The National Association of Printing Ink Manufacturers (NAPIM) Board of Directors has announced its increased support of Two Sides North America, the non-profit organization that promotes and encourages the responsible production, use and sustainability of print and paper. NAPIM Executive Director, John Copeland and Director Regulatory Affairs and Technology, George Fuchs will be joining Two Sides’ Anti-Greenwash Task Force to ensure that the views of NAPIM members are considered in Two Sides campaign activities. Membership discussions are also underway with specific companies in the ink manufacturing sector to ensure representation within the Two Sides network of companies and governance. Click Read More below for additional information.

LSC Communications announced that it has acquired The Clark Group. Clark is a leading third-party logistics provider of distribution, consolidation, transportation management and international freight forwarding services, with a network of nine strategically located distribution centers in the US. “Continuing to expand LSC’s logistics service offering in ways that add value to our clients’ businesses has been a sharp focus for us,” said Thomas J. Quinlan III, Chairman and CEO of LSC. “The Clark Group brings a range of supply chain services to LSC that position us for growth, including the ability to better provide a full-service offering for magazine clients with newsstand distribution as well as reverse logistics solutions for our book publisher clients.” Click Read More below for additional information.

Kingery Printing, an Effingham, Ill.-based commercial printer that provides a full suite of prepress, sheetfed and web printing, binding, and distribution services, has announced the acquisition, effective December 1st, of Mattoon, Ill.-based United Graphics, a digital and offset printing company that specializes in the manufacturing of books, catalogs, guides and newsletters. Graphic Arts Advisors (GAA), Mountain Lakes, N.J., a strategic financial advisory and consulting firm devoted exclusively to all sectors of the graphic communications industry, represented Kingery Printing in the acquisition, with GAA Director John Hyde, Esq. serving as lead advisor on the purchase. Under the agreement, United Graphics and its Mattoon facility, will become part of the Kingery Printing organization, which, in addition to its Effingham headquarters and manufacturing facility, also includes a plant in Henry, Ill. John Wurtsbaugh, president of United Graphics, becomes COO of Kingery Printing, overseeing operations at all three facilities. Click Read More below for additional information.

Electronics for Imaging, Inc., announced the release of its newest-version EFI™ Fiery® XB digital front end (DFE) platform for ultra-high-speed production inkjet presses. The Fiery DFE meets highly demanding requirements for performance, color and imaging, including advanced variable-data production printing, at speeds of up to 13,000 pages per minute – or the data equivalent of 2 streaming movies each second. The groundbreaking Fiery XB platform used for the new DFE complies with native intelligent production data stream (IPDS) workflows and is certified IS/3 compliant, delivering the performance, functionality and accuracy required for high-volume transactional applications. As one of the most flexible DFEs in the production inkjet market, the Fiery XB DFE platform also consumes all variable data formats and languages, including PDF and PDF/VT. Click Read More below for additional information.

Ohio’s Office of Workforce Development received another WARN notice from Quad/Graphics. Quad/Graphics, which is based out of Sussex, Wisconsin, is a printing company. The company was founded in July of 1971. According to the company’s WARN notice, it will soon be shutting down its Columbus facility and laying off all employees at the facility. The closure and layoffs are expected to be permanent. The employment separations are expected to commence on or around December 8, 2017. In total, Quad/Graphics believes that 116 workers will be impacted by the upcoming closure. The WARN notice can be accessed here. Click Read More below for additional information.

Expanding its range of in-mould label products and presenting non-UV print shops the ability to compete in this growing segment, Flint Group today announces the global availability of Novastar® D 2000 IML BIO for metallised paper and non-absorbent substrates. According to Jürgen Riedlinger, Director Global Product Management, Sheetfed, “Over the last 5 to 6 years global production of in-mould labels has grown at around 4% per year, due in part to the ability of the technology to enhance the product visibility and brand identification in the market. And we believe in-mould labelling will continue to grow significantly as the manufacturing efficiencies and visual quality it brings gets wider endorsement. Currently in-mould accounts for less than 3% of all labelling, so there is plenty of room for it to grow.” Click Read More below for additional information.

Transcontinental Inc.'s Media Sector, TC Media, announces the sale of its weekly Courrier Laval, as well as its related web property, to 2M Média. This company is led by Mr. Martin Olivier, President, and Mr. Martin Routhier, Vice President, who are both former TC Media managers. Fourteen employees of Courrier Laval are transferred to the acquirer, along with two employees from TC Media's Production team. Furthermore, TC Transcontinental also concluded a multi-year agreement for the printing and distribution of this publication. TC Transcontinental therefore hands over the reins to 2M Média to carry on the activities of Courrier Laval, a jewel of the weekly newspaper landscape in Québec. The Corporation would like to thank all the employees who have shown dedication and professionalism over the years and wishes them the very best for the future at 2M Média. Click Read More below for additional information.

Paul Ramirez, president of Barrington Press in Paramus, New Jersey had a problem – his offset presses were offline as much as three hours a shift. The downtime, set-up and overtime costs made it difficult to keep jobs profitable. Knowing that delivering high quality printing with quick turnaround was critical to grow his business, Ramirez looked to Xerox for a solution and the answer was to go digital with the Xerox iGen® 5 Press. “If someone would have told me how much money I’d be saving each month using the Xerox iGen 5 Press, I wouldn’t have believed it,” says Ramirez. ”When we combined the excessive paper waste, overtime wages and offset press supplies, the numbers were staggering.” With its market leading uptime, substrate versatility and job automation features, the iGen 5 created a fundamental turnaround at Barrington Press. The figures tell the story. In the year Barrington Press has owned its iGen 5, the company has saved $10,000-$15,000 per month and has created new opportunities for growth. Click Read More below for additional information.

By offering a combination of trusted brands, consistent products and OEM partnerships combined with ‘Best in Class’ manufacturing, Flint Group was well positioned at IPEX to help printers extend their printing capability in respect to new substrates and targeting new market sectors. The XCURA EVO ink series featured heavily during the show. This ink series has been designed to help printers achieve maximum performance from new LED-UV presses and presses that have been retrofitted with a LED-UV curing system. Following on from IPEX Flint Group is pleased to announce that Fontain, a London based commercial printer, has agreed to Flint Group being the sole supplier of LED-UV ink for its brand new RMGT Ryobi 928P. This four-over-four perfecting press with LED-UV drying was also running live print jobs at IPEX. Click Read More below for additional information.

TC Transcontinental – RBW Graphics recently completed a suite of upgrades to a Goss M-3000 press installed at their RBW Graphics Facility in Owen Sound, ON. The project consisted of a drives and controls system upgrade, an Omni Make-Ready bundle and ink fountain rebuilds. The drives and controls upgrade involved replacing existing consoles with new OmniconTM and OmnicolorTM consoles, new Siemens PLC CPU hardware, controllers and drives. Goss technicians rebuilt the ink fountains on eight existing units and added new four and 16 channel driver boards, embedded controller boards, ink fountain balls, and single piece ink keys. Additionally, the Omni Make Ready package, a combination of hardware and software functions designed to reduce waste, helps TC Transcontinental – RBW Graphics to achieve its commitment to environmental responsibility. These upgrades ensure the long life of the Goss M-3000 while increasing productivity, improving waste reduction and reducing unscheduled press downtime. Click Read More below for additional information.

The Ricoh Commercial & Industrial Printing Business Group (CIPG), established in April, is keenly focused on getting the word out about its commitment to the production printing market. That was the key takeaway for a group of industry press and analysts who recently toured its Customer Experience Center (CEC) that is home to an array of continuous-feed inkjet, toner-based sheetfed and wide-format printers, along with several product development and testing labs, inside its Executive Briefing Center in Boulder, Colo. Ricoh defines industrial as wide-format digital printing and printing done as a part of the manufacturing process to produce finished goods such as garments, textiles, metals and architectural components. And the group’s ambitious goal isn’t merely lip service. According to Dollard, CIPG has nearly doubled its production inkjet printing direct salesforce since April; has created a Production Dealer Advisory Council to build stronger ties with its dealer network for toner-based sheetfed production and wide-format inkjet printer sales; is expanding its service and consulting business; and is fully committed to assuming a leadership role in industry advocacy, education and market advancement. Click Read More below for additional information.

Borderland Advisors CEO John Conley, a 42-year book printing industry veteran with RR Donnelley and then Xerox, describes how Amazon's same-day delivery requirements will totally disrupt today's book publishing, manufacturing, and distribution markets. The supply chain requirement will create new profit models and opportunities for innovative publishers and printers, while displacing those companies that are unable to evolve to the new industry paradigm. To view the video clip go to: http://www.bookbusinessmag.com/article/john-conley-amazon-day-delivery-slas-will-disrupt-book-printing/

Cenveo, Inc. has been awarded the 2020 Census Printing and Mailing Contract from the U.S. Census Bureau. The two-year $61 million contract is one of the largest contracts for printing and mailing ever awarded by the U.S. Government Publishing Office. "Cenveo's award of the 2020 U.S. Census is a reflection of our core capabilities and expertise, manufacturing and fulfillment," said Robert G. Burton, Sr., Cenveo's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "We are well-positioned to execute and manage all aspects of this program successfully and with the level of quality and security expected. We are honored to be a part of this program that will achieve a lasting impact to the future of our country." The contract will involve the manufacturing and fulfillment of 1.6 billion pieces, including letters, envelopes, inserts, questionnaires and postcards. The majority of the work will be performed at Cenveo's printing and binding facilities located in Southern California (Los Angeles) locations and other work performed across the United States. Click Read More below for additional information.

Net sales in the third quarter of 2017 were $329.5 million compared to $382.7 million in the same period last year, a decline of 13.9%. The Company generated net sales of $1.01 billion for the nine months ended September 30, 2017, compared to $1.16 billion for the same period last year, a decline of 13.1%. The sales decline for both the three and nine month periods was primarily driven by: (i) lower sales in the envelope segment, primarily due to lower direct mail demand primarily from our financial institution customers and lower demand in our wholesale and generic transactional envelope product lines primarily due to marketplace trends; (ii) lower sales volumes in the commercial print group and the publisher services group, primarily driven by lower customer demand and continued pricing pressures; and (iii) lower sales in the label segment, primarily due to the decision to exit our coating operation which was completed in the second quarter of 2016, and lower sales driven by customer demand and product mix changes. Operating loss was $0.5 million for the three months ended September 30, 2017, compared to operating income of $20.2 million in the same period last year. Operating income was $22.6 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2017, compared to operating income of $51.9 million for the same period last year, a decline of 56.5%. The decline during the three months ended September 30, 2017 was primarily due to lower gross profit resulting from lower sales volumes and intangible asset impairments of $7.7 million driven by our current and expected future operating results for certain product lines. The declines in the nine months ended September 30, 2017 were primarily due to lower gross profit resulting from lower sales volumes, the impact of the decision to exit the coating operation, intangible asset impairments of $7.7 million driven by our current and expected future operating results for certain product lines, and higher restructuring and other charges resulting from the 2017 Profitability Improvement Plan. Click Read More below for additional information.

LSC Communications announced that it has acquired the Quality Park envelope business from Cenveo. Quality Park is a leading producer of quality envelopes, mailing supplies and assorted packaging items. Jim Ellward, President of the TOPS Products division of LSC Communications, commented, “We're excited to bring the strong Quality Park brand into our stable of well respected and widely known brands such as Adams, Ampad, Cardinal, Oxford, Pendaflex and TOPS. Taking advantage of the synergies between TOPS Products and Quality Park will enable us to enhance our office solutions offering to extend deeper into new and existing relationships.”

•Group sales almost the same as previous year at €1,054 million •Operating result (EBITDA) improves from €45 million to €60 million – EBITDA margin reaches 8.2 percent in second quarter •Net result after taxes increases by €28 million – positive half-year result for the first time in ten years •Success in strategic development – high demand for digital presses, establishment of new business models, and kickoff of a transformation program to drive operational excellence. Click Read More below for additional information.

HP Inc. expanded its 3D printing portfolio with the announcement of the new HP Jet Fusion 3D 4210 Printing Solution. Designed for industrial-scale 3D manufacturing environments, the new solution significantly lowers overall operating costs while increasing production volume capabilities, raising the “break-even point” for large-scale 3D manufacturing to up to 110,000 parts1 and enabling the industry’s lowest cost-per-part (CPP) - up to 65% less than other 3D printing methods.2 Existing Jet Fusion customers can pre-order the 3D 4210 Printing Solution upgrade today, and new customers can purchase Jet Fusion systems now with the option to pre-order the 4210 system upgrade.3 HP also announced the expansion of its innovative Open Materials Platform with new partners Dressler Group and Lubrizol, as well as three new forthcoming 3D printing materials: HP 3D High Reusability PA 11 and HP 3D High Reusability PA 12 Glass Beads4, and the future availability of HP 3D High Reusability Polypropylene. The new materials, developed at HP’s innovative 3D Open Materials and Applications Labs, will broaden the uses and capabilities of HP Multi Jet Fusion technology and open a world of new high-volume applications. Click Read More below for additional information.

Allen Press, Inc. will host a community open house on Thursday, November 9, 2017 to celebrate its Digital Production Center grand opening. The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is open to the public. A Lawrence Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting ceremony will begin at 11:30 a.m. with remarks from Lawrence City Commission Representative Lisa Larsen and Chamber of Commerce Board member Phil Bradley. Afterwards, guests will have the opportunity to chat with printing, mailing and marketing experts, meet their local sales representative Paula Gibbs, tour the plant and see live demonstrations of two new state-of-the-art digital presses and a variety of high tech finishing equipment. Complimentary food and beverages will be served throughout the day. “Allen Press is a proud staple that has contributed to the Lawrence community for over 80 years,” said Allen Press CEO Randy Radosevich. “We believe it’s important to connect with local residents and the businesses we serve so they continue to be a part of what we’re up to, and with our new digital production equipment and increased creative services capabilities, what better time than now to celebrate together that for the first time we are able to serve everyone’s complete marketing needs.” Click Read More below for additional information.

Transcontinental Inc. announces the consolidation of its newspaper printing activities in Québec into three plants, and consequently the closure of Montréal-based Transcontinental Métropolitain in late January 2018. The printing activities will be mainly transferred to the Transcontinental Transmag plant in Montréal, which has state-of-the-art equipment. The regional plants of Transcontinental de la Capitale in Québec City and Transcontinental Qualimax in Gatineau will also take in volume upon transfer of activities which will take place progressively beginning in early January. This decision was made in the context of the decline in the newspaper printing market, and more specifically in connection with the upcoming end of the printing of La Presse newspaper. The plant closure will enable the Corporation to optimize its newspaper printing platform in order to stay competitive. Customers will continue to be served with quality products by TC Transcontinental Printing's network and its talented teams. Click Read More below for additional information.

Blackford Capital is excited to announce the acquisition of Kingsport Book. Kingsport Book is the second company in the book printing industry to be acquired by Printing Consolidation Company - a Blackford Capital portfolio company - which also owns Dickinson. Kingsport Book has developed a strong reputation as a high-end book finishing and fulfillment company, located in Church Hill, Tenn. In its 120,000-sq.-ft. facility, the company has developed an equipment platform that can flexibly service deluxe, trade, and soft-cover books at quantities ranging from one to a million. "The addition of Kingsport Book is in direct response to the needs of our customers. The ability to manufacture deluxe books domestically with very short-turn times, is one of the core requests we have heard from our customers base," says Aaron Day, CEO of Printing Consolidation Company (PCC) and Dickinson. Click Read More below for additional information.

Electronics For Imaging, Inc. announced the availability of a new EFI™ Fiery® digital front end (DFE) for the Xerox® iGen® 5 Press. The Xerox EX-P 5 Print Server Powered by Fiery first made its debut at PRINT 17. The new Fiery DFE supports the iGen 5 Press' new White Dry Ink capability, and is the first commercially available DFE on the new Fiery FS300 Pro platform. "We believe the new capabilities with the Fiery DFE will be a significant asset to our customers, especially as it relates to optimizing our fifth station options," said Ragni Mehta, vice president and general manager, Cut Sheet Business, Xerox. "This partnership with EFI will allow Xerox to capitalize on the ability of White Dry Ink and other specialty colors to increase the breadth of applications that can be produced on the Xerox iGen 5 Press." Click Read More below for additional information.

R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company announced it has taken the ParityPledge™, building on its commitment to improving the pathway for women in leadership positions. The ParityPledge asks that companies commit to interviewing at least one qualified woman candidate for every open position, vice president and above, including the C-suite and board. The ParityPledge is an initiative of Parity.org, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization focused on bringing gender equality to the highest levels of business. “I am thrilled to make this pledge on behalf of RRD to champion the advancement of women in business,” said Sheila Rutt, Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at RRD. “Our commitment to diversity and inclusion is fundamental to our ability to meet the needs of our current and future clients, drive business success and promote a high-performance culture. The ParityPledge strengthens our commitment to gender parity in the RRD workforce and broader dedication to diversity and inclusion in the highest levels of corporations today.” Click Read More below for additional information.