Natural AdCampaign claims compostable film first
Natural AdCampaign’s TierraFilm Backlit and Window Cling materials are wood cellulose-based and completely oil and PVC free. According to the manufacturer both films comply with EN13432 and ASTM 6400 waste disposal standards by offering more than 90% degradation in six months. In addition, Natural AdCampaign managing director Alex Dowdeswell said that Window Cling is dimensional stable and features a unique compostable tack adhesive backing. According to Dowdeswell, Natural AdCampaign has been rigorously testing TierraFilm with CBS Outdoor, Clear Channel and JC Decaux for the best part of two years and he believes that they’re unique in the wide-format market. “There are some working on oil-based materials to make so-called bio-degradable PVCs, the reality is that they’re not biodegradable – they just break the material down into dust. That’s not quite the same as degradation,” claimed Dowdeswell. As well as being aerobically or anaerobically compostable, the films can also be incinerated or recycled. In terms of the films’ environmental credentials of the manufacturing process, no water is used in its production and there is a “no wastage policy” on the plasticizer used. All cellulose materials are either from accredited sustainable forestry sources or secondary waste. The products are manufactured in Europe and India. Both products are suitable for UV or latex inks and Dowdeswell said they are certified by HP and fully tested by EFI Vutek and Mimaki. Both products are available in 1,270mm wide rolls in a minimum 30m length, but can also be supplied as sheets. The company is looking at introducing wider rolls in the future, should demand dictate. It is also currently developing a white cling film, which will be launched later this year. “Price wise TierraFilm is in the same ball park as conventional products, if you’re looking at mass use cartridge paper or cheap Chinese PVC, then we’re not in that market. But we’re pound for pound the same as people like Avery and 3M and in some cases cheaper,” said Dowdeswell. “We haven’t loaded the price because we’re interested in getting people to use these two products, and that’s our primary concern. This represents a serious opportunity for printers.” The products are available in the UK from reseller Mayday Graphic Products, but orders of more than 20 rolls are handled directly by Natural AdCampaign. The latest launches follow the introduction of Natural AdCampaign’s debut substrates, NatureWoven Chorus and Gossyp, in to the UK and US markets in 2010. According to Dowdeswell, both products have proved extremely popular in the US, where they have been used on high-profile outdoor and PoS campaigns for brands including Nike, Vans and Billabong. However, he admitted take up in the UK had been slower. “We’ve seen a faster adoption rate in the US, because they don’t compete on price so much as the UK, it’s more about customer service and quality. I also think that US clients design for the material, whereas in the UK it seems more that the design comes in and then they print on what they can,” said Dowdeswell “The first two products looked very organic and natural, so they screamed their credentials to the retailers and brands. But we were conscious that customers also wanted products similar to the incumbent materials they were using, that looked the same, ran the same and could...
read moreHP Indigo users team up for mammoth Coca-Cola task
The “Share a Coca-Cola” campaign is running across 32 countries and launched in Europe at the beginning of this month. It has involved overprinting 150 popular names, nicknames, and terms of endearment in each country onto BOPP (biaxially-oriented polypropylene) labels pre-printed conventionally with standard content. The names appear in place of the usual branding for each Coca-Cola variant, in a typeface that is harmonious with the Coca-Cola brandmark look and feel. Eight users of the HP Indigo WS6000 web press for labels and flexible packaging, with a total of 12 presses between them, were enlisted to produce the labels. Production was co-ordinated by label converter Eshuis in the Netherlands. This is the same company that produced the “design your own Heineken” personalised Heineken sleeves. The presses ran for 24 hours a day, for around three months, to produce all the labels and proved “exceptionally reliable” achieving an uptime of 86% according to Eshuis managing director Peter Overbeek. Overbeek described the opportunities for brand owners in harnessing such a print network as “endless”. The job also required a high degree of colour matching and print consistency across the different print providers, with HP formulating Coca-Cola red ink specially for the project. It differs from other personalised campaigns in that consumers are not ordering or being sent their own unique product. Instead, they look for a bottle in-store with their name on it. The promotion links with a social media campaign on Facebook where consumers can create a virtual personalised Coke can, but not a real one – yet. Marit Kroon, marketing manager for Europe at Coca-Cola, said: “The ability to personalise such a high volume of labels with HP Indigo Digital Presses, while achieving the quality and consistency that Coca-Cola requires, opens up new possibilities for creative campaigns moving forward.” A UK advertisement for the campaign has been posted on Coca-Cola’s YouTube channel....
read moreHP Indigo users team up for mammoth Coca-Cola task
The “Share a Coca-Cola” campaign is running across 32 countries and launched in Europe at the beginning of this month. It has involved overprinting 150 popular names, nicknames, and terms of endearment in each country onto BOPP (biaxially-oriented polypropylene) labels pre-printed conventionally with standard content. The names appear in place of the usual branding for each Coca-Cola variant, in a typeface that is harmonious with the Coca-Cola brandmark look and feel. Eight users of the HP Indigo WS6000 web press for labels and flexible packaging, with a total of 12 presses between them, were enlisted to produce the labels. Production was co-ordinated by label converter Eshuis in the Netherlands. This is the same company that produced the “design your own Heineken” personalised Heineken sleeves. The presses ran for 24 hours a day, for around three months, to produce all the labels and proved “exceptionally reliable” achieving an uptime of 86% according to Eshuis managing director Peter Overbeek. Overbeek described the opportunities for brand owners in harnessing such a print network as “endless”. The job also required a high degree of colour matching and print consistency across the different print providers, with HP formulating Coca-Cola red ink specially for the project. It differs from other personalised campaigns in that consumers are not ordering or being sent their own unique product. Instead, they look for a bottle in-store with their name on it. The promotion links with a social media campaign on Facebook where consumers can create a virtual personalised Coke can, but not a real one – yet. Marit Kroon, marketing manager for Europe at Coca-Cola, said: “The ability to personalise such a high volume of labels with HP Indigo Digital Presses, while achieving the quality and consistency that Coca-Cola requires, opens up new possibilities for creative campaigns moving forward.” A UK advertisement for the campaign has been posted on Coca-Cola’s YouTube channel....
read moreNatural AdCampaign claims compostable film first
Natural AdCampaign’s TierraFilm Backlit and Window Cling materials are wood cellulose-based and completely oil and PVC free. According to the manufacturer both films comply with EN13432 and ASTM 6400 waste disposal standards by offering more than 90% degradation in six months. In addition, Natural AdCampaign managing director Alex Dowdeswell said that Window Cling is dimensional stable and features a unique compostable tack adhesive backing. According to Dowdeswell, Natural AdCampaign has been rigorously testing TierraFilm with CBS Outdoor, Clear Channel and JC Decaux for the best part of two years and he believes that they’re unique in the wide-format market. “There are some working on oil-based materials to make so-called bio-degradable PVCs, the reality is that they’re not biodegradable – they just break the material down into dust. That’s not quite the same as degradation,” claimed Dowdeswell. As well as being aerobically or anaerobically compostable, the films can also be incinerated or recycled. In terms of the films’ environmental credentials of the manufacturing process, no water is used in its production and there is a “no wastage policy” on the plasticizer used. All cellulose materials are either from accredited sustainable forestry sources or secondary waste. The products are manufactured in Europe and India. Both products are suitable for UV or latex inks and Dowdeswell said they are certified by HP and fully tested by EFI Vutek and Mimaki. Both products are available in 1,270mm wide rolls in a minimum 30m length, but can also be supplied as sheets. The company is looking at introducing wider rolls in the future, should demand dictate. It is also currently developing a white cling film, which will be launched later this year. “Price wise TierraFilm is in the same ball park as conventional products, if you’re looking at mass use cartridge paper or cheap Chinese PVC, then we’re not in that market. But we’re pound for pound the same as people like Avery and 3M and in some cases cheaper,” said Dowdeswell. “We haven’t loaded the price because we’re interested in getting people to use these two products, and that’s our primary concern. This represents a serious opportunity for printers.” The products are available in the UK from reseller Mayday Graphic Products, but orders of more than 20 rolls are handled directly by Natural AdCampaign. The latest launches follow the introduction of Natural AdCampaign’s debut substrates, NatureWoven Chorus and Gossyp, in to the UK and US markets in 2010. According to Dowdeswell, both products have proved extremely popular in the US, where they have been used on high-profile outdoor and PoS campaigns for brands including Nike, Vans and Billabong. However, he admitted take up in the UK had been slower. “We’ve seen a faster adoption rate in the US, because they don’t compete on price so much as the UK, it’s more about customer service and quality. I also think that US clients design for the material, whereas in the UK it seems more that the design comes in and then they print on what they can,” said Dowdeswell “The first two products looked very organic and natural, so they screamed their credentials to the retailers and brands. But we were conscious that customers also wanted products similar to the incumbent materials they were using, that looked the same, ran the same and could...
read moreKPG to launch new Euroflex presses at IFFA 2013
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....
read moreKPG to launch new Euroflex presses at IFFA 2013
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....
read moreXeikon develops new fuser drum to aid digital carton 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.”...
read moreXeikon develops new fuser drum to aid digital carton 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.”...
read moreReport urges gov’t to improve support for micro-businesses
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.”...
read moreProvidence ups productivity by a third with new Komori
The five-colour Lithrone S29 with aqueous coater replaces a six-colour Heidelberg Speedmaster 74 and was chosen for its quick makeready times for short and longer run lengths, said production manager Geoff Ovenden. The new machine cost around £590,000. “We needed a machine that could deal easily with our litho colour work,” he said. “Our run lengths average about 15,000 but we do short runs too, so a quick makeready and fast running speed was essential. Makeready times are around 12 to 15 minutes and we use Xing Graphics’ processed plates. “We strive to work smarter not harder so we needed to find a press with high automation, higher productivity and one that would progress our commitment to ensure our print is produced with minimal environmental impact.” His company designs, produces and delivers personalised leaflets for a national retail trading organisation. Other clients include government bodies, print management agencies, general commercial customers and the shipping trade. Ovenden added: “Ever since my St Ives days, I’ve been a fan of Komori’s machines and their technical support. We liked the consistency of the sheets the Lithrone delivered, the minimal material waste and the capability to print entirely alcohol-free.” The new machine offered “complete flexibility” to use a range of coating finishes including soft touch and high gloss on any material without reducing the press running speed. His firm is constantly running at 16,000 sheets an hour on all types of jobs. “Add to that the Lithrone S29’s ability to switch randomly from stocks as light as 80 gram to heavyweight board of 400 gram with little or no adjustments, and the overall result has been an immediate increase in productivity of around 30%.” Providence Integrated Print Solutions also runs a Xerox IGen4 and a two-colour Heidelberg GTO. For personalisation it uses Domino Inkjet systems fitted inline on two mailing machines. The company also provides a complete in-house fulfilment service. “We have initiatives to minimise resources, energy, labour and noise levels. We are also committed to using presses awarded the BG emission test certificate and GS certification for environmental and health protection, and these are critical factors when investing.”...
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