All nine members of the new incoming PIAA board are running print businesses, the first time that has been the case for several years. With the exception of president Walter Kuhn the entire board - which starts in January - is new, with the industry anticipating it will bring more fresh ideas and impetus to print's peak association, which comprises almost 500 of the country's leading print businesses.

The world's first digital B1 inkjet sheetfed press, the Heidelberg Primefire 106, is now in series production, with 25 packaging printers around the world already in the queue to receive one, and more orders soon to be signed.

Well known Australian print industry innovator and former Shannon Books, RoyleBind and Purple Press owner Cliff Royle has tragically passed away.

This week Patrick Howard is attending the XMPie Innovation Event in Palm Cove, Queesland. Here is an edited version of his scheduled presentation to the 70 industry professionals who were there.

Registrations are open for EFI's 20th-anniversary Connect conference, to be held at the Wynn Las Vegas from January 22 to 25, 2019. The conference will feature more than 200 sessions on MIS/ERP, web-to-print, Fiery and inkjet solutions.

Epson's booth at Visual Impact 2018 was laid out exactly like a typical print shop, and split into three zones: fabric, POS and signage. All print solutions on display were using Epson's proprietary Precision Core print technology, including the SureColor F2160 direct-to-garment printer.

Melbourne-based print-on-demand online marketplace Redbubble has bought TeePublic, a similar business with headquarters in New York City, for $41 million USD ($57.7 million AUD). The move expands Redbubble's footprint in the United States.

The Penrith Museum of Printing will hold a grand re-opening after its six-month closure, during which $130,000 was invested in expanding and revamping the facilities. The additions include extra floor space for equipment that previously had to be kept in storage.

Spicers has launched its new Digitac range of films for sign and display, which it bills as "an evolution in grip". They include materials for both indoor and outdoor use, and can be printed on UV, Latex, and eco-solvent roll-to-roll machines.

Since taking on distribution of Techkon colour measuring instruments in 2016, David Crowther’s Colour Graphics Services has not looked back, as the German precision manufacturer continues to innovate and expand its range.

The directors of stricken WA printer Picton Press are seeking to take back control of the company through a Deed of Company Arrangement (DOCA), but the ATO sensationally blocked its progress in the second creditors' meeting this week.

The administrator for debt-laden Picton Press says it is its preliminary view that the company was trading while insolvent for at least 17 months before it was issued with a winding up order by the ATO in May, and remained insolvent throughout that period.

The chance of Picton Press remaining operational if a DOCA gets off the ground remains uncertain, with the decision likely ending in the hands of the paper merchants.

The election of Lithocraft CEO Kevin Pidgeon and Mark Media GM Martin Guilliamse means that for the first time in several years all nine PIAA board directors are now running print businesses. Pidgeon defeated Ron Patterson in the Victoria vote, Guilliamse succeeds Peter Clark.

Former Network Ten CEO Hamish McLennan has been appointed chair of Here, There and Everywhere (HT&E), to guide the company forward following its sale of Adshel to outdoor media company oOh!Media. The appointment of the ex-TV executive is one more step away from print for HT&E.

Australia has been cast down from the King of the Wrap World's throne, with Florida's MetroWrapz taking the top prize at Avery Dennison's Wrap Like a King finals at the 2018 SEMA show in Las Vegas.