Johnston’s results were complicated by the impact of the wholesale restructuring at the regional media group, which has relaunched 227 titles and switched five daily newspapers to weekly frequency, alongside a big push into digital and mobile channels. Like-for-like sales in the six months to the end of June fell 9.8% to £144.3m, but like-for-like operating profit increased by 4.3% to £28.6m. However, Johnston also filed a massive £194.5m non-cash impairment charge against the value of its titles and wrote down the value of its print assets by £57.9m, resulting in a bottom line loss of £248.7m. Advertising revenues fell by 13.6%, although chief executive Ashley Highfield described the advertising market as “increasingly stable” and said the rate of decline had “narrowed to 6.3% during June and July 2013”. Circulation revenues for its revamped portfolio also showed “early signs of improvement”, and the overall rate of circulation decline has reduced to just 0.7%. Digital revenues jumped 13.3%, and Johnston has grown its web and mobile reach to 11.8m unique users a month. The firm does not disclose digital’s contribution to operating profit. Costs were reduced by £24.3m, ahead of plan, and the group has managed to get its pension deficit down to under £100m. Separately, it received a £10m exceptional gain due to News International’s cancellation of its contract printing arrangement with Johnston, after NI took previously outsourced print back in-house following the closure of the News of the World. This went towards reducing net debt, which was down £55.3m to £306.4m. Johnston has received a total of £40m in compensation for the cancellation of the NI deal. The absence of the NI work reduced turnover by £7.1m and operating profits by £3m. Johnston’s contract printing sales for external clients were £6.1m during the period, out of total contract print revenues of £27m. It has secured a new £600,000 contract with an unnamed customer as part of its push to replace the lost NI volume, “but at lower margins” than it enjoyed with NI. A spokeswoman told PrintWeek that Johnston was “monitoring” News International’s recently-announced hybrid print project, but had no plans at present to make a similar move itself. The group’s share price rose by 0.5p to 16.5p in early trading (52-week high 19p, low 5.2p)....

The upgrade from Windows 7 for RasterLink Pro 5 and RasterLink 6 programmes means users can RIP files quicker using the newest, higher-spec PCs. Customers can download the latest version of the software free from the Mimaki website or use the application’s inbuilt ‘web update function’, according to Mimaki’s UK and Ireland exclusive supplier, Hybrid Services. Technical support officer Steven Barrance said the upgrade could be installed across a range of printers, including the JV33 series, CJV series and the UJF-3042. “This simple-to-use feature is available for customers running RasterLink Pro 5 and all customers who have full versions of RasterLink 6. “It allows users to benefit from the latest Windows operating system, along with other performance and profile updates as they become available.” Mimaki RasterLink Pro 5 and RasterLink 6 are PostScript Level 3 RIP packages, customised to Mimaki printers offering spot-colour support and versatile image editing functions....

McMullin joined after eight years heading up the UK operation of Spandex, Epson distributor and specialist supplier of media and equipment to the signage and display industry. McMullin said: “Digital print for the signage market is a key area of growth for Epson. It’s an exciting time to join the company, with the launch of new large format devices including the SureColor SC-F dye-sub printers, commercial mini-labs, production label printers and other new products.” He added that along with the range of signage printers launched in 2012, the new devices were expected to drive the growth of Epson’s large format printer division for “years to come”. Prior to his time at Spandex, McMullin spent over a decade in the production print divisions of Xerox and Kodak, giving him an insight into the digital proofing, colour management and print requirements of Epson’s traditional customer base, McMullin said. “The primary attraction to customers in these new sectors are the core Epson values developed over 40 years of print experience – quality, consistency, reliability and customer service,” he added....

The upgrade from Windows 7 for RasterLink Pro 5 and RasterLink 6 programmes means users can RIP files quicker using the newest, higher-spec PCs. Customers can download the latest version of the software free from the Mimaki website or use the application’s inbuilt ‘web update function’, according to Mimaki’s UK and Ireland exclusive supplier, Hybrid Services. Technical support officer Steven Barrance said the upgrade could be installed across a range of printers, including the JV33 series, CJV series and the UJF-3042. “This simple-to-use feature is available for customers running RasterLink Pro 5 and all customers who have full versions of RasterLink 6. “It allows users to benefit from the latest Windows operating system, along with other performance and profile updates as they become available.” Mimaki RasterLink Pro 5 and RasterLink 6 are PostScript Level 3 RIP packages, customised to Mimaki printers offering spot-colour support and versatile image editing functions....

McMullin joined after eight years heading up the UK operation of Spandex, Epson distributor and specialist supplier of media and equipment to the signage and display industry. McMullin said: “Digital print for the signage market is a key area of growth for Epson. It’s an exciting time to join the company, with the launch of new large format devices including the SureColor SC-F dye-sub printers, commercial mini-labs, production label printers and other new products.” He added that along with the range of signage printers launched in 2012, the new devices were expected to drive the growth of Epson’s large format printer division for “years to come”. Prior to his time at Spandex, McMullin spent over a decade in the production print divisions of Xerox and Kodak, giving him an insight into the digital proofing, colour management and print requirements of Epson’s traditional customer base, McMullin said. “The primary attraction to customers in these new sectors are the core Epson values developed over 40 years of print experience – quality, consistency, reliability and customer service,” he added....