Australia

Former owner buys back ailing Sydney printer

2010-03-17T03:55:00+01:00

Ailing Sydney printer The Printing Department has been bought out of administration this week by former owner James Becker, however a former employee of the printer says around half of the staff could lose their jobs in order to keep the business afloat.

Industry farewells well-known icon

2010-03-17T03:30:00+01:00

Industry icon William (Bill) Moore has passed away aged 80. Bill Moore – who was chairman of industry equipment supplier Aldus Engineering – was farewelled at a memorial service, which was attended by scores of industry representatives.

Questions raised as Paragon Printing creditors owed millions

2010-03-17T03:01:00+01:00

A creditors meeting yesterday revealed business forms printer Paragon Printing, currently in administration, owes millions of dollars in unpaid bills and staff entitlements, with $4m of it to paper merchants alone.

Hannapak launches manroland 700 with inline foiler

2010-03-17T03:00:00+01:00

Hannapak showed its new manroland 700 with inline foiler at an industry event this week, which attracted both sheetfed and web offset commercial printers to the Richmond factory.

Presstek promises new digital offset press at Ipex

2010-03-16T13:00:00+01:00

Digital offset supplier Presstek says it will demonstrate its new 75DI press at Ipex in May. The company says the new press - which is distributed in Australia by Cyber and Grafika Links - will deliver the same level of quality as its 52DI press, but in a larger format size and with the ability to add additional print towers with inline coating.

Geon loses NZ $140m in 2008-2009

2010-03-16T13:00:00+01:00

The country's biggest sheetfed printer lost NZ$140.4m (A$108.5)in the 2008-2009 tax year, as the full weight of the GFC hit the trans-tasman printing operation. Its operating loss was NZ$55m.

Road show speakers say demand for ISO certification growing

2010-03-15T03:45:00+01:00

More than 150 industry delegates attended DES’s Pathways to Profit' seminars last week with organisers pleased with the stronger than expected turnout from Melbourne and Brisbane.

Direct Target Mailer makes absolute sense says supplier

2010-03-15T03:30:00+01:00

Digital Print industry supplier Absolute Electronics has installed its fifth new Direct Target Mailer, since its launch to market 18 months ago. The supplier says that the new DTM 8000 creates a completely personalised envelope and letter, ready to be mailed in a single pass all from an A3 or A4 printed sheet.

New For Ipex

2010-03-15T03:00:00+01:00

In recent weeks there have a number of press events announcing new products to be seen at the forthcoming Ipex exhibition in May. The following is a summary of announcements from Atlantic Zeiser, EskoArtwork and Kodak. In following weeks I will also be covering announcements from HP and Xeikon.

Kodak awards Starleaton best partner in Asia-Pacific

2010-03-14T03:30:00+01:00

Peter Eaton, co-founder of Starleaton Digital Solutions, a supplier to Australia’s wide-format signage and display market, was in Bangkok recently to attend Kodak Asia-Pacific’s annual dealer conference and has received the number one award as Best Partner for the whole region.

Mikoh launches new four colour label printer

2010-03-14T03:00:00+01:00

Melbourne-based printer Mikoh has released its new SRG-1001 four-colour label printer, which the company says can run at 25 metres a minute and its software ensures the first print is a true print that therefore provides savings on time and materials.

Inca launches excellence awards for customers

2010-03-13T03:00:00+01:00

Inca Digital has launched its own awards to recognise outstanding printing on Inca machines, which have been created to coincide with the company’s 10th anniversary.

Océ appoints second Aussie to international position

2010-03-12T03:30:00+01:00

A senior manager with Océ-Australia, Michael Boyle, has been appointed international marketing director for wide format products, based at Océ head office in Venlo, The Netherlands.

Autobond showcasing new laminators at Ipex

2010-03-11T03:00:00+01:00

Autobond is planning a technology demonstration at Ipex 2010 which it says could have implications far beyond the laminating process. The company plans to showcase a Mini sheet-fed laminator with the ability to inkjet print a spot UV, LED curable varnish in-line on top of matt film.

Starleaton takes on new rigid media following UV growth

2010-03-11T03:00:00+01:00

In-line with the on-going success of UV flatbed printing, Starleaton Digital Solution says it is now stocking KAPAplast a foam-cored board made from dense polyurethane, which the company says cuts cleanly and easily and can be grooved or even hinged.

Konica Minolta outlines Ipex plans

2010-03-10T03:01:00+01:00

At Ipex, Konica Minolta will highlight its bizhub PRO C6501 series with a focus on colour quality as well as the bizhub PRO 1200 series with a focus on its black and white performance.

Parts Overnight buys PT Store and strikes alliance with HP

2010-03-10T03:00:00+01:00

Parts Overnight, Australia’s largest independent printer spare parts and accessories distributor has acquired Queensland-based digital supplier PT Store. Parts Overnight specialises in supporting small format printers, and is authorised for large format spare parts distribution.

manroland invests in engineers as part of expansion plans

2010-03-10T03:00:00+01:00

Press maker manroland has hired four new engineers for its Australian business, which the company says is in line with plans to expand its Printservices products to meet customer’s demands of proactive service and support, and enabling the manroland presses to be more efficient and productive.

Two more printers in voluntary administration

2010-03-09T03:35:00+01:00

Victorian printer Paragon Printing and sister company Moore Office are the latest print shops to be hit by the tough economy with the companies bringing in Administrators. Hall Chadwick partners Richard Albarran, Blair Pleash and David Ross are continuing to trade the businesses of the companies at this stage with a view to maximising the chances of continuing in existence.

Last chance to book for NPA dinner

2010-03-09T03:05:05+01:00

Bookings for the National Print Awards Presentation Dinner in Sydney on Friday March 26 are moving fast, with organisers urging those who wish to attend the industry’s premier celebration to book soon to avoid disappointment.

Jet Technologies partners with Screen for local PlateRite launch

2010-03-08T03:50:00+01:00

Screen has teamed up with Jet Technologies for the local launch of Screen’s PlateRite FX CTP series, which the company says offers optimal flexo/letter press plate output for printing and prepress companies. The machine made its Australian debut at Jet Technologies’ Mascot showroom last week, where a number of narrow web printers attended.

Kodak releases new Nexpress

2010-03-08T03:30:00+01:00

Aimed at commercial, photo and inplant printers Kodak says its new NexPress SE Platform delivers the best digital colour production on the market for commercial, photo, and in-plant printers.

DES seminars kick off in Melbourne

2010-03-08T03:20:00+01:00

DES’s Pathways to Profit seminars, sponsored by Epson, are set to kick off in Melbourne today with the Brisbane and Sydney events to be held on Wednesday and Thursday respectively.

Tribute Tuesday: Heidelberg at Ipex

2010-03-08T03:00:00+01:00

This year at Ipex Heidelberg will not be introducing any ground breaking new products, nor will it be announcing its re-entry into the digital printing market. That re-entry should be announced later this year. Instead Heidelberg will introduce a wide range of updates in the move to improve the efficiency and cost effectiveness of its products.

Océ Australia appoints new wide format marketing manager

2010-03-07T03:30:00+01:00

Océ-Australia has appointed Neil Westhof to marketing manager for its wide format products. Previously based at Océ headquarters in Venlo in the Netherlands, Westhof was formerly international product manager for the ColorWave 600 and the CrystalPoint technology.

EIZO launches latest high-resolution monitor

2010-03-07T03:20:00+01:00

Visual display manufacturer EIZO Oceania has announced the availability of the new Flexscan SX2262W high-resolution 22-inch monitor, which the company says is aimed at anyone who regularly manipulates imagery of their computer screen.

SOS ups production with new digital investment

2010-03-07T03:00:00+01:00

Digital print-on-demand provider SOS Print and Media has recently installed a Ricoh Pro C900 digital printer in its Alexandria facility, which has enabled the company to significantly improve productivity according to Ricoh. SOS purchased the new production colour device to handle overflow from their Xeikon 5000 press.

Printing Industries launches Aussie IPEX Tour website

2010-03-06T03:00:00+01:00

Printing Industries has launched its IPEX 2010 website, which the Association says features all the information Aussie printers planning to visit the UK need to know.

Lively debate at Ricoh Grange event

2010-03-05T03:00:00+01:00

Around 50 managers of printers and implants took the opportunity to taste some of the nation’s best wine at a Ricoh technology forum in Sydney last night, with a lively debate ensuing.

Printing Industries pledges support to WWO members

2010-03-04T03:00:00+01:00

Printing Industries will continue to provide services to its Worldwide Online members pending the outcome of discussions with the franchise operations’ administrator.