We’ve got some really good articles this week among the totally mixed bag of 25 news items, as well as pre-drupa 2016 announcements from exhibitors in our drupa Newsroom, including Muller Martini, Bobst, DG Press, Heidelberg and Ricoh; and then in our FESPA Newsroom from both FESPA and exhibitors at next year’s Digital show set to take place in March in Amsterdam, where Ricoh will debut for the first time and Screen Europe will use the show to unveil further developments to its Truepress Jet 3200UV flatbed printer ahead of drupa.

Among this week’s top headlines: Timson is back partnered with Kolbus (Monday); Golden Era South Africa took best in show at the FTASA wards this year (Tuesday) and also Syreline Process with a gold (Thursday). On Tuesday IFS as it announced a tremendous boost in its sales and figures for 2015. Wednesday saw the UK’s first ThermoFlexX 80-D digital flexo plate imager is now in full production;

The big news of the week came on Friday from Komori Europe, when it revealed what many have been waiting for ahead of drupa 2016 at the end of May and early June: Komori’s Digital LED-UV Inkjet Impremia IS29 Sheetfed Printing System will arrive at Komori Europe’s recently refurbished Graphics Centre in Utrecht, the Netherlands in January. Following print testing and a February open house, the press will be available for individual customer demonstrations and print tests, much to Kemtek Print Solutions‘ delight for potential South African customers. Also on Friday, Heidelberg UK will take over Gallus sales and support in the UK from April, prior to drupa 2016.

Throughout the week you will find a number of recent sales and installations successes, including a number of nice firsts. These were led by Ricoh and CFI Technologies on Tuesday with the Ricoh Pro VC60000 continuous feed production inkjet press, where the investment is expected to be the cornerstone of CFI’s production future.enabling transfer from offset to digital for personalised magazine covers, direct mail and more. On a smaller scale, Zebrahouse Design and Print has purchased a Linoprint CV from Heidelberg UK. Wednesday saw POLAR at Brogle Druck in Gipf-Oberfrick with the first Digicut independent production system in Switzerland; while Friday ended on a high for Ricoh as leading Service and Print Group Haberbeck in Ostwestfalen Lippe, Germany has made a strategically significant investment in a Ricoh Pro VC60000 to extend its digital print infrastructure.

The tailender serves to remind you that the Festive Season and Christmas is now upon us, with major holiday season closures, particularly in the Southern Hemisphere, so there will only be no more e-News updates before mid-January, when the industry should once again be under way following all the various celebrations interruptions and closures. Any key news items which may arrive during this period will still be added to the Home Page news column if appropriate.

All that remains if for me to wish you Seasons’ Greetings wherever you are, a very Happy Christmas and and a Happy, Healthy and successful New Year in 2016. Do take care on the roads, we need you back safe and sound for drupa in Düsseldorf at the end of May and early June.

My best wishes, best regards and sincere thanks for your support throughout 2015.

Mike Hilton

Our e-News comprises:  Headline News – Online Feature Articles – the Verdigris initiative from Digital Dots. Our Drupa and FESPA Newsrooms can be accessed from the Index on our Home Page, as well as News in Review, which provides a weekly overview and listing of all news added to the site. 

Headline News
Over 27,000 news items have now gone online since we launched our Website in September 2001. News for the past 24 months can still be accessed via the Home Page and its continuation news pages

Mon 14 December…   UPM to change its corporate structure in Finland
UPM-Kymmene Corporation to change its corporate structure to better match its current business structure…

Timsons Engineering partners with Kolbus GmbH
The agreement means that the highly respected Timsons T48 and ZMR litho book presses will again be in production…

Drukkerij de Bij grabs Kodak Sonora Green Leaf Award
Kodak awards Amsterdam-based Drukkerij de Bij with the Prestigious 2015 Kodak Sonora Plate Green Leaf Award for Europe…

MPS wins coveted Digital Printer Award with Domino
Multi Packaging Solutions Bristol wins prestigious print award for craft beer label with Domino N610i inkjet press…

Flint Group introduces PremoFilm SXS/2
Flint introduces new water-based inks for printing on film in the high-quality flexible packaging market in EMEA…

Tue 15 December…   Golden Era Best of Show Award from FTASA
As close as you can get to perfect’ using Asahi AFP-TOP Plates: Flexographic Technical Association of South Africa…

Intelligent Finishing Systems looks forward to 2016
Strong performance is set to continue as IFS UK reports double digit year-on-year growth in 2015…

Scodix announces 2015 Design Awards winners
Entries from around the world set new creativity and quality standards for digital enhancement applications…

CFI opts for Ricoh Pro VC60000 high quality inkjet press
CFI Technologies enabling transfer from offset to digital for personalised magazine covers, direct mail and more…

Linoprint enters the Zebrahouse in Fleet
Zebrahouse Design and Print says ‘extra features’ were the tempter for its purchase of a Linoprint CV from Heidelberg UK…

Wed 16 December…   Waldo installs UK’s first ThermoFlexX 80-D imager
The UK’s first ThermoFlexX 80-D digital flexo plate imager is now in full production at Lincolnshire prepress house Waldo…

Brogle Druck is now using the POLAR Digicut
In September Brogle Druck AG in Gipf-Oberfrick started operation of the first Digicut independent production system in Switzerland…

Business Consulting appointment at Heidelberg USA
Heidelberg USA has announced the addition of former PIA’s Dr. Mark Bohan to its Business Consulting Team…

KBA PressSupport 24 with maintenance and inspections
Coldsetinnovation Fulda in Eichenzell, Germany and KBA-Digital & Web agree multi-year service partnership…

Retrofit – For more Freedom at Omaha World Herald
Omaha World-Herald upgrades its Geoman web press with new electronics…

Thu 17 December…  Ricoh set to debut at FESPA Digital 2016
Ricoh will showcase its expanding portfolio of solutions with its first-ever stand at FESPA Digital in March…

Syreline Process grabs Gold in FTASA Awards
Hamillroad’s Bellissima screening wins Gold at South Africa’s flexographic print excellence awards 2015…

Sun Chemical’s world-class inks at FESPA Digital 2016
Global launchpad for SunTex and all new digital inkjet platform – Aquacure and innovative ink chemistry platforms…

Eleventh KBA Cortina User Workshop in Einbeck
Offset Printing: improved quality, flexibility, and productivity in printing newspapers while reducing resource consumption…

EFI Fiery and Prinergy Workflow 7: A winning combination
End-to-end workflow integration of Kodak Prinergy and Fiery for flexibility, production automation, productivity and profitability…

Fri 18 December…   Komori Impremia IS29 to be launched in Europe
Komori’s Digital LED-UV Inkjet Impremia IS29 Sheetfed Printing System arrives at Komori Europe’s Graphics Centre in January…

Heidelberg UK to sell Gallus labels products
Heidelberg has wholly owned Gallus since August 2014. Heidelberg UK to take on Gallus UK staff and labels portfolio on 1 April 2016…

Screen to unveil new Truepress Jet features at FESPA 2016
Screen Europe to use next year’s FESPA in Amsterdam to unveil further developments to its Truepress Jet 3200UV flatbed printer…

KBA North America introduces new Performance Report
New Service Select product provides intelligent press analysis and productivity assessment for maximum productivity…

Service & Print Group Haberbeck invests in Ricoh Pro VC60000
The leading PSP headquartered in Ostwestfalen Lippe, Germany, has makes a strategically significant investment…

Muller Martini sets new milestones with Finishing 4.0
Drupa 2016: State-of-the-art drive technology enables print finishing to be targeted in an increasingly automated manner…

Lead articles from Friday 04 December in previous update… 

DS Smith Packaging to install first HP PageWide Web Press
HP Inc. reinvents corrugated packaging printing in collaboration with KBA, with the world’s first T1100S 2.8 metre width press…

Xaar appoints Chris Morgan to the Xaar Board
Chris Morgan brings with him a wealth of expertise in managing complex international technology businesses with HP…

Kodak Commercial Imaging  (Kodak) is a leading provider of innovative solutions for conventional, digital and hybrid print production environments. With the most expansive portfolio for the graphic communications market, Kodak features technologies, products and services that help print providers streamline processes, optimise efficiencies, broaden services, and grow businesses. To find out more, visit the Kodak Graphics Website.

drupa 2016 (drupa), the international flagship fair of the printing and media industry, responds to the challenges of the changing market and provides pioneering solutions for the future. This is highlighted by the new marketing and communication strategy where drupa claims its position as ‘No.1 for Print & Crossmedia Solutions’ with the slogan ‘touch the future’. The issues of ‘package printing’, ‘multichannel’, ‘green printing’, ‘3D printing’ and ‘functional printing’ will become increasingly important to the overall communication strategy. To find out more, visit the drupa 2016 Website.

Online Feature articles 2014 – 2015
There were again well over 90 last year, including nine downloads, as well as 92 articles in 2013 which can still be accessed via the Index on the Home Page, with prior years’ via Search Archives (option 2) on the Website.

Downloads in 2015 Chapter 01
There are currently three downloads available for you in this Chapter , where you can download the PDF.

Technology-related 2015 Chapter 02
You will find 20 current feature articles in this Chapter, with the most recent from Heidelberg.

Nov/Dec 2015 Chapter 08

Bobst to celebrate its 125th anniversary at drupa 2016
Bobst, a family company based in the Swiss Canton of Vaud, is launching a year of events to celebrate its anniversary with dynamism and commitment…

Previous…    mymuesli – your print and your customised muesli
For eight years, the Passau-based German start-up ‘mymuesli’ has been building a reputation for customised, healthy, and organic cereal and fruit-based products…

HP and KBA present world’s most productive inkjet web press
DS Smith Packaging to install first HP PageWide Web Press T1100S: Pre-print and digital printing in one machine…

Verdigris – Environmental Initiative

Laurel Brunner’s weekly Verdigris Blog 2015

No Cop Out
The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner – Fri 18 December

Previous…    Mark to Market
The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner – Fri 11 Dec

Drupa Newsroom
Our Drupa Newsroom with news from Messe Düsseldorf and for Drupa 2016 can be found in the Index, as well as via the special Newsroom button on the right of the Home Page near the top. It is divided into the following Chapters for your convenience and ease of use…

drupa 2016 News from Messe Düsseldorf

Most recent…    2nd drupa Global Insights Report Executive Summary
Touch the future – Applications that can create growth. Printfuture (UK) and Wissler & Partner (Switzerland) were appointed by Messe Düsseldorf to conduct these two report series…

drupa 2016 News from Exhibitors
Latest additions can now be accessed in our Drupa Newsroom.

Komori Inkjet Impremia IS29 official launch at drupa
Komori’s Sheetfed Inkjet Impremia IS29 Digital Printing System arrives at Komori Europe’s Graphics Centre in January for February Open House prior to official drupa launch….

Bobst to celebrate its 125th anniversary at drupa 2016
Bobst, a family company based in the Swiss Canton of Vaud, is launching a year of events to celebrate its anniversary with dynamism and commitment…

DG press unveils plans for Drupa 2016
The newest technologies and a wide range of services for Drent Goebel machines will be presented by DG press in Hall 10…

Previous…    Heidelberg to enable Smart Integration for drupa 2016
Heidelberg to showcase the next stage in automated print media production at drupa 2016…

Heidelberg at drupa 2016: ‘Simply Smart’
drupa 2016: Heidelberg to exhibit the digitised future of the print media industry under the motto ‘Simply Smart’…

drupa 2016 Expert Articles series
Can be accessed via our Drupa Newsroom, in the Index on the Home page.

NEW…    Sustainability and the Printing Industry
Touch the future. Drupa expert Article No 5 by Laurel Brunner, who has worked exclusively in the prepress and publishing industries, with a particular specialisation in digital prepress, digital production and digital printing…

FESPA Newsroom
The dedicated FESPA Newsroom can be found via the Index on our Home Page.

Screen’s new Truepress Jet features at FESPA 2016
Screen Europe to use next year’s FESPA in Amsterdam to unveil further developments to its Truepress Jet 3200UV flatbed printer,,,

Ricoh set to debut at FESPA Digital 2016
Ricoh will showcase its expanding portfolio of solutions with its first-ever stand at FESPA Digital in March…

Success in Shanghai for FESPA China 2015
FESPA China 2015, which took place from 21 – 23 October in partnership with CSGIA at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, Shanghai proved to be yet another success for FESPA…

Sun Chemical’s world-class inks at FESPA Digital 2016
Global launchpad for SunTex and all new digital inkjet platform – Aquacure, and innovative ink chemistry platforms…

Printeriors 2016 presents ‘The Print Hotel’
Interior design showcase and dedicated conference return with new concept for 2016…

Previous…    10th FESPA Digital for speciality printers in 2016
The tenth anniversary edition of FESPA Digital will reflect the astonishing development and diversification of digital print in the intervening decade…

The Graphic Repro On-line Website is supported and sponsored by: 

If you would like to send news for consideration for the Graphic Repro On-line Website (ISSN 1814-2915) or to submit comments, please e-mail Mike Hilton at: graphicrepro.za@gmail.com.