Management buyout team takes former NZ Post business into the winner’s circled with HP Indigo DM. The Wellington-based digital printing business, Kinetic, scooped the awards on its first outing since returning to private ownership.

Early closing and lock out laws are squeezing the promotional budgets and revenue of bars and clubs with a dramatic knock-on effect on print suppliers. The clamp down on late-night trading in Sydney’s entertainment districts has hit the demand for flyers, postcards, POP and advertising handouts.

The milestone is regarded by the company as an endorsement of the L-4033 technology with increasing acceptance by label converters in the local market. There are currently four SurePress installations in Australia and New Zealand.

Derek Williamson, digital imaging manager, West Australian Newspapers is the recipient of this year’s GAMAA Industry Overseas Internship Grant. He intends to explore the uses of continuous feed digital printing, especially as it applies to newspapers.

Keep up to date and across all the most recent industry movements, mergers and major installations with Richard Rasmussen, director of Ascent Partners. For the latest installment of Market Watch, there was very little action on the acquisition and merger front, but sadly four closures.

Going out to engage the design community is central to Tony Bertrand’s plan to put value back into paper marketing. This is his manifesto. You can have any color you like as long as it's White or Cream?

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.