Visitors to FESPA from 25 to 29 June will see the UV printable E-2200ZC and eco-solvent printable E-1000ZC, which will also be shown with a matched over-laminating film for ultra-clear, scratch resistance. “We will have two main focuses for the show,” said managing director Andy Voss. “The first is for point-of-sale window graphics used by the likes of Next – high optical clarity, good see-through quality and easy to remove. “The other focus is more architectural, such as hard-coated, UV-blocking material typically used for office partitions, which is scratch resistant but print receptive. Once installed it looks like it’s been printed directly on to the glass.” Voss said the substrates, which are commercially available, do not stretch or shrink like PCV material and can be removed in one piece for quick and clean changeovers. “The main differential between us and competitors is we make our products in a high-tech clean-room environment. Others tend to make materials in a normal manufacturing environment , so ours have no defects or dirt,” said Voss. Also on show will be Lumisty window film, which controls what can and cannot be seen by changing from translucent to transparent depending on viewing angle. Voss said the firm’s products were used across sectors including aerospace, automotive, electronics and pharmaceuticals....

The company, which already has partners in North America, India, the Middle East, France and South Africa, has appointed Cosmo Ultraviolet as its agent for New Zealand. Benford managing director Marc Boden said: “Cosmo’s UV experience and market share make it an ideal company for us to work with. Without the right locally based partner, it would be very difficult for companies on the other side of the world, such as ourselves, to find business in the first place.” Cosmo is a supplier of replacement infrared and UV lamps and equipment to the New Zealand printing industry. Owner Bryan Davies said: “Our potential clients in the printing industry are companies looking to upgrade, retrofit or add additional units to existing equipment so the Benford range fits well into our portfolio.” Benford has also appointed David Pelling as technical consultant at its UK site to aid the company’s international expansion. Pelling has more than 30 years’ experience in the UV curing market as well as having experience in the graphic arts sector....

The long-term deal with Immediate Media Company is understood to be for a minimum of five years and encompasses 30 titles, including flagship brands like Radio Times, BBC Good Food and BBC Top Gear. The titles will be produced across Polestar Petty, which produces the Radio Times, Polestar Chantry, Polestar Colchester, and Polestar Bicester and the renewal cements a relationship between Polestar and Immediate, through their various guises, that has lasted more than half a century. “This latest contract win is indicative of the positive reaction we’ve had from our clients to the investment plan. We’re also dealing with Immediate Media now, not the BBC, so this validation from Immediate for a long term contract is fantastic, we’re dealing with a new organisation really, so we’re thrilled with this renewal,” said Polestar marketing director – UK print, James Povey. Mal Skelton, production director of Immediate Media Co, added: “This deal is mutually beneficial to both companies and is a reflection of our successful, long-term business relationship with Polestar.” Earlier this month, Polestar revealed a planned £50m spend with Goss International for a total of six presses: two 96pp Sunday 5000s, two 64pp Sunday 4000 short-grain presses, and a pair of 16pp M600s. Speaking at the time, Polestar chief executive Barry Hibbert described it as “the largest single spend in print technology worldwide for some time”. The £75m renewal confirms Polestar’s position as Immediate’s primary print provider, although William Gibbons & Sons is understood to produce a significant number of specialist titles managed by Immediate’s Bristol Office....

Under the terms of the deal Kodak will hand over control of its Personalized Imaging business, which includes retail printing kiosks and most of its consumer products, and its Document Imaging business arm to the UK Kodak Pension Plan (KPP). The announcement comes just two weeks after Kodak filed a motion to sell its Document Imaging business to office equipment maker Brother Industries however the company confirmed that it was now withdrawing that filing. KPP, which with claims of $2.8bn is Kodak’s largest creditor, will acquire the company for a total of $650m in cash and other assets, a deal that the US firm said had “set the stage” for it to emerge from bankcruptcy proceedings. The agreement is subject to the approval of the US Bankruptcy Court. Kodak entered into bankruptcy proceedings in January 2012 and following a major restructure is expected to exit Chapter 11 this year. It has so far delayed the deadline for filing its reorganisation plans three times, however a draft plan is expected to be filed today. As part of the restructure the company originally announced its intention to sell the two businesses in August last year. Kodak president Antonio Perez said: “The KPP transaction moves us past several key hurdles in our reorganization, resolving all potential claims worldwide, assuring continued operations outside of the United States, placing our Personalized Imaging and Document Imaging businesses with a new owner that recognises their value and is focused on their growth and success, and providing the remaining liquidity we require to emerge from Chapter 11. “We are very pleased with the transaction, the value it creates for our stakeholders, and the dedication and creativity of KPP that made it possible to achieve this extraordinary result.” KPP Steven Ross said that the two organisations had been working collaboratively since the beginning of the case, and that the acquisition provided security for its members. He added: “The businesses that we are acquiring will deliver long-term cash flows to support the plan’s obligations. The financial stability that KPP will provide for the Personalized Imaging and Document Imaging businesses will be beneficial to those businesses’ employees, customers and partners.”...

The 28-staff printer scooped the eco gong at the Wiltshire Business of the Year awards and was shortlisted in the growth category last week. Judges praised the Corsham-based company, whose clients include blue-chip companies, agencies and charities, for installing power-optimisation units, insulation and rainwater harvesting at its site as well as running waterless six- and four-colour Komoris. Environmental officer Libby Ferguson said by bringing finishing in-house, the £2.8m-turnover company had managed to make the price of waterless production more competitive for clients. Park Lane Press “stumbled” into the environmental approach 14 years ago when the hard water of Wiltshire forced the company to look at alternative ways to improve the quality of print by cutting out its water requirement. As a result it implemented an environmental management system, set targets to improve eco performance and achieved ISO 14001 certification. Investing in waterless printing, which eliminated the use of water and reduced paper, ink and electricity consumption, had formed part of the environmental strategy, Ferguson said....