Innovative trade garment print business Vicon Transfers, which produces fine heat transfers on its self developed print system, has moved into new premises, doubling the size of its factory, as an increasing number of print businesses take up its services.

Rising sales of its offset presses to Chinese printers in July–September enabled press giant Heidelberg to recover from a first quarter slump, although it still recorded a half yearly sales total of 28 per cent lower than the same period last year.

Print giant Ovato is closing its main Victoria print plant at Clayton, with the loss of 300 jobs. It is also raising an additional $40m in cash through a rights issue, and it is asking suppliers to take a 50 per cent haircut on their outstanding invoices.

Queensland print group Greenridge is buying POS, digital and offset outfit Ultra Print, as it follows its growth through acquisition strategy, which has seen it buy several print businesses in recent years.

The reality of the Covid crisis on print hit home this afternoon as industry giant Ovato decided to close its Clayton print plant, with the loss of 300 jobs, a quarter of its workforce, in order it said, to safeguard the future of the company.

The Real Media Collective has released 2020 data showing the highest catalogue readership remains firmly in print, despite lockdown halting the channel being delivered to letterboxes during Covid-19.

Revolution bought one of the first Konica Minolta AccurioJet KM-1 B2 sheetfed inkjet printers in the country, and among other applications is using it to create a new market in short run luxury printing, with the embellishment on its MGI-3DS digital system.

The mighty Goss web offset press line is now history, with manroland Goss Web Systems completing the integration of Goss into manroland, meaning there will be no more M600 and Sunday presses.

Henryk Kraszewski at Ricoh says the continuous feed Ricoh Pro VC70000 inkjet web is designed to work in the commercial print field, saying it has the capability to produce much of the work that is currently on offset presses.

Canon Australia has launched the imagePress C10010VP series, comprising two new digital colour press printer models, which it says are designed to drive versatility, high-quality imaging, and productivity for high-volume print.

128950489 Pty Ltd (formerly known as Express Print & Mail Pty Ltd) owner Matthew Chadwick sold the business, assets, and brand to a new company owned by his mother Wendy Chadwick for $177,000, a month before putting the company that owned the business into liquidation.

Digital textile printing solutions developer Kornit Digital has hired former Daimler executive Ilan Elad as incoming president of the company’s Asia-Pacific (KDAP) division, succeeding Andy Yarrow.

IVE Group and Australian Community Media (ACM) have entered into a five-year $100m contract for IVE to print and distribute publications currently published and managed by ACM. IVE will also acquire ACM's Mandurah print plant, giving it its first print site in WA.

Australia's biggest apparel direct-to-garment printer QTCo is having a stellar year, and has installed two more Kornit DTG printers to join its fleet of four existing models.

Innovative finishing equipment developer Horizon – supplied in ANZ by Currie Group – is opening its new 10,000sqm Innovation Park with a virtual Smart Factory exhibition, beginning next week.

Sydney general commercial printer Arrow Print installed a new fully-optioned HP Indigo 7900 just before Covid hit and is now reaping the rewards of its metallic printing ability.