A delegation of printers from earthquake-ravaged Nepal has been welcomed for the first time to the Forum of Asia Pacific Graphic Arts (FAPGA) - this year taking place over two days at PacPrint 2017 in Melbourne.

"It's so exciting and a dream come true," says Celeste Halliday, who won the Print21 PacPrint Escape prize - courtesy of organisers Visual Connections Australia and the PIAA - for her entry describing in 30 words or less why she wanted to see the show.

The Victorian Minister for Energy, Environment & Climate Change affirmed her government's support for innovation in printing as she cut the ribbon to open PacPrint 2017. The Hon Lily D'Ambrosio voiced her enthusiasm for the spirit of progress PacPrint represents.

The brainchild of David Currie, who encouraged HP Indigo and Horizon to work together to produce a viable inline booklet production system, is awarded a Print 21 Technology Hot Pick.

Starleaton CEO, Ben Eaton (pictured) hosted EFI executives to his ‘tree of life’ stand at the Melbourne show where the newly expanded company staked its claim to a wide range of product sectors.

The arrival of the AccurioJet KM-1 at the Melbourne trade show drew lot of attention, even before the doors opened. The high-speed sheetfed UV inkjet is a radical departure for Konica Minolta, moving it up into the production market.

The sale of a Versant 180 colour digital press to Melbourne printer Dinkums Print & Design marks Fuji Xerox's 650th Versant sale around the country. The milestone deal was announced on the opening day of PacPrint 2017 in Melbourne.

The new UVgel ink technology on Canon's Océ Colorado 1640 wide-format roll-fed digital printer has earned it a Print21 Technology Hot Pick for PacPrint 2017. The ink has the 'consistency of a hair gel', according to Océ's Paul Whitehead.

Roland DG's new GR series of professional vinyl cutters, a Print21 Hot Pick at PacPrint 2017, has been completely redesigned to deliver best-in-class cutting quality and productivity.

Pipping even Europe to the post to show the new Duplo spot UV coater, Neopost revealed the DD810 in a private room by invitation only. Print21 editor Andy McCourt was there.

The redesigned super-wide Kongsberg C table, which can work with materials up to ten feet square, was an early crowd pleaser on the Esko stand at day one of PacPrint.

European digital printing giant Xeikon has kicked off its first-ever PacPrint with a Print21 Technology Hot Pick for its CX-3 "Cheetah" label press. The toner-based five-colour digital label press is running live on stand A22. Xeikon, a subsidiary of Flint Group, launched in Australia in February.

Organising committee for the trade show declares it will not stand for companies using the exhibition to promote their own agendas without contributing to the overall success of the show.

As digital printing keeps up its steady march across the graphics landscape, it’s easy to forget about progress in conventional printing, writes Laurel Brunner.

The Lithographic Institute of Australia has called for a Certificate III of Printing and Graphic Arts as an option for VET schools. In an open letter to members and associates, LIA President Mel Ireland requested industry support for more VET school funding.

Collapsed Melbourne printer Print Dynamics has offered unsecured creditors owed a total of $1.3 million a take-it-or-leave-it, 10 cents-in-the-dollar settlement deal. The offer is conditional on all creditors agreeing to the terms. The company says it also owes employees $581,067.17.