A number of sources told PrintWeek that the locks were changed at the Deptford-based printer’s site on Wednesday, a day before wages were due to be paid, although this was unconfirmed. Speculation has been rife about The Colourhouse in recent weeks, with staff leaving, equipment being put up for sale and suppliers putting the company on stop. Meanwhile, a new company – Colourhouse 2013 – was registered at the same address as The Colourhouse on 1 October 2013. Colourhouse directors Randle White, Lee Reeves and David Arkell were all listed as directors of the new business, together with David Crowe and Michael O’Halloran. When contacted by PrintWeek on 16 October, Arkell initially denied knowledge of Colourhouse 2013 before stating that there were no plans to use the new company. Subsequent attempts to contact The Colourhouse went unanswered. PrintWeek understands that the company’s directors – Randle White, Lee Reeves and David Arkell – had attempted to save the business via a buyout or takeover. However, time appears to have run out this week after Bibby Financial Services filed a notice of intent to appoint administrators at the High Court on 29 October; at the time of writing an administrator had yet to be appointed. A source told PrintWeek: “The directors seem to have worked very hard to find a rescue plan but they have finally run out of options.” The firm installed a new Heidelberg Speedmaster XL106 earlier this year. It was at number 223 in last year’s PrintWeek Top 500 with sales of £10.6m and 83 employees (taken from accounts dated 31/12/2011)....

The Printing Charity will use the funds, totalling more than £17,000, to continue to provide bursary grants to students on courses related to printing technology and print business management. Set up in 2000, The John Crosfield foundation was registered as a charity by former employees of Crosfield Electronics as a means of keeping the Crosfield name and legacy alive in the printing industry. John Crosfield, who passed away in March 2012 aged 96, pioneered automatic register control and colour scanning technologies for the printing industry with his company Crosfield Electronics, which won 15 Queen’s Awards for Technology and Exports. The Printing Charity is backed by £25m of investments and has set of target of helping three times as many people as it currently supports through training and funding in hardship. Printing Charity chief executive Stephen Gilbert said: “Feelings are a little mixed because the foundation is winding up, but the reason we were chosen was because we are doing something with Print Futures. Last year we put £30,000 into the initiative. “We helped 612 people last year and aim to help 2,000 in 2017. We are very well funded and backed by £25m of investments, so we know we can deliver. Our issue is not raising money but helping more people; we know they are out there, we need to find them.” John Crosfield Foundation chair of trustees and former deputy managing director of Crosfield Electronics Lars Janneryd said: “Over the last 13 years, the foundation has helped 16 students through their degrees to go on to successful careers in the printing industry. We feel it is time to pass this charitable purpose to another organisation. “The Printing Charity, which was established in 1827 and last year gave away over £1m, is well able to do this. The Print Futures Awards, co-sponsored by the charity, give grants to young people aged between 16 and 30. This very much aligns with the aims of the John Crosfield Foundation.”...

When Landa launched its Nanography presses at Drupa, the press platforms for the prototype models on show were supplied by Komori. The two companies have now announced the signing of a long-term strategic alliance for production models. Landa said it had spent a year “evaluating proposals from the industry’s leading press vendors” and described Komori as being “in a class of its own”. It stated: “In making its assessment, Landa took into account the calibre of engineering, robustness of design, automation, reliability and cost effectiveness. The vendor’s culture of innovation, technical resources, commercial success and financial stability were also important criteria.” While Landa will use the Komori platform for its own-brand models, Komori will gain Nanography know-how for it own range of digital presses based on the technology. Landa has placed orders for Komori platforms for its Landa S10FC B1-format press for folding cartons, slated to be the first model to ship in Q4 next year. Of the 430 presses Landa has letters of intent for, some 170 are for this model. Landa founder and chairman Benny Landa appeared to contrast Komori’s position to that of financially challenged European press manufacturers in his statement, which said: “It is gratifying to have as our strategic partner the one global press vendor that continues to thrive despite the challenges faced by the industry.” Regarding the licence deals agreed with Heidelberg and Manroland Sheetfed announced at Drupa, Landa said: “Access to Landa Nanographic Printing technology is granted in stages, subject to the licensee meeting certain requirements at each stage. Komori was first to meet those requirements and will be first to market with its own-branded products. Others will follow.” Landa added: “We still expect Nanography to become a universal standard, but we are moving one step at a time, and that step starts with Komori.” Komori has just announced its half-year results and an upgrade to its revenue and profit forecasts for the full year. Sales were up 37.4% to ¥40.9bn (£260m) in the six months to 30 September, while operating profits were ¥3.4bn compared with last year’s ¥1.6bn loss. The firm’s share price has more than tripled in the past year, and is currently at ¥1,542 (low: ¥417). Yoshiharu Komori, Komori chairman, said he was “amazed” at Landa’s progress, and went so far as to compare its potential with that of the advent of digital printing: “Our teams have been closely monitoring Landa’s development and have been amazed with the progress made so far, which exceeds our expectations. “We believe that the impact of Benny Landa’s new invention, Nanography – with the Komori platform – will have a far greater impact even than his introduction of the first digital printing press,”...

Managing director Philip Dodd said the press offered dimensional print, spot gloss and ultra matt and he aimed to add metalised and neon capability in the near future. The new machine runs alongside a Ricoh 901, which will now be used for backup. “Sadly saying you’re a B2 litho printer does not get people yelping with joy these days,” he said. “Litho will still drive volumes for some time, but if you want added-value services and are looking for wow factor through touchy feely matt or spot gloss this is one way to go about it. “Digital represents almost 10% of our business and we needed to be able to reliably keep up with growth without comprising quality. Being able to print metallic golds and silvers is unique in digital. Added with the ability to spot gloss inline, this press really does offer something different.” Healeys spent £875,000 on a five-colour Heidelberg XL 75 with coater and Inpress control in February and the 31-staff business aims to bump up turnover from £3m to £3.6m next year. The company was not looking for large jobs but runs of around 1,000 offering makeready reductions....

Managing director Philip Dodd said the press offered dimensional print, spot gloss and ultra matt and he aimed to add metalised and neon capability in the near future. The new machine runs alongside a Ricoh 901, which will now be used for backup. “Sadly saying you’re a B2 litho printer does not get people yelping with joy these days,” he said. “Litho will still drive volumes for some time, but if you want added-value services and are looking for wow factor through touchy feely matt or spot gloss this is one way to go about it. “Digital represents almost 10% of our business and we needed to be able to reliably keep up with growth without comprising quality. Being able to print metallic golds and silvers is unique in digital. Added with the ability to spot gloss inline, this press really does offer something different.” Healeys spent £875,000 on a five-colour Heidelberg XL 75 with coater and Inpress control in February and the 31-staff business aims to bump up turnover from £3m to £3.6m next year. The company was not looking for large jobs but runs of around 1,000 offering makeready reductions....