Monthly Archives: April 2010

Wired man gives print thumbs up

By , Friday, 30 April 2010, 2 Comments

“Print has a healthy future”. Just thought I’d share the words of Wired UK’s editor David Rowan. I had a quick chat with him at the PPA conference yesterday and that was the first thing he said when I introduced myself as “Jo from PrintWeek”.

Read more on Wired man gives print thumbs up…

Publishing innovation isn’t all about iPads

By , Thursday, 29 April 2010, 1 Comment

Today’s blog comes to you from the PPA’s annual conference, where the topic is inspiration and innovation in publishing.

Naturally iPads and tablet devices loom large, and apparently we can expect to see a further 16 such gizmos coming to market over the next 12 months or so. Gulp.

Read more on Publishing innovation isn’t all about iPads…

Slick print kit deserves to be showed off

By , Wednesday, 28 April 2010, 4 Comments

Way back in the dim and distant past, when I was at
school, it was an era when teachers would exhort pupils to put more effort into
their studies by outlining a miserable future, thus: “What do you want to
end up as, a binman?”

Read more on Slick print kit deserves to be showed off…

In praise of Post-its

By , Tuesday, 27 April 2010, Be the first to comment

I’m indebted to Papernation, supplier of covetable stationery, for alerting me to the news that 3M’s Post-it notes are celebrating their 30th birthday.

Post-its (and indeed other sticky note products) are particularly close to my heart because “who prints Post-its?” is the most frequently-asked Help Line question of all time. Well, certainly in the modern era.

Read more on In praise of Post-its…

Wonderful world of web offset is never dull

By , Monday, 26 April 2010, 2 Comments

When it comes to handing out prizes for unlikely headlines of the year, then “new web printer formed” has to be right up there among the contenders for top spot.

Initial reactions to the Grapho Media news from stunned contacts in the web printing business ranged from “are they insane?” to “oh great just what we need some more capacity”.

Read more on Wonderful world of web offset is never dull…

BNP printer revealed

By , Friday, 23 April 2010, 3 Comments

Yesterday an election leaflet from the BNP arrived at Francis Towers, allowing me to answer the question posed a couple of weeks back re “who will print for the BNP?”.

The answer, it seems, is… the BNP itself as the party is credited as the printer. In true anorak style I’m now wondering what sort of kit they have at the BNP’s Nuneaton HQ, as it seems to be one installation story that hasn’t made it to the PrintWeek newsdesk. You can voice your own opinion on this matter via the special poll my colleague Matt Whipp has kindly set up in the forum.

Read more on BNP printer revealed…

Earth Day hits 40

By , Thursday, 22 April 2010, 1 Comment

It’s Earth Day today, as anyone who’s used Google
this morning cannot fail to be aware – the day is marked by a Google Doodle
depicting a vibrant forest scene.

I was amazed to learn that the event is celebrating
its 40th anniversary, and thinking back to the 1970s it was a piece
of extreme far-sightedness by US Senator Gaylord Nelson [an eye-catching name
if ever there was one...] to set the thing up. Earth Day is lauded as “the
beginning of the modern environmental movement”.

Read more on Earth Day hits 40…

I have held an iPad and it’s smudgy

By , Wednesday, 21 April 2010, 6 Comments

On the way to the London Book Fair yesterday I was
sitting opposite a chap on the tube who was reading using a Sony Reader, contained in
a suitably snazzy leather case.

Read more on I have held an iPad and it’s smudgy…

Fresh IPA survey highlights need for print to prove its worth

By , Tuesday, 20 April 2010, Be the first to comment

A glimmer of good news for print in the latest Bellwether report from IPA/BDO, which shows that a significant number of companies are planning to increase marketing spend for the first time since way back in 2007.

Read more on Fresh IPA survey highlights need for print to prove its worth…

Giving credit where it is due

By , Monday, 19 April 2010, 6 Comments

A rather fetching mini-catalogue from clothing company Toast arrived in my post recently.

While admiring its handy A5 format and the skilful prepress that showed off the rather ethereal photography (also harmoniously combined with the uncoated stock used), I noticed to my surprise and delight that a printer’s credit appeared on the outside back cover: “Printed by Westdale Printing Group”.

Read more on Giving credit where it is due…