PRINTING United Alliance Cancels 2021 In-Person Expo (piworld.com)

A typical sheet of paper or cardboard is neither waterproof, interactive or able to harvest energy, but an innovative new printing technology developed at Purdue University can make it all of the above. The researchers demonstrated the technique by transforming a sheet of notebook paper into a music player, and say it could be scaled up to work with larger printing processes for more mainstream uses. “This is the first time a self-powered paper-based electronic device is demonstrated,” says study author Ramses Martinez, an assistant professor in Purdue’s School of Industrial Engineering. “We developed a method to render paper repellent to water, oil and dust by coating it with highly fluorinated molecules. This omniphobic coating allows us to print multiple layers of circuits onto paper without getting the ink to smear from one layer to the next one.” With this omniphobic coating as the starting point, the researchers were able to integrate vertical pressure sensors onto the paper. This not only enables it to become an interactive surface for a variety of applications, but also one that can harvest energy from user’s actions through friction as they apply pressure to the device, which can be used to power wireless Bluetooth communication.

CJK Group, Inc. announced that an agreement has been completed to acquire the assets of McNaughton & Gunn in Saline, Michigan. This acquisition will bring additional capacity to Sheridan’s printing operations and will be renamed Sheridan Saline, bringing the number of Sheridan’s print locations across the country to a total of eleven. Founded in 1975 on the principle that “people make a difference,” McNaughton & Gunn has been continuously producing books for publishers and self-publishers around the world. Many of its original customers print there to this day because the company stayed true to their core value of delivering quality books that meet their customers’ individual needs.

Copresco has installed a General Binding Corporation G2 punch to expand its binding capabilities for digitally printed books, manuals and publications. “Combined with our Konica Minolta press, the GBC G2 provides professionally printed, punched and ready-to-bind documents—in one easy step,” notes Copresco President Steve Johnson. With the new punch, along with two existing James Burn AlphaDoc punches, Copresco now has the option of preprint, inline, or post press punching for maximum flexibility and faster turnaround of loose-leaf, plastic coil and double loop wire bound books. “This assures that even with our growing production volumes Copresco will honor its Copies Overnight commitments,” Johnson says.