Large Format Review - Business News

 

Print is a great industry- its official! And we don’t just mean it’s a great industry to work in either. Print plays a vitally important role in the performance of UK plc, and has huge economic significance nationally.

Did you know that the UK print sector:

 

• is World’s fifth largest producer of printed products?
• has a turnover of £14.3 billion?
• has a gross value added of £6.4 billion?
• has 10,500 companies?
• employs 140,000 people?
• had a positive trade balance of £1 billion in 2009?
• made a capital investment of £700 million in 2008?

 

Using data from a wide range of official sources, the BPIF has published a new flyer UK printing - the facts and figures, a copy of which has been sent to all its member companies with the November issue of BPIF membership magazine inprint. It sets out detailed information on the structure of the printing industry by region and product, as well as covering its economic importance and its productivity. It also highlights the effectiveness and sustainability of print as a modern communications medium.

The BPIF has produced this flyer as part of our on-going programme of representational activity directed toward influencing government agencies and other organisations whose decisions impact on the industry’s interests. As with Priorities for Print – the lobbying document that the BPIF published earlier this year, UK printing - the facts and figures will be used to educate politicians, parliamentarians and public servants about the vital role print plays in today’s economy, and a copy is being sent to all MPs.. The BPIF is keen to encourage companies to use in their own contacts with external audiences, including customers, and its handy fold up laminated format means it’s ideal to carry with you on your travels.

 

Stakeholders tell Océ, an international leader in digital document management and delivery, they believe the company is "highly sustainable". During its annual Stakeholder Dialogue, Océ asked a representative sample of customers, suppliers, employees, investors, academics and NGOs to comment on its sustainability policy and performance.

Océ Stakeholders Dialogue 2010:

Feedback on focal areas

The findings of a survey completed prior to the event were discussed at a well attended meeting of minds last week, where Océ received feedback on its sustainability focal areas: paper, energy, reuse, product responsibility and employer of choice. "Reuse and product responsibility offer scope to add great value," said one survey respondent. "To increase the return on investment, Océ should apply its sustainability efforts to sales and marketing," said another. Some 75% of respondents said they believed the five Océ focal areas are relevant, meaningful and comprehensive. A similar percentage of respondents said they felt their sustainability issues were addressed in the company's annual sustainability report, other publications and on www.sustainability.oce.com.

Valuable stakeholder recommendations

During the Stakeholder Dialogue, a large number of recommendations were made aimed at enhancing the company's well appreciated sustainability policy and performance. They included the following:

Supply Chain Management

Océ should encourage suppliers to participate in the Carbon Disclosure Project, an independent not-for-profit organisation holding the largest database of corporate climate change information in the world. Océ has participated in the Carbon Disclosure Project since 2008.

Product and company carbon footprint

The company should optimise the return flow of used equipment and prepare it for a second life. In addition, Océ should not only focus on sustainable technologies but also more on sustainable materials.

Employee engagement

Océ should drive for a more diverse workforce. Attracting and engaging young, qualified and multi-cultural professionals, both male and female. Creating mentorship programs for the employees over 40 to transfer knowledge. Facilitate job rotation, work/life balance interaction and more flexible working conditions.

Communication and transparency

The company should communicate more frequently and intensively the meaning of sustainability to customers and how Océ helps stakeholders work in a more sustainable way. Better communicate the progress made on reuse and recyclability of Océ products. Also, Océ should better disclose its hidden value by detailing energy cost savings on products and services.

Furthermore, stakeholders recommended that Océ further develop its sustainability policy in close alignment with Canon, with whom Océ joined forces in March 2010.

License to operate requires favorable rating

"At Océ we acknowledge that our license to operate requires that our sustainability performance has to be rated positively by stakeholders from all walks of life", said Océ CEO Rokus van Iperen in a video address to participants. "Even more, we recognise that sustainability is not only a license to operate or a hygiene factor, but we are convinced that sustainability is a positive business driver, a driver that can make the difference with regard to the value we add to our customers, end-users and stakeholders."

Implementation of last year's findings

One of the key recommendations of the 2009 Stakeholder Dialogue was that Océ should make more use of knowledge from outside the industry. During this third Stakeholder Dialogue entitled 'Explore, Engage, Empower' the 35 attendees from various European countries heard presentations by TNT (post and express delivery), BAM (construction group), Van Gansewinkel ("waste no more") and the UN Global Compact.

"Sustainability is in our genes"

"Back in the mid-19th century, our founding fathers were concerned about the environment and committed to working in a way we would today call 'sustainable,' said Harry Loozen, Senior Vice President Corporate Public Affairs and Sustainability, in his address to the Stakeholder Dialogue. "Indeed, sustainability is in our genes, a guiding principle of our company long before the word became fashionable. Today, we have listened to and learned from your words of wisdom," he concluded, thanking stakeholders for their valuable insights.

Follow up to this year's findings

Evaluation by participants at the 2010 Stakeholder Dialogue suggests that the information exchange was relevant and useful and that they felt they had the opportunity to provide input on Océ's sustainability policy and performance. Once the impressive range of recommendations has been carefully analysed, stakeholders will be requested to vote on those deemed to have highest priority. Océ will strive to implement these priorities in the coming months and report progress during the 2011 Stakeholder Dialogue.

 

Aurora Specialty Textiles Group Inc. has announced the addition of more than 60 profiles available for download. The profiles can be accessed via the web at www.auroratextile.com/NorthernLights/downloads.html.

The current offering include profiles for Roland, Mutoh, Mimaki, EFI Vutek, and HP printers along with RIP manufactures Onyx, Caldera, and Roland's VersaWorks. Additional profiles will be added in the months ahead.

"Making it easier for our customers to produce quality output is our goal at Aurora," said Mike Richardson, director of sales/marketing – Print Media.

 

SGIA has created and launched the Printer Action Committee, to help specialty imagers in North America maximise their profitability and better compete in today's global marketplace. The new program gives imagers a more powerful voice to affect legislative issues and key community topics.

"It's clear from what's happening in Washington, DC that it's time for us to take a more active role in representing the SGIA community," said Michael Robertson, SGIA's President and CEO. "The SGIA Printer Action Committee will be the voice we need to collectively and effectively communicate our interests to legislators."

The SGIA Printer Action Committee:

• Actively supports legislation in favour of North American business development.
• Strives for "a level playing field" in today's global marketplace.
• Opens new markets and creates business opportunities for specialty imagers in the SGIA community.

The SGIA Printer Action Committee provides a fast and easy online communication tool for imagers to quickly submit input about important advocacy issues to the correct legislators, based on each imager's zip code.

Current Key Issue: If Congress does not act, American small businesses will face marginal tax rates as high as 39.6 percent. Imagers are asked to tell Congress to extend the expiring tax cuts, which would boost investor, business, and consumer confidence by taking the uncertainty of tax policy off the table. Imagers can take action through SGIA's Printer Action Committee.

The new Committee also will allow imagers to learn about, and take action on, pressing community issues—such as letting vendors know the community wants to see their products at the SGIA Expo, which returns 100 percent of its generated revenue to the community in the form of education and services.

Color-Logic has certified Mirri metallic substrates for use with the Color-Logic Process Metallic Color System.  Announcing the certifications, Color-Logic Chief Technology Officer Richard Ainge commented: "With Mirri metallic substrates, the Color-Logic Process Metallic Color System provides optimal results over a broad range of printing conditions, and with a great many imaging devices.  Our certification tests indicate that Mirri substrates provide the consistent metallic surface essential to successful printing of the Color-Logic Process Metallic Color System."

Mirri Marketing Manager Jennifer Deacon commented further: "When used with Mirri substrates, Color-Logic is an extremely effective and time-efficient tool for preparing artwork and placing whites.  It also can be used to produce special effects such as watermarks within the artwork."  Deacon added:  "Mirri has tested the Color-Logic software on a number of magazine cover artwork designs and large format posters, and I can safely say I have never seen printed metallics look as good.  We are very excited about being a Color-Logic Certified Partner, and we look forward to showing Mirri clients the amazing results achievable when Mirri and Color-Logic are used together.  Mirri substrates have been successfully printed using the Color-Logic process on an HP Indigo 5500 printer and an Agfa large format inkjet printer."

 

printMAX, a major supplier of large format print solutions across the UK and Europe, has today announced the launch of istockMAX.co.uk, a comprehensive image library for print companies and sign makers.   The service, which has been launched in partnership with Ingram Image Limited, offers significant value for money by enabling subscribers to access content for a one-off annual fee, unlike other similar services that charge for each image downloaded.

The subscription-based service allows users to access over one million sign-industry specific photos, vinyl-ready graphics, illustrations, vehicle templates and wraps and is available for £295. This annual fee lets subscribers access up to 200 high resolution photo, vector or wraps per month with no additional download costs. There is also an opportunity for users to generate income by selling their own creative stock to istockMAX.co.uk.

Michael Bolton, managing director, printMAX said: “By launching istockMAX.co.uk, we are offering anyone in the industry the opportunity to access high quality print-ready images, illustrations, vehicle wraps and more for a simple one-off annual fee.  Some stock libraries out there charge per image you download and this can sometimes be up to £50-60 per file.  With istockMAX, subscribers can access up to 200 high res files every month, which would work out at just 12p per image, representing huge value for money.”