ProPrint March 2017

People Technology Business

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ProPrint Star Business

Pressrooms that pay

AusPost CEO resignation

Openbook Howden investing in staff training p32-33

The latest action from offset press world p26-26

Controversial CEO will leave, industry celebrates p6

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EDITOR’S LETTER WAYNE ROBINSON

Driving growth The ACCC has listened to the industry and given the go-ahead to the biggest merger in the history of Australian print, with PMP and IPMG to become one.

With everyone incuding the PIAA and the ACA strongly supporting the deal it is good to see it go through, with ACCC head Rod Sims acknowledging that while competition is reduced, the power remains with the customers.

The deal means a hefty amount of capacity will leave the industry as the older plant and equipment is decommissioned. It will leave two fierce rivals in the heatset world; the new merged group, and IVE, which now includes Franklin Web and AIW in Melbourne. And deep in the IVE half year report was the news that the company is planning a new greenfield site for its heatset operation in NSW, which will heighten the competition even

further among the two companies as they seek to develop sustainable and profitable businesses.

The PMP half year results just out could be said, as far as Australia is concerned, to be deeply disappointing. The company's Australian print revenue fell by a

That growth driven partly through increased share of customers' wallets fifth, sending the results back into the red. Overall revenue was up but only because of the Gordon and Gotch distribution deal with Bauer. PMP blamed fierce price cutting, the loss of contracts, and customers hesitant to commit to new contracts until the merger was given a yes or a no.

By contrast the IVE half yearly was a positive story; sales, profits and customer numbers all up during the period.

The biggets point of difference between the two companies is that IVE is an increasingly diversified group, although sheetfed and heatset printing remains at the core of its activity, and will continue to do so.

This is evident through its new heatset press on order and the development of a brand new site.

So IVE is investing in its core activity while at the same time working hard to diversify into new areas, mostly related, only one of its four divisions is not print related.

Most print businesses are operating on a smaller scale to the big ones, but the same principles of focusing on both core competency and diversifying into related areas can apply equally whatever size of business. IVE is growing rapidly, that growth partly driven by getting a bigger share of existing customers' wallets through diversified services, a winning strategy.

CONTENTS

FOCUS: BUSINESS

2-6 Update

The printing press is under pressure, printers and manufacturers are responding with vigour

26-28 Pressroom

The monthly round-up of all the major news from the world of Australian print

30-31 Pacprint Preview

8-10 Monthly debrief

The print industry's biggest event is set to open its doors in less than three months' time

Recap of all the major developments published on proprint.com.au since the last issue of ProPrint

TECHNOLOGY GUIDE

12 Online ProPrint

38-43 Entry level presses

What has been causing ProPrint readers to hit the keyboard this month?

p 44-45

14 Comment: Baden Kirgan Kirgan says the current drive to suppress wages is not in the long term interest of the industry

20-22 Update: Dunwell retires Photos from industry sales veteran Steve Dunwell's retirement party

14 Comment: Romano Print celebrates its 572nd birthday in 2017, it has survived many eras and will continue to do so

16 Comment: Gettler The customer may always be right but that does not mean they are always easy to deal with

www.proprint.com.au

COVER STORY p 56

24-25 Xeikon boosts Australian activity Digital print pioneer has just set up its own direct subsidiary in Australia to ramp up its presence here as part of a big year for the company

Looking to get into digital printing ProPrint checks out a few of the latest entry level digital presses

FOCUS: ENVIRONMENT 44-45 Sustainability Printers can benefit from moving into environmentally friendly printing, in five key areas

POSTSCRIPT 72 Print's Past, Diary, Q&A ProPrint remembers how things used to be, Q&A with gym junkie Stacey Dvorak, and the print diary

March 2017 ProPrint 1

UPDATE

ACCC gives green light to PMP IPMG merger

by Athina Mallis

The ACCC has approved the PMP IPMG merger, with chairman Rod Sims saying it was a finely balanced decision.

“While the ACCC considers that the merger is likely to lessen competition we do not believe that it reaches the threshold of being a substantial lessening of competition,” he says.

“Market conditions have changed since the ACCC opposed a proposed merger between PMP and IPMG in 2001. There has been a significant reduction in demand for magazine printing and there is excess capacity in the industry.

“Furthermore, the IVE group has recently expanded through acquisitions and winning major tenders. We consider that IVE is likely to constrain the merged company. Other smaller printers and newspaper publishers also compete in this market,” he adds.

The merger took place on March 1.

Peter George, CEO, PMP says, “We are delighted to now be able to complete the merger. It creates the opportunity for us to build a competitive and sustainable new company with significant synergy benefits,” he says.

Industry groulps including the PIAA a nd t he Au s t r a l i a n C at a lo g ue Association (ACA) had urged the ACCC

Green light: (l-r) Rod Sims, ACCC; Michael Hannan, IPMG; and Peter George, PMP

to let this merger proceed, with PIAA CEO Andrew Macaulay presenting a blunt assessment, saying, “An ACCC blockage would lock the market in its present state – lacking in efficiency, with excess capacity and obsolete equipment. In so doing, the ACCC would be consigning the market and the industry to the past.”

In O c tob er, PM P a nd IPMG announced its merger with George saying, the company’s acquisition of IPMG will deliver significant cost savings that are crucial in a difficult business environment.

“PMP and IPMG have taken decisive action to bring about the proposed merger so that we can combine and

adapt to the realities of Australia’s print industry in the decade ahead, in the process creating sustainability and value for our customers,” says George.

ACCC will release a public competition assessment outlining further information about its conclusions.

The new combined entity will have a revenue of $1.28bn, with PMP’s 2015/16 income $820m and IPMG’s at $362m.

Under the terms of the deal the Hannan family will get 37 per cent of PMP shares and two seats on the board.

It is the second time that PMP and IPMG have attempted to merge the first - blocked by the ACCC - was back in 2001. IPMG also attempted to merge with Blue Star in 2014.

MADE AN IMPRESSION PMP AND IPMG Print giants get merger go-ahead from ACCC IVE Half year results show revenue up, profits up, customers up PRINT AND MAIL Resignation of AusPost CEO Ahmed Fahour should be good news for everyone

UPS & DOWNS PMP AND IPMG STAFF Merged entity will be shedding staff around the country NEWSPAPER ADS Both Fairfax and News blamed a sharp decline in print ads for drop in results

2 ProPrint March 2017

Purple praise: Cliff Royle’s innovative Victoria-based Purple Press is the first winner of the inaugural Konica Minolta National Specialised Print Awards. From the 230 entries the six state winners were: Elect Print, ACT; Cosmo Print, NSW; TJ’s E-print, Qld; Ink on Paper, SA; Image on Paper, WA; and Purple Press, Victoria. Anthony Lewis, general manager Konica Minolta production print described the entries as ‘remarkable’. Four independent judges picked the winner. Pictured at the awards event in Sydney are Cliff Royle with the award, Anthony Lewis (left), Dr David Cooke, (second left) CEO of Konica Minolta Australia, and David Procter (right), sales director, Konica Minolta Australia. www.proprint.com.au

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UPDATE PRINT BY NUMBERS

80% Likely drop in salary from $5.6m of whoever replaces Ahmed Fahour as CEO of AusPost p6

40 Years capital equipment sales chief Steve Dunwell spent in the industry before retiring p6

$308m Half year profits for packaging giant Amcor, a 1% rise p8

$160m Total global sales value of offset presses 2016, a decade ago it was around $2bn p10

3 End of March will be the third iteration of the Xeikon Cafe in Belgium p24-25

90% Energy saving on new Ryobi LED-UV presses p26-28

13 Number of staff at Openbook Howden who went on the Future Print leadership course p32-33

8 Tech Guide this month is entry level digital printing, with eight printers in the spotlight p37-43

4 ProPrint March 2017

PMP revenue drops 20% in Australia

by Athina Mallis

PMP suffered a substantial drop in revenue from its Australia print business, down by $40m in it first half results.

The company says its inability to replace lost print contract volumes, a general sell price decline, and customer hesitation prior to the merger being approved all contributed to reduced print revenues by $28m or 24 per cent.

After adjusting for these factors, heatset print volumes fell by 2.1 per cent.

PMP half year revenue was up 27.7 per cent at $496.6m, compared to $390.5m, an increase of $106.2m in the previous year, this was almost entirely die to Gordon and Gotch winning the Bauer distribution business.

The company suffered a net loss of $14.5m compared to a $1.8m profit prior corresponding period (pcp), although prior to significant items the net loss was $2.9m.

Sales at Gordon and Gotch in Australia and New Zealand were up $112m on the back of higher volumes from the new Bauer contracts.

The EBIDTA before significant items

Extremely unusual print market: Peter George

is at $11.1m, down $17.9m pcp. The free cashflow is at $5.7m versus $17.5m previous year, down $11.8m.

Peter George, CEO, PMP says, “As we informed the market last year, PMP’s first half results were significantly lower pcp. The half was adversely impacted by extremely unusual print market conditions in the lead into the expected industry consolidation.”

“With every major heatset print operation pursuing industry consolidation in the first half, the printers were very aggressive in competing to retain existing contracts. Understandably, prospective print customers were wary of signing contracts where the future competitive market was not clear.

“As a result of the challenging market conditions, we were unsuccessful in replacing lost volumes, as well as from customers that went out of business in the last financial year. Profitability was also affected by postponing cost-out responses to the lower activity levels in anticipation of the IPMG merger going ahead as planned.”

IVE plans greenfield heatset site

by Athina Mallis

IVE Group - which includes Blue Star Group – saw all its half year figures heading in the right direction, and says it is going to establish a new greenfield large format web offset plant in NSW The new site is set to be located in Seven Hills, and is planned to be open by the middle of the year.

IVE has ordered a new 80pp heatset manroland Lithoman for the new site, which will run under the Franklin Web name, and another as yet unspecified heatset press will also be in the factory.

IVE will continue to run Blue Star Web out of its current Silverwater facility as a specialised heatset printer.

The IVE half year results just released show the company is on its way to finishing the year strongly, says executive chairman Geoff Selig.

IVE Group delivered a 5.9 per cent increase in revenue in the first half to $207.7m, up from the prior corresponding period (pcp) result of $196.1m, with EBITDA of $24m also up by 8.1 per cent on pcp, on a pro forma basis.

IVE says the pro forma revenue growth of 5.9 per cent reflects the increased revenue through a combination of new business, expanding its existing customer base, expanded service offering and acquisitions. The EBITDA grow th of 8.1 per cent

Pleased with performance: Geoff Selig

Go to proprint.com.au for news as it happens

compared to last year was achieved through revenue growth, stable gross profit and the continued management of production and administration costs, continuing to expand EBITDA margin.

The company says its gross profit margin at 53 per cent compared to 52 per cent pcp has remained stable due to managing inputs, continued leverage of supply chain, reducing outsourced expenditure and work mix change.

Statutory revenue is up 12.5 per cent with EBITDA up 67.6 per cent on PCP, with the first half impacted by key acquisition and restructure costs primarily relating to the Franklin Web and AIW Printing acquisitions in midDecember. The H1 FY2016 statutory results were impacted by one off costs associated with the company listing on the ASX in December 2015.

The company says the results reflect continued growth through a combination of new business, as well as existing customer base, together with business acquisitions in the second half of FY2016, and the first half of FY2017.

Selig says, “We are pleased with our performance in the first half, with continued good momentum across the business. The acquisitions of Franklin Web and AIW Printing have been very well received by all key stakeholders.” www.proprint.com.au

UPDATE Dunwell bids goodbye to print industry

AusPost CEO Fahour resigns

by Athina Mallis

Retirement: Steve Dunwell

Industry equipment sales veteran Steve Dunwell said goodbye to print colleagues, customers and friends at Banjo Patterson’s restaurant in Sydney.

Calling time on a 40 year career Dunwell reflected that ‘it is all about the people’, and paid tribute to several influential figures in his working life, including former Rural Press managing director John Parker who was at the event, his long-time assistant Allison Whitelaw, his wife Carol, and reserving special praise for the sales people he has worked with over the years.

Dunwell acknowledged his good fortune in working with leading brands during his career, including Harris, Scitex, Creo, HP Indigo and manroland.

However as speakers including Fairfax group print and distribution director Bob Lockley pointed out, Dunwell’s character played a major role in him working with those companies.

The bête-noir of the print and mail industry Australia Post CEO Ahmed Fahour has resigned from his position, following seven years in the job. He will leave his role in July.

The under-fire AusPost boss has copped a torrent of criticism for the past two weeks after the Senate forced the taxpayer-owned organisation to reveal his salary, which at $5.6m turned out to be ten times more than the prime minister and ten times that of the head of the massive US Postal Service.

However, Fahour denies his decision to go has anything to do with the outrage that has been expressed, saying instead that after seven years in a 24/7 job it is time to go.

The Guardian though reports Fahour quit after the government told him to take a substantial paycut.

Fahour has enraged the print and mail industry in recent years with his strategy of running down mail to focus on the parcels business, those printers and mailing houses have been popping champage corks.

Andrew Macaulay, CEO of PIAA says, “It’s a fantastic day for the print and mailing industry. This is great news and should be a circuit breaker. Ahmed Fahour has been obdurate in his refusal

Resigned: Ahmed Fahour

to communicate, engage or negotiate with his major customer, the print and mailing industry. The strategy Fahour has put in place has been damaging and has resulted in a fast decline of business mail volumes in Australia.”

Macaulay says the PIAA will be making strong representations to the relevant minister to seek to convey the industry’s viewpoint for Fahour’s successor.

Fahour’s successor will have to make do with a salary likely to be 80 per cent less than his $5.6m. The government has sacked the AusPost remuneration committee, which awarded him ten times more than the prime minister and than the head of the US Postal Service, and says its own remuneration committee that sets the pay for agency leaders will determine the award. This is almost certain to be at the same level as the head of the RBA GlennStevens who receives around $1m, and the head of the ABC Michelle Guthrie who is on around $900,000.

AusPost has released its half year results with $115m growth in profit after tax, an 8 per cent revenue growth, but an 11 per cent decline in addressed letter volumes, following the 9.5 per cent decline in the same period last year.

PIAA lashes Fair Work Commission

Eastern Press and Print Impressions merge

by Athina Mallis

Two Melbourne printers, Eastern Press and Print Impressions, are merging, with Eastern Press owner Frank Hilliard saying there was an opportunity to join forces with a like-minded printer.

The companies say both are successful printers in their own right with production capacity so the merger made sense on many levels.

Hilliard signed contracts with Print Impressions owner, Trevor O’Connell in early Febuary, stating the merger will begin February 14, and should be finalised around Easter. Print Impressions will be integrating into the Eastern Press facility.

One of the key factors that drove Hilliard and O’Connell to merge was that by combining businesses their respective clients could now benefit from a total end-to-end print solution without the need to outsource. The combined business will have a full range of offset and digital print, mailing services, and wide-format printing, in addition to a range of interactive and digital solutions including augmented reality and cross media.

All Print Impressions staff were offered positions at Eastern Press.

PIAA CEO Andrew Macaulay and director of government relations Mary-Jo Fisher have told MP’s the Fair Work Commission (FWC) is divided, partisan and dysfunctional, and needs fixing.

Fisher told 25 members of parliament that, “The system is broken, the government has sat on its hands for too long in the workplace relations sphere, it is time it got over its fear of the spectre of Workchoices.”

Fisher says the dysfunction has been building up over the last five to ten years. She says, “The problem was finally brought to the fore with a scathing critique written by FWC vice president Graeme Watson. In our view his letter needs to be used to bring matters to a head with the government.”

“In the sense that if the government has not been rallying already, then it needs to. In the words of Watson in his letter: The workplace relations system is antibusiness and anti-employment.”

Macaulay and Fisher were notified of a recent incident involving the abandonment of the employment clause in the Graphic Arts, Printing and Publishing Award, illustrating many of the issues Watson raises.

6 ProPrint March 2017

System broken: Mary-Jo Fisher

Go to proprint.com.au for news as it happens

They both met with employment minister Michaelia Cash to talk specifically about the FWC. “We spoke to her on three levels, firstly, we spoke to her about the fair work act itself. We urged the government to progress implementing the recommendations of a recent report from the productivity commission, which shows a raft of recommended changes, we think the government should implement almost all of those.

“Secondly, we indicated to her the small business unfair dismissal code was due for an overhaul.

“Finally, we put to her our concern about the dysfunctional working of the FWC.” Another MP they spoke to was Dan Tehan telling him the workplace relations system is not helping business, employment or productivity.

Fisher says they asked Tehan to support any changes the government might consider making over the FWC. They also spoke about retaining parallel import restrictions on books as McPherson Binding, a major regional employer with 400 staff is in Tehan’s electorate.

www.proprint.com.au

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UPDATE FEBRUARY TIMELINE

Monthly debrief Recapping the major developments since your last issue. Stories are breaking every day at www.proprint.com.au

4 february Come and see us

PacPrint February 2017

21 – 25 May 2013 Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Come and see us Stand 3742

PacPrint PacPrint Come and see us

21 – 25 May 2013 Melbourne Convention

21 –Exhibition 25 May 2013 and Centre.

Melbourne Convention Stand 3742 and Exhibition Centre.

Stand 3742

Remember just 6 years ago?

Remember Remember Remember just years ago?

6 years ago? just 10 years ago?

People Technology Business

www.proprint.com.au February 2017 $8.00

Come and see us

23 – 26 May 2017 Stand H30B

No iPads No iPhones No Twitter No iPads No NoiPads cloud to share data No iPhones No iPhones 2 Digital presses on the market No Twitter No Twitter People still faxed stuff Nocloud cloud toshare No sharedata data Digitalpresses presses on 22Digital onthe themarket market Peoplestill still faxed People faxedstuff stuff

02 february MAIL BOXES ETC EXPANDING IN 2017 Mail Boxes Etc (MBE) will be opening 10 additional franchises in Australia this year, with a focus on expanding in WA, SA and NSW. The group currently has 35 stores in Austraila. Clayton Treloar, CEO, MBE Australia says it has found its first location, in Ultimo, NSW, and is now seeking a franchisee. He says the company is not necessarily looking for franchisees with printing backgrounds.

“The beauty about the MBE brand is you have three businesses in one. You do not need a printing background, we can train them on all of that”, he says. Treloar says 80 to 90 per cent of the MBE sales are still in printing, so he says the company is in a good position to grow. “Our sales in colour printing grew over the year.”

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Roger Kirwan growing Foxcil into new niche areas p24-26

Opportunities are beckoning as new applications emerge p28-33

Digital corrugated Corrugated set to be next adopter of high speed inkjet printing p34-35

Australia is actually one of the best performing countries on a population pro rata basis News happens every day at

proprint.com.au Sign up for our free daily news bulletin.

Registered users get access to premium content 8 ProPrint March 2017

08 february KOMORI AND SCREEN HEAD TO SMART PRINTING Komori and Screen GP have finished development of a new integrated workflow solution, which the first user claims will lead to the creation of smart printing factory with total integration, robotics, artificial intelligence. The Komori Screen solution combines KP-Connect Pro (formerly K-Station 4), Komori’s advanced printing task control software and Equios 5.0, the latest version of Screen GP’s universal workflow platform. The companies say it enhances automaton in all processes from prepress to printing and through to post press. The workflow is already installed at Japanese printing company Mizukami Insatsu, where it is currently performing verification tests.

07 february OFFSET WEB SALES COLLAPSE Demand for web offset presses is falling to unprecedented lows, with the global market for 2016 slumping to around €160m, a significant decrease on the previous year which was itself a record low of €220m. Just a decade ago market leader manroland alone was selling €1bn worth of web presses, with the global market worth around double that. Sales of web presses from all the major manufacturers combined in 2016 were less than ten per cent of the 2007 figures. The twin whammy of the GFC and the broad uptake of the internet which both happened around the same time have decimated orders for the big presses. Orders from the US, which used to be the number one market for newspaper presses, have dried up as newspapers across the country have closed down as consumers have switched to mobile online consumption. Australia is actually one of the best performing countries on a population pro rata basis, the new IPMG site at Warwick Farm and Franklin Web putting in new manroland heatset webs over the past three years, and Webstar is installing one later this year. Fairfax upgraded its presses in Ballarat and Richmond when it moved out of Chullora and Tullamarine three years ago although it did not put in any new lines.

14 february AMCOR PROFITS RISING ON FLAT SALES Profit after tax for global packaging company Amcor increased by 1 per cent for half year, while sales down by 1.8 per cent, as the company pulled out of Venezuela. The half year results for Amcor show a rise from the prior year in profit after tax (PAT) to $308.6m, however sales for the HY were down by 1.8 per cent from the previous year from US$4.5bn to US$4.46bn.

13 february END TO END FINISHING ON NEW VERSANTS Fuji Xerox has released the new Versant 3100 and Versant 180, both designed to enable end to end print and inline finishing for multiple products. Mark Brown, marketing manager production technology, Fuji Xerox says, one of the major features of the new Versants is their ability to finish various products inline. “There are new features around the finishing abilities for customers to leave labour input and have as many applications to do inline without touch,” he says. “They are engineered to provide whole of job capability and greater efficiency when it comes to varied finishing needs of print providers. They are a total print solution that include simple affordable in-line finishing and all in one booklet making to automate processes, reduce costs, and ultimately streamline operator workflows,” he says. The Finisher D6 comes with Booklet Maker, Crease/ Two-sided Trimmer D1 and SquareFold Trimmer D1 and has increased automation.

www.proprint.com.au

UPDATE 20 february

16 february

Xeikon ANZ will be using its own service engineers to support the presses

XEIKON NOW OPEN IN AUSTRALIA Xiekon has officially opened its doors for its own sales, service and support operation in Australia and New Zealand. The Xeikon solutions have been available in Australia for many years, latterly through Absolute Electronics, however when Xeikon was bought by Flint last year the ink giant instigated a strategy of direct operations within the region. Trevor Crowley, general manager, Xeikon says, “For the market it means they have a direct line to the factory and the technology developers, and it means they have a supplier whose sole focus is Xeikon.” Xeikon ANZ will be using its own service engineers to support the presses, with parts and consumables located in Sydney and the regional headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, which will also host the regional technology center with both simplex and duplex technology installed. Crowley says, “The service will be at the level that Xeikon users would expect, we recognise the importance of quick response in today’s world. We are investing heavily in factory trained engineers.”

WORKFLOWZ APPOINTS NEW SALES MANAGER Workflowz has appointed Peter Johnson as its new sales manager for the Oceania region, who comes with more than 20 years of industry experience. Johnson says he will use his industry know-how to help printers be more efficient, whilst maintaining and improving quality, while also providing added value opportunities.

“I look forward to meeting existing and potential clients and responding to their individual business requirements. There are plenty of opportunities for Workflowz, and this role is jointly the right fit for us,” he says. Alan Dixon, CEO of Workflowz says, “We are delighted to have Johnson on board. He is joining us at a particularly busy and exciting time with the run up to PacPrint.”

21 february CANON WINS LINE OF YEAR Canon has won three Buyers Laboratory (BLI) awards, including the coveted wide format line of the year. The company was given accolades in the categories of outstanding professional photo and fine art wide format printer series, and the outstanding poster, and indoor signage wide format printer series for winter 2017.

These awards were given to the Canon imagePrograf PRO-2000/PRO- 4000 Series and Canon imagePrograf PRO-4000S/PRO6000S Series, respectively. Vishal Gohel, product manager at Canon Australia says, “Our new models have been recognised for outstanding performance and reliability.

The details of the reports from BLI are important to us as they show where Canon is achieving its goals and where we can make further improvements.”

15 february ORORA GROWS DESPITE ECONOMIC CLIMATE Orora has come out strong with its half year results, with its net profit after tax increasing by 12.3 per cent, to $92.1m, on sales up 4.1 per cent to $1.97bn.

For EBIT the figures grew by 9.3 per cent to $149.6m. Orora has signed agreements to acquire two North American companies, The Garvey Group and Graphich Tech for $71m. The company says these results came through improving group-wide operational efficiency and cost control initiatives, solid sales growth in Orora North America, from both Orora Packaging Solutions, and an on-target contribution from its point of purchase business bought last year, IntregraColor.

The result comes despite what the company says were average economic conditions and input cost headwinds, including escalating energy prices in Australia. Nigel Garrard, CEO, says, “This is a positive first half. We have delivered on our objective and delivered a strong result.

Orora has been able to convert the growth in earnings into increased cash flow and improved returns.”

www.proprint.com.au

21 february

16 february AUSTRALIAN PRINT DRAGS SPICERS RESULTS DOWN The country’s biggest paper merchant Spicers saw a 3.7 per cent drop in sales revenue at $195.2m for the first six months of the year, last year revenue was clocked in at $202.6m. However EBIT was steady with the previous year at $3.3m, versus $3.2m for the previous year, up by 1.6 per cent, with statutory profit steady at $3.6m. Spicers says the biggest drop was in Australian commercial print market due to ‘ongoing structural decline and challenging trading conditions’, and without growth in other areas Spicers revenue drop would have been more than 3.7 per cent. There was solid growth in diversified revenue streams, with strong contributions from the sign and display and pressure sensitive labels product categories. David Martin, CEO, Spicers says, “While trading conditions in our core commercial print markets continue to be challenging, particularly in Australia, we have been able to maintain overall group earnings with good results.”

BERRY NEW RICOH MANAGING DIRECTOR Ricoh Australia has hired Andy Berry as its new managing director, after John Hall retired last month following three years in the hotseat. Berry has more than 25 years in the print industry working for companies such as Fuji Xerox Australia and Xerox Europe. During his time at those companies he held positions such as executive director, head of sales, marketing and professional services, head of global sales and most recently, chief customer officer at Fuji Xerox Australia.

Recently, he was the managing principal of Trivium Solutions and principal consultant with Second Road. Berry says he is excited at the opportunity to lead Ricoh Australia and to help realise the talent and energy of its people. “The traditional print market continues to offer a significant opportunity for Ricoh and when coupled with a comprehensive set of workplace solutions and services across information technology services, print and document management we are enabling customers to change their traditional ways of working. I admire the Ricoh approach.”

The traditional print market continues to offer a significant opportunity for Ricoh

March 2017 ProPrint 9

UPDATE FEBRUARY TIMELINE 22 february 21 february PIAA DEMANDS ENERGY FIX The PIAA demands federal MPs work to fix the nation’s emerging energy crisis, telling the politicians that volatility in costs and supply were unacceptable, and the renewables target is ‘crazy’ and will lead to more energy blackouts.

CEO Andrew Macaulay and director of government relations Mary-Jo Fisher sat down with 25 politicians from both Labor and Liberal parties to express the industry’s growing concerns with energy pricing, security and supply. Fisher says, “We went to Canberra armed with empirical information we got from SA members about the cost of energy from them and the instability of supply. Members of parliament were thirsty for that information. We are now compiling information from our members nationally to take back to parliament.”

Fisher says they spoke to South Australian members first as the state has experienced three blackouts in the past six months.

We are pleased to report a result reflecting a 6 per cent increase in earnings per share

APN SAYS DIGITAL TO TAKE OVER FROM PRINT APN Outdoor’s full year result for 2016 sees its revenue up 10 per cent at $330.9m, above its target of 8.5 per cent to 9 per cent. Its digital revenue rose by 50 per cent to a third of the total revenue for 2016 with 34 per cent of the total revenue, compared to 23 per cent in the year prior.

The company says the growth in digital will continue, and part of it will be at the expense of print, which will see a declining revenue. Richard Herring, CEO, APN Outdoor says, “The ongoing shift to digital will drive revenue growth. The conversion of APN Outdoor’s Classic sites to large format Elite digital screen is attracting greater revenue. However this growth in revenue will be partially offset by the resultant reduction in Classic format.”

4.7% FAIRFAX AD REVENUE PLUMMETS Fairfax revenue for the half year was down by 4.7 per cent to $913m, with the company citing a 16 per cent drop in print advertising as a primary cause for the downturn. Profit for the period trebled from last year to $83.7m from $27.4m. The underlying revenue of $902.9m is down 5.8 per cent. The EBITDA of $145.1m is down 9.9 per cent, while the EBIT of $126.8 up 0.6 per cent and net profit after tax of $84.7m up 6.1 per cent. Fairfax shares are currently in a trading halt, with industry rumours suggesting the successful Domain business is separated out for a possible ASX listing, and that the newspaper business is potentially being sold to Seven West Media, owner of Channel 7. Managing director Greg Hywood says its 16 per cent decline for half year advertising is a result from weakness in retail and motoring categories.

22 february

23 february

WELLCOM REVENUE DOWN AS PROFIT RISES Wellcom Group saw its half year revenue down 8 per cent from $80.3m to $73.9m, but the profit after tax was up 6 per cent from $5.4m to $5.7m. Net revenue excluding print management was also lower than the previous year coming in at $46.9m from $52.1m, a 5 per cent decline. However, the EBITDA was up at $9.84m, a 5 per cent rise from last year’s result of $9.39m. Wayne Sidwell executive chairman of Wellcom Group says, “We are pleased to report a result reflecting a 6 per cent increase in earnings per share. Careful cost management practices have followed generally challenging market conditions and the recent closure of two large clients, Dick Smith Electronics and Masters Home Improvements. Wayne Sidwell’s son Andrew is now Group CEO.

OOH! MERGER TO START IN MAY The proposed merger between oOh! Media (OML) and APN Outdoor (APO) is set to be implemented in May should OML shareholders vote in favour and the ACCC give its approval. The merged group will have revenues of $1.6bn, it is expected to generate value accretion for both sets of shareholders, driven in part by cost synergies of at least $20m to be realised on a run-rate basis within two years following implementation of the merger. However, the merger is contingent on the ACCC’s approval, which will be handed down March 16. APN says the proposed merger combines two complementary portfolios to create a leading, diversified out-ofhome and online media group with value accretion to be shared by both companies’ shareholders. The merged group with have an enhanced geographic presence across Australia and New Zealand with 8,989 digital and 63,200 classic screens and panels across metropolitan and regional locations. As outlined to shareholders, the two companies propose to merge via an all scrip scheme of arrangement, with OML shareholders receiving a 0.83 APO shares for every one OML share they own.

News happens every day at

proprint.com.au Sign up for our free daily news bulletin.

Registered users get access to premium content 10 ProPrint March 2017

23 february

Fairfax shares are currently in a trading halt, with industry rumours suggesting the successful Domain business is separated out for a possible ASX listing

28 february REDBUBBLE REVENUE AND PROFIT SOARS Online personalised print platform Redbubble half year revenue is up 26.3 per cent to $78.7m, its gross profit has grown 38.1 per cent, to $28.3m, and its EBITDA losses have been reduced by 75 per cent to $1.1m.

Martin Hosking, CEO, Redbubble says, “The group has seen strong and profitable growth from its paid marketing activity by proactively increasing paid marketing spend, benefiting from improved processes and in response to the shift to mobile where paid placements get a higher profile on the smaller mobile screens.” Redbubble’s net loss after tax is at $2.8m, reduced by 73.4 per cent, and its gross profit after paid acquisitions is at $21.7m, up 33.7 per cent. The company achieved strong growth in gross transaction value rising to 22.8 per cent, 31.3 per cent on a constant currency basis. Redbubble says it is continuing to scale and demonstrate emerging operating leverage, despite significant headwinds.

The company says the global opportunity before it remains large , and says it will continue to invest to seize that growing opportunity. www.proprint.com.au

Productivity.

Speed.

Efficiency

A job that could take 3 days with make ready on a flexo press, took 34 minutes

The L350 has been the saviour of our business

Driving our business growth and attracting new clients...over 90% up-time

Deane Sproule - DS Labels

Dennis Ebeltoft - MD Of Springfield Solutions

Mark George - DS Labels

Contact David Reece for a sample pack or to organise a live demonstration.

E: dreece@jet-ap.com or T: +61 2 8399 4999

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Indonesia T +62 21 899 11 392 orders@jet-ap.co.id www.jet-ap.co.id

New Zealand T +64 21 743 407 orders@jet-ap.co.nz

UPDATE ONLINE THE PROPRINT ONLINE POLL

Wait, what? 3%

Are you happy the PMP IPMG merger went through?

social media

LinkedIn

www.proprint.com.au/LinkedIn

No 20% Yes 56% It doesn’t matter to me 21%

» Members 2,657 NOTABLE POSTS: » What the print industry can learn from craft brewing. Many printing companies might do better to focus on fewer customers and making more money from them. - by Matthew Parker

Twitter

www.twitter.com/proprint » Followers 3,490

Total votes: 86

Couldn’t care less

Yes 3%

Do you think the AusPost CEO should have earned $5.6m last year?

9%

He does not deserve a penny 14%

Facebook

www.facebook.com/ProPrintAustralia » Likes 1,346

TOP POSTS » ProPrint: AusPost CEO resigns » Mark Illsley: Haha. See you at

No 75%

Total votes: 116

If I have to 7% Research says most print will be for packaging in four years time, is your business looking into packaging?

NOTABLE MENTIONS AND RETWEETS » @Stevieworkflowz: Welcome to the team @PeteWorkflowz - Workflowz appoints new sales manager @ proprint » @printindaus: A great outcome!

ACCC gives green light to PMP IPMG merger » @AndrewH31000900: @ TurnbullMalcom Any wonder things getting worse if this is an indication.

AusPost board? And secret? #bordello #auspo

Centerlink » ProPrint: Web offset sales collapse » Derek Heather Pomeroy: We saw this coming years ago, but with so much investment the trade has had to plough on until the last few standing. Relieved to be free of it.

Web comments www.proprint.com.au

Already there

19% No 48%

Yes 26%

» With $5.6m from just last year and a $9m super package in your pocket, why wouldn’t you retire? And if all that money ever runs out, having left on such a high, he is oh so employable…

You’d be silly to stay wouldn’t you?Commenter Scottmac on AusPost CEO retires » Yesh mate but I can’t wait that long for da vino *hic* commenter Will o’ the Wisp on Free wine for PacPrint registration

Total votes: 27

Get involved. Have your say. Join the debate. Vote now. This week’s poll is up on the proprint.com.au homepage.

12 ProPrint March 2017

www.proprint.com.au

UPDATE COMMENT

Pendulum swings Kirgan says printers pushing staff wages down are taking a short sighted approach BADEN KIRGAN

E

very once in a while I get a surge of work that pushes my production to the limit and I need more staff. Normally these bursts last about three months and a short term hire is the way to go.

I always panic about finding the right people to fill these jobs, but luckily for me I own a printing company at a time when there are a lot more printing staff than there are positions. It is a buyer’s labour market.

One bloke who had a ten-colour told me once that fifteen years ago if he needed a printer, the printers would interview him. If the deal was up to scratch and the boss could meet their salary demands, they may deign to turn up, providing they did not receive a better offer in the meantime.

Now? The last time he advertised he had six good operators apply and he told them when to start and what they were getting paid.

If you own a shop, you may be enjoying this moment in the sun where you can pick and choose when it comes to staff. But do not get too comfy.

This long gestating oversupply of labour has depressed the wages we pay our staff and it is eventually going to bite us in the backside.

The last person I hired for the short term contracts could not find full time

Cause and effect: print wages declining with over supply of labour

printing work after he left me. In desperation he applied for a forklift driver’s job in a warehouse, thinking it would tide him over until he could use his trade again.

But then he realised he was earning $7 more an hour driving the fork than he was being paid as a qualified bindery operator. That is a lot of money, and an indictment on how far we have let our wages slip behind those being paid in other industries. And the result is qualified trades people leaving the industry.

So how are we going to address this problem of low wages forcing people out of the game? It looks like we are going to argue that we should cut wages more.

PIAA is on the attack over the Fair Work Commission, arguing that it is biased against employers. A matter of days later, the FWC cut the penalty

Baden Kirgan is managing director of Jeffries Printing Services

Happy 572nd birthday T he year 2017 is the 572nd birthday of the printing industry. Born in the heart of medieval Europe, printing spread throughout the world, and brought literacy and learning to everyone touched by it.

Printing survived cinema, radio, and television. Printing survived censorship, poor writing, and bad ideas. Printing survived war and peace, boom and bust.

Printing survived mechanisation, automation, and interminable technological upheaval.

Printing will survive the internet and e-books and all those misguided souls who say that print is dead. Print will survive Facebook and Twitter. Print is more alive than at any other time in its history.

14 ProPrint March 2017

rates of 700,000 wage earners by 25 per cent. I am not sure how much proemployer you can get.

As an employer I should be cheering.

If the FWC and the employer groups keep going, pretty soon I will be able to demand my staff work weekends with little if any OT. But I am not. Aside from the blatant unfairness of robbing the lowest paid workers in the country of a fair recompense for giving up their nights and weekends, if this scam was applied to our industry and wages forced lower again, who is going to man our factories? It would be a race to get out and get a good job, like driving a forklift.

Lorraine Cassin from the AMWU pulled PIAA up short and good for her.

I get that PIAA and AMWU have to butt heads from time to time on individual industrial relations cases, and that is as it should be, but on these industry-wide issues what is required is so obvious they should be singing the same song.

We need our industry to pay good wages to keep good staff, not participate in the employer group delusion that the road to corporate success is destroying the people who work for us.

Print will survive Instagram.

You cannot achieve with pixels on a screen the look and feel of ink on paper.

A beautiful printed brochure says as much about the product it promotes as the text and images. The medium truly is the message.

Try to reach every person in a selected community by e-mail - there is no way.

However, you can get a mailing list by postal code and mail to them. Or deliver to every residence or business. Printing is democratic in that it is accessible by anyone, anytime, anyplace, without special readers or energy.

Read a book to a child. The book becomes the embodiment of what the book taught. The child will treasure the

book, but will not treasure an electronic file and fall asleep with it.

Some print will decline as we substitute electronic methods. This is to be expected as technologies clash and certain printed products lose to more effective approaches. But new printed products will evolve to fill the void because printing technology is not standing still. We can now print on virtually any substrate and this will engender new products and new markets.

If all printing disappeared and someone invented communication on paper, the world would proclaim it to be a marvelous invention.

That already happened - 572 years ago.

The future of print will still be print. www.proprint.com.au

23-26 May 2017

PacPrint17, co-locating with Visual Impact is the complete sourcing platform for Australia’s printing and graphic communications industries.

Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre

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UPDATE COMMENT reader reaction Industry responds to PMP IPMG merger

Andrew MaCaulay, CEO PIAA “The ACCC wanted to hear from the voice of the industry, the industry made a submission and followed up. We met with the ACCC and made our case. We have gone to the membership to seek their views.

Of those who responded to our question it was unanimous that this merger should not be obstructed.”

Kellie Northwood, executive director, Australian Catalogue Association (ACA) “The catalogue and wider print industry has experienced, and continues to experience, significant challenges which require strategic consideration to ensure a strong future. The ACA would like to thank the industry, retailers, and key stakeholders who have given valuable time and support over the past year in regards to this issue, helping build a sustainable future for the industry. Congratulations to PMP and IPMG on the news.”

Lorraine Cassin, National Print Division Secretary at AMWU “Our members have told us that they were comfortable, they felt this was probably the only path forward for the consolidation of the industry. Our members are telling us this is a necessary thing, now we must have the discussion. We have nothing, only speculations. The talks between PMP and IPMG will happen in the next few weeks. Both are unionised.”

Phil Okill, CEO, PMA Global “The merger was inevitable. Consolidation is what it is all about. Those big organisations have been losing money for five years, if they get themselves together and rationalise they might start making some. It is a good thing. It does not affect us, as we are not in magazines, and that is our main difference. We do small runs but nothing in their league. If anything, we refer clients to them. Time will tell.”

16 ProPrint March 2017

LEON GETTLER

Tricky customer The customer may always be right but that does not mean they are always easy, and staff need to know how to handle them

T

he customer is always right but that does not mean the customer is always easy to deal with. Anyone who has run a business will tell you there are all sorts of difficult customers. They can be angry, rude, indecisive, impatient, intimidating, talkative and demanding. It is a challenge to deal with them but then, that is why CEOs and managers are put into an authority position.

One should never assume that staff know how to handle difficult customers. You have to train them.

There are some basic rules:  Check and double check every sales or maintenance entry on every order, every day.  CEO and senior managers have to keep customers and sales teams informed when a problem occurs.  They have to make sure every employee has a sense of urgency to service customers and each other well.  If a customer is waiting for important information and it is held up, call to let them know it is on the front burner and that you will call as soon as you have the answer.  Never make a promise you cannot keep.  Never make a customer wait longer than you promised without communicating.

Employees need to be skilled in a number of areas when handling difficult customers: Assessment: This relates to their ability to recognise in themselves that their emotional response to the situation is changing. It also means recognising that the situation may be escalating in terms of the customer’s behaviour.

Monitoring: Staff members should have the skills to monitor both their emotional response, and any mental processes that they experience when dealing with the customer. After all, staff need to be able to work with customers and not jump to conclusions about the customer, make too many generalisations about the customer or the outcome, or to take the situation too personally.

Training on how to deal with difficult customers will help your staff and the relationship

Active listening, questioning and clarification: These are important skills for staff to learn in order to identify what the customer is seeking and to ensure that they have understood the entire situation.

Defusing skills: This is the ability to defuse a situation. It might require skills such as appropriate questioning techniques, focusing on the problem at hand, using humour where appropriate, and using delay strategies to assist the situation.

Negotiation and limit setting: In some customer situations, it might be appropriate and possible to negotiate an outcome that is agreeable to both parties. With others, you might have to set limits with customers in order to clear up misunderstandings, and stay focused on the situation rather than surrounding problems or difficulties.

It depends on the situation.

There is also a more radical solution: increase your profits by losing the worst of them.

The reality is most small businesses can afford to release 10-15 per cent of their client base every two years.

That releases the business from unenjoyable work and freeing up time to look for class-A clients.

The reality is problems with customers will occur. That is the nature of business focused on customer service. Smart businesses will learn from difficult customers in a way to help strengthen their overall business and their overall success.

Done well, you might even end up being grateful for difficult customers.

www.proprint.com.au

ProPrint Jobs Online Your one-stop shop for printing industry recruitment

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Envelope Machine Operator/ Flexographic printer New Business Development Manager Lithographic Printer for Large Press

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Pay $120 per job listing for one month and we will publish your listing on our daily eNewsletter for FREE! Visit jobs.proprint.com.au

UPDATE DOWNTIME WE WANT YOUR STORIES

Farewell Steve Dunwell

Any special dates coming up?

Are you celebrating any milestones?

Planning an industry function?

Anyone raising money for a charity?

Leading equipment salesman and outgoing manroland Australasia managing director Steve Dunwell calls time on his 40 year career in print, with a retirement party which saw the big hitters in Australian print come out to say goodbye

If you have something that fits the bill, please email in to make sure it gets a write-up on ‘Downtime’.

Email wayne@proprint.com.au or call (02) 9806 9344

1

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6 1. Mitch Mulligan, Bottcher; Karen Goldsmith, Visual Connections; and Steve Dunwell 2. Craig Dunsford, IPMG; Ian Martin, Ferag; with Geoff Booth, News Corp 3. Richard Watson, Currie Group; and Bob Lockley, Fairfax 4. John Parker, former managing director Rural Press; with Barry Johnson, former News Group technical manager 5. Owen Mostert, Hewlett Packard; and Paul Selig, IVE 6. Sarfwen Hajazi, Xingraphics; Kevin Pidgeon, Lithoprint; with Phil Taylor, IVE 7. David Currie, Currie Group; and Lindsay Hannan, IPMG

18 ProPrint March 2017

www.proprint.com.au

New Lithrone GX44RP

The Ultimate One-pass Double-sided Printing Press FEATURES: 01

A high-speed, high-quality one-pass double-sided printing press, the Lithrone GX series offers great stability and short makeready time.

02

Labour-saving automated systems such as the KHS-AI (Advanced Interface) and benderless Full-APC are standard equipment.

03

The configuration of the one-pass double-sided printing press, which does not utilize sheet reversal, contributes to the efficient use of paper because the tail-edge margin required for a perfector is unnecessary.

04

Equipped with the newly developed Asynchronous Automatic Plate Changing System (A-APC)* for significantly shorter makeready times. Furthermore, the Lithrone GX44RP is also equipped with the H-UV system*, which enables fast print drying and short turnarounds. A wide range of other options such as PDC-SX and PQA-S V5 with various functions (print quality inspection, density control, automatic register adjustment) are available. (*optional specification).

For information on the range of Komori equipment - Contact: Northern Region - David Gunn 0407 416 696, email: david.gunn@printandpack.com.au Southern Region - David Corbo 0423 533 032, email: david.corbo@printandpack.com.au

www.printandpack.com.au

UPDATE DOWNTIME

Farewell Dunwell

2

Speeches flowed with the beer at Steve Dunwell’s retirement party

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7 1. Peter Hook (former Kodak), Jane Hook and Carol Dunwell 2. Paul Viegel, GPIA; and Dennis Wickham, manroland Australasia 3. James Ackland, DS Chemport; with Andreas Schwoepfinger, manroland Australasia 4. Former colleagues Ian Hair with wife Wendy; and Bruce Stillman with partner Julia Hall 5. Charles Hanna, Hannapack; Paul Veigel, GPIA; with Sam Hanna, Hannapack 6. Mark Hawkey, manroland Australasia; and Warwick Hay, IVE 7. Megan Mulder and Paul Dunwell, family; with John Engish and wife Carolyn, Torch Newspaper 8. Tim Huth, manroland; and Adrian Fleming, print IQ

20 ProPrint March 2017

8

www.proprint.com.au

KBA-Sheetfed Solutions

KBA Rapida 106 The champion in medium format

KBA.R.642.e

The Rapida 106 has been the world makeready champion since Drupa 2008. Where else could you find flying job changes with no break in production? A sidelay-free infeed? Or inline quality control in a choice of levels? Innovations that redefine the benchmark. Its output of 20,000sph in straight printing or 18,000sph in perfecting mode are virtually unrivalled. While simultaneous processes that include parallel washing cycles automatic changes of coating formes and anilox rollers have trimmed costly down times. Rapida 106 makeready world champion is winning friends the world over. Why not join them?

KBA Australasia Pty Ltd Melbourne: +61 3 9548 7277 Email: davelewis@kbaaustralasia.com.au, www.kba.com

UPDATE DOWNTIME

Farewell Dunwell

2

Familt and friends old and new turned out at Banjo Pattersons to say goodbye to equipment sales veteran

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1. Family and friends farewell Steve Dunwell 2. Mentor John Parker and wife Carol Dunwell 3. Dunwell paid tribute to 30-year assistant Allison Whitelaw 4. Old muckers John Parker and Barry Johnson 5. Partners Steve Dunwell and Bruce Stillwell 6. Bob Lockley, Fairfax, says goodbye to Steve Dunwell 7. Steve and Carol with Steve Donegal, HP 8. Phil Rennell, Currie Group, with Wayne Robinson, ProPrint

8 22 ProPrint March 2017

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COVER STORY

Xeikon boosts presence in Australia ProPrint speaks to Trevor Crowley, sales general manager, Xeikon, Asia Pacific Region, to catch up on the company’s strategic vision now it has opened a direct subsidiary here

X

eikon has expanded its coverage in Australia and New Zealand to better serve its growing customer base here, and has quite an aggressive show schedule in the Asia Pacific region. Trevor Crowley, sales general manager Asia Pacific for Xeikon shares the details with us, as well as explaining its upcoming Xeikon Café event. He also talks about the state of the Xeikon business, following its acquisition by Flint Group.

ProPrint: Xeikon has added staffing for Australia and New Zealand. Can you provide us with some details?

Trevor Crowley: Certainly. We have now created a dedicated sales, service and support operation in Australia and New Zealand. The new division became fully operational in February.

It will handle the full range of Xeikon digital presses and solutions for labels, folding cartons and commercial and document printing. That also means we will cease our collaboration with dealer Absolute Electronics. They served us well in the past as we were growing our business in Australia and New Zealand. But our management has now determined that we have sufficient critical mass in the region to establish a direct sales and service organisation. In fact, we are the only manufacturer in the label and packaging space that has made the decision to go direct to market here.

PP: I understand Xeikon will also have a direct presence at PacPrint, being held at the Melbourne Convention Center from May 23-26.

TC: Yes, indeed. We are excited about that show. We will be located Stand A22 at the show. Printers will see some 24 ProPrint March 2017

Trevor Crowley, Xeikon

brand-new technology that we are bringing to Australia for the first time.

This includes the Xeikon CX3 with Cheetah technology, the fastest and highest quality digital label press in its class. This press has had great success in other parts of the world, and now we are pleased to be bringing it to Australia. In addition to the CX3 digital label press and our label experts, we will also have folding carton experts available at the show, to discuss how Xeikon can help packaging converters add digital production to their folding carton operations, with the Xeikon Folding Carton Suite.

PP: Xeikon also will have a good presence at upcoming events in Europe, including Xeikon Café and Labelexpo Europe. Why should folks from Australia and New Zealand consider going to Xeikon Café?

TC: 2017 marks the third edition of our Xeikon Café educational conference held at our Lier facility near Antwerp, Belgium. Each year, the number of attendees at the event has grown. Now, during our 2017 event, scheduled for March 28-31, we have extended the event to four days instead of three by popular demand. In 2015 we had more than 800 attendees, and expect the 2017 event to attract even more. This engaging and interactive event is designed to be an informal knowledge exchange platform around packaging and label innovations. During the event, we demonstrate end-to-end digital production solutions, with content presented by leading industry suppliers, including experts from Xeikon and its Aura partners. It is an opportunity for visitors to meet directly with our executives and engineers, see all of the latest solutions for the labels, packaging and document printing

markets, and have their questions answered in a comfortable, informal environment. Everyone is welcome.

PP: Tell us a little about how the conference is structured.

TC: We have structured the conference into two tracks: Technology and Business. This makes it easier for visitors to focus their learning experience. So we have conference tracks, live demonstrations, and great speakers. We are especially pleased to be able to feature a keynote by Rafi Albo. There will be a number of highly experienced speakers, including Rafi, who will share valuable information about trends and technological advancements in the digital printing market. Talking from their personal experience, they will give a glimpse of what the future may hold and inspire visitors with different business insights, and new and actionable ideas.

Rafi, often also called the global guru of connected 1to1 marketing, has been integrating printed products with online technologies for many years.

Combining technologies such as augmented (AR), virtual (VR) and mixed reality (MR), with fresh ideas, new approaches and creativity, he creates the most innovative applications that bring a wow effect. At the Xeikon Café Conference he will show on stage some of the most creative work he has done for brands from all over the world.

Being a strong believer that print is and will always be sexy, he will share his ideas on how AR, VR and MR can boost demand for new print forms and thus the potential success of print businesses and brands. www.proprint.com.au

COVER STORY

PP: You mentioned that your Aura partners will also be there.

TC: We will be showing nearly 30 digital applications in labels and packaging, with close to 40 industry suppliers joining forces to show total solutions. For more detailed information, your readers can visit www.XeikonCafe.com. All partners participating in the Xeikon CafĂŠ are leading suppliers of software, print media, consumables, digital printing and finishing solutions, and know the market and capabilities.

PP: Are there particular industries that will be represented?

TC: Yes, quite a few. These include Automotive; Beverage, Wine and Spirits; Food; Health & Beauty; Media; Pharma; and Promotional. Each represents new opportunities for digital printing of their labels and packaging, and you will see real-world applications that address each of these segments.

PP: And of course, Labelexpo Europe will be coming up later in the year.

TC: We have had a presence at Labelexpo Europe for quite some years now. Visitors to that show can expect to see the full range of Xeikon solutions for the labels and packaging market, as well as some surprises that we can’t speak about just yet.

PP: Last but not least, can you bring us up to date on the acquisition of Xeikon by Flint Group and how that is working for you?

TC: I am happy to say it is going well.

Flint Group stated, at the time of the www.proprint.com.au

acquisition, that Xeikon would be running as an independent organisation, making its own decisions, yet supported by the financial stability and wide range of resources in The Flint Group. And this is exactly what has transpired.

A good example of the support is the decision to go direct in Australia and New Zealand. As you will remember, we had an indirect sales channel here through Absolute Electronics, and that served us well as we grew the business in the region.

Now Flint Group is supporting our efforts to take sales and service direct.

And there are many synergies between the two companies, which was a factor that drove the acquisition as well. Flint Group develops and manufactures an extensive portfolio of printing consumables. These include a vast range of conventional and energycurable inks and coatings, pressroom chemicals, printing plates and equipment, printing blankets and sleeves, and pigments and additives for use in inks and other colorant applications. Xeikon, of course, is a long-standing leader and innovator in digital printing technology. Grounded in the principles of quality, flexibility and sustainability, Xeikon designs, develops and delivers web-fed digital color presses for label and packaging applications, document printing, and commercial printing. These presses utilise LED-array-based electrophotography, open workflow software and application-specific toners. So you see that there is not overlap in our offerings, but they all do work together in one way or another.

Digital delivers: Xeikon now in Australia

As Xeikon, we will not only be working with existing customers in Australia and New Zealand, bringing the full range of Xeikon technology to the market, but we will also step up our efforts to acquire new customers. We will work with them to leverage the existing markets as well as explore how new markets might be developing in the region. This includes folding carton, labels, heat transfer, document printing and wall dĂŠcor, to name a few.

PP: Can you introduce us to a few of the key personnel in the new organisation: TC: Yes. We have Richard Collins who will be assisting us in getting the local service and support function up and running. Richard comes with 18 years of experience in the Xeikon business and will be a key ingredient in getting our service model set up. We recently added a local service engineer, Chris Farrell who joined us from Canon and has 15 years of experience in servicing both toner and inkjet digital platforms.

We are looking to add another service technician to the local business and then will continue to expand that as we get more platforms in the field. In addition to technical service we established Customer Service in Sydney and this is being looked after by Susaniwati. She has over 20 years of experience in the digital print space in both areas of production and customer service and recently joined us from the Blue Star Group.

March 2017 ProPrint 25

FOCUS PRESSROOM

The printing press is under pressure, printers and press manufacturers are responding with vigour

By Peter Kohn

C

ommercial printing is under pressure. Print providers face shortening run lengths, customers wanting jobs yesterday, cutthroat competition, and the lure of electronic alternatives online, are some of the forces impacting on print businesses.

The past few years have seen the local commercial printing industry destabilised – especially at its SME core - with sweeping amalgamations that rolled in and rolled out, the rise of the internet as a cheap communication alternative, and a crippling global financial crisis.

It has been survival of the fittest – or as the saying goes, what does not kill you makes you stronger. So what are the success secrets in effective, productive commercial pressrooms in Australia today?

Print prices remain depressed, and the drive is on for printers to increase margin by increasing their productivity. That means more sheets out the door in less time, with less wastage and shorter downtimes.

Transforming in the West

At Scott Print, a well-known 37-yearold hybrid offset/digital enterprise in Perth, co-general managers John and Tim Scott have introduced a number of efficiencies in the pressroom, and in the enterprise at large, to keep down costs and improve productivity, while the business continues to gain market share and grow revenue to the point where Scott Print is now regarded as a highly successful combined offset/ digital printer in Western Australia.

John Scott, who is on the board of Printing Industries, sees the trend nationwide to print providers becoming more efficient, and focusing on the total requirements of their customers, as well as branching into new fields to make up for work that has been lost to electronic alternatives.

26 ProPrint March 2017

And Scott Print, a family business located in Northbridge, with a diverse, dynamic staff of around 50, has been quick to adopt these types of measures in its own business, Scott tells ProPrint. For example, digital printing represents more than 17 per cent of its overall turnover – and graphic design is a strong component of the business as well.

“In our own business, we are finding less of the work is scheduled, or at least planned well in advance,” he finds.

“Our commercial offset side is becoming more like instant digital printing, in that sense.”

Two years ago, the company upgraded its press fleet from three A1-straight presses and a five-colour plus coater to two Komori Lithrones, an eight-colour perfector for four-overfour work, and an A2 six colour with coater for PMS jobs.

Both Lithrones have Komori’s H-UV technology on board, and for Scott Print, H-UV means more accurate, dynamic colours, the almost complete elimination of dot gain, and new frontiers in versatility when it comes to stocks.

“With H-UV, the ink is immediately dry. Our offset printing area has become virtually like our digital area, in that we can advance to the next step immediately,” Scott explains.

On the digital side, Scott Print operates two Xerox 1000i presses which use matte inks and each has a fifth station for silver, gold or clear gloss. “Matte printing on the 1000s closely matches that on the Lithrones, so that the overall output is consistent,”

notes Scott. As well, there is an HP Indigo 5000, which also closely matches the H-UV presses.

Initially the company ran an integrated digital-offset workflow but, says Scott, “Higher volumes and the generally faster pace on the digital machines meant integrating key processes between the digital and litho sides of the business tended to slow the overall throughput.”

Four years ago, Scott Print bucked the trend and introduced separate offset and digital workflows, customised to the specific requirements of the two parallel but separate technologies. Says Scott: “At the end of the day, it is easy enough to switch a job from digital to offset, based on workload and capacity on each press.”

What the vendors say

Heidelberg A/NZ managing director Richard Timson says that for several years now, technologies have been integrated into midsized offset presses to enable more efficient, productive pressrooms.

“Technology like full autoplate, synchronised plate insertion, preinking, automated makereadies, CIP4 transfer of files – all of these enable customers to run down to 50 copies and be profitable. Alternatively with the Anicolor technology, you can run as low as 20 sheets which for expensive specialty stock results in huge savings,” he explains. www.proprint.com.au

PRESSROOM FOCUS

But investment in these efficiencies is a basic prerequisite, he believes.

Lower-specified alternatives might save a bit of capital up front, but have a costdrag downside. Without these integrations, forget about six-minute makereadies, and be content with 15 minute makereadies.

He sees integrated offset-digital workflows as common today, “however not all printers choose the right output device to print on, as the easy but less profitable option is just to send it to digital”.

At last year’s drupa, the German press giant introduced its Speedmaster XL106, which embodies Heidelberg’s ‘push-to-stop’ philosophy, providing digitised and integrated print production. Makeready times on the XL106 are dramatically reduced with the new Hycolor Multidrive inking unit and further automated, parallel processes. Meanwhile, intelligent assistance systems take the strain off the operator and enable maximum productivity.

The outging manroland Australia managing director Steve Dunwell says its sheetfed division provides both quality and innovation. “On one hand, our presses are known for their durability and perfect register, even after more than 500 million printed sheets, and on the other hand, our permanent development of new features for the benefit of our customers, such as simultaneous plate www.proprint.com.au

Super efficient: modern offset presses

loading for medium and for large size, inline colour measurement and inline register, extra-large paper sizes like 3B+ or 7B+, indexed InlineFoiler, LED UV curing, and so forth, will continue driving our future technologies.”

Reflecting on changes in sheetfed technology, Dunwell says: “Since the small size suffered during the last decade due to several structural changes - namely digital and productivity - and the large size seems not to become a mainstream - lower volume, shorter runs - the 3B size fits well into the current market demands for packaging, commercial and even editorial print. The Roland 700 Evolution offers 3B format (740mm x 1040mm), as well as optional 740mm x 1050mm and 780mm x 1050mm.”

Our commercial offset side is becoming more like instant digital printing in that sense John Scott, general manager, Scott Print, WA

Dunwell says that in addition, automation, makeready time, and enhancements tend to be the keys to success for most printers. “The Evolution fulfils all these criteria offering a good price/performance ratio.”

He notes onboard features that enhance productivity include automation technologies adapting to further shorten makeready time (Simultaneous Plate Loading System, InlineColorPilot and InlineRegister), reduction of cost per copy (dynamic ink controlling, InlineInspector), and

adding value through inline enhancement measures (InlineFoiler, double coating, UV, LED UV).

“Our upgrade products and solutions can also make more out of existing presses, such as FutureProof technology the ‘printservices’ portfolio and ProServ,” he says.

According to KBA Australasia’s general manager Dave Lewis, ultraquick makeready is an SME pressroom’s greatest resource. The Rapida 106 exemplifies the quest for speedy makeready and a host of productivity enhancing features, he adds. “Our Rapida 106 has a sidelayless infeed and Simultaneous Plate Change via direct drive technology so all plates are changed in 50 seconds while the blankets are washing.”

KBA’s PlateIdent system pre-registers the job before pulling the sheet and the QualiTronic ColorControl camera system starts measuring and adjusting colour, including special colours from the first sheet. “Our Data Matrix Select feature scans a QR code on the plates as the plates are being loaded and finds the job automatically in our LogoTronic server and then sets the press up without the operator having to locate the job on their console,” says Lewis.

Meanwhile, KBA offers its Rapida 105, which is built on the same platform as the 106 but with a lower level of specification and price.

OffsetOnDemand is Komori’s system to facilitate short runs and quick turnarounds by shortening makeready time, cutting paper waste and reducing the printing process to the absolute minimum, says Print & Pack’s sales manager, southern region, David Corbo, while maintaining the high print quality and productivity of offset printing.

“The core of Komori’s new OffsetOnDemand printing system is the Continued on page 28 March 2017 ProPrint 27

FOCUS PRESSROOM Continued from page 27

fusion of the KHS-AI integrated control system, the award-winning H-UV Innovative Curing System and the new leading-edge colour management system. The result, OffsetOnDemand, is the ultimate short-run and quickturnaround solution for today’s highly competitive printing marketplace,” he says.

Corbo has found significant transformations in offset press technology to help SMEs achieve greater productivity. On the Lithrone GX series, specifically the newly released GX44-RP, these have combined to create what he describes as ‘the ultimate one-pass, double-sided printing press’.

Features include labour-saving automated systems such as the KHS-AI (Advanced Interface) and benderless Full-APC (auto plate changing). The configuration of the one-pass, doublesided press, which does not involve sheet reversal, contributes to the efficient use of paper because of the tail-edge margin required for a perfector is unnecessary.

Equipped with the newly developed A-APC (Asynchronous Automatic Plate

Changing System) for significantly shorter makeready times, the Lithrone GX44-RP also sports the H-UV system, which enables fast print drying and short turnarounds. “For linkage with prepress and postpress equipment, Komori assures JDF connectivity and conducts frequent inter-operability testing with systems from other manufacturers and vendors. This way Komori implements open architecture thinking, with the priority on users’ operating environments,” says Corbo.

Running down all inefficiencies in a pressroom is a rewarding discipline in terms of the bottom line, reflects Greg Knight, general manager, Victoria and Tasmania, at Cyber Group.

Supplying RMGT (Ryobi Mitsubishi Graphic Technology), Cyber Group has been supporting its customers in their search for more efficient, automated pressrooms, he says, with most of these efficiencies being onboard or inline integrations.

For example, LED-UV on board a Ryobi press will cut power consumption by up to 90 per cent in energy-hungry activities such as UV printing, notes Knight, and also

provides instant drying for speedier turnarounds.

Ryobi’s flexibility with a broad array of stocks means the press range is ready for print shops that want to venture out of their conventional operations and take on packaging work, he says.

The RMGT 9 series is 8-up DIN A4 production, and the LED-UV option enables the delivery of sheets that are completely dry, suitable for feeding back to print the reverse side, or to deliver straight to the finishing department. This means no stacks of part printed work on the shop floor.

One critical element of LED-UV that speeds up payback of the investment is the low power consumption compared with IR or other UV products, With a smart fully automtic plate change the basic 920ST-4 changes plates in 75 seconds, while the long perfector 920PF-8 does it in 100 seconds. Printing speed for the 920ST-4 is 16,200, while the 920PF operates at 13,000sph. Offset litho printing presses have come a long way in a short space of time, as they meet the challenge of a market that wants on demand print of the highest quality. PP

Lotsa changes in the tropics In Tropical North Queensland, Lotsa Print & Signage of Port Douglas has carved out a reputation as a dynamic commercial print enterprise, both in the offset and digital realms.

Proprietor Peter Martin moved into printing from a career in accountancy because in those days, at least, the numbers stacked up for printing, he says.

Lotsa Print & Signage is now 26 years in operation, serving Port Douglas, Cairns and the wider Far North Queensland region, with a full-time staff of 33 Martin tells ProPrint that, in his view, the greatest threat to commercial printing in Australia today is shorter run lengths, as the market moves to a more complex range of marketing products, with a resulting drop in demand for printed collateral.

“For several years now the industry has responded positively to instant supply of jobs – this is the new normal – quick delivery. If you have not already made the move, you are already on the scrap heap,” Martin frankly observes.

“Competition is a key issue. In any market, you will have the ‘Dan the Desperate’ type looking to keep their business surviving by just dropping prices to uncommercial levels before they go broke, then others follow Dan down the same path. It’s called free market enterprise and it will not stop. It will continue in cycles when times get a bit tough, and the stupid go belly-up. In good times everyone prospers, then the cycle starts again. Get used to it.

28 ProPrint March 2017

Peter Martin, Lotsa Print “There will always be a place for static displays of printed product, signage, brochure racks -- with material to be taken home and studied at leisure -- and informational products, such as maps, guides, and product specifications,” he notes.

Changing market conditions have shaped Lotsa Print & Signage’s buying decisions when it comes to offset presses. For example, the company moved to UV ink and UV coatings for general commercial brochure work on its Ryobi 920 5 colour plus coater six years ago. Says Martin: “Today the majority of new presses are UV. For us it was a game changer to meet the quicker turnarounds, offer spot gloss in one pass and new effects.”

Lotsa Print & Signage has always operated a fully integrated digital/offset workflow.

“Initially coming from the digital print side into offset meant our thinking was always standalone finishing equipment able to handle both methods of print,” reflects Martin.

“Nowadays a client does not know how it is produced, nor do they care, they just want their product at a satisfactory price, of good quality and ‘can we have it tomorrow or even today?’,” he says.

Martin believes offset suppliers had been slow to pick up this move “until the last four or five years”.

“Today we’re seeing many manufacturers with smaller-format finishing equipment offerings. Horizon is the only serious longterm player in this market that was there at the beginning,” he adds.

Offset vendors are now responding to the relentless challenge of digital printing in a printing sector they once owned outright, he says. Operational data that Lotsa Print & Signage has gathered over the past decade tells its own story. Colour clicks on its iGens have increased from 662,476 per year in 2007-08 to 1,102,751 in 2015-16. Meanwhile, total offset impressions have risen only marginally, from 7,677,205 in 2007-08 to 8,428,952 in 2015-16.

Sales data show that in 2007-08 digital jobs sold by Lotsa comprised a mere nine per cent of overall sales. By 2015-16, this had skyrocketed to 17 per cent. However, offset sales had declined – from 80 per cent in 2007-08 to 60 per cent in 2015-16.

Meanwhile, Lotsa Print & Signage has broadened its offerings to reduce its reliance on electronics-challenged core services. In 2012-13, signage printing contributed a modest four per cent to its revenues, while in 2015-16 its share of the pie was an impressive 16 per cent.

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PREVIEW

PacPrint ready to go in May The print industry’s biggest event is set to open its doors in less than three months’ time, PP checks out the early news

I

n a rapidly changing industry the once every four years PacPrint will provide a welcome boost to the nation’s printers.

Often toiling away on their own in the face of high pressure and battered by multiple forces, print business owners will find plenty of encouragement at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre in May as they mix and mingle with their peers. The suppliers will have innovative technology on show, the seminar programme will highlight emerging opportunities, and the chance to share stories from the battlefield with printers from around the country will be welcome.

PACPRINT KEYNOTE SPEAKERS REVEALED

PacPrint has announced its keynote speakers for its Forum Series, with talks coming from a variety backgrounds including a comedian, a paramedic, a futurist and a helicopter pilot.

According to PacPrint this keynote series is a well-established and popular part of the PacPrint program, providing an important educational dimension to the industry’s premier exhibition.

General manager Karen Goldsmith says the four keynote presenters - Steve Tighe, Peter Davidson, Marty Wilson and Jerry Grayson will tackle some of the big issues facing the industry drawing from their experience.

On the first day futurist Steve Tighe will take you on a journey to the future, exploring what can drive change and how it will affect your business. He will cover important questions such as how to detect emerging trends, what tomorrow’s customers are looking for and how to plan and innovate for the future.

Next on the list is Peter Davidson, a paramedic on the Helimed One chopper which rescued eight sailors to safety during the 1998 Sydney to Hobart race. His story will teach printers about crisis management, demonstrating what everyday people can achieve. On Thursday, comedian and author Marty Wilson will uncover all his wisdom from his recent novel What I Wish I Knew, where he interviewed more than 1,000 inspirational people. Lastly, author and helicopter pilot Jerry Grayson who at 17 was the youngest helicopter pilot to fly in the 30 ProPrint March 2017

Most of the major names from the industry will be at the show, which this year is co-located with Visual Impact, the country’s premier wide format event. The last commercial print suppliers association and the display industry’s association have joined forces under the Visual Connections name, and as such the show is now including both commercial and wide format printing, which is great news for printers as they can see everything under one roof at one time.

PacPrint is co-hosted by Visual Connections and the PIAA, each having members on the Board, with PIAA having three and Visual Connections four including the chairman.

British Royal Navy. His presentation will illustrate important principles such as quick and confident decision making, the ability to ‘own’ decisions and live with their consequences, good communication and an effective and motivated team, which are absolutely vital for today’s industry leaders.

All speakers will begin at 12.30pm and all sessions are free to registered visitors.

SPONSORS

New Gold Sponsors Currie Group and Pozitive are joining HP and Graphic Art Mart, while Spicers has been confirmed as a Silver Sponsor, along with EFI and Mimaki. The Platinum Sponsor is Roland DG. Peter Harper, general manager of show organiser Visual Connections says, “On the ground, PacPrint is shaping up as the place to connect with the industry’s leading suppliers.

“Major companies including Agfa, AVS, Canon, Celmac, Currie Group, Cyber, EFI, Epson, Esko, Flint Group, Fuji Xerox, Graphic Art Mart, HP, Jetmark, Konica Minolta, Mimaki, Multicam, Neopost, Ricoh, Roland DG, Screen, Spicers, Starleaton and Vivad will demonstrate the latest technology and solutions, as well as offering ideas and inspiration to help business owners and decision makers plan for future success.”

This year organisers are bringing back the crowd favourite PacPrint Forum Series which Harper says will explore big issues while also offering workshops and panel sessions covering technology, business and marketspecific topics.

Harper adds, “PacPrint 2017 and the co-located Visual Impact Expo, will be the best opportunity in four years for business owners and decision makers to see the latest trends and technology first-hand and connect with people who can help them shape their businesses for the future.”

Currie Group is expected to have the biggest stand at the exhibition. It will be joined by HP, Ricoh, Fuji Xerox, Konica Minolta and Canon which will also boast large stands.

Other key suppliers also on board are Celmac, Neopost, Graphic Art Mart, Roland DG, Epson, AVS, Multicam, Mimaki, EFI, Screen, Agfa, and an assortment of smaller vendors.

Organiser and Visual Connections general manager Peter Harper says, “The commitment of these key suppliers across a broad range of industry sectors is a great result for the show.

Without exception they have expressed their excitement about the opportunity to connect with print and graphic communications businesses around the region at this time and help them find the solutions they need to build their own business success.”

About 13,000 visitors are expected to descend upon the Melbourne show from around Australia, New Zealand and the Asia Pacific region.

The show in May will also offer forums, workshop sessions, live demonstrations as well as the all-important networking opportunities. www.proprint.com.au

PREVIEW

PacPrint: biggest event in Australian print opens in May

PATTERSON AND SEGAERT JOIN PACPRINT BOARD

Co-host of industry trade expo PacPrint, Printing Industries Association of Australia (PIAA) has appointed its Board members Ron Patterson and Chris Segaert to represent the association on the PacPrint board.

Segaert is a long-time PIAA board member and former president, and Patterson is the incoming PIAA board representative for Victoria, having previously served as the association’s Victorian state manager.

They join PacPrint organisers, Visual Connections representative Adrian Fleming from Print IQ, who also chairs the board, fellow PIAA board member Peter Lane, Konica Minolta’s Anthony Lewis and EFI’s Anthony Parnemann.

Fleming says, “We are delighted to welcome Ron Patterson and Chris Segaert as the new Printing Industries representatives on the PacPrint board, and look forward to their input, which will be drawn from their broad industry experience and informed by their long association and deep commitment to the print and graphic communications sector. PacPrint 2017 is already shaping up as an exciting show and an absolute must see event for businesses as they seek to meet the challenges of today’s rapidly evolving market and build a solid foundation for future success.”

Fleming continues, “We are fortunate to have such a strong board to guide the strategy and development around the show, to ensure it provides outstanding value to both exhibitors and visitors.” www.proprint.com.au

MGI GETS READY TO LAUNCH

There will be many new print production solutions launched at PacPrint, with all the major digital players and many other exhibitors set to introduce new equipment to the Australian market.

For example top brass from French digital solutions developer MGI have been in the country preparing for PacPrint, where the full range of the company’s innovative embellishment solutions will be launched.

Kevin Abergel, vice president sales and marketing, MGI, was in Australia visiting potential customers and setting up with service operation, which will be run under the auspices of Konica Minolta, now the majority owner of MGI. Abergel says, “PacPrint will be a key event for MGI and Australian printers. The range of JetVarnish digital embellishment solutions will be launched in sizes 36cm, 52cm, 64cm and 75cm with the roll to roll version planned for later in 2017. The systems provide tremendous in-house opportunity for commercial printers.”

It is commercial printers and packaging printers running offset litho presses who are the main target market for MGI, Abergel says, “A lot of companies outsource embellishment, but having a system in-house means they can sell it, rather than just have it as a service. And the MGI machines are suited to jobs up to 10,000 runs, which today is a majority of print jobs.”

According to Abergel one of the key advances form MGI has been in Artificial Intelligence registration, he says, “With the

MGI we use a live image comparison of a printed sheet scan with the PDF of the print file using hundreds of content points, so registration has become a conversation of the past.”

The MGI range uses Konica Minolta print heads which, says David Cascarino, national manager of Industrial Print at Konica Minolta, means, “MGI has complete ownership over the entire technology, this is an integrated dedicated solution, not a device dependent on external technology.”

Abergel says that MGI and Konica Minolta have been working together for the past 20 years.

MGI first entered the market as specialist digital printing systems developer, with its presses able to print on a wide range of substrates, including plastics and foils. It has since developed the digital embellishment systems, including the JETvarnish 3D Evolution B2, which was a major focus at drupa this year, with the stand also featuring the Meteor Unlimited Colors Se+ digital press. Both of these technologies will be on show at PacPrint.

Cascarino says, “The Meteor Unlimited can print and foil in one unit. This is the strategy of MGI, it is offering innovative solutions that enable printers to sell added value print, so they can increase their margins.

There are six different products in the range priced from between $US250,000 to around $US1m. The roll-to-roll embellishment system is designed for the label market including the new Konica Minolta C71cf digital label press.

March 2017 ProPrint 31

PROFILE STAR BUSINESS OPENBOOK HOWDEN

Transforming the business for the market This successful Adelaide print business is on a transformation pathway

P

rint businesses that are seeking to move forward in these rapidly changing times should be having a look at the Adelaidebased Openbook Howden story.

This family-owned business is on a transformation journey, and in fact has always sought to evolve, recognising that standing still is not an option if you want to grow a sustainable business.

Celebrating more than 30 years in business, the company began in 1986 when Ashley Richards bought Howden Printing, which at the time was a typical small print business. Along with his business partner Keith Kemp the duo spent the next two decades building the business, until in 2006 they bought what was the Lutheran Church’s printing business, then known as Openbook Australia, formerly the Lutheran Publishing House, which was one of the first book businesses to open in the country, founded in 1913.

It also since bought the client list of another local business which closed its doors, and is always open to acquisition for business development according to opportunity.

Over the years, Openbook Howden has seen market demand change dramatically. In response, the company has grown into much more than a print service provider, today offering a suite of print, design, interactive and e-comms solutions, as well as stock management, distribution and mail services.

Openbook Howden has been one of the first printers to take advantage of the Future Print Transformation project, which saw the government pay half the cost for personalised business consultants to input a raft of print 32 ProPrint March 2017

factfile Age: 31 years Staff: 55 Owner: Private Location: Adelaide Speciality: Books, cross media Strategy: Invest in learning, focus on today’s customer requirements and market demands, operate outside print

business thanks to a deal engineered by then PIAA CEO Bill Healey.

Some 13 sales and management staff undertook courses with Leadership Management Australia (LMA), accessed under the Future Print Business Transformation project.

Sarah Leo, general manager at Openbook Howden says, “Like many companies in the graphic communications sphere, Openbook Howden is faced with the constant challenge of coping with change.

Purposeful training like that offered through the Future Print Business Transformation Project has become a key part of our response.”

Back in the 1980s the business started off as a two-colour general jobbing printer, then moved into fourcolour work, and these days is a major player in the book printing sector.

Books are far from its only field though, with general commercial work and label printing also growing markets.

The original owners have handed over day to day control to Michael Richards and Sarah Leo. Today there are 55 people operating in the business, with the book production accounting for a large part of the activity. The company works for a

range of publishing houses large and small, with a surprising number of selfpublished books rolling off the presses.

The company even has its own online bookshop.

Sarah Leo says, “We have always been open to new ideas and outside input, and the senior management team has a culture of teachability, we recognise as an SME we may benefit from spending learning time. Even if it is only five per cent worthwhile that is worthwhile in our view. ”We have always been happy to invest in professional development, but opportunities for subsidised training are rare – so when we found the right kind of training courses, offered by quality providers, under the Future Print scheme, we grabbed them with both hands. In the past, we have focused mainly on reskilling and upskilling production staff, but this was the perfect opportunity for us to extend that opportunity to our sales and management teams.

“We acknowledge that printing is undergoing massive changes, and we want to make sure we are on top of those changes and fully equipped to move the company forward.”

The entire Openbook Howden senior www.proprint.com.au

STAR BUSINESS PROFILE

1

management team went through the Future Print Transformation programme, which comprised three or four structured seminars followed by plenty of one on one sessions. Leo describes the programme and the consultant that was appointed to the company as ‘brilliant’ and wonders why every print business did not sign up.

She says, “Our consultant did not tiptoe around issues, he was straight in with forceful analysis, but he made sense. For us there was no root and branch change, it was more a case of tweaking. It is practical, for instance we reviewed the whole customer process from every angle and scenario. We also looked at how to discern what makes certain people tick. Michael and I worked from an overall management perspective, whereas other managers were more specific.”

The course was run under the auspices of the LMA Leadership Management of Australia, and saw a management consultant come to the business every fortnight. She says, “Our three team leaders all found it useful.

Any small business will tell you finding time is not easy, however the structured nature of the programme meant that the time was created. www.proprint.com.au

2

1. Modern premises for a modern business 2. Sarah Leo, general manager for brand, strategy and people, with Michael Richards, chief operating officer

“We have been implementing the lessons under our change management policy. Our seven strong sales team all went through the programme, and all appreciated it.” Education though is in the company’s DNA, Leo went to the Dave Fellman print sales event in Sydney a couple of years ago, and say if he comes back the entire sales team will be going.

She says, “When things are changing so rapidly, everyone is consumed with what is happening at the coal face – whether that is bringing business

It is easy to put off change to another day, but in today’s market that just does not cut it Sarah Leo, general manager brand strategy and people, Openbook Howden

through the door, keeping the figures straight or planning production schedules. It is easy to put off change until another day, but in today’s market, that just does not cut it.

“You have to make the time to remain responsive and agile, because if you are not forging ahead, you are falling behind. Future Print is right on the

mark with its focus on helping businesses assess their performance, identify areas that need change and providing the training required.”

Openbook Howden is already a long way from being solely an ink on paper merchant, for instance services include online inventory management for companies who require storage and distribution to multiple locations, creative design, and various electronic communication outputs.

Sarah Leo says they can add e-books, e-publications, e-diaries and apps for customers,as the focus of the company is helping to add services for the benefit of their clients.

It offers what would previously have been thought of as exotic solutions such as augmented reality, or interactive print as it is also known, and provides brilliant online youtube videos to explain to potential clients how they can use it in their campaigns.

In a print landscape littered with companies that have failed to move forward Openbook Howden stands out, for its commitment to progress and its belief that high quality external input can assist management in leading the evolving business into the 21st century.

PP March 2017 ProPrint 33

FOCUS TECHNOLOGY

Keith Stedman, director at Drawing and Drafting, says the HP PageWide XL printer fits well with his company’s workflow

Alan Melville, owner of Pronto Pront & Copy, says the HP PageWide XL printer’s speed and quality have boosted his business

PageWide plans for success Interest in the HP PageWide technology continues to grow. We speak with two companies that have installed the new machines.

A

bout a year ago, Queensland-based Drawing and Drafting installed an HP PageWide XL printer.

Keith Stedman, director at Drawing and Drafting, says, “We had machinery that, due to a whole series of changes in the industry, no longer suited our purposes. We had to buy a new machine.

“We looked at the difference options and ultimately, we chose the HP PageWide XL because it was more versatile with our current platforms. It fits well into our workflow. We installed it 12 months ago. Its uptime is probably the best of any plan printing equipment we have ever had.

The 32-year-old company completes a diverse range of print jobs. Stedman describes it as, ‘a reasonable medium sized provider’. He says, “We have been in large format printing from the old days of pen plotters and progressed through the early HP machines and the thermals and laser equipment, so we have actually owned most of the technology through this evolution.

34 ProPrint March 2017

The HP Pagewide XL works in well with our other HP Latex and HP Scitex products.”

He sees HP PageWide XL as the logical next step in plan printing. He says, “The HP equipment, if it is used for its intended purpose, is an excellent piece of kit, especially for high speed work. It is a great plan printer. It gives us a high uptime, which is what we need with the volume of work we handle. In the space for Drawing and Drafting, we handle the premium technical print market. We produce different types of documents and we still sell plan print over the counter.

“The HP PageWide XL has allowed us to reduce certain costs. The waste has been reduced from the laser devices. It is a straight forward simple machine. It works within our workflow that’s where the cost saving has been reduced: that time component.

“Above all, we are happy with the machine, it was bought in as a technical print engine and it totally fills that requirement.”

PageWide at Pronto

Situated in Neutral Bay in North Sydney, Pronto Print & Copy, has expanded its production capability to include an HP PageWide XL printer.

Alan Melville, owner of Pronto Print, says the new printer fills a need for colour. He says, “We used to have an older black and white only printer and

we wanted to print in colour. The older equipment limited what we could sell.”

“We got it in late October. It has run really well and we are quite happy with its performance.

He says the HP PageWide XL has answered a few challenges that Pronto faced. He says, “For clients such as hotels and pubs, the speed is an issue.

And with architect’s drawings, they have really finer lines that the toner based systems do not always print well.

The HP machine has removed those problems.”

The speed has impressed him. He says, “It is definitely faster. The ink coverage is really solid across the page and the output looks really good. An a1 used to take us two or three minutes.

The HP PageWide XL will print about 10 A1 posters per minute. And we need that speed. We can be doing up to 400 A1s for a job. We could lose work on the old machines because they would take forever to do it.

The digital based company completes a fair amount of submissions for architects and designers. He says, “We help them prepare submissions ready for councils so speed, accuracy and quality are all required.

“This is definitely a good machine for a small business, especially where floor space is an issue. Another benefit of this printer is that it has a much smaller footprint, even though it has more capability.” www.proprint.com.au

PRODUCT PORTFOLIO STAR PRODUCT

Scodix E106 Scodix says high-end foiling for the masses will be viable with this enhancement press

by Simon Eccles

What does it do?

The Scodix E106 is a forthcoming highthroughput B1-format digital enhancement press. When it arrives it will be the fastest machine of its type.

It is a sheetfed single-pass inkjet that can print a clear UV-cured spot varnish and apply metallic and other foils with no need for metal dies. Nine embellishment functions are possible.

“There is no other system on the market that will allow you to deliver this range of combination of print enhancements,” claims Scodix chief executive Roy Porat.

It can accept, feed and automatically register pre-printed sheets from any process.

When was it launched and what’s the target market?

The launch announcement was at drupa 2016, with a machine demonstrated there. Beta tests are scheduled to start mid 2017, with commercial units installed by the end of the year. Check with Australian supplier Currie Group for its arrival down under.

“The primary target is short- to medium-run folding cartons, but basically it is aimed at anyone that has a sheetfed process needing B1 with an industrial output,” says Nigel Tracey, Scodix’s head of packaging.

How does it work?

Scodix E106 is a 760mm-wide singlepass inkjet press, the widest and fastest Scodix to date. The feeder, paper transport and stacker are built by Mabeg in Germany.

The key component is the proprietary UV-cured polymer ink, which cures to optical clarity. It can lay down a super thick coating, up to 250 microns per pass, with variable thickness to give textures. Multiple passes can build up the thickness even further and can apply effects over foil.

The nine embellishment are: Spot, traditional high gloss UV varnish; Sense, raised and textured spot varnish; Foil, dieless cold foil application; Metallic, spot varnish on Deprosa’s Soft Touch matt metallic laminate; Crystal, multiple passes simulating glue-on gems; VDP/VDE, variable data printing 36 ProPrint February 2017

Launched at drupa: Lior Meron, (l) Scodix, with Bernie Robinson, (r) Currie Group and the Scodix E106

Process Single-pass inkjet with UV-cured clear polymer ink Max speed 4,000sph Max sheet size 1,060x760mm Min sheet size 500x707mm Max print size 1,040x750mm Print height Up to 250 microns per pass Resolution 600x2,540dpi Media weight range 135-700gsm Max media thickness 2mm Foil types Standard hot and cold foils, up to five rolls across the width, min 50mm, 76mm core Footprint 10.2x6m Price About €1.4m Contact Bernie Robinson, Currie Group 03 9810 8888 www.scodix.com

/ enhancement; Braille; Cast & Cure, diffraction; and Glitter, glitter particles applied pre-cure.

A cold foiling unit built by Compact Foilers in the UK is standard. This brings foil into contact with the tacky polymer where it adheres before full curing.

How is artwork handled?

File input is full-colour PDF job artwork. A named effects layer is detected by the rip and only that is printed. Greyscales control variable heights and textures.

How does it differ from previous models?

This is the largest and fastest Scodix printer since the company went public at Ipex 2010. It will also be the most expensive. Tracey says this is the company’s first industrial, press, intended for operating continuously.

How fast is it?

The rated speed is 4,000 B1 sheets per hour for single-pass embellishment.

What’s the USP?

“It is a replacement technology for traditional hot foil processes,” says Tracey. “These are processes which are the most complex, at the highest fixed cost in terms of makeready time and tooling cost. “What used to take four hours willl be done in four minutes.”

How easy is it to use?

Tracey says that operations are pretty well the same as any digital press.

However, more important is the comparison to traditional hot foil stamping, which Tracey says ‘is one of those old black arts. However Scodix is the opposite, my 84-year-old father set it up today, having done his typesetting apprenticeship when he was 14’.

What does it cost?

The announced price from Scodix is set at €1.4m.

the alternatives MGI JETVARNISH 3D EVOLUTION A scalable digital embellishment press can print clear spot varnish with raised and textured effects, plus optional iFoil inline foiling unit.

Process Single pass inkjet with UV-cured clear inks Max speed 3,000 B1 sph Print height Up to 200 microns Effects Spot varnish, raised and textured spot coating, optional inline foiling Foil Up to five rolls across the width, from 100mm width up Contact David Cascarino, Konica Minolta Australia, 02 8026 2401 AUTOBOND SUV Autobond offers SUV inline digital spot UV inkjets for its high-end laminators. A cold foiling unit can be fitted to this.

Process Spot UV inkjet with cold foiling Max speed 3,600 B1 sph Print height Up to 40 microns per pass Max sheet size 740x1,020mm Effects Spot varnish, foil Contact Tom Ralph, Graph Pak, 02 9525 8009 BOBST MASTERFOIL 106 PR This takes the same size sheets as the Scodix, can do true embossing and runs twice as fast. However, it needs dies and will not spot varnish.

Process Hot foil stamping Maximum speed 8,000sph Contact Carstern Wendler, Print & Pack, 03 9556 1800 www.proprint.com.au

March 2017

ProPrint

TECHNOLOGY GUIDE Entry Level Digital Press

l l

Getting into digital printing?

Check out eight of the latest printers

PRODUCT PORTFOLIO TECHNOLOGY GUIDE

Entry Level Digital Press Looking to get into digital printing - ProPrint checks out some of the latest entry level systems on the market

CANON IMAGEPRESS C850/C750/C650

The Canon imagePress C850/C750/ C650 digital colour production press is a new range that was released late last year. Canon says the imagePress C850 Series is designed to provide offset-like image quality through Canon’s Gloss Optimisation technology, enabling to match the gloss of the toner image to that of the media used, and with a 32-beam R-VCSEL red laser to help produce crisp and clear images efficiently at 2400 x 2400 dpi.

With a number of screen patterns to choose from, the press now offers a new 190 lpi dot screen for increased flexibility and optimised quality closer to offset. By using CV Toner and an Advanced Image Transfer Belt, these devices can print high-quality, consistent output on a variety of media, including textured stocks.

Canon says that with these features, users have the ability to enjoy color consistency for predictable quality output, a necessity of print providers who run repetitive jobs.

The imagePress C850, C750 and C650 devices operate at print speeds of up to 85, 75 and 65 A4 pages per minute, respectively, in colour and black- and-white. These digital presses provide reliable paper feeding with air separation and double sheet detection intended to reduce paper jams and production interruptions. First-timeright results with consistent colour and precise registration achieved by the Compact Registration Module help increase the amount of sellable output.

38 ProPrint March 2017

A new option for this series is the Booklet Trimmer-F1, which the company says helps save valuable time with a larger trim waste bin and continuous run capability with on-the-fly trim waste removal.

The imagePress C850 Series supports a variety of in-line finishing options to help expand the offerings of print service providers, including the ability to stack, fold, saddle-stitch, staple, perfect-bind and ring-bind.

Another new option for this imagePress series will be the MultiFunction Professional Puncher-A1 for die punching on a wider range of media sizes and weights for A4 and larger, oblong bound books. Using Canon’s die set, this new finishing module can professionally crease documents in-line to produce folded applications, including saddle stitch booklets, with less paper cracking on the spine of the document.

This series of printers now supports auto-duplex printing of up to 762mm long sheets, proving itself helpful in the short run production of 6-panel brochures, posters and dust jackets.

EPSON COLORWORKS C7500

Canon Imagepress C850/c750/c650

Epson ColorWorks C7500

The ColorWorks C7500 is aimed at printers wanting to print onto matte media for durable print labels. It allows printers to reliably and cost-effectively meet their in-house labelling needs.

The C7500 can also help eliminate the costs associated with pre-printing by producing short-run, customised labels on demand.

Epson’s ColorWorks desktop label solutions are capable of high mix label requirements with commercial inkjet printers, fast-drying, durable colour inks suitable for a range of media types and sizes. Printers can print labels needed when required for applications including packaging and manufacturing, logistics, retail, ticketing and more.

The printer features the new PrecisionCore printhead with Epson’s Nozzle Verification Technology (NVT) and dot substitution to help prevent misprints and dead pixels for consistent printouts.

It can produce a range of labels for food and beverage products, packaging and boxes, as well as EU energy labels and GHS labels. With print speeds up to 300mm/sec, it can print labels in full colour at the same speed as some thermal monochrome printers.

High-capacity individual ink cartridges mean only the colour used will need to be replaced, offering lower costs per print. The permanent printhead offers cost savings as none of its major components will need replacing for at least 500km worth of printing.

The LCD control panel makes set-up easy. Epson’s newest printer command set, ESC/Label, allows integration with virtually any operating system.

SPECS AT A GLANCE:

Print technology: Gloss optimisation Laser: 32 beam red Dot screen: 190lpi Max resolution: 2,400x2,400ddpi Max print speed: 85ppm Max print length: 762mm

www.proprint.com.au

PRODUCT PORTFOLIO

The device also comes with a full range of software utilities to support printer deployment. NVT also helps to prevent clogged nozzles.

SPECS AT A GLANCE:

Print technology: PrecisionCore TFP with Nozzle Verification Technology Ink type: DURABrite pigment ink for TM-C7500, 4 individual CMYK cartridges Max resolution: 1,200 x 600dpi Max print speed: 300mm/s or 150mm/s (selectable) Max print width: 108mm Media types: Plain label, matte label, synthetic label Media dimensions: width 50-112mm - roll feed

FUJI XEROX COLOUR C70

The Colour C70 is an affordable digital colour solution with the capability for professional image quality and is scalable to grow with the business.

Purpose built for both high-value applications and everyday work, the C70 offers the productivity of a multifunction device with a higher level of quality and finishing for creative and production teams. With print, copy and scan functions, the C70 has multi-tasking abilities with PC, USB and email, to save time by sending prints from any smart phone or tablet.

The Colour C70 prints up to 70 colour pages per minute and 75 blackand-white pages per minute on both uncoated and coated stock up to 300gsm and 220gsm for auto duplexing.

Fuji Xerox says the Colour C70 can create customer brochures, proposals, posters, window decals or polyester signs. It features 2,400 x 2,400dpi resolution and uses Fuji Xerox Special Polyester EA Low Melt Toner.

Using variable data printing software from XMPie, high-value variable data applications can be handled to expand product offerings.

The Colour C70 is modular and has several server options, as well as enterprise workflows to reduce print costs with Xerox Standard Accounting.

Security enhancements include password protected PDFs, Print and Secure Print.

Flexible feeding is handled by four standard paper trays, and finishing options include stapling, hole punching, folding and face trimming,.

Fuji Xerox Finance offers finance for all equipment, as it has done for over 30 years. Over 75 per cent of all Fuji Xerox equipment is financed through Fuji Xerox Finance.

Complete installation and training is performed over two days, with installation of the device taking up to two hours and a day and a half allocated to operator training. www.proprint.com.au

Fuji Xerox Colour C70 SPECS AT A GLANCE:

Print resolution: 2,400 x 2,400dpi Max Speed: A4 colour – 70ppm; A4 B&W – 75ppm Standard sizes: A5 to A3 Paper weights: 64-300gsm Max paper capacity: 7,260 sheets

HP INDIGO 3600

HP says its Indigo 3600 Digital Press offers HP Indigo’s offset-matching print quality and versatility at a low initial investment, making it ideal launching digital production. Supplied by Currie Group in Australia the press delivers a wide application range, with enhanced colour productivity. To maximise production flexibility the HP Indigo 3600 Digital Press integrates within existing environments, complementing conventional printing and expanding service options with on-demand delivery that requires no minimum.

The HP Indigo prints in colour at up to 90 pages per minute using Enhanced Productivity Mode (EPM). Enabled by HP Indigo’s liquid ElectroInk technology and digital offset process, HP Indigo prints are of the highest quality. The company says they match or even exceed offset, allowing them to be used interchangeably. The HP Indigo 3600 Digital Press

provides vivid printing in CMYK through ElectroInk and the Indigo process, delivering a thin ink layer for uniform gloss between ink and substrate. Pantone emulation is achieved using CMYK on-press. The company says it enables a fast return on investment, and is an attractively priced solution to get started in digital printing. HP says Indigo 3600 Digital Press owners enjoy low operating costs, reliability, and flexible pricing plans.

The press supports the widest in-class substrate range, including coated, uncoated, specialty media, and thick substrates up to 16pt.

HP describes the Indigo 3600 Digital Press as an entry-level, offset-matching press with enhanced colour, producing high-quality jobs that satisfy branding requirements, the press enables PSPs to meet the tightest deadlines and offer clients cost-effective, on-demand runs.

The Enhanced Productivity Mode (EPM) increases throughput by 33 per cent from 68ppm to 90ppm for most image-rich colour jobs, significantly reducing turnaround time and production costs. Load and unload takes place while printing. Two drawers enable continuous feeding, including of multiple substrates. There is adjustment-free, minimum-touch paper handling.

SPECS AT A GLANCE:

Print technology: Liquid toner (ElectroInk) Media thickness: 70-400 microns Max resolution: 2,438x2,438dpi Max print speed: 68ppm in four colour, or 90ppm in enhanced productivity mode, 136ppm in two colour Max print width: 330x482mm Media types: more than 3000 certified HP Indigo 3600

Continued on page 40

March 2017 ProPrint 39

PRODUCT PORTFOLIO Continued from page 39

KODAK NEXPRESS ECO2500

The ECO2500 Press is Kodak’s entry point to digital printing, and offers Kodak image quality with the support of award-winning Kodak Service and Support.

The Kodak NexPress ECO2500 digital production colour press delivers 5,000 A4/letter 5/0 sheets per hour, or 83 pages per minute. The press delivers offset-like image quality, and is suitable for all applications. It is Pantone and Pantone Goe licensed for both four- and five-colour printing.

Other features include expanded applications through Kodak’s fifth imaging unit solutions, and its ability to support a wide range of substrate types, sizes, weights and thicknesses. It prints at full speed for all supported substrate weights.

The Nexppress ECO 2500 uses the latest version of Kodak’s NexPressS Front End. Its open architecture integrates seamlessly into Kodak Prinergy workflow systems, and is compatible with existing digital colour, black-and-white, offset and blended workflows.

Its level of self-serviceability gives operators control to optimise uptime and minimise operational costs.

Kodak business development services provide dedicated specialists and tools to help printers develop marketing plans and programs to optimise the return on their investment.

Kodak NexPress Eco2500

SPECS AT A GLANCE:

Konica Minolta AccurioPrint C2060L

Print technology: Dry electrophotography Max resolution: 600 dpi, multi-bit (up to 8-bit with 256 levels of exposure through Complete data path) Screens: Classic HD, Classic, Line, Optimum, Supra, Kodak Staccato DX Max print speed (single sided 4/0 or 5/0): 5,000 A4 sph; 2,500 A3 sph Max Print speed (Duplex 4/4 or 5/5: half single-sided printing speed Max sheet size: 356 x 520mm Min sheet size: 279 x 200mm Max image area: 340 x 510mm Print engine: 4 or 5 colours Paper feeders: 4 standard feeders for max 11,000 sheets Paper substrates: Uncoated, matte coated, glossy coated, cast coated and textured, wood free and recycled, standard offset papers 40 ProPrint March 2017

Special substrates: Uncoated, matte coated, glossy coated labels, paper-backed transparencies, magnetic, photo book paper, synthetics, pre-perforated and scored specialty stocks Substrate weights: 60-350g/m2 uncoated; 80-350g/m2 coated.

KONICA MINOLTA ACCURIOPRINT C2060L

Konica Minolta’s just released AccurioPrint C2060L multi-role press increases media capabilities and overall functionality to meet new demands for digital print.

To encompass this expanding multirole requirement the brand name AccurioPrint has been established.

The AccurioPrint C2060L offers printers expanded media capabilities and sheet size throughput. The new large capacity unit for long sheet banners up to 750mm ensures efficient banner printing for book covers and three-fold menus. The speed of envelope print has been doubled from the previous model so envelope printing is more profitable.

The new dual-side high-speed colour scanner is capable of running at scan speeds up to 240opm, and is equipped with double-feed detection to avoid scanning two sheets at once, avoiding incomplete scanned document files.

This flexibility allows greater expansion of Print/Scan/Copy work that the AccurioPrint C2060L is able to handle as a multi-role digital system.

Colour reproduction is built around Konica Minolta’s 3,600 x 1,200dpi print resolution and is combined with Screen Enhancing Active Digital (SEAD V) system to deliver accurate exposure controls, precise pixel placement and advance print screening.

The AccurioPrint C2060L delivers colour quality with a Delta E value of less than five.

Konica Minolta’s environmental impact reduction strategy includes lower power consumption with the development of High Definition Toner (HDE), allowing the reduction of heat required to fuse the toner to the printed medium. The outer covers of the system are created from a high percentage of reclaimed resin and bioplastic using an “open recycle method” that produces a durable product and reduces environmental impact significantly.

SPECS AT A GLANCE:

Resolution: 1,200 x 1,200dpi x 8 bit Media range: 62-300gsm Paper sizes: 330 x 487 mm; 330 x 1.200 mm (optional) Max image area: 323 x 480mm Paper output capacity: 3,100 sheets Max print speed: A4 – 61ppm; A3 – 33ppm; SRA3 – 31ppm Scan resolution: 600 x 600dpi.

Continued on page 42

www.proprint.com.au

Chemical Manufacturing

Retail

Healthcare

Fast, durable and on-demand THE EPSON COLORWORKS C7500 COLOUR LABEL PRINTER

• High print speed up to 300mm/second • Rugged design means minimal maintenance and low overall cost of ownership • Astonishing image quality, powered by Epson Precision CoreTM inkjet technology • High print resolution 1200 x 600 dpi • Seamless integration – built-in ESC/Label language for integration with user’s existing workflow • High yield 4-colour (CMYK) ink cartridges mean fewer user interventions and less waste • Epson’s outstanding pigment ink produces long lasting, light/water/chemical resistance labels

Learn more, visit www.epson.com.au/colorworks

PRODUCT PORTFOLIO Continued from page 40

RICOH PRO C7100X SERIES

Ricoh offers a complete portfolio of digital colour production cut-sheet presses, from entry-level models which cater to those producing smaller print volumes of print to high volume models designed to handle a million prints per month. Every model offers support for a broad range of substrates, banner printing, and dedicated Ricoh production service and support.

The most popular models in the Ricoh portfolio are the Pro C7100X series, which suits the needs of small to mid-size printers. Versatility is available in the range of stocks and sheet sizes it supports, as well as its finishing options, and the added value of a fifth colour station provides printers the opportunity to offer customers a much broader array of printed offerings.

Handling paper weights from 52.3gsm to 360gsm, the Pro C7100X Series will run a diverse range of paper stocks including coated and uncoated, recycled, coloured (including black), pre-printed, pre-punched, tab, envelopes, labels, letterheads, translucent, transparency, and synthetic material. Heavily textured media provide no challenge for the Pro C7100X Series with its AC-transfer system and elastic fusing belt technology transferring more toner to the media and improving image quality.

It can handle a maximum sheet size of 330mm x 700mm, enabling the creation of six-page A4 brochures or A4 landscape booklets.

Inline finishing choices include fully finished professional saddle-stitched booklet making, punching, folding, ring binding and perfect binding.

Mechanical registration ensures precise sheet-to-sheet and front-to-back image placement for easier finishing, whether inline or offline.

The Pro C7100X features a fifth print station so printers are able to use clear gloss or white toner to add value to documents and offer customers some unique special effects.

The Pro C7100X series delivers a print resolution of 1,200 x 4,800dpi, and a self-contained liquid cooling system keeps the developer at a constant temperature to ensure colour consistency across a print run.

The press is available in two print 42 ProPrint March 2017

speeds – 80 or 90ppm – with a scanner option for multi-function applications including copying and scanning.

Dedicated Ricoh production service and support includes a customer care program and tailored operator training syllabus. It is backed by Ricoh’s TCRU (Trained Customer Replaceable Units) program, which enables operators to replace more than a dozen parts to maximise uptime.

Ricoh Pro C7100X Series

SPECS AT A GLANCE:

Technology: 5 drum dry electrostatic transfer system with internal transfer belt Fusing: Oilless belt fusing method Max print speed: Pro C7100SX – 80ppm colour & mono; Pro C7110SX – 90ppm colour & mono) Resolution: Up to 1,200 x 4,800dpi Duty Cycle: C7100SX – 600,000 month; C7110SX – 700,000 month Max print area: 323 x 480mm; 323 x 692mm (banner sheet tray option) Paper weights: 52.3 – 360gsm.

XEIKON 8500

Part of the 8000 range of digital colour document printing systems the Xeikon 8500 is the entry level model, but still prints at a more than decent 160 A4 pages per minute, aimed at lower volume direct mail work and short run commercial print. The company says the 8500 brings the advantages of its top-end technology to all printers.

The new 8000 series presses have been developed specifically for the document printing market, and says the company makes Xeikon’s highest image quality, highest productivity and

Xeikon 8500

lowest running costs available across its entire duplex-printing product line.

This enables all users – from smaller short-run print shops to large print service providers – to take advantage of the company’s top-end technology. has high precision LED-array imaging technology combines 1200 dpi resolution and 4-bit per spot colour depth to deliver what Xeikon says is the finest commercial print quality on the market. In addition, the move up from mono-roll image development to duoroll image development delivers much smoother solids.

It has the full format flexibility and is able to print on webs up to 50cm wide and, due to the full rotary imaging process, unlimited in length, enabling B2 paper size formats.

Applications include transactional, with one engine print capacity of up to 300,000 pages per day in native IPDS mode in five colours; textbook printing, it handles ultra-light stock (down to 40 gsm) and the 1200 dpi resolution allows for fine print of technical drawings and small characters; Short run commercial print, point of sales and wallpaper production, it prints on a B2 format and is unlimited in length; photo book printing, it runs offset print quality on a large range of substrates without the need for pretreatment. Up to 504 mm of imaging width and unlimited in length provide a lot of possibilities for special formats, covers and dust-jackets; and direct marketing.

SPECS AT A GLANCE:

Ink type: Dry toner Max resolution: 1,200dpi Max print speed: 12 metres a minute or 160 pages per minute Max print width: 512mm Monthly cycle: FIve million pages

www.proprint.com.au

FOCUS ENVIRONMENT

The 5 pillars of sustainable production Printers can benefit from moving into environmentally friendly printing, with five key pillars necessary

By Rachel England and Athina Mallis

G

reen credentials are no longer simply an attractive business bolt-on. Companies in all sectors demonstrating a commitment to reducing their environmental impact not only enjoy reduced costs, an enhanced reputation and a competitive advantage, but are taking important steps to ensure the longevity of their business, and of course the planet.

In an ideal world a green printing business would be defined by five pillars.

1. EQUIPMENT

Investing in new equipment is usually viewed as the biggest single expense in any green endeavour, but it is also one of the most effective ways of boosting environmental credentials and making significant cost savings.

LED-UV curing, for example, has taken some time to gain traction in a commercial environment but is now widely regarded as superior to traditional UV methods, offering instant drying, long light source lifespans and up to 88 per cent lower power consumption than conventional UV. And there is no mercury or spray powders involved, making for a cleaner working environment.

Kit that offers greater control over each print element is also beneficial.

Fujifilm offers software that allows 44 ProPrint March 2017

processors to minimise chemical usage by monitoring what’s going on inside the machine and adjusting replenishment requirements accordingly, rather than simply topping up chemicals on a regular basis, as is the case with traditional processes. As a result, bath life is extended; instead of swapping them out every two to three weeks, baths are operational for up to three or four months instead. Some printers which have adopted this software say it has reduced chemistry usage by 75 per cent.

But there are also options for 100 per cent chemistry-free printing. Agfa Graphics’ Azura TU plates, for example, eliminates developer and replenisher entirely, with printers reporting 87 per cent reduced processor maintenance, a 95 per cent reduction in waste collection and a massive reduction of water, again up to 95 per cent.

2. LOGISTICS

Logistics is an oft-overlooked element of the sustainable business model, but it is an area where big rewards can be had for very little effort.

For a start, drivers can improve van efficiency by as much as 15 per cent by making basic behavioural changes, such as shifting gear at 2,000rpm and relying on windows instead of airconditioning to keep cool under 90kmh, and using air-conditioning over 90kmh to keep aerodynamic. Of course, ensuring drivers stick to these

kind of guidelines is no easy task, which is why many companies employ technology such as Lightfoot, a driver monitoring system. The system keeps an eye on a driver’s behaviour, offering real-time guidance on driving more economically, and sending a weekly or monthly email report to the fleet manager. The company’s fuel calculator suggests that a business running three vans, each doing around 50,000 miles a year, could save $5,000 in fuel and 3.64 tonnes of CO2 annually.

Some companies are going further still by investing in green vehicles, which is unsurprising given the benefits they offer. According to the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership, opting for a low-carbon vehicle instead of a conventional one could save firms $30,000 in running costs over the vehicle’s lifetime.

Some companies bikes and electric vehicles to deliver its products, with every letter delivered through the service saving 28 grams of CO2, while the days of businesses installing a privately owned rapid-charging station for its own electric cars and vans are not too far away.

3. POWER

Some printing businesses are reaping the benefits of renewable energy, which helps to protect against energy price volatility, reduces energy bills and, of course, bolsters those important green credentials.

Solar panels for instance can save around one tonne CO2 a year for every 10 that are installed, and can reduce consumption of energy from the grid by as much as 50 per cent. See break-out www.proprint.com.au

ENVIRONMENT FOCUS

Solar power: Industrial Printing Co, Lithgow

associated with their mineral-based counterparts. French manufacturer Capoverde is currently working on getting its products into the market in a bid to reduce the consumption of print media made from oil-based materials.

It products use acrylic coatings, without PVC and VOC release, and the coatings are free from phthalates, formaldehyde, phosphate and glycol ethers.

Of course, much of the environmental damage from consumables comes after they have been used, but a number of companies have stepped up to tackle this issue.

Altodigital offers a cartridge return programme in line with ISO 14001 standards, while J&G Environmental – known for pioneering sustainable waste management in the industry – offers a complete ‘circular service’ to its customers, delivering consumables then collecting waste containers for recycling and reuse.

5. ACCREDITATION

box for insight into how two Australian print businesses are benefitting from having implemented solar power.

4. CONSUMABLES

Consumables is an area where printers can make the quickest environmental wins. The industry gets a bad rap for paper usage, but recycled and sustainable-grade papers are now the norm. Although there is some debate over which is ‘better’ for the environment, both have a role to play.

Recycled paper, of course, does not end up in landfill, and technology in this area has come on leaps and bounds in recent times. A few years ago there were technical challenges in achieving a high-quality recycled paper – you would have to add some virgin pulp to get it up to scratch. Now, though, 100 per cent recycled paper can be of an extremely high quality.

Paper made from waste is gaining traction too. Crush, manufactured by Italian company Favini, uses organic residues from food processing around its Crusinallo mill in Northern Italy to reduce the amount of virgin fibre needed.

FSC-certified paper, meanwhile, assures printers and procurers that paper brandishing the FSC logo has come from responsibly-managed forests that promote regrowth and biodiversity, certifiable through comprehensive chain-of-custody documentation – something customers are increasingly mindful of.

More companies are turning their attention to vegetable-based inks, which offer high-quality results without the environmental issues www.proprint.com.au

The oft-mentioned ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 are almost standard for print businesses now – customers would certainly be right to be wary of a company that didn’t have accreditation at this basic level. As such, forwardthinking environmentally-savvy companies are casting their nets further afield.

A number of printers are voluntarily involved with carbon-neutral schemes, too, although CarbonNeutral certification is the most impactful way to illustrate this. In 2002, Pureprint was the first printer in the world to be awarded this status, and many others have since followed suit.

But as businesses expand, it’s worth looking at accreditation schemes that hold sway in other countries. The Ecolabel is particularly important: it is a scheme that everything from consumer products such as shampoos and cleaning detergents, to floorcoverings, textiles, and even campsites and hotels.

The idea behind such a wide-ranging application is that the logo is instantly recognised, making it easy for both consumers and businesses to make a green choice by opting for products that carry the mark.

The PIAA offers an accredition programme, Sustainable Green Print (SGP), which it says is the Australian printing industry’s own recognisable certification programme, designed to help printing companies meet their environmental responsibilities. Based on an ISO14001 framework, SGP is tailored to meet individual print business requirements, the demands of customers, and their customers. The multi-level system gives a choice of three linked achievement levels including ISO 14001 (Level 3 SGP).

Aussie printers using solar power Located in Kilsyth South, printer Calgraphics has taken sustainable to another level. Co-owner Andrew Bennett says his company has a multifaceted strategy when it comes to wastage, nothing is thrown out (except maybe an old tuna sandwich), everything is repurposed and electricity is from solar panels.

Bennett says, “We have bought special in-factory lighting to reduce costs, no-one turns the lights on and off any more; the lights switch off when no one is there. Some of our components go out to charity for arts and crafts. What we consider waste is not waste for other people.

“We also grow vegetables on site. People in the office do not have bins anymore, all rubbish goes to one central bin that divides wastage between recyclable and non-recyclable. Our shredded paper is used for packaging and our boxes either get recycled or are used for packaging.”

Bennett installed his solar panels in 2013, “At the time the government was giving us a reasonable rebate and it made sense economically, to do that.”

He uses his 35 kilowatt system during the day with any additional power needed being pulled off the grid. Bennett says when there is solar power he does not use, it goes to the grid and he gets a reasonable amount of money back. The system was purchased from solar panel company Sun Connect and covers a third of its 1,200sqm roof space.

Calgraphics specialises in digital, screen and wide format printing in addition to printing on high end materials.

Another Aussie on the solar pathway is Lithgow based Industrial Printing Co. The trade printer uses a 100kw solar system with 400 panels, which offsets power during the day. General manager Steve Scott says the system was installed in October 2013.

Because its 18 machines need quite an amount of power to work, it made sense to Scott to install the system. Scott says, “This was the biggest system we could get, any bigger and we would be a power station. The solar panels reduce costs up to 50 per cent with a much lower carbon footprint. It has good environmental benefits, as well as good cost savings,” he says.

Other sustainable practices the company does includes recycling all waste, cardboard, pallets, waste water, chemicals and press plates. It uses vegetablebased inks and environmentally friendly press chemicals. The company uses gas powered forklifts and redirect heat from its compressors to assist with heating during winter months.

Industrial Printing Co is a family owned trade business, operating since 1966 and employing 50 people. Its services include, NCR (no carbon required), colour, digital and wide format printing.

Using 400 solar panels: Industrial Printing Co

March 2017 ProPrint 45

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THIRD COPY

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FOURTH COPY

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Perforation

N/A

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March 2017 ProPrint 53

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NEXT MONTH IN PROPRINT Looking to invest in new technology?

Want to know what to see at PacPrint?

The next issue of the ProPrint Technology Guide will present some of the latest developments that will be on show at the biggest event in Australian print.

54www.proprint.com.au ProPrint March 2017

March 2017 ProPrint 43 www.proprint.com.au

POST SCRIPT Q&A Stacey Dvorak, Brand Print Australia

PRINT’S PAST

A new font: Mossuto Bold

B

eing a graphic designer I would do the ad layouts by hand. You would draw the picture of the product, whether it was a handbag or whatever, you would draw that in colour and illustrate that. The heading might say, “The best handbags in the world,” you would hand letter it. And I got myself into this bad habit where I would do this typestyle that I really liked. I wanted something fairly bold, fairly strong and I would hand letter this thing and it would get to the point where the client would approve it, it would be handed to the finished artist who would have to order the type from Dova Type, or whoever was doing the typesetting, and nobody could find the typeface. It was a hybrid of Helvetica, Futura and there was a little bit of Univers Bold in there, and eventually they’d throw their hands up in the air and say, “We can’t find this typeface, what do you want?” And eventually they would just say, “We’ll just call this Mossuto Bold.” But we’d just have to settle for something that was as close as possible, it’d invariably end up being something like Futura Bold or something like that. A funny story but I got into a lot of trouble over that.

When she’s not working out, Stacey Dvorak at Brand Print Australia likes to help teenagers get their act together.

I think that when you are working in that industry, you are looking at so many typefaces that you retain it in your subconscious. If you are doing an ad for watches you think elegance, and you think Times Roman, Century, something with a serif face, something that has an elegancy to it, but if you are just doing the layout all you’re thinking is a serif face, but because you’re looking at so many typefaces, over the period of time, you do create these hybrids in your subconscious, and I think I wasn’t the only one guilty of doing this, I assure you. It happened quite often, we’d get jobs from other graphic designers and it’d be the same situation, we would say, “What the hell typeface is this? It looks like Times Roman, but it’s not, Bookman Bold or some other thing?”, and you just had to find the closest you could to do the face. But to be fair too, time was restrictive when you’re doing those layouts. Sometimes you don’t have the time to absolutely do the research and go through and pick the exact face that you want. All you’re trying to say to the client is that it needs a serif face. Or it needs a bold face or whatever. But anyway it created a lot of problems.

Why did you get into printing?

My husband Dave had a little hobby; at the time I was a 25-year-old single mum of three. I had no idea about business or this industry and after scoring my dream job as a funeral director I had to resign after my young son was going through personal issues. I then asked Dave if I could turn his hobby into a real business.

What is your favourite phrase?

She’ll be right.

What would be your dream job?

My dream job now would be speaking to large groups of teenagers to inspire and motivate them to tap into their untapped potential.

What TV show are you watching at the moment?

I don’t watch TV — hence why I have five kids — LOL. What is your greatest luxury in life?

I would die without my gym.

Laurie Mossuto

Who or what makes you laugh?

I have quite a whacky sense of humor so my jokes and seeing my kids laugh at them makes me laugh.

If you didn’t work in print, what would you be doing?

Speaking on stages all over the world.

DIARY EVENT

LOCATION

DATE

Auspack

Sydney

Mar 7-10

Xeikon Café

Lier, Belgium

Mar 28-31

Int’national Print Pack Fair

Hong Kong

Apr 27-30

Interpack

Dusseldorf

May 1-10

ChinaPrint

Beijing

May 9-13

PacPrint

Melbourne

May 23-26

National Print Awards

Melbourne

May 25

LabelExpo

Brussels

Sept 25-28

Ipex

Birmingham

Oct 31-Nov 3

Keeping fit: Stacey Dvorak

If your house was on fire, what three things would you rescue (apart from family members)?

My gym gear, my makeup and my magic bullet.

Who would you like to be stuck on a desert island with?

My kids and husband of course.

How do you like to unwind?

A high intensity HIIT session.

Group Editor Wayne Robinson (02) 9806 9344, wayne@proprint.com.au News Reporter Athina Mallis (02) 9806 9344, athina@proprint.com.au Contributors S teve Crowe, Leon Gettler, Baden Kirgan, Peter Kohn, Frank Romano Production Editor and Design Leyla Bhathela (02) 9806 9344, leyla@i-grafix.com National Sales Manager Carmen Ciappara (02) 9625 4434, carmen@proprint.com.au Group Publisher Brian Moore brian@i-grafix.com Managing Director Shankar Vishwanath Subscriptions (02) 9806 9344 subs@proprint.com.au Subscription rate (11 issues) Australia $69.95.

Printed by Webstar, a division of Blue Star Print Group, Silverwater, NSW.

ProPrint is published monthly by Printer Magazines Group, registered in Australia ABN 25 927 113 642. This publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form in whole or in part without the written permission of the publishers. While every care has been taken in the preparation of this magazine, it is a condition of distribution that the publisher does not assume any responsibility or liability for any loss or damage which may result from any inaccuracy or omission in the publication.

56 ProPrint March 2017

www.proprint.com.au

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