Irish Printer September 2014

September 2014 // THE VOICE OF THE INDUSTRY // www.irishprinter.ie

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NEWS

Reprocentre Wins Label Printer Distribution Deal

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design

Bennis Design on How They Rate Print Standards in Ireland

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textile printing

The Fabric of the Future? We look at current and future trends

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interview

Tom Clements on his recent appointment as IPF President

Opportunities

BeExceptional

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Contents | IRISH PRINTER

24 News » 4 A round up of some of the latest news from the Irish print industry.

Cover Story » 14 Philip Brady, Head of Canon Ireland, on how the company’s latest Canon for Business initiative can benefit Irish print service providers.

Design » 18 Caroline and Alan Bennis talk about their design partnership, their relationships with printers, and how they rate print standards in Ireland.

Wide Format » 22 • Anapurna Prints Cover Paris Pantheon • Soyang Europe Appointed UK Distributor for Intercoat • Hybrid Takes Delivery of First Wave of New JV300 Printers

Textile Printing » 24 Roland Biemans, Marketing Director of Kiian Digital, looks at current and future trends in the digital textile printing market.

Business Matters » 27 Constructive Dismissal – Are you liable for an employee if they terminate their own contract?

Interview » 28 RPD Managing Director Tom Clements talks to Irish Printer about his new role as President of the Irish Printing Federation.

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4 Packaging » 30 Smurfit Kappa Thinks Outside the Box New Coding Expertise Launched at Medtec Ireland

Talking Technical » 32 Jan Eisby of Danish manufacturer Vetaphone provides a beginners guide to corona treatment.

What’s New in Print » 34 • Esko Innovations Win Prestigious Technology Awards • No More Missing Fonts with Enfocus

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04/09/2014 16:56:48

IRISH PRINTER | Editor’s Letter

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elcome to the September issue of Irish Printer.

As I said in the last issue of the magazine, the countdown to the 36th annual Irish Print Awards is well and truly underway.

Celebrating excellence in the printing industry, the Irish Print Awards recognise the best of what print companies on the island of Ireland have to offer and are regarded as the leading independent awards event for the Irish print industry. All of the nominees produce world-class printed matter and each year the standard of entries received exceeds expectations. As always, this year’s awards will be judged by a select team of industry experts and we are delighted to welcome some new members to our judging panel. We will be profiling these and all of our judges in the October issue of Irish Printer.

More than 300 people attended the 36th annual ceremony last year and we hope to see well in excess of that number attending the 37th annual ceremony on November 28th in the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Santry, in Dublin. Entries for the Irish Print Awards are now open and the entry form is available on the Irish Printer website – www.irishprinter.ie. The email address for entries and general enquiries about the awards is irishprintentries@ashville.com and the closing date for receipt of entries is October 3rd.

In last month’s Editor’s Letter I also spoke about the difficulties that companies in our industry have been experiencing in recent years and expressed the hope that we are at last facing into a period of stability for the print industry on the island of Ireland. In this issue I talk to the recently appointed President of the Irish Printing Federation (IPF), Tom Clements of RPD, who is keen to build up the membership of the IPF. He outlines the business benefits that IPF membership can bring to print companies that decide to join the federation and he talks about some new services that the IPF is planning to introduce for new and existing member companies.

The team

Editor: Maev Martin Editorial Manager: Mary Connaughton Art Director: Jane Matthews Design & Layout: Jane Matthews Advertising Designers: Jennifer Reid, Colm McDermott Stock Photography & Illustrations: Thinkstock

However, he also expresses his concerns about a particularly worrying development in the industry and one which we hope to include an update on in our October issue. The apprenticeship system has been in jeopardy a number of times in recent years due to the failure of print companies to take on apprentices and this year is no different. The IPF is currently having difficulty finding firms who are prepared to take on apprentices and is encouraging print companies to consider their staffing requirements and to contact the federation if they think they might be in a position to take on an apprectice next year. Ensuring that there is an adequate supply of trained and professional staff is crucial to the future development of the print trade in Ireland, particularly when the industry has had so many economic and technological challenges to cope with in recent years. The Irish Print Awards is an annual celebration of the excellent standard of print and design that would not be possible without a viable apprenticeship system. And the Awards have always reflected the importance of apprenticeship training, with the Print Media Apprentice and Print Graduate of the Year categories forming a constant and very important part of the awards ceremony. So Irish Printer would like to take this opportunity to support the IPF in its call for greater industry participation in the apprenticeship system – it is your system and, ultimately, your support for it will benefit your company and other print companies in our industry.

Maev Martin Editor Email: maeve.martin@ashvillemediagroup.com Tel: (01) 432 2271

Cover Image: courtesy of Canon Ireland Contact: Irish Printer, Ashville Media Group, Old Stone Building, Blackhall Green, Dublin 7 Tel: (01) 432 2200 Web: www.irishprinter.ie

All rights reserved. Every care has been taken to ensure that the information contained in this magazine is accurate. The publishers cannot, however, accept responsibility for errors or omissions. Reproduction by any means in whole or in part without the permission of the publisher is prohibited. © Ashville Media Group 2014. All discounts, promotions and competitions contained in this magazine are run independently of Irish Printer. The promoter/advertiser is responsible for honouring the prize. ISSN 0790-2026

Production Manager: Mary Connaughton Production: Jennifer Reid Printed by: Walsh Colour Print

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IRISH PRINTER | News

Reprocentre Wins Label Printer Distribution Deal

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eprocentre Group signed an agreement in July with iSys Label to distribute the digital label printers in their iSys range.

“We had been looking for a new market and along with our partners in European Graphics we discovered the iSys label products,” says Eoin Honan, Owner, Reprocentre Group.

“We quickly arranged a viewing with a couple of our partners signing up for distribution. These label printers are the first of their kind for Reprocentre.

We have customers creating labels on other printing devices but this machine allows us to produce the finished product on a roll, either with pre-diecut labels or on various media which can be finished afterwards on the digital die-cutting unit that can laminate, cut, weed off the waste and split the job into rolls.”

There are two models available in the

iSys range - the Edge 850 and the Apex 1290, the latter machine having a much more industrial strength roll feeder for longer run lengths. “Both machines print at nine metres/30ft per minute, which is impressive when you see it in action,” says Eoin.

“Reprocentre were heavily involved in the flexographic prepress area, supplying plates and software. We now see this machine as a solution to match the market demand for faster turnaround times and shorter run-lengths - an equivalent to what has happened in the lithographic and screen printing market where some jobs are produced digitally to complement the conventional printing presses. The types of companies showing interest are exactly what you would expect. Label manufacturers with a requirement for short runs and a no fuss production line with digital

finishing. There is also keen interest from the litho printing sector as most of these customers already produce labels in some shape or form, whether it be on a litho press or a page digital device such as a Xerox-type printer. The opportunity for our customers is to be able to produce the finished product on a roll instead of flat sheets. There are some interesting unique features about the iSys machine such as the fact that the curing technology inside the machine is LED based. This translates into a much lower temperature for fusing and in turn means a wide variety of substrates, such as plasticbased products, can be used without the issue of heat distortion or in extreme cases material failure. The cost of ownership is extremely low and the ability to produce variable data are two other major benefits to users. The machine is also very easy to operate so production can start pretty much straight away.”

Eoin says that the industry finished 2013 in a strong position but that this hasn’t continued into the first half of 2014. “We feel that this new product will give our customer base the opportunity to service their current client base with a new product and expand into the area of label manufacture, particularly for the cottage type industry sector,” he says. “This is a sector that is currently very strong, especially the food production market, with plenty of new start-ups appearing every quarter. We see the iSys product as being ideal for servicing this sector.”

Tharstern Targets Rapid Growth after MBO

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harstern Ltd has been sold in a management buy-out for an undisclosed sum. The Tharstern personnel behind the deal are Managing Director Keith McMurtrie, Technical Director Antony Lord and Sales Director Lee Ward. They are supported by a combined debt and equity package from Mobeus Equity Partners. The three will retain direct day-to-day running of the business in their current roles after the purchase from the family of the original founder of Tharstern. The company has a turnover of £4m and employs 46 people. Tharstern, which has over 550 worldwide installations, will remain in its 10,000 square foot premises. Tharstern Ltd, which has strong ties to all the major printing vendors, has been providing workflow and Management Information Systems to the global commercial printing and graphic arts industry for 30 years.

(l-r): Tharstern’s Keith McMurtrie, Antony Lord and Sales Director Lee Ward at the company’s UK headquarters.

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05/09/2014 09:24:55

News | IRISH PRINTER

Remembering Those who Worked in Over 70 Print Crafts

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ere you, a friend or any member of your family an accounts person, administrator, in an advertising agency, advertising sales, author, bag-maker, bookbinder, camera operator, carton gluer, carton maker, carton printer, coil binder, compositor, copy boy, cutting forme maker, delivery, designer, diecutter, die-stamper, digital printer, editor, electro-plater, electrician, embosser, engraver, envelope maker, estimator, film planner, fine art bookbinder, flexo graphic printer, folding operator, fitter, gathering machine operator, graphic artist, gravure printer, guillotine operator, intaglio printer, inter type operator, journalist, laminator, letterpress printer, linotype operator, litho / offset printer, machine assistant, machine maintenance, mechanical book binder, messenger, mono type caster, mono type operator, packer, pad printer, page planner, paste-up artist, plate maker, production planner, proof-reader, publisher, re-toucher, ruling machine operator, scanner operator, screen printer, sewing machine operator, shrinkwrapper, stereo-typer, stone man, sub-editor, table hand, thermographic printer, traveller/ sales representative, stationer, typesetter, web printer, wire-obind operator, or in any other way involved in the printing, graphic and allied industries?

If so, you probably attended the 10th annual Print Industry Ecumenical Remembrance Service which took place on September 6th in St Mary’s Church, Haddington Road. The service was followed by live demonstrations in the National Print Museum in Beggars Bush. The event was a great opportunity to remember the industry’s deceased, to meet friends and colleagues and to remember the past in the wonderful surroundings of the National Print Museum.

Ricoh Launches New GELJET Colour Printer

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icoh launched a new GELJET colour printer into the Irish market on August 19th. Retailing at €75, including a two-year on-site warranty, the printer will offer printing for small businesses, schools and home office users. The GELJET Aficio SG 2100N is Ricoh’s lowest-priced printer.

It offers full colour print outs at resolutions of up to 1200x1200dpi on media up to A4 in size. The printer is network ready with a built-in 10/100 Ethernet port in addition to USB 2.0 connectivity, and can print speeds up to 29 pages per minute with a duty cycle up to 10,000 printers per month. Ricoh’s GELJET printers use fast-drying viscous, pigment-based inks that are derived from soya, making them non-toxic and rapid drying. The printer’s green credentials are enhanced further as it is constructed from recycled plastic and consumes 90% less power than a colour laser printer. It only

uses 27W of energy when printing, equivalent to that used by a single light bulb. The SG 2100N supports printing from Windows PCs and Mac OS X systems, with wireless printing from Apple iOS and Android devices enabled via smart device apps. As part of the GELJET technology, the paper is fed through the printer by a transfer belt rather than rollers, which enables it to handle relatively thick media of up to 163g/m2 in weight from the 250-sheet standard tray, or up to 250g/m2 using manual feed. The GELJET Aficio SG 2100N is now available from Ricoh resellers and distributors in Ireland.

Milan To Host Digital Textile Conference

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espa’s Digital Textile Conference 2014 will take place on October 2nd at Grand Hotel Villa Torretta in Milan, Italy. The return of the educational event, which has been held three times before, in 2008, 2009 and 2011, follows a surge of interest in digital textiles printing. An international line-up of digital textiles experts will share their knowledge and experience at the one-day conference, which is sponsored by MS Italy and Kiian, in partnership with Fespa’s Italian association, Siotec. The conference will examine the textiles industry, including promotional products, textile and garment decoration, textiles for interiors, and soft signage. It will give textile printers practical tips and the opportunity to gain insight into the future direction of the industry. Key speakers confirmed so far include Melanie Bowles, Senior Lecturer in Digital Textiles at Chelsea College of Art and Design, and LA-based clothing and jewellery designer Michael Schmidt, who created the world’s first 3D-printed gown last year. Seminars, which will be presented simultaneously in both English and Italian, will focus on topics including transfer versus direct printing, technology and software, and fashion and interior markets. For more information visit www.fespa.com/digital-textile-conference.

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05/09/2014 09:25:14

IRISH PRINTER | News

Gerry Andrews Showcases His Haunting Snapshots of 1970s Ireland

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Unknown Boy; Joe O’Callaghan, Smurfit Kappa with Kevin Byrne, DIT; Limerick’s Milk Market; Martin Devlin, Chair of the DSLR of the National Council of the Irish Photographic Federation and Dr. Declan Collinge.

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he National Library of Ireland’s National Photographic Archive in Temple Bar in Dublin was the venue for the official launch on August 7th of ‘Shaped by History’, an exhibition of images taken at Limerick’s Milk Market in the 1970s by award-winning social documentary photographer and former Print and Packaging Forum Director Gerry Andrews.

The exhibition consists of 95 black and white portrait photographs, some of which measure seven feet high, of the community of merchants, traders, children and characters of Limerick’s historic quarter, taken between 1971 and 1978. The Milk Market, located in Limerick’s Irishtown area, was founded in 1852 as the west of Ireland was emerging from the famine of

the 1840s. ‘Shaped by History’ is presented in collaboration with the Hunt Museum and supported by Limerick City of Culture, Limerick Milk Market, and the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.

The exhibition is the only Limerick City of Culture event taking place outside the city of Limerick. A set of prints will also be donated to the National Library of Ireland’s photographic collection, home to the world’s largest collection of photographs relating to Ireland.

“We are thrilled that this exhibition was made possible through collaboration with the Hunt Museum and through the hard work and dedication of Gerry Andrews himself,” says Elizabeth Kirwan, Curator of the NLI’s National

Photographic Archive. “The ‘Shaped

by History’ exhibition is stunning, evocative and challenging, and documents the period in Irish history, just as the Shannon region began to transform into a national and international model for development. Gerry Andrews has captured compelling moments of a very different Ireland to the one we know today and the photographs will take their rightful place in the NLI’s collection of photographs documenting Irish life.”

Gerry Andrews says he is very excited to have brought ‘Shaped by History’ to the National Photographic Archive. “Many years ago I set out to capture the magic of the Milk Market and quickly realised it was the people who made it unique – their

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BELOW: Brian McArdle of Swan Paper with Gerry Andrews.

info@ireland.messefrankfurt.com Tel. +44 14 83 48 39 83

honesty, integrity and eagerness to share what little they had with those less fortunate than themselves. I’m very grateful to the NLI, the Hunt Museum, Limerick City of Culture and the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht for recognising the importance of bringing this collection to Dublin.”

Limerick man, renowned composer, producer and arranger Bill Whelan, who is best known for composing Riverdance, also spoke at the exhibition launch.

‘Shaped by History’ is free to visit and is open seven days weekly, Monday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm and 12 noon to 5pm on Sundays.

The exhibition runs in the National Photographic Archive until January 4th 2015.

ABOVE: (l-r): Kathy O’Grady, Cultural Programmer at Limerick City of Culture, Bill Whelan, Composer, Producer and Arranger, Elizabeth Kirwan, Curator of the National Photographic Archive, Gerry Andrews, Award-Winning Photographer, Hugh Maguire, Director of The Hunt Museum, Fergal Deegan, Limerick’s Live 95FM, and Naomi O’Nolan, The Hunt Museum.

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05/09/2014 09:26:33

IRISH PRINTER | News

Blade Runner and S.J. Flanagan Join Forces

ABOVE: Ronan O’Daly and Shay Flanagan LEFT: (l-r): Christopher Doyle, Ronan O’Daly, Leah O’Daly, Chris Doyle and Shay Flanagan.

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lade Runner Ltd, Ireland’s leading supplier of machine blades and regrinding services, has joined forces with the long-established S.J. Flanagan. Shay Flanagan is well known throughout the trade and anyone who has been in the printing industry for the past 50 years will have done business with him at some stage.

Discussions between both companies were concluded at the end of July.

They have now come together to offer the printing industry the best of their expertise in terms of quality and service.

The operation will be based in Blade Runner’s new and expanded premises in Clane, Co Kildare. Blade Runner recently moved from Unit 7 to Units 19 and 20 in Clane’s Thompson Enterprise Centre in order to accommodate the new equipment that they have taken on from S.J. Flanagan, doubling the size of their operations to 2,000 square feet.

“We have acquired four machines from S.J. Flanagan, including 4.5 metre and 4 metre Gockel grinding machines,” says Blade Runner Managing Director Ronan O’Daly. “These machines are industry standard and the best

quality equipment available on the market today for grinding guillotine blades. This new arrangement and new machine capacity means that Blade Runner will be a one-stop-shop for the supply and service needs of a print or finishing company’s bindery department - we supply and re-sharpen blades, we service guillotines and can carry out health and safety checks on them, we sell the consumables, and we provide technical advice. We have considerable technical resources at our disposal in the Irish market, and the fact that we are exclusive partners in Ireland of IKS Klingelnberg, the largest supplier of blades in the world, and of Swemko, the biggest knife re-grinder in the UK, means that we have an unlimited pool of expertise that we can call on to solve any cutting or bindery issues that might arise in a print company or print finishing operation. Blade Runner and its customers will also now benefit from the expertise that Shay Flanagan will bring to our operation. We are delighted that Shay will be working with us here at Blade Runner. Shay will be a great asset to the company

because of his skill, expertise and strong family background in the blade re-sharpening side of the industry.

Shay’s role in Blade Runner will be that of quality consultant, ensuring that his customers continue to enjoy the high levels of technical and service quality that they have been used to over the years.”

Blade Runner now welcomes the opportunity to do business with the customers of S.J. Flanagan. “I am delighted to pass on the sword to the very capable hands of Blade Runner Ltd,” says Shay. “It has been a pleasure to serve the print industry for 100 years with the Flanagan name. Our company was founded by James Flanagan (Jim) in 1916 and continued by my father John and then myself to the present day. I am continuing to serve the trade through Blade Runner as their quality control consultant and am pleased to be still connected to the trade”.

Ronan says that the machine and operation transfer has been seamless.

“We are now working hard to ensure that there is an equally seamless transition for all our customers in this new arrangement,” says Ronan. “Blade Runner provides van collection and delivery services around Dublin and we want to assure all new customers that it will be business as usual - if you need a blade collected, call us.”

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PRECISION GRINDING

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IRISH PRINTER | News

LED UV Rewrites the Litho Rulebook

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BA and LED UV technology developer Air Motion Systems Inc have come together to develop a LED UV printing solution that can be integrated with the KBA VariDry system, including full operational consolidation at the press console. The system can now be specified on new KBA presses from the anilox Genius at B3 to all Rapida models, including the B2 75, 105, 106, 145, 164, 185 and Super Large Format 205. The solution is also available for retrofitting exclusively via KBA (UK) Ltd in the UK and Ireland on existing presses of all makes.

“LED technology has always been regarded as the optimum solution for fast reactive UV drying, it was just a question of getting the hardware right and developing a cost-effective stream of consumables,” says Carsten Barlebo of AMS Europe. “This is now in place; the KBA VariDry platform is universal and user-friendly and our next-generation diodes give up to 60% energy saving over their H-UV and LE-UV counterparts. They

can also operate at maximum production speeds – that is 20,000 sheets/hour on the Rapida 106. At 20,000 hours, the diode life is as much as 50 times greater, too. A new series of 100% bio-renewable LED UV inks are also coming on stream this year - from more than one supplier - featuring low migration to meet Cradle-to-Cradle (Silver) certification, so it really is game over in the new generation UV debate. AMS has already installed retro-fits to 60 presses this year and we have orders for a further 25 to fulfil by year-end.”

KBA UK’s Sales Director Chris Scully says that this is the system that the industry has been anticipating for several years. “It really is the final word in production efficiency, print quality and costeffectiveness for quick turnaround commercial litho print,” he says.

“In addition to the superior finishes that can be achieved, it allows the sheets to be managed in-press and be processed downstream in a way

ABOVE: Chris Scully, Sales Director, KBA UK.

that maximises the benefits we’ve designed into our presses for quick job-to-job changeovers and closed loop quality management. We invite any printer who has been considering the possibility of making the change, or even sitting on the sidelines and waiting for the dust to settle, to take a close look at this solution…this is the real deal!”

AMS has more than 140 LED UV printing installations worldwide.

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05/09/2014 09:32:08

News | IRISH PRINTER

ABOVE:Patrick with the XP2750 RIGHT Paul operates the Tempo II BELOW: Raif works on the iXL24.

“We will never compromise when it come to the quality of what we print, even if it takes an extra hour, so be it.”

That is the bold claim of Paul Brierton, Managing Director of DP Imaging, despite dealing with an increasing number of clients who are working to tighter and tighter deadlines. So, how does DP Imaging manage to run such a successful operation in the face of such demands? The printing industry has changed considerably over the past 20 years and DP Imaging has kept a close eye on technological advances and adapted its business accordingly.

The company is now very focused on large format digital printing and has invested in several pieces of highend equipment to ensure it delivers exactly what its customers require.

With key customers in the event industry, a lot of the work involves large detailed graphics, requiring extremely high quality standards. DP Imaging also partner with a lot of local sign companies who don’t have the equipment, capacity and expertise that DP Imaging has. “It doesn’t make sense for these small companies to invest in such expensive equipment which will only be required occasionally,” says Paul. “We have the capability to deliver this on their behalf.”

All of the equipment DP Imaging uses has been purchased from the Reprocentre. “We’ve worked with the Reprocentre for over 20 years and we value their knowledge, experience and technical expertise,” he says. “They

DP Imaging & Reprocentre Celebrate Successful Partnership keep abreast of everything that is going on in the market and provide us with sound advice as well as extremely reliable and high quality equipment.

After all these years we’re still very appreciative of all their advice and support and we wouldn’t dream of speaking to anyone other than Eoin Honan and the team of engineers at the Reprocentre. They also install and service all our equipment and their after sales service is just as impressive.”

One thing Paul isn’t keen on doing is overworking his equipment. Though some of the kit is printing during the night to meet tight deadlines, he doesn’t allow it to run over capacity. He

will ensure they run to their absolute optimum in terms of quality and time, though the quality of a job will never be compromised. Paul believes this has resulted in a large number of loyal customers who know they will never be let down by DP Imaging.

The directors regularly take a step back to evaluate the whole operation, looking at the equipment, staffing and customer requirements. The plan is to invest in a more productive and efficient flatbed printer in the next 12 months. Guess who they’ll be speaking to for some advice?

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05/09/2014 09:32:32

IRISH PRINTER | News

Printers’ Wazygoose Marks End of Summer

CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: (l-r): Steve Simpson, Illustrator, Brian Colleran, Design Print & Packaging Skillnet, IPF President Tom Clements of RPD, Alan McCormack of the Central Bank and Joe O’Callaghan of Smurfit Kappa; the overall winner of the Design, Print & Packaging Skillnet’s design competition ‘Embrace What You Love’ Christina O’Donovan with her mum; IPF President Tom Clements presents the EPIC trophy to the National Print Museum’s Claire Anderson for display in the museum; Back (l-r): Killian Dunne, Paula Moen, Steve Simpson, Stephen Cunniffe and Maja Ignaczewska. Front (l-r): Diane Dignam, Network Manager, Design, Print & Packaging Skillnet with Christina O’Donovan, Jessica Rooney Dane and Ariyana Ahmad.

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he Design, Print & Packaging Skillnet held its fourth annual Wazygoose event in the National Print Museum on August 22nd. The nation’s printers turned out in force on the evening with over 45 people in attendance, including member companies and trainees, as well as many of the finalists in the Design, Print & Packaging Skillnet’s design competition ‘Embrace What You Love’.

The competition celebrated individual creativity and ingenuity as it gave graphic designers the opportunity to design/illustrate their favourite inspirational quotation.

A3 print-ready PDFs had to be emailed to info@dppskillnet.ie by July 21st and the winning entry, which was submitted by Christina O’Donovan, was announced at the Wazygoose event.

An exhibition of the best entries also took place at the museum on the night. Christina won €150 for her efforts along with free membership of the Design, Print & Packaging Skillnet (worth €150).

The Press Café in the National Print Museum provided drinks and delicious food. Guests were also treated to demonstrations of the various machines in the museum.

A Wazygoose was at one time an entertainment given by a master printer to his workmen each year on or about St Bartholonew’s Day (August 24th). It marked the traditional end of summer and the start of the season of working by candlelight. Later, the word came to refer to an annual outing and dinner for the staff of a printing works or the printers on a newspaper.

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News | IRISH PRINTER

SMC Installs Flexible Print Solution from MJ Flood

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MC Print & Design recently enhanced its digital printing capability with the installation in June of a new KM C1070, which was supplied by Konica Minolta’s exclusive distributor in Ireland, MJ Flood.

Given their high levels of satisfaction with the KM C6500e model, which was also supplied by MJ Flood, SMC Print & Design were confident that the C1070 would be the ideal upgrade for their in-house digital printing operation. The KM C1070 is producing a wide variety of printed material, ranging from NCR sets (pre-collated and numbered) to business cards, posters and flyers,

and is mainly used for short run booklets up to 200 pages, which are then finished using SMC Print’s Duplo booklet maker “The main advantages of the KM C1070 over its competitors are the vacuum-fed trays and colour calibration system,” says SMC Managing Director Steve McCarthy.

“The vacuum feed ensures a very high level of consistent imaging on the sheet (greatly decreasing skewed pages when running) and the automatic calibration of various stock when used, ensuring accurate colour reproduction.”

SMC also installed a B2 cylinder this year and upgraded their Tharstern MIS

to Primo. In addition, their flagship five-colour B2 Heidelberg press is on a double day shift.

“We have definitely seen an uplift in the market for general print requirements but unfortunately price is still a big problem,” says SMC Print & Design’s Production Manager Johnny Lawless. “I genuinely feel that printers are their own worst enemies.

We cannot understand why certain printers continue to undercharge, thus cutting margin for everyone else.

We have been lucky that we landed two contracts where the work was going out of the country and is now being produced in our factory here in Ballymount.”

Western European Hardcopy Markets Continue to Strengthen

T

he western European printer and multifunction (MFP) markets continued to show strong growth, with Q2 2014 increasing five per cent compared to the same period a year ago. That’s according to the latest Worldwide Quarterly Hardcopy Peripherals Tracker from International Data Corporation (IDC). This resulted in a Q2 2014 market figure of 4.92 million units, with growth of more than 234,000 units. There were many positive growth areas, with notable increases in colour laser and inkjet markets, but monochrome laser markets again contracted as the move to colour products continues. As with Q1 2014, MFP products accounted for 78% of all shipments in Q2 2014. The overall MFP market increased 7.8% while printers continued to decline at -3.6%. The colour laser and inkjet markets increased for both MFP and printer products but monochrome markets declined in both product categories and printer products declined at a greater rate than MFP. Inkjet markets showed good growth in both business and consumer segments. Most inkjet growth was from the UK, which was the largest market in Western Europe for inkjet products in Q2 2014, largely due to increases in consumer inkjets. Overall, most countries showed growth in Q2 2014 but there are still some signs that certain markets are struggling with the recovery. Growth patterns are also varied across those countries with positive results, with some showing strong double-digit growth and others remaining in low-single-digit growth.

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Cover Story | IRISH PRINTER

Canon Means Business in Ireland In this month’s cover story Philip Brady, Head of Canon Ireland, talks to Maev Martin about how the company’s latest Canon for Business initiative can benefit Irish print companies.

Q

: What is ‘Canon for Business’ all about?

‘Canon for Business’ is about offering tailor made business solutions to suit companies of all sizes across Ireland. We know that a one size fits all approach does not work and we work in partnership with our customers to create an offering that is unique to their business needs.

Our offering can be divided into four core competencies: business services - we provide outsourced services built around information, image and document handling. A typical client will engage us to provide on–site mail room, reprographics, archival, scanning, indexing, printing, and a range of related services like electronic delivery of invoices/e-documents; business solutions - Canon offers a full range of business solutions (hardware, software, support and consultancy), information sharing and business process solutions to fit any office of any size; professional print - we offer a full range of print solutions (hardware, software, support

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Cover Story | IRISH PRINTER

and consultancy) for companies that make print their business; service and support - maintenance of existing office networks, implementation of new ones, and education and training on all aspects of Canon technology.

Q

: How can this initiative help print companies in Ireland?

Due to our unrivalled heritage in this sector, we deliver innovative business solutions based on years of experience, insights and a deep understanding of the sectors in which we operate. Our bespoke solutions approach means that we can help businesses in any sector improve their business, work more efficiently and ultimately save money in the long run. When it comes to print companies, I would say that our expertise, innovation and cutting edge technology sets us apart.

Q

: Is ‘Canon for Business’ targeted at a specific type of print company?

‘Canon for Business’ is for all types of companies, whether that is large multinationals or SMEs and sole traders. Our partnership approach means we can deliver innovative business solutions on any scale.

Q

: Why should a print company think of Canon first when it is looking to invest in a digital production or wide format printer?

Three reasons - our product is outstanding, we have years of expertise, and we provide exceptional service.

With Canon you are not only investing

in our product but also in our expertise.

We have a long standing heritage in the print industry and we offer an unrivalled support service to our customers. Our merger with Océ means we now have the ability to offer the widest range of technical and graphics wide format printers so we offer a broad range of options to our customers.

Q

: Now that the task of merging with Océ has been successfully completed, do you feel the time is right for Canon to raise its profile in the Irish market?

The merger of Canon and Océ has strengthened our offering in Ireland and we are continuing to increase our presence in the market. As I mentioned earlier, we now have the ability to offer the widest range ever of technical and graphics wide format printers which means we can compete at a high level in this space. Canon’s wide format range now boasts the full Océ range.

Along with its traditional IPF range of inkjet plotters Canon can now offer the Océ Colorwave 650 full colour toner plotter for poster printing and technical drawings, Océ Colorwave 900 MEMJET technology for production large format printing, and the Océ Plotwave range for the plotting of monochrome technical drawings. We have a great story to tell and we fully intend to tell it.

Q

: I’ve been told that 35% of the UK flatbed market is an Océ Arizona. Is the percentage accurate?

Yes, it is accurate. The Arizona has always been synonymous with print quality. The next step for the Arizona range was to step into the production flatbed printing market. The Océ Arizona family of UV flatbed printers is the world’s number one selling series. Last year they outsold all their competitors combined. With the new Arizona 6000 series the Arizona not only steps into production it also brings with it its customary print quality. It is the world’s fastest photographic quality UV flatbed printer and one of the only flatbeds that has bridged the gap between quality and production. We are working with Irish commercial printers to place more Arizona models over the coming years. As you can imagine, a lot of careful work and planning is required.

Q

: What are the key models from Canon’s range of digital production and wide format printers that Canon Ireland is keen to promote to the Irish print industry?

We are keen to promote our CAD printers, which are now very competitively priced, along with our graphics range to the photographic industry where they can now have end-to-end imaging and print solution.

Our Canon IPF range is optimised to work with Canon professional cameras to get the highest results, high colour gamut and borderless printing as standard. Our Océ range of ColorWave and Plotwave is geared at production environments and professional AEC users, print shops and repro houses.

New models are being launched all the time.

For Transaction/Direct Mail/Pharma: • The Océ Colorstream 3000 range of continuous inkjet systems for white paper solutions with hourly capacity of over 100,000 A4 impressions per hour.

• Fly Poster Printing: The Océ Colorwave 900 (Memjet) and Colorwave 650 (toner) can enable profitable short run poster work.

• Repro Market: The new Canon C800 full colour SRA3 press to compete in the 70/80 ppm market.

• Arch/Eng/Construction: The Colorwave 650 is currently replacing mono and colour units with one combined fast and cost effective unit.

• Display Graphics: The Océ Arizona has always been regarded as the highest quality flatbed printer in the market.

With the introduction of the new Arizona 6000 series, our customers can have the same Arizona quality but with production speeds of over 100 square metres per hour.

Q

: Canon Ireland’s recent open days in July were extremely successful. Is Canon planning further open days?

Yes, we will be hosting a large format event for Government (Local and Central), Utilities and Education in October and November. We will be hosting a software event in October for the transaction/direct mail market. The software products will include Planet Press, Océ Prisma and EFI. For more information on these events, please email info@canon.ie.

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IRISH PRINTER | Cover Story

Customer Success Story:

System Label Founded in 1992, System Label is a leading European label manufacturer.

Formerly a screen printing business, System Label wanted to modernise its print offering and have the capacity to handle those lucrative bespoke jobs.

Background System Label has offices and production facilities in Roscommon and in Stevenage, Hertfordshire in the UK, as well as strategic partners in Germany and Taiwan. The company specialises in the manufacture and supply of self-adhesive labels, decals, overlays, membrane switches, point of sale, NFC and RFID smart labels and photoluminescent safety guidance products (EverGlow®). Clients include large blue chip companies such as Mercedes, JCB and Panasonic.

The Issue System Label wanted to become more efficient and increase its productivity but also to develop into an operation that could more easily handle the growing number of requests for lucrative bespoke print jobs. Staff were investing a lot of time doing specific tasks but were also turning away valuable work.

The Solution Canon installed the Océ Arizona, its leading flatbed printer, in System Label

Alan Beirne, Director, System Label, stands proudly behind his Océ Arizona flatbed printer.

along with five years support and maintenance. Not only has the Océ Arizona flatbed printer helped System Label migrate from screen printing to digital printing enabling them to produce jobs faster, cheaper and with less set up costs, but the company has been able to turn around more jobs, faster and better and produce low volume as well as high volume runs.

For example, with many of the bigger print jobs that System Label manages, the Océ Arizona flatbed printer effectively does the job of five people and frees up time for valuable team members to become more efficient and take on more productive, less timeconsuming tasks. Furthermore, the typical turnaround time on the majority of these bigger print jobs has been reduced from 10-15 days to 1-2 days, creating greater capacity within the company. The Océ Arizona also allows System Label to produce on a vast range of surfaces, media and materials - everything except mirror - which has increased productivity and opened up a number of new jobs, having a positive impact on the business.

“The installation of the Océ Arizona printer has added greatly to our business, brought us into the 21st century, and allowed us to compete more successfully in the market, even giving us a competitive advantage,” says Alan Beirne, Director, System

Label. “While we handle a vast number of large print runs which we can now do more efficiently and impressively, we can also do smaller, lucrative print runs, one-off jobs we were previously unable to handle and were turning away. This has been a very important development for us in the current market where there are many bespoke requests coming our way. It has had a big impact on our bottom line.”

The Results For bigger jobs, System Label has significantly reduced turnaround times. The number of staff involved in the printing process has also been reduced as the Océ Arizona flatbed printer does the job of five people, saving hundreds of staff hours.

System Label can now produce more jobs, better quality and a greater variety of work – large print runs, shorter bespoke print runs, and print on a vast range of surfaces and materials. The Océ Arizona flatbed printer installation has had an overall positive impact on the bottom line. http:// www.systemlabel.com/ “System Label understands the value it wants to deliver to its customers and the Arizona can help deliver that value,” says Donnan Cullen, Key Account Manager, Production Printing Group, Canon Ireland. “This clear vision helps us to continually deliver a best fit and best in class solution.”

Canon Contact: Aileen Caffrey. Tel: 01 2052411. Email: info@canon.ie.

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232769_1C_ComTec_IP_SEP.pdf

26/8/14

11:00:55

ComColor

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Sets new Standards in Full Colour Print Production

Applications • Transactional and Transpromo printing • Direct Mail and Variable Data Printing • Fully Automated Mailing Solution - PRINT, FOLD, INSERT & SEAL • In-line Perfect Binding System

Communication Technology Limited

Walkinstown Avenue, Dublin 12 Contact our Production Print Specialists: FREEPHONE: 1800 333 666 | Tel: 01 456 1274 www.comtec.ie Main distributor for Riso in Ireland

INNOVATIVE PRINT SOLUTIONS

IRISH PRINTER | Design

Partners in

Cre ativ ity

In this month’s Design focus, Maev Martin talks to award-winning design house Bennis Design about some of their high profile projects, their relationships with printers, and how they rate print standards in Ireland.

In their design careers to date, Caroline and Alan Bennis, Joint Creative Directors/Designers at Dublin-based Bennis Design, have been nominated and won awards from the Institute of Creative Advertising and Design (ICAD) and the Institute of Designers in Ireland (IDI) for their work on projects for Meteor Mobile, A&L Goodbody and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, among others. “More recently we were awarded an IDI commendation for our work on the Enterprise Ireland Annual Report and two Crystal Clear MSD Health Literacy awards for our work on BowelScreen, the national populationbased screening campaign,” says Alan.

Bennis Design work regularly with Digital Print Dynamics, Brunswick Press, Impress Printing Works, Colorman Ireland and Turner Print Group and, in the past, Hudson Killeen. “We are a busy studio and we like to work with suppliers who are easy to deal with, quick to respond, provide high quality print (so I can sleep at night!), and are

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Design | IRISH PRINTER

reliable, available, problem solving and positive. At a time when print quantities have been reduced by our clients and a lot more of our print is digital we are trying to retain a high level of quality in our print specifications. We believe we have achieved this working with Colorman and Turners on the Enterprise Ireland Annual Report over the past four years. Using large satin foiled text on a smooth uncoated cover, we have mixed the textural qualities of uncoated stock, foils and coated text pages to create a prestigious publication with a strong visual presence that gave the client a sense of value from the print. This extra sense of value and quality from the print we are purchasing is becoming increasingly important for us as clients have other media via which they can communicate the everyday messages to customers.”

Following a tender process, Bennis won the contract to design the Enterprise Ireland Annual Report & Accounts for the six-year period from 2008 to 2014. They were successful in winning this tender because of

“At a time when print quantities have been reduced by our clients and a lot more of our print is digital we are trying to retain a high level of quality in our print specifications.

We believe we have achieved this working with Colorman and Turners on the Enterprise Ireland Annual Report over the past four years.”

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IRISH PRINTER | Design

will provide and it is a comfort to know that they are within reach if there are any problems or crunch deadlines,” he says. “Some of our clients have their own print contracts and purchase print outside Ireland. We have worked with WG Baird in Antrim to produce Printed Project, a biannual arts journal published by Visual Artists Ireland and co funded by the Arts Council and Arts Council of Northern Ireland. The publication gave national and international artists a forum where they could communicate with their peers. We worked with a tight print budget to create novel editions, for example, with the Clarke & McDevit issue Bairds hand coloured the page edges black to create the look of a solid object.” The journal was Nominated for an ICAD Best of Irish Advertising and Design Award.

advice to us. Before their closure Hudson Killeen worked with us on a series of corporate brochures for International House language school. These brochures had a high print specification which included metallic PMS, precise foil work and various internal paper stocks. For a small design studio buying in print of a high value we need to trust our supplier 100% to work with us to deliver a top quality print product. Hudson Killeen were always a sure bet and never let us down. Our clients share our attention to detail. That’s why they come to us.

And we like to work with printers who understand this. Recently Digital Print Dynamics and Impress have delivered high quality and detailed finishing for our client Alliance Francaise who are very sensitive to quality, deadlines and colour consistency across different media, and we are very appreciative of that.”

Bennis Design have worked with Alliance Francaise on a number of contracts since 2002. “Our contracts have involved full brand design and management, corporate brochure, timetables, banners and festival designs,” says Alan. “Alliance Francaise are language specialists. Our objective was to create a strong visual design system and copy line that would work over numerous touch points and one that would be adaptable and become strongly identifiable and connected with the Alliance Francaise experience.

We focused on cultural authenticity as a unique identity direction for AF. We employed a water colour image and introduced overlaid elements of classic French discoveries to allow for visual diversity and cultural resonance over the lifespan of this system.”

Working with Printers

Top Tips

“We have been very lucky to work with top quality printers in Ireland for over 20 years,” says Alan. “We have experienced great technicians who gave us the extra time required to achieve a shared vision and took responsibility for delivering a quality print. We choose our print partners primarily based on quality and we have always had great service in the past from Martin’s, Hudson Killeen and Future Print who are no longer with us, and from our current providers Digital Print Dynamics, Impress Print Works, Colorman Ireland, Brunswick Press and Turner Print Group. They continue to deliver great service and

According to Alan, print companies should have a long-term vision of how they are going to work with designers.

“Our goal is to deliver a high quality product on time and at the approved cost to our clients,” he says. “To help us achieve this, we would ask print companies to be nice, be helpful, don’t let us down with quality or deadlines, keep us up to date on a job’s progress with a quick email, quality check everything before it goes out, keep an eye out for any errors during the job, and deliver the print job in well constructed boxes! If you can deliver all of that, a designer will be the best sales rep you ever had!”

“We would ask print companies to be nice, be helpful, don’t let us down with quality or deadlines, keep us up to date on a job’s progress with a quick email, quality check everything before it goes out, keep an eye out for any errors during the job, and deliver the print job in well constructed boxes! If you can deliver all of that, a designer will be the best sales rep you ever had!”

their excellent interpretation of the brief, the design concept, their demonstrated experience and capability to successfully deliver the project within tight deadlines, and their competitive costs. This project involves producing the Annual Report & Accounts in both hard copy version and as a HTML (with level AA conformance to web accessibility guidelines).

Bennis Design’s test kit designs for the National BowelScreen campaign were printed and prototyped by Brunswick Press. “We worked closely with them to perfect the format and the colour consistency across letterheads, leaflets and the test kits,” says Alan. “We were very impressed with Brunswick’s feedback and advice which made production of the test kits so successful over such high print volumes. We have a good working relationship with Brunswick and they have also produced some of our 24 volumes of the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage series, which are part of a major collection promoting the architectural heritage of Ireland. The print finishes of metallic PMS and spot UV on the covers created a strong brand across the full collection.” These publications were nominated for ICAD Best of Irish Advertising and Design Awards and they received a Robert Horne ÍON Trophy Speciality Design Award.

Buying Irish Alan says that when it is within their control they will choose to work with Irish print companies. “We like the personable service that a local printer

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05/09/2014 16:52:11 20/8/14 12:24:18

IRISH PRINTER | Wide Format

Soyang Europe Appointed UK Distributor for Intercoat

Anapurna Prints Cover Paris Pantheon When the famous Pantheon building in Paris was being restored in June 2014, the outdoor advertising cooperation JCDecaux Advertising and the Parisien municipal team in charge of events developed and installed more than 3,000 square metres of canvas on the inside and on the outside of the building. The project was sponsored by the ‘Centre des Monuments Nationaux’, which commissioned the design of the canvas sheets to JR, a contemporary and internationally renowned artist.

He created a participatory work encapsulating the humanistic and universal values embodied by the Pantheon. It consists of more than

5,000 portraits which were taken of visitors to nine national monuments, or uploaded to the project’s website, earlier this year. The realisation of the project required more than eight months of study and validations.

The canvas walls and the floor were printed at Agfa Graphics’ customer BS2i in France. JR’s installation covers the dome, the cupola, and the floor of the Pantheon. The visual on the floor was composed of more than 70 panels which were printed on an Anapurna M2500 large format inkjet printer from Agfa Graphics. Printed at the highest quality, all wishes of the artist were respected in reassembling his work.

Soyang Europe has been appointed UK distributor by German-based, largeformat media manufacturer Intercoat.

Intercoat, which is a division of AMCAG, has its manufacturing facility in Kaltenkirchen in Germany and produces premium large format printing media.

Intercoat regards the appointment as a significant step forward in its aims to build a stronger presence in the UK market. “We’re working with a really strong company,” explains Mark Mashiter, Soyang Europe’s Managing Director. “Intercoat manufactures quality self-adhesive vinyl suitable for use on latex, solvent and UV printers in a variety of finishes and is already the first choice of adhesive substrate for many UK printing companies. What we can offer is expert product knowledge, committed customer support and the capability to hold significant stocks that ensure next day delivery for all our UK customers. Soyang Europe’s recent investment and expansion, including its new £2.1m distribution centre in the North West of England, were central to us establishing the relationship.”

what we can offer is expert product knowledge, committed customer support and the capability to hold significant stocks

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Wide Format | IRISH PRINTER

Hybrid Takes Delivery of First Wave of New JV300 Printers Following its launch at FESPA at the start of the summer, stock of the Mimaki JV300 has arrived at UK and Irish distributor, Hybrid Services.

The JV300 has a top speed of over 105 metres square per hour and a price tag that starts at £17,995 and includes inks, RIP software, powered take-up and a two-year warranty.

The JV300 is available in 1.3 metre and 1.6 metre print widths. It can be commissioned with Mimaki’s SS21 solvent ink which is now available for the JV300 in nine colours, including white, light black and orange, or as

a dye sublimation printer suited to fashion, sportswear, furnishings or point of sale printing onto polyester. “We’ve had a demonstration machine in our showroom for several weeks and the response from those lucky enough to see it in action has been incredible,”

says John de la Roche, National Sales Manager – Sign & Graphics at Hybrid.

“We’ve already got a waiting list for the next batch of machines as demand has truly outstripped supply so booking a demonstration soon would be well advised.”

EntEr now in association with

Celebrating excellence in the Irish printing industry for over 30 years, nominations for the Irish Print Awards are now open.

The ceremony will be held on the 28th of November in the Crowne Plaza Dublin – Northwood and promises to be an evening to remember, rewarding the creativity and craft of the print industry.

www.irishprinter.ie

the deadline For entry:

octobEr 3rd 2014 Print Awards half page.indd 1

IP September 2014_Wide Format.indd 23

For more inFormation on the awards or iF you have any queries, please contact: amy.clarkin@ashvillemediagroup.com or call 01 432 2226.

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12/09/2014 10:43:04

IRISH PRINTER | Textile Printing

Digital Textile Printing:

In this exclusive interview, Roland Biemans, Marketing Director of Kiian Digital, talks to Irish Printer about current and future trends in the digital textile printing market.

Q

: You’ve now been in your role at Kiian Digital for several months.

What trends have you noticed in the textile printing market?

A: What has been interesting is that regional drivers have been gaining strength. There has been a noticeable shift back to production in the western world, largely due to the rise of digital textile printing. While inexpensive, commodity textiles are not part of this trend; retail textiles are more frequently being printed closer to the point of sale. This is interesting because this drives digital printing forward. Companies would order large quantities and draw on that supply for longer periods. What we’re seeing now is local digital production. This offers many benefits: no uncertainty about delivery times, material or print quality, and because it becomes virtually printon-demand, the transport and storage requirements and costs are greatly reduced. It is also possible to offer a wider choice too. Different fabrics, sizes and wider price variations all make buying flags more attractive. For major national events, like the recent World Cup, it was clear that, for instance, flag sales went up the longer a country was in the competition. Timing is critical and digital printers are able to respond.

A:

Q

: Do you see this trend extending to other markets?

A: Oh, yes. Once digital textile printers see this working in one market they will push to extend it to others. For example, think of the advantages for garments: the benefits of delivery times, quality and warehousing are the same as for flags. These factors can help offset the cost difference between domestic and foreign manufacture.

Quantities and size requirements can be readily adjusted for supply and demand; the volume of unsold stock will be greatly

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Textile Printing | IRISH PRINTER

Q

: Have these trends affected Kiian Digital?

A: Yes – we are seeing 20% to 25% growth overall, with 30% to 40% growth in some sectors. This growth is in both traditional applications and new markets. We continue to develop new relationships with printer suppliers in addition to furthering existing ones.

Since we design our inks for specific printheads, it makes sense for new companies using those heads to talk to us about ink. It also means that we aren’t waiting for new printers to come on the market before we develop an ink for them. We also OEM ink for companies that, of course, we cannot name. Both these market areas are growing. Another reason for our growth is that our inks are water-based, which is an asset to textile buyers. Our inks meet all the standard environmental certifications, like OEKO-TEX, CTW and European norm EN71, and are in compliance with the RSL definition.

Brands and major textile printers know this and that has helped our growth too.

Q

: After-market ink or third-party ink suppliers have rather a mixed image. Could you comment on that?

reduced enabling brands and retailers to eliminate deep discounts or product destruction.

Q

: Are digital textile printing technologies ready for this shift?

A: It is the technology that is enabling this trend. There are developments still to be made but it is now more a matter of scaling than waiting for the next technological breakthrough. There are now printheads that are suitable for full production runs, and moves away from solvents and UV inks are also playing a part in attracting work back to the west.

A: May I rephrase that? I would say, “What should digital textile printers know when choosing an after-market ink supplier?” We have some very good competitors. I mean that in every sense.

They’ve been around a long time, they have great expertise, they do more than sell ink, they have active research and development teams, they have long, established relationships with their customers and good relationships with the printer manufacturers. A number of them OEM for the manufacturers, as we do, and they add value to their relationships. Then, there are those that sell ink based on price alone or opportunistically produce small quantities for local markets without quality assurance or support. When choosing an after-market ink supplier, it is important to determine which of the above you will be working with and whether price alone will deliver the best value. There is a difference between those putting their efforts into profiling, certifying, testing, sampling and investing in new technologies and those that don’t.

Q

: So how does an aftermarket ink company add value to a relationship with a digital textile printer?

A: Let me begin by observing that it makes no sense to talk about ‘textile printing’ except as the most general collective term to describe a market.

Beyond that, the differences between each substrate can be enormous. Each material has its own characteristics and requires its own processes and finishing. Think about it: you can’t meaningfully describe printing carpets, interior decor, upholstery, banners, garments, sportswear, T-shirts, flags, and the rest with a single term. As for adding value, the oldest Kiian brand dates back to 1936 and while technologies and markets have changed greatly we have an established and proven knowledge about ink chemistry and its reaction with materials and we have methodologies that work. What this means for the digital printing companies using our inks is that we can help them achieve accurate colour reproduction – always. We help them with the right settings, advise them on the best transfer papers to use, how to properly clean and maintain their printers, and generally ensure that they develop best practice processes.

We have also offered our expertise with buying decisions - helping them to understand that the cheapest equipment doesn’t always have the lowest cost in the long run. Because we are acting more like a partner than an ink supplier, the relationship enables us to talk about how printheads perform, how much throughput they should be achieving, whether their level of startup waste is within industry norms, and where they can effect savings without compromising quality, and similar matters.

Q

: Since joining the company, what USP have you seen that distinguishes Kiian Digital?

A: When I started the job, I spent time talking to people in every department and those operating at Kiian Digital sites around the world. I kept hearing three words: quality, reliability and consistency. These are the common goals for our inks that were shared by people who didn’t work together or know each other. There was also frequent mention of trust: the trust

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IRISH PRINTER | Textile Printing

Advances in technology will enable single pass printing and fixed arrays may displace certain scanning technologies. There will also be a very interesting development in higher volume production: will it be delivered by centralised, large presses, or by a large number of smaller devices spread over geographic areas, printing for local markets? Related to that, webto-print textile printing is already common but will keep growing.

Design files can be uploaded and fed into an end-to-end digital workflow and dispatched for finishing - or, depending on the job, finished onsite. This capability leads to custom interior décor with personalised covers for smartphones, laptops and tablets, upholstery and other personal items. It becomes much easier to switch designs, to have personalised fashion, and to print on many different types of substrate.

That’s a pretty exciting future!

About Roland

customers had in us to deliver. These qualities have enabled Kiian to open new offices and production facilities in the US and in China. These goals drive our training, R&D and helped us through the reorganisation of the Kiian Group. I’ve seen a modest company that has had a lot of successes but has been pretty quiet about them. Apart from textile printing, I found our inks are being used for far more colourful applications like smartphone screen branding, skis and snowboards. These are great applications that haven’t been talked about that much. Those things will all be part of our future.

Q

:How do you see the future of digital textile printing?

A: I anticipate that the things happening now will become bigger trends and perhaps established practice. First, only about one per cent to two per cent of all textiles are digitally printed so the potential of inkjet printing for textiles is only just beginning to be realised.

The use of pigment printing is increasing and I expect to see that continue. Similarly, printheads will become more stable and will be able to produce higher volumes, which will drive higher capacities.

From early 2014, Kiian Digital became a separate legal entity, operating independently alongside Kiian Specialty Inks within the Kiian Group. Roland Biemans took up his post at the beginning of 2014. He has been involved with inkjet inks since 1996. His most recent positions before joining Kiian Digital were with Hollanders Printing Systems where he served as Marketing Communications Manager from 2007 to 2014. During that time he was also EcoPrint Ambassador and a Founder of the Digital Textiles Print Competence Centre. From 2013 to 2014 he served as a board member of the European Specialist Printing Manufacturers’ Association (ESMA).

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Business Matters | IRISH PRINTER

Constructive Dismissal Are you liable for an employee if they terminate their own contract? you may be if it can be found that the employee has been constructively dismissed. Rose White explains.

What is Constructive Dismissal?

Constructive Dismissal falls under the unfair dismissals act of 1977 section 1 B which gives it the definition: “the termination by the employee of his contract of employment with his employer, whether prior notice of the termination was or was not given to the employer, in circumstances in which, because of the conduct of the employer, the employee was or would have been entitled, or it was or would have been reasonable for the employee, to terminate the contract of employment without giving prior notice of the termination to the employer.” A simpler definition would be: when an employee terminates their employment due to the conduct of the employer. The conduct of the employer must have been so that any reasonable person in the employee’s position would have terminated their employment. Constructive Dismissal is currently one of the most common employment claims taken in Ireland against employers.

When Can an Employee Take a Case for Constructive Dismissal?

The most important point to note with constructive dismissal cases is that the onus to prove that there has been unreasonable behaviour by the employer is on the employee. Most constructive dismissal cases taken in Ireland revolve around breaches in an employee’s contract or changes made by an employer which the employee has not agreed to. It therefore must be proven by the employee that these changes or breach has substantially altered the essential and basic terms of the employee’s contract. The following is a list of actions that can bring forward a case for constructive dismissal:

employment contract or if there is evidence that the employer no longer intended to be bound by the original clauses in the contract of employment.

How to Minimise the Risk of Constructive Dismissal as an Employer: •

• • • • • • •

Non-payment of wage Transferring employees without reasonable notice Demotion without just cause Negative and hostile work environment caused by employer Ignoring harassment complaints Unreasonable changes in working hours Removal of company benefits without reasonable cause.

•

•

When hearing a case for Constructive Dismissal the EAT or LRC will apply two simple tests:

•

The Reasonable Test

•

The onus is on the employee to prove that it is was reasonable in the employees circumstances to terminate the employment. The employee must argue that it was reasonable for him/ her to resign from their employment.

However, it is important to note that the Tribunal will look at both the employer’s and the employee’s conduct leading up to the termination of employment.

The Contractual/ Entitlement Test In this test the Tribunal will investigate if the employee was correct in terminating the contract of employment because the employer’s conduct breached a fundamental clause in the

When changing an employee’s contract it is always best to give reasonable notice of any change in a fundamental clause in writing.

Make it clear to the employee that this is a company change that is required for such reasons and that the employee is a valued member of staff in the company.

Follow all policy and procedures in the grievance and disciplinary process outlined in your Employee Handbook.

Talk and mediate with employees on any changes - if an employee is not happy with a change in their contract try and be as flexible as possible.

Always have a signed copy of the changes from the employee noting that they agree to such changes.

Have a clear and up to date employee handbook - policy and procedures if followed will never lead to constructive dismissal.

About the Author Rose White (BA Legal Studies, LL.B), is a HR consultant with Athrú Solutions. The Dublin-based outsource company provides a complete human resources management service with personalised human resources packages to meet the needs of SMEs, start-ups and multinationals.

27 IP September 2014_Business Matters.indd 27

04/09/2014 16:55:43

Interview | IRISH PRINTER

New Broom

at Irish Printing Federation RPD Managing Director Tom Clements talks to Irish Printer about his new role as President of the Irish Printing Federation.

Q

The IPF has 23 member companies and while it has offices in Donegal, Galway, Cork, Limerick and Waterford, most of your members are in Dublin.

Since I spoke to IPF Director Mairead Crosbie last autumn has there been an increase in the membership and, if so, have you increased the number of members that you have outside Dublin?

A: No on both counts, regrettably. I think the last couple of years have been such a struggle for so many printers that most of them didn’t have either the time or the inclination to engage with the wider industry. I also think the IPF supported the Forum very wholeheartedly and this resulted in some great achievements but it also resulted in the profile of the IPF being very much reduced. Even now I encounter printers who confuse the IPF with the Forum or worse go “Who are the IPF?” So, to get my plug in, the IPF is a body representing employers in the printing industry. It has been in existence for over 100 years and it offers two levels of membership full and associate. It provides IR/HR services for full members. It represents employers in the printing industry on the Print and Packaging Forum and it also represents the interests of the printing industry through lobbying.

And we would like to hear from any prospective members who might be out there.

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04/09/2014 17:03:08

Interview | IRISH PRINTER

Q

What do you regard as the key benefits for printers who decide to join the IPF? A: Well, obviously, if they join as full members they can avail of the IR/HR services as part of our association with IBEC. In the last number of years we have also been involved with a number of pieces of industry-related research in association with Dublin City University and Dublin Institute of Technology. As with any trade association, membership provides the opportunity for collective action, for example, lobbying on a particular issue. I would also be keen to organise more members’ events where IPF members could meet informally.

Other than the Irish Print Awards, there aren’t that many events where people in the industry get to socialise with each other. More generally, the IPF is the sponsoring body for the Design, Print and Packaging Skillnet - without us the Skillnet couldn’t exist.

Q

Is the IPF introducing any new initiatives or services this year or next year to help member companies?

A: We are in discussions with the Two Sides organisation about accessing the Two Sides and Print Power campaigns.

I think it is very important to provide companies with the information to defend the environmental record of the print and packaging industry and, in particular, to refute some of the claims made to justify e-billing. Also, I feel we should be doing a lot more to market print as a medium. Hopefully I’ll have more to report on this soon.

The Irish Printing Federation’s website will be getting a long-overdue overhaul in the near future and I’d like to see it become a much more useful resource for printers with access to whatever industry relevant data we can provide.

Much like the Design, Print & Packaging Skillnet, while we make every effort to be pro-active and to provide services we think might be of use, this process goes a great deal more smoothly if companies engage with us. So I’d encourage any company, whether an IPF member or not, to get in touch with any suggestions they might have.

Q

The industry appears to be a bit directionless at the moment and the Forum, as well as the IPF, has been particularly quiet in recent months. Is this a reflection of the continuing apathy

that appears to have taken root in Irish print? If so, why, at a time of great technological challenge for print globally, is the Irish print industry so apathetic?

A: I don’t think it’s fair to describe the industry as apathetic. Most companies have been struggling very hard to keep going. When the short-term has been so very challenging it’s hardly surprising that long-term planning has taken a bit of a back seat. Through the Design, Print & Packaging Skillnet we have tried to provide relevant training opportunities for printing companies that are interested in upskilling or re-skilling. It is notable that John Charnock’s presentation on future trends in print was the best attended print-related training event this year. I think that is a good sign that there are plenty of companies who are starting to actively look for new opportunities.

In terms of the IPF and the Forum, it’s important to remember that nearly everyone involved is a volunteer and many of them have had to face their own struggles in the current economic climate, not all of them successfully, so it’s hardly surprising that on occasions it has been hard to push ahead as fast as we’d like to.

Q

Has the IPF identified any worrying trends in the industry over the past year that it believes need to be addressed as a matter of urgency?

A: I think the changes in food packaging legislation will be very important and I’d like to commend the Skillnet on the speed with which it organised appropriate training to prepare our members for this. However, the IPF is having difficulty finding firms who are prepared to take on apprentices so if any company thinks they would be in a position to take on an apprentice next year they should contact the Federation.

Q

The IPF was compiling a policy document on VAT as it relates to the printing industry. Has any progress been made on this?

A: We are currently waiting for quotations from accountancy firms to carry out this work.

Q

The Design, Print & Packaging Skillnet provides a range of courses, from basic computing skills up to a masters programme.

“We would like to hear from any prospective members who might be out there.”

Is the IPF happy with the extent to which personnel in print companies are availing of the training on offer?

A: I’m on the steering committee of the DPP Skillnet and I’d like to see a much higher level of engagement from the printing industry. The designers have really got on board and are making the best use of the training available - we quite often have courses that sell out for the design industry and that never happens for print. For any printers out there who don’t know this, the DPP Skillnet is there to provide the training you require so if you think there is training which we should be providing please get in touch. Our aim is to provide high quality training, tailored to the needs of the industry, at very competitive prices. Of particular interest to senior managers is the Masters Course which is currently enrolling. This course is superb value as it’s less than half the price of any comparable course and can be completed in one year.

Q

Are more print company closures on the cards between now and the end of the year or are we facing into a period of greater stability in the industry?

A: Things do appear to be settling down but I wouldn’t be confident enough to make any predictions one way or another right now.

Key People in the Federation President Tom Clements, RPD Vice-President Eugene Healy, Trimfold Director Mairead Crosby, IBEC Treasurer Joe Walsh, Playprint

29 IP September 2014_Interview.indd 29

04/09/2014 17:03:29

IRISH PRINTER | Packaging

Smurfit Kappa Thinks Outside the Box

S

murfit Kappa was commissioned by Irish Distillers to design and produce an eye-catching in-store display for its 1L Absolut Vodka. The design had to incorporate the company’s new phone and tablet App for customers to discover 500 drinks recipes featuring the product on offer. The challenge was to design and build a high-quality, illuminated construction with an integrated touch screen that was compact enough to fit into any retail store but still create an impact and attract attention. Using Smurfit Kappa’s 3D design solution, its designers created a full prototype before going into production. The unique units were constructed using 16mm re-board printed on an Inca Onset S40i flatbed UV inkjet printer. The six-colour printer produces display graphics at throughput speeds of up to 560 square metres per hour, equivalent to 112 full bed sheets per hour (3.14m x 1.6m) and onto substrates up to 50mm (two inches) thick. The completed units featured built-in coloured LED strip lighting to illuminate the product, with all the wires hidden in the back panels, and a touch screen tablet incorporated into the head board, fully loaded with the new product App.“This brief really inspired us to think outside the box and design a unique and innovative display unit that met all the client’s requirements,” says Simon Kelly, Design Supervisor, Smurfit Kappa.

“We were delighted with the results and the client was very happy - the displays drew attention to the new App, which helped increase product sales.” Smurfit Kappa’s efforts on this project were also rewarded with an Inca IDEAs award for its entry in the Interactive Display category.

Videojet’s 7510 Fiber Laser Marking system.

New Coding Expertise Launched at MedTec Ireland

V

Smurfit Kappa’s in-store display for Abolut Vodka.

ideojet Technologies will feature its recently launched Videojet 7510 Fiber Laser Marking system at Medtec Ireland 2014 in Galway on October 1st and 2nd. The Videojet 7510 Fiber Laser Marking system delivers advanced code quality to meet the requirements of the very complex or high speed products being brought to market by pharmaceutical/medical device manufacturers. By integrating the 7510 into their solutions, pharmaceutical/medical device manufacturers can ensure high contrast marking on a wide variety of materials used in the manufacturing and packaging of these products. The Videojet 7510 Fiber Laser Marking system delivers advanced code quality even at line speeds of up to 440m/min, superior marking effects (and a very large coding area) with a higher quality beam and is optimised for high-speed mark-on-the-fly (MOTF) applications. According to Videojet, the 7510 also offers better mark quality, higher efficiency and a dramatically smaller marking unit than traditional solid state laser systems.“Medtec Ireland is the perfect venue for highlighting our portfolio of high quality coding solutions that now includes the new Videojet 7510 50-Watt fiber laser marking system,” says Alan Golshan, Sales Manager, UK & Ireland for Videojet.

30 IP September 2014_Packaging.indd 30

04/09/2014 17:05:21

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IRISH PRINTER | Talking Technical

A Beginners Guide to Corona Treatment We have all heard the term, and most of us know how important corona treatment is for printing on the surface of synthetic materials, but how many of us actually understand the science behind the process? Nick Coombes met up with Jan Eisby, of Danish manufacturer Vetaphone, to learn more.

Adhesion improvement.

The effect of corona treatment

“The difficulty of writing or printing on plastic film is well known,” says Jan Eisby, whose father Verner was the inventor of the corona process and who today runs the international family business with his brother

Frank. “You have a plastic bag and you would like to write on it with a pen but unfortunately the ink doesn’t stick to the surface because the untreated plastic has a structure and this makes for poor adhesion. Corona treatment

is the solution to this well known problem.”

Avoiding Adhesion Problems Corona treatment is a high frequency

32 IP September 2014_Talking Technical.indd 32

04/09/2014 17:07:18

Talking Technical | IRISH PRINTER

Different slip values have differing durability

being used. “Materials have different characteristics and different amounts of slip and additives, which will determine the effect of the Corona treatment,” says Jan. “There are no limits with regard to the materials that can be Corona treated but the required intensity of the treatment, measured in watt/min/m2, may vary significantly.”

The treatment level can be calculated by using the following formula: Power (watt) = T x S x W x M P = Total Power (watt) required T = Number of sides to treat (single/ double sided) S = Line Speed (in metres per minute) W = Film Width (in metres) M = Material Factor (required watt per m2 per minute).

The exact value is best determined by testing a sample of the actual film that is being used for a specific application.

Durability discharge that increases the adhesion of a plastic surface. Whether a liquid wets a material well or poorly primarily depends on the chemical nature of both the liquid and the substrate. Wetting is defined as the ratio between the surface energies of the liquid and substrate. “In general, a material will be wetted if its surface energy, expressed in dyne/cm, is greater than the surface energy of the liquid,” says Jan. “If it is not, there will be an adhesion problem.” The graphic above shows the basic dyne level of a material and the required dyne level in the different applications.

The pre-treatment offered by the Corona process is necessary to obtain sufficient wetting and adhesion on plastic film or metallic foil before printing, laminating or coating takes place. A Corona discharge unit is used to optimise the wetting and adhesion and the technique has proved to be both highly efficient and cost-effective, especially as it can take place inline.

What is Corona Treatment?

Plastic is a man-made synthetic material that contains long homogeneous molecular chains that form a strong and uniform product. The chains of molecules are normally joined end-toend forming even longer chains, which leave only a few open chain ends, and therefore only a small number of

surface bonding points. “It is these few bonding points that cause the low adhesion and wettability which becomes a problem in the converting process,” says Jan, whose father Verner was originally asked to solve the problem back in the 1950s. “He came up with a theory that a high frequency charge would provide a more efficient and controllable method of increasing the adhesion and wettability of a plastic surface,” Jan explains. “During Corona discharge treatment, electrons are accelerated into the surface of the plastic causing the long chains to rupture, and this creates a multiplicity of open ends and free valences.”

The ozone in the electrical discharge is accelerated onto the surface, which in turn forms new carbonyl groups with a higher surface energy. The result is an improvement of the chemical connection (dyne/cm) between the molecules in the plastic and the applied media/liquid. “Importantly, this surface treatment does not reduce or change the strength of the substrate, and nor does it change the appearance of the material,” he says. Corona treatment changes only the top molecule chains, which are 0.00001 micron thick.

Determination of Treatment Level The effectiveness of Corona treatment depends on the specific material

Over time, the obtained dyne level can decrease and it may be necessary to Corona treat the material again just before use. When a material contains slip, the dyne level falls faster, and thicker and older film stocks are more difficult to treat as slip agents may have migrated to the surface. “Storage conditions and temperature can also affect the loss of Corona treatment,” says Jan. “Generally speaking, the higher the amount of slip, the quicker it is likely to decay. It has also been proven that some films with very high slip additives, say over 1,200 ppm, can be totally resistant to printing just 24 hours after treatment, and it may be necessary to process this film immediately after treatment, or boost the treatment inline with the printer.”

Material that has not been treated under extrusion can be difficult to treat afterwards. “We recommend treating film just after extrusion, and then using a refreshment treatment, if necessary, just before the liquid or media is supplied to the surface in the converting process,” he says. If the science of Corona treatment is lost on many, the realities of its effects and the benefits it brings are all too obvious. Vetaphone claims a market share in narrow web of around 80%, and is looking to extend its business into the wider markets of flexible packaging. Family Eisby certainly has the background and the pedigree to help it achieve that aim.

33 IP September 2014_Talking Technical.indd 33

04/09/2014 17:08:43

IRISH PRINTER | What’s New in Print

Esko Innovations Win Prestigious Technology Awards The Esko Full HD Flexo platemaking system and Esko Equinox, Esko’s solution for the implementation of extended gamut - or fixed inkset - printing, have received 2014 Printing Industries of America InterTech Technology Awards. Since 1978 the InterTech Technology Awards, sponsored by Printing Industries of America, have honoured the development of technologies predicted to have a major impact on the graphic arts and related industries. More than 80% of technologies that receive an award experience continued commercial success in the marketplace.

These are the sixth and seventh InterTech awards that Esko solutions have received over the past ten years. Other recipients include Esko WebCenter (2006), Esko DeskPack 3-dX (2007), Esko Neo (2008), Esko Studio Toolkit for Shrink Sleeves (2011) and i-cut Suite (2012). With Full HD Flexo, flexo platemaking has become a true ‘Computer to Plate’ process: no lamination, no films, and no extra steps with light tables, and it works with all popular digital flexo plates and sleeves. Equinox Expanded Color Gamut (ECG) Technology is Esko’s patented technology for converting packaging graphics from CMYK and spot colour to seven-colour process. According to Esko, customers using Equinox ECG technology are reporting that they use seven-colour process profitably in a production environment for flexible packaging as well as labels. This has enabled many of the world’s largest consumer product companies to convert entire product lines to expanded gamut.

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04/09/2014 17:15:36

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