Magazine work

The Voice Of The Industry

Volume 44 | Number 06

January 2013

Local Newspapers – Green Shoots or Further Decline Also in this issue: ■ GPS Installs Highest Spec Eurobind Pro in Ireland ■ Xerox & Komori Withdraw from Ipex ■ Quickbinder Provides Perfect Finish for Lettertec Ireland ■ Westside Press Makes Litho Investment ■ Chesapeake Limerick takes delivery of Europe’s first Komori GLX 740RP carton printing press ■ Delta Packaging installs its fourth B1 litho press

INSIDE

VOLUME 44 NUMBER 06

I’ve heard some printers ask ‘what do industry associations and representative bodies actually do for print companies?’

‘What is the Forum?’ ‘Who does it represent?’ ‘What can it do to help individual printers who are struggling for margins in a market where it can often seem that everything is stacked against them?’

One example of how effective the Print and Packaging Forum can be in making representation on behalf of individual print companies is its recent success in dealing with a serious VAT issue encountered by an Irish print company.

The Revenue accepted the Forum’s submission in relation to the matter.

Another example is the Print and Packaging Forum’s Print Irish campaign. While it hasn’t been a resounding success – yet – the campaign shows that there are people in our industry striving to give printers as many competitive advantages as they can.

The companies that have signed up to the Print Irish campaign are some of the most respected and long-established companies in the trade.

Last November’s Irish Print Awards, organised by Irish Printer magazine, highlighted the quality of the work that is being delivered by print companies throughout the country. The quality was in evidence again during a social evening in the National Print Museum on 25 January to mark the inaugural Print Irish Printer of the Year award. Hudson Killeen won the award for its printing of Shaped by History.

The company also won the Xerox Ireland Award for Books in the Irish Print Awards 2012 for the same entry.

The evening in the National Print Museum came about as a result of a Print and Packaging Forum focus group on the Print Irish campaign which met in October last year. One of the aims that emerged from the meeting was to create and reinforce a sense of identity for Print Irish members. The 25 January event was an important social occasion for the Print Irish campaign as it gave the members who attended a chance to talk about how their businesses have benefited from being able to use the Print Irish logo, and how they can persuade other printers to join. Irish Printer hopes that those who attended will spread the word and let other printers who have yet to join the initiative know about the benefits of being a part of this worthwhile campaign. Remember, now more than ever, it is a case of strength in numbers.

Maev Martin Editor m.martin@jemma.ie

News GPS Installs Highest Spec Eurobind Pro in Ireland Xerox & Komori Withdraw from Ipex Hudson Killeen Wins Print Irish Award Quickbinder Provides Perfect Finish for Lettertec Ireland Antalis McNaughton Ireland Now Antalis Blu-Ray Publishing from Epson Westside Press Makes Litho Investment Late Payment a ‘Live’ Issue for Irish Businesses Fespa Fabric 2013 Hits The Runway Bobst Searches for Past ‘Graduates’ Sales Climb for Canon UK

Cover Story

4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

12

While the coming year will present more challenges, some green shoots are appearing for the local press. That’s according to Johnny O’Hanlon, director, Regional Newspapers and Printers Association of Ireland (RNPAI), who talks to Maev Martin about the prospects for Ireland’s local newspapers in the year ahead.

Recession Busters

20

Diatec Digital’s managing director Richard Harpur talks about their imminent move to a new 15,000 square foot premises, their major digital cutting investment, and the evolution of Diatec Digital’s wide format printing capability.

Packaging

24

2013 is getting off to a strong start on the investment front with Chesapeake Limerick taking delivery of Europe’s first Komori GLX 740RP carton printing press as part of a €4m investment programme at the site. Meanwhile, Belfast-based Delta Packaging took delivery of its fourth B1 litho press - a sixcolour Speedmaster XL 106-6LYYL - at the end of this month.

What’s New in Print

26

We look at some new products and innovations in the world of print.

Paper Talk

28

The 10 member companies of the Irish Association of Paper Merchants are reporting that total paper sales for 2012 were just short of a 1% increase on 2011. While that is clearly not massive growth, it is a reversal of the continued decline in paper sales of recent years. Tim Bowler, director of the Irish Association of Paper Merchants, looks at the significance of this unexpected but welcome result.

12 Editor: Maev Martin Commercial manager: Fiona Larmon Production manager: Jim Heron Circulation: Josie Keane Administration: Marian Donohue Publisher: Frank Grennan Managing Director: Simon Grennan Jemma Publications Ltd. Broom House, 65 Mulgrave Street, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin, Republic of Ireland Tel: 00 353 1 214 7920 Fax: 00 353 1 214 7950

20

24 E mail: (editorial) m.martin@jemma.ie, (sales) f.larmon@jemma.ie Subscription Order Line: Tel: +353 1 214 7920 Order Online: www.irishprinter.ie No part of Irish Printer may be reproduced, copied or transmitted in any form without the prior permission of Jemma Publications.

Printed by Walsh Colour Print

Irish Printer January 2013

NEWS

GPS Installs Highest Spec Eurobind Pro in Ireland Belfast-based GPS Colour Graphics installed its first industrial standard perfect binder, a Eurobind Pro 19 clamp perfect binder, this month.

‘We reached a stage where there was no option other than to bring binding in house,’ says owner Derek Bell. ‘Our strong growth in recent years and evolving client base meant we needed binding facilities that complemented our other production capability. We are a 24/7 printing business so it is imperative that we have the flexibility to be able to bind during the night and at weekends to meet client’s demanding schedules. It will allow us to save time and have more control over schedules, quality and cost. Great finishing is all about detail; six of our staff will be given intensive training to ensure we will get the very best from the machine. We are excited about this new technology and confident about the fresh opportunities that it will bring.’

Another positive aspect for GPS, a CarbonNeutral company, is the eradication of significant transportation associated with outsourcing binding work. GPS also believes that investing in in-house binding of this calibre will ensure they are better placed to meet their client’s growing needs.

GPS looked at binders from three suppliers but found that the EB Pro was 50% faster than a similarly priced machine from a rival supplier. Heidelberg claims that this will

Xerox & Komori Withdraw from Ipex Ipex organisers, The Informa Print & Media Group, are claiming that there is still an ‘appetite’ among printers for exhibitions where they can engage with digital suppliers. The claim forms part of a statement issued by the organisers on 4 January following the decision by Xerox not to exhibit at the event in 2014. The Xerox decision not to exhibit at Ipex 2014 comes in the wake of withdrawals by other major manufacturers like HP, Agfa and Heidelberg from the event.

Derek Bell (front) with Heidelberg’s Gerard Heanue (left) and Andy Jack

be the most technically advanced perfect binder to be installed in the UK and Ireland to date. It features Heidelberg’s 3D spine glue camera system, which can detect any problems before the book is bound. The side glue nozzle application system allows the side glue to be applied to the cover rather than the book which gives a higher level of accuracy and quality between the side glue and cover material block. The binder is equipped with a criss-cross delivery for book block production, which is vital for

The statement from The Informa Print & Media Group says: ‘It has been widely reported over the Christmas/New Year period that Xerox has, regrettably, published its decision not to exhibit at Ipex. The reasons for the decision are outlined in an online statement by Jeff Jacobson, President of Xerox Global Graphic Communications. Naturally, this decision is a blow for Ipex. The findings of our own research - conducted

by AMR International and to be published in the form of a white paper this month - indicate that there is still a real appetite from European PSPs to engage with multiple digital suppliers in the exhibition environment. …Our research affirms that 42% of printer visitors attend Ipex to evaluate the newest ready-tobuy innovations. Exhibitions also

work that will subsequently be sewn and the EB Pro is also linked to a Heidelberg ET trimmer.

The EB Pro at GPS will also handle both hot melt and PUR glues. PUR adhesives continue to gain in popularity, in part because of the incredibly strong bond where resilience matters but also because they work well with printed products that use digital fuser oils. GPS will bind work from its two B1 litho perfecting presses and its Xerox CP1000 digital press.

score significantly higher than any other platform for peer to peer networking, with 30% of visitors saying they visit exhibitions for this purpose. On this basis, we believe that an event such as Ipex has a significant role to play in the research, information gathering and buying process for printers, making it a vital sales, promotion and customer engagement platform for suppliers targeting these buyers.’

Although Komori announced that it would exhibit at Ipex 2014 during drupa 2012, the company has reconsidered participation in Ipex 2014 and decided not to exhibit. Komori says the decision was taken after organizing internal meetings and discussions with customers as well as by investigating market developments within Europe, the Middle East, Africa

and Russia. ‘In Europe Komori will further evolve their successful events such as individual demonstrations and open house events as well as supporting their European distributor network participating in local graphic trade shows,’ according to the statement. ‘Following drupa 2012, Komori is exhibiting in 2013 at China Print in China and JFAS in Japan and will actively exhibit according to the characteristics of markets in the future…Amid the current severe economic circumstances and printing industry trends, customer needs have become more individual and complex. Komori will build partnerships with customers by creating products with new value and by providing comprehensive solutions that meet the changing times and needs of each region.’

Irish Printer January 2013

NEWS

Hudson Killeen Wins Print Irish Award Hudson Killeen won the Print and Packaging Forum’s inaugural Print Irish Printer of the Year Award, which was presented to the company in the National Print Museum in Dublin on 25 January. The company won the award for their printing of the Shaped by History book, which had already won the Xerox Ireland Award for Books in the 2012 Irish Print Awards in November.

The author of the Shaped by History book is well-known printer, photographer, and former Print and Packaging Forum director Gerry Andrews. The book was based on Gerry’s Shaped by History exhibition in the Hunt Museum in Limerick last year.

The chairman of the Print and Packaging Forum, Johnny O’Hanlon, and Diane Dignam of the Design, Print and Packaging Skillnet, presented a certificate of excellence as well as Skillnets-sponsored training vouchers to Jim Hudson and Sean Killeen of Hudson Killeen.

The Forum received 20 entries for the award and these were shortlisted to nine, five of which were submitted by Walsh Colour Print’s school books subsidiary, educate.ie, two of which were from Anglo Printers in Drogheda, and another two from the winners Hudson Killeen. The judges for the award were Steve Gunning, design and prepress principal at Otis Connect, celebrated print industry raconteur and former print manager at The Irish Times, Freddie Snowe, and Eddie

The chairman of the Print and Packaging Forum, Johnny O’Hanlon (left), and Diane Dignam (right) of the Design, Print and Packaging Skillnet, present a certificate of excellence as well as Skillnets-sponsored training vouchers to Jim Hudson and Sean Killeen of Hudson Killeen. Image courtesy of Fran Byrne Photography.

Horan, binding and finishing lecturer, DIT. ‘This award night is our excuse to come together to network and also to applaud one member for the best printed matter containing this Print Irish brand logo,’ says Dr Kevin Byrne, director, Print and Packaging Forum. ‘The winner placed strong emphasis on displaying the Print Irish brand…Print Irish is a brand sponsored by the Forum, and it encourages indigenous companies to

fly the flag that they produce in Ireland and support many Irish jobs…To date a number of large print consumers have committed to using and supporting Print Irish companies.

These include banks and large charities... By becoming members of Print Irish, companies are lending their voice and support to securing the future of an industry that continues to excel, even in these challenging times. ’

Appointments

Epson has announced the appointment of Daniel Rafferty as the company’s new country sales manager for Ireland.

Daniel (35) has worked at Epson’s Irish office for the past 10 years in various sales roles.

During this time he has received numerous awards from Epson including the company’s ‘Outstanding Achievement for Channel Sales in the UK & Ireland Award’ in 2010. In

his new role Daniel will be responsible for increasing Epson’s market share in Ireland across the company’s entire product portfolio of printers, projectors and scanners, serving a wide range of market sectors. One of his main priorities will be to target small to medium-sized businesses as the company continues to increase sales of its WorkForce Pro range of business inkjet printers. He will also be looking to continue and grow the relationships formed with Epson’s existing channel partners. Daniel has over 11 years’ experience in the digital imaging technology industry. Prior to working at Epson he worked in the mobile phone sales industry with Orange in the UK for three years.

He replaces Kat Timmis who left Epson in December 2012 to pursue a career outside of the print business. Daniel will

report to Tony Petford, managing director for Epson in the UK and Ireland.

Komori UK Ltd has promoted Steve Turner to director of sheetfed sales. Mr Turner joined the company 12 years ago and for the last three years has been its general sales manager – sheet fed. ‘Our order

intake has increased significantly in the last six months...,’ says Steve. ‘...despite the difficult trading conditions, we’re optimistic that the growth will continue through 2013 and beyond, as the benefits of the latest Komori innovations are beginning to make their mark.

In particular, our KHS-AI quick make ready system is impressing across the board – especially in on-demand markets. We also fully expect that demand in the UK for presses incorporating our unique H-UV fast drying technology will soon follow the very significant sales for this in mainland Europe, Japan and the Americas as we embark on a new promotional and educational initiative in the UK to ensure that printers are made fully aware of the enormous benefits in productivity and quality which this exciting H-UV technology delivers.’

Irish Printer January 2013

NEWS

Quickbinder Provides Perfect Finish for Lettertec Ireland Needing a perfect binder that would give both a strong bind and be as secure as possible, Frank Kelly, managing director of Lettertec Ireland, visited Germany and made the decision to purchase a Wohlenberg Quickbinder.

‘After assessing all of the available perfect binding options I went to Germany to view the Wohlenberg Quickbinder, and it was so much better in its design, quantity and quality of output, as well as the fact that it was built to last, that it made the decision easy for me!’ he says. The machine was supplied to Lettertec Ireland by UK and Ireland agent, Friedheim International.

Lettertec Ireland was formed in 1983 and is based in Co Cork. The company currently employs 15 full-time staff, and adds part-time helpers when demand requires; production is eight hours per day Mon-

The Wohlenberg Quickbinder

day to Thursday, with half-day working on Friday. Lettertec Ireland undertakes all kinds of work, ranging from corporate stationery, business cards, notebooks and coffee table books, to a wide range of hard and soft cover textbooks for educational and pharmaceutical purposes.

Both gloss and matt paper is

used, and the company offers a complete service, from design and artwork to multicolour printing, as well as a range of finishing options. Run lengths can be from a few copies up to a few thousand.

‘There are certain features of the Wohlenberg Quickbinder that I particularly like, such

as the six scoring wheels that ensure that the product being glued lies perfectly flat,’ says Frank Kelly. ‘Since its installation, I can safely say that it has improved our production and efficiency, and increased the volume of business that we handle, and also proved that I made the right decision!’

Digital Print UK Cancelled The inaugural Digital Print UK exhibition has been cancelled by organiser Faversham House, which also runs Sign and Digital UK. The show was due to take place in November 2013, having already

been postponed from autumn 2012. The cancellation follows negative feedback from a number of suppliers. ‘Our intention for Digital Print UK was always to make the exhibition a successful

buying and lead generation event similar to Sign and Digital UK, but unfortunately in the current climate a number of major suppliers in commercial digital print have decided to concentrate their

focus and budgets on other routes to market at this time,’ says event director, Rudi Blackett. Sign and Digital UK will run from 30 April to 2 May 2013 at the NEC in Birmingham.

Showcasing Hybrid Printing’s Added Value Presenting viable commercial production answers to key challenges facing the newspaper industry was the aim of a Kodak customer event staged on 4 December at Axel Springer AG’s Hamburg-Ahrensburg offset printing plant in Germany.

Customers from across nine countries attended the day designed to demonstrate how the industry can make newspapers more dynamic and improve revenue with variable data for more targeted content and advertising. They saw how the recently installed Kodak Prosper S30 Imprinting System on a manroland Colorman newspaper web offset press can deliver these creative solutions. The combined technology of static offset-print with high-quality digital inkjet printing runs at full production speed of up to 914m/min

(15 metres per second).

‘The volume of variable data print produced

by Axel Springer is inspiring and it was an honour to present the possibilities to such a key audience,’ says Olivier Claude, Kodak’s general manager for print. ‘It was the first newspaper to implement hybrid printing at this speed on the S30 and the versatility and quality possible opens up exciting opportunities - in particular ways to create a higher profitability, improve reader retention and improve long-term relationships with publishers.’

In welcoming the visitors, Thomas Drensek, plant manager at Axel Springer’s HamburgAhrensburg facility, explained how newspapers can now differentiate themselves by driving relevant and variable content thanks to the ability of the Prosper S30 Imprinting Systems.

He added that, when perforated and glued with Ferag MemoStick and memo cards, and even combined with transparent paper, newspapers can add significant value. Then there is the ability to insert targeted adverts, news that fits the specific reader’s interests, personalized text, QR codes and Augmented Reality.

Thanks to the Kodak Prosper S30 Imprinting Systems, Axel Springer can also print new formats on coated paper and offer half covers and flying pages.

The Hamburg-Ahrensburg offset printing plant is one of three newspaper printers operated by Axel Springer AG. Today, six manroland Colorman newspaper web offset presses, with a total of 144 imaging units, print 60,000 tons of newsprint a year, as well as 280 million supplements.

Irish Printer January 2013

NEWS

Antalis McNaughton Ireland Now Antalis On 1 January 2013 Antalis McNaughton Ireland Ltd officially changed its trading name to Antalis Ltd. The name change brings the Irish and UK companies into line with the company name worldwide where it is known as simply Antalis.

‘We changed the name to make things simpler for our customers – a shorter name with a shorter email and web addresses is much more user-friendly,’ says Antalis Ltd’s managing director Eoin Heagney. ‘When the Antalis Group bought McNaughton Paper it was only in the UK and Ireland that the company was called Antalis McNaughton everywhere else in the world it was just Antalis. After NcNaughton Paper became part of the Antalis Group we wanted to leverage the strong McNaughton brand in the UK and Ireland and we feel we have done that successfully over the past few years. Before we bought McNaughton Paper we were Antalis Ireland Ltd, then we became Antalis McNaughton Ireland Ltd, and now we are Antalis Ltd. It was always our intention to revert back to the Antalis name.’

A new visual identity has been developed to accompany the name change. Speaking to Irish Printer on 17 January, Eoin Heagney refers to the new Paperman symbol which will become visible on all corporate messaging. ‘The Paperman is the link between

all Antalis activities,’ he says. ‘Catching the eye by its simple and graphic shape and its primary colour, it facilitates the memorisation of the Antalis brand by its messages. By travelling from one activity to another, it tells the Antalis story, its history and its skills.

It was born from a plain sheet of paper… like Antalis at its beginning. By being folded as an origami, it becomes complex, as Antalis is today.’

Antalis Ltd is also preparing to launch its new website. ‘We are aiming to launch it in mid-to late February,’ says Eoin. ‘We have never had a fully integrated online ordering system but this new revamped website will facilitate online ordering and customers will be able to view stocks in the UK and Ireland and print off specification sheets.’

The company is also reporting strong sales in its sign and display division for the Coala

range, which they introduced to the Irish market late last year. ‘New and soon to be added to our product range are “Curious Matter”, a brand new and innovative addition to the Curious Collection,’ says marketing manager Maura Hoey. ‘Also, we’ve just added UPM Raflatac to our labelling range this month, which is a market leading brand now exclusive to Antalis.’

Friedheim Acquires Kohmann Agency Friedheim International has been appointed by Kohmann GmbH as its sole agent for the UK and Ireland for sales, service, spare parts and training, effective since 1 January. German manufacturer Kohmann is a leading supplier of machines for the carton converting industry. Kohmann’s wide range of equipment covers window patching machines, window sealing machines, print inspection machines, Pick &

The Kohmann F1100 Universal window patcher

Place units, folder gluers and CD/DVD tray placing machines, as well as custom-designed and built units to customers’ specific

requirements. All equipment is manufactured to provide users with heavy-duty capacity, simple operation and easy maintenance,

as well as quick changeover times enabled by the storage of carton data for repeat jobs. In addition to Kohmann, Friedheim International’s converting division currently comprises the following companies: Kama (standard and ‘special option’ die-cutters and folder gluer), Lasercomb (die-making equipment), Stock (wide format board laminating machines) and Cartostrip (handheld carton stripping device).

Join Ireland’s most recognised print brand.

Franchises NOW available.

New & Established Territories

Contact John Eager, Group CEO in confidence today on 01 4660525 | www.snap.ie

Irish Printer January 2013

NEWS

Blu-ray Publishing from Epson

Packaging Technology

The Diploma in Packaging Technology is organised by the Design, Print & Packaging Skillnet in conjunction with the Irish Packaging Society and is accredited by the Dublin Institute of Technology.

Eight people completed the course in 2012. Pictured at the graduation ceremony are: back row (l-r): Kieran Corcoran, DIT, Kevin Byrne, DIT, David Little, Irish Packaging Society, Anne Morrissey, tutor, Ian Fitzpatrick, tutor, Colm Munnelly, tutor, Andrew Horan, DIT, Lorcán O hÓbáin, Design, Print & Packaging Skillnet; Front row (l-r): Kevin Crothers, Synthetic Packaging, Harry Loughrey, Henkel, Adrian Lambe, Steripack, and Donnagh Callan, Anglo Printers. Industry experts David Little, Colm Munnelly and Ann Morrissey from the Irish Packaging Society were tutors on the programme, which is open to anyone involved in buying, selling or using packaging so that would cover the food and drink and pharmaceutical sectors. ‘The course is ideally suited to packaging technicians and to print companies that supply packaging,’ says Diane Dignam of the Design, Print & Packaging Skillnet. ‘The course covers materials, containers, printing and decorating for packaging, information on packaging machinery, supply chain management and how to manage your packaging function within a company. The next course will start in November 2013 and we would encourage people to visit the Design, Print & Packaging Skillnet website for details.’ Image courtesy of Fran Byrne Photography.

Colum Kelly Colum Kelly, who passed away on 2 December 2012, was one of the most highly respected people in the print industry. During his working life Colum touched the hearts of many people within our industry.

He established Fergus Kelly & Co, along with his dad, Fergus, and his brother Kevin, and the company became very successful during the boom years. In 2007, Colum took over Fergus Kelly & Co, which focused on supplying the printing trade with precision finishing and personalised products. Unfortunately, the impact of the

recession meant that the company suffered serious financial setbacks and was eventually placed into voluntary liquidation in 2009.

However, Colum wasn’t a man who was accustomed to failure so he decided to push forward and, once again, use his skills and personality to start a new business. A new era in Colum’s life began with the establishment of Colm Kelly Design Solutions Ltd (CKDS), which he ran with his son Robert.

The business operated from premises at Millennium Business Park in Blanchardstown and began to manufacture

high-end bespoke products to supply some of the leading advertising and promotional companies in Ireland and the UK. Right up to his untimely passing, the company had developed products that are now household names and can be seen in high-end retail outlets.

Colum’s legacy continues through his son Robert who now manages the company and, with the assistance of Peter, Alan and Amy, the company continues to go from strength to strength.

While Colum’s life was cut short, his memory will always be with us.

Building on its proven expertise in disc publishers, Epson is introducing the PP-100IIBD, its flagship Blu-ray model. This latest addition to the Discproducer series features archival-grade Blu-ray disc drives. According to Epson, these drives (Pioneer PR1 series) perform above the industry standard, offering extremely accurate publishing with an exceptionally low error rate.

Along with its disc-drive technology, the PP-100IIBD features a USB 3.0 SuperSpeed interface enabling it to burn and print at least eight Blu-ray discs in an hour. With capacity to produce up to 100 x 50GB BD-R discs, or more than four terabytes of data, in a single batch, the PP100IIBD is perfect for organisations digitising and archiving high volumes of data, including government and medical sectors, broadcasters and creative agencies. Fully automated, the Epson patented AcuGrip BD robotic arm mechanism ensures only one disc is grabbed at a time – even if discs are stuck together.

This allows users to work on other tasks while production runs can be left to complete unattended. The PP-100IIBD delivers high-quality precision printing on the disc surface.

Epson’s Micro Piezo printhead produces razor-sharp text, even down to very small font sizes.

The six-cartridge individual ink system keeps the cost per produced disc low, and the front-facing LED display allows easy monitoring of ink levels for each colour.

‘Epson has already demonstrated its position as a market leader with the accuracy and reliability of the Discproducer series,’ says Daniel Rafferty, sales manager Ireland, Epson. ‘This is why over 50% of hospitals in Europe that install CD/DVD publishers for archiving patient data are selecting Epson.’

The Discproducer PP-100IIBD is available to purchase since January 2013.

Irish Printer January 2013

NEWS

Westside Press Makes Litho Investment Well-known trade printer Westside Press took delivery this month of what is one of the few litho presses sold in Ireland in recent years. The sale could be a sign that the litho side of the Irish print market is taking a positive turn and that printers are in a stronger position to fund big ticket litho investments.

The Komori Lithrone S 529 five-colour automated press was supplied by Komori’s sales agent in Ireland, Portman Graphic.

‘This is Westside Press’s fifth Komori press and it will operate alongside their Lithrone S 529 five-colour plus coater press,’ says Portman Graphic managing director Ian Murphy. ‘It is the first new B2 press that Komori have sold in Ireland in almost three years. Close Brothers Commercial Finance were extremely proactive about the business and came up with a purchase mechanism that worked for the supplier and the customer. For people that are looking to buy we have been able to help them secure funding and that is very important. The market could pick up significantly more if lenders were to loosen their purse strings a little bit and that is why Close Brothers are a breath of fresh air because they are not afraid to put proposals to potential investors.’

The new press replaces one of Westside Press’s five colour presses – the 12-year-old model. ‘We decided to make this investment because we are trade printers and we wanted to offer our customers a complete quality print service with two top quality machines,’ says Dermot Downer. ‘The volume of work that we are producing has increased over the past three years. All of our machines run 24 hours a day and we want to give our customers extra confidence in the work that we are producing for them. This new Komori press will increase productivity by 25% on the old press. Also, the new Komori can link in with our Tharstern MIS and Fujifilm workflow.’

At half a million euro, Gavin Smith, sales director with Close Brothers Asset Finance, points

Part of the Westside Press team (l-r) : Michael Conway, Jon Nelson, Dermot Downer, Jane O Sullivan and Ciaran Massey

out that it is a ‘big ticket piece of business’ for the company. ‘Close Brothers Asset Finance’s average deal is around €60,000 to €70,000 so significant time has been invested in getting this deal across the line and making it work for the customer,’ he says.

‘We have an appetite to lend to the industry and I believe there is an appetite for capital investment in printing companies. I have a deal in progress for €80,000, a deal drawn down recently for €40,000 and another on the go for €250,000, and a colleague of mine completed a deal at the start of January for €700,000. These are all deals with printers who are installing equipment, which is very encouraging. The key thing with our company is that Close in the UK have a very big involvement in the printing industry so we have direct contacts to people who are print experts. Ready access to that expertise helps us to structure deals for our clients in Ireland, which is exactly what happened with Westside Press.

When myself Dermot and Luke sat down together the idea was to come up with a solution that worked for Close Brothers, Westside Press, Komori and Portman Graphic. We all worked together throughout and we worked hard to make the deal happen. I have no doubt that there will be a long-term relationship between Close and Westside as a result of this deal.’

The new Komori lithrone S529 is craned into Westside’s premises in Tallaght on 22 January

Westside Press have also invested in a second Muller Martini saddlestitcher and a fifth MBO folding machine, both of which were also purchased from Portman Graphics. Like the Komori press, which arrived in Ireland on 22 January, they were installed during the week of 21 January and will be up and running by the first week in February. ‘The market has improved for us because we are keeping up with the latest technology, both on the pre-press and press side,’ says Dermot. ‘Both of our Komori presses are linked into our Tharstern MIS and Fujifilm workflow. A recent upgrade to

our MIS means that customers can track the progress of their jobs online and make specific delivery requests online. We are also currently introducing further upgrades to our Tharstern MIS to make it more customerfriendly. It is about constantly trying to improve your business and the service you are offering.

I’d like to thank all of our trade customers whose continued support, particularly during the recent difficult years, has put us in a position where we can afford to continually invest in new technology, thus improving the quality of the service that we are providing to them.’

10

Irish Printer January 2013

NEWS

Late Payment a ‘Live’ Issue for Irish Businesses The issue of late payment of unpaid invoices is one of a number of factors having a direct and negative impact on Irish SMEs and businesses across the country.

Latest statistics at European level highlight that late payment has continued to rise to an unprecedented level of E340bn, more than double the European Union’s total 2012 budget of E147bn. The most recent figures estimate that insolvencies have led to the loss of 450,000 jobs with 57% of businesses in Europe having experienced issues with liquidity due to late payment, an increase of 10% on the previous year.

In order to tackle the issue of late payment across all of the EU member states, the European Commission has developed legislation - the Late Payment Directive 2011/7/ EU - to support Irish and European businesses, while improving business sentiment.

To raise awareness of the problem in Ireland and to encourage early implementation into national law before the deadline of 16 March, the Commission hosted an information seminar in Dublin recently where Irish stakeholders, SMEs and business leaders learnt of the current legal framework of the Directive, an understanding of its applications and benefits, as well as practical examples of how best to implement them to support their businesses. The information campaign, which will see similar seminars across all member states, is funded by the European Commission and places an em-

phasis on ensuring that European businesses, in particular SMEs, know their rights and how best to make use of them.

Figures from the European Payment Index 2012, have estimated that 2.8% of total turnover was lost in Ireland in 2012 due to late payment. The average delay in days in 2012 was 31 days for business to business transactions and 13 days for public authorities to business.

The European ‘Late Payment’ Directive was designed to combat late payment of commercial transactions. Its ‘parent’ act, the Small Business Act (SBA), reflects the Commission’s will to recognise the central role of SMEs in the EU economy.

The Directive provides a legal framework for pursuing debtors. The aim of the information campaign is to raise awareness among key European stakeholders, in particular SMEs and public authorities, on the new rights conferred by the directive; while also supporting its early implementation. The campaign also provides a forum for sharing best practices to help SMEs obtain prompt payment.

The new rules are simple: • Public authorities must pay for the goods and services that they procure within 30 days or, in very exceptional circumstances, within 60 days.

• Contractual freedom in businesses commercial transactions: enterprises should pay their invoices within 60 days, unless they

expressly agree otherwise and if it is not grossly unfair to the creditor.

• Businesses will automatically be entitled to claim interest for late payment and will also be able to obtain a minimum fixed amount of E40 as compensation for recovery costs.

They can also claim compensation for all remaining reasonable recovery costs.

• The statutory interest rate for late payment is increased to at least 8 percentage points above the European Central Bank’s reference rate. Public authorities are not allowed to fix an interest rate for late payment below this threshold.

• Businesses can challenge grossly unfair terms and practices more easily before courts.

• More transparency and awareness raising: member states must publish the interest rates for late payment so that all parties involved are informed.

• Member states are encouraged to establish prompt payment codes of practice.

• Member states may continue to maintain or to bring into force laws and regulations which are more favourable to the creditor than the provisions of the directive.

The new measures are optional for businesses, insofar as they acquire the right to take action but are not obliged to do so. In some circumstances, a business may wish to extend the payment period for some days or weeks to keep a good commercial relationship with a specific client. But the new measures are obligatory for public authorities.

Fespa Fabric 2013 Hits the Runway The Fespa Fabric 2013 exhibition for garment decoration and textile printing forms part of Fespa 2013 which takes place at the ExCeL London (25-29 June 2013), providing print service providers with a place to visit for the latest news, products, innovations and trends within apparel print.

Visitors will benefit from both practical and theoretical sessions including workshops, seminars and live demonstrations. There will also be a host of networking opportunities with industry peers, allowing printers to gain access to some of the biggest brands in promo, sportswear and garment printing. Printers, textile print professionals, retailers and apparel brands will be able to meet with key industry exhibitors and experience a broad spectrum of machinery, techniques, applications and solutions at the show.

With a floor space of approximately 1,200 square metres, Fespa

Fabric will cover digital directto-garment, screen printing, embroidery, promotional products and other garment decoration processes.

Brand new to FESPA Fabric 2013 is the Promotional Products Business Academy (PPBA), which is being delivered through a partnership between Fespa and the European promotional products show organiser CTCO. The PPBA aims to bring the business opportunity of the promotional products market segment to the forefront of printers’ minds and is ideal for visitors looking to expand their business. The PPBA at Fespa Fabric 2013 will offer an in-depth market-entry brief, case studies from successful businesses and the opportunity to connect with wholesale promotional products suppliers.

Fespa Fabric 2013 already has support from leading garment printing companies: Kornit Dig-

ital, Siser, Anajet, MHM, Polyone Wilflex, SRoque and international screen printing manufacturer M&R.

Forthcoming FESPA events include:

•FESPA Brasil 2013, 13-16 March 2013, São Paulo, Brazil •FESPA 2013, 25-29 June 2013,

London, UK •FESPA Fabric 2013, 25-29 June 2013, London, UK •FESPA Mexico, 15-17 August 2013, Mexico City, Mexico •FESPA Eurasia 2013, 3-5 October 2013, Istanbul, Turkey •FESPA Digital 2014, 20-23 May 2014, Munich, Germany

Obituary Catherine de Monge, a director of Printglaze Ltd, passed away on 31 October last following a short illness. Catherine was the wife of Fernon de Monge Snr and mother to Fernon de Monge Jnr, managing director of Printglaze, which is based in Cherry Orchard Industrial Estate in Dublin 10. As a director of Printglaze for 25 years, Catherine managed the credit control end of the business and was a well-known and highly regarded print professional among the many printers and suppliers that she came in contact with over the years. She was working with her colleagues in Printglaze and dealing with numerous companies in the trade up to a year before her illness. Catherine will be sadly missed.

Irish Printer January 2013

NEWS

Calling All Bobst Training Course ‘Graduates’ Bobst would like to hear from anyone who attended a Martin or Bobst training course held in the UK-or Ireland during the 1990s. It is 21 years since Bobst started to run courses locally - using UK based instructors instead of bringing instructors over from Switzerland or France - and to mark the anniversary the company is trying to gather together memories, anecdotes and photos from anyone who has attended - especially the early course delegates.

The first courses were held at Don Dawson PLC in Wimbledon and at customers’ plants, with later courses being held at the Friedheim Training Centre (next to Lasercomb Dies in Redditch) and Bobst’s own purpose-built training centre, also in Redditch. ‘Graduates’ of the early courses may recall instructors such as John Ardern, Dave Stanley, Phil Dobson, Howard Hughes, Neil Jones, Martin Knight, Dennis Gallagher, Geoff Chandler, Matt Kingham, Steve Walsh, John Twigg, and Lee Alton, while later course delegates may remember current instructors Paul Helliwell, Graeme Doran, Chris Isham, Paul Willer and Andy Colley.

Anyone willing to share their recollections of these courses, and even photos if they have them, is asked to contact Alistair Smailes: by email at bobstmemories@stronansmedia. com, by calling 07768 110922, or by adding a comment on-line at: http://tinyurl.com/bobstmemories.

Delegates graduate from an early Bobst UK course.

Sales Climb for Canon UK Canon UK continues to build on its success since drupa 2012, with customers across the UK and Ireland acquiring 65 high volume production printers since the end of May. Over half of the sales were to new customers.

One attendee from a recent Canon Insight Report customer forum – Bradley Vaughan, Sales Director at Kingsley Print – explains how he was inspired at the event to broaden his company’s services portfolio.

‘We’ve been a print service provider for over 30 years, but recently we wanted to broaden and enhance our service portfolio to expand our business,’ he says. ‘Personalised print is an area we identified to grow revenues and to help us stand out. We were already using a brace of Canon solutions – the Canon imagePrograf iPF8100 and an MFD – that worked perfectly, and so knew Canon could deliver on its promises. When I asked about a solution that would enable us to enter the VDP field, Canon looked at our business needs and recommended the Canon imagePress C6010 with the DirectSmile VDP software. We now consider ourselves a total communications provider that offers a bespoke printing service efficiently and gives great value for money.’

Another company inspired to grow revenues was new Canon customer Apple Print in Berkshire. ‘Over the last three years we have expanded our digital business and needed a printer to meet this growing demand and become an integral part of this development,’ says managing director Andrew Watts. ‘We spoke to Canon at a customer event in Brussels and told them how our old machine could only do 30,000 impressions a month, and we wanted a cost-effective solution to increase production and quality. Canon looked at our business and what we wanted to achieve in the long run, before finally recommending its imagePress C7010VP. We were looking for a machine that was capable of doing at least 100,000 impressions a month, a target that is easily reached by the imagePress. …we’ve saved a third in production time since the machine’s been running! We’re also broadening the range of applications we can offer - we like to think we can now say “yes” to any client request.’

11

12

Irish Printer January 2013

cover story

Light on the Horizon for Local Press in 2013?

While the coming year will present more challenges, some green shoots are appearing for local press. The rate of circulation decline reduced significantly in 2012 and, while advertising revenues continued to drop, the rate of decline forecast for 2013 ranges from 0% to 7%. This, coupled with the fact that many local titles have very encouraging readership numbers, when print and online readers are aggregated, is giving rise to cautious optimism for the future. That’s according to Johnny O’Hanlon, director, Regional Newspapers and Printers Association of Ireland (RNPAI), who, in this month’s cover story, talks to Maev Martin about the prospects for Ireland’s local newspapers in the year ahead.

‘Clearly, the two major challenges for the industry is the short term issue of an economy wading through the worst recession since 1929 and the medium-to long-term issue of the digital revolution,’ says Johnny. ‘Most economists are of the view that Ireland has, at the very least, bottomed out in this recession.

Local press has worked assiduously over the past five years to reduce costs and become leaner operating units. This has come at the expense of reducing the workforce by circa 20%, reducing pagination and contributor

Central to RNPAI’s Local Newspaper Week 2011 initiative was the publication of a common supplement in each of the association’s 37 titles on the week of 13 October.

Pre-press was centrally organised in the Celtic Media Group’s pre-press operation in Mullingar and reaction to the supplement was very positive.

costs, rationalisation of prepress and outsourcing of print.

Throughout that period these changes were effected in consultation and, by and large, with the agreement of the main unions involved, Unite and the NUJ, in order to secure remaining jobs.

The industry is well geared to benefit from any upturn.’

Johnny says that maintaining and strengthening regional newspaper brands is the key to the

future of the regional newspaper industry in Ireland. ‘Most of our titles are local newspapers of record in their respective counties,’ he says. ‘Their brand image is huge in this country and among the wider diaspora.

Member companies in the RNPAI are currently working on beefing up their online presence, with many newsrooms actively embracing social media within their online content.’ The

association is in the process of rolling out a National Advertising Digital Platform and will be announcing the appointment of a single sales agent to sell and manage online national advertising for all titles by the end of quarter one. ‘While revenue growth will be slow, it will be a new revenue stream,’ he says.

‘Local press is widening its income base beyond the traditional advertising/masthead sales to

Old Media Plunges as Social Media Soars The popularity of social media is on the rise and is having a significant impact on how all companies market their services and communicate with their customers, and the newspaper publishing industry will be no exception to this global trend. According to a survey of 1,700 chief executive officers from around the world, conducted by IBM, social media will be the most important technology channel used by companies to engage with their customers within three to five years. Currently just 16% of companies use social media as their primary means of interacting with customers but that proportion will rise to 57% three to five years from now.

That increase will put social media ahead of websites, call centres and traditional media. Over the same time period, chief executive officers see website utilisation increasing from 47% to 55%, while call centre utilisation will drop from 40% to 31%, and utilisation of traditional media will plunge from 39% to 15%. The only channel outranking social media is face-to-face and sales representatives, although this too will drop from 80% today to 67% three to five years from now.

Irish Printer January 2013 include sponsorship, events, pictorial and archive revenues.’

Although local press is the definitive medium in rural Ireland to promote community and everything local, Johnny says that the local newspaper industry has been poor at projecting the value of its titles. With this in mind, the association also launched Local Newspaper Week (LNW) in 2011. This initiative was an attempt to highlight the value of local press throughout the country. Central to LNW 2011 was the publication of a common supplement in each of the RNPAI 37 titles on the week of 13 October.

Pre-press was centrally organised in the Celtic Media Group pre-press operation in Mullingar.

‘Reaction to the supplement was

cover story

very positive,’ says Johnny. ‘Such was the success of LNW 2011, RNPAI and NNI local and regional newspapers combined forces in 2012 and a similar supplement appeared in 51 local titles making it the largest paid for circulating publication in the Republic of Ireland in 2012. A very successful seminar took place in DCU during LNW 2012 and guest speakers included Ashley Highfield, chief executive officer, Johnston Press, publishers of 260 regional titles in the UK and Ireland and Per Axel Koch, managing director of Polarismedia, Norway, the largest regional newspaper publisher in Norway. The conference was attended by 160 people representing local and national press, advertising agencies, national

advertisers and academics.’ A similar conference is planned for Local Newspaper Week 2013, which will take place during the week of 7 October. ‘Interestingly, national advertising support for the LNW supplement was strong with advertisers recognising the unique brand image and strength of local press and the uniqueness of this particular publication,’ says Johnny.

Evolution is continuing within the industry, digitalisation has radically changed the old prepress model and individual titles are exploring the option of outsourcing pre-press, distribution and even credit control. ‘While print circulations worldwide are in decline, there are strong indications that there will be a continuing market for the printed

13

product - the tactile feel and layout will continue to attract,’ he says. ‘This is being evidenced in the book market in particular.

Nonetheless, online news provision is becoming increasingly important. Local newspapers have the ability to become daily publishers with content updated daily/hourly. This will come at a price and the raging debate worldwide is how to monetise the value of this hyper local content. There is increasing evidence in the US that paywalls can work. US publishers are no longer prepared to give access to free content. As publishers, local newspapers in Ireland will need to agree an online news sales strategy that can be rolled out across the industry. Let that be the challenge for 2013!’

Building a Paywall to Protect Content There can be no doubt that, if the newspaper industry, including the local newspaper industry, is to remain profitable, one of the nettles that it has to grasp is the thorny subject of charging for online content. The digital revolution, which has led to people’s growing consumption of information from a variety of mobile devices, is forcing newspaper publishers to restrict some or significant parts of their newspapers’ content to paying customers.

Recent and planned developments in national newspapers in Ireland and around the world show that publishers are no longer just examining whether they should have a paywall – they have now accepted that this is a necessary move to protect their content and ensure that their operations remain viable. They are either looking at how they will operate their paywall system or they have decided how it will work and will be rolling it out during 2013.

Given the difficulties that some publishers have had with the introduction of paywall systems in recent years, it is highly unlikely that the introduction of these systems, in whatever form a publisher deems to be workable, will solve the ongoing problems that newspapers are experiencing with declining revenues. The introduction of a paywall won’t be a quick fix solution to any newspaper’s declining circulation or fall off in advertising sales.

However, at the very least, it will allow newspapers to replace the circulation revenues that they would have lost in recent years (for some newspapers online subscriptions contribute significantly to the bottom line) and, depending on the profile of those online subscribers, could also lead to the generation of online advertising revenue.

As Johnny O’Hanlon points out, technology has put local newspapers in a position where they can become daily publishers with content updated daily/hourly but they now have to seriously address how they are going to charge for that content. He says that the time has come for local newspapers in Ireland to agree an online news sales strategy that can be rolled out across the industry.

Some national newspapers in Ireland, and further afield, are ahead of their local newspaper counterparts. An increasing number of them are now turning to paywall models in order to cope with

the challenges posed by a market where more and more readers are opting to read their news online rather than on a printed newspaper. In the US, 12 of the top 20 titles now charge for content, with the Washington Post expected to introduce a paywall later this year. In Europe, Danish newspapers and Belgian titles are also changing their position. Denmark’s Politiken newspaper will be basing its paywall approach on the New York Times model, which allows people to read a limited number of articles a month before ‘metering’ comes into play. This year the Berlingske publishing group will be introducing a payment model for its websites – b.dk and business.dk. In Belgium all the major publishers have reached an agreement on a unified payment platform. A test will be launched in April, followed by a full launch in September when most content will be behind a paywall. Readers will have to sign up for the system, which will be common to all titles. In Ireland, the Irish Independent and The Irish Times are expected to have a new paywall system in place by the end of this year while The Sunday Business Post has changed its attitude to paywalls. It offers a free daily website but the newspaper has been subscription-based since November 2011.

Titles such as the Financial Times and the Wall Street Journal have proven that if you are the only provider of a specific type of news or content in the market then you can successfully charge online readers for that content. The Irish Times charges for its archive and e-editions. Around 5,000 readers, or five to six per cent of circulation, are coming through Kindle and e-paper subscribers. That shows that people are willing to pay for content. Local newspapers should, therefore, be optimistic about their chances of successfully implementing a strategy for charging their readers for access to at least some of their online content. After all, the information they are providing is local and is unique to their area, county or region.

People will always pay for quality content and for content that is unique and relevant, whether they are getting it from a printed newspaper or from an online platform.

Maev Martin

AS VERSATILE AS THE COLOURS OF LIGHT. Experience the versatility of UPM Fine, the ultra-white uncoated paper. Discover the paper as a perfect basis for your thoughts and ideas. UPM Fine offers enormous versatility in terms of characteristics and applications, from its enticing whiteness and outstanding rigidity to its consistently high quality.

Because UPM Fine is available in a particularly wide range of basis weights from 60–300 g/m2, it really is a universal paper. UPM Fine is an EU Ecolabel awarded paper and produced with both machine finished and supercalendered surfaces. Get to know the versatility of UPM Fine and find out why it is referred to be “AS VERSATILE AS THE COLOURS OF LIGHT”. www.upm.com

2012 Irish Print Awards Print of the Year Printed by Print Media Services Printed on 140Gsm UPM Fine FI/11/001

Irish Printer January 2013

Commercial profile

15

Paddy Gallagher, director, Print Media Services

Targeting a Niche Market Service, high quality, attention to detail, and knowledge – these are the watchwords of Glasnevinbased Print Media Services. The company won the Irish Printer Print of the Year 2012 award at the Irish Print Awards on 29 November last and also claimed the Small Printer of the Year award in 2008, 2009 and 2010. ‘When I was working for other print companies, before setting up Print Media Services with fellow director Gerry Moore, I always focused on the high quality jobs,’ says Paddy Gallagher. ‘Then I learned from my experiences in the trade that a lot of companies didn’t like handling those jobs because they tend to be tricky and complicated so I saw a market for the production of high end, attention

to detail, printing. In big print companies the sales representative brings in the job and it is then out of their hands. That means that things can go wrong if the job isn’t managed through every stage of the process.’

Another watchword that Paddy doesn’t mention, but should, is ‘hands-on’. He says that companies sometimes need to be reminded that printing is a service industry. ‘We hold the customer’s hand from the beginning and, in a lot of instances, I deliver the finished job myself, usually the finished samples, to see the reaction on the customer’s face,’ says Paddy. ‘Some printers think that printing is a manufacturing industry but people employ us to provide a printing service, not a

printed product. People deal with people, not companies. When I take on a job, I always look at the PDF and proofs before handing it over to production. I compare it to the spec and if I see an issue with bleed, match ups etc, I will point this out to the client and sometimes they will fix the issue, therefore fixing the issue before it becomes a problem. That can sometimes be a difficult conversation and it can lengthen the process at the start but it is worth it in the end, for both the client and the printer. We spot the problems and address them before they become problems and the client is delighted with our service as a result. That is the difference between us, the small printer, and the bigger companies. A lot of

printers just blame the customer and they don’t take responsibility. One of our mantras is “don’t judge your print provider by the problems they encounter on a job but by how they deal with those problems”.’

Paddy describes Print Media Services as a ‘niche’ printer. ‘We exist in the space between the big print companies and the high street printers,’ he says. ‘We can give the customer the quality of the big companies allied to the flexibility of service of the small printer. We find that when a printing company focuses on a niche market the margin they achieve can be more sustainable.

That is because quality always sells. We use quality materials, we manage the process, and we ex-

"We are extremely proud of this achievement and would like to thank all of our clients and suppliers for their continued support"

16

Irish Printer January 2013

Irish Printer January 2013 ceed the customer’s expectations.

We don’t go after every print job that is out there. For example, if someone rings me and says “you better be keen with your prices for this job because I’m looking for five quotes, and I’ll go with the cheapest” my instinct would be that this isn’t the business we are chasing. However, if someone wants a high quality job with a high end finish, then that is our type of job. I get a lot of business through referrals, especially from the design community.’

Print Media Services is a company that is embracing the social media channels that are available online to show both the end user and their fellow professionals what the company is about. ‘I find LinkedIn to be a very useful networking tool in the printing industry,’ says Paddy. ‘If someone sends me an enquiry for printing I look them up on LinkedIn and I send them a LinkedIn request.

They then link in and see my profile and recommendations. On her LinkedIn profile, Mary Doherty, managing director of Red Dog, one of the top design companies in Ireland, endorses Print Media Services professionalism stating ‘Paddy has been a friend of Red Dog’s for many years. He has a niche, quality business where he does not claim to be the cheapest but the best. When we have a project that has a decent budget and a need for a superior finish we call Paddy. We only wish all our budgets allowed us to do that!’

Paddy is also involved in business networking. ‘I’m a member of an Irish networking group for business people called Smart Leads and I’ve made a lot of contacts through that,’ he says.

Most of Print Media Services’ clients are designers and they also print for state and semi-state organisations, as well as a number of blue chip companies. ‘We print annual reports, corporate brochures, art books and coffee table type books,’ says Paddy. ‘Our key suppliers are Swan Paper, Kavanagh Bookbinding, Antalis, Printglaze, Markmaster, Kevin Kelly Print Finishers, Portman Graphic and Graphocolor.’ Print Media Services won the Irish Print Awards for their Concern Worldwide Annual Report and Accounts 2011 entry, which also won the Annual Reports category.

Commercial profile

17

Print Media Services have been printing the Concern Worldwide Annual Report and Accounts for the past three years and won the Annual Reports category in the Irish Print Awards in 2011 for the Concern Worldwide Annual Report and Accounts 2010. ‘Since the start of this year I have got three jobs because of our win in the Print Awards,’ says Paddy. ‘In one instance I sent a picture of our receiving the award to someone who made an enquiry about a job and that was before we even supplied them with the quotation.

Some printers may mistakenly believe that in order to win the Irish Print Awards they have to produce a very expensive job and one that is extremely time consuming but that is not the case, as demonstrated by our winning entry.’

The print run for the Concern Worldwide Annual Report and Accounts 2011 was 1,500 copies and the client was Red Dog. It was printed on UPM Fine uncoated paper from Swan Paper, and Print Media Services used special inks – Huber inks from Graphocolor – because they were printing on uncoated paper. ‘All of our suppliers have the same mindset when it comes to quality – they know what we require and they work conscientiously and efficiently with us to achieve a high quality result on every job,’ says Paddy.

Print Media Services operates a Komori LS 529 press and a Galileo CtP system from Agfa, while on the finishing side they have a guillotine, a small folding machine and scoring machine.

Their Komori five-colour press was installed in 2008. Paddy says the press’s quick makeready and running speed allows Print Media Services to print high quality work very efficiently. The Komori LS 529 has a maximum running speed of 15,000 sheets per hour.

Paddy is ‘very optimistic’ about the prospects for the Irish printing industry in 2013 and beyond.

‘That’s because I believe that the recession is over,’ he says. ‘Well, it is over in the sense that the outlook for printers is much better than it was back in the dark days of 2009. For the last three months trading at Print Media Services has been above average and I put that down to our professionalism.

In addition, Print Media Services has been experiencing an upturn

(+X :_\iip FiZ_Xi[ @e[ <jk ;lYc`e ('

HlXc`kp Gi`ek =`e`j_\ij

Gli\Y`e[`e^ G\i]\Zk& 9lijkY`e[`e^ J\ne Xe[ [iXne fe Jk`kZ_ Xe[ ki`d J`e^c\ Xe[ ;flYc\ >Xk\ ]fc[`e^ Cffg jk`kZ_`e^ Fe\ g`\Z\ dX`c\i CXd`eXk`e^ LM mXie`j_`e^ $ jgfk& fm\iXcc &j`cbjZi\\e& Õ\of ;`\ Zlkk`e^ 9( " >cl\ ]fc[`e^ ZXgXZ`kp & ZXikfe &j`e^c\ & d`e`Xkli\ =`cd gfj`k`m\ gifZ\jj`e^ J_i`eb niXgg`e^ cXk\o ^cl`e^ G`Zb gcXZ\ =f`c YcfZb`e^

Gif[lZk`fe \dX`c1 gif[lZk`fe7gi`ek^cXq\%`\ =`cd \dX`c1 Ôcd7gi`ek^cXq\%`\ Gif[lZk`fe k\c1 '( -)- 0--Gif[lZk`fe ]Xo1 '( -)- 0.00

18

Irish Printer January 2013

Commercial profile

The Komori LS 529 press

in enquiries and in work. A lot of printers are very busy so whoever is left in our industry now is well placed to benefit from an upturn.

NAMA is selling a lot of the hotels that it took over and the new owners have to rebrand so they require printed materials to promote their operations and that is creating business for the print community. Hotels and restaurants are beginning to look for high end promotional materials again.

And that is only one sector. The Gathering is a positive initiative that should give the entire economy, including the printing industry, a boost this year.’

British Prime Minister David Cameron recently stated that if

the Tories win the 2015 general election they will hold a referendum on whether the UK should stay in the EU by the end of 2017. Paddy believes that the IDA should ‘make hay while the sun shines’ in the interim period. ‘Over the next few years the IDA could emphasise the fact that, if Britain votes to exit the EU, Ireland will be the only English-speaking country in the EU,’ he says. ‘That could be one of our key selling points to potential investors and multinational companies. This recent announcement could make US and other investors uneasy over the next few years and that could help them to make the decision to locate in

Pictured standing, John Farrell, (left) repro and platemaking manager and printer Alan Keane, with Paddy Gallagher and Gerry Moore (centre)

NEW MAILING SERVICE

Data Management, Personalisation and Postaim Sortation Automatic Folding and insertion of up to 6 items into Envelopes

CKING STORAGE, KITTING, PA ILMENT including, folders, AND FULFman ual operations

carry out all Our experienced staff can store your products, kit s, neck collars etc. they can arm bler wob g, ttin -do glue very nationwide. deli k trac and age man and pack as required and

COUNTING

Automatic counting off and tabbing

PPING K-WRraA SHRIN ing of packs pp ic Shrink-w Automat

e up to A3 in siz

DRILLING, EYE-LE TTING, STRINGING Autom atic Drilling, Eye-le tting and stringing with string, cord or elastic

Contact Brian or Dave if you need a quote. Tel: 018645500 email: brian@bmpsolutions.ie dave@bmpsolutions.ie Fax: 0035318068007 www.bmpsolutions.ie Unit 19, Finglas Business Centre, Jamestown Road, Finglas, Dublin 11. https://www.facebook.com/pages/BMP-Solutions/354463477934326

Ireland rather than in some part of the UK. This development gives the IDA an opportunity to transmit a positive message about the Irish economy and about Ireland’s strength and uniqueness to overseas companies. Of course, it would have to be done carefully, taking into consideration the fact that the UK is our nearest neighbour and is our major export market.’

Paddy points out that, when recession hits, printers are always the first to know about it because the first thing a company cuts is

its advertising, PR and marketing budget. ‘But when the economy starts to pick up we are often the first to benefit,’ he says. ‘Say that in 2009 the printing market reduced to 20% of what it had been at the height of the boom so if the market improves in 2013 to be only 25% of what it was in the boom that will mean an increase in business of 25% for all printing companies. We will be then complaining that we cannot cope with the increased business.’ Hopefully this will prove to be the case in 2013.

Paddy Gallagher began his career in the Turner Print Group in Longford in the late 1980s before training in the College of Printing in DIT Bolton Street. From there he went to Future Print in Baldoyle and, following a return stint with the Turner Print Group, he moved to Microprint in Tallaght and on to Woodprintcraft before setting up Print Media Services with Gerry Moore in 2005. Gerry Moore began his career in Irish Silk Screen Services (now Colorman Ireland). He then worked for Scanlith Services and Colour Repro before setting up his own repro company M&T Graphics with his former partner Paddy Thewlis.

START THINKING NOW FOR 2013 Some of your work this year may well be a finalist for the 2013 awards.

No job is too big or too small.

Work produced between November 1st 2012 and September 30th 2013 can qualify.

Judging will take place on Monday, 14th October 2013.

List of nominees will be announced on Tuesday, 29th October 2013.

Presentation dinner will be held at The Clyde Court Hotel, Ballsbridge, Dublin on Friday, 29th November 2013.

Let’s hope we see you there.

A win in the awards will be good for your clients – good for your staff – good for your business.

CATEGORIES Sheetfed Colour Offset Printing National Newspapers Regional Newspapers Magazines Annual Reports Books Carton Packaging Screen Printing Self Adhesive Roll Labels

Digital Print Large Format Digital Print Print Finishing Graphic Design of Printed Material Flexographic Print Variable Data Print Commercial Vehicle Wraps Print Manager of the Year Small Printer of the Year

TO FIND OUT MORE CONTACT:FRANK GRENNAN OR JOSIE KEANE @ 01/2147920.

20

Irish Printer January 2013

R E C E S S IO N B U S T E R S

Thriving as a Supplier & Printer Many print companies provide both small and wide format printing but Diatec Digital prefers to specialise in what it knows best. ‘If someone wants 10 AO posters and a couple of hundred A3 or A4 leaflets to go with it we will do it but we are not promoting ourselves in that market,’ says Diatec Digital’s managing director Richard Harpur. However, that doesn’t mean they are a single service provider. While Diatec Digital describes itself as ‘wide format digital printing specialists’, the Diatec Group that it is part of is a reseller for some of the biggest printer manufacturers in the market, an ink and media supplier for their own and other well known brand names, and a CAD software supplier and trainer.

In fact, the Diatec Group’s ability to both supply and print is pretty unique in the Irish printing industry. ‘Within the Group we have Diatec Digital, which is a digital print company, but we also have Diatec Graphic Arts, which is our printer, ink and media supply company so people often ask us if there is a conflict of interest,’ says Richard. ‘We supply printers, materials and inks into print companies that we are competing against for printing contracts so it is a delicate balance. We get the odd comment from people in the industry but we have found that it doesn’t cause too many problems for us. My brother David runs the supply business and I look after the printing end.’

The Big Move

The company’s digital print production department operates from an old printing works located at 1 Blackpitts, Clanbrassil Street, Dublin 8. Their headquarters, accounts and administration, along with the Diatec Graphic Arts business, operates from premises at the Seapoint Building on the Clontarf Road, while their warehouse and distribution premises is in another location off the Naas Road. ‘We also use that space for our vehicle wrapping work,’ says Richard. ‘At the moment we are in the process of moving our digital print production department, our warehousing and distribution, and some of our other services to a new 15,000 square foot unit in an industrial estate off the Naas Road. Moving to the bigger building will double the amount of space that we have to operate in.’ Diatec Graphic Arts will remain at its Seapoint Building offices in Clontarf.

Developing Wide Format

The original company was set up in 1983 by Richard and David’s father Cel Harpur to supply architectural and engineering firms with paper and film for drafting boards. ‘I joined Diatec in 1993 when we were a film and paper supplier,’ says Richard. ‘My father Cel Harpur was running that supply business and I was looking after the CAD printing operation for the customer base that we were dealing with along with my brother David who runs the Diatec Group with me.

That work led us into the graphics market. David looked after the CAD hardware and software side of the business and I looked after the printing. My father had just retired at the time that we were moving from traditional hand drawings to CAD drawings.’

Richard says their wide format printing activity evolved from overflow printing work that they were doing for architectural firms.

‘Many big architectural and construction companies would have printing requirements on large projects that they wouldn’t have the capacity to complete in-house and we would produce that work for them,’ he says. ‘1996 was the year that we began producing wide format graphics. We were printing graphics for bus shelters and billboard, mainly for advertising agencies. We also started producing posters. Diatec is not a company that evolved from a traditional litho

or screen printing background – we have been digital printers since 1996 and, before that with our overflow printing work, so we have been a digital printer almost since our inception. And, in fact, we still do a lot of overflow printing work for architectural and engineering firms. For example, we were the main printing company on the Aviva Stadium construction project, producing all of the architectural drawings on our KIP plotters.’

Technological Evolution

Diatec’s use of wide format printing technology has evolved from their initial installation of HP and Encad inkjet printers to the use of five foot wide indoor photographic printers from Lambda and Océ for posters, lightbox and exhibition graphics. Diatec then invested in an EFI/Vutek superwide three metre-solvent printer which allowed them to produce bus and fleet graphics, as well as building mesh banners, which were particularly popular during the boom years. The company then moved into three-metre wide flatbed printing direct to board for hoardings which, again, were a particularly busy and lucrative area for them during the Celtic Tiger years.

Diatec currently operates two photographic printers, both from Océ, a KIP colour laser plotter, two 1.5 metre-wide HP latex printers, which are used mainly for vehicle wrapping, and two flatbed printers – a HP FB700 UV printer and a three-metre solvent inkjet printer from Vutek. All eight devices operate from their production printing facility in Dublin 8. ‘When we move into our new premises, which I expect should happen by early March, we will be installing a 2.5 metre wide latex HP printer to replace the Vutek device. We will keep the Vutek for certain types of large building banners and building mesh work and the new HP latex printer will be used for higher quality, close viewing work such as in-store branding.’

Digital Cutter

Diatec installed the latest Zund G3 digital flatbed cutter and router a year ago. ‘This machine is over 2.5 metres wide by over three metres long and, with multiple component attachments, it can cut any job, from small vinyls to 20mm thick MDF or PVC panels,’ says Richard.

‘Whether it is a life size foam graphic cut to shape, an FSDU unit for in-store promotion, packaging prototypes or traditional foamex and acrylic lettering for signage, the Zund covers virtually all requirements for the graphics industry. We bought our cutter and router directly from Austrian company Zund. We looked at machines from the two main players in this market – Zund and Kongsberg. At the time we had added the HP FB700 UV printer to our existing Vutek superwide printer so we needed the Zund to cope with the volume of material coming from both devices. Now all wide format work, which was previously hand cut, is finished on the Zund. With a price tag of €150,000 it was a big investment for us but it is a great device and with the production efficiencies that it has brought to our business we should have installed it 10 years ago! Apart from the Zund cutter and router, we also operate three 1.6 metre wide laminators one from Seal, another from GBC, and a new Kala Arkane laminator, for laminating large rolls of print.’

Printer, Ink & Media Supplier

Diatec Graphic Arts is the inks, materials and printer supply business within the Diatec Group. ‘We are a preferred business partner for the HP Designjet L26500 and HP Designjet L28500 latex printers and the HP Scitex FB500 UV and HP Scitex FB700 UV flatbed printers, along with the KIP C7800 colour production print system,’ says Pe-

Irish Printer January 2013

R E C E S S IO N B U S T E R S

1.

21

2.

ter Morrow, manager of Diatec Graphic Arts. ‘The 1. Easons are refurbishing or extending a lot of their flagKIP C7800 colour production print system is a full stores and Diatec did all colour LED high speed printer that produces prints ship of the in-store graphics for at a speed of over 300 square metres per hour. Using the project. the latest in high speed colour A0 laser technology, 2. A Vodafone Aircoach the device can print AutoCAD drawings for site wrap produced by Diatec issue or for presentation purposes. Diatec Graphic 3. Fleet graphics carried out Arts also supplies Summa plotters on the Irish directly for Crown Paints market and in the last year the business has acquired 4. Graphics produced by the agency for the Kala laminating range as well as Diatec directly for the GAA Fotoba XY cutting devices. for the World Handball Apart from printers, Diatec supply a complete range Championships at Citywest of large format printer ink and media for HP latex printers, Roland, Mutoh, Mimaki and Seiko eco solvent printers, and HP UV flatbed printers, together with a range 4. of large format media for the display graphics, signage and commercial print market. This includes self-adhesive vinyl, banner materials, compartmentalised. ‘You had litho, digital and screen printers and speciality graphic papers and films, and roll-up and pop-up materials. you knew who your competitors were whereas now it is more frag‘We sell our own-branded Diatec materials as well as HP materimented and everyone is trying to get into the wide format printing als,’ says Peter. ‘Diatec Graphic Arts is also an Autodesk reseller for arena,’ he says. ‘Most of the big litho and screen printers moved into Autodesk design and building information management software and digital wide format printing about 10 years ago. The printers that are we install full computer networks for architectural engineering firms buying HP machines from us generally come from a traditional litho and government bodies.’ background.’

Richard is a regular visitor to drupa, Fespa, Sign UK and Sign Ireetail randing ehicle raphics land. ‘One of the strong trends that I’ve seen emerging in the market, Vehicle branding, outdoor display graphics, retail branding, display and one that is reflected at major exhibitions such as drupa and Fespa, units and architectural engineering are the key wide format printing is the phasing out of solvent and eco-solvent inks in favour of more applications delivered by Diatec. ‘Retail branding and vehicle graphenvironmentally friendly products like latex,’ he says. ‘We are finding ics are our two main areas of activity,’ says Richard. ‘Retail brandthat customers are pushing for more environmentally friendly inks ing would be our biggest area on the wide format side in terms of and materials, certainly some of the big brand names that we deal volumes. We tend to do bespoke work, not a huge amount of poster with. New latex printers and new UV ink printers have transformed work. About 50% of our customers are design houses and advertising the quality of wide format printing in recent years. The quality that agencies and the other half includes shop fitters, big brand retailers, is produced on these latex printers is extremely high, the images are and print brokers. We are on a number of print brokers’ panels and very sharp and there is no banding, which would have been an issue a lot of our big brand work is through print management compawith the material coming off some of the early wide format devices. nies as well as coming direct from the retailers themselves. We often The price of the equipment has come down but the quality has gone complete work for the one client both directly and through a print up. Also, with new flatbed technology you are printing directly onto broker.’ board so the laminating and mounting is removed from the process.

Big brand retail clients include Brown Thomas and Easons for whom There has been a lot of talk about LED graphics technology but the they have just finished rebranding six of their stores. ‘Easons are refur- take up of this in Ireland is slow. It certainly hasn’t superseded digital bishing or extending a lot of their flagship stores and we did all of the printing yet or even come close so I believe the traditional printed in-store graphics for them,’ says Richard. ‘Every section of the store medium will be here for a while to come.’ is branded with graphics. We have been working on the rebranding 2010 and 2011 were the toughest years for the Diatec Group, which since September and it is a substantial and ongoing contract. Another employs 40 people. ‘There was a huge drop off in business,’ says big client is HB/Unilever. In the past 18 months we have branded 80 Richard. ‘However, we experienced more movement in the economy or 90 of their trucks and, like our work for Easons, it is an ongoing in 2012 than in 2011. In fact our sales in 2012 are up 15% to 20% on contract. Marks & Spencer is another large and ongoing contract that 2011. If our clients were still in business by 2012 they realised that we have and it is daily and weekly work.’ they had to drive forward and spend money promoting their business.

The big players that we deal with will always spend money promoting their businesses, albeit on a reduced basis. They led the charge last rends year and our other clients followed. We hope this momentum will be Richard points out that 10 years ago the Irish print market was maintained in 2013.’

R

T

B

&V

G

3.

22

Irish Printer January 2013

w i de f o r m at

Fujifilm Expands UV Inkjet Printer Range Fujifilm announced in December the introduction of four new models to its recently launched Acuity Advance Select range.

The new models include four, six or eight independent ink channels in two different flatbed sizes, with an upgrade path to allow for application and business expansion.

The four colour Acuity Advance Select HD4004 includes CMYK channels only, for applications where clear or white ink printing is not required. The six colour HD4006 model includes six independent ink channels with the first four configured for standard CMYK printing. Channels five and six can be configured in two ways for maximum flexibility:Clear+White, and White+White.

The clear and white ink channels allow print service providers to print on a range of non-white substrates and add a spot or flood coat ‘varnish’ effect in a single operation all on one printer. Two white ink channels can improve the density of white

Acuity Advance Select

in a single pass, which can be particularly useful for demanding backlit applications.

These two channels can be used in whichever configuration best suits the application, with the ability to change from Clear + White to White + White (and vice versa) on demand.

All Acuity Advance Select models have an optional roll media kit for printing onto

any number of flexible materials. This option allows an operator to prepare rigid material on the flat bed while the roll media option is printing. The printer also features additional vacuum zones, further reducing manual masking, together with new job handling capabilities for more complex jobs or those requiring multiple sets of prints.

New Offset CtP Option for Large Format Printing The Kodak Trendsetter 1600 Platesetter is a new offset CtP option for large format printing.

Kodak says the new Platesetter is designed to bring printers Kodak’s advanced imaging technology for an affordable overall capital investment.

‘This newest platesetter provides the same quality imaging that the Kodak Trendsetter family is known for, at a costeffective price for large-format platemaking, enabling more printers using large-format presses - especially those in emerging markets - to utilize Kodak’s proven technology to take their printing to a higher level,’ says Rich Rindo, Kodak’s general manager of worldwide graphics marketing and vice president of graphics, entertainment and commercial films.

Since the Trendsetter 1600 Platesetter is optimised for use with Kodak plates, printers can

The Kodak Trendsetter 1600

also consider incorporating Kodak Sonora XP processfree plates into their prepress operation. These plates remove the costs associated with processing equipment and chemistry, while requiring less floor space and reducing energy consumption. The

Trendsetter 1600 Platesetter features Kodak Squarespot imaging technology. According to Kodak, Squarespot technology allows printers to achieve high levels of quality and stability with both accuracy and repeatability through exceptional resolution and

unique features such as thermal compensation, dynamic autofocus, and geometric compensation.

The Kodak Trendsetter 1600 Platesetter offers full integration with Kodak workflow systems and supports thirdparty workflow connectivity.

Irish Printer January 2013

w i de f o r m at

23

New RIP from Roland Roland DG recently launched VersaWorks Version 4.8, a RIP software package developed exclusively for the company’s wide-format inkjet printers and printer/cutters.

With the new version of VersaWorks, Roland has added a total of six libraries from the Pantone Plus and Goe product lines, design and production tools for highend graphics and any application where precise colour matching is vital. These libraries allow users to automatically convert a specific Pantone spot colour in the design file to a CMYK value that can be reproduced on a Roland inkjet device. Roland says this simplified workflow significantly reduces the amount of time required for colour matching and enables quick output of specific colours when working with properly profiled media.

Roland’s latest version of VersaWorks also features a new spot colour replacement feature which

allows users to replace a defined spot colour in the design file with another from any VersaWorks library, all without reopening the source file. With VersaWorks, users have access to 16 spot colour libraries, including the new Pantone libraries and the Roland Color System, Roland’s own spot colour matching solution featuring more than 1,500 traditional and metallic

hues. Users can also replace the spot colours in their designs with white and clear ink options supported by several Roland inkjets.

Based on the latest Adobe CPSI 3019 engine,VersaWorks 4.8 RIP software works with all Roland inkjets and is compatible with Windows 7,Vista and XP operating systems. In addition to shipping with all new models,VersaWorks

Caldera Launches Variable Display Upgrade Caldera has developed the new Variable Display 2 as an add-on product for wide format printers. The latest updates include improvements to the scheduling functions and a plug-in to allow print houses to use Variable Display as a dashboard to follow their activity from the production floor.

The Print Board plug-in feature

in Variable Display 2.0 will allow users of Caldera’s RIP software to show an overview of their production activity on a screen for all employees to see, with information including which files have recently been added to the spooler, and the number of square metres processed daily by the RIP. With Variable Display 2.0 users

will also have greater control over planning and scheduling their playlists and content. A new calendar interface will enable dragand-drop playlist scheduling to make planning and implementing campaigns quicker and simpler.

The conflict detection system has also been improved to reduce the potential for scheduling clashes.

Each player now also has its own

4.8 is available to existing Roland inkjet customers free of charge through an Internet connection using the Roland@NET service.

Other VersaWorks features include a range of print options that allow users to meet the demands of each job. Users can choose from high-speed mode for production banner printing, the Max Impact preset for vivid outdoor graphics and Artistic mode for exceptional indoor graphics.VersaWorks also features variable data printing, supports up to four Roland devices simultaneously, and offers support for Roland’s GX series cutters.

Embedded ICC profile support, ink level adjustment tools, soft proofing capabilities, and advanced cropping, tiling and nesting options are available as well. A predictive ink calculator allows users to estimate the amount of ink needed for each job.

web interface with advanced settings such as the ability to alter network settings, reboot or shut down the device and change passwords. Additionally, the web interface allows the user to define the area of the screen that the player will use – a helpful feature when using outdoor and indoor LED billboards – and the x and y coordinates of the playlist frame.

White and Metallic Silver Inks for Latest Roland Model Roland DG recently announced that it is to start shipping the newly-developed Eco-Sol Max2 white and metallic silver inks for use in the SolJet Pro4 XR-640. This will enable use for a wide range of applications, including window graphics, vehicles graphics, large posters, decals and labels.

‘The XR-640 is an eco-solvent inkjet printer that was announced in September of this year as our flagship model,’ says Roland DG product manager Yohei Shinomura. ‘The XR-640 that we now start shipping with the new white and metallic silver inks has achieved excellent productivity, almost double that of the Soljet Pro XC-540MT. In fact, the standard mode of the XR-640 can match the image quality and density of its predecessor’s high quality

mode. As a result, you can now print high quality large-scale items in a much shorter time frame.

The newly developed white ink has drastically improved density, which is particularly useful for the production of items using transparent film. For example, when producing decals to be applied to vehicles or bicycles, colours can be finished exactly as desired by first printing a base layer with white ink that has excellent concealment properties, and then carrying out full-colour printing. Also, the pigment of metallic silver ink is more reflective for higher brightness.

This will produce applications that have greater impact and added value than before.’

In addition, the XR-640 has refined the automated ink circulation system, which prevents the

Create graphics that stand out using new white and metallic Eco-Sol Max2 inks

pigment in white and metallic silver ink from settling. The 64

inch wide XR-640 won a Viscom ‘Best of 2012’ Award.

24

Irish Printer January 2013

p a c k a g i ng

Chesapeake Installs Europe’s First Komori GLX 740RP Chesapeake Limerick, part of Chesapeake’s pharmaceutical and healthcare division, is taking delivery of Europe’s first Komori GLX 740RP carton printing press as part of a €4m investment programme at the site.

The seven-colour machine, which includes a reverse printing unit and double coater, is part of a major company-wide investment programme that has benefited all of Chesapeake’s operations.

The sale of the machine, which was supplied by Komori UK, was handled by Komori UK’s exclusive sales agent in Ireland, Portman Graphic.

The installation follows hot on the heels of a six-colour GLX40 Komori at Chesapeake’s Leicester plant shortly after the GLX models were launched at drupa last May. In the last three years, Chesapeake has installed a range of presses, including a six-colour Komori Lithrone 40, at its Nottingham, Leicester and Belfast operations, all of which, like Limerick, specialise in the production of cartons for the pharmaceutical and healthcare market. During that period, in line with strong investment in equipment, upgrades and building improvements at many of its 43 manufacturing facilities in Europe, America and Asia, Limerick has

also been a recent beneficiary. Over the past three months, the site has benefited from the installation of a new cut and crease press, a CTP unit, and an advanced image verification system.

‘Further development at Limerick is very much on our agenda, as is investment across the whole of Ireland,’ says Bobby O’Connor,

product consistency,’ he says. ‘These benefits have led us to select a similar specification for Limerick, this time enhanced with the reverse printing unit and double coater.

The reverse printing unit will enable us to provide our customers with the opportunity to print information such as user instructions on the inside of packaging, which is an

A drawing of the Komori GLX 740RP carton printing press

divisional sales and account director. ‘This demonstrates our unrivalled commitment to the pharmaceutical, healthcare and medical device markets in Ireland.’ Chesapeake Limerick’s operations director, Morgan Fogarty, says the company has been very impressed with the GLX installed Leicester, which has offered increased automation and environmental related improvements. ‘Its dual-camera inline quality inspection system, spot measurement and Komori’s new spectral density control has helped to optimise

increasing and welcome trend, as it reduces material requirements and ensures that vital instructions remain with the product. The use of varnish coatings is another continuously increasing design trend on OTC healthcare packaging to enhance shelf-appeal. The double-coater on the new press will allow us to combine matt and gloss varnishes and metallic finishes. It will also assist us in delivering many other special effects such as our own 3D Glint product, holographics and micro-embossing.’

Roland to Exhibit Innovations in Birmingham Roland DG will be participating in the upcoming Packaging Innovations exhibition at the NEC in Birmingham on 27 and 28 February 2013 where the wide-format digital printer manufacturer will be sharing a stand with packaging partners, Esko, and CGS Publishing Technologies.Visitors to stand D4 in the Print Innovations section of the show will be able to experience Roland DG’s LEC-540 printer/cutter as well as the ORIS Flex Pack // Web contract proofing solution which Roland believes will revolutionise packaging prototyping and proofing.

Roland’s LEC-540 printer/cutter will be demonstrating the ease with which packaging prototypes can be designed and printed. The manufacturer claims that, unlike traditional prototyping and proofing systems which are slow and expensive, the LEC series allows users to create realistic samples quickly and using virtually any material, including final production stock. The option to print mock-ups with white and gloss ink, and embossed effects on-demand gives printers and

design agencies the freedom to produce creative prototypes without escalating costs. CGS Publishing Technologies’ new ORIS Flex Pack // Web Solution, which includes ORIS software and Roland’s VersaCamm VS-series of printer/cutters, was exclusively developed by CGS as an on-demand alternative to legacy systems for packaging proofing. The package is a turnkey solution for flexible packaging proofing and mock-up production. Roland’s VS printer/cutter will be printing a range of prototypes on various materials using white and metallic inks live on the stand.

‘At Roland, we believe wide-format print has an increasing role to play in the packaging sector and we are proud to be the printer manufacturer pioneering this change,’ says Steve Chappell, packaging, proofing and industrial labelling business manager at Roland DG. ‘We’ve had a brilliant response to the versatility of our LEC and VS series of printer/cutters so far, and we look forward to introducing the benefits to a new audience in Birmingham.’

Packaging mock-up

Roland’s VersaUV LEC 540 printer/cutter

Irish Printer January 2013

p a c k a g i ng

25

Delta Adds a Fourth Press at Packaging Plant Delta Packaging took delivery of a Speedmaster XL 106-6LYYL at the end of this month. The sixcolour press with double coating units is the Belfast company’s fourth B1 litho press and an additional, not replacement, line.

‘This investment gives us the flexibility to go out and find new business and to create more employment,’ says Conor Connolly, lithographic print manager. The press itself has directly created six new jobs with further opportunities arising in other departments, such as the converting side, which has added a die-cutter in readiness for the increased print throughput. All four of the company’s litho presses feature six printing units and double coaters with extended delivery, a flexible configuration which enables the company to use aqueous and/or UV coating, including very high gloss finishes, and to handle low migration inks which require a longer drying time. The company also operates an eight-colour flexo press.

The Speedmasters in place include two CD 102s and an XL 105. All these presses run low alcohol and incorporate the use of low migration inks, an ethical option ideal for food packaging, which represents 85% of the company’s sales. Delta handles both local and international contracts. ‘The Speedmaster XL 105 we installed three years ago has been hugely successful and it has become the backbone of the company,’ says Conor Connolly.

‘We expect that, and more, from the 18,000sph XL 106. We like

Delta Packaging’s Conor Connolly

the build quality and reliability of this press. In my opinion, and based on research, the XL 106 is the best press on the market in terms of living up to its potential in a live production environment.’ The current XL 105 has had an ink pumping system retrofitted and this will be extended to include the XL 106 following the press installation. Sun Chemical supplies the company’s inks and it has upgraded the printing company’s ink kitchen with an additional ink dispensing system and ink measuring software and database system.

Delta, which already holds ISO 14001 environmental certification, is looking to add the

ISO 12647-2 colour accreditation over the next year and, in readiness, has specified Prinect ImageControl spectral measurement for the new press. ‘Image Control will give us a guarantee on quality and consistency of colour,’ says Conor. ‘We often handle very long runs, 300,000 plus, and we must provide consistency throughout the production run and from run to run. We handle a lot of repeat work. We are caretakers of our customers’ brands.’ The company has also invested in Prinect Pressroom Manager which will be linked into the company’s MIS system providing real time data feedback on job progress, productivity and

consumables.

‘Some of the global names who place work with Delta expect us to show continued investment in order to produce with total efficiency and effectiveness and many audit us, commonly on a two-year cycle,’ says Conor.

‘So investment like the XL 106 purchase is very popular with our client base. Our staff, too, are always excited about new equipment and we are looking forward to having the new press up and running.’

Delta Packaging exports to Europe and the Asia Pacific region.

It has a plant in China and a joint venture operation in India.

Packaging Management Made Easy Consumer goods packaging must comply with many functional, practical and aesthetical requirements. Esko is claiming to have launched what it describes as a ‘game-changing’ product that will simplify packaging management for brands and their suppliers. The company says that its WebCenter 12 product responds to two distinct packaging and

consumer trends. The first one is the proliferation of product variations driven by mass-customisation and personalisation.

The second trend is the increased pressure on regulatory compliance - the need to accurately incorporate the required regulatory information on packaging and related materials.

Dave Gilfillan, technical manager

for The Malting’s site at SGS Packaging Europe Ltd, says WebCenter 12 delivers them ‘end-toend packaging process management,’ which is ‘fully integrated with the prepress front-end and our business systems. Both packaging buyers and packaging suppliers effectively work together on one single platform.

Design requests and order forms

are presented in a user-friendly interface. They trigger the start of a nicely laid out range of tasks and invite different stakeholders to actively participate in the process. WebCenter evolved from a mere online approval tool to a professional packaging management solution, ensuring value throughout the packaging supply chain.’

26

Irish Printer January 2013

w h at ’ s n e w i n p r i n t

Fujifilm Workflow Wins Good Design Award 2012 Fujifilm’s XMF Workflow has been awarded Japan’s popular and highly rated ‘Good Design Award’ 2012.

XMF was originally released to worldwide markets in 2007, and there are now over 3,500 installations worldwide. The workflow solution now consists of ‘XMF Workflow’ (for managing print production) and ‘XMF Remote’ (the web-based system for remote job submission and approval), with the system being configurable to meet a wide range of requirements.

Fujifilm says that the design of its Graphical User Interface (GUI) has been based on research and feedback from many printing companies, with the result that the system is easy to use for even inexperienced operators, which contributes to a shorter training period and operational standardisation at user sites. XMF also helps maximise operational efficiencies through its ability to customise functions to match users’ preferences, so the time taken to perform key operations can be drastically reduced. Understanding that many operators will be continuously monitoring the workflow, XMF’s colour scheme has been

designed to be less stressful on the eye.

The web-based supporting system, ‘XMF Remote’, allows remote proofing over the internet, bringing benefits in terms of eliminating the need to produce physical proofs and streamlining the actual collaborative approvals process. This means XMF contrib-

utes not only to streamlining the proofing process, but also to reducing waste and saving resources. This ‘excellent functionality’ and ‘contribution to society and environment’ were highly rated, and were part of the reason for the system winning the ‘Good Design Award’.

L ume J et P rinter to D ebut at D igital P rint U K Digital Print UK will be the first public appearance in the UK for the new ultra high-resolution printer from Coventry-based LumeJet. According to LumeJet, the printer features ‘revolutionary photonic printing technology’ and makes it possible, for the first time, to combine true photographic images with legible text and line art to create compelling output for marketing literature, photobooks and book jackets.

‘We chose Digital Print UK because it aligns well with our own aims, ambitions and progression as an organisation,’ says Miles Bentley, commercial director for LumeJet. ‘By November, LumeJet printers will have been in the market for almost nine months, moving from beta sites to full production systems. Digital Print UK is the perfect opportunity to present a business case for the ultra high-quality output achievable with LumeJet S200 printer.

It’s also an ideal showcase for the future developments we already

have in the pipeline.’

Digital Print UK, which is organized by Faversham House, will take place at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham from 5 to 7 November 2013. The show will be split into four focused areas – production, applications and output, wide

format and digital labels. ‘We’re seeing a growing confidence in the UK marketplace and continual demand for UK-specific print shows,’ says Rudi Blackett, Digital Print UK show director.

‘The feedback we are getting is that exhibitors, both large and small, are now looking to niche

events such as Digital Print UK as a key target market for sales opportunities and networking.

We already have bookings from a cross-section of the supply chain.’

Sign & Digital UK will take place in the NEC, Birmingham, from 30 April to 2 May 2013.

Irish Printer January 2013

w h at ’ s n e w i n p r i n t

27

S oftware P redicts S pot C olour P rint S imulations GMG recently announced the commercial launch of GMG OpenColor, a software system which they claim offers precise and predicable spot colour simulation with less effort than other systems. ‘Everyone in the packaging supply chain, from brand owners to design firms to package printers is dealing with a wide range of printing challenges,’ observes Victor Asseiceiro, director business unit packaging. ‘They have to work with a wide variety of printing conditions with alternating numbers of colours, including CMYK and spots. GMG OpenColor offers an easy-to-use proofing solution. Brand owners have very high colour accuracy expectations, no matter where something is printed.

GMG OpenColor is designed to address this complex and error-prone problem in package production. GMG OpenColor offers precise and predicable spot colour simulation and overprinting behaviour or colour interplay. It creates high-quality multicolour profiles simulating the printing behaviour of diverse printing technologies and media types - if necessary, without use of “proprietary chart based” press fingerprinting. Its unique, spectral-based colour

model results in better colours simulations than any other proofing solution available.’

New spectral modelling algorithms are coupled with spectral ink measurements that analyze spectral properties of each ink colour, as well as the substrate’s colourimetric properties.

The measurement information is applied to a specific printing process (flexo, offset, gravure).

Then process specific information is added (ink rotation, trapping, screening, etc.), and the final press condition is simulated. The process of profile creation is reduced from days to minutes, without expert knowledge. And, if needed, additional accuracy can be attained by taking additional overprint readings to meet the quality requirements of the customer. GMG claims that, with OpenColor, one single proof can accurately simulate all colours of the design.

OpenColor comes with options for different printing technologies, including offset, flexo, or gravure. Each option contains its own specific profile creation algorithm. While selection of one printing technology is required, it is possible to license all options.

N ew P rotection S leeve for F lexo P rinting Specifically designed for use during the flexo printing process, the Axcyl Axcylox protection sleeve is the latest printing innovation from Trelleborg.

The Axcylox is developed to provide protection for the fragile anilox roller surface, increasing the anilox lifespan, reducing costly repairs due to damages, and guaranteeing a clean environment during storage.

‘We know that the anilox – the roller used to transfer ink to the printing plate, before transferring it to the final substrate – is the heart of the flexo printing

process,’ says Damien Leterrier, Axcyl sales and development manager at Trelleborg. ‘However, due to its ceramic composition, it is fragile by nature; any shocks during product handling can be very costly for the printers. Our latest innovation is designed to help printers maximise the anilox lifespan, using the best assets of our proven Axcyl technology.

Our innovative new Axcylox protection sleeve has been designed to easily slide onto the anilox on press once the printer has completed a job. Then, under air pressure, both the anilox

and the Axcylox sleeve can be removed safely and stored until required for future use. The sleeve’s rough outer surface and special machining provide excellent manual handling, preventing possible damage during the handling phases.’

The Axcylox protection sleeve also provides a unique label which indicates the colour, volume and screen ruling of the anilox, providing a simplified identification process. When required for future use, both the anilox and the Axcylox can simply slide back onto the printing

press, avoiding possible damage to the anilox’s ceramic surface.

After which, with the anilox in position to print, the Axcylox can then be removed before printing.

N ew S pectrophotometer from X - R ite X-Rite is introducing the X-Rite eXact series of spectrophotometers in the Americas. The company claims the new series will make colour measurement quick and easy for brand managers, pre-media, ink suppliers, printers and converters, while solving the problem of measuring and matching colours on various substrates and surfaces. With split-second measurement times and improved accuracy to simplify workflow, X-Rite is also claiming that the eXact instrument is the first spectrophotometer in the industry to offer customers a way to measure true daylight conditions by supporting all the M Standards inclusive of the complete M1.

eXact can be set up to position key elements in the order most likely to be needed by personnel such as press operators and operations managers, giving users instant access to the tools they need, often in a single click. The platform uses X-Rite Graphic Arts Standard (ARGA) and CxF to communicate colour for easy data exchange. The eXact series of spectrophotometers works with other X-Rite solutions for the printing industry, including Color iQC Print, InkFormulation, NetProfiler 3.0 and PantoneLIVE cloud-based colour services.

‘For today’s needs of matching proof to press across many substrates, the X-Rite eXact

brings to the supply chain a simple-to-use device that is fully compliant with ISO 13655:2009 measurement standards,’ says Steve Smiley, owner of SmileyColor & Associates LLC, a Red Oak, Texas-based consulting firm that helps companies manage colour across a network of digital, analog and packaging supply chain partners globally. ‘I believe the X-Rite eXact will bring all users together as a common tool for more accurate colour communications that can be used across all supply chain partners, from design through to converters. For ease of use, the instrument has smart phone, multi-touch screen and Bluetooth capabilities for wireless connections.’

28

Irish Printer January 2013

p a p e r ta l k

Stronger Finish to 2012 Bodes Well for the Year Ahead The 10 member companies of the Irish Association of Paper Merchants are reporting a stronger than expected finish to 2012. While sales in tonnes are still significantly down on what the sector was achieving during the boom years of 2005-6, the total number of sales for 2012 may indicate that the market is just picking up very slightly.

A total of 79,546 tonnes of paper was sold in 2012 so that is just short of a 1% increase on 2011, when the volume of paper sold by IAPM members was 78,850 tonnes. ‘We thought that the decline in paper that our members have been experiencing in recent years was probably going to continue into 2012 so that is a very welcome and positive result,’ says IAPM director Tim Bowler.

‘In addition, the UK paper industry is in greater turmoil than the Irish paper market.Volumes are lower and are actually in decline whereas in Ireland volumes are increasing, albeit slightly. In the UK the rate of decline is between 7% and 8% year-on-year for the past four years, similar to other European countries, so Ireland is bucking the trend.’ For 2013, Tim expects sales volumes will continue to ‘stagnate or dip’ and believes it will be a good year if IAPM members can maintain the volumes achieved in 2011 or 2012. ‘However, I would expect that tonnages will continue to fall away over the short to medium term,’ he says.

In 2010 the volume of paper sold by IAPM member companies was 89,222 tonnes, in 2009 the figure was 84,837 while in 2008 the volume of paper sold was 101,435. Tim points out that the recession came a bit early to Ireland’s paper and printing industries. ‘In 2005, sales volumes for IAPM members were 112,268 tonnes, 114, 457 tonnes in 2006 and 111,979 tonnes in 2007,’ he says. ‘In those years consumption plateaued for fine and graphic arts papers in Ireland – it averaged about 113,000 tonnes - and the last two years have averaged about 79,000 tonnes so the consumption of graphic arts papers in Ireland has reduced by 30% in five or six years. It is expected that, as the switch to digital media continues, the tonnage achieved in those three years won’t come back. As a consequence paper merchants in Ireland are consolidating and merging, closing down branches and reducing their

workforces to cope with the changing landscape.’

A dramatic decline in the use of carbonless papers is one of the significant demand trends that Tim has noted in recent years. ‘Carbonless papers are running at 25% of the volume levels they were in 2005 and they are tending to be replaced more and more by digital media,’ he says. ‘Office and copier paper has declined by about a third since 2005 because office workers don’t feel the need to print out what they used to print out – a lot of emails aren’t printed out and reports are transmitted by PDF or stored. While the paperless office is still a long way away, people seem to be trusting electronic media more so they don’t feel the need to print out as much as they used to. The use of graphics arts papers has also declined but not to the same extent as the decline that is being experienced in the corporate sector.’

There were casualties in the paper merchanting sector in 2012, the most high profile being Max Paper and Matrix Paper, neither of which were members of IAPM. The following companies are IAPM members: Antalis McNaughton Ireland Ltd, PaperlinX Ireland Ltd, Premier Paper Ltd, Réalt Paper Ltd, Star Paper Sales Ltd, Swan Paper (AP Swan Ltd), Swiftbrook Ltd, TQ Paper Ltd, UniBoard Ltd and Xerox (Ireland) Office Supplies. IAPM members now represent in excess of 95% of the Irish paper merchanting industry.

Tim says that bad debts are the main concern for IAPM members. ‘2011 was a very difficult year with our member companies being hit with bad debts of €2.64m,’ he says. ‘In 2010 the figure was nearly as bad at €1.99m but to the end of the third quarter of 2012 the figure was only €327,000 so there was a big drop in the level of bad debt in 2012.

With the rate of bad debts in 2012 slowing, along with the slight improvement in sales volumes, 2012 was an encouraging year for our members.’

Regarding the prospects for the paper sector in 2013, Tim says that Irish paper merchants will ‘continue to consolidate and look for other things to sell, will take out costs wherever they can, and will continue to be mindful of the fact that there could be more bad debts from printers in 2013.’

The Voice of the Industry Irish Printer magazine has been proudly serving the communication needs of the Irish print sector since 1974

SUBSCRIBE TODAY AND STAY INFORMED

The Voice Of The Industry

Volume 44 | Number 06

January 2013

Local Newspapers – Green Shoots or Further Decline ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: ■ GPS Installs Highest Spec Eurobind Pro in Ireland ■ Xerox & Komori Withdraw from Ipex ■ Quickbinder Provides Perfect Finish for Lettertec Ireland ■ Westside Press Makes Litho Investment ■ Chesapeake Limerick takes delivery of Europe’s first Komori GLX 740RP carton printing press ■ Delta Packaging installs its fourth B1 litho press

To subscribe to Irish Printer magazine call us now on T: +353 1 214 7920 Or Log onto our website www.irishprinter.ie

For Wiro-Binding of Books and Calendars Now Offering Coil-Binding Tel: 01 8220047 Mobile: 086 8114824 Email: irishcalendar1987@gmail.com www.wireobindings.com

Harlequin Bookbinding Limited

Specialists in the high quality production of Hardback binding, ring binders, slipcases, presentation boxes and folders, gameboards, showcard mounting, specialist foil blocking, stationery products, short run specials and the fully patented Impressbind system.

Tel: 01 - 839 0963 Fax: 01- 839 1822 E-mail: info@harlequincrafts.ie

Stafford Engineering Ltd

•Print rollers and folding rollers of all kinds, manufactured and repaired in rubber, polyurethane, chrome etc.

•Guillotine blades re-ground, circular knives sharpened, new blades.

•Machine parts manufactured to customer specification in any material.

•Coatings to provide anti-stick, easy release, friction-free surfaces.

•Fully equipped engineering workshop for all fabrication requirements.

01-460 0055 087-259 4104 sales@staffordengineering.com

IRISH PRINT AWARDS 2013, CATEGORIES YOU MAY ENTER

tSheetfed Colour Offset Printing tNational Newspapers tRegional Newspapers tMagazines tAnnual Reports tBooks tCarton Packaging tScreen Printing tSelf Adhesive Roll Labels tDigital Print

tLarge Format Digital Print tPrint Finishing tGraphic Design of Printed Material tFlexographic Print tVariable Data Print tCommercial Vehicle Wraps tPrint Manager of the Year t Small Printer of the Year

TO FIND OUT MORE CONTACT:FRANK GRENNAN OR JOSIE KEANE @ 01/2147920.