Digital textile print market set for double-digit growth

The digital textile printing industry will double its year-on-year global growth for the next five years, new research suggests.
In a wide-ranging report from Smithers Pira, The Future of Digital Textile Printing to 2021, the print market researcher forecasted annual average growth for the next five years to be 12.3%, which will see the market more than double, from sales of €1.2bn to €2.4bn.
Smithers’ analysis predicts volumes of fabric being printed with inkjet equipment will increase at an

Staff Writer, 22 December 2016

BBC Earth launches in print

BBC Worldwide has launched BBC Earth magazine, a new monthly title, which transforms one of its core brands into a printed product.
River Group will publish the magazine. Sharon Kirby from River group said the magazine would be “packed full of unmissable photography and inspiring features across nature, science, people and space”.
The printers said that the text pages of the  magazine will be printed  a 10-colour Manroland Rotoman twin-web on 70gsm UPM Star Gloss and the cover was printed on its

Staff Writer, 22 December 2016

Prize Awarded to Huber

Environmental Minister Franz Untersteller awarded the ‘Environmental Prize for Companies 2016’ on 17 Nov. 2016 in Stuttgart. Peter Huber Kältemaschinenbau AG from Offenburg received the award in the category of manufacturing companies. Huber is a pioneer in the development of environmentally friendly chillers and temperature control devices.
At the official event in Stuttgart, Environmental Minister Untersteller noted: “We distinguish firms which are courageous and exemplary on company

Staff Writer, 22 December 2016

ISO task force to produce PDF workflow standard

A new ISO task force has set to work on producing a PDF standard to guide production workflow decisions. The task force has been set up in response to requests from transactional printers, who have found they are limited by the current PDF/VT standard, to be able to include media selections and simplex/duplex controls in a PDF file.   The new standard, which is expected to be published in early 2018, will make it possible to describe what a final printed piece is supposed to look like.
“When

Staff Writer, 14 November 2016

Bobst to launch two new barrier solutions for transparent films

Bobst used its October vacuum metalizing open house to launch two new protective topcoats for its Alox polyester transparent films.
The two new topcoats help reduce barrier performance loss when the films are put through the conversion process. One acts simply as a protective coat and the other is a barrier-enhancing coat.
Alox transparent films are mainly used for packaging end-user products, such as baked goods and microwaveable products. They have a vacuum-coated clear barrier coating

Staff Writer, 14 November 2016

UPM acknowledged for its eco initiatives

UPM has been included in the CDP Climate A List. UPM is featured in the CDP’s climate change program for the eight years in a row for its climate actions and transparent climate reporting.
    “Apart from actions, also the quality of reporting matters. Investors and other important stakeholders use our public data to evaluate how well we tackle global climate challenges and changes in market conditions and comply with related regulations”, says Sami Lundgren, vice president, Environment &amp

Staff Writer, 14 November 2016

Enviro Wipes acquired

Print cleaning products supplier Enviro Wipes has been acquired by global workwear provider Lindström, for a seven-figure sum.
   Lindström UK managing director Soresh Meeda said: “Joining forces with Enviro Wipes provides a great opportunity for us to start with a totally new service in the textile market. Our new partner has a solid foundation, great products and fantastic customers.”
Founded in 1992, £3.1m-turnover Enviro Wipes mainly supplies recyclable industrial wipes to the printing

Staff Writer, 14 November 2016

Bobst will launch ‘highest productivity metallizer’

Bobst will use its October open house at its innovation centre  to launch what it says is the world’s highest productivity vacuum metallizer.
The Bobst K5 Expert runs at speeds of 1,200m/min and is an update on the current K5000 model.
Bobst global head of sales and marketing Juan Cano said: “This is a product we have been working on for the last three years. Our R&D engineering team were at work to not just improve the existing metallizer but come out with a new machine that will be the

Staff Writer, 16 October 2016

Sun Chemical to launch regulatory compliant pad printing ink

Sun Chemical is set to launch its latest environmentally friendly ink for pad printing.  The TP 400 regulatory compliant ink is free from a number of raw materials including BPA, cyclohexanone, butyl glycolate and aromatic hydrocarbons.
It is compliant with RoHS, REACH and EuPIA standards and meets the EU Toy Safety Directive DIN EN ISO 71-3:2013 as well as USP Class VI - Certificate for medical applications.
The manufacturer said the ink is safe to use for food, drink and medical applications

Staff Writer, 16 October 2016

FFEI has launched new Graphium features

Digital imaging specialist FFEI has launched several new media handling and digital finishing enhancements for its Graphium hybrid digital inkjet label press.
The manufacturer has also added a new orange ink for the device, its third-generation digital UV inkjet press for labels, packaging and speciality print.
The immediately available new features, which FFEI managing director Andy Cook said are entirely user-driven and build on existing strengths, can be retrofitted to existing presses and

Staff Writer, 16 October 2016

Toray Plastics new metal film

Toray Plastics Inc. introduces an exciting new, environment-friendly, advanced metal-transfer film that creates a brilliant reflective surface for premium decorative packaging, point-of-purchase displays, and specialty printing applications. Lumirror® MR20 polyester metal-transfer film allows vacuum-deposited aluminium on the film surface to be transferred with adhesive to paper and paperboard for superior brightness. Lumirror MR20 is manufactured in-house using Toray’s proprietary film

Staff Writer, 16 October 2016

Fujifilm unveils wind powered plate making facility

Fujifilm, in partnership with Dutch energy supplier Eneco has unveiled its state-of-the-art production facility in Tilburg, the Netherlands, which manufactures a number of Fujifilm products, including printing plates, is now entirely powered by wind energy.

Partially powered by wind since 2011, Fujifilm, has now succeeded in powering its entire Tilburg operation by wind power. The wind turbines that drive the plant’s manufacturing capability are located on-site and in nearby Zeeland, and the

Staff Writer, 15 September 2016

James Cropper recycling plant is featured on BBC show on waste

The recycling plant of paper manufacturer James Cropper appeared on BBC One’s War on Waste documentary.

James Cropper’s £5m-Cumbrian reclaimed fibre plant was opened in 2013 and has technology capable of recycling millions of disposable coffee cups into paper for luxury brands. It separates plastic from pulp in the cups leaving the pulp for use in high-quality paper. It recycles more than 10 million cups a week.

In February this year, James Cropper signed deal and began a trial with

Staff Writer, 15 September 2016

KBA’s inkjet webpress certified by INGEDE

The world’s first inkjet web printing system with a web width of over 30in (76.2cm), the RotaJET L-Series from Koenig & Bauer (KBA), has been officially certified by the International Associa-tion of the Deinking Indus-try (INGEDE). 

Test prints with newly developed inks which were used to print on coated stock at this year’s Drupa and were evaluated by INGEDE were shown to be deinkable. 

Deinking, the process of removing ink or toner from paper, is of great importance when it comes to

Staff Writer, 15 September 2016

Jet Press gets certification

Fujifilm has announced that its  B2 inkjet press, the Jet Press 720S – now with 80 installations globally – has received further stamps of approval in obtaining Fogra and GRACoL certification.

Falko Wagner, systems specialist, Digital Print Solutions EMEA at Fujifilm Europe said: “Obtaining FOGRA VPS (Validation Printing System) certification for the Jet Press 720S confirms what all our customers around the world have already discovered first-hand – that as well as being an extremely

Staff Writer, 15 September 2016

FSC closer to finalising long–running Chain of Custody standard

The Forest Stewardship Council believes it has now ironed out major sticking points for stakeholders in the proposed standard, including the Online Claims Platform.

The Online Claims Platform (OCP) was controversially set for roll-out in 2013 as a mandatory reporting system for every stakeholder in the paper supply chain, including printers.

The system, designed to reduce or eradicate instan-ces of falsely labelled FSC products would require Chain of Custody (CoC) certificate holders to log

Staff Writer, 15 August 2016

Consumers value print, but enviro concerns remain: Survey

A new survey conducted by international research company Toluna in June 2016, provides insights into how consumers view environmental concerns making paper more difficult, and costly, to access.

The survey questioned more than 7000 consumers worldwide.  Among its findings, the survey reveals that many consumers want to retain the choice of using print and paper, at no additional cost, and that many question or feel misled by “go paperless – go green” and similar “greenwash” claims –

Staff Writer, 15 August 2016

Bordeaux receives seal of excellency

Bordeaux received another seal for its Excellency after receiving GOTS certification for its pre-treatment solution for textile. This Pre-treatment is using cutting edge binder technology in order to optimize ink performances, ensuring excellent rub resistance, light fastness and bright, vivid colors. This is another proof for the high quality of Bordeaux’s package solution and assures Bordeaux’s accountability for its ecological solutions.

GOTS is recognized as the world’s leading

Staff Writer, 15 August 2016

International Paper success

International Paper has achieved significant results from 20 years of innovation and sustainability with ClimaShield recyclable, water-resistant packaging.

International Paper has shown its commitment to sustainability and has demonstrated success in key environmental indicators. By producing more than two billion recyclable ClimaShield boxes, International Paper has significantly reduced emissions of greenhouse gases, energy consumption and landfill waste.

“ClimaShield offers incredible

Staff Writer, 15 August 2016

KBA RotaJet L-Series achieves Ingede certification

RotaJet L-Series inkjet web press has achieved a top score from the International Association of the Deinking Industry for the deinkability of its print output.

Samples produced by the high-volume web press during Drupa, using KBA’s newly developed RotaColor polymer pigment inks, were inspected and found to be “extremely deinkable”. The samples were tested using Ingede’s Method 11 assessment of print product recyclability, and achieved a top score of 100 against the European Recovered Paper

Staff Writer, 18 July 2016

Water-based pigment ink for flexible packaging from Fujifilm

Fujifilm exhibited pigment ink for water-based inkjet, to be used in flexible packaging, at drupa2016.

In a statement, Fujifilm said that the trend for short-runs, high-mix and quick turnarounds is ever-increasing in the packaging sector, and traditional analogue printing, the mainstream in the flexible package field, faced difficulties regarding turnaround, cost and environmental performance. This has led Fujifilm to further develop the technology used in the Jet Press 720S to create an ink

Staff Writer, 18 July 2016

Mitsubishi receives PEFC, FSC Certification

Manufacturer of speciality papers, Mitsubishi HiTec Paper has now been certified with the PEFC Chain-of-Custody for the first time, whilst at the same time the existing FSC Chain-of-Custody certification has been successfully renewed.

   “We do not only place high demands on the quality of our speciality papers, but also on their sustainable production and the protection of our environment,” said Dr. Dieter Becker, director new business development & corporate social responsibility at

Staff Writer, 18 July 2016

KWB purchases 80,000 books

Sharjah-based “Knowledge without Borders” (KWB) has purchased 80,000 books from publishers participating in the 34th edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF 2015) to support the book and publishing industry and promote the culture of reading.

The list of purchased books include 14,000 copies of books written by HH Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi,  ruler of Sharjah.

The books will be distributed to Emirati families in Sharjah as part of the home library project, which

Staff Writer, 18 July 2016

Canon ME awarded for eviron initiative in Ta’atheer Awards

Canon Middle East was awarded the first place in Ta’atheer Awards 2016 Best Environmental Sustain-ability Programme/Initiative Category, an award that measures the social impact of organisations’ CSR efforts.

The organisation won the award for its UAE School Environmental Sustain-ability Competition, a programme aimed at engaging children in UAE schools to raise awareness about the environmental challenges facing the youth here, and to provide them an opportunity to be part of the

Staff Writer, 28 June 2016

Hubergroup launches enhanced inks for conventional, UV offset

Hubergroup has decided to update many of its products for the UV offset segment.  The new technologies in particular, such as UV printing using LED lamps or iron-doped lamps require inks and lacquers with trouble-free characteristics – products that fulfil the specific requirements of these curing systems even better than their predecessors.

“These new curing technologies make is possible to customise press technology more specifically to customers’ requirements”, Carsten Zölzer, Product

Staff Writer, 28 June 2016

Two Sides Myths and Facts booklet out

Paper pressure group Two Sides has released the ninth version of its Myths and Facts booklet, highlighting the many myths propagated in the paper and print industries. The 24pp A5 booklet has a redesigned front cover, drawn by illustrator Holly Sims. It contains a complete revision of many of the original facts and figures, slimmed down so none are printed twice.

Myths debunked in the book include “European forests are shrinking”, “Paper is bad for the environment” and “Electronic

Staff Writer, 28 June 2016

Avery launches new wrapping

Avery Dennison is enhancing its range of car wrapping films with the introduction of MPI 1105 Wrapping Series cast film.

Users of the product say that the product is suitable for a wide range of digital inkjet printing platforms, including latex, UV curable, solvent and eco-solvent inks and the material is suitable  for interior and exterior signage.  

According to the manufacturers, ‘the easy apply RS technology, with its inherent air-egress capability, means that installers will continue to

Staff Writer, 28 June 2016

Magna launches new range of water-based inks

A supplier of water-based textile inks claims to be “addressing long-held, industry-wide frustrations” with the launch of a new range that it describes as environmentally friendly.

MagnaColour said its four new inks had been developed to address problems met by textile printers, manufacturers or brands.

These include finding slow-drying water-based inks to suit high-detail printing and printing light colours on dark materials with a formaldehyde-free water-based ink.

Sales director

Staff Writer, 18 May 2016

PSSMA to promote recycling of food paper shipping sacks

The Paper Shipping Sack Manufacturers’ Association (PSSMA) has announced the launch of a new communications campaign to promote recovery of paper shipping sacks that are used to transport food products for recycling, Paper Age reported.

The campaign was officially launch in April, 2016, when a new website went live at www.pssma.org. The website includes new information areas addressing the sustainability and recycling of multiwall paper shipping sacks, and is being redesigned for ease of use

Staff Writer, 18 May 2016

Sun Chemical releases sustainability report

Sun Chemical has released its 2015 Sustainability Report.  The report describes six case studies to show how Sun Chemical’s scorecard approach is used to evaluate its suppliers’ environmental performance, helping to ensure that suppliers remain vigilant in developing new technology that reduces the overall environmental footprint of their products.

“We’re going beyond providing meaningful data that will help meet customer goals,” said Gary Andrze-jewski, Sun Chemical’s corporate vice

Staff Writer, 18 May 2016