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, 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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’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.

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 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.