Proofscope Live was launched at Drupa 2012 but will be made commercially available at the show, said a spokesman, adding the Fespa market was especially important for this type of product. “The key benefit is the system gives you the ability to make last-minute corrections and is targeted at quite a broad spread of customers in Europe, from signage and commercial printing to labels and packaging. It’s easily tailored for different sectors,” he said. Managing director Jan Ruysschaert said: “It is a simple PDF that you can view, open and edit via a normal browser, and is unique. It allows you to make corrections in an environment where you don’t have the time to send the file down to a customer to receive and make remarks.” The company said its product was an “enhancement” to its exisiting Proofscope software that allowed online soft proofing, annotation, viewing and live editing. Proofscope Live works with HTML 5 and JavaScript and can be used with any tablet or mobile, unlike many other systems, it said. A five-user licence costs €10,000. “No Flash code or Java applets are used, eliminating the security bottlenecks that exist with many other soft proofing tools. The correction tools in Proofscope Live provide document reviewers with powerful capabilities,” said Ruysschaert. “Being able to make last-minute corrections without having to contact the designer, upload new artwork, reproof the updated job enables enormous time savings to be achieved. It can cut hours off a production cycle and make the difference between missing or meeting deadlines,” he added. Hybrid Software will also use Fespa from 25 to 29 June to show off its Order Lifecycle Management system, which aims to help users efficiently manage orders throughout the production lifecycle by integrating existing hardware, software and workflows. “The greatest challenge facing companies throughout all areas of the graphic arts sector is how to increase productivity and profits and reduce operating costs without having to make a significant investment,” said Ruysschaert of the product which was originally launched in 2011....

The new press, which was installed at the turn of the year, replaced a two-colour Ryobi 3302 and backs up the company’s existing Ryobi 785 B2-format litho machine. The 524GX cost around £140,000 and runs at 15,000 sheets an hour. Both Ryobi machines use Mitsubishi polyester plates produced on a dual-roll DPX4 platemaking system. Managing director Steve Wenlock said: “We had been B3 Ryobi press users for many years before trading up to the B2 press in 2010. But in recent months that litho workload has increased significantly. “Bringing in the B3 machine means we can move the smaller format stationery and leaflet work away from the larger press, freeing up the B2 machine for the periodicals and publication work that need the larger sheet size.” Wenlock said he hoped the Ryobi 524GX, which runs alongside digital kit including an Océ 6160 VarioPrint black-and-white machine and a Ricoh C651 press, would add £150,000 to the company’s total turnover. “While digital has come along way in terms of colour capability, there is still a difference in the overall quality of print produced on a litho press,” said Wenlock. Supplier Apex Digital Graphics’ sales and marketing director Neil Handforth said: “Steve is well equipped for both technologies but the demand for litho is not likely to disappear just yet.” Flexpress makes £1.3m turnover and bills itself a one-stop service for all design and print needs, on paper, board, metal or plastic. Print material ranges from business cards to banners for clients such as charities and local businesses....

The full booklet production line will fire into action at North Print and Pack in Harrogate from 14 to 16 May. The 4,500bph machine, the first of which was snapped up by Johnsons of Nantwich in March, was modelled on the existing Horizon SPF/FC-200A bookletmaker. An IFS spokesman said of the kit launched as a prototype at Drupa: “The machine has come on line as a production model and is based on the 200A automated stitch-fold trim line, which we have sold successfully for eight years.” “The obvious difference is the new machine has the ability to do A4 landscape format booklets, which is unique. Since Drupa it has been developed to operate with more than two collating towers.” It costs around £42,000 and features built-in error-rejecting and camera and barcode recognition for personalisation, he said. The Horizon SPF/FC200L can be connected to Horizon’s HOF 400 digital sheet feeder, which can run at 42,000 sheets per hour. “The original way of doing this kind of work was with Muller Martinis and larger stitching lines. This required a lot of set up and job quantities were not practical below the hundreds and probably thousands. “It will be attractive to a variety of printers: at entry level, jobbing commercial printers wanting an A4 booklet on-demand production facility will be happy. Meanwhile the kit can work alongside conventional lines as a short-run backup.” IFS will also be showing a new Horizon CRF362 high-quality, heavy duty crease folding system for large digital print that can handle heavier stocks. Also on show will be the Horizon BQ-270 automated perfect binder, launched at Ipex in 2002....

The new press, which was installed at the turn of the year, replaced a two-colour Ryobi 3302 and backs up the company’s existing Ryobi 785 B2-format litho machine. The 524GX cost around £140,000 and runs at 15,000 sheets an hour. Both Ryobi machines use Mitsubishi polyester plates produced on a dual-roll DPX4 platemaking system. Managing director Steve Wenlock said: “We had been B3 Ryobi press users for many years before trading up to the B2 press in 2010. But in recent months that litho workload has increased significantly. “Bringing in the B3 machine means we can move the smaller format stationery and leaflet work away from the larger press, freeing up the B2 machine for the periodicals and publication work that need the larger sheet size.” Wenlock said he hoped the Ryobi 524GX, which runs alongside digital kit including an Océ 6160 VarioPrint black-and-white machine and a Ricoh C651 press, would add £150,000 to the company’s total turnover. “While digital has come along way in terms of colour capability, there is still a difference in the overall quality of print produced on a litho press,” said Wenlock. Supplier Apex Digital Graphics’ sales and marketing director Neil Handforth said: “Steve is well equipped for both technologies but the demand for litho is not likely to disappear just yet.” Flexpress makes £1.3m turnover and bills itself a one-stop service for all design and print needs, on paper, board, metal or plastic. Print material ranges from business cards to banners for clients such as charities and local businesses....

The quarterly online trading trends survey, carried out at the beginning of April, revealed that 58% of the 110 responding companies were receiving order levels in line with what they had forecasted in last quarter’s Printing Outlook survey. However overall confidence was low as those reporting growth were outweighed by those seeing a drop in demand; 29% reported deterioration in their order books compared to 9% experiencing an improvement. Output was another cause for the generally pessimistic outlook as although around two thirds stated that production was unchanged, the number that cut output was more than double that producing more. Competitors pricing below cost topped the list of respondents’ biggest business concerns with 80% citing it as their worst issue while late payment and under utilisation of capital equipment were selected as the second and third biggest concerns respectively. The survey also revealed an increase in concern over paper and board prices with expectations that they are set to increase in the coming months. Employment levels remained largely stable among respondents with 80% reporting no change and investment plans also remain in line with predictions made in the last survey. Training, plant and machinery and product and process innovation were the predominant areas that respondents intended to invest, the survey showed, with 86% expecting to invest more or the same as predicted on staff training and 84% on innovation projects. BPIF CEO Kathy Woodward said: “It is encouraging to note that orders and output have held steady for three consecutive quarters now, although somewhat disappointing that confidence has waned and that expectations for the current quarter are lower. “To offset the impact of price erosion in a tough market, driving down costs and improving productivity has to remain high on everyone’s agenda,” she said. “It is therefore welcome news that printer’s plans for investment remain strong, with training and innovation as their main focus”....