The Peterborough-based company is now able to supply presses configured with hot air drying and infrared systems, alongside the existing UV curing system. The new presses are suitable for use with solvent, alcohol and water based inks. KPG said the addition of extra drying systems meant that multiple ink types could be used on a single press. The new presses use an interchangeable slide-in cartridge system, that makes it possible to change from one system to another within 30 minutes. According to KPG Europe technical director Glenn Miller “the new presses meet customer demands for more cost-effective production, in terms of maximum press utilisation, using different casing substrates and ink types”. KPG has also extended the web widths of its casing presses to include a 520mm version. As with the existing 260mm and 400mm web widths, the new wider press is available for dual-pass production using a single central impression drum or as a twin-drum version offering front and back printing....

The Peterborough-based company is now able to supply presses configured with hot air drying and infrared systems, alongside the existing UV curing system. The new presses are suitable for use with solvent, alcohol and water based inks. KPG said the addition of extra drying systems meant that multiple ink types could be used on a single press. The new presses use an interchangeable slide-in cartridge system, that makes it possible to change from one system to another within 30 minutes. According to KPG Europe technical director Glenn Miller “the new presses meet customer demands for more cost-effective production, in terms of maximum press utilisation, using different casing substrates and ink types”. KPG has also extended the web widths of its casing presses to include a 520mm version. As with the existing 260mm and 400mm web widths, the new wider press is available for dual-pass production using a single central impression drum or as a twin-drum version offering front and back printing....

The manufacturer said Alpine’s flexible outer layer enabled it to produce “smooth and consistent” print on uneven and textured media, such as recycled board stocks. The Alpine fuser drum is part of the manufacturer’s Folding Carton Suite of products and will be available as an option on the two 508mm-wide presses in the 3000 Series: the 3050 and the 3500. It will also be available as a retrofittable option to existing machines. Xeikon product manager director Jeroen Van Bauwel said: “The Alpine fuser drum has a softer, rubber-like coating, which can adapt to the form of the surface and create a uniform look and feel on challenging substrates. “It widens the range of carton materials that can be printed within the Xeikon Folding Carton Suite.” Dorel Negru, general manager of Alpine beta test site C&M Packing in Romania, said: “The Alpine 516 fuser drum has really enabled us to widen the application range of our Xeikon 3500 digital press, which will help us to grow our business. We are quite impressed with the range of extra substrates that we can print with very good quality.”...

The manufacturer said Alpine’s flexible outer layer enabled it to produce “smooth and consistent” print on uneven and textured media, such as recycled board stocks. The Alpine fuser drum is part of the manufacturer’s Folding Carton Suite of products and will be available as an option on the two 508mm-wide presses in the 3000 Series: the 3050 and the 3500. It will also be available as a retrofittable option to existing machines. Xeikon product manager director Jeroen Van Bauwel said: “The Alpine fuser drum has a softer, rubber-like coating, which can adapt to the form of the surface and create a uniform look and feel on challenging substrates. “It widens the range of carton materials that can be printed within the Xeikon Folding Carton Suite.” Dorel Negru, general manager of Alpine beta test site C&M Packing in Romania, said: “The Alpine 516 fuser drum has really enabled us to widen the application range of our Xeikon 3500 digital press, which will help us to grow our business. We are quite impressed with the range of extra substrates that we can print with very good quality.”...

Publishing his second report to government: Growing Micro Businesses, the Prime Minister’s enterprise adviser Lord Young focused on strategies that would help the UK’s smallest businesses – those with fewer than 10 employees – to achieve growth. The report calls for the government to legislate to abolish pre-qualification questionnaires (PQQ) on public sector contracts worth less than £200,000 and to set single-market principles to standardise public sector processes so that suppliers know what to expect when dealing with them. Scrapping the PQQ at this level would simplify bidding, payment and advertising of contracts, and remove complex processes, high costs and inconsistency, which are often barriers to SMEs bidding for such work, the report says. Also high on the list of recommendations was the scrapping of the age cap for eligibility for the government’s Start-Up Loan scheme. The initiative, launched in September 2012, initially aimed at 18-24 year-olds but this was extended in January to include those up to 30. However, Lord Young’s report said the age cap must be scrapped altogether so that entrepreneurs who would otherwise struggle to secure the necessary finance could benefit. The scheme, headed by entrepreneur James Caan, helps start-ups get off the ground by providing loans typically worth £4,500 and mentors from private sector delivery partners such as Printing.com. Other recommendations in the report include developing a new charter and award scheme to incentivise business schools to help SMEs grow, a £30m voucher scheme to encourage small businesses to enlist external advice on growth and allowing the private sector to provide specialist SME advice on the government’s gov.co.uk website. Commenting on his report, Lord Young said: “We have one of the best environments in the world for the creation of new firms. What this report endeavours to do is to help and encourage all those new firms to now take on their first employees and grow. “Growing our smallest businesses would transform our economy – they are the vital 95%. If just half of the UK’s micro businesses took on an additional member of staff, unemployment would be reduced to almost zero. We need to raise the aspirations and confidence of these businesses and give them the tools to grow.” Business minister Michael Fallon said: “We are supporting ambitious small firms to grow, create jobs and achieve their goals. Whether that’s by providing access to mentoring and advice, cutting red tape or through successful schemes like Start-Up Loans. “But we are determined to go further and faster: Lord Young’s important report sets out a series of practical steps that can make a real difference to entrepreneurs across the country.”...