The 5.2 per cent rise in the national minimum wage will add to pressures on printers already battling rapidly rising paper, plate, ink and energy costs, with the rise due in just two weeks' time.

A high-powered industry roundtable on the training crisis currently facing print, and the potential pathway forward, will run during the Wednesday of PacPrint, with input invited from all print people at the show.

In keeping with a night of competition and celebration, funnyman Andrew Barnett – a familiar face to Fox Sports viewers – will be the entertainment for the 39th National Print Awards event.

HP says its PacPrint stand for large format printers will be dynamic and immersive, with the theme Print for the Future, and attendees invited to take part in an interactive and visual demonstrations.

The HP 2022 National Sign & Graphics Awards has seen the highest number of entries since its commencement in 2008 – receiving 478 entries across 22 categories.

The latest issue of the industry’s must-read trade magazine, Print21, has been arriving on the desks of the owners and managers of print businesses across Australia and New Zealand all week.

Marrickville print business Imagination Graphics is seeking donations to help it meet its target of supplying 500 Supertee Marvel Edition care packages to seriously ill children.

The Print & Visual Communication Association is going into its merger with The Real Media Collective on a strong financial footing, and with membership rising, according to PVCA vice-president Walter Kuhn, speaking on the release of the 2021 financial report.

The industry’s two big print associations, PVCA and TRMC, will merge, following a 100 per cent yes vote from TRMC members on the proposition.

After two years of lockdown, the printIQ team has been back exhibiting around the globe, and will be at the upcoming PacPrint show, on 29 June to 1 July, showcasing the new printiQ v44 on Stand D36.

The passing of Rod Spencer, at the age of 80 in Melbourne, has evoked a monumental wave of regard and tribute from the industry. Despite having retired over 20 years ago in 2001, he is still widely recognised and remembered.

Election 2022: Australians have cast a resounding vote for political and social transformation, with climate action, gender equity and industrial relations reform in the spotlight. Together, PVCA and TRMC will be stepping up lobbying efforts.

The government has shocked print by dumping five of the six apprentice categories from its new priority list, but the industry is joining forces to fight the decision, which it says is alarming, and of great concern.

Putting a dollar figure on a business in times of pandemic stress is complicated. Old methods no longer apply when buyers have to gauge how much scope the business has to bounce back to previous revenue levels. Richard Rasmussen looks at the issues.

A new initiative, Print Against War, is calling upon the world's print and packaging companies, and suppliers, to join forces to support printers in Ukraine during this incredibly difficult time.

Michael Schulz, general manager of The SOS Print + Media Group, has joined The Real Media Collective Sleepout team for this year, to support its efforts to raise money for Vinnies.