Clancy . . . overflow . . . the best bits . . . funnies

Label, packaging and web offset sectors will be the main beneficiaries of the new standard, which will be launched at Print 05 in Chicago later this year.
The JDF standard is being promoted by the CIP4 organisation, the Swiss –based standards body for the graphic arts and is designed to facilitate an open end-to-end manufacturing process for the graphic arts.

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The Gallus Group has renamed its Arsoma subsidiary in order to bring it into line with the rest of the narrow web press manufacturing company. As of January 1 the well-known Arsoma brand will be no more as the Frankfurt-based subsidiary changes its name to Gallus to comply with a global branding strategy for the Swiss company. Arsoma was founded in 1971 by the Arabin brothers, Siegfried and Dieter. In 1990, the company became part of the Gallus Group and subsequently has been the site of one of the Group’s two research and production facilities. Since 2001, Arsoma built machines have been marketed under the Gallus brand to establish and sustain a uniform image. Heidelberg currently owns 30 per cent of Gallus.

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Who says there is no money in printing?

HP has resisted pressure by financial analysts to hive off its profitable Imaging and Printing Group. Long recognised as the IT corp’s cash cow, the printing division is to be merged with what is cheerfully known as the Personal Systems Group. IPG is responsible for the company's printer, imaging and supplies business, projectors and digital cameras. This includes the Indigo digital printing segment and wide format printers. The Personal Systems Group handles desktop and notebook PCs, handheld products, personal storage. IPG is a US$24 billion business, which, according to Carly Fiorina, CEO, “leads the market in virtually every category in which it competes.”

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Last year was another biggie in terms of intellectual power at Xerox. Its research and development efforts resulted in 520 new US utility patents, a respectable effort and a sizeable addition to the 16,000 patents the company has lodged since it was founded in the 1940s. The patents covered such areas as mobile document imaging, colour print reproduction, management of print shops, and advanced materials that can improve the performance of printers and copiers.

Hervé Gallaire, chief technology officer and president, Xerox Innovation Group claims Xerox introduced 40 new products in 2004 and that in the third quarter of last year, about two-thirds of the company's equipment sales were generated from products launched in the past two years.

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Deaf children and adults around the world are learning to read and communicate better thanks to SignBank – a FileMaker Pro database application that stores the movements, hand shapes and facial expressions in a written form of sign language known as SignWriting. By correlating signs to written words, SignBank helps improve literacy among deaf-born adults and children, who often have difficulty learning to read a spoken language based on sounds they have never heard. SignBank also helps the deaf understand other sign languages.

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And finally, let’s start the year as we mean to continue . . . with a walk into a bar.

A bloke down from the Territory walks into an upmarket bar in Melbourne. The barmen won’t serve him and points to a sign that says, ‘Ties must be worn.’
The Territorian goes back out to his ute, rummages around in the back and comes up with a pair of jumper leads. He ties them around his neck and heads back in.
The barmen gives him a long hard look, then pours him a drink. “Just don’t start anything, he says.