FSC Stock Management for DigiQuote Product

TimeHarvest Limited, the award-winning software development company specialising in digital print, has announced details of a new FSC Stock Management option for its DigiQuote digital MIS product. London-based customer Face Creative worked closely with TimeHarvest in the development of this option. Face has now also announced that it has been accredited for both FSC and PEFC Chain of Custody.

Face Creative, one of London’s leading digital print specialists, running both Xeikon and Indigo presses, has at the same time been able to detail its recently awarded ISO 9001 certification. “The FSC Stock Management option means that TimeHarvest is able to add all of the necessary FSC/PEFC Chain of Custody information to a quote, invoice and delivery note, taking data fed into the system as paper is booked to our building,” said Face Creative Managing Director Bill Harding.

The recent official audit undertaken at Face Creative regarding the application to become FSC/PEFC accredited praised both Face and the TimeHarvest system for the outstanding way that the system handled the FSC and PEFC Chain of Custody requirements. Geoff Stephens, Managing Director of TimeHarvest, said: “Bill and the team at Face were keen to utilise their TimeHarvest DigiQuote system to add FSC and PEFC Chain of Custody information to their quotes, invoices and delivery notes in the most automated way possible. We have worked with them to create the software functionality, and were delighted that the auditors found our solution to be both user friendly and accurate in its execution.”

Commenting on the use of FSC/PEFC stock at Face Creative, Sales Manager Steve Hars said: “Certainly over 75% of our work is now printed on FSC accredited stock. Many larger clients specify the use of such stocks, including the print management companies. Now that we have completed our audit we will now be able to print the FSC Chain of Custody logo onto work where the customer requires.”

Face Creative buys in both sheet and reel stock, with most material purchased from either Howard Smith or Premier Paper.

Work on the project at Face was handled by Bill Harding, Geoff Warrington, and Len Gold.

About TimeHarvest

TimeHarvest was founded in 2003 by digital print veteran Geoff Stephens for the express purpose of developing affordable, easy-to-use software aimed squarely at users of modern digital presses. The company operates from the UK but has clients in Europe, North America and South Africa. For further information on TimeHarvest visit the www.timeharvest.com web site or contact the company direct at TimeHarvest Ltd, Mill Corner, Littleworth Village, Oxford, OX33 1TR, telephone 01865 872 086.

About Face Creative

Face Creative offers the most comprehensive one-stop shop for digital printing and display needs. Based in The Angel, Islington the company can easily access the whole of the London area. Its many services include high-quality digital printing, high-end drum scanning, contract proofing, poster production including pop-up and banner stands. Face has a long history in the graphics and pre-press industry. Originally formed as Face Makeup in 1968 the company has metamorphosed through many changes in the industry to become the most comprehensive digital printer in London, yet still retaining the mind-set of “craftsmen”. For further information on Face Creative visit the www.face-creative.co.uk web site or call Steve Hars on 020 7713 9777.

ENDS

First Four-Colour Press in England?

Is it the first or last four-colour press in England? For Penzance-based Headland Printers the company’s recently acquired Ryobi 524 HXX is certainly their first dedicated four-colour machine, which has been purchased together with the company’s first computer-to-plate investment, a Screen Micra system. Both machines are pre-owned products purchased from Apex Digital Graphics, the UK distributor for Ryobi presses, ECRM polyester-based computer-to-plate systems, and Screen metal-based computer-to-plate devices. The equipment is used to the delights of the south-west of the country, having previously been installed at Newton Abbott-based Wotton Printers.

Marc Clemens, along with fellow directors Chris Williams and Chris Jenkin, took over the running of Headland Printers some 14 months ago and immediately started putting plans in place with regard to modernising and growing the business. “Printing was taking place on single and two-colour Fuji 52 presses, with plates being created with film and an exposure frame. Things had to change for the business to move forward and for our pricing to be more competitive,” said Marc Clemens. The trio were made aware by Apex Digital Graphics of some excellent used equipment that would soon become available, due to a company investing in new product.

“The 524 HXX and the Screen Micra were exactly what we were looking for,” said Marc. “This investment has certainly moved the business forward quickly and in the right direction. Certainly our monthly throughput has increased significantly since the installation, and we have not had to over-commit on finance to move the business into dedicated four-colour printing and CtP.”

Headland Printers produce a wide range of commercial print, including magazines, brochures, stationery, leaflets and books. The company employs a team of 13, and has been in business for over 40 years. It is able to handle the full print process from in-house design through to print finishing.

Standard Ryobi 524 HXX features include semi-automatic plate changing, Ryobi Program Inking, the Ryobi AAC aqua automatic control system, and automatic ink roller/blanket cleaning devices, all controlled via the Ryobi Printing Control System.

Commenting on the sale, Neil Handforth, Sales and Marketing Director for Apex Digital Graphics, said: “Many printers are looking at the cost benefits associated with used equipment at the moment. We are always more than happy to talk with printers that feel a used press would be better suited to their needs, and are often in a position to supply such products as other customers’ trade up to larger or faster machines. The equipment sold to Headland Printers had been kept busy at the previous printers, but has been well maintained and is in top condition. I am sure that it will prove an excellent investment for them.”

For more details on Headland Printers call 01736 364 694 or visit the www.headlandprinters.co.uk web site.

Apex Digital Graphics – The Solutions Provider

Apex Digital Graphics Limited is a specialist in the supply and service of pre-press and press equipment. Apex is the official UK distributor of Ryobi presses, the Screen Plate-Rite Micra metal plate system, the ECRM range of polyester platemaking units, and a range of B2-format computer-to-plate products. The company offer national service coverage, and a one-stop shop for print consumables featuring next day delivery. Apex Digital Graphics can be contacted on 01442 235 236 or via the www.apexdigital.co.uk web site.

ENDS

Benson Group Moves into Pharma Labels Sector

Folding carton specialist Benson Group, UK packaging company of the year, has announced details of its first move into the labels sector with the purchase of a Gallus EM340S printing press with a Scantech VisionTrack rewind and inspection machine for its pharmaceutical-focused Medica Packaging business in Crewe, Cheshire.

The company cites customer demand as being the key driving factor behind the move. “We are now able to offer pharmaceutical customers the creation of cartons, leaflets and labels all from one production site. We do not believe that any other business in the UK is able to offer this single site production focus for pharma customers,” said Mark Kerridge, Benson Group Managing Director. “Single site production helps to ensure consistency of print quality across all three elements, as well as offering customers the facility to purchase a complete packaging “kit”. For many pharmaceutical companies a single site audit also offers significant benefits.”

The seven-colour Gallus EM340S UV-Flexographic press, is capable of a wide range of label production formats, including reverse printing, printing on adhesive, edge slit, in-line die cutting, as well as printing onto a wide range of substrates, from paper to unsupported film, with weights from 25 microns through to 400 microns. The flexibility of the machine means that other printing processes and label formats such as silk screen, foil blocking and “peel ‘n’ read”, can be added to the machine at anytime. Print production will use Benzophenone free, low-odour printing inks, suited for both food and pharmaceutical packaging requirements. Anticipated average production speed of the machine is in the region of 80 metres per minute.

Quality assurance is very much to the fore with the new machine, and the production system that is being put in place around it. Medica has installed a press comparator system in order to compare the “first off” print production pass to a customer approved PDF – a move that the company believes is a first in the pharmaceutical label market. A camera system on the press then allows a live visual check of every printed label for the machine operator during the production run.

The Scantech rewind machine will also be equipped with the latest 100% vision inspection technology, inspecting every label 100% of the time. Another innovation of this machine is the re-inspection of labels through the vision system, to ensure that all waste is removed. As well as the vision system, the machine will have the capability to verify barcodes and consecutively number each label all in one pass. “Accuracy and quality of the finished product are critical in pharmaceutical work,” explains Mark Kerridge. “This press provides a quality control system for label production that is second-to-none.”

The creation of the label production department at Medica is being overseen by Charlie McGrath, who brings his 25 years of label production experience to the role of Labels and Leaflets Manager at the 100% pharmaceutical plant. Charlie’s industry experience includes time spent in the production of pharmaceutical labels at MY Healthcare and Field Boxmore.

About the Benson Group

Benson Group, the Packaging Company of the Year for 2008, is the UK’s leading privately owned printed carton supplier, producing packaging product for both the food and pharmaceutical industries.

Headquarters are in Bardon, Leicestershire, where the company owns 130,000 sq ft of production and warehouse space. Benson Group achieves annual sales in excess of £93 million. Food manufacturers are the main customers at Bardon and for the company’s two North East facilities in Newcastle and Gateshead. These two sites have a combined total of 200,000 sq ft of manufacturing and warehouse space. The fourth site in Crewe, Medica Packaging, serves pharmaceutical and healthcare companies. It has 73,000 sq ft of manufacturing, warehouse and office space. Since 2000, investment in new plant and equipment across the four sites totals in excess of £25 million. The company recently announced details of the acquisition of various trading assets of Glasgow-based packaging company Cameron Linn.

Benson Group creates packaging for many well-known companies, brands and retailers. Key account clients across the Group include GlaxoSmithKline, Northern Foods, Reckitt Benkiser, Greencore, Bakkavör, and leading supermarket chains.

For further information on the Benson Group visit the www.bensongroup.co.uk web site.

Xeikon 8000 in action at the Hunkeler innovationdays 2009

Xeikon, a division of Punch Graphix, has announced that it will showcase its flagship digital color press, the Xeikon 8000 at the 2009 edition of the Hunkeler innovationdays. This bi-annual event brings together leading practitioners from the printing industry, offering an excellent opportunity to demonstrate the Xeikon 8000’s capabilities and the power of an integrated solution.

The Xeikon 8000 is renowned for its unique combination of uncompromising print quality (1200 dpi at 4 bits/spot) and industry-best speed (230 ppm), making it ideally suited for high-quality, high value-added transpromo applications. It will be showcased as part of a total solution in combination with Hunkeler finishing equipment.

The application on show is a sophisticated full color transpromo for an air miles loyalty program. The mailing combines customer-specific text and transactional information with personalized images provided by Germany-based AlphaPicture (www.alphapicture.com). The data intensive workflow is streamlined through the powerful combination of the Xeikon 8000’s digital front-end, the X-800, and its IPDS Controller which handles the IPDS input data stream directly, without intermediate conversions, resulting in a highly productive process printing full color documents at rated engine speed.

“We wanted to use an application that would not only illustrate the Xeikon 8000’s capabilities, but also impose heavy demands on the finishing equipment,” explains Danny Mertens, Business Development Manager Document Printing, at Xeikon.

In an in-line configuration of Hunkeler finishing modules, the mailing is cut, perforated, folded in three, and glued. The page containing transactional information is two-hole punched for easy filing. The mailings are finally combined in batches of 20-25, tied together and ready for delivery at a postal services provider. The application is shown in roll-to-sheet as well as in roll-to-roll configuration.

“We greatly welcome the opportunity to demonstrate once again the unique combination of quality and speed achieved by the Xeikon 8000. Customer and industry feedback since its launch in March last year confirms the importance of offset-challenging print quality in the transpromo market,” says Danny Mertens, adding, “We are even more pleased to be able to show it as part of such a sophisticated integrated solution, which is an excellent example of the successful collaboration between our companies’ R&D teams.”

“We are pleased and honored to welcome Xeikon at this year’s edition of the innovationdays, Xeikon being one of our valued partners. We are convinced that their strong presence at the event will tighten the already successful relationship between our companies, taking it beyond the existing OEM agreement for unwinders and rewinders,” says Erich Hodel, Director Sales at Hunkeler.

The Hunkeler innovationdays 2009 will be held in the Allmend Exhibition Center in Lucerne. From Monday February 16 until Thursday February 19 visitors can see the Xeikon 8000 in action at booth 4 in Hall 1.

Need More Publicity? Try DIY PR!

Genesis Marketing Services, a PR company specialising in the print and packaging sectors, has announced the availability of a free guide to do-it-yourself public relations. The guide is available on the company’s web site www.genesis-marketing.com

Commenting on this latest initiative, Russ Hicks, managing director of Genesis, said: “There are many companies out there in the print and packaging sectors that are desperately seeking more publicity for new products or services via the trade media. Whilst ideally many of them might want to employ the services of a professional agency to get company news out into the market, many are finding that with budget constraints they cannot afford such luxuries at this moment in time.”

The DIY guide offers an eleven point plan to help people through the basics of creating and distributing a good quality press release.

“This certainly isn’t a complete public relations package,” added Russ. “It is primarily aimed at those new to putting together a press release, but some more experienced marketers might also find one or two points of interest in it. The one thing the guide can’t provide, of course, is the time required to produce such work!

“Publicity is a key ingredient of the marketing mix. The industry as a whole needs to be aware of new products and services, and to gain an understanding of what benefits they might offer – PR is the most effective way of achieving this. Even significant sums spent on other promotional activities, such as exhibitions, need PR running alongside to ensure that these investments provide the maximum return.”

The Genesis web site also offers readers some suggestions for possible recipients of press releases via its “links” page, which features clickable links through to many of the print and packaging world’s leading publications.

Another recent addition to the Genesis site includes some thoughts for iPhone users regarding applications that they might want to find out more about (see the “Genesis 2” section of the site).

About Genesis Marketing

Genesis Marketing was founded in 1996. With over 13 years of public relations experience and some 32 years in the print industry, Genesis owner Russell Hicks offers customers a wealth of industry knowledge.

Having written over 30 articles on industry topics, Russell is also aware of what journalists require by way of input and assistance in their creative tasks.

Genesis Marketing’s PR expertise has been brought to play many sectors of the industry, including: commercial web and sheet-fed; newspaper; digital; and packaging. Products represented have included pre-press, offset-litho sheet-fed, web offset, digital, and post-press. Services represented have included printers and packaging companies.

For further information on Genesis Marketing Services call 01908 260 662, 07885 852 428 or visit the www.genesis-marketing.com web site.