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THE MAGAZINE FOR FORWARD THINKING PRINTING SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 Explore more… COVER STORY Keen and label: Bakers trading up in the flexible field. POWER OF THREE How Precision Proco is leading. #BEYONDA4 We kick off campaign for creativity in presenting print’s power. Explore more at printbusiness.co.uk
THE EDITOR’S COMMENT
WHY PRINT HAS TO
THE MAN IN THE HAT, GARETH WARD
has been the editor of Print Business BREAK AWAY TO
#BEYONDA4
since its second issue in 2005. Five years
later he took control of the magazine in a
management buyout and fully achieved
his vision to create a unique publication
for printers. There are numerous industry
titles that report the announcements in
Many in print face a grim few months
the news: the technology, the installations,
as the economy struggles in the face of
the good or bad financial results of
the continuing Covid pandemic. Print’s
the big corporates, people coming and
going, the events and exhibitions, often member associations have called for some
concentrating on one aspect. kind of emergency relief for the worst
What Print Business does is take all this affected printers, especially those hit by
information – supplied via press releases, local and regional lockdowns to snuff
announcements at events, word of mouth out any hope that had emerged over the
or good old fashioned journalism – sorts summer. This is the season in print when
the puffery from the facts, weaves it traditionally the profits are made owing
together and puts it into context for those to booming orders in the pre-Christmas
who run print businesses. period. It used to be about break even
At the heart of everything that Print
until September and then profits for the
Business publishes are the printers. Those
remainder of the year. For some this year
whose businesses are no longer about
simply feeding paper into a giant lump of the presses will be quiet.
highly engineered metal and selling the By Christmas, according to feedback
sheet that comes out the other end. Those from members of the BPIF, BAPC and
who face myriad decisions, some of which IPIA, as many as 3,000 printers will
point in opposite directions, and need to close with a further 3,000 will be in such
know more than how fast it prints, what distress that they will be unlikely to sectors that can drive orders to printers
the click charge is or how much it costs. survive the following three months. If to stay open.
They need to know what affects them allowed to happen, this will be simply On the other hand however, UK
and how. Just as every print job is bespoke, devastating for the UK printing industry. print is a sector that has been marked
every print company is different. There is
With a limited domestic capacity, future by overcapacity, under investment
no one-size-fits-all in this industry.
orders will flow overseas, let alone the and declining demand for many years,
Before Covid, Gareth Ward was out
impact of jobs and tax revenues for the extending for more than a decade. This
and about all the time. He went to print
factories and talked to printers in their UK exchequer. is evident in the difficulties it has in
language. He has seen first hand the However, print does not exist in a recruiting new talent.
problems they face, the solutions they find, vacuum. Outside of books, magazines This is an industry of small businesses
their achievements and their innovation. and newspapers, greetings cards and with all the conservative attitudes that
He has finally been able to safely visit business cards, printers are rarely follow. Many companies have survived
some factories. delivering a finished product. Print is for longer than perhaps they ought to
Before Print Business, Gareth Ward an industry which is a provider to other have done because many are lifestyle
worked on the leading weekly magazine parts of the economy. If retail is doing businesses. In the good times there
Printing World for 22 years and was editor well, there will be orders for graphics, is plenty to go round and money to
for 15. It is this experience, and 360° view
point of sale and product information; if be made. Now a generation of print
of the industry, that gives him his sixth
the travel industry is booming, printers business owners is coming close to the
sense about printing. His ability to spot
can expect orders for holiday brochures, end of their working lives and their
trends, often years before they become
apparent in the mainstream, is legendary posters, guide books and more; if plans for retirement have been sunk
(search for Publishing In The Digital Age entertainment is thriving, there is a need as effectively as an iceberg striking the
on PrintBusiness.co.uk to see his 1998 for tickets, posters, programmers and so Titanic. Many are going to decide that
prediction of what media consumption on. While not decrying the need for some to continue is not worth the hassle and
would be like in 2010, the year the iPad kind of assistance for printers that might will quietly sell to a former competitor.
was launched). not otherwise survive, government funds Much of this type of M&A activity will
This is Print Business, the magazine might be more effective in helping the pass beneath the radar. No amount …
for forward thinking printing.
www.printbusiness.co.uk September/October 2020 3
COMMENT GARETH WARD’S THOUGHTS ON… … of emergency relief will stop this a single-source provider of print and out these businesses will need more happening. marketing communication services. On than a standard approach to marketing, Marian Stefani, managing director of past experience this is unfortunately not to delivering their message. Google is the IPIA, one of the organisations that is likely. not great for local businesses, squeezing now calling for a letter writing campaign On the other hand printers are out serendipity under the weight of to bring print’s plight to the attention becoming equipped to offer a broader Adwords. of MPs, has called this a Ctrl-Alt-Del range of print services: digital Even if the consumer using Google moment for print and the industry supporting litho printing, large format is astute at search, there is no guarantee should seize this opportunity for a reset. inkjet alongside perfect binding. If the that the search words used will identify She does not describe what the new lack of critical mass means that most any particular company. And she or he normal for printing looks like. will struggle to be as efficient as Paragon will still need to get past the behemoth The merger between Precision, Proco or Precision Proco Group, not every businesses with seemingly unlimited and Prime within this context is a highly customer needs that firepower. marketing budgets. astute move. It has been two years in the The new normal will increase the split Banner advertising is increasingly in making and is unlikely to be replicated between the larger businesses that are question as more and more research says by another trio of businesses. But as a highly efficient and are on the leading that banners are ineffective and viewed substantial business the new group is edge of technology, and those businesses for a fraction of a second and of course very much in charge of its own destiny, that have intimate knowledge of the as the saying goes, you are more likely not immune from, but less subject to markets and geography they operate to climb Everest than click on a banner winter storms. in. For one thing that has become ad. If anything email advertising is even The other model in recent years has clear in recent months is that modern more unwelcome. been the roll up of often distressed supply chains, in the search for lowest It is up to printers to arm themselves businesses by Paragon, which has been cost, have become too fragile. The with the data, with the reports that quiet of late. Bigger is essential to shipping of books from the Far East show that digital channels are not always acquire the financial strength to continue has been disrupted by interruptions effective. Just because you can target to invest and to serve larger brands to distribution of an already slow to individuals with an email, with a video, looking for the complete service from respond supply chain. It may be in with Facebook, does not always mean fewer suppliers. the way that staff have been forced that you should. This was the strategy employed by to commute to city centre offices on Printers also need the case studies print management companies to good crowded trains, trams and buses for and proof that print works. Few effect over the last generation. For almost hours each day. Many workers are no organisations are doing this, Print Power 30 years printers have had an ambivalent longer willing to do so, causing a whole being a worthy exception. We have seen attitude to print management: hating infrastructure of shops, bars and cafes in recent months that print is successful the prices they impose on printers but that have lived on the spending power of at helping social distancing and that hooked on the volumes that they provide office staff to suffer. printed signage in time of crisis is and unable to break the habit. A reset Print’s reset involves more effective, delivering a clarity of message of the industry might tilt the balance, or localism, the opportunity being to that is sometimes missing from political might alert printers to the idea that they forge relationships with similar sized leaders. can combine in some kind of alliance businesses, the flourishing of artisan Print’s reset needs the materials that with others to present themselves as breweries being a fine example. To stand show not only that print works, but how PUBLISHING Print Business is published six times a year by Print Business Media Ltd Haymakers, Swamp Road, Romney Marsh TN29 9SQ | 01580 236456 | general@printbusiness.co.uk www.printbusiness.co.uk CONTRIBUTORS Printed by Manson Group | Paper supplied by Lumipaper | www.storaenso.com/lumionline EDITORIAL Editor/Publisher | Gareth Ward | gareth@printbusiness.co.uk | 01580 236456 | 07866 470124 Press releases should be sent to pressreleases@printbusiness.co.uk COMMERCIAL Publisher | Debbie Ward | 01580 236500 | debbie@printbusiness.co.uk ADMIN & SALES SUPPORT Publishing Assistant | Sarah Cross | 01580 236456 | sarah@printbusiness.co.uk MEDIA INFORMATION The Media Pack is available under the Information tab at PrintBusiness.co.uk 4 September/October 2020 www.printbusiness.co.uk
…HOW PRINT MUST GO #BEYONDA4 COMMENT
spread of four-colour printing allowed
colour advertising to move from the
billboard to Sunday supplements and a
whole ecosystem of web offset printed
magazines and catalogues. These were
simply impossible before web offset litho
printing came along in the 1960s. Print
delivered colour to the Swinging Sixties
well before colour television arrived.
We cannot return to that prelapsarian
state, but must find a place where
print has that impact. The technology
available to printers today overcomes any
of the objection that buyers have had in
the past. It is a predictable measurable
process, regardless of technology. It
does not involve vast amounts of waste
nor require huge print runs to become
economic. It is not a long drawn out
#BeyondA4 October marks the start process with lots of production steps to
it works. That it continues to work when of Print Business’s initiative to take delay completion. It works on almost any
phones have been turned off, that ‘likes’ print out the commodity market. To material.
tear down any misconceptions, now
on social media are unlikely to be saying These attitudes persist because
that print is not taught on marketing
anything meaningful. courses, that it is “old fashioned”.
printers have allowed them to and too
This is why we are launching Printers should be sending out their few have not been active at marketing
#BeyondA4. It is a campaign to highlight salesforce to shout about superlative the benefits of print. We spend too much
examples of print that works, by going advantages it has over screens. time talking to each other. Too many
outside the standard CMYK A4 trifolded page 40. printers remain in thrall to their press
leaflet that an online trade printer can or binding line, not what can be done
produce at minimal cost. These have of the senses than a flat screen ever can. with it. They are unwilling to invest time
their place (in the drawer with the other We will use the pages of this magazine, and effort in trialing different papers,
takeaway menus) but are not where the the new look Print Business website, different inks and varnish effects (few
opportunity to make an impact with Instagram, Twitter, Facebook. And we have used the enforced slowdown to run
print lies. want you to submit examples of print this sort of testing).
We want to highlight the jobs that that goes #BeyondA4. Print’s reset needs to happen. Print
go beyond the default formats, that Print’s reset should be about looking can delight, it can surprise, it can be
use larger (or smaller) formats to good at print in a different way, perhaps more than marks on a piece of paper.
effect; that use striking colours and value turning back the clock 60 years to the That is what we should be striving for
add effects to make an impact; that by a impact that the first colour advertising and shouting about Print needs to go
careful choice of papers, engage more pages had. Emerging from the 1950s the #BeyondA4.
NEWS The Monday morning News ezine is a popular collection of a handful of the week’s news, always going
beyond the press release and often exclusive. GDPR by the letter and spirit. Sign up at printbusiness.co.uk/Register
SUBSCRIPTIONS Print Business is currently free to qualifying UK printers. Subscriptions for those who would
like to contribute to securing the future of Print Business are available under the Information menu at bit.ly/2IlJxSS
EVENTS Print Business is the organiser of Forward Thinking Printing, round tables and more. Gareth Ward is in
demand for hosting, chairing and generally being an accomplished ringmaster. Apply for details on 01580 236456.
CONTENT Content is copyright © Print Business Ltd 2005-2020. All rights reserved.
ARCHIVE Previous issues are available for a modest fee. See the Archive page under
the Information tab at PrintBusiness.co.uk for downloadable and searchable PDFs.
TERMS Apply for terms & conditions to general@printbusiness.co.uk
www.printbusiness.co.uk September/October 2020 5
INFORMATION/TECHNOLOGY
Industry appeals for disaster
relief from Government
THE PRINTING INDUSTRY to declare insolvency by the end “The UK graphics and print the need for interventions to
has likened itself to catering of the year and a further 3,000 media industry is facing its prevent the mass closure of
and hospitality in an appeal to will only be capable of staying greatest challenge. In particular, print businesses in the next six
the Government and Chancellor in business for a further six the commercial and retail print months. In the joint letter, the
Rishi Sunk for “a means tested months. And it adds just 10% sectors are facing a breakdown GPMA calls for a ‘disaster relief’
‘disaster relief’ style grant” to are eligible to claim government of supply chain integrity and the style grant for those business
avoid closures and redundan- loans to remain solvent. loss of thousands of businesses able to demonstrate the scale of
cies caused by the imposition of The problem it states is that if they do not receive targeted damage they face, comparing
Rule of Six restrictions. printers, like hospitality busi- assistance,” a joint statement performance this year with 2019.
The Graphic and Print Media nesses, depend on a steady flow from BPIF chief executive “We would appreciate an
Alliance, the umbrella organi- of small orders and that orders Charles Jarrold, Picon CEO understanding from your
sation representing the 15 not placed are orders lost, rather Bettine Pellant, IPIA chairman departments of the specific
trade associations in print, has than orders delayed unlike the Graeme Smith and BAPC chair- challenges facing businesses
issued a statement describing purchase of a new car, washing man Brendan Perring. where demand for their prod-
the situation that many print machine, or consumer elec- Recent statements from ucts is of the ‘little and often’
businesses find themselves in. tronics, where purchasers are the Chancellor and others in type, and which are therefore
Without assistance round 3,000 likely to catch up once the crisis Government have not changed unlikely to enjoy a post-Covid
companies in the sector will need passes. the situation, which reinforces business bounce,” they say.
Curtis ups says managing director James
Williams. “We installed a first
a digital print site built around
HP Indigo technology, the
to meet the demands of new
markets will deliver a major
foiling with Cylinder five years ago, and second Amberley Labels site step change in our operations,
Kama then a second to keep up with will extend the ethos into longer which will see us shift from
demand. Now we need some- runs with the installation of two a traditional large scale, high
CURTIS PACKAGING has thing that gives us more sheets.” flexo presses. Both are coming speed service model to a more
continued its post-move growth The Kama has a top speed of from MPS, one a SymJet hybrid targeted, bespoke quality offer-
with investments to boost its 5,000 sheets an hour, offering press with inkjet section from ing across two sites.”
finishing capacity, including a cut and crease, hole punching Domino, the other as a flexo
Kama ProCut 76 Foil, arriving and embossing as well as foiling. press with an enhancement
from Germany last month. The nature of Curtis’ work section from Pantec, which Flint offers dual
The carton printer moved means a throughput of 3,300sph will be the first of its kind in IV ink
from Wimbledon to a modern is more usual, says Williams. the UK. Pantec’s equipment
factory near Redhill, where it The Kama installation is the offers foiling and embossing to FLINT INK HAS announced it
runs CX102 and XL75 Heidel- third piece of finishing equip- enhance the impact of a printed has an ink that will work in either
berg Speedmasters, in 2016. At ment to arrive at Curtis this year, label. traditional mercury vapour
the time it had a single Heidel- following an Autobond lamina- The Amberley Labels name is created UV light or under LED
berg Cylinder for foiling. tor and Bobst Novacut. “It is retained for this push within the UV to allow printers to transi-
“We have seen a big increase early days for us with the Kama. Coveris group. This will help tion from the older to the newer
in demand for hot foil blocking So far I’m very pleased,” he says. distinguish the new approach technology. The bad news is
over the last four or five years,” for beverage, cosmetics and that this is for narrow web label
other luxury brands from the printers, not for commercial or
Covers expands food, healthcare and indus- carton printers.
Amberley brand trial labels focus that the main
Coveris business has.
COVERIS IS FOLLOWING up Dennis Patterson, business Goebel acquires
on the acquisition of Amberley unit president for the Coveris MM press
Labels a year ago with a £3.5 graphics, labels and board divi-
million investment to transform sion, says: “We’re really excited GOEBEL HAS TAKEN OVER
a plant in Boston. The focus will to finally be in a position to the Muller Martini plant at
be on luxury products under the share our plans around our new Maulberg in Germany, which
same Amberley Labels brand. combined Amberley Labels produced printing presses until
And while the original brand. The investment and production was suspended in
Kama ProCut 76 Foil for Curtis.
Amberley Labels in Blandford is additional processes required 2014. Since then the plant …
6 September/October 2020 www.printbusiness.co.uk
We print
your world
For over 200 years we have combined inks
and substrates enabling creation of a
boundless variety of printed products.
Because printing is our world.
koenig-bauer.com
INFORMATION/TECHNOLOGY
Landa shifts into
production gear
LANDA DIGITAL PRINTING Landa
A double feeder option is
is moving from a technology Digital being developed, along with
focused company into a busi- printing has options for special colours
ness that is customer centric, 12 machines and an increase in print speed,
in operation,
says CEO Arik Gordon, and one including currently at 6,500 B1 impres-
capable of supporting hundreds this at sions an hour. The first of the
of installations. Edelmann in W10 web presses for flexible
Germany.
Gordon joined the company packaging will be shipped to
after an 18-year stint at PCB a pre Beta customer next year.
production equipment company Landa has had to come to terms
Orbotech, having started his with the requirements of flex-
career at Scitex. “When I ible packaging – materials that
arrived at Landa, I found a great have to be laminated and can be
organisation with very dedi- ture to support the hundreds The UK is not among the subject to high temperatures as
cated people. Some things need of presses that we want to have destination for the next bunch well as needing to apply white
to be more focused than before. very soon.” of machines being put together for printing on clear films.
“Previously the company At this point, and despite the and tested in one of three Landa “It’s been a huge job develop-
was focused on development interruption caused by Covid plants in Israel. The upcoming ing all that capability in a single
and technology, now it is in around the world, there are installations will again favour press,” says Benny Landa. “The
transition from a technology 12 presses in operation with the US and includes the first W10 now does all that. It’s an
to a market oriented company. a further two currently being press with a double delivery for amazing and fantastic product.
There has been a need for more installed. A further four will be continuous running of small When this arrives flexible pack-
outbound communications and delivered before the end of the jobs, which can be segregated aging will never be the same
a customer focused infrastruc- year, conditions permitting. on the fly. again.”
… has focused on service and packaging and security printing, a host of other airlines that only, the company expanded the
support for the 1,000 vari- where Goebel has a strong herit- have switched from the paper event to include presentations
able cut off blanket to steel age and reputation with intaglio, product. The official explana- in English after printers from
web offset presses that Muller offset and hybrid presses. tion relates to the fuel cost of the US and UK registered to
Martini has in operation around Both Muller Martini and carrying a copy per passenger participate.
the world. Goebel are Swiss owned per flight with concern about Most focus was inevitably
Muller Martini will continue companies, building presses in microbes lurking among heavily on the new, highly automated
to supply spares for, and support, Germany. Goebel’s press factory thumbed pages. In reality the perfect binder, which is the
these machines over the coming is in Darmstadt. According to paper product belonged to company’s most automated to
years, provided through the MM Muller Martini, Goebel was the the days when inflight enter- date and continues the shift
service network. However, the preferred candidate to take over tainment was limited and the to book of one production at
parts, retrofits, extensions and the business. publication was considered a volume.
new machines coming from the “The agreement with Muller prestige product. It is the first new machine to
Maulberg factory will be built Martini allows us to provide have connectivity to Horizon’s
by Goebel MMD employees. services and spare parts to exist- IceLink cloud based work-
As part of the deal, Muller ing printing press customers Horizon puts flow as standard. Local job
Martini will act as Goebel’s sales over the long term, while also automation to set up is via a 12.1-inch touch
agents for the sale of machines for enabling them to invest in the screen, with automated set up
latest Goebel technology,” says the fore of 21 steps triggered by a job
Goebel can
Goebel COO Felix Berg. number. It will deliver up to 800
build Muller
presses. HORIZON HAS PUT THE books per hour, with details of
new BQ500 four-clamp binder progress fed back to the produc-
BA grounds through its paces during an tion workflow, to a smart phone,
Highlife online demonstration from desktop or MIS via IceLink.
Horizon’s European showroom The demonstrations included
BRITISH AIRWAYS HAS near Hamburg. a robot to feed the BQ270
officially grounded its High- Originally planned for a single-clamp binder with a
life inflight magazine, joining German speaking audience book block. The new HT300 …
8 September/October 2020 www.printbusiness.co.uk
FINISHINGSTARTSHERE
Your future in finishing.
Intelligent Finishing Systems, Unit C, ATA House,
Boundary Way, Hemel Hempstead, Herts HP2 7SS
T: 020 8991 6624 www.ifsl.uk.com
INFORMATION/TECHNOLOGY
Magazine ABCs track Covid
circulation and closure pain
COVID-19 HAS accelerated In food, upmarket maga- for our products remained
declines in magazine circula- zine Olive grew sales 35% to strong, even increased in some
tions, according to ABC figures 34,114 in the audit issue. Also markets,” says Chris Duncan,
for the first six months of the in this sector Easy Cook moved chief executive UK Publishing
year. up 14% to 24,258. In contrast, for Bauer.
Some publishers are hoping Delicious noted an 8% fall in The belief is that in the
for a bounce back as lockdown sales to 52,486. It remains the second half the circulation
restrictions end and consum- largest title in this space. losses will, for the most part, be
ers are able to buy publications In the listings and lifestyle recouped. This will increasingly
from newsagents as part of their segment TV Choice remains the include digital subscriptions
daily ritual, but others are less largest magazine with a 7% fall as well as print sales. Maga-
sure. to 1,039,288, while Radio Times zine publishers are hoping that
The last few months have fell back 10% to 468,608. In as distribution patterns settle,
been marked by high profile London, ES Magazine, given there will be a robust recovery.
closures on both sides of the away with the Evening Stand- Other notable changes
Atlantic: for example Q in the tions are in food and gardening, ard, produced 307,975 copies a include a 23% fall to 97,376
UK and O, the Oprah Winfrey perhaps a reflection of activities week, down 15% and reflecting for National Geographic maga-
magazine, in the US. that have been possible during what is happening on the streets zine, a 33% decline for Heat to
Magazines across the board lockdown. BBC’s Garden- of the capital. 78,290 and 27% down for Closer
have lost readers, from television ers’ World increased sales 8% “While our traditional supply at 119,931. Bestseller Slimming
listing titles to women’s interest to 221,422 copies and Garden experienced massive disruption World is itself slimmer in read-
and lifestyle. The only excep- Answers rose 7% to 50,888. during lockdown, the demand ership, down 23% to 434,105.
… three-sided trimmer inline
with the BQ500. This can be fed
Flexo predicted
in a number of ways: by hand, for growth
from a gathering line or from
a digital press to create a book FLEXO PRINTING IS ON
block. There will be sections course to become a market
on the IceLink system, which is worth $181.1 billion worldwide
being rolled out across the range by 2025, according to research
of Horizon products. from Smithers, previously
“The finishing area needs Smithers Pira.
to catch up with prepress and The growth, from $167.7
the press areas,” says IFS tech- billion in 2020, is attributed to
nical director Jason Seaber. the dynamism in the packag-
“IceLink is very important for Durst business development manager Peter Jones with Keith ing sector where technology is
Horizon. Everything is going to Forster, managing director of Colorscan. enabling greater diversification
be compatible and first with the and higher value print appli-
digital communication, 5G and The press arrived at the point “Obviously our business took cations. This is helping flexo
the Internet of Things.” that the company was experi- a hit during lockdown, but our capture work that has previously
encing a boost in demand for label printing business actually only been suited to gravure
labels. Brewers, who had lost increased during this period. printing and therefore longer
Make mine public house output for their We certainly see a huge scope runs.
a Durst says products, had redirected output for expansion in the labels side The growth is the equivalent
from kegs to bottles and cans of our business.” of moving from 6.73 trillion A4
Colorscan to meet soaring demand from The company has previously pages to 7.45 trillion A4s in the
COLORSCAN, A specialist supermarkets and off premises installed a brace of EFI Jetrion five years. And the impact of
supplier to the brewing industry sales. inkjet label presses, the first in the pandemic will have only a
in Burton on Trent, has installed “We have bought the machine 2012, to handle digital label temporary effect on the packag-
a Durst Tau 330 RSC E inkjet at the right time,” says manag- printing. These remain in place, ing sector. It will bounce back
label press mid way through ing director and owner of but production is shifting to the faster than commercial and
lockdown. the company, Keith Forster. Durst press. publication printing, where …
10 September/October 2020 www.printbusiness.co.ukRESELLERS,
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WTTB.CO.UK/PBINFORMATION/TECHNOLOGY
Demand leaps for printed
photo merchandise
DEMAND FOR PRINTED cards, typified by Moonpig’s
There has been a boost to photobook
photobooks and similar products reporting of a triple digit
orders during lockdown.
increased during 2019 – ahead growth for photo upload cards
of the acceleration caused by during April. Overall, Future-
the Covid-19 pandemic. source expects a 10% increase
According to Futuresource, in volumes of photo merchan-
the consulting company that dise over the whole of 2020,
specialises in consumer elec- led by the UK, Benelux and
tronics, the value of the market Germany, the three largest
for photo print, photo books and markets for photo merchandise,
photo merchandise, increased as consumers were deprived of
3% to €3.1 billion across the six the opportunity to buy from
largest European markets. Until traditional retailers.
2019, the market had been static increased by the closure of high Photobook volumes will The report says that millenni-
for a number of years. street photo processing outlets, grow 8% this year, though price als and subsequent generations
And the size of the market is some fearing that this business competition means that value have grown up with digital
likely to have increased during will not return with the easing is not growing as quickly. The imaging, but thanks to instant
the lockdown period. Print- of lockdowns. Once consumers market is dividing between high print cameras and self service
ers printing these products have switched online they are value high quality layflat prod- kiosks, are exploring higher
have noted that volumes have less likely to return to previous ucts with an increasing number value printed versions.
increased to levels equivalent to habits. of pages selected by return- Smartphone apps have helped
the busy pre Christmas period. Futuresource predicts a 10% ing customers, perhaps even popularise this, leading to some
Some resellers reported a 30% increase in value across the printed on silver halide papers, being acquired by the estab-
increase in new customers sector in the years to 2024, led and quick to create, social lished online players.
during the first half of 2020 due by a 4.5% annual growth in media led photobooks which are There is a concern, says
to consumers having time on photo merchandise. Photobooks gaining traction at the lower cost Futuresource, that consumers
their hands at home. are growing at 2.0% CAGR end of the market. do not want these occasional use
Futuresource notes that the with a slight year on year decline There was a huge upswing apps clogging up their smart-
drive to online ordering was in photo prints. in online ordering of greetings phones though.
… the severe drop in demand limited impact to date, though
will only accelerate longer term this may have changed at the end
declines in demand. of the five-year period.
It is not a consistent growth
across the world, however. The
report suggests that Asia and Screen labels
Eastern European countries will for PeterLynn
lead the demand for packaging
as a result of growing econo- PETERLYNN HAS installed a
mies, rising affluence and the Screen Truepress Jet L350UV+
requirement for packaging to inkjet press to run alongside PeterLynn MD James Lindsay (left) says the company will achieve
take on a marketing role. the Xeikon CX3 digital press greater impact for personal care labels with Screen inkjet.
And unlike litho, there will be installed three years ago.
an increase in demand for flexo The new press has been Another is demand for labels Managing director James
presses, albeit at 0.4% a year. pressed into immediate service on bottles of hand sanitisers. Lindsay says: “In the main
This equates to 1,362 units in to meet “unprecedented With a production speed up to this was driven by the brewery
2025. The scope of flexo print- demand” for labels driven by 60m/min, the new press repre- industry, who had to move to
ing, from label presses using the pandemic’s effect on its sents a big leap in digital print cans and bottles for consumers
variable cut off and unit designs customer base. One of these capacity as the toner press runs to enjoy at home. Additionally,
to wide web central impression is the brewing sector where at only half this rate. Both we saw a surge in requirements
machines, also affects the mix of the absence of pubs has meant sectors have triggered a growth for cleaning product and hand
press sales. a switch from kegged beer to in orders, albeit in smaller sanitiser labels too, and we were
Digital printing has had only drink at home bottles and cans. volumes. keen to prioritise these essen- …
12 September/October 2020 www.printbusiness.co.ukHEIDELBERG
INNOVATION
WEEK 2020
19 TO 23 OCTOBER
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www.uk.heidelberg.com +44 (0) 844 892 2010INFORMATION/TECHNOLOGY
Browns Print moves up to
XL106 for extra capacity
BROWNS PRINT HOPES TO ous plate changing and automated
start printing on a five-colour start up which brings the press
XL106 that has been shipped into flat line colour on the Impress
to the company’s Manches- Control without operator inter-
ter factory from what has vention, tabbing the stack at the
been Cimpress in Brazil. The point this happens.
commissioning date was set for There will be vast drop in run
mid September. up waste, down from “perhaps
The 2018 press is fitted with 300” sheets to fewer than 50.
simultaneous plate changer and “Over the course of a year, the
all the factory fitted features that potential saving is vast,” says
Heidelberg produces for its Push The XL106 was sourced from Brazil by White Horse Machinery. Baldwin.
to Stop generation of machines. The press that White Horse
It also comes with LED UV, but closed,” says managing director sioned, a five-colour XL105 Machinery sales manager David
this has been removed because Danny Baldwin “But when we will be sold on, leaving the busi- Watson found was to the speci-
the profile of work that Browns ran the figures and then applied ness with a ten-colour XL75 and fication that Browns had been
handles does not suit the instant for a CBils loan it quickly the XL106. Both are fitted with looking at, says Baldwin. “Not
dry ink technology. became a no brainer.” CutStar reel sheeting. seeing it first hand was not a
“White Horse Machinery The company is taking out a The new machine will more worry. We had correspondence
came up with this press during five-colour XL75 with the B1 than cover the capacity being with Heidelberg and it has such
the lockdown, when we were press sitting on this base. Once removed. Makeready times will a low impression count it’s not
working from home, the factory the new machine is commis- come down thanks to simultane- even broken in yet.”
… tial supplies to play our part Strong says: “This acquisition the time. Its demise has sparked
Opus
during the crisis. represents a major step in our damp eyed reminiscences from
CEO
“Our customers have always journey as we expand our offer- middle aged personalities.
Tony
needed a fast turnaround, ing within customer experience
Strong.
coupled with reliable service and management services.
a quality label product. In order “As we have worked with the Folder for
to meet this, we knew we needed DocCentrics team for several Ipswich
to make a significant investment years, we know that their inno-
in additional digital capacity.” vative customer management IFS HAS DELIVERED A
platform is in high demand Horizon PF40L folder to PJ
among the SME and enterprise Print, Ipswich. While the
Opus continues markets. More importantly, we company has a Komori 29S
M&A growth also know this technology and HUV, the new folder will work
the team are a perfect fit with with its Ricoh mono and colour
OPUS TRUST Communica- DocCentrics has been owned our own customer experience digital presses. “We decided a
tions has dipped into its war by Simon Howells and Melanie aspirations.” small dedicated folder would
chest to acquire DocCentrics, Sowerby. It has a hybrid mail be perfect to manage the work-
a digital customer commu- solution, a CommsBuilder load in a streamlined way,” says
nications specialist for an mission control tool to manage Argos managing director Ben Perkins.
undisclosed sum. communications and responses, no more
The two businesses have and DigiComms tool to deliver a
collaborated on a number digital message across different THE ARGOS CATALOGUE Report
questions
of projects in the past. Now channels with personalisation if has reached the end of the
the digital capabilities of required. road, condemned by the Covid-
DocCentrics will combine with The idea is to integrate these 19 pandemic and the fear of digital power
data composition, print and tools together with the inhouse contracting the virus from its
postal expertise from Opus as tools that Opus Trust has to encapsulated pages. The door ADVERTISERS NEED TO
the Leicester business contin- accelerate its evolution into a stopper book was frequently reconsider the use of traditional
ues to evolve into a customer “digital centric customer expe- an indicator of which was the media such as newspapers, maga-
communications specialist. rience business”. CEO Tony cheapest printer in Europe at zines or cinema, rather than …
14 September/October 2020 www.printbusiness.co.ukINFORMATION/TECHNOLOGY
Robot lends an arm at
Hobbs the Printers
HOBBS THE PRINTERS has robot assistant fits the current
A year after MBO first showed
become the first UK company the CoBo stack, Hobbs has regulations around social
to install the MBO CoBo Stack become the first in the UK to distancing.
robotic pallet loader. The unit invest in robotics. Hobbs has continued to work
has been fitted to the company’s through the lockdown and has
MBO K8 high speed folder, implemented a full sweep of
which it installed last year. safety measures in its Ports-
MBO launched the CoBo mouth factory, including screens
Stack a year ago. It is a collabo- around the business and imple-
rative type robot that works mented one-way traffic as much
alongside a human operator as possible. It has been working
outside of a cage and without the three shifts since the middle of
need for a laser safety curtain. May.
Its task is to pick up folded with a video on LinkedIn, “Our K8 folding machine MBO is now a fully owned
sections and then load these in saying: “This collaborative runs faster with dramatically subsidiary of Komori and will
the optimal pattern on a pallet robot works safely alongside our reduced downtime for pallet be part of its Connected Auto-
for further finishing. operators. It removes repeti- changes as a result of the CoBo mation concept of the smart
One robot arm can be posi- tive tasks from their daily Stack installation.” factory.
tioned between two pallets to work, enabling them to be more Sections from the folder are But this has not stopped
allow for continuous opera- productive, with an absolute collected in an A500 stacker and MBO joining the Postpress Alli-
tion, allowing one pallet to be focus on quality but with much fed along a conveyor belt for the ance, a joint venture between a
replaced while the next is being less physical effort, and there- robot arm to pick up the pile and number of German and Swiss
loaded. fore fatigue, over the course of positions them on the pallet. manufacturers to promote data
Hobbs related the news along the working day. A second benefit is that the exchange and automation.
… chase the short turn metrics of “In marketing, attention attention is given to ads in news- ing the needs of a commercial
social media and online ‘shares’, grabbing strategies negatively papers, magazines and cinema, print sector that is shifting into
‘likes’ and ‘clicks’. impact the consumer’s ability for example. high speed digital printing.
A report commissioned from to attain their own goals,” she This is because when consum- The Rip includes Global
Bournemouth University and says. “Some forms of atten- ing these media, consumers are Graphics’ Advanced Inkjet
PHD Media, by Magnetic, tion actively distract from the in a more responsive state of Screens to minimise artefacts
concludes that advertisers and desired outcome.” mind. Context is therefore as when printing large format
agencies must reappraise the For example, Coca-Cola much about the consumer’s state inkjet. The PrintFlat and
value of legacy media and amassed millions of social media of mind as it is about the selected ScreenPro modules to improve
should not be distracted by the reactions on Facebook, but media, Denegri-Knott explains. the output of inkjet print have
metrics that online generates. these did not push the associ- been joined by Opal. This is
Algorithms used by the adver- ated website into the top 10,000 designed to minimise unwanted
tising industry to assess the websites worldwide. Harlequin Rip artefacts when printing on
impact and value of ad spend Research using eye tracking reaches V13 absorbent substrates at high
have been skewed towards the technology found only 12% of speeds, so allowing companies
instant gratification of online people look at online advertising GLOBAL GRAPHICS HAS to use lower cost papers and to
and away from the traditional and of these, only 9% dwell on announced V13 of its Harle- cope with the demands of print-
print led media. the ad for more than one second. quin Rip, now described as the ing to corrugated.
Advertisers need to differ- The attention that results Harlequin Host Renderer, as There is support for print-
entiate between quality and from online banners and similar the purpose of the software has ing directly from a PNG file,
interruptive attention. Inter- ads detract from the reader’s expanded. recognition that in some of the
viewed in the latest issue of the experience. Originally conceived to new sectors, commercial print
Print Power magazine, Janice And, Denegri-Knott points process PostScript and then PDF formats such as PDF, Jpg, EPS
Denegri-Knott, lead academic out, that algorithms have files, the latest version of the and Tiff are not dominant.
in consumer culture and behav- promised precise targeting and Rip takes functionality into ultra This is particularly the case in
iour at Bournemouth University, the ability to deliver so called grand format inkjet printing, some large format applications,
says that this attention should be relevant messages to consumers. corrugated packaging, decor and product decoration, textiles and
earned to be effective. In contrast, more quality textile sectors as well as address- so on. The company reports …
16 September/October 2020 www.printbusiness.co.ukEXCLUSIVELY
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Correct as of 28/08/20INFORMATION/TECHNOLOGY
Delga finds carton answer
with Highcon Euclid
DELGA PRESS HAS become needs an extra 500 cartons for The Euclid installation will
just the third UK company with next day delivery. That would become a platform to attract
a Highcon Euclid digital cutting Ian Conetta mean others have to go back on new customers thanks to the
and creasing system, installing with the latest the platen with all the waste of extra service the business is able
the latest Euclid III at its Roch- investment, time and material involved. It is to offer.
ester factory. a Highcon going to help with the flexibility “Our customer base is
The digital finishing device is Euclid III. of demands that we have from continuing to transition,” says
a partner to its HP Indigo 12000, customers.” Conetta. “For 50 years Delga
configured for carton printing, The Euclid was delivered has been a go to provider for
helping the business shift away at the start of the lockdown, the music industry, so did not
from being purely a producer slowing the commission- require a high profile. Now we
for the music and entertainment ing process. Fortunately the are developing our brand and
industry. Led by group manag- company had, by this time, been the Euclid is part of that.
ing director Ian Conetta, Delga to see installations in mainland “I’m really excited by it and
“has found a nice spot among Europe to check on the support what it can do in combina-
multi sku short run high quality from Highcon and to substanti- tion with the HP press. We can
cartons.” press. “With the Highcom, ate the claims made for it. Delga work with start ups, produc-
The company has a B1 Bobst what is a three- or four-hour has struck a deal that Conetta is ing marketing collateral and
and Heidelberg Cylinders for its makeready on the Bobst becomes happy with. cartons, we can produce proto-
litho printed carton work, but 30 minutes – and there are no “It’s up to Highcon to make types and longer run samples
lacked something for the shorter extra die costs,” he says. this work and we are confident faster than by using a cutting
runs and faster turnarounds that “And it’s going to help when a that they understand our busi- table. We can really start to push
are possible with the B2 digital customer changes his mind and ness model,” he says. the boundaries.”
… a growing interest from these Leigh Foster, managing direc-
industrial sectors in digital tor. “Before we bought the
printing. machine we went to see it in
And it will automatically split action. The quality was excep-
the job into tiles for simultane- tional. We have been able to
ous processing by a number bring back work that had to be
of Rips for increased speed of outsourced. It will also print on
handling to drive the printer silk and matt. In the first month
to produce an output which we had it before lockdown
can comfortably stretch to 200 we printed 300,000 impres-
metres long. It begins to send sions and have been running at
the file to the printer before the 100,000 a month, even during
last part of the job is Ripped to the lockdown.
increase productivity further. “Our key objective was to
“A 200-metre long by 1200dpi increase our variable data print-
output for a building wrap or for Leigh Foster says TasKalfa has exceptional quality. ing volumes to broaden our
decor printing is challenging to a offering and drive growth in
Rip,” says Martin Bailey, Global the direct mail and fulfilment
Graphics Software’s CTO. handled on its Kyocera TasKalfa with the image more closely areas of the business. We had
15000C cutsheet inkjet press, resembling litho printing than been outsourcing colour litho
the first of this machine in the fused toner, is enabling the print jobs, which then had to
First TasKalfa UK. company to replace the need to be overprinted for personalisa-
lands in
The TasKalfa is a four-colour send out artwork for letterhead tion. This was a time consuming
press printing on SRA3 sheets printing and then over printing process that we were looking to
Basingstoke at 150ppm, replacing a conven- of variable content. streamline.”
tional toner press, and extending “We looked at other options The new technology is also
BASINGSTOKE MAILING the range of work that Docu- and found that even the best more energy efficient than the
house Document Despatch is ment Despatch can handle. The of them was three times as end of lease press that is being
increasing the volumes of pages quality of four-colour printing, expensive as the Kyocera,” says replaced. This amounts …
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INFORMATION/TECHNOLOGY
Canon upgrades toner
flagship IP C10010VP
CANON HAS UPGRADED This is the maximum length specification to the next model.
its flagship digital toner press available for duplex printing, The development, however,
with the introduction of the while the maximum sheet that demonstrates Canon’s commit-
ImagePress C10010VP, sharing can be printed is 1300mm long ment to digital printing with
the same core specifications as using a BDT VX 370 feeder. toner technology. Joseph Courts,
the C10000VP which is now The new machine is an upgrade Registration is at 0.5mm, head of product market-
phased out, but with improve- of the press launched in 2015. with the exception of reverse ing, Canon UK says: “The
ments to enhance productivity printing the longest sheets. C10010VP is a new milestone
and versatility. fusing unit that is being being Automated duplexing is possible in the evolution of the digital
The new machine is a four- used to expand the range of on 762mm long sheets. colour production press, setting
colour only 100ppm toner press, substrates that can be printed It will operate through either a new standards in productiv-
just as the the previous machine at speed. Inline spectrophotom- PrismaSync front end or an EFI ity, application diversity and
was when introduced five years eter, back to back registration Fiery FS400 Pro controller. A full quality.”
ago. It includes features to run systems and slew controlling range of inline finishing options is Positioning maintains the gap
a broader range of materials, up side lays and multi sheet detec- offered along with high capacity between the toner machines and
to 400gsm rather than 350gsm, tors at the feeder are intended stacker and DFD Bridge. the increasingly popular inkjet
to deliver greater consistency to maximise up time and allow Price will be broadly in line presses. Canon’s VarioPrint
and with a higher level of auto- the press to run without super- with that of the machine that is iX3200 is attracting increasing
mated set up. The minimum vision. The feed bins can hold now replaced. The technology attention, as a litho replacement
paper weight is now 60gsm up to 10,000 sheets with 1,000 needed to handle the broader digital press, which offers higher
compared to 70gsm previously. sheets to 762mm long with the paper range means it is not productivity, quality and flexi-
The press contains a dual long sheet input module. possible to upgrade from one bility than dry toner technology.
… to a 30% reduction in configured to be able to print The 70-year-old business is in
consumption of energy, with a with both solvent and water the day to day hands of Michael,
consequent improvement in the based inks, meeting growing Richard and Matthew Podd
company’s carbon footprint. requirement for more sustain- with David Podd as manag-
ability in plastic packaging. This ing director of the business his
will complement the Ultigreen father founded.
Ultimate takes films and AdaptMAP systems And it has continued to
fifth Bobst for shelf life enhancement. thrive, thanks to working for an
Operations director Jon established customer base and
ULTIMATE PACKAGING McCarthy says “this latest GPS offering what these businesses
has taken delivery of a new press adds even more capacity want.
Bobst Expert CI press, its and flexibility to our production This has led the company to
fifth flexo press from the Swiss facilities. It will fit seamlessly in add foiling, die cutting, lamina-
manufacturer. with the other presses, enabling tion and wire binding to fold,
The investment comes as us to ramp up production very stitch and trim and digital print
the company enjoys an uplift in quickly and with the added to litho. Now with demand
business, supplying food pack- benefit of also being able to increasing for perfect binding,
aging during the pandemic. The print water based inks it further it has installed the single-clamp
Grimsby company, the largest enhances Ultimate’s sustainabil- binder.
independent provider of flex- ity journey.” Prior to its purchase the Ultimate’s
fifth Bobst means
ible packaging for food in the company had to put perfect it has six flexo presses.
UK, has also taken a lease of a binding out to the trade, paying
new warehouse to increase its Podds adds for transportation and yielding delivered we received an inquiry
agility and flexibitity. perfect binding some control in terms of offer- about perfect binding.
The round of investment is ing a fast turnaround. The company is running
completed with an order for Podds Print has expanded the “It was the cost of that trans- Planamelt as the adhesive for
two Bimec slitters, which will services it offers from its Whyte- port and the time scale,” says both litho and digitally printed
increase the company’s ability leafe factory with the installation Podd. “And we are now getting work. “Since we put it in we
to respond rapidly. of a Horizon BQ270V perfect work that we didn’t get before. have had a steady flow of
The eight-colour Bobst is binder. On the very day the binder was inquiries,” he adds. n
20 September/October 2020 www.printbusiness.co.ukCHANGE. The whole world is a changing place every day. That is something none of us cannot do anything about. Printers face new challenges every day. That is something to embrace and figure out. It may be a struggle to keep abreast of everything but decisions need to be informed, not just gut feeling. What printers need to know is more sophisticated than ever and information is our job. It’s what we do. FOR THE BETTER. Print Business has undergone huge changes this year which are only just becoming visible. We are not a magazine. We are data miners. We are analysts. We are predictors of trends. We are blue sky thinkers. We are presenters of bigger pictures. The information is out there. We have captured it, analysed it and stored it so you don’t have to. We have the knowledge. So, what do you want to know? THE MAGAZINE FOR FORWARD THINKING PRINTING To subscribe go to PrintBusiness.co.uk and look under the Information menu.
COVER STORY BAKERS LABELS
BAKERS IS
LABELLED FOR
CONTINUED
SUCCESS
THE TRADE PRINTER CAN OFFER STANDARDISED PRODUCTS MORE
COST EFFECTIVELY THAN OTHERS, OR CAN PRODUCE JOBS USING
TECHNOLOGY THAT NOBODY ELSE HAS. BAKER LABELS IS IN THE
LATTER CATEGORY.
Steve Baker with
a Digicon line. The
latest investment is in
a the UK’s first JetFX
digital foiling and
varnishing unit which
is integrated into the
finishing line.
22 September/October 2020 www.printbusiness.co.ukYou can also read
