X-Rite will bring a new certification standard to Australia with the announcement of a PANTONE Certified Printer (PCP) trainer in January 2017. David Stead, X-Rite Sales Manager Australia and New Zealand, said X-Rite had wanted to test the waters in North America before taking the program global.

Heidelberg will open a €50 million ($71 million) development centre at its Wiesloch-Walldorf site in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, the company announced last week. Executives say it will be the most advanced printing research facility in the world when it opens in 2018.

In the graphics industry, the idea of making Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) is basically an alien concept. But, from printed matter through to the machinery and systems used to produce print media, EPDs are becoming increasingly important to procurement, writes Laurel Brunner.

IVE Group did better than it promised in its stockmarket launch by turning in a $20.9 million profit for its first year as a publicly listed company. According to Geoff Selig, chairman, the first year's figures are well up on previous results and better than the company's propsectus.

Matthew Bickford-Smith, chairman of PMP, anticipates major cost reductions following the company's proposed merger with IPMG. Bickford-Smith said that over-capacity is a problem in the printing industry, and consolidation is the solution.

Printing lobby group Two Sides has claimed a 70 percent success rate in its campaign against 'greenwashing', following its annual meeting in London. The organisation has so far investigated almost 500 companies, aiming to counter claims that going paperless 'saves trees'.

PrintNZ's membership numbers have held relatively steady in 2016, thanks to an expansion of its membership base into broader sectors of the market. "We have been into those areas a little bit, but we’re trying to broaden our reach," said General Manager Ruth Cobb (pictured).

Fujifilm Australia's Graphic Systems division has a new national sales manager with the internal promotion of Ashley Playford, and Kodak yesterday announced the appointment of Brendan Pearce to the role of Queensland Territory Manager.

Our industry is seeing massive improvements in ink technologies, especially to suit new print methods and substrates. Technology advances are taking print into all sorts of new applications. One of the most attractive for all concerned is textiles.

Demand for printing and communication papers plummeted over the past year, signalling rough times ahead for the commercial printing industry. Not counting the continuing disastrous drop in newsprint, overall demand for printing paper fell by 6.2 percent (73,400 tonnes) last year.

Fuji Xerox has inked a deal with Screen Graphic and Precision Solutions to resell the flagship Screen Truepress Jet W3200UV flatbed UV machine in Australia. The agreement is part of a strategy by Fuji Xerox to move further into wide format products.

Printing Industries has called for greater transparency and accountability in electoral material in a submission to a federal parliamentary committee. Mary Jo Fisher, Membership Services Director PIAA, spoke to the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters last Thursday.

Sydney's Bellmac Cartons is holding a three-day unreserved online auction for all its remaining equipment. The family-owned folding carton producer has sold its business operations and ceased production.

Dscoop Asia 2016 has come to a successful end with Alon Bar-Shany, Vice President and General Manager, Indigo Digital Press Division, labelling it “the best Dscoop ever”. The two-day conference and networking event culminated at HP’s Centre of Excellence (COE) in Singapore.

Major addition to the heatset web sector brings extra capacity in Sydney, even as PMP and IPMG look to reduce the number of their presses through their merger. Blue Star is stepping up to claim more market presence in the hotly contested magazine and catalogue business.

The 2016 Dscoop Asia conference has kicked off in Singapore, with creativity, innovation and change taking centre stage. This year’s Dscoop Asia-Pacific and Japan (APJ) event, with the theme 'Winning Inspirations', marks the first time that creative agencies, print service providers and brand owners have all come together for the same conference.