UPM and Stora Enso mega-merger mooted
According to a report in Swedish business title Affärs Välden (Business World) the two companies would combine the majority of their European papermaking operations, with UPM becoming the majority shareholder in the new venture with a 65% stake. The mooted move would create the world’s biggest paper company. It has been speculated about for some time. A Reuters report last year stated: “A merger would improve profitability by combining production facilities while at the same time allowing them to take advantage of growth areas and businesses that are not overlapping, such as in packaging and label products.” A merged business would control around 40% of European paper capacity, said Handelsbanken. Any deal would be subject to approval by the European competition authorities. A paper industry expert told PrintWeek: “I think it would make complete sense culturally. If UPM is going to take over anyone then Stora Enso is the most compatible. And Stora Enso have made it clear they don’t want to remain in paper making.” Both companies have headquarters in Helsinki, although there has also been speculation that UPM plans to relocate its HQ to Augsburg in Germany, where it has a substantial facility. UPM had global sales of €10.4bn (£8.8bn) in 2012, 67% of which was papermaking. Stora Enso posted worldwide sales of €10.8bn last year, with 43% of that made up of printing and reading paper. UPM’s share price has been rising over the past month and is currently at €10.85. Stora Enso shares are at €6.85, up almost 30% this year. UPM and Stora Enso declined to comment on market rumours....
read morePureprint lauded for triple Queen’s Award achievement
The firm, a long-time champion of sustainable printing techniques, was awarded a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the sustainable development category earlier this year. Uckfield-based Pureprint is one of the major employers in the area, and Lord Lieutenant Peter Field praised the firm’s contribution to the county and local community. He said: “This is a prestigious corporate accolade only bestowed on an elite group of companies. Most companies only win one, it is a fantastic achievement for Pureprint to win three.” Key partners were also at the event, including representatives from paper suppliers GFSmith and Paperlinx, the WWF, the Carbon Neutral Company and Green Futures. Pureprint sales and marketing director Richard Owers said: “This is a real pleasure and an honour. Many people have been instrumental in our endeavours to turn sustainable printing from a niche product into a mainstream choice and we thank them all for their support.” Uckfield-based Pureprint expanded its operations significantly earlier this month with the acquisition of Bedfordshire-based Abstract. The deal will propel sales to £36m and increases the group’s number of employees to 275. Picture shows, left to right: Bridget Massey, Pureprint group finance director; Richard Osborne, managing director; Lord Lieutenant Peter Field; chief executive Mark Handford; Deputy Lieutenant Deborah Bedford; and Pureprint marketing director Richard Owers....
read moreMutoh sales drive growth at Colourgen
Marketing manager Melanie Enser said Mutoh devices, which range in price from £4,495 for an entry-level 42″ 1.06m-wide device to a 2.6m-wide printer costing £36,500, were proving popular with sign makers looking to diversify. The wide format distributor did not reveal precise turnover and profit figures. “A lot of sign makers have been going for entry-level 42″ or 54″ models. Many will already have water-based kit for posters and POS material and want to dip their feet into the outdoor market to offer their customers something different. The price point of the Mutoh isn’t staggeringly high,” she added. Sales of other products including Seiko I Infotech ColorPainters, Caldera RIPs and Kala laminators also increased, with prospects for further growth looking very positive, said managing director Jeff Biggs, who added that he was positive about the coming year. “Both the Mutoh and Seiko II printers have shown solid growth and there are promising prospects for Seiko II around the new ColorPainter M-64S series which was launched at Fespa. These increased printer sales boosted associated products such as Caldera RIPs and Kala laminators. “We expect solid growth for the Mutoh ValueJet range over the coming year, not only for traditional display graphics printing but also for eco-solvent and dye sublimation applications in the soft signage and textile markets,” he added. Another “major positive” for Colourgen last year was the re-establishing of Seiko I Infotech and the ColorPainter brand in the market place, said Biggs. Printer sales more than doubled over the previous year and the forecast is to continue this growth in the coming year. Meanwhile the new Seiko II ColorPainter M Series, which is scheduled for release in October, is also expected to enhance Colourgen’s performance. The new device runs at 32sqm per hour with odourless eco-solvent inks and 360dpi resolution. List price is not currently available. “Overall we are very happy with our performance in what was another difficult year for the industry. We have a settled stable of excellent products that offer great quality, reliability and value and this is being translated into solid sales,” he added....
read moreMutoh sales drive growth at Colourgen
Marketing manager Melanie Enser said Mutoh devices, which range in price from £4,495 for an entry-level 42″ 1.06m-wide device to a 2.6m-wide printer costing £36,500, were proving popular with sign makers looking to diversify. The wide format distributor did not reveal precise turnover and profit figures. “A lot of sign makers have been going for entry-level 42″ or 54″ models. Many will already have water-based kit for posters and POS material and want to dip their feet into the outdoor market to offer their customers something different. The price point of the Mutoh isn’t staggeringly high,” she added. Sales of other products including Seiko I Infotech ColorPainters, Caldera RIPs and Kala laminators also increased, with prospects for further growth looking very positive, said managing director Jeff Biggs, who added that he was positive about the coming year. “Both the Mutoh and Seiko II printers have shown solid growth and there are promising prospects for Seiko II around the new ColorPainter M-64S series which was launched at Fespa. These increased printer sales boosted associated products such as Caldera RIPs and Kala laminators. “We expect solid growth for the Mutoh ValueJet range over the coming year, not only for traditional display graphics printing but also for eco-solvent and dye sublimation applications in the soft signage and textile markets,” he added. Another “major positive” for Colourgen last year was the re-establishing of Seiko I Infotech and the ColorPainter brand in the market place, said Biggs. Printer sales more than doubled over the previous year and the forecast is to continue this growth in the coming year. Meanwhile the new Seiko II ColorPainter M Series, which is scheduled for release in October, is also expected to enhance Colourgen’s performance. The new device runs at 32sqm per hour with odourless eco-solvent inks and 360dpi resolution. List price is not currently available. “Overall we are very happy with our performance in what was another difficult year for the industry. We have a settled stable of excellent products that offer great quality, reliability and value and this is being translated into solid sales,” he added....
read morePureprint lauded for triple Queen’s Award achievement
The firm, a long-time champion of sustainable printing techniques, was awarded a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the sustainable development category earlier this year. Uckfield-based Pureprint is one of the major employers in the area, and Lord Lieutenant Peter Field praised the firm’s contribution to the county and local community. He said: “This is a prestigious corporate accolade only bestowed on an elite group of companies. Most companies only win one, it is a fantastic achievement for Pureprint to win three.” Key partners were also at the event, including representatives from paper suppliers GFSmith and Paperlinx, the WWF, the Carbon Neutral Company and Green Futures. Pureprint sales and marketing director Richard Owers said: “This is a real pleasure and an honour. Many people have been instrumental in our endeavours to turn sustainable printing from a niche product into a mainstream choice and we thank them all for their support.” Uckfield-based Pureprint expanded its operations significantly earlier this month with the acquisition of Bedfordshire-based Abstract. The deal will propel sales to £36m and increases the group’s number of employees to 275. Picture shows, left to right: Bridget Massey, Pureprint group finance director; Richard Osborne, managing director; Lord Lieutenant Peter Field; chief executive Mark Handford; Deputy Lieutenant Deborah Bedford; and Pureprint marketing director Richard Owers....
read moreSales of Mutoh drive growth at Colourgen
Marketing manager Melanie Enser said Mutoh devices, which range in price from £4,495 for an entry-level 42″ 1.06m-wide device to a 2.6m-wide printer costing £36,500, were proving popular with sign makers looking to diversify. The private company did not reveal turnover and profit figures. “A lot of sign makers have been going for entry-level 42″ or 54″ models. Many will already have water-based kit for posters and POS material and want to dip their feet into the outdoor market to offer their customers something different. The price point of the Mutoh isn’t staggeringly high,” she added. Sales of other products including Seiko I Infotech ColorPainters, Caldera RIPs and Kala laminators also increased, with prospects for further growth looking very positive, said managing director Jeff Biggs, who added that he was positive about the coming year. “Both the Mutoh and Seiko II printers have shown solid growth and there are promising prospects for Seiko II around the new ColorPainter M-64S series which was launched at Fespa. These increased printer sales boosted associated products such as Caldera RIPs and Kala laminators. “We expect solid growth for the Mutoh ValueJet range over the coming year, not only for traditional display graphics printing but also for eco-solvent and dye sublimation applications in the soft signage and textile markets,” he added. Another “major positive” for Colourgen last year was the re-establishing of Seiko I Infotech and the ColorPainter brand in the market place, said Biggs. Printer sales more than doubled over the previous year and the forecast is to continue this growth in the coming year. Meanwhile the new Seiko II ColorPainter M Series, which is scheduled for release in October, is also expected to enhance Colourgen’s performance. The new device runs at 32sqm per hour with odourless eco-solvent inks and 360dpi resolution. List price is not currently available. “Overall we are very happy with our performance in what was another difficult year for the industry. We have a settled stable of excellent products that offer great quality, reliability and value and this is being translated into solid sales,” he added....
read moreHP launches first-of-its-kind large-format printer
The £5,200 Designjet Z5400 PostScript ePrinter is aimed at copy shops that want to increase their print offering, without a large capital investment. The 44″ (1.11m) device is suitable for large-format applications with high image quality such as posters, photos, canvases, backlit prints, indoor signs, point-of-sale posters, line drawings and maps. It offers two-roll media, as well as sheet feed, with automatic switching features, which the manufacturer claims increases productivity by reducing time spent changing media and downtime between print jobs. The device is capable of printing at 53sqm per hour and offers six HP Photo Inks with three different shades of black to produce colour and black-and-white images at a resolution of up to 2,400×1,200dpi. HP’s inbuilt Multi-Dimensional Smart Drop Placement Technology detects and corrects ink placement errors to increase efficiency and reduce waste. The web-connected model incorporates automatic software updates, USB flash drive and email printing while HP’s Instant Printing Pro software enables users to preview, crop and print PDF, Postscript, Tiff, Jpeg and HP-GL/2 files. The HP Designjet Z-series of printers includes the Z6200, the Z5200 PostScript with eight inks, and the Z3200 and Z2100 photo printers with 12 inks and eight inks respectively. HP Designjet marketing manager Colin Easton said the dual roll capabilities of the new device would be particularly beneficial for users. “From a copy shop perspective they are always flipping between different types of media such as glossy paper to vinyl,” he said. “Also the ability for clients to bring a USB stick with project details on it and print directly from that, really maximises ease.”...
read moreDisplayways stars at London Fashion Week
The South London-based print business printed more than 180sqm of floor graphic vinyl on its Océ Arizona XT flatbed printer from Canon, which was used to wrap the walls and floor of a 20m-long catwalk in a central London multi-storey car park. A giant mirror was then angled at 45 degrees overhead to reflect the printed cloud design as well as the models as they emerged from the wings, giving the illusion they were walking through clouds. Displayways managing director Rob Kelly said: “The difficulty with something like this was making sure that the pattern repeated perfectly and was aligned across a very large scale. It needed really accurate art working in our studio and we achieved exactly that.” Holland said: “This project has really opened my eyes to the capabilities of wide-format printing. This is the first time I have worked with a printed catwalk, but it definitely won’t be the last. “The quality of the print was exactly as promised – outstanding. The colours came out brilliantly, and the graphics produced on the Arizona were an essential element in achieving the overall impact we had envisaged for the show.” Kelly, who acquired Displayways last year with partner Peter Sheldrick, said at just one week, turnaround time for the “top-secret” job had been tight. Since taking over the company last year Kelly said the business had invested around £270,000 in steady growth, including the appointment of three new employees, upgraded IT systems and a new Zünd G3 cutting and routing machine to complement its existing Zünd cutter. The company, which specialises in high-end retail and exhibition graphics, is targeting sales of just over £2m this year (2012: £1.8m)....
read moreHP launches first-of-its-kind large-format printer
The £5,200 Designjet Z5400 PostScript ePrinter is aimed at copy shops that want to increase their print offering, without a large capital investment. The 44″ (1.11m) device is suitable for large-format applications with high image quality such as posters, photos, canvases, backlit prints, indoor signs, point-of-sale posters, line drawings and maps. It offers two-roll media, as well as sheet feed, with automatic switching features, which the manufacturer claims increases productivity by reducing time spent changing media and downtime between print jobs. The device is capable of printing at 53sqm per hour and offers six HP Photo Inks with three different shades of black to produce colour and black-and-white images at a resolution of up to 2,400×1,200dpi. HP’s inbuilt Multi-Dimensional Smart Drop Placement Technology detects and corrects ink placement errors to increase efficiency and reduce waste. The web-connected model incorporates automatic software updates, USB flash drive and email printing while HP’s Instant Printing Pro software enables users to preview, crop and print PDF, Postscript, Tiff, Jpeg and HP-GL/2 files. The HP Designjet Z-series of printers includes the Z6200, the Z5200 PostScript with eight inks, and the Z3200 and Z2100 photo printers with 12 inks and eight inks respectively. HP Designjet marketing manager Colin Easton said the dual roll capabilities of the new device would be particularly beneficial for users. “From a copy shop perspective they are always flipping between different types of media such as glossy paper to vinyl,” he said. “Also the ability for clients to bring a USB stick with project details on it and print directly from that, really maximises ease.”...
read moreDisplayways stars at London Fashion Week
The South London-based print business printed more than 180sqm of floor graphic vinyl on its Océ Arizona XT flatbed printer from Canon, which was used to wrap the walls and floor of a 20m-long catwalk in a central London multi-storey car park. A giant mirror was then angled at 45 degrees overhead to reflect the printed cloud design as well as the models as they emerged from the wings, giving the illusion they were walking through clouds. Displayways managing director Rob Kelly said: “The difficulty with something like this was making sure that the pattern repeated perfectly and was aligned across a very large scale. It needed really accurate art working in our studio and we achieved exactly that.” Holland said: “This project has really opened my eyes to the capabilities of wide-format printing. This is the first time I have worked with a printed catwalk, but it definitely won’t be the last. “The quality of the print was exactly as promised – outstanding. The colours came out brilliantly, and the graphics produced on the Arizona were an essential element in achieving the overall impact we had envisaged for the show.” Kelly, who acquired Displayways last year with partner Peter Sheldrick, said at just one week, turnaround time for the “top-secret” job had been tight. Since taking over the company last year Kelly said the business had invested around £270,000 in steady growth, including the appointment of three new employees, upgraded IT systems and a new Zünd G3 cutting and routing machine to complement its existing Zünd cutter. The company, which specialises in high-end retail and exhibition graphics, is targeting sales of just over £2m this year (2012: £1.8m)....
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