DON’T miss next month’s issue of PJ for your free annual Guide to Newspaper Contract Printers. Newly updated, and sponsored for the second year running by Newsprinters, the little pocket sized guide is now in its 15th year of publication.

It offers the most comprehensive listing of newspaper print companies in the UK and Ireland, each with full plant list and contact details, and is a free added value publication with every paid PJ subscription.

For more details contact editor and publisher Gary Cullum at gc@cullumpublishing.co.uk

JOURNAL THE 2010 GUIDE TO NEWSPAPER CONTRACT PRINTERS

CULLUM Publishing has launched a free app for the Newspaper Society publication PJ which is available to download from Apple’s app store.

Developed for PJ by the new app team at industry manufacturer and supplier Harland Simon, it is available for iPhone and iPad.

As well as access to the publication’s website, the app currently allows users to download PJ, although this is being conducted on a trial basis.

Editor and publisher Gary Cullum said: “As a publisher you have to make your offering available on whatever platform your customers wish to receive it.

“The number of PJ readers, web browsers, tablet and smartphone users is expanding fast and this is good news for the publication’s advertisers and PJ initiative and event sponsors.”

PJ is available in print, online at PJ’s website (www.newsmedia.org.uk) and via iPhone and iPad.

NEWSPAPER proprietor Sir Ray Tindle has pledged £250,000 to fund a campaign run by the Newspaper Society to promote the local press.

At a lunch for the Newspaper Society’s Council and industry guests to celebrate his 85th birthday year, Sir Ray Tindle said the local press was entering a new and exciting phase and that the campaign would promote its unique and valued role.

He told guests at Stationers’ Hall that the industry took “great pride in our longevity, our tenacity and our closeness to our communities” and said that that the British press was “the finest in the world and we are proud to be a major part of it”.

Sir Ray is chairman of Farnham-based Tindle Newspapers, a group he founded with £300 demob money given to soldiers at the end of the Second World War. It is now in the NS list of the 10 biggest UK newspaper publishers and Sir Ray was knighted in 1994 for his services to the newspaper industry.

His connection with the Newspaper Society goes back more than 55 years. He worked full-time for the society as assistant to the secretary in the 1950s. He was elected president in 1971 and served as honorary treasurer for more than 14 years.

He is pictured presenting a 1783 silver tea samovar to NS president Georgina Harvey, managing director of Trinity Mirror regionals. The gift was to mark the 175th anniversary of the NS and as a gesture of appreciation “for all the help I’ve had from the society”, he said.

The water heater was similar to those in use at the time the NS was established and he said: “I thought perhaps with this the Council might have a chance of getting a decent cup of tea when we attend meetings.”

In giving a vote of thanks, Ms Harvey said that the unprecedented donation of £250,000 was testament to Sir Ray’s love of local newspapers and promised that it would be put to the very best possible use with a campaign to benefit the whole industry.

More from the celebratory lunch on page 13

KODAK’S Graphic Communications Group will increase prices of digital and conventional plates as of 1 May because of rising costs for key raw materials and utilities. Digital plate prices will rise by five to 10 per cent, and conventional plates by 15 to 20 per cent. More on PJ’s website at www.newsmedia.org.uk

THE trade expo year got off the ground as PJ went to press, with 80 companies participating in the Hunkeler digital printing Innovationdays in Switzerland and 100 exhibitors at Publishing Expo in London.

Making its world debut at the Hunkeler event was the Kodak S20 imprinting system. It is claimed to offer double the output of the Kodak S10 model, that is 600 m/min, with a print width of 106 mm and a resolution of 600x300 dpi. Also able to handle spot colours as well as monochrome, the S20 is available new or as an upgrade for the S10.

Wider webs, faster speeds and more integration were the main trends to be seen at the ninth Innovationdays, held at the new trade fair exhibition centre in Lucerne. Occurring every other year, the exhibition’s 80-plus exhibitors are all involved in the high performance digital printing sector. These included all the major digital press manufacturers such as HP, Kodak, Océ, Screen and Xerox

Although most of the new developments at the show were not aimed at the newspaper market, it was interesting to see how digital printing technology is advancing by leaps and bounds. For instance, Xerox launched a four-colour inkjet web press. Previewed as a ‘technology demonstration’ at Ipex last May, it incorporates ‘waterless’ technology. It can print up to 52 cm wide at speeds of up to 152 m/min.

However, this is not the fastest machine around. For instance, Hewlett Packard now offers a press which can run at up to 182 m/min, while Screen’s latest Truepress, the Jet520XX, runs at 220 m/min and the claim for the latest Impika press is 250 m/min.

New products at the show aimed at newspaper production included the Hunkeler Combi newspaper finishing line. A main feature here is the ‘fast’ changeovers from broadsheet to tabloid formats. It also has a spine gluing option.

With Northprint in May, Graph Expo in Chicago in September and the annual newspaper show IFRA Expo in October, a number of new generation products, systems and solutions will be very much in evidence. Then all eyes turn to Drupa 2012 where traditional and new media multimillion pound orders are expected.

Indeed, as PJ went to press, RR Donnelley & Sons Company and German press manufacturer KBA announced an agreement to develop, manufacture and sell next generation piezoelectric digital inkjet printing solutions to the packaging, securities, commercial, and newspaper segments.

See page 2 and PJ online at www.newsmedia.org.uk

WALTER Greenwood has been presented with the NCTJ 2010 Chairman’s Award for his outstanding contribution to journalism training and education. He is pictured receiving the award from NCTJ chairman Kim Fletcher, left, and with Mark Hanna, right, who took over as chairman of media law exams on Mr Greenwood’s retirement.

Mr Greenwood spent much of his career with Thomson Regional Newspapers and Trinity Mirror and as a law training consultant for Press Association Training. His contibution to the work of the NCTJ dates back to the 1960s. Together with Tom Welsh, he co-edited McNae’s Essential Law for Journalists for 30 years and was chairman of the NCTJ media law board for two terms.

Said Tom Welsh at the presentation: “As an NCTJ stalwart, Walter has worked with great dedication for many years to ensure young journalists are less likely to land their papers in court and, indeed, can confidently stand up in the courtroom and challenge a dubious order. He has been described as the fount of all knowledge on court reporting restrictions.”

RR Donnelley & Sons Company and Koenig & Bauer AG of Wurzburg, Germany have announced an agreement to develop, manufacture and sell next generation piezoelectric digital inkjet printing solutions to the packaging, securities, commercial, and newspaper segments.

Under the terms of the agreement, RR Donnelley will license its Apollo and other digital imaging technologies to KBA which will incorporate them into its press offerings.

KBA’s new digital press will be introduced in May 2012 at the Drupa international print show in Dusseldorf, Germany. Further details will be published later.

RR Donnelley president and chief executive Thomas J. Quinlan III said: “RR Donnelley and KBA have long been leaders and innovators in our respective industries”.

“We look forward to having the combined R&D resources of nearly 1,000 engineers and imaging scientists bring forward the next generation of digital imaging technologies. This relationship will benefit the customers we serve today and enable RR Donnelley innovations to be introduced to customers in segments that we do not yet address.”

KBA chief executive Helge Hansen said: “Seeking to expand the industry’s broadest product range, KBA has spent the last 18 months assessing both current and future digital printing technologies from around the world.

“In our analysis, it was clear that RR Donnelley was uniquely positioned to partner with us from a digital print technology, experience, and scale perspective. It is more than a sales and service agreement for existing technology. We look forward to jointly reinvigorating this industry with new digital imaging platforms.”

I HAD a ‘Letter from America’ the other day, from an old-fashioned editor working at a large US metropolitan daily. He was bemoaning the death of news ‘papers’ generally, about redundant heavy metal printing machinery and less trucks required to delivery fewer newspapers.

Mature we may be as an industry – but we have survived and prospered for most of the past 200 years. And we are still evolving, adapting, and changing to meet the ever more time pressured needs of our customers. We are delivering news, views, features, entertainment across a wider portfolio of platforms than ever before, including newsprint markets. And we are growing our audiences – significantly – and our digital revenues.

A good example is Newsquest – whose parent company Gannett publishes on the other side of the Big Pond. Newsquest Media Group has just released its July- December 2010 website audit which reveals that an average of 7,450,271 unique visitors accessed its network of 158 local media brand sites each month – a year-onyear growth of 30.2% (July- December 2009: 5,724,336).

Roger Green, managing director of Newsquest Digital Media, said: “In the seven years we’ve been publishing audited audience figures this 1.725m increase is yet another biggest-ever.” He added that in addition to the significant top-line growth, visitor engagement was rising, with the number of repeat visitors up 23% to 30.2%.

He said: “The great news for advertisers is not only that we have increased engagement but we are offering a full range of demographic, contextual and behavioural tools that allow us to deliver the right commercial message to the right people at the right time.”

According to comScore, Newsquest’s website network was the UK’s third most visited newspaper group in January 2011, with 4.8 million unique users, ranking only behind Mail Online and The Guardian.

I HAVE been privileged to have known Sir Ray Tindle for almost 30 years and, in his 85th year, he is as enthusiastic about the news business today as he was back in 1983 when I first met him at a Newspaper Society Council meeting.

As the proprietor of the Tindle Newspapers Group, he is still buying and launching titles. And in his 63 years in the industry, from a humble start on the Croydon Times in 1947, he has saved many ailing weeklies that had already announced their own deaths when he rode into town.

If his 1904 Speedwell Dogcart vintage car would go faster than just a few mph, I am sure he would still be chasing ‘blue lights’ to the scene of an accident and reporting the details back to the news desk of the Farnham Herald or any one of his 220 individual newspaper titles. His appetite for the business, shrewd business mind and everyday tenacity is to be admired.

Sir Ray, in your 85th year, we salute you.

AS reported on page 1, you can now access PJ via its iPhone and iPad app. We have also made a number of back issues available and will ascertain use over the next few months. At a time when trade media has been having a tough time, PJ in its 53rd year is making itself available around the world in as many ways as possible and is now accessible in print, online at www.newsmedia.org.uk, and on smartphone. The message for advertisers is also growing.

LATEST figures from the media performance mornitoring body ABC show that regional newspaper groups are connecting with their readers across print and digital platforms.

Among the top performers were Archant newspapers, which recorded strong results in paid-for newspaper sales, Newsquest Media Group where ABCe growth hit record levels, and Trinity Mirror which reportedly saw a lift in web traffic of 46 per cent.

More than 900 regional newspapers reported their circulation figures in the ABC report for the second half of last year. It includes the website data for 56 newspaper brands from seven newspaper groups.

Newsquest’s July-December 2010 website audit revealed that the group had extended its reach by more than 1.7 million visitors a month. It reported an average of 7,450,271 unique visitors accessing its network of 158 local media brand sites each month – a yearon- year growth of 30.2 per cent.

Newsquest Digital Media managing director Roger Green said: In the seven years we’ve been publishing audited figures, this 1.725 million increase is yet another biggestever.” He said that, in addition to the significant top-line growth, visitor engagement was rising, with the number of repeat visitors up 23 per cent to 30.2 per cent.

He said: “The great news for advertisers is not only that we have increased engagement but we are offering a full range of demographic, contextual and behavioural tools that allow us to deliver the right commercial message to the right people at the right time.”

The ABCe figures also showed strong growth for Trinity Mirror which was up 46 per cent year on year and which broke the 8,000,000 mark for monthly unique users across its network for the first time.

Trinity Mirror Regionals managing director Georgina Harvey said:“We are encouraged by these results as they show an improving trend for the majority of our daily and weekly titles, coupled with strong audience growth across our digital network.

“This is the result of our ongoing circulation development plan and numerous editorial enhancements. We remain focused on serving our advertisers by delivering valuable audiences across our print titles, companion websites and mobile platforms.”

Johnston Press’ network hit 7,106,831 monthly unique browsers with sites such as Yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk up 45 per cent year on year. Kent Online was up 26.5 per cent to 292,216 monthly browsers, Northcliffe’s thisislincolnshire was up 46 per cent to 195,747, Midland News Association’s network jumped nearly 20 per cent to 838424 and Iliffe News and Media’s network was up 8 per cent to 597,874.

Archant chief executive Adrian Jeakings echoed the importance of the audience engagement message when the group’s strong print sales results were published by ABC. “Growing our audience and that audience’s engagement with our media is essential for the future of the company,” he said.

Archant Norfolk’s two daily newspapers, the Eastern Daily Press (up by 0.4 per cent) and Evening News (up by 0.5 per cent) both recorded circulation increases, as did more than half of the company’s weekly paid-for papers, including the Lowestoft Journal (up 2.8 per cent) and the Weston and Somerset Mercury (up 1.3 per cent). “Increasing the number of people that pay for our content, whether that is in a newspaper, magazine or online, is essential,” said Mr Jeakings.

“Last year I issued a challenge to our senior managers to halt the decline in newspaper circulation and indeed get them growing again. This is against steady falls in circulation for much of the industry in the last few years.

“I am delighted to say that two of our daily papers grew their circulation in the second half of 2010. Also, more than half of our weekly titles were showing year-on-year growth. These results are extraordinary – a remarkable performance. Our Life magazines have also posted an increase in circulation for 10th year in succession.”

Archant Norfolk head of sales and audience growth Don Williamson said: “These are excellent sales performances. Obtaining these copy sale increases has been a real team effort so I do need to pay tribute to my own team as well as those in both editorial and advertising.

“We have invested in canvassing for home delivery agents, worked much more closely with the news trade to help them increase their sales of our titles and upped our casual sales by having copies available at every major public event throughout the circulation area.”

ABC director of newspapers Martyn Gates said: “The regional newspaper groups reporting their online activity are all showing healthy year on year increases, demonstrating that their products continue to be relevant and an important source of local news and information for millions of people across the country.”

ABITIBIBOWATER had its strongest operating performance in four years in 2010 as the company capped the year with its largest quarterly operating profit since it was created in a merger, according to regulatory documents filed just before PJ went to press.

The Montreal-based company had $19 million (US) in operating income in the fourth quarter, when AbitibiBowater emerged from creditor protection after 20 months of court-supervised restructuring.

A strong contribution from market pulp helped the company to post its best operating performance since the first quarter of 2007, several months before the closing of the merger between Abitibi- Consolidated and Bowater Inc.

Operating profits from market pulp, coated papers, and wood products offset losses from newsprint, specialty papers, and corporate items.

The $19-million operating profit in the fourth quarter was up 58 per cent from $12 million reported in the third quarter. For the full year, AbitibiBowater’s operating loss was $152 million, compared with $375 million a year earlier.

THE Newspaper Society submission on the Local Media Action Plan has asked the Government to maintain transparency and consultation on its local TV plans as they develop.

The industry feels that the Government’s somewhat fluid plans, determined by the expressions of interest received, must ensure conditions of fair competition between the existing regional and local media and new local TV operators.

The NS will be hosting a lunch for the Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt in the summer to discuss the Local Media Action Plan and forthcoming Communications Green Paper.

PUBLISHING solutions provider 5 fifteen has appointed Merv Griffin as new business development manager as part of an expansion drive.

5 fifteen managing director Rod Fenwick said the plan for growth followed a successful year for the business in 2010, which included a noteworthy order from Hearst Magazines and the National Magazine Company.

FOR the second year running, Goss International and its customers have had great success at the Fernando Pini awards, Brazil’s foremost printing award ceremony. While Goss International was named ‘Best Supplier’ in the heatset web offset category, many Goss technology users were also winners, receiving awards across the magazine, newspaper and heatset offset product categories.The Fernando Pini Brazilian Awards for Graphic Excellence were formed in 1991 to recognise the best in print media and promote excellence in print communications.

PRECISION Colour Printing in Halesfield, Telford has appointed Malcolm Baker as its new senior sales manager. Baker has joined the Shropshire-based firm following the recent takeover of Southernprint by the Wyndeham Group.

He spent 20 years with Southernprint having trained as an illustrator before moving on to sales manager. He will be based in Romsey, Hampshire, and will cover the southern counties.

Sales director Mark Jones said “We are delighted to welcome Malcolm to our sales team. Our continued success here at Precision Colour Printing means that our sales and marketing team is continually expanding.”

AS the March issue of PJ lands on desks around the country, the final countdown for The 2011 Newspaper Awards has well and truly started.

With just days to go to the 18 March deadline, the PJ offices are already beginning to fill up with entries with staff, postmen and couriers bracing themselves for the traditional ‘deadline’ rush.

A full list of categories and sponsors can be seen on the back page of this month’s PJ. Entry forms are available online on the awards website www.newspaperawards.co.uk or contact helen@newspaperawards.co.uk.

Newspaper Design of the Year has been sponsored by Press Ahead, an award-winning PR, marketing and media consultancy based in North East England.

Press Ahead managing director Russell Borthwick said: “Press Ahead is delighted to be associated with The 2011 Newspaper Awards as sponsor of the Newspaper Design of the Year category.

“In the multi-platform information world we now live in, the ability to catch the eye of the casual browser is increasingly important and great design can be a key differentiating factor.

“However, our interpretation of ‘design’ goes further than just the way a product looks. It’s about the customer insight, the planning and the strategy behind the product too. This is where our passion and expertise lies.”.

In addition, AdFast, the Newspaper Society’s internet based advertising artwork delivery system, has taken over the sponsorship of Best Use of Colour – Newspapers.

For further details on entries, table bookings and hotel rates contact Helen Hargreaves on +44 (0) 1869 340788 or email helen@newspaperawards.co.uk

A REVISED Publicity Code for local authorities which will see a crackdown on aggressive council newspapers has been drawn up. It stipulates that local councils should not publish newspapers in direct competition to the local press, their newsletters should not appear more frequently than quarterly and should only include material directly related to local services.

The new code, which is subject to the approval of Parliament, applies to all decisions by local authorities relating to paid advertising and leaflet campaigns, publication of free newspapers and newssheets and maintenance of websites.

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said: “An independent local press is an essential part of our open democracy and it is a vital part of local accountability, but the rules around council publicity have been too weak for too long.

“The changes will end the weekly Town Hall freesheets, stop professional lobbyists being hired and make advertising guidelines crystal clear so councils know exactly when misuse of public funds is a breach of the code.

“Councils need to give due diligence to their communications operation and make sure every effort has been made to focus taxpayers’ money to where it should be spent – protecting frontline services.”

Mr Pickles has raised strong concerns over the frequency of council papers following a sustained campaign by the Newspaper Society and its members who submitted evidence to a Government consultation on the Code.

“Council newspapers, issued frequently and designed to resemble a local newspaper can mislead members of the public reading them that they are local newspapers covering council events and give communities a biased view of the activities of the council,” the explanatory memorandum to the revised code states.

The code includes seven new central principles to ensure that council publicity is lawful, cost effective, objective, even handed and appropriate, and that it has regard to equality and diversity and is issued with care during periods of heightened sensitivity.

Advertising should be balanced, factually accurate and not likely to be perceived by the public as a political statement or a commentary on contentious areas of public policy, the code states.

Councils should not spend taxpayers’ money to lobby government through private sector lobbyists or through publicity stalls at party conferences.

THE Prime Minister hosted a regional media reception attended by publishers, editors, political editors, the Newspaper Conference and the Newspaper Society at 10 Downing Street.

He told the gathering that regional newspapers were a huge part of the Big Society.

He added: “One of the things that you all do is encourage your communities to do more; you encourage people to do more. You realise there is a massive gap between the state on the one hand, and the individual on the other. You’re a very big part of what lies in between.”

He said the three elements of Big Society were volunteering, giving and philanthropy saying: “I think they have a huge resonance, not just across our country but also in our media, where you do so much to campaign on social issues and practical issues in our society.”

NEWSPAPER and magazine publishers who use WoodWing’s Digital Magazine Tools to create the iPad editions of their publications can now offer their readers subscriptions through iTunes.

Tapping the ‘subscribe’ buttons available in the kiosk section of WoodWing’s Reader App takes the user to the iTunes Store to subscribe to the publication for a specific period of time. The user will be billed via the usual iTunes process. When the financial transaction is completed, the user is granted access to the latest edition, in addition to all upcoming issues for the duration of the subscription. New issues automatically become available ready for download in the kiosk section.

Once the time period ends, the subscription will be renewed automatically for the same period of time, unless the user cancels the subscription, which is also an easy process.

Are your newspapers reaching out to their audiences to encourage readers to undertake green projects designed to protect the environment?

Are you a publisher or printer already taking steps to cut your carbon footprint?

Tell us about the green schemes that you are working on with your community and let PJ showcase your environmental initiatives and projects to the rest of the industry.

Email your details to us at mark@cullumpublishing.co.uk and let’s make a difference.

ARCHANT is leading the way in promoting and supporting environmental issues across its newspapers and companies.

It has introduced innovative and creative environmental projects, many led by chief executive Adrian Jeakings who firmly believes that a greener future for the company is vital. He says: “There are a myriad of things that we can do to reduce our carbon footprint, many of which are low cost or actually save us money, but they will require us to change our behaviour as individuals and as a company.”

One of the initiatives that Archant has put into place, to drive green projects across the group, is the appointment of a dedicated sustainability correspondent, a year long secondment created by Jeakings.

The correspondent, Tara Greaves, was appointed in July 2010, having previously been environment correspondent for six years at the Eastern Daily Press. She has three main roles: as an environmental journalist; as a co-ordinator of environmental projects across all Archant companies; and informing the readers of Archant’s publications of what the company is doing to help protect the environment in their local communities.

As a journalist Greaves regularly writes across all four of Archant’s daily newspapers, 70 weeklies, as well as the company’s magazines and specialist publications.“Since my appointment, I’ve probably written around 40 articles which have appeared in multiple Archant publications” she says. “For example, I write a weekly green column which appears in three different papers and a recent feature I wrote about having a more sustainable Christmas appeared in Archant newspapers in London, Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.”

In addition, to ensure the green agenda is well covered across all titles, Archant has dedicated environmental correspondents writing for the Eastern Daily Press, Norwich Evening News and East Anglian Daily Times. “I think it is really important for media groups, especially local and regional ones, to dedicate time to reporting on environmental issues,” says Greaves. However, actions speak louder than words and she has been given a remit to engage with staff to make Archant a more sustainable company. On her appointment as sustainability correspondent, one of the first things Greaves did was to create the Archant Green Champions group which is a network of staff spread across Archant which communicates via Facebook.

She says: “The Green Champions is a private forum where members share ideas about making the company greener as well as looking at more general environmental issues.

“Since it was formed it has attracted 40 members and is rapidly growing as the word spreads.

“One of our successes came from an idea from a member who encouraged her team to set a reminder before they left for the day to turn off their monitors. This has now been rolled out right across the group. On its own, an initiative like this is not going to change the world but every little helps.”

Additionally, Archant has been active introducing other initiatives around its centres to help lessen its impact on the environment. Staff who chose to run ‘greener’ company cars are offered financial rewards which helps them pay their Benefit in Kind (BIK). Initially it was expected that 10 per cent of staff would take this up but so far there has been a 30 per cent participation rate. As a result, Archant is on track to cut CO2 by more than 23 per cent over the car replacement cycle to an average of less than 112g per km.

Another project has seen Archant sign a paper deal with local newsprint supplier Palm Paper. This has resulted in all of Archant’s newsprint, some 30,000 tonnes, coming from just 50 miles down the road rather than from far flung corners of the world. The company has calculated that this has resulted in reducing its footprint by 640 tonnes annually.

Additionally it has now set up a backhauling arrangement which ensures that delivery lorries return with a full load of waste paper from Archant, and other companies, for recycling at Palm Paper, saving a further 100 tonnes of CO2.

On a lighter note, being greener does not always have to involve serious business issues as Greaves can confirm. “I got married in August 2010 and set about having the most sustainable wedding that I could,” she says. “Examples of how I achieved this included my lovely dress which I bought off eBay for a mere £30; beautiful fake flowers which are now with various mums, aunts and grandmothers; guests travelled together by bus; and favour boxes were seeded so guests could grow flowers in them when they got home.

“Although I’m sure there was much more that we could have done, we can look back at our big day and know that we did what we could to make it have less impact on the planet.”

EFI has acquired Streamline Development, LLC, providers of PrintStream ERP/MIS software focused on mailing and fulfilment services for the printing industry.

The deal was part of EFI’s commitment to “providing a portfolio of industry leading products, allowing customers to choose the right solution for their environment with the consistency of delivery needed for long term success”, said Marc Olin, general manager of the company’s advanced professional print software division.

EFI specialises in customerfocused digital printing innovation. PrintStream will now be known as EFI PrintStream

PRE-PRESS and pre-media software solutions provider OneVision has added new features to its image enhancement solution Amendo.

The new version comes with an improved user interface, offers new options for the handling of file extensions and supports additional file formats such as PNG or RAW.

A major feature of the new version is Amendo Perfect Skin which has a face detection library that can recognise faces, analyse skin tones and carry out any required corrections in order to achieve the ‘perfect skin’.

The new version of Amendo will be shown at upcoming shows and events including Publishing Expo 2011 in London on 1 and 2 March.

TRINITY Mirror is renewing its three-year waste management contract with print waste recycling specialists J & G Environmental.

Blandford-based J & G, which has handled the newspaper group’s waste since 2007, will continue to collect all general print waste from Trinity Mirror’s nine printing sites across England, Scotland and Wales including litho plates, hazardous chemicals, inks, plastic drums and polywrap.

The group is committed to minimise the amount of waste going to landfill by maximising recycling and reuse. Its ultimate goal is to send zero waste to landfill.

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POWER TO SUCCEED

THE industry has reaffirmed its support forPrintIT!, the industry-backed initiative led by the employer-led organisation, Proskills.

Substantial sponsorship has come forward from industry heavyweights for the sixth year in succession. More than 35 print, paper and related organisations, as well as a range of trade associations and media partners, have pledged their support to the project which introduces GCSE students to print, and encourages them to consider a career in the industry.

The PrintIT! project targets Year 9 and 10 students of product design and graphic products and comprises teacher course notes and student work books, with interactive teaching tools. Students are encouraged to create a print-based promotional campaign to promote Fairtrade goods in supermarkets.

Proskills has also expanded PrintIT!’s signature ‘Twinning’ programme, where schools can twin with either a local printer or paper manufacturer to receive as much practical support as possible and learn about the print process first hand. To date, some 1,350 schools and close to 120,000 students have engaged in PrintIT! since it was created six years ago.

Proskills general manager Tim Bowtell said: “We’re delighted with the ongoing support that the sixth PrintIT! initiative has received, which includes our seven gold sponsors – Canon UK; Duplo UK; FujiFilm; HP; Pantone; Ricoh; and Xaar.”

Graham Leeson, marketing communications manager, Graphic Systems Division, Fujifilm Europe said: “Aiding such a fantastic initiative that gives talented young people a real insight into the printing sector is very important to us. As the future lifeblood of our industry, it is vital that we equip young people with the knowledge of what an exciting and hightech market the printing world is, and Fujifilm is proud to be a part of it.”

ARCHANT London has given its weekly newspaper The Docklands a complete content and design overhaul.

At the same time it is embracing an innovative print and web content management system, with reporters working out on patch armed with laptops and mobiles.

The new look was unveiled at a launch event at Canary Wharf. Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, provided a good luck message via a video link.

Archant London editorial director, Bob Crawley, said: “The Docklands was launched five years ago and, while successful, was in need of a design update and more importantly a content refresh to better reflect the vibrant community it serves.”

He said group design editor Steve Bodycomb had created a “modern, easy to read newspaper that shows of content to its very best”. And he said the editorial team, led by editor Malcolm Starbrook, had created “an exciting mix of content”.

The re-design and content refresh also includes updating of advertising platforms and a new classified section. Ad manager, Nick Sumner, said: “Advertisers really like the new approach and as a result the launch issue has been very well received with advertising revenues up significantly.”

CHRIS Moore has been appointed by Archant Norfolk to be the new divisional commercial director. He moves in to his new job on March 1 from Newsquest North- East where he was head of advertising sales and marketing.

Gary Attfield has been promoted to the role of relationship and business development director, reporting to Mr Moore at Archant Norfolk.

THE closing date is approaching for the new Regional Press Awards, launched by the Society of Editors.

Hopefuls have until 8 March to submit their entries to the event organised by the SoE with the support of the Newspaper Society.

There are 23 categories inviting entries from all walks of editorial life in the UK, including young journalists, sports writers and news reporters. Entries opened on 14 February and cost £25 plus VAT. Shortlists will be published in April and awards will be presented on 11 May, during the NS annual Local Newspaper Week.

For more information, visit the awards website at www.regionalpressawards.org.uk.

MANAGEMENT changes at Newsquest see Worcester News editor Kevin Ward become publisher for East Wales and Gloucestershire. Stourbridge publisher Peter John is to take his place, while Worcester publisher Trevor Sallis will also take on Stourbridge responsibilities.

SUN Chemical is raising the price of all its heatset, coldset and publication gravure inks in Europe by a maximum of €0.25 per kg from 1 March. The company says this is because of an ongoing shortage of raw material and cost increases.

In a statement, the company says that, with no stability in the cost, or the supply, of key raw materials used in the manufacture of these inks, it has taken the decision to adjust its prices in order to remain competitive in this segment.

The Sun Chemical announcement follows a report in last month’s PJ that Flint Group was raising the prices of all packaging inks in Europe from 1 April because of continued raw material cost pressure.

Doug Aldred, vice-president sales packaging and narrow web EMEA, said: “The price increases for our customers resulting from the recent issues in the raw material markets will be on average eight per cent. In some segments our cost increases will, however, necessitate price rises of up to 30 per cent.

“Violets, whites, greens and some specific reds are our major concern, and we will inform our customers individually about the overall impact of the price increases and surcharges on their specific product portfolio.”

Ink suppliers are facing challenges on many fronts in terms of raw materials, said the Flint Group statement. These include capacity constraints, government policies around the world, environmental concerns, decreased production of feedstocks, and more.

The material supply figures and costs predicted by the industry for 2011 have been greatly surpassed with much larger increases passed on to ink manufacturers than expected, said Sun Chemical.

“For the majority of heatset, coldset and publication gravure customers this will be the second increase in 10 months which has become unavoidable due to an increasingly stressful supply situation,” the company added.

The cost of key raw materials such as gum rosin is being driven up continuously by Chinese suppliers and is now more than three times the price compared to the start of 2009, it said.

The statement continued: “The other major driver for the increases in these segments is oil, which saw an increase of 28 per cent in 2010 and a further 15 per cent increase is expected in 2011. Materials such as gasoil and carbon black closely mimic the rise in crude.”

Sun Chemical chief marketing officer Felipe Mellado said: “The unprecedented volatility in the supply of raw materials is challenging the entire industry. Because of this, Sun Chemical now needs to review its prices continuously, to ensure profitability and product efficiency.

“As always, we are working very hard to offset as much of the raw material cost increases as possible, but with shortages continuing and in many cases deteriorating, this move has become unavoidable.”

OVER the last two years, the drop in the number of titles being published, readership and hence the circulation, plus advertising and hence paginations has had a drastic effect on the newspaper industry, not least in terms of equipment utilisation.

This is a situation not helped by the introduction and installation of high speed triple width presses with their massive production capacity.

However, such presses do have their drawbacks especially in terms of flexibility, making it more difficult to print anything but newspapers, something which is becoming increasingly important due to newspaper press over capacity in the UK.

One group which has realised the importance of, and is taking advantage of its equipment flexibility, is Trinity Mirror Printing (TMP) whose printing plants around the UK now offer commercial as well as newspaper products to both internal and external customers.

Take Birmingham-based TMP Midlands for example. The installation of two Ferag Streamfold endorse/quarter-fold systems – a UK first – plus a Ferag trimmer have enabled the plant to handle more commercial type work. It is also now in the process of adding a spine gluer, a third stitcher for its Goss Colorliner 70 press folders, and four new Ferag SmartStrap strappers for adding to its four Ferag publishing lines, three of which have inserting.

Interestingly, this is not the first endorse folding system to be installed by the group. As is explained by Alex Henderson, general manager for the TMP Birmingham and Cardiff sites, a Lovaghy system (supplied by Cross Graphics) was installed in Cardiff a year before the Ferag system went into Birmingham.

“We bought the Lovaghy machine to diversify into other markets. We were doing something pretty crazy to be honest,” he says.

Indeed, there was a bit of a steep learning curve, especially since initially the system was installed in-line.

“We were using the track and the Ferag end station to deliver to the Lovaghy. The problem was that the end station is virtually a dump gate. As a result, the product was not being aligned properly.

“We made modifications to try to knock the copies together but, as you can imagine, trying to do this with fourpage products, they were going all over the place,” he explains.

The problems were solved by moving the Lovaghy off-line and feeding it via a hopper.

“It also means that we can print and stack, and then use the Lovaghy in the quiet times, giving us better utilisation of the press. That was the turning point and is why it is now doing so well.

“It is also why we used the same concept with the Streamfold in Birmingham, using a Jobfeeder. This is like a log feeder in that it has a longer table which gives us a bit more time.”

One of the first jobs to go on the Lovaghy machine was a four-page promotional brochure for a supermarket client. At seven million copies, this is still one of the main endorse fold jobs for the group and is why the Streamfolds were installed: previously, Cardiff handled the bulk of the order, the remainder being outsourced.

Henderson adds: “The two machines have the same sort of concept but different belt mechanisms for transferring the product. The Lovaghy folds the product downwards whereas the Ferag folds it upwards. This means

BIRMINGHAM is now looking to use the Streamfolds to produce work for more supermarket chains and clients outside of the retail sector. Alex Henderson, general manager for the TMP Birmingham and Cardiff sites, believes that tight schedules and four-page products are the keys for success.

“The biggest advantage we have over gravure and heatset presses is the turn around time. Also, many double-width presses can’t produce a four pager.

“However, we can print them two-up and separate them. That’s the uniqueness of what we are doing.”

Where does TMP go from here in terms of diversifying? Says Henderson: “I have just bought a spine gluing system from WRH Marketing and we are also looking at doing catalogue work but that will require a more precise fold.

“Essentially we are constantly challenging ourselves to improve and innovate on what we currently offer. On top of that we are always looking at potential opportunities in new areas. We have a number of innovations and industry firsts that we are working on.”

Henderson firmly believes that commercial products are the way to go if newspaper plants are to succeed in the future.

“It is all about full utilisation of equipment. We are going full steam ahead with commercial work.”

that when the product comes to the end station it just flips out making for a simpler exit.”

Mind you, the Ferag installation has not been all plain sailing. Henderson puts this down partly to the fact that handling a flimsy four-page product is somewhat outside the Streamfold’s specification and partly due to the lack of experience of producing commercial products.

Nick Cahm, production manager at Birmingham, explains: “We were just used to making large bundles and didn’t have the disciplines required to feed a more sensitive piece of equipment.

“We had to learn about how long the bundles can be stored, and how much ink and dampener can be used. This makes a huge impact on how the copies feed through the hoppers.”

Henderson adds: “We quickly found that we could not achieve consistent speed since we were not stacking our bundles correctly. Also, the copies were sticking together if there was too much ink or curling up if the humidity changed in the area.”

The problem of accurate presentation to the hoppers was solved by installing vibrating tables.

“We went on eBay and bought seven vibrating tables and the difference that has made is remarkable. They just put a bit of air in the copies and align them.

“My goal for a four-page product is to run the machine at 25,000 cph. At two-up, that’s an output of 50,000 cph. At the moment, we can achieve that for short bursts but we are not maintaining it. All it takes is one copy to jam and the machine stops.

“However, we are finding that if we keep the speed down to 18,000-20,000 cph, we can keep the machine running and our net is a much better.” Says Cahm: “The first time with the supermarket job we were netting about 19,000 cph and the last one we did the net was 29,800. As we can run it at 40,000 plus, I think we will easily net 35,000 eventually.”

This is significantly slower than Ferag claims for the Streamfold. But says Henderson: “To be fair to Ferag, we are kind of working outside the specification. A four-page 52 gsm product is very flimsy. We are getting better at how we handle, store and treat the copies and the speeds are coming up.

“In fact, I give full credit to Ferag. We have had a lot of help from them since they installed the machines. They just didn’t dump them on us and leave. They have made modifications, put in new belts and so on, and it is improving all the time.”

It also has to be said that jobs for the machines tend to be sporadic and the staff are still being trained in how to operate them. As Henderson explains, a three-men ‘finishing’ team has been created.

“They specialise in the trimming and quarter/endorse folding work,” says Henderson.

He says: “They are supplemented by the normal crew but these are the guys who are defined as the experts in this field.

“However, as none of them had ever produced an endorse folded product in their lives before and the work is sporadic, they are still learning. Nor have we trained the whole staff as yet.”

Says Henderson: “It has taken a bit of time and although it is just a little bit away from where we want it to be, it is now working well.”

PJ

PRINTERS in the UK and Republic of Ireland now have direct access and support for Alwan colour expertise technologies.

The launch of Colour Engine Ltd and its appointment as Alwan expert distributor for the UK and Ireland means that printers aiming to achieve greater colour control, process standardisation to ISO 12647 compliance and resulting production and cost efficiencies will now have an expert and specialist consultancy to lead them through the process of choosing, implementing and maintaining their Alwan colour expertise software solution.

Building on Alwan’s success in the UK over a number of years, Colour Engine offers existing Alwan clients direct support and helps Alwan expand its customer numbers based around the established Alwan CMYK Optimizer, Print Standardizer, Print Verifier and PDF Standardizer.

Current Alwan users are urged to contact Colour Engine Ltd to make sure that they have the latest Alwan software features and versions.

Colour Engine managing director Mark Anderton said: “Alwan technology gives clients the most advanced and complete software toolbox to work with when working towards ISO 12647. Apply these shrink-wrap applications with real understanding, high quality training and a straight-forward business approach and we are confident this is what the UK and Ireland market is looking for.”

Alwan Color Expertise founder and chief executive Elie Khoury said Print Standardizer was becoming a worldwide standard for press calibration and tracking. “We are confident that UK companies currently adopting ISO 12647 standards will find in our tools the necessary automation level and reliability that will allow them to work to standards, improve and maintain their quality and to save on production time and cost.”

FUJIFILM has launched an iPad app for its online proofing software, XMF Remote. It was due to be unveiled as PJ went to press at Publishing Expo in London.

The XMF Remote app will allow printers’ clients to view, annotate, and approve jobs on their iPads. By simply logging in to the printer’s XMF system, customers can have instant secure access to all of their print work currently in production, from wherever they may be.

John Davies, workflow solutions manager, Fujifilm Europe, said: “Fujifilm is proud to have been the first to introduce the Adobe PDF Print Engine to the graphic arts market, as well as the first to support 3D proofing as part of a print production workflow.

“Now, Fujifilm is the first to demonstrate to its customers how the use of an iPad app can change the way printers work with their clients.

“Print buyers are, in the main, creative people, and it’s creatives who have been early adopters of iPad technology, using it as a professional business tool.

“If we want enhance the experience of these creatives who are responsible for commissioning and approving print work, we have to provide them with tools that they want to work with – one of the major reasons why we are developing this new app.”

The development of the app means that print buyers will have the choice to interact with a printer who has XMF Remote either via the existing Java app, which runs on any Mac or PC web browser, or via a mobile device such as the iPad.

The official release date for the app is still to be announced. In the meantime, the prototype app was demonstrated at Publishing Expo at Earls Court.

A full review of Publishing Expo will appear in the April issue of PJ.

THE NCTJ has achieved Investors in People Gold, the highest national award for best management practice and people development.

Already recognised at silver level, the prestigious Investors in People Gold status was awarded to the charity following a detailed inspection visit in January. Less than one per cent of recognised organisations have achieved gold status.

Assessor Linda Simpson said in her report: “This considerable achievement is testament to the desire of everybody involved in the organisation to ensure that it strives for a high standard in everything it does.”

ERIK Bjerager, editor-in-chief and managing director of the Danish national daily Kristeligt Dagblad, has been elected president of the World Editors Forum, the global association for newsroom senior executives within the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA). Mr Bjerager, 52, succeeds Xavier Vidal-Folch, deputy director of the Spanish daily El Pais.

UPM has improved energy efficiency over the past two years by effective process and equipment modifications as well as engaging employees in a global energysaving campaign. Thanks to these measures, UPM’s electricity and heat consumption has reduced by approximately nine per cent per paper tonne. In the past two years, UPM has gained a total of 55 million euro from all its energy savings activities and seven per cent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.

UPM paper business group director Markku Taavitsainen said: “UPM aims to continuously improve the energy efficiency in all its businesses. Our long-term target is to achieve the best carbon footprint in the industry by improving our energy efficiency and increasing the use of carbon neutral and bio-based energy.”

The 2009-2010 campaign saw staff committed to the development of energy efficiency, made innovations and investment proposals, as well as shared the best ideas and practices for the use of UPM’s mills throughout business areas. During the campaign, nine million euro was spent on the implementation of 140 development ideas produced by the staff, which brought permanent and long-term improvements.

“We achieved significant improvement with relatively minor measures. For example, at the Rauma mill, the manufacturing of mechanical pulp was developed. The renewals have resulted in major annual energy savings equivalent to heating 10,000 houses,” said Mr Taavitsainen.

UPM’s mills use energy as electricity and heat. Most of the energy used in papermaking is consumed in the manufacturing of mechanical pulp, pumping, vacuum systems and the drying of the products. UPM generates all the heat and one third of the electricity it needs for paper-making in combined heat and power production plants operating on paper mill sites. Energy generation in the mill power plants is based mainly on renewable, biomass-based fuels, such as bark and forest residues.

Biomass-based fuels make up 80 per cent of fuels used by UPM in Finland and 68 per cent worldwide.

ITV newscaster Mark Austin addressed the fourth annual National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) Student Council meeting at the Press Association in London, telling them about his career and offering advice to those starting out in journalism.

He said that NCTJ training was “brilliant preparation for a career in journalism’ and spoke about his recent experiences reporting from the uprising in Egypt.

Students also participated in a question time debate with Newbury Weekly News Group editorial director Brien Beharrell, Sky Sports News executive editor Andy Cairns, and Press Association editor Jonathan Grun. The panel was chaired by NCTJ chairman Kim Fletcher.

THE inaugural Digital Media Europe conference, a new event from the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) takes place on 11 to 13 April at the Hilton London Olympia.

The event will focus on fastdeveloping innovations for publishing on digital platforms – online, mobile and tablet.

Confirmed speakers include Kevin Beatty, chief executive of A&N Media and managing director of Associated Newspapers in the UK and Marc Huijbregts, worldwide digital director of Saatchi&Saatchi.

Full details can be found at Keith Donaldson http://www.wan-ifra.org/dme

KEITH Donaldson has been appointed to the role of chief executive with the Joint Industry Committee for Regional Media Research (JICREG).

Donaldson, currently head of research and insight at the Newspaper Society, succeeds Roger Holland who is stepping down from the post after working for JICREG for 20 years.

He said he was “excited by the opportunity to take JICREG forward as a proven currency that quantifies the strength of local newspapers and their websites”.

His career began in media research at the Financial Times. In the subsequent 20 years he has held research and media planning roles at organisations including BBC World News, MediaVest, and Saatchi & Saatchi London and Time Magazine. He takes up the JICREG position on 1 August after five years at the Newspaper Society.

JICREG chairman Howard Scott said: “Unsurprisingly, the JICREG chief executive role attracted a number of high calibre candidates. In appointing Keith Donaldson, we have an outstanding individual.

“He has an accomplished background in media and media research, and is ideally suited to continue the development of JICREG as a leading audience measurement organisation.”

IPA research director and JICREG board director Lynne Robinson added: “Keith is ideally suited to steer JICREG through our increasingly complex communication landscape.

“He has a proven research background from both a media owner and agency perspective and has a thorough understanding of the challenges facing the regional press.”

And NS marketing director Robert Ray added: “Keith has made a terrific contribution to our industry’s research and insight initiatives such as the wanted ads and Local Matters, and JICREG will benefit from his passion and understanding of local media, the research industry and the overall media landscape.”

LONG-STANDING local newspaper publisher and Newspaper Society member Sir Ray Tindle spoke of his pride in the longevity of the British press.

He told guests at the NS Council lunch (see front page) at Stationers’ Hall: “The first weekly newspaper in England appeared in 1622 so the local press can be proud that it has served the country for so long.”

He said the 1,200 local newspapers reach a higher percentage of residents in our areas than any other medium. “Collectively we reach 38 million of our UK population – more than the internet or any printed medium – and we perform a different function.”

He said: “We take enormous pride in our longevity, our tenacity and our closeness to our communities. The British press is the finest in the world and we are proud to be a major part of it. Of course we’re having a tough time like most of the country but we’re tough, we’re adapting where necessary, we’re fighting back and coming through as we’ve come through recessions and slumps and world wars in the past.”

Sir Ray said that his auditors had confirmed that his own group’s profits were currently at similar levels to those being achieved before the boom which had preceded this latest recession.

“We are local papers,” he added. “For local traders there is no better or more economical way of reaching their potential customers without waste, and for local residents there is no better way of hearing in depth of the news of their schools and churches and courts and councils. No other medium gives the whole comprehensive picture of their town.”

NS president Georgina Harvey, giving the vote of thanks, spoke of the proud motto of the Tindle family coat of arms – Noli Cedere or Never Surrender – which appears on every one of Sir Ray’s newspapers.

“It could not be more appropriate Ray – you have never surrendered, you have never given up, and you never will,” she said. “It is an attitude and state of mind that has seen you rise from ‘general dogsbody’ – your words, not mine – on the Croydon Times in 1947 to a Knight of the Realm celebrating 63 years in the newspaper industry. ”

She told how the young Ray Tindle was evacuated as a schoolboy to Torquay, staying with a family whose father was general manager of the Herald Express. Later, during wartime service with the army in the Far East, Ray produced his first newspaper on a troop ship. And after the war he bought the Tooting and Balham Gazette with £300 of demob money.

“Your drive, entrepreneurial spirit and sheer zest for life has seen you and your business reach extraordinary heights,” said Ms Harvey.

NWN Media, publisher of the The Leader daily paper and 11 other weekly titles in Wales, Shropshire and Cheshire, is expanding its stable with the purchase of Admag newspaper titles in Shrewsbury and Hereford.

The established titles have a combined distribution of more than 100,000 copies a week and will enhance the portfolio of NWN Media’s existing titles in the region, offering advertisers options in print and online.

The two popular weeklies have been operated successfully until recently by Northcliffe Media.

NWN Media managing director David Faulkner said: “As a company we are keen to expand into new markets wherever possible and see this acquisition as an outstanding growth opportunity.

“The titles are an excellent strategic fit with the rest of our portfolio, extending the boundaries of our current group.”

NWN Media is a family-owned company with a 150-year background of publishing in North Wales and the border counties. Staff at the Admags are assured of a warm welcome, says the group.

The Admags will be printed in NWN Media’s print centre at Deeside. Local Admag offices will be maintained in both Hereford and Shrewsbury.

This is the second recent acquisition for NWN Media. The company bought the Whitchurch Herald title just over a year ago from the Trinity Mirror group.

Mr Faulkner added: “We will examine all suitable opportunities to grow NWN Media’s portfolio in the future wherever possible. We continue to see a positive future for local newspapers within multi-media organisations such as our own with roots still firmly in the local communities we serve.”

THE Newspaper Society has launched a guide and DVD providing newsagents, publishers and deliverers with information and advice on the safe delivery of newspapers.

Compiled in partnership with the National Federation of Retail Newsagents, Delivering Newspapers Safely is the result of a wide-ranging consultation with all organisations involved in the newspaper delivery process.

The guide is divided into three sections – recruitment, education and safety – and each section is written in two parts; one for the publisher or newsagent and one for the deliverer.

In total, 10,000 booklets and 1,600 DVDs are being distributed to members of the NS and NFRN and are also being distributed by other bodies involved in the project.

The guide replaces an existing document published by the NS. The new version has involved a much larger consultation process and accounts for changes in relevant legislation. And, for the first time, a DVD is available with a clip to be uploaded to YouTube shortly.

More than 15 stakeholders including child employment officers and environmental health managers from local authorities, cycling and road safety bodies, publishers, and insurers were consulted by the NS over a 15 month period.

Ian Hart, chairman of the National Network for Children in Employment and Entertainment, said: “We are convinced that this clarifies all of the day to day issues that employers, local authorities, parents and most importantly, children, are ever likely to need to know. In our view it really is a one-stop shop that will be of great benefit to us all.”

Kevin Clinton, head of road safety, Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, said: “RoSPA very much welcomes this new guide which will help to ensure the safety and well being of the people who deliver our newspapers.”

NFRN national training and field operations manager Charles Fleckney said: “The safety of news deliverers is of huge importance to NFRN members so we are delighted to have worked with the Newspaper Society on this new guide and DVD to keep youngsters safe whilst out on their rounds.

“The two new tools are also designed to provide our members with all the information and advice they need to ensure they get the most from their news deliveries.”

NS communications director Lynne Anderson said: “The breadth of consultation involved in compiling this guide is unprecedented and as such has resulted in a document which comprehensively covers all the key issues surrounding newspaper delivery.”

THE New York Post and Dow Jones & Co have selected Harland Simon to replace their Honeywell press control system on two of their Goss Newsliner presses at their Bronx facility in Queens, NY.

The upgrade is currently in the final stages of completion, with all presses having remained in production throughout the upgrade process. The project includes replacement of the main press controls, installation of three Prima 6000 operator consoles per press and comprehensive suite of management system modules including direct ink presetting and auto-impositioning, which is fully integrated into the Dow Jones nationwide system that Harland Simon supplied some years ago.

The new Harland Simon system replaced obsolete folder and quality controls and is based on off-the-shelf Allen-Bradley PLC hardware.

SIGNATURE Offset brought a Goss web press system into production ahead of schedule in late 2010 to accommodate new newspaper and publication contracts at its new facility in Jacksonville, Florida.

Production director Brian Moser said: “We originally built more time into our schedule for the start-up, but customer demand at the new site exceeded our expectations.

“Fortunately, the Goss team also exceeded expectations with the installation, training program and integration of the press within our multi-site digital prepress system.”

The four-tower Community SSC press features Goss Omnicon controls and a versatile N-40 folder with quarterfolding capability. The new facility is the first on the east coast for Signature Offset, which is headquartered in Denver, Colorado.

IT has been a tailor-made start to the year for Austrian printing company Herold which has successfully commissioned a new Colorman, XXL autoprint for its daily operations.

The Vienna-based business specialises in newspapers and supplements including Wiener Zeitung, Die Presse and Heute.

The new press will operate parallel to an existing Colorman, printing products with greater speed and cost-effectiveness.

Three years ago, Herold introduced the UV drying process in its quality sector and it has counted on its partnership with manroland for innovative printing technologies and project management for 17 years.

Herold chief executive Leopold Kurz said the installation of the Colorman, XXL autoprint further bolstered his confidence. “It was a fully customised start to 2011,” he said.

“We are extremely pleased with the manroland staff involved in this project. We had already met most of the colleagues during previous installations and valued their work as a strong team.”

On-site training courses were offered parallel to the initial start-up.

SOUTH America is the target for increased sales activity by ppi Media, a subsidiary of manroland.

The company, which provides workflow solutions for the printing and publishing industries, has placed ppi Media US chief executive Markus Feldenkirchen in charge of the setting up and heading the sales team in Latin and South America.

He said: “The number of readers and circulation figures for daily newspapers remain stable in South America. In fact, the consulting company PricewaterhouseCoopers came to the conclusion in its Media & Entertainment Outlook 2010-2014 study that the number of readers especially in South America will even increase. Against this backdrop, the South American market, in particular Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Mexico and Columbia, is a significant target market for us.”

SOUTHERN Austria’s sole web offset printer, a-PRINT Bogenund Rollenoffset Druck in Klagenfurt am Wörthersee, is expanding its press fleet with a 48pp Compacta 618 commercial web offset press from Koenig & Bauer. The high-performance, high-automation press is scheduled to come on stream this coming summer.

It will have a cylinder circumference of 1,240mm (48.8in), a maximum web width of 1,450mm (57in) and a maximum speed of 45,000iph. It will be configured with a KBA Pastomat reelstand embedded in a Patras A automated reeltransport system.

One feature new to commercial offset will be KBA RollerTronic automatic roller locks, which eliminate the need for roller adjustment and reduce roller abrasion. They also promote stable printing conditions and reduce energy consumption.

The company’s existing Compacta 215 will be integrated in the new Compacta’s KBA LogoTronic professional production management system for job scheduling, press presetting, machine and production data capture.

LATIN American publisher C.A. Diario Panorama has chosen Goss Universal XL press technology to boost production capacity at its print facility in Maracaibo, Venezuela.

With the new four-high press tower added to an existing Goss Metroliner press line dating back to 1983, the extended press line can produce an additional 16 broadsheet pages in full colour for the publisher’s flagship title Panorama or an additional 32 full-colour pages of tabloid daily Mi Diario.

QUADTECH will launch a host of performance-enhancing press control solutions for offset, flexo and gravure during Gulf Print & Pack 2011 in Dubai this month (14-17 March).

Among the offerings for newspaper printers, visitors will be able to see the advantages offered the Color Control and Web Inspection System with AccuCam. QuadTech will also introduce Proactive Care, which provides around-the-clock health and condition monitoring of QuadTech ICONTM systems by skilled technicians.

QuadTech president Karl Fritchen said: “QuadTech engineers are constantly pushing technology forward, providing printers with the tools needed to consistently deliver the highest levels of print quality to their customers. We provide the industry’s most effective solutions for colour control, web inspection, register control and data management – all of which will be illustrated at Gulf Print & Pack.”

The trend in newspaper printing for better control over colour is being fuelled by a need to diversify. Semicommercial products, hybrid heatset/coldest newspapers and publications geared to attract advertisers – such as lifestyle supplements – are now commonplace. To help newspapers achieve the required quality and accuracy, QuadTech has responded with the Color Control and Web Inspection System with AccuCam. This is an inline, image-based colour control that optimises control over an entire image by comparing image values with target aim points derived from the prepress file, in terms of CIELAB values. The system also provides fast detection of scumming, plate verification, and other inspection capabilities.

When linked through an ICON platform to established controls for register and ribbon guidance, the entire QuadTech newspaper package drives added value, waste reduction and manpower savings into both newspaper and semi-commercial applications. Register Guidance System with MultiCam has been enhanced with automatic fan-out control features.