Business Management - Industry Trends

Printing Impressions and InfoTrends have recently conducted a survey of Printing Impressions’ readers that focused on their use of wide-format digital printing equipment. The respondents to the survey fell into two main groups: in-plant operations and print-for-pay establishments. Participants were asked various questions regarding their current wide-format equipment and services, as well as future plans for their wide-format business. (See Chart 1.) The results show that while aqueous ink-jet is still the dominant technology, there is a growing presence in the production and commercial printing market of newer printing technologies. More than 67 percent of respondents indicated that they currently own an aqueous ink-jet

RESTON, VA—August 15, 2008—The Print Industries Market Information and Research Organization (PRIMIR) announces the recent launch of a number of research studies for the coming 12 months. Trends in Books – PrintCom Consulting Group (Waxhaw, NC) was commissioned to complete research that will document technological and societal changes impacting the book publishing industry in North America. The research will cover all major segments of the book publishing industry, including trade books (adult, juvenile, mass market paperback, book clubs, mail order and religious); educational (elem-high textbooks, college textbooks and university press); and reference (professional books and subscription reference). It will also investigate personal

SCHAUMBURG, IL—August 14, 2008—Citing significant and continuing advances in raw material, energy and transportation costs, INX International Ink Co. has announced an increase in ink prices of 10-12 percent across all product lines, effective September 1st. This move follows similar increases announced by other major manufacturers in recent weeks. “The magnitude of multiple cost increases continues to challenge our ability to absorb them,” said Rick Clendenning, INX President and CEO. “We will continue to expand our renewable-resource product offerings while working diligently to optimize our supply chain. We also plan to intensify our own energy management and other INX sustainability programs

“GoWest, young man,” served as the mantra for the nineteenth century American migration. The gold rush of 1849 was the impetus for much of the migration of Americans and immigrants to California and theWest Coast. Indiana newspaper writer John Soule’s 1851 advice would be popularized by Horace Greeley, and the trend of westward expansion accelerated from the Appalachian Mountains in the eighteenth century across the country to California. United States citizens as well as immigrants would migrate all the way to the Pacific Ocean by the mid-nineteenth century seeking a better life. From why people decided to move to how they would transform the

On Wednesday July 23rd, Dr Harry Zervos, technology analyst with IDTechEx, interviewed Jacques Angelé, co-founder and VP Technology Programs of Nemoptic SA, an electronic paper display company. Jacques gave insight into the technology, goals and market potential for the company over the next few years. Created in 1999, Nemoptic is headquartered near Paris and has raised more than 35 million Euros. It operates a pilot production unit in Sweden and has a large-scale production facility agreement with Seiko Instruments Inc as of April 2007. The company’s technology, BiNem® (Bistable Nematic), has applications for a range of handheld devices as well as electronic shelf labels.

“The 21st Century Begins Now” will flash from the cover of the world’s first electronic magazine due to appear on newspaper stands in the U.S. late September to celebrate Esquire magazine’s 75th year. About 13% of Esquire magazines in September will carry the display, showing an advertisement for a Ford vehicle. An early version of the cover had a cord sticking out that attached to a battery pack. The new version will have the battery embedded into the magazine cover which will be used to power the display which will flash “the 21st Century Begins Now.” David Granger, Esquire’s editor in chief said in

PLYMOUTH, MI—July 8, 2008—The printing ink industry continues to experience unprecedented increases in all of our raw materials – pigments, chemicals, freight and packaging. These increases are directly and indirectly related to crude oil increases as well as large swings in the manufacturing capacity of some of the primary raw material manufacturers. As a result of the surcharges and price increases imposed on our business, Flint Group is forced to pass these increases on to their customers. Today, Flint Group announced price increases and surcharges on all packaging and commercial inks sold in North America, effective on all products billed on or after July

European researchers have taken a major step towards the goal of developing printable electronics that can be used for creating radio frequency identification tags and flexible watch displays. Researchers have long dreamed of being able to print electronic components directly onto organic materials such as paper, fabrics, or plastic. In addition to being able to fabricate large numbers of everyday devices such as watch displays and other applications cheaply, they envision novel applications including electronic paper, eyeglasses with embedded displays, or even smart clothing. Researchers in the EU-funded CONTACT project have demonstrated that with suitable inks and printers, organic liquid crystal displays and other

PLYMOUTH, MI—June, 23 2008—Today, Flint Group North America Publication and News Inks Divisions announced a crude oil surcharge on all heatset, coldset and news inks, effective July 1, 2008. This surcharge is necessary to offset the impact of rapidly escalating raw material, energy and freight costs. “The current economic situation requires that we take measured, responsible actions. The surcharges are an important part of that process,” says Mike Green, vice president - general manager of both the North American Publication and News Ink business units. “We appreciate our customers’ loyalty and understanding of this situation. We will continue to provide our customers with

Amazon’s Jeff Bezos will be delighted with the press coverage that their e-reader Kindle received last week. At the BookExpo America a couple of weeks ago it was one of the main topics of conversation. It seems that everyone had something to say about it. Unlike the Sony e-reader, Kindle uses the same technology that advanced cell phones use - you don’t have to find a hotspot. Amazon pays for Kindle’s wireless connectivity so you will never see a monthly wireless bill for shopping the Kindle Store. There is no wireless setup - you are ready to shop, purchase and read right out