NEWS IN PRINT

Aura Print invested in a VeloBlade Volta 64 digital die-cutting system from Vivid Laminating Technologies to bring die-cutting in-house. The Huddersfield, West Yorkshire based commercial printer wanted the flexibility to be able to produce die cut products in-house and used to outsource close to 100 die-cut jobs a month, and while the quality was always great, the turnaround time and added cost to customers hindered it.

Liam Smith, director of Aura Print, said: “We’ve always found Vivid’s print finishing systems to be the next step up from consumer solutions. The VeloBlade Volta 64 digital die-cutting system was the perfect stepping stone for Aura Print to be able to offer great quality finishing in-house to our customers. With the VeloBlade Volta 64, we can now die-cut over 90% of jobs with faster turnaround times and lower cost for our customers making die-cut business cards more reachable for more customers.”

“Additionally, we have also switched to kiss cutting all stickers on the VeloBlade and the system has opened the doors for us to produce bespoke packaging. Which has really come in handy given how much customers are taking us up on custom playing cards.”

“We’re now able to produce accompanying playing card boxes all designed to the customer’s specification. This is something that would’ve been difficult with traditional die cutting but the ability for unlimited prototyping on the VeloBlade, without having to create form after form, all but solved those old problems.”

“Overall, the support we’ve received from Vivid has been top notch (or ‘reyyt good’ as we say in Yorkshire). The Vivid service engineers have bent over backwards to make sure we’re always running smoothly. From the initial training to after sales support, when our team had questions about setting up work, Vivid has been there to enable us to grow our business,” Mr Smith concluded. www.vivid-online.com

BOBST DIGITAL MASTER 340 FOR BERKSHIRE LABELS

Berkshire Labels, a UK manufacturer of high quality and innovative self-adhesive labels, sticker sheets and shrink sleeves has signed an agreement with BOBST for the purchase of a BOBST DIGITAL MASTER 340 label press, a fully digitalised and automated production line.

The agreement is the first between the two companies and reflects the growing demand for BOBST’s new hybrid solutions in the labels industry. The DIGITAL MASTER 340 is the latest in BOBST’s All-in-One, All-Inline portfolio. It offers printing, embellishment and converting in a single pass, with perfect integration between the UV inkjet digital engine, the flexo and converting modules.

“We believe the hybrid approach offered by the DIGITAL MASTER 340 will bring significant benefits to our company, with greater efficiency, speed, product offerings and enhanced uptime.” said Paul Roscoe, Managing Director and Owner of Berkshire Labels. “Having looked at inkjet for some time now and reviewing the marketplace, I believe the DIGITAL MASTER 340 is the perfect machine to complement our existing Digital Department whilst also sitting nicely next to our modern fleet of servo Flexo Presses. We have ambitious plans for growth, and we believe the DIGITAL MASTER 340 will play a fundamental role in helping us to achieve that.”

Running at up to 100 m/min (328 feet/min) in four or six colours plus optional digital white, the DIGITAL MASTER 340 bridges the gap between traditional digital and flexo machines. It enables flexibility, fast turnaround with exceptional 1200 dpi quality. The modular architecture allows each customer to configure the exact machine they need – from a digital only version to highly customised configuration – integrating all modules available in inline flexo. It also provides the possibility to be upgraded on-site at a later stage.

Berkshire Labels has invested in a DIGITAL MASTER 340 configuration with twin flexo units, with lamination and cold foil capabilities, inline die cutting. The company is at the forefront of labels manufacturing in the UK, providing optimum quality, consistency and cost effective solutions for short to medium print runs, personalisation right through to longer run label requirements.

“Berkshire Labels is one of the most respected independent label printers in the UK, and we are delighted to partner with them,” said Steve Lakin, BOBST Sales Manager UK. “We are confident that the DIGITAL MASTER 340 will help them to evolve their digital label production capabilities and take their already very successful business to the next level.” www.bobst.com

A revolutionary way of creating spare parts for everything from warships to washing machines won the prestigious Innovator of the Year award at the Stationers’ Company Innovation Excellence Awards 2022.

The Xerox ElemX 3D printer uses liquid metal to produce parts on demand, where and when they are needed, reducing costs and avoiding supply chain disruptions.

The Master of the Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers, Ms Moira Sleight, said: “The Company always welcomed innovation and is as keen to do so today as it was nearly 600 years ago when it embraced William Caxton’s printing press.”

Behind her in the Company’s historic 17th century Great Hall, Caxton looked down from his stained glass window as she continued: “Innovation is so important not just for business growth but also for improving the lives of thousands, if not millions, of people.”

Since its formation in 1403, the Company has moved from quills and parchment to Caxton’s press and now to the 21st century age of digital communication. “It is entirely appropriate that the cutting edge world of 3D printing should have so boldly captured the attention of our awards judges,” Ms Sleight added.

“They felt that the Xerox process, which can produce urgently needed parts in hours instead of weeks, is truly a potentially disruptive innovation just as Caxton’s press was.”

Xerox UK Managing Director Darren Cassidy, whose company is based in Uxbridge, Middlesex, said: “This award really matters to us. It is so important to get such prestigious recognition and it will inspire everyone at every level of our team.”

The Xerox ElemX printer is different because it uses aluminium wire rather than powder to produce droplets of molten metal which, guided by a computer, builds up layer by layer to produce a precise replica of parts which can range from a ship’s valve to an exhaust nozzle. It is already used by the United States Navy to produce parts at sea, saving time and money, and has countless land based applications, too.

Introducing the presentation ceremony, awards committee co-chair Jill Jones thanked Mathys and Squire, Picon and Hobbs the Printers for their support for the event and went on to say: “Innovation leads to survival in a rapidly changing business world.” Her co-chair, Professor Linda Drew, said: “Innovation creates lasting advantages, increases value for companies and customers, and delivers better outcomes that improve life.”

Xerox ElemX also won the award In the Business Process category.

Winners in other categories were:

Customer Experience: Cengage Learning, which offers students 24/7 access to thousands of textbooks, courses and digital products.

Marketing including Communications: Class Professional Publishing for CFR Plus, an app which guides first responders attending medical emergencies.

Product Design: TTS for Kitt the Learning Companion, a desktop robot which allows children to access personalised resources and record evidence of learning.

Service Development: Ricoh UK for Ricoh Supervisor, which analyses real time data to help businesses get greater efficiency and cost savings from their printers.

Start-Ups: A-dapt International for their Adaptive-media Interview Coach, which guides young people in the skills and confidence needed in job interviews. www.stationers.org

The Master presenting Xerox with Innovator of the Year trophy

PRACTICAL STEPS AND IDEAS TO MITIGATE THE ENERGY CRISIS

Compass Business Finance are working with businesses to provide cash flow support, helping them to face both the energy crisis and the rising cost of raw materials. The SME Confidence Tracker Survey, reported that 79% of SMEs [are saying] that the current economic climate is worse than during the pandemic.

Mark Nelson commented, “We’re seeing businesses being forced back into survival mode, again, many of whom are having to take urgent action to navigate their way through a whole host of critical issues. Following the mini budget, businesses have been provided with some short term relief, however, many of our customers are looking for longer term solutions.”

Compass has put together a discussion paper on mitigating the energy crisis, looking at practical steps and ideas for managing businesses through the crisis and to advance towards their sustainability goals, including examples from RMC Digital and Browns Print.

Speaking about their solar project, Nicole Spencer, managing director of RMC Digital, said, “Our energy costs this summer were half what the usually are, and although we had originally estimated a five year payback, rising energy costs have meant that the return on investment has been much quicker.

If your business is in need of cash flow support, funding to become more energy efficient, or to invest in sustainability projects, it’s worth talking to your finance provider as soon as possible. Funding support is available through the Recovery Loan Scheme, and local grants, as well as tax benefits such as the Annual Investment Allowance and the Super Deduction, however, all of these are time limited. To see the discussion paper visit www.compassbusinessfinance.co.uk/news

PROFILE OF THE MONTH: CASLON

Caslon has been supplying professional printers with innovative profit making products since 1720 when William Caslon first cut the typeface that bears his name.

Today quick print pros benefit from sound advice, supply and service for business card cutters, digital print finishing products and systems, foiling, glueing, hole punching and creasing equipment, plus thermographic equipment and supplies. Stand out with foil stamping, die stamping and engraving. www.caslon.co.uk • 01727 852 211 info@caslon.co.uk

IFS FINISH+BIND 360 SHOW SMARTER BOOK PRODUCTION

IFS put the spotlight on responsive book production technologies at its recent two day finish+bind360 event. UK book sales increased 7% in 2021 and this trend is expected to grow as interest and demand for books continues. To enable print service providers to respond flexibly to this opportunity the well attended finish+bind360 event highlighted fresh technologies and software designed to support new production capabilities and elevate current operations. finish+bind360 focused on a smart and efficient workflow for short-run soft cover book production starting with Horizon iCE LiNK, the folding of A4 and A5 signatures on the iCE FOLDER AFV-566FKT, and the lamination of book covers on the Foliant Taurus 530 NG B2 Laminator with jogger.

The folded signatures were fed as book blocks into the Horizon iCE BINDER BQ-500 with the laminated covers automatically fed, slit, and creased with cover and book block barcode matching for 100% integrity.

Bound books were then stacked in the Horizon SS-800 stack stream unit and conveyed in-line, with indexing, and via the Horizon EL-300 elevator lift unit to the Horizon ICE TRIMMER HT-300 with BF-P300 Pusher Feeder with barcode reader. Single books and stacks of books were trimmed at production speeds up to 1,500 books/hr (five book stacks).

Also demonstrated live was the trimming of books with flaps and corner trimming for books. Trimmed books exited the iCE TRIMMER onto a delivery conveyor in small stacks for easy handling.

IFS Sales Director, Jason Seaber, comments: “It has been more than two years since we last had an event at IFS in Hemel Hempstead. It was great to see and speak with real people, face to face, and in front of such amazing technologies that will help them navigate their way through challenging trading conditions.”

He continues: “During COVID-19, book sales increased and were a life saver to many book producers. They are expected to continue to grow for the foreseeable future and these new finishing and binding technologies (hardware and software) have been very well received. Several orders have already been placed.”

If you missed finish+bind360 but would like to learn more, IFS will be following up the event with in depth customer demonstrations, application tests and samples.

The next finish+bind360 event in 2023 will showcase different finishing and binding solutions focused on keeping customers’ competitive and profitable. www.ifsl.uk.com

SO WHAT RHYMES WITH 2023

Forecasting a trend is about as easy as picking the winning horse in The Grand National. Too many hurdles and worse, fences set taller than you and me. Fortunately, being a good guesser has helped in the past and now with the experience of age comes the ability to re-circulate past trends and claim them as new. So it should all be effort free in 2023.

Looking for both a 2023 error free and hassle free blogging place is now easy with a new trouble free self-publishing home for the best print blogs in print.

Say yessirree to becoming a pedigree 2023 publishee. Fill your report with potency for the print industry. Taking time to rhyme is not a 2023 necessity, rather more noteworthy, is that the content has the marketability to collectively offer more printability in 2023.

Timely New Year headlines collaboratively tested for 2023 will be taken seriously, and completely with print positivity.

You are cordially invited to innovatively become a 2023 PR genie, successfully using a variety of marketability. The best prose in the best place to find targeted key respondees. 2023 will deliver more marketability in print, stay tuned and please don’t make a song and dance of it. www.BestBlogsInPrint.co.uk

BLOG OF THE MONTH

Top Bloggers Rights this month go to Dean Cook at The Magazine Production Company. One of his blogs, ‘The problem with editing PDFs’ has been showcased on Quick Print Pro’s Best Blogs In Print.

The stats add up to Dean being awarded the print industry top blogger of the month accolade.

THE PROBLEM WITH EDITING PDFs

So you have a PDF file on the screen and wish to make changes. Easy, yes? Well, not really. DEAN COOK from The Magazine Production Company offers why applying changes within a PDF file isn’t such a great idea.

Since the late ’90s, I have only supplied compliant-PDF files in commercial printing — back then, I often encouraged prepress departments to use this new-found pain-free format — helped by correctly constructed artwork.

While the PDF offers speed, accuracy and efficiency, over the years, I’m often presented with requests to edit, make changes, move assets, or resize supplied PDF artwork. In the vast majority of cases…read more here. www.bestblogsinprint.co.uk/blog/the-problem-with-editing-pdfs www.BestBlogsInPrint.co.uk