The Print and Visual Communication Association has launched a bushfire information portal as a one-stop shop for all available help for print businesses impacted by the ongoing bushfires.

Melbourne-based integrated print and marketing services business Intertype has won Best in Show at the annual Fuji Xerox Pixi awards, beating out competition from all over South East Asia, China, Australia and New Zealand.

Printers looking to extend into the fast-growing flexible pouch production can now enter the market with the Screen Truepress Jet L350UV+LM (low-migration ink) label press, which is now able to be used for food safe short-run stand-up pouches.

EFI has attracted veteran print technology executive and former Xaar CEO Dr Douglas Edwards as its new chief technology officer (CTO). The move brings Edwards back to work with CEO Jeff Jacobson – Edwards was vice president R&D at KPG when Jacobson was CEO, with the duo both taking up senior roles at Kodak.

The HP board has given the latest overture from Xerox short shrift, again saying the hostile bid undervalues the business, and in a blunt letter saying there is no basis for further discussions.

Xerox Corp is going flat out with its hostile takeover bid of HP, securing US$24bn in funding from three banks, and telling the HP board it has the cash to back its intentions.

The battle for control of HP is in full flow, with a war of words between the HP and Xerox boards as they attempt to coalesce HP shareholders to their respective sides, but what does it mean for local printers?

The man behind the Xerox bid to buy HP, and the same man who blocked the Fujifilm bid to buy Fuji Xerox and then effectively sacked the Xerox board, is 83-year-old billionaire Carl Icahn – one of the kings of corporate raiders.

Printers in bushfire-affected regions are battling a decline in workload as tourists flee stricken areas and local businesses see a major downturn in trade.

Staff at Industrial Printing Co in Lithgow faced a harrowing battle to protect the premises, with red hot embers flying in every direction as a mountainside fire raged just 200m away.

State governments in NSW and SA have already offered assistance for beleagured printers and other small business in bushfire zones, with a host of other assistance packages available.

Industry suppliers association Visual Connections says it stands ready to assist print businesses impacted by the fires, and will help organise and cover the cost of bridging production to enable jobs to get out.

The Print & Visual Communications Association has provided a detailed list of contacts for printers in all the affected regions of the country to seek assistance in various forms from various government departments.

Digital wide format solutions provider Roland DG is waiving call-out fees and labour charges to review and inspect Roland equipment damaged as a direct result of the fires, or the resulting power outages.

Russell Cavenagh, general manager of Mutoh Australia, has opened the doors of his company's showroom and resources to offer a free trade printing service to affected businesses while they get back on their feet.

Trade printer IBS says in light of the bushfire emergency it will plant a tree for every order of 1000 or more business cards it receives.