalog brands, sees print’s continued value as a sales- and brand-building tool. The Company’s trust in us as a partner in building its business is also gratifying. Our approach has been to continually invest in our manufacturing platform and our capabilities so we’re able to help clients like J. Crew grow their top line sales and their businesses.”

There were many factors that affected J. Crew’s contract renewal decision. According to Mr. Braaten, the most important key factors was the printer’s manufacturing platform flexibility and its New York City Premedia Solutions Center is in close distance to J. Crew’s headquarters located in midtown Manhattan.

03/25/10

Finalists Announced in Staples and RIT’s Green Office Product Challenge

The world's largest office products company, Staples Inc. is taking their support of going green and spreading it around the world. Staples Inc. has created the Global EcoEasy Challenge and out of 60 submissions from all over the globe, the finalist concepts have been declared. The challenge consisted of submitting descriptions of original concepts for an environmentally suitable product for a business or home office. The finalist teams from five countries are competing for the grand prize on April 20thin New York City.

Developing partnership with Staples is The Rochester Institute of Technology's Golisano Institute for Sustainability. Top technology institutions around the world were notified of the contest. Teams consist of five students from the universities . This contest challenges students to produce a brand new design from an existing product that delivers greater environmental precision, and one that is made up of an eco-modern material. Each group will unveil their design concepts to a panel of qualified judges at the New York Academy of Sciences for the grand-prize of $25,000; first and second place teams will each receive $5,000.

Director of the Golisano Institute for Sustainability, Nabil Nasr,states that "With conservation and sustainability such a vital part of our curriculum, RIT was thrilled to work with Staples to bring the Global EcoEasy Challenge to life. We issued this challenge to the next generation of environmental and engineering leaders and the intellectual capital returned combines innovation and environmental awareness."

The finalists are:

Indian Institute of Technology Madras (India) (Three Teams)
University of California, Berkeley (United States
Engineering of Piracicaba (Brazil)
Technical University of Berlin (Germany)
University of New South Wales (Australia)

03/25/10

Himmer AG Debuts The Roland 900 XXL Printing Press

Augsburg, Germany is the location where a format 8 sheetfed offset press, first of its kind in fact, is about to begin churning perfect print production at Himmer AG. Himmer AG, being one of the top Printers for book printing has always carried high expectations of their finished products and the equipment they use and with this new piece of machinery they have obtained for production, those expectations keep getting higher. At its new home location, all machinery must undergo a series of press acceptance tests which the ROLAND 900; XXL breezed through with flying colors.

The key to this remarkable machine is its perfecting system. The ROLAND 900, XXL with 1310 x 1870 mm maximum sheet size redefines sheet fed offset printing: new effective benchmarks are able to be stored and set for production and successive finishing. Printing 64 A4 pages in one pass is just one of the special abilities this perfecting press has. For trouble-free finishing, the ROLAND InlineSlitter creates two straight-edged stacks by dividing the sheets neatly which then can be easily processed in standard folding machines.

The special perks perfecting offers its customers are conveniently available in format 8: save valuable time by allowing double sided printing in one run without needing the two make ready and wash-up processes and without the necessity of de-powdering. Format 8 also creates space saving when no partially finished jobs are waiting for their second side to print. Organizational advantages occur when scheduling separate printing of the second side is not an issue with the ROLAND 900, XXL.

You never have to compromise the quality of your prints with the ROLAND 900, XXL perfecting press and its debut looks highly promising. Himmer AG is extremely satisfied with the results of a test run when they printed a catalog on matted paper.

03/25/10

“Print Grows Trees” Campaign Launched

A consumer education campaign In Washington D.C known as “Print Grows Trees" is now in affect with hopes of clearing the false understanding that when we use minimal print on paper, we help to save trees. The truth of the matter is facts show supporting print on paper provides individuals that own land the right financial motivation necessary to preserve American Woodland’s safety development for the contribution towards a positive and clean ecosystem with factors including wildlife, fresh water and carbon appropriation.

"Print Grows Trees", Sponsored by the Education Fund of Printing & Graphics Association MidAtlantic (PGAMA), draws a connection between land owners who have close to 60 percent ownership of the Woodlands in America. Key issues such as financial pressures, age, and demographics are the cause driving landowners to sell or transfer land at an intensely high rate, averaging 4,000 acres of forest which is being converted into expansion every day.

J. Albert Maddox, Jr, The Chairman of PGAMA speaks further on paper usage and tree growth stating that

"This is a pro-print message that helps consumers appreciate the renewable nature of paper from a new perspective," he also states that "The realization that the wood-for-paper equation actually allows landowners to grow more trees, and to manage woodlands in a more sustainable manner, is contrary to popular thinking, but it's an important realization. When these woodlands start to vanish, they take with them all of the ecological benefits we're basically getting for free. We have to support the landowners to continue to get those benefits."

"In a world bombarded by electronic images and media," says Maddox, "many forget the value of print to our society. It contributes in economic, social and environmental ways that have not been clearly represented to the public. 'Print Grows Trees' concentrates on the environmental, because the misconception that if we stop using print we'll save trees, has had a critical impact on not only the print industry, but also on the private landowners who are the keepers of America's trees. We just want people to make their communications' decisions based on facts."

03/24/10

Herald Printing Co. Goes Bankrupt

Herald Printing, The 129-year-old company, hit financial turbulence and shortly thereafter, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy at the Canton Bankruptcy Court in the United States. They filed with the intention to revamp their business strategy and reform long-term debt. The Herald is being represented in bankruptcy court by Anthony De Girolamo and the case is being heard by Judge Russ Kendig.

The company, owned by Dave Stump, is struggling to stay afloat in the hopes of maintaining its market share in a receding industry and overall a spiraling economy. Stump commented on this situation stating that the company has not relied on its past performances as a factor in staying around as long as it has. He said the company will be targeting certain areas to rethink their strategy but only where it sees the printing industry’s capability to grow. Some of those growth areas are seen in branches of, one-to-one marketing, digital packaging, and online Web-to-print services.

03/24/10

Agfa Graphics Releases Apogee Media 6

Early Tuesday morning, Agfa Graphics, one of the biggest printing and graphics corporations made a press statement announcing the release of Apogee Media 6. Included in this new and improved Apogee Media is an interactive plan that gives users the ability to drag and drop pages and one click access through to other sections of the workflow, allowing users complete control of their work publication and layout with just the click of a mouse.

Apogee Media known for its combination of digital asset management (DAM) and the elastic XML-driven editorial workflow platform has been uniquely prepared for users such as content creators who occupy the fields of print or web-based media. In this new version 6.0 Agfa Graphics provides a new graphical window with open access towards digital assets, page annotation, reservation areas, article editing, image cropping, ad placement, InDesign layout, preflight, soft proofing, print section management, and many more features.

This all-inclusive media interface was created to ultimately reduce the creator’s publication time due to the convenient and simultaneous access and immediate feedback on their work. Chief Editors or outside shareholders can now keep track of the progress at a glance and help direct content creators on the right path by delivering projects on time and on budget. This new release of Apogee Media includes other improvements and novelties for example interface with InDesign CS4 through plug-ins has been updated and lastly combining the underlying prepress technology for preflighting and proofing is extended.

Olivier Van der Stede, the Operations Manager at Decom states that "Apogee Media brings editorial teams and external stakeholders together in a seamless environment giving users complete control of publication content and execution." He also mentions that “The ability to so easily move content and layout and interact with other applications is unlike any other flat plan system on the market."

03/24/10

Gietz AG Debut’s Hot Foil Stamping Machine

Gietz AG, a Swiss developer, manufacturer and distributer of foil stamping machines worldwide has made an official announcement of an improved and technologically updated FSA 1060 Foil Commander hot foil stamping machine. Gietz developed the FSA 1060 Foil Commander ECO especially for workplaces and companies that utilize smaller print runs and multiple change-over jobs. This particular machine model removes the patented foil transportation system known as "Vacufoil" and loads it up with predictable foil unwinds with automatic aerial foil tension control.

The FSA 1060 Foil Commander ECO allows consumers to save while maintaining the Gietz high pressure features with the addition of settle time on impression. The Gietz Foil Commander is fully capable to reach up to 8,000 IPH and offers a productivity of 50% to 100% higher than other competitive models while also maintaining outstanding quality, and lastly it offers 350 metric tons of pressure at full production speed. Something else that comes standard on the press is a sitting time that is 25% longer than that of competators. This can be ultimately stretched out to a maximum of 2.5 seconds for large in depth foiling and embossing surface areas. Gietz machines are undeniably able to show their work performance for the security industry in the form of single picture holograms and strips (optical variable devices).

03/24/10

Nutis Press Co. Employee Faces Theft Charge

Joy M. Nutt, employed as a bookkeeper for printing company Nutis Press Co. is now facing accusations of theft with a total amount of $597,000 over a three year span.

Residing in the city of Lancaster, the 41 year old former bookkeeper was indicted Friday with one theft felony count. April 2 is the date set for her arraignment in Common Pleas Court. Nutt was terminated from employment last year from Nutis Press Co. where her duties included handling business checking accounts. Nutis is a 60-year-old printing company with a wing that incorporates a real-estate business.

When an audit discovered a large sum of money missing, an investigation led by Columbus police revealed checks from 2006 to 2009 that had been signed by Nutt to herself, to others and to cash. If convicted, Joy M. Nutt could be facing up to eight years in prison, a $15,000 fine and a court order to pay restitution.

03/24/10

Products

Additional Information