It’s another shining line-up across the pond, as the New Zealand printing industry celebrates its own night of nights, at this year’s Pride in Print awards. The tentpole event showcased the very best of NZ print, with supreme award going to the team at GTO Printers in a landslide win.

Tough prices, decreased activity from customers and the difficulty in maintaining product differentiation all contributed to a dismal financial performance for wide-format supplier Anitech. The result helped to tip the half yearly result of 50% owner, HGL, into a statutory loss of $2.4 million.

Trade print specialist CMYKhub picks up another Ryobi 920 eight-colour LED-UV perfector, its second in just under a year. The new press supes up the trade network’s Queensland manufacturing plant, more than doubling its capacity to deliver on tighter-than-ever deadlines.

Theo Patteras launches ‘My Little Photobook’ to drive printing from wherever people are capturing images. Designed to allow full-size photo books of over 20 photos to be assembled on the go, the App is a significant development for the Surry Hills digital printer.

There was a 1970s film titled: “Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came?” It was a pretty awful effort and lost over $4 million at the box office. But, “Suppose They Gave a Trade Show and Nobody Came?” Andy McCourt casts a critical eye over declining trade show attendance.

Alan Dove just couldn’t stay away, as the recently retired consumables expert backs up the industry and buys back into print. Alan and wife Karen step out of retirement to take over Sydney’s Mal Graphics, and they have their sights set on a bright future for the industry.

The future of the NPA rests with a report by Steven Anstice, former CEO of IPMG, submitted to Printing Industries, following expressions of discontent from many of the sponsors. The 31st Awards in Sydney will be the last time the industry gets to celebrate the best in print in the current format.

Epson officially launches its revolutionary PrecisionCore inkjet heads into the Australian market. Consumer and business printers are first out the gate showcasing the next generation, scalable thin film piezo technology, with production devices dropping locally later this year.

The wide-format show in Munich is reinforcing the interest printers have in comparing new models from the leading providers. Nessan Cleary, Print21 European correspondent, sent this update from the show. Check out the June issue of Print21 magazine for a full report.

A historic gathering of the top echelon of catalogue and magazine printing executives toured the newly converted paper machine at Norske Skog's Boyer Mill in Tasmania.

Founder and CEO of leading industry recruitment company Stockdale Personnel moves on after 14 years. Tom Stockdale will step down at the end of June after confidently handing operations over to ten-year company stalwart, Sean Cathie.

Next up on the webinar slate is a hands-on, hour-long primer in app design from the Adobe brainstrust. This look at digital publishing is followed two weeks later by how-to guide for getting that vital finance application across the line.

The industry training initiative Future Print is picking up steam and results are blowing away expectations. Over 85 business are now signed up for the program and more than 131 new trainees are ready to start, with roughly a quarter brand new to the printing industry.

James Cryer had a busy week last week between LIA-Heidelberg graduates awards and a 3D printing seminar. Struck by the range and diversity in the industry, he asks are we really doing our best to recognise our young talent? And are we capable of making the changes needed?