AN INDEPENDENT SUPPLEMENT FROM MEDIAPLANET ABOUT INNOVATIONS IN PRINTING

28 MAY 2008INNOVATIONS INPRINTING

How print has evolved from a craft to technology-driven business

AN ADVERTISING INSERT BY MEDIAPLANET2

CONTENTS

Innovation in

software 4-5

Drupa Exhibition 5

Green Print 6

Packaging 8

Innovations in Inkjet 7

INNOVATIONS IN PRINTINGA TITLE FROM MEDIAPLANET

Project Manager: Andrew MichaelEditor: David Abbott Production Manager: Katherine WoodleyDesign: Sherine BarnesPrepress: Jez MacBeanPrint: News International

Mediaplanet is the leading Europeanpublisher in providing high qualityand in-depth analysis on topical industry and market issues, in print,online and broadcast.

For more information about supplements in the daily press, pleasecontact Simon Kenneally

Tel: 020 7563 8897simon.kenneally@mediaplanet.comwww.mediaplanet.com

INNOVATIONS IN PRINTING Introduction

One area where the UK’s print busi-nesses excel and an area for the fu-ture of every company to consider, isin ‘adding value’. The value of print isgoing beyond the traditional notionof print on paper and delving withconfidence into customer focus, de-sign, personalisation, delivery, adver-tising and packaging innovation; atthe tip of the iceberg. Businesses gotthere by asking themselves questionsabout the future of this industry, bylooking to the customer first and bywidening the scope of their remit inorder to create new business. Britishprint leads the print world in this re-gard. In fact, nobody does it better.

Across Europe, there is no one clus-ter of printers in any particular partof the EU, like there is with the motorindustry, aviation or steel. It is an in-dustry that is widespread. The threeleading manufacturers of print are theGermans, the British and the French.‘Intergraf’ is an international federa-tion based in Brussels, which repre-sents 25 national printing federationsin 22 countries in Europe. Intergraf'smain task is to promote and protectthe interests of the printing and re-lated industries, working with the Eu-ropean Institutions The recent PrintSells campaign (www.printsells.org)does just that. This campaign has

been getting the message across toprint buyers that print, as a medium,is the most effective way of commu-nicating a message. Print is a tangibleproduct. You can hold it, touch it andeven smell it. It is not something thatflicks in front of you on a screen orsomething you switch over from witha remote control. Print is appealing.

Within the UK, the BPIF has themost prominent voice within Govern-ment and among those whose actionsimpact on the printing industry. Eachyear, a comprehensive list of print in-dustry lobbying priorities is publishedthrough consultation with over 2,500members. To give you an idea of someof the current lobbying priorities, theyare as follows:• The environmental challenge• Changes within the postal services• Public procurement and the role ofSMEs• Insolvency practices and phoenixcompanies• Pensions deficit repayments• The skills shortage

These are the sorts of issues that wehear about on a weekly basis fromour members. To hone in on one,public procurement featured stronglyin our representational work over thepast months, as we challenged minis-ters, civil servants and individualpublic authorities in relation to pre-qualification tendering charges, feesto third-party accreditation suppliers,inconsistent and irrelevant tender cri-teria and other obstacles facing SMEsseeking to bid for public sector con-tracts.

With the environment, our majortask here is to pull our carbon-freesocks up and get the message acrossto the public that printing isn’t thebad industry it’s made out to be. Theperception people have is that be-cause it’s a paper-based industry,print is responsible for the cuttingdown of rainforests. That is simplynot the case and all the major papermanufacturers in the world are plant-

ing far more trees than they are cut-ting down.

So we have to stand up and beheard amid the shouts of the greenlobby, which is large, powerful and iswinning action. So what are wedoing? We have leading environmen-tal specialists, commencing a majorproject to develop a carbon measure-ment tool kit covering the whole lifecycle of printed products, togetherwith associated support for compa-nies in reducing and offsetting theircarbon footprint. We lobby Govern-ment hard to convince Westminsterof the truth about print. One of theways we do this is through the ‘AllParty Parliamentary Print Group’ andthe annual reception is held in West-minster every July, attended byaround 150 MPs and print companyCEOs.

We very much see ourselves as themotor behind the UK’s thriving printingindustry. Operating for over a century,we are acute to everything that is goingon and a crucial part of our drivingforce is that we are ready for change.The transformation of the UK print in-dustry over the last decade has createda thriving and highly competitive in-dustry which is world class and onewhich plays a critical role in the growthof regional and national economies.

Printing is an industry experiencing a perpetualwind of change. Ever since printing arrived onthese shores in the 16th Century, techniques,technologies and a changing businessenvironment have demanded a need for constantupgrading and today’s ultra-competitive globalclimate has upped the ante like never before. Thegood news is, that the British printing industry isup to the mark and leading the way in so manyareas, and our trade association has helped shapethat world positioning.

British print in global climate

BY MICHAEL JOHNSON, BRITISH PRINTING INDUSTRIES FEDERATION CHIEF EXECUTIVE

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

HP is a household name for desktop printers andpersonal computers. What is less well known isthat the company has also built the world’s largestdigitally-driven graphic arts business. Graphicarts represents printing beyond the home andoffice - in other words from personalised postagestamps to building wraps.

The pulp, paper, publishing and printing industryis the UK’s fifth largest industry, generating£43.3 billion(1) in annual sales. The UK’s printingindustry alone contributes to £14.6 billion(1) of thisand employs 153,000(1) people. HP is active invirtually every part of it, driving its transformation.

The benefits of digital printThe benefits of digital printing include shortproduction times (on-demand printing), cost-effective short runs, shorter supply chains andthe ability to print variable data. Anotherconsiderable advantage of printing on demandare the environmental benefits that result fromreduced waste and local sourcing.

The HP Graphic Arts product range includes HPIndigo presses for commercial print as well aslabel, shrink sleeve and flexible packagingprinting, HP Designjet for large format postersand signage and HP Scitex for super-wide formatbanners, building wraps and point of sale (POS).

The capabilities of HP Indigo presses havespawned a host of new products and dramaticallychanged existing products. For example,photobooks, which are created online byconsumers have become a favourite way fordigital pictures to be enjoyed. Using the sametechnology, Amazon is using HP Indigo presses toprint books on-demand. With digital printing, theconcept of “out of print” will disappear.

Digital printing has enabled template driven web-to-print solutions that allow large companies todevolve their print and direct mail production tolocal level. Car manufacturer Suzuki GB plcwanted a way for its 200 dealerships to delivermore personal and effective aftersales marketingprint to customers. The result was the creation ofstandard templates, hosted on the web that canbe tailored to the recipient by dealers andordered over the internet. Once approved, filesare sent to a PSP and the job is printed on adigital press and despatched in as little as sixhours.

“Digital printing is about productivity,” says GaryPeeling, Managing Director of Docklands-basedPrecision Printing, the first UK site to install HP’srecently launched HP Indigo 7000 Digital Press.“For example, we often print A3 size posters forcustomers. With our HP Indigo 7000 Digital Presswe can handle six jobs hour, whereas usingconventional print, we can only run two. That’sthree times the productivity.”

HP’s Large Format business enables the digitalprinting of vehicle and building wraps, backlitdisplays, billboards and exhibition signage –examples of which we see everyday. The brandowners can rely on digital printing for theirsignage and POS within short runs and tighttimescales enabling them to save costs and makesure there messaging is relevant as well as reactquickly to changing circumstances (weather,promotions, etc.). Recent innovations include thefact that POS and point of purchase (POP)displays can now be printed direct onto rigidsubstrates like corrugated board makingexhibition and interior decoration moreaffordable.

High productivity is a concept that extends acrossHP’s graphic arts offering. Using HP Scitexprinters large format printer MediaCo, ofManchester, printed pictures of the ManchesterUnited team on a clear adhesive substrate andthen fitted the picture on the windows at OldTrafford. MediaCo director, Vincent Randallendorses wide format digital printing saying,“It helps us meet our clients’ challenging

demands for faster turnarounds, sharper textand higher quality.”

From PSP to agency and enterpriseHP uses the term “print service provider” (PSP)instead of “printer” because modern PSPs don’tjust print. Printing has become a collaborativeprocess with enterprises, designers, agencies andoften end-users taking an active part. In the UK,more printers are becoming PSPs than anywhereelse in Europe, with non-printing activities such asfulfilment and digital asset managementcontributing to 30 percent of their income.(2)

St Ives plc, the UK’s largest PSP and a user of HPprinting solutions including HP Indigo digitalpresses, HP Scitex and HP Designjet printers isone example. Complementing its digital andconventional print solutions, amongst otherservices it offers customers strategic marketingconsultancy, a retail thinking team, whichprovides retail and point of sale intelligence tocustomers, and a creative thinking team thatworks with agencies.

Another rapidly growing area of digital printing is“transpromotional”, which combines transactionalprint (bank statements, utility and credit card bills)customer relationship marketing (CRM). Byutilising available data about customers and theirbuying habits credit card statements can containtargeted messages, images, and coupons forindividual customers and turn bills intopromotional opportunities.

Oniya Shapira, of Asseret, Israel, installed five HPIndigo press w3250s enabling it to fulfill a newcontract with Israeli credit card issuer Cal. Thenew digital printing capability means that Cal –who issues major brand credit cards, VISA, DinersClub and MasterCard along with retail creditcards and loyalty cards – can now personalisecustomer statements with targeted advertisementsor coupons for products or stores.

Whether for international businesses or anindividual consumer, HP’s world of digitally-drivenprint is as close as your keyboard and as versatileas your imagination.

(1) ONS, cited by British Printing Industry Federation (BPIF)Information Services, 2008

(2) Eurostat, cited by BPIF Information Services

Neil Alderson, OperationsDirector of Alderson DigitalPrint, Alderson Brothers,West Molesey, has both HPIndigo digital presses andHP large format printers.“There are not manymachinery manufacturers inthis sector that are a realhousehold name. The name,however, is not somethingthat we invest in: the producthas to do what we want itto. HP’s broad portfolio doeshelp us in not having to goto a range of differentsuppliers for varioustechnologies. It does makelife easier.”

Digitally-driven printing frompostage stamps to building wraps

HP is changing the face of printing

AN ADVERTISING INSERT BY MEDIAPLANET4

Technical changeINNOVATIONS IN PRINTING

Talk to a fairly typical medium sized printer and youget a taste of just how much things have changed:“Ten years ago you would have to make sure thecolours are correct and all that, setting up the colourducts and the air pressures because of the differentweights of paper, etc. The new presses do all that foryou,” explains Paul Cocker, production manager ofZero 21 in Havant.

Now, no one can be absolutely certain how eventsand trends will work out of course, but there’s a feelingthat further change is afoot in what the British PrintingIndustries Federation (BPIF) says is the fifth largestmanufacturing industry in the UK. Change is beingdriven by consumer demand and technical change.Consumer demand is complex though; not only do cus-tomers – both of printers and the printers’ clients – wantmore customised products. There’s also a demand formore environmentally friendly products.

As for technology, without wishing to fall prey to thesin of technological determinism it’s certainly true thattechnical changes are playing a big role in this trans-formation, enabling the printing industry to provideever more sophisticated solutions. For printers, the ef-fect of a more competitive environment for their clients

means that a demand for smaller print runs, more andbetter colours and more customised products.

Technical change such as the development of digitaland inkjet is allowing printers to meet this demand butas the technology gets more complex, so too do the so-lutions. For many printers the experience of workflowsolutions such as JDF is becoming too clunky by halfand as ever change can bring opportunities not justthreats.

That’s certainly been the case for Fuji who have de-veloped a new workflow package called XMF whichaims to re-engineer the whole workflow process andmake the printers’ job easier. The need arises since withall this technical change, printers are now much morelikely to be using a range of different printing equip-ment for different types of job, so a cross-media toollike XMF allows them to work across a range of differ-ent equipment.

As Graham Leeson, marketing manager at Fuji ex-plains, a lot of this change arises from the impact ofinkjet as small printing firms take on wide format workin order not to lose work from customers. Printers work-flow systems therefore have to cope with three or fourdifferent processes in-house and they therefore have a

Innovate and surviveThe pace of change in printing over the past two decadesor so has been absolutely staggering if you stop and thinkabout it. But many in the industry are predicting thatthere is yet more to come, with further changes in theorganisation of printing businesses and continualtechnical development just around the corner with inkjetset to transform opportunities in the industry.

Time to manageA visitor from outer space who last dropped by thisplanet in the dying days of hot metal would nowneed a lengthy update to get up to speed on thetechnical changes made in printing.

As ever technical change has involvedadvantages and disadvantages.

Printers can now produce a higherquality product and increasingly there isless waste and less environmental dam-age.

But there are of course costs. As printhas changed from a craft to a produc-tion process, it’s become a very com-petitive arena. It’s hard for printers tostand out on quality or price.

In this sort of environment, the survivalof many small and medium-sized printingbusinesses depends on driving down costs,adding-value, and finding niche markets.

Arguably that means that quality be-comes a given. It is management skillswhich become the key to success.

And the existence of a knowledgeeconomy in printing means that organi-sations like the British Printing IndustriesFederation (BPIF) and Vision in Print havea key role to play.

Vision in Print for example providesconsultancy services on lean manage-ment and production methods.

Yes; there will be rationalisation andconsolidation. But for those who canadapt the volume of work is not expectedto diminish.

AN ADVERTISING INSERT BY MEDIAPLANET 5

Technical change INNOVATIONS IN PRINTING

need for a workflow package which enables them tomanage those tasks efficiently.

XMF allows a printer to do that by taking data andmanipulating it ready for press, and managing colouringand pagination automatically for output. It also offers ad-vantages in proofing, for a long time a troublesome taskfor printers with short run work. XMF though provides a3-D visualisation of the finished product and allows cus-tomers – and printers – to check pagination and to zoomin for a detailed check on content. That isn’t necessarilyeliminating the need for a hard copy of proofs, but it isanother added value service for printers to offer to cus-tomers. Another feature of XMF is it’s colour manage-ment qualities which allows images to be improved to ahigh standard of consistency. This feature is not intendedto replace sophisticated packages like Photoshop, but forlarge numbers of images which have to be preparedquickly it ensures a minimum quality, again enablingprinters to provide added value.

As Graham Leeson observes, these are far reachingchanges which are having an impact on the nature ofprinting businesses: “Printers are trying to offer moresolutions and become a one-stop shop for customersand we’re the same.” Fuji, originally a consumablesmanufacturer, now finds itself easing into a broaderrole as a solutions provider.

But the opportunities for innovation are not just insoftware. Santi Morera, Vice President and GeneralManager for Large Format Printing at Hewlett-PackardCompany Ltd, says that the shift from analogue to dig-ital offers a huge and complex range of opportunitiesand needs for new products. One area in particular

where Hewlett-Packard are keen to respond, says Mor-era, is in the demand for large format products whichare more environmentally friendly.

To this end, Hewlett-Packard Company Ltd is going tobe using this year’s drupa as a launch pad for a new largeformat printer that utilises latex ink.

Nancy Janes, large format manager for the UK and Ire-land, explains that latex ink, despite the name, is waterbased, non-allergenic and odourless, and its cost shouldmake it competitive with solvent based inks. The newink is also being packaged in cardboard cartridges, mak-ing it easy to dispose of.

Janes says that the changes in large format print offerthe prospect of tremendously exciting new applications,providing huge opportunities for point of sales signage,banners and backlit signage. The speed and variabilityof digital inkjet just makes for many more opportunitiesfor printers, as retailers compete to get that edge in at-tracting customers and work harder to take advantage ofand respond to every change in the retail environment;even down to the weather.

But digital technology isn’t just something cool andtrendy and likely to generate more business. As Janes ar-gues, in a time of increased economic uncertainty, wherea budget can be cut at the first sign of trouble, digitaltechnology is more than that; it’s an incredibly powerfulsurvival tool.

In such an uncertain economic climate, printers’ cus-tomers will only order precisely what they need, on de-mand. “If people can understand the benefits of digitalprinting, it can be a wonderful technology,” says Janes.Who can argue with that?

The print industryolympic marathon

Like the Olympics Drupa comes aroundevery four years and old hands will tellyou that it is a bit like an athletic event;a marathon in fact.

Given there will be 1900 exhibitorsand 174,000 square metres of floorspace and 400,000 other visitors alljostling for attention, that seems like anappropriate metaphor.

And to make the best of your trip it’sprobably a good idea to take somecomfortable shoes, a map and a list ofappointments.

This year’s Drupa is being dubbed the‘Inkjet Drupa’ by some, due to the hugeleap forward made by inkjet technology.That’s part of a trend which is clearly re-flected in the 10,000 square metres ofextra floor space given over to inkjet anddigital solutions.

But not everyone is so enamouredwith inkjet, and some can be heard mut-tering that this will be the more like the‘Survival Drupa’.

One thing’s certain; if you want tocompete, get to Dusseldorf.

Today in Dusseldorf thousands of print industryworkers are frantically putting last minute touchesto display stands at the massive Trade Fair Centre inDusseldorf, in preparation for the start of this year’sDrupa, which starts tomorrow.

AN ADVERTISING INSERT BY MEDIAPLANET6

EnvironmentINNOVATIONS IN PRINTING

Spurred on by the demands of cus-tomers to use high quality productsproduced in an environmentallyfriendly and sustainable way, printingfirms are keen both to do and to beseen to be doing the right thing.

Tony Porter, group marketing direc-tor at James McNaughton says,“Whether it’s Footsie companies or re-tailers, most big corporations are con-sidering their entire environmentalfootprint”. And Porter says that theprinting industry is no different; thereis a huge interest in sourcing andusing green materials in the industry.

Indeed says Tony Porter, so keen areprinters to meet the demands of na-tional and international standards thatMcNaughton now runs weekly work-shops and seminars to guide customersthrough the process of meeting stan-dards such as ISO14001, as well as toexplain the significance of, and differ-ence between, bodies such as the FSC(Forestry Stewardship Council) and thePEFC (Programme for the Endorse-ment of Forest Certification).

But as Liam Gardner, environmentadviser to the BPIF (British Printing In-dustries Federation) points out, be-coming a ‘green printer’ is a complexprocess and there are many differentaspects to research and many ways forcompanies to set about the process.There is a wealth of initiatives, stan-dards schemes and organisations, alloffering help and advice in getting togrips with issues such as carbon off-setting, calculating carbon footprintand so on.

It is this complexity which is one ofthe reasons why the BPIF has pro-duced a voluntary standard, ratherthan trying to force the issue; not thatprinters appear to be slow in stepping

Printing goesgreenFor a long time it has been seen as a dirty, energyand resource-intensive industry but now printingis cleaning up its act.

up to the plate. Tony Porter says thatwhile undoubtedly many printers arekeen to meet international standardssimply because big customers requireit, many printers are going green be-cause they genuinely want to do; afterall, printers have to live on the planettoo.

Porter hesitates to put a figure onhow many printers fall into this self-motivated group, but he thinks it’s arespectable proportion.

McNaughton, one of the largest sup-pliers of paper and substrate to the in-dustry, is a case in point.

“We felt we would be slightly onedimensional if all we did was supply

environmentally friendly products. Wetook a decision that in order for us tobe believable we should really dosomething about our own activities,”says Porter.

That decision led to a host of changesfor McNaughton. It took the companyfive months to make a full audit andcalculate their carbon footprint. But thereward has been a reduction of CO2emissions by an impressive 42 per cent.Changes have involved a whole rangeof initiatives from recycling in the firm’soffices and properties, switching frompetrol to diesel fuel for company vehi-cles, and using electric lorries for deliv-eries, to installing a wind turbine at thegroup’s Leicester site.

And if you’re thinking that all soundslike a lot of expense, think again. Notonly have McNaughton raised their pro-file by winning awards from the LordMayor’s Extra Mile programme and theEnergy Savings Trust, they’ve also savedthemselves over a quarter of a millionpounds. A good portion of that will be arecurrent saving too, so being greenneedn’t cost the earth.

Liam Gardner of the BPIF further ex-plains that by making efforts to gogreen, printers can avoid some of the

costs incurred by the Climate ChangeLevy, introduced in 2001, which is anenergy tax adding around 15 per centto business energy bills for gas and elec-tricity. More energy efficient presses,solvent recovery and rain water har-vesting; all offer effective means of re-ducing carbon footprint and makingsavings.

Technology also has a role to play inall this and it seems entirely reasonableto describe equipment such as Fuji’sPRO-T CTP device as a breakthrough.The Fuji processless printing plate (thePRO-T) means that printers can nowimage the plate without using eitherchemistry or water. “It’s a very simpleand easy to understand way in which aprinter can act in an environmentallyfriendly way,” says Graham Leeson,marketing manager at Fuji.

Leeson’s impression of the industry isthat most printers are keen to do whatthey can to reduce their environmentalimpact, but there are some who areahead of the game.

One contender to be placed in that cat-egory would be Advance Digital Print,a medium sized printer based in Lon-don. Sales manager Robert Grundy putsthe firm’s recent success down to theirdecision to go green. It all started whenAdvance bought an Océ CPS 900 andrealised that the environmental creden-tials of the printer would make a goodmarketing tool for the whole business.Now Advance supply customers withreusable memory sticks to send in work,rather than CDs and environmentallyfriendly electric vans deliver the finishedproduct.

The electric vans act as a highly visi-ble form of advertising and attract a lotof business. The electric van was aroundtwice the cost of a petrol driven vehicle.But turnover has leapt up over the pastyear. Robert Grundy says he’ll stick hisneck out and say that going green hasbeen worth about a 20 per cent increasein business.

That’s some incentive to clean upyour act.

“Thecompany saved

£250,000 byinstalling a

wind turbine,switching to

electric trucksfor deliveriesand recyclingmaterial fromthe offices ”

AN ADVERTISING INSERT BY MEDIAPLANET 7

“Regardless of the

route printers choose

to take, we have the

expertise, experience

and innovation to make

their businesses

a success.”

The world’s first digital camera with removable media, the first digitised X-ray images and the first domestical-ly-manufactured computer in Japan. All major technological milestones and all attributable to one company: Fujifilm.

Often referred to as the ‘green giant’, Fujifilm is a globally recognised consumer brand, mostly due to its pho-tographic heritage. But, scratch beneath the surface and you find a depth to the company that is both surprising and intriguing. Formed in 1934, Fujifilm’s 74 year history has seen the company pioneer developments in areas as diverse as photocopiers, printing plates, digital cameras, LCD displays, X-ray imaging and life sciences.

Investment and innovation are at the heart of Fujifilm’s overarching strategy, with an annual R&D spend of over 1billion recently boosted by the addition of a new Advanced Research Labora-tory in Tokyo. This facility is being used to spearhead pioneering new research, cross-fertilising ideas and expertise from all areas of the company. One of the key market sectors targeted for increased investment that will benefit directly from this research is Graphic Arts and in particular, printing.

The Japanese green giant awakesRegardless of the future direction of the print industry, Fujifilm is sure it’s prepared for all eventualities. Mediaplanet takes an in-depth look at the past, present and future of one of the key players in the global print industry.

But as a key player in the traditional offset litho print arena, Fujifilm’s invest-ment in the Graphic Arts sector has not been limited to research. Fujifilm’s five printing plate manufacturing plants around the world represent another 1billion investment by the company. Add

to this the recently announced 96 mil-lion plans for a new plate line at Tilburg in the Netherlands and you can see that Fujifilm’s definitely prepared to put its money where its mouth is.

And it seems the company’s growth plans are not limited to traditional print technologies. Fujifilm has close ties with Xerox Corporation through its Fuji Xerox operation and, as part of a wider

route printers choose to take, we have the expertise, experience and innovation to make their businesses a success.”

And, it seems that Fujifilm is in a stronger position than most. As Keith continues: “We are well on track in our Vision75 management plan and our recent financial results saw our global Graphic Arts business increase by 7 per

global agreement, Fujifilm is now selling Xerox digital presses to its traditional commercial print customers outside the Asia-Pacific region. With the combined power of these digital print technologies and Fujifilm’s colour expertise, it will be interesting to see how the market reacts.

Of more interest is the world of inkjet, where the battles of the future will be fought. Not a company to rest on its lau-rels, Fujifilm’s investment strategy over the last three years has seen it acquire some of the world’s leading companies (specialising in inkjet inks, pigments, dyes and industrial print-heads) in this fast-developing area. This is where the Advanced Research Laboratory is com-ing into its own, combining these new technologies to create the industrial inkjet printing systems of the future.

Keith Dalton, Graphic Systems direc-tor at Fujifilm UK, says: “Fujifilm’s strategy of broadening its offering to the industry is constantly being reinforced. The turning point for our customers is no longer in the future, it’s very much here and now. Printers must decide whether to stick solely with traditional print technologies, or to expand into the digital print arena too. Regardless of the

cent, to £1.52 billion in 2008. Innova-tion requires investment and we have established a strong platform for the future.”

With the world’s largest printing exhibition (drupa 2008) set to start in Dusseldorf tomorrow, it will be interest-ing to see whether the Japanese green giant has well and truly awoken.

PRINTING Looking to the future

Fujifilm’s brand new Advanced Research Laboratory in Tokyo

FUJIFILMGroup statistics

Revenue Operatingincome

R&Dexpenditure

No of employees

2008 figures (billion Euros)

17.5 1.27 1.15 78,321

% change compared to 2007

+2.3% +83.4% +5.9% +2.5%

A world-first, the CarbonPositivePlus+ programme from Océand Shining Earth™ for the printing industry, has created abig step forward in environmental benefits awareness forOcé’s customers.

The two companies, who joined forces in a long-term strategicalliance eight months ago, launched a series of eco initiativesthat are boosting the green credentials for commercial printersthroughout Britain.

The groundbreaking CarbonPositivePlus+ initiative involvesbenchmarking the Océ VarioPrint 6000 series printing systems’energy consumption and operational CO2 emissions. Customersinvesting in the Océ VarioPrint 6000 series get a printing systemthat is proven to have lower energy needs than its nearestcompetitors’ equivalent.

In addition, thanks to Océ’s partnership with Shining Earth™, theOcé VarioPrint 6000 series is operationally better than carbon neutral.Under the unique offering, Océ has committed to offsetting 200% ofthe CO2 generated from the operation of each of its Océ VarioPrint6000 machines sold until at least November 2008.

Shining Earth™, part of Lincoln-based Delta-SimonsEnvironmental Consultants Limited, has been working with Océon a wide range of environmental stewardship issues, includingCarbonPositivePlus+, since summer 2007, and has other highprofile customers in the public and private sectors globally.

Shining Earth™ has also helped Océ assess its own energyconsumption, water use, waste production and other areas ofcorporate environmental performance and has identifiedsignificant opportunities to improve environmental performanceand deliver additional profits to the business. It is now workingwith Océ to implement the savings and become a moresustainable business.

Under the CarbonPositivePlus+ scheme, Océ will providecarbon offsetting for every customer who purchases or leases oneof the Océ VarioPrint 6000 family of systems for a minimum of12 months. There is also the opportunity for customers to benefit

from an environmental stewardship appraisal. Paid for by Océ,this is carried out by Shining Earth™ at customers’ premises, andspecifically aims to help identify how customers can improvetheir environmental performance, and make potentiallysignificant cost savings.

Since the CarbonPositivePlus+ programme began in October,on average Shining Earth™ has identified potential annual savingsper customer of 33 tonnes of CO2, more than 500 cubic metresof water and an average of £7,000 on energy bills. Put intocontext, that’s enough CO2 to fill 160 double-decker buses, 2,000bathtubs of water and enough energy to run ten 100 watt lightbulbs for 23 years for each customer.

Other ‘green’ credentials from Océ include further recognitionthrough its selection as a Climate Action industry partner. ClimateAction is produced in partnership with Sustainable DevelopmentInternational and the United Nations Environment Programme(UNEP). A ‘Climate Leaders’ video interview with Rokus vanIperen, CEO of Océ Group, will be broadcast onwww.climateactionprogramme.org in support of the UN’s WorldEnvironment Day on 5 June, 2008.

But before that, visitors to drupa starting tomorrow inDüsseldorf, Germany, will discover that the CarbonPositivePlus+scheme involves international ‘eco-friendly’ schemes, subject tostringent, independent verification. Under the scheme,greenhouse gases will be reduced before they are even emitted.

The CO2 emissions calculated under the scheme will be offsetin three initial schemes:-

• Renewable energy in China• Methane capture in Germany• Tree planting and habitat creation in the Lincolnshire

Limewoods Gareth Pickles, managing director at Delta-Simons, said:

“Together with Océ, we’ve gone far beyond the ordinary andobtained detailed measurements of energy consumption from theOcé VarioPrint 6000 machines over many functions and selectedoffset schemes that we think provide a good balance of

environmental benefit. The consumer is increasingly looking forbusiness as well as governments to lead by example.

“Traditionally the print industry hasn’t had a great reputationfor environmental stewardship, but with this scheme, ShiningEarth™ and Océ are certainly leading the way and we hope othermanufacturers follow our example. Collectively we really couldmake a significant and tangible difference.”

Ed Hudson, marketing manager for Océ UK Ltd’s DocumentPrinting Business, said: “The initial results from the scheme have beenoverwhelmingly positive.

“Océ has always taken astance that when it develops itstechnology, the environment isalways taken into account –the class-leading energy-efficient Océ VarioPrint 6000is a prime example of this.Buyers in the graphic artsindustry are very aware of thegreen issues and do invest inour technology on the basisthat it is environmentallyfriendly.”

www.eco.oce.comwww.shiningearth.co.uk

OCÉ AND SHINING EARTH™ SHINE LIGHT ON WORLD-FIRST ‘CARBON POSITIVE PLUS’ PROGRAMME Promotional feature

▲ Océ Strategic Alliance

AN ADVERTISING INSERT BY MEDIAPLANET8

Corrugated packagingINNOVATIONS IN PRINTING

It’s a nice illustration of one of thebenefits of working a niche and forsure, packaging solutions are a richand varied field for printers.It is full of technical challenges not

the least of which include printing ona wide range of substrates of varyingshapes and sizes and it’s an areawhich is currently booming, whatwith demand for security labelling,tracking products and new marketing

The complete packageIf it pays to be a niche player then the packaging sector can prove thepoint most clearly. Growth in manufacturing industry has been slowingdown, with knock-on effects on the printing industry. But Tim Oakley,account manager at Smurfit Kappa, argues that growth for printedcorrugated packaging has been growing at a healthy 5 per cent.

practices. It’s also technically de-manding and exciting with new tech-nologies such as RFID coming intoplay as well as continual improve-ment in other materials and equip-ment.

One of the main drivers of the in-crease in printed corrugated packag-ing in the UK has been the demand bybig retailers to drive down costs intheir own supply chain. They want

goods which can go straight onto theshelves with minimum fuss andpreparation and less labour time andthat means more sophisticated pack-aging. It also means more printing isneeded on the packaging; the pack-age is no longer just a humble card-board tray, it also has to become apiece of marketing material. Or, toput it in terms of marketing jargon,the packaging material has to become

a part of what is called ‘the theatre ofthe store’.

OK, laugh at the jargon if you like,but attractive and carefully packagedgoods will sell more than boring plainbrown cardboard, and for the printer,that is a huge business opportunity.Supply chain specialists ECR like totalk about the ‘Five Easies’ of packag-ing. Packages have to be easy to find,easy to open and put on the shelf, easyfor the shopper, easy to throw awayand easy to identify. You might say itis not rocket science, but that’s not thepoint. If you were counting carefully,you’ll have noticed five opportunitiesfor printers on each of the five points.

Smurfit Kappa is known as packagersrather than printers per se, but thatdoesn’t mean they don’t do any print-ing. On the contrary, Smurfit Kappa of-fers a bespoke service and as Tim Oakleypoints out, this is a market that SmurfitKappa has got a great head start in. Butprinters can learn a lot about this nichemarket and others like it by looking at

the way Smurfit Kappa do business. Of course, not all companies will have

the advantages which come from beingpart of a large and profitable group. Butone ingredient of Smurfit Kappa’s suc-cess seems to be the so-called ‘soft’skills. Arguably the focus put on thesemakes the crucial difference.

Oakley explains that the companyalways aims to start from the client’sperspective. In this case that means notdrowning the client under a mass ofchoices about different types of print-ing, but simply finding out about whatsort of product is required and what ithas to do. The fine detail of printingspecifications is something which canbe bracketed, just as when most of usbuy a car, we don’t really need toknow how some part of the engine ismade.

Smurfit Kappa calls this ‘living inthe customer’s world’, but stripped ofthe marketing jargon, it boils down tobeing able to empathise and knowinga lot about the client’s business sector.

Of course, Smurfit Kappa can applyhuge resources to doing all of these ac-tivities. The company has a range oftools including a database called ‘In-nobook’ which catalogues all theirmost successful designs, runs specialworkshops and offers a service calledPrintvision which acts a bit like a printconsultancy for clients.

Can small and medium sized print-ers learn from this? Yes; SmurfitKappa shows the importance of look-ing at things from the customer’spoint of view, putting time and re-source into customer services andfinding a niche.

And where’s the harm in thinkingbig?

“Easy to find,easy to open,easy to stack,easy for the

shopper and easyto throw away.

The five easies ofpackaging”

AN ADVERTISING INSERT BY MEDIAPLANET 9

The market-leading nature of Smurfit Kappa’s printcapability was recognised when the company scoopeda major medal haul at this year’s prestigious EFTA (Eu-ropean Flexographic Technical Association) printawards, including the Best in Show award.

The company won a total of ten awards, including fivegolds, and the judge’s top award for the ‘biOrb’ – a stylishhome aquarium, manufactured by Reef One.The awards, held at the Royal Armouries in Leeds,recognise the highest achievements in flexographic

printing throughout the UK and across Europe.Smurfit Kappa UK’s medal tally featured gold awards from several well-known drinks brands, includingCutty Sark blended scotch whisky (Post Print category); Irish drinks brand The Knot (Coated Screencategory); Chivas Regal blended scotch whisky (Coated Process category) and William Lawson’s scotch

whisky (for the Uncoated Screen category). The company also carried off awards for the Lloyd Grossmanfood brand, and for Cross and Blackwell’s Branston Relish. Smurfit Kappa dominated the Overseas PrintAwards category too – taking no less than three awards. Adrian Bird, sales & marketing director fromSmurfit Kappa UK said: “It’s very gratifying to have our work acknowledged by EFTA. We work extremelyhard with brand owners to come up with print solutions that are innovative, functional and have greatstand-out appeal. “The judging process for the EFTA awards is particularly rigorous, examining everythingfrom technical excellence and production methods to environmental issues. Winning these awards reallyunderlines our expertise in the printing sector.”Bernard Catterall, chairman of EFTA UK said: “There is little doubt that producing to the standard to winone of these awards requires skill and a lot of technical know-how. An EFTA award is the benchmark inflexographic printing.”

Promotional feature INNOVATIONS IN PRINTING

▲ Tim Oakley

Many brand owners have yet to re-alise the potential power of print onsecondary packaging to help shifttheir products off the shelf says TimOakley, national account manager forSmurfit Kappa UK, one of the coun-try's leading manufacturers of corru-gated packaging, which providespaper-based packaging in every con-ceivable size, shape, finish andstrength.

With over 35 years’ experience inthe industry Oakley has seen corru-gated packaging print develop frombasic ‘logos on a box’ to becoming anintegral part of the package, largely inresponse to changing retailer expecta-tions and consumer demands.

In recent years the growth of RetailReady Packaging (RRP), merchandis-ing units and more innovative point-of-sale have created greater pressurefor brand owners to ensure that all as-pects of their pack have got real shelf-standout.

“With stiff competition for every inchof shelf space, ensuring that your packreally appeals to consumers can be thedifference between success and failureand print is a key tool in achievingstandout,” said Oakley. “The quality ofthe print is vital in ensuring the second-ary packaging and display materialwork in harmony with the primarypacks to improve total brand communi-cation. Rather than worrying about howthe ink gets from the bucket onto thepaper, brand owners need to treat printas an integral part of the whole packag-ing design process.”

Oakley added: “Print plays an inte-gral role in representing a brand’simage and can be the making orbreaking of an innovative design. Highquality print is essential to catch theeye of the consumer to ensure pur-chase. Packaging acts as a billboard, tocommunicate brand messages and sellthe product. It is a vital part of themarketing mix.”

That said it is also a minefield ofchoice when it comes to selecting theright process for your requirements.Smurfit Kappa offers a comprehensiverange of print processes for use withcorrugated and solid board includingflexo post print, preprint, screen, lithoand digital print.

The company’s national team of printexperts works with clients to ensure theright decisions are made. Smurfit Kappahas created Printvision™, a partnershipprocess that ensures customers select theright combination of print process andsubstrate to create innovative and strik-ing designs. Smurfit Kappa’s expertswork from the top down, determiningyour marketing objectives and under-standing your market before moving onto look at pack design. The pack designprocess will utilise Smurfit Kappa’s pro-prietary design tools Innobook and Mer-chandising Wizard. Drawing on theexpertise of 350 Smurfit Kappa packag-ing designers in 31 countries, Innobookuses the imagination of all design de-partments within the Smurfit Kappagroup to show the newest and most in-novative packaging designs and practi-cal RRP units available.

Innobook is constantly evolving: itcontains images of thousands of packsand is constantly updated with newdesigns. It shows brand owners themost creative and practical RRP op-tions for their products so that theright brief can be agreed quickly.

Smurfit Kappa has also created Mer-chandising Wizard, a tool which sim-plifies specifying merchandising unitsby helping customers choose the right

components for each unit. The Mer-chandising Wizard leads to units thatprotect products and present them inan attractive way that is compatiblewith the majority of systems used bythe major retailers without adding un-necessary cost.

Increasingly, retailers are asking forproducts to be supplied in merchan-dising units because they help to drivesales of high volume, fast-selling prod-ucts by maximising the availability ofstock at all times by speeding up thelogistic throughput from back of storeto front of store.

Once the design has been approvedthe Smurfit Kappa team will then de-termine which substrate offers the bestsolution and which print process willwork in conjunction to create differ-entiation through shape, format,graphics and print quality.

A good example of a business thathas benefited from the Printvision ap-

proach is the Black Sheep Brewery.Working in partnership with the

North Yorkshire brewery, Smurfit Kappacreated a distinctive RRP solution whichwas heralded by both ASDA-Wal-Martand Tesco as ‘Best in Class' and an ex-ample of what premium ale suppliersshould be aiming to achieve to meet theexacting standards of major retailers.This collaboration demonstrates how thePrintvision approach can enable brandowners to turn retailers’ changing pack-aging demands to their advantage.

Tim Oakley added: “Examples likethese demonstrate just what can beachieved when all aspects of the de-sign and print process are given equalconsideration and importance.

“I believe there’s a mistaken beliefby some brand owners that you mustbe able to see the label on the primarypack inside the outer pack. For manyconsumers it’s now the secondarypackaging that represents the brand onthe supermarket shelf and it’s the sec-ondary pack that has the ability to at-tract the shopper from the end of theaisle, especially if the print quality al-lows the pack to standout.”

Oakley concludes: “As secondarypack formats become more innovativeand competition for shelf space getsever more competitive the importanceof getting the pack and print combi-nation right will increase and becomea key factor that will help determinesuccess. Brands that recognise thepower of print will be the winners.”

Realise the power ofprint in packagingWith 75 per cent of all purchasing decisionsmade in store, influencing sales at the point ofpurchase is fundamental to the success or failureof a product.

“Brands thatrecognise thepower of print

will be thewinners”

GOLD RUSH FOR SMURFIT KAPPA AT EFTA PRINT AWARDS

Contact Smurfit Kappa on 0870 850 3877oremail enquiries@smurfitkappa.co.ukor visit www.smurfitkappa.co.uk

AN ADVERTISING INSERT BY MEDIAPLANET10

InkjetsINNOVATIONS IN PRINTING

There are many who think it is andfor those who want some evidence,advocates can simply point to thenumber of Drupa displays given overto inkjet and digital this year. Andthere is certainly no shortage of thosein the industry who will step forwardto say a word or two for inkjet.“From vehicle wraps to buildingwraps, to outdoor signage, backlitsignage, indoor signage, to textileprinting – inkjet covers everything.It’s a huge, huge, business.” That’sTom Reilly, vice-president of market-ing for Gandinnovations, but moreabout them in a moment.

So what’s so good about inkjet? Es-sentially it’s giving printers the oppor-tunity to reduce costs and customise,so short print runs of high quality aregoing to become economically viableand indeed, profitable. In contrast toclunky analogue devices, computercontrol means that images can bechanged quickly and easily and con-tinually adapted. It will no longer benecessary for printers to keep a vastinventory of rollers and screens re-quired by the traditional methods.Change over time will be reduced,there will be less cleaning. It is also

Inkjet comesof age at lastInkjet is not exactly new and its success in thehome market is now well established; but is it atlast coming of age in the commercial markets?

much easier to work on differentscales, so for especially large objects –point of sale material for example,inkjet, because its a non-contactmethod, is easier to apply to largersubstrates with relative ease.

Demand for printing equipment thathas these advantages is being drivenby the trend for personalised prod-ucts, niche marketing and mass cus-tomisation. These aren’t newphenomena, but manufacturers andretailers want to be able to customiseand consumers aren’t so keen on massproducts, so the demand for cus-tomised printing in a whole range ofgoods has not gone away. Inkjetprinting is making it easier for print-ers to supply that demand.

Tom Reilly at Gandinnovations iswell placed to observe these trends.Gandinnovations make what Reillysays are the Ferraris of the inkjet print-ing world. All of their machines arehand built but the high quality finishdoes not come at the cost of speed;somewhat surprisingly perhaps,Gandinnovations can turn out a newmachine from conception to comple-tion in only eight or nine months.

From his perspective, Reilly saysthat customers like the ease of usewhich inkjet on a flatbed printer forexample gives them; they can get afinished product much more quicklythan with screen printing and for workin point of sales display being able toprint directly onto substrate of any sizeis just a great advantage. It must becatching on says Reilly, as the com-pany’s business has more than doubled

in the last year.Tom Reilly also makes the point that

one of the great features of Gandinno-vation’s printers is the ease with whichthey can be used. But of course, whatthis means is that the old craft skill ofthe printer has been superseded by thescientific and technical skill of themanufacturers. This is evident in thecase of Gandinnovation, but it’s alsothe reason why solutions integratorslike Letchworth-based Xennia cangain a strong hold in the inkjet market.

Xennia has come a long way since itstarted over a decade ago focussing onindustrial applications for inkjet. If theindustrial inkjet market takes off –which seems likely – Xennia is set to be-come a very big player. As an inte-grated solutions provider working withOEMs and major end-users to createnew inkjet applications, the companyputs great emphasis on the ink chem-istry, taking the view that new inks arekey to unlock the full potential of inkjet.So as well as a strong team of inkjet en-gineers and integrators, the companyemploys around a dozen chemistryPhDs and chief operating officer, NickBalon, says that Xennia must be theonly company in the world which canprovide a full application solution withall the capabilities in-house.

Xennia provides bespoke solutionsfor a wide range of applications and in-

dustries, including ceramic tile decora-tion, textiles, packaging and printedelectronics. Increasingly, the latest printhead technology and better inks aremaking inkjet faster, more reliable andversatile, allowing it to compete againstestablished printing technologies. NickBalon argues that inkjet is on the brinkof becoming a mainstream technologyin many industries and that this trendwill accelerate as take-up increases andcosts fall. Balon says that Xennia’s lat-est generation of industrial printers andinks are setting new standards for inkjetspeed and reliability and that this nextyear will see the beginnings of massadoption.

The influence of inkjet is expected tospread far and wide. Peter Vincent, headof technical services at the BPIF saysthat we are now getting some big inkjetcolour machines that are really startingto take off. “Inkjet is beginning to putpressure on the more mainstream mar-kets, low run offset and high run digitaltoner printing. Companies are creatinghybrid presses, combining two tech-nologies into one press,” says Vincent.That’s a shift which could change busi-ness dynamics as conventional printersbecome able to offer a more challengingvariety of products and services.

One thing is for certain; those with afirm foothold in inkjet are off to a flyingstart if the tide really is on the turn.

“Manufacturersand retailers want

to be able tocustomise theirproducts andinkjet printing

makes it easier forprinting

companies tomeet the

demand”

manage it. archive it. send it. validate it. store it. create it. distribute it. arrange it. protect it. preview it. compile it. streamline it.enhance it. locate it. utilise it. save it. track it.secure it. convert it. view it. adstream it. Print Media Validation & Delivery Solutions

With deadlines and profit margins being squeezed, publishers and printers need streamlined ways

of handling incoming print material from clients more quickly. Adstream’s digital delivery ensures

publishers and printers can interact seamlessly with their clients to receive material.

Adstream makes sure each piece of artwork is created to your exact specifications and arrives

online for publishing or printing already colour managed and validated, so there are no surprises.

No matter where the material is coming from, across town or across the world, you can track where

it is and when it arrives. Adstream delivers the material instructions plus a perfect digital file for

instant printing. Maximise your operational efficiency with Adstream and reduce production

deadline problems and your costs.

Adstream can be found at Drupa, Hall 7, The Innovation Hall, booth B06.

For more information about Adstream’s cross-media management platform call 020 7539 8400 or visit www.adstream.com

n

Sustainability is the future for print

FUJIFILM is investing heavily to help realise this vision through a range of sustainable products, services and education programmes. To us, green is not just a colour, it’s a philosophy.

See us at drupa: hall 8b, stand A25. www.fujifilmdrupa2008.com

DIGITAL POWER AT YOUR CONTROL

A revolutionary new technology launched byglobal digital printing pioneer Océ is set totransform the wide format printing industryin a ‘wave of innovation’.

The new colour technology, called OcéCrystalPoint™, combines the best of toner andinkjet printing and has its first public showingat Océ’s stand in Hall 6 at drupa in Düsseldorf,Germany, from tomorrow.

Océ has invested €150 million over the last 13years in this innovative and exciting newprinting technology that is entirely developedfrom its own R&D team, drawing on years ofexperience in digital printing. Océ CrystalPointtechnology has more than 100 patents and willform the backbone of a new generation ofcolour printers. The first product based on thisexciting technology is the Océ ColorWave™ 600.

The real difference with Océ CrystalPointtechnology is that it’s based on colour tonerrather than ink. The process works on a solid in,

solid out basis, converting solid spheres of tonerinto a gel that is jetted and crystallised ontoplain paper. Prints dry immediately so they canbe used straight away and unlike oldertraditional inkjet systems, it offers a waterresistant finish.

Prospective buyers now have a real alternative toinkjet for colour printing – and are alreadyexpressing ‘huge interest’ in this technology thatredefines the way both Computer Aided Design(CAD) and poster printing will be done in thefuture.

With the Océ ColorWave 600, printing can bedone on lower cost plain paper and evenrecycled paper, whereas most existing colourwide format products require specially coatedinkjet paper to ensure high quality results. Theprint speed of the Océ ColorWave 600 is alsoimpressive - an A0 sheet (one square metre) iscompleted in 30 seconds. This is at least twice asfast as conventional CAD inkjet systems and upto 10 times quicker than some poster printers.

Designed with sustainability in mind, the systemoffers significant environmental benefits. Thesolid Océ TonerPearls™ used in tonergel jetting,release no fine powder, odour or ozone, makingCrystalPoint technology extremely low in termsof emissions. Furthermore, because it prints aneven semi-gloss finish on uncoated paper, thetechnology reduces the use of paper coatingsthat impact the environment.

Océ’s world-leading environmental credentialshave been further acknowledged throughselection as a Climate Action industry partner.Climate Action is produced in partnership withSustainable Development International (SDI) andthe United Nations Environment Programme(UNEP). A ‘Climate Leaders’ video interview withRokus van Iperen, CEO of Océ Group, will bebroadcast on www.climateactionprogramme.orgin support of the UN’s World Environment Dayon 5 June, 2008.

The architectural, engineering and construction(AEC) market is one target group for what is afundamentally new technology that will bedeveloped for other printing system platforms.These will include heavy users of colour in CADand other high quality applications, such aspoint of sale, reprographics and businessgraphics markets.

Bron Curley, managing director of Océ UK, said:“Océ CrystalPoint technology represents a majormilestone for our company in a market segment

we have led since the 1920s. Customer trials andearly viewings of the Océ ColorWave 600 havebuilt huge interest within the AEC andcommercial print sectors so if you are visitingdrupa this year, make sure you visit the Océstand so you can judge for yourself.”

Exploiting these new market opportunities willfurther expand Océ’s share of the wide formatcolour market. In first-quarter results in 2008,Océ generated 31% of its wide format sales fromthe colour market, compared to 25% for thecorresponding period the previous year. Themarket value for these printing systems withinwide format printing is estimated at more than£2.25billion.

Océ CrystalPoint technology is the future – thisis the genesis of colour wide format printing!

More details: www.oce.com/uk or email tellmemore@oce.com

Promotional feature

OCÉ BRINGS A NEW BEGINNING FOR COLOUR WIDE FORMAT PRINTING! Promotional feature