The MTEX 5032, suitable for lightboxes, home textile decoration, flags and interiors runs at up to 58sq m/hr and offers a maximum print quality of 1,440 dpi. It costs around €159,900 (£136,400). The company said that the vibrant colours and intense blacks produced by the new machine meant that dramatic lightbox and wall graphics could be produced at “a standard never seen before for the same price”. The new kit, which follows last year’s launch of the MTEX 3200, similarly features an inline infrared fixation unit. Stewart Bell, Managing director of POD’s UK distributor DPI, said: “It’s a one-step process – you don’t have to put it through a separate heat press. This saves between 30% and 40% of production time and there is only one footprint instead of two footprints.” POD has released a series of Fespa preview vídeos on its whole family of pofessional digital textile printers to “whet the apetite” on machines including the MTEX 1800, MTEX 500, MTEX 5032 and MTEX Turbosub, the latter which is set to be unveiled at the event. POD chief executive Eloi Ferreira said: “By releasing these vídeos before Fespa companies will able to see the machines in advance, know what they want, and book a timed one-on-one demonstration.”...

Of the 112,000 CWU members that received ballot papers last month, 74% responded and of those 92% voted yes in response to the question ‘Do you support the boycott of competitors’ mail?’ A CWU spokeswoman told PrintWeek that it was not a ballot for industrial action and that the union would continue to negotiate with Royal Mail. She added: “Ideally we would want to sit down and work on negotiations to reach a resolution first. Direct action is always the absolute last resort and we will do what we can to resolve this first but if we do enter negotiations and they are unsuccessful then it would most likely be sometime during the summer that we would start announcing dates for action.” CWU deputy general secretary Dave Ward said: “Royal Mail workers have shown they understand the threat to the universal service from unfair competition and the race to the bottom on their own terms and conditions. The way competition is being introduced does not benefit customers, small businesses or postal workers in whatever company they work for.” In a statement issued in response to the ballot results Royal Mail said that a boycott would be against the law. It said: “Royal Mail believes that any direction by the CWU that postmen and women should refuse to handle access letters and parcels would be unlawful. “Royal Mail operates in a very competitive market and customers can move their business very quickly. This could result in a significant loss of business.” The ballot, which aimed to bolster the union’s lobbying efforts to improve workers pay and conditions, posed four questions in total. Of the remaining three, 96% of respondents opposed the privatisation of Royal Mail, 92% supported the CWU Pay claim and 92% supported a policy of non-cooperation. Ward accused the government and Royal Mail of alienating the workforce and called for “serious negotiations to find a solution”, otherwise he warned that prolonged industrial conflict was inevitable. He said: “This ballot result is a damning rejection of the tired old government privatisation policy and the actions of the Royal Mail board in support of this. Postal workers have worked incredibly hard to turn the fortunes of the company around. Royal Mail is not a financial basket case and they know privatisation is only benefitting vested interests. “Postal workers are not going to sacrifice their souls for a so-called 10% stake when they know their jobs, pensions and conditions are once again under threat.” Royal Mail’s statement said: “Royal Mail notes the outcome of the CWU consultative ballot and is committed to seeking an agreement with the union on the way forward that equips the business for the future and is...

Of the 112,000 CWU members that received ballot papers last month, 74% responded and of those 92% voted yes in response to the question ‘Do you support the boycott of competitors’ mail?’ A CWU spokeswoman told PrintWeek that it was not a ballot for industrial action and that the union would continue to negotiate with Royal Mail. She added: “Ideally we would want to sit down and work on negotiations to reach a resolution first. Direct action is always the absolute last resort and we will do what we can to resolve this first but if we do enter negotiations and they are unsuccessful then it would most likely be sometime during the summer that we would start announcing dates for action.” CWU deputy general secretary Dave Ward said: “Royal Mail workers have shown they understand the threat to the universal service from unfair competition and the race to the bottom on their own terms and conditions. The way competition is being introduced does not benefit customers, small businesses or postal workers in whatever company they work for.” In a statement issued in response to the ballot results Royal Mail said that a boycott would be against the law. It said: “Royal Mail believes that any direction by the CWU that postmen and women should refuse to handle access letters and parcels would be unlawful. “Royal Mail operates in a very competitive market and customers can move their business very quickly. This could result in a significant loss of business.” The ballot, which aimed to bolster the union’s lobbying efforts to improve workers pay and conditions, posed four questions in total. Of the remaining three, 96% of respondents opposed the privatisation of Royal Mail, 92% supported the CWU Pay claim and 92% supported a policy of non-cooperation. Ward accused the government and Royal Mail of alienating the workforce and called for “serious negotiations to find a solution”, otherwise he warned that prolonged industrial conflict was inevitable. He said: “This ballot result is a damning rejection of the tired old government privatisation policy and the actions of the Royal Mail board in support of this. Postal workers have worked incredibly hard to turn the fortunes of the company around. Royal Mail is not a financial basket case and they know privatisation is only benefitting vested interests. “Postal workers are not going to sacrifice their souls for a so-called 10% stake when they know their jobs, pensions and conditions are once again under threat.” Royal Mail’s statement said: “Royal Mail notes the outcome of the CWU consultative ballot and is committed to seeking an agreement with the union on the way forward that equips the business for the future and is...

A spokesman said the latest addition to Durst’s Rho 500R Series printers, which are able to print three 1.6m rolls in seperate print queues, would blend the models’ small drop size with high productivity. Further details were not revealed but he said it would be commercially available at the show next week. “It’s very similar to the 500 series and all I can say is it is even higher quality, so you can draw your own conclusions. It is highly productive but ultra high quality so things like backlits are now very possible on a super-wide format printer.” Also on show will be the Rho 1000 Series high-end flatbed printers, unveiled in the USA and mainland Europe in April, he said. “Featured on the stand will be the Rho 1012 with a small drop size of only 12 picolitres which provides high resolution printing while maintaining a productivity of up to 490m² per hour at 1000dpi.” He added: “Visitors will see the latest addition to our Rhotex textile printers. Meanwhile Durst Variodrop and Greyscale will be featured in the Rho P10 Series of printers. The new Variodrop technology provides up to 25% increase in output. “Our application of inkjet technology to industrial applications can be seen with the IP engine, which is a high-speed inkjet engine ideally suited for integration into automated production lines. “It will print directly onto the widest range of media and typical industrial applications including touch panels, tachometer and manometer displays, as well as membrane switches and instrument panels.” Finally, Durst will highlight options for digital interior decoration. Kit is capable of tackling virtually all surfaces within a building’s interior including wallpaper, wood flooring, home textiles, glass and ceramics, he said....

J-Cube RF40 and KF40 are both available in CMYK and meet the demand for inks to “suit a new generation of printheads”, said the company. The water-based piezo inks in 5kg and 25kg containers will be commercially available at the show. J-Cube RF40 is for use on printers equipped with Ricoh printing heads, while J-Cube KF40 can be used on kit fitted with Kyocera printing heads, said the company, which specialises in digital inks for textile and graphic applications. Business operations manager Rosaria Pozzoni said: “The inks can go on coated paper and direct on to polyester. All the new machines equipped with Kyocera or Ricoh printheads can use the inks.” She said the inks were for powerful industrial digital printers and were targeted at printers of sports kits and those producing banners and flags. She did not give costs and said her company was lining up dealerships in the UK. J-Teck3 was formed in 2003 and is run by technical and production manager Enrico Grasselli, sales and marketing manager Italo Mariani and business operations manager Rosaria Pozzoni, with backgrounds in the screen printing and textile fields. The firm is based in Albese con Cassano in Italy, but has a presence in the US, Australia and Brazil. Other products include J-Feeder, a bulk feeding system for piezo printers and EPS System for direct-to-textile, double-sided printing....