Canada’s Printing Shipments Slide below Year 2000 Levels
WhatTheyThink.com, the leading online media organization serving the printing and publishing industry, announced the availability of their most recent report, titled “Canada’s Printing Industry.” The cost of the report is $50.00 and includes both Adobe PDF and PowerPoint files, as well as an MP3 file with audio commentary from Dr. Joe Webb himself. Authored by Dr. Webb, director of WhatTheyThink.com’s Economics and  Research Center, the report is available for immediate purchase at
www.wttstore.com/canadas-printing-trends.html.

“While Canada’s commercial printing industry has continued to show slight decreases over the last three quarters of 2006, in our inflation-adjusted model, shipments for 2006 actually dropped below those for the same quarter in the year 2000,” said Dr. Webb, director of WhatTheyThink.com’s Economics and Research Center. “It’s also noteworthy that printing shipments peaked at a 14-year high in the first quarter 2006, using the same analysis.”

Built on data from 1992 through 2006, the Canada Printing Industry report contains both a current dollar, inflation-adjusted, and U.S. exchange-rate analysis for printing and print services shipments over the last 14 years. In addition, the report also contains data on the number of industry establishments for 1999, 2003, and 2005. The report package also includes a bonus audio file, providing a slide-by-slide commentary from Dr. Webb, offering his own opinion on the Canadian Industry data in comparison with the U.S.’s.

The report contains significant and propriety analysis by Dr. Webb and WhatTheyThink.com’s Economics and Research Center based on data published by the Statistics Canada, the country’s national statistics agency. It includes all segments in NAICS 323 for commercial printing and trade services such as prepress and postpress. Those purchasing the report can repurpose the charts and data for internal and client presentations as slides have been designed to easily copy and paste from one presentation into another.

Xerox Inks Multiple iGen3 Digital Press Orders at On Demand 2007
Xerox Corporation closed the books on last month’s AIIM/On Demand exhibition and wrote orders for multiple Xerox iGen3 110 DigitalProduction Presses, and earned two honors in the ‘Best of Show’ awards competition.

Among the companies that placed orders for the Xerox iGen3 press was Premiere Colors LLC in Ashland, Va., a full-service commercial printer and envelope manufacturer. It will use the flagship digital printing press to grow its commercial business and expand its offerings for the churches and religious markets it currently serves. This is Premiere Colors’ first Xerox digital color product; it also has a Xerox Nuvera 100 Digital Production System.

“As we take our company to the next level, there is no doubt in our mind that the Xerox iGen3 press will enhance our printing capabilities,” said Wanda Simpson, president and CEO, Premiere Colors. “The digital press doesn’t print by itself. It takes committed sales, service and staff members to make it a success, and we feel we have found that one true partner in Xerox.”

Xerox is the industry’s leader in the number of pages produced on digital production color presses, with its flagship Xerox iGen3 press and DocuColor Digital Presses producing more than 13 billion 8.5” x 11” (A4) equivalent impressions in 2006. According to InfoTrends, a leading independent research firm, Xerox’s installed base of DocuColor and iGen3 presses accounts for approximately 50 percent of the total worldwide page volume printed by high-speed production color printers.

Presstek Digital Offset Solutions Well Received at Grafik’Art
Presstek Inc., the leading manufacturer and marketer of digital offset printing business solutions, used the Grafik’Art trade show in Montreal, Quebec, as forum to demonstrate the power and utility of its four-color, direct imaging (DI) digital offset press, the Presstek 34DI. Also on display at the show were Presstek’s chemistry-free CTP systems and workflow solutions—engineered to increase productivity and quality while removing cost from the print production process, thus improving profitability for print service providers. Strong foot traffic through Presstek’s booth resulted in an exceptional number of well-qualified sales leads and a generous number of sales closed on the trade show floor.

“We finalized the purchase of a Presstek 34DI press at the show because we immediately saw it would give us high-quality, four-color printing at an attractive price for our customers, while generating the profits we need to continue growing,” said Guy Charbonneau, President of L’Atelier Chagui, Inc. “It’s a challenge to distinguish yourself in our competitive market, but with Presstek’s DI press we can offer 300 lpi, consistent quality stochastic printing and lightening-quick turnaround times. Those are differentiators that print buyers can readily recognize, which will help us both retain our current customers and lead us into new markets.”

“Visitors to our booth, like Guy Charbonneau, have immediately grasped how Presstek’s digital offset solutions are optimized to help them compete,” said Todd Phillips, Presstek Canada’s national sales manager. “Presstek’s solutions enable them to increase their quality, profitability and production efficiency—all within a digital and chemistry-free operation.”

With overall run lengths going down, Presstek products are well positioned to help printers meet the needs of today’s market. According to data from Strategies for Management Inc., Presstek products allow printers to compress their workflow to eliminate costly steps, providing for better, richer, and more predictable printing.

Presstek’s presence at the Grafik’Art show demonstrated the company’s continued commitment to serving the Canadian print market by giving print services providers the opportunity to see the capabilities of Presstek’s latest product portfolio. Additionally, Presstek is expanding its

Canadian sales organization to handle the increased demand for the DI presses and Presstek’s complete product family.
“Over the past few months, we have seen strong demand for Presstek’s chemistry-free, digital offset solutions,” said Phillips. “A lot of those sales have been generated by the buzz coming out of shows like this one, where printers can make side-by-side, hands-on comparisons, as well as hear from other printers who have already adopted the DI. Providing solutions that help print providers to take advantage of the growing short-run color market while enabling compliance with environmental regulations and requirements often makes us the preferred provider in the Canadian market.”

Presstek Appoints former Kodak Executive Jeffrey Jacobson as President and CEO
Presstek Inc., the leading manufacturer and marketer of digital offset printing business solutions, today announced that its Board of Directors named Jeffrey Jacobson to serve as the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer. He will also be appointed a member of the Presstek Board of Directors.

“We are extremely lucky to have someone as talented and experienced as Jeff Jacobson,” said John W. Dreyer, Presstek’s Chairman. “I have known Jeff professionally and personally for many years, and the Board was unanimous in its selection.”

Jacobson, 47, will assume the post immediately. Prior to joining Presstek, he was the Chief Operating Officer of Eastman Kodak Company’s Graphic Communications Group, a division formed by the integration of six different Kodak companies into a $3.6 billion global enterprise. Mr. Jacobson has twenty years of experience in the graphic arts industry, including five years as CEO of Kodak Polychrome Graphics, a successful $1.7 billion joint venture between Sun Chemical and Eastman Kodak. Mr. Jacobson led the growth of Kodak Polychrome Graphics into an industry-leading digital and business solutions provider and directed the integration of multiple acquired businesses. Under his leadership, Kodak Polychrome delivered 18 consecutive quarters of profitable growth.

Quebecor World Appoints Kevin Akeroyd President Targeted  Direct Marketing Division
Quebecor World Inc., is pleased to announce the appointment of Kevin Akeroyd as President of the Targeted Direct Marketing Division. Mr. Akeroyd will play a key role in this important growth segment, ensuring that Quebecor World’s Targeted Direct Marketing Division provides the latest targeted marketing and advertising solutions to Quebecor World’s customers as part of the Company’s multi-channel marketing solution.

“Kevin is great addition to our leadership team. His experience and knowledge in marketing, internet solutions and print will help us shape and strengthen our Customer Value Initiative to provide our customers with a complete, multi-channel marketing solution to help them drive greater value and sales,” said Wes Lucas, President and CEO Quebecor World Inc. “This appointment reinforces our commitment to ensure Quebecor World’s customers and shareholders are served by the best team in the industry. We are doing this by attracting the best and the brightest as well as by promoting our people into new leadership roles.”

Ernest Green & Son To Distribute MGI In Canada
Ernest Green & Son Ltd, the largest national independent Canadian distributor in the Graphics Communications Industry since 1950 has consummated a distribution agreement with MGI Digital Graphic Technology for the rights to distribute MGI’s complete line of digital colour presses and finishing equipment in all provinces across Canada.

Ernest Green & Son Limited will provide MGI with the national reach and a greater facility to promote its’ products to the many market segments Ernest Green serves. MGI Graphic Digital Technology has been providing the digital graphic industry with the most recent and innovative concepts for the production of high quality colour printing on paper and plastic. Dedicated to using the latest technology, MGI offers a full range of high quality 4 color digital presses, finishing & converting solutions for the efficient production of plastic cards (ISO CR-80), papers, and card stocks.

Michael Abergel, Executive Vice-President of MGI indicates that “Ernest Green has an impeccable reputation as a valued added integrator, which makes them an obvious choice to be our national distributor. Their national reach into many market segments and team of professional staff will provide MGI with a strong presence in the Canadian market”.

“We are extremely proud to have MGI as a business partner, the signing of this distribution agreement further exemplifies our commitment to the Graphics Communications Industry” says Doug Green, President & C.O.O. of Ernest Green & Son Ltd. Mr. Green goes on to add, “the advantage of the MGI finishing equipment is that it can be paired with many different small format printing technologies, both digital and conventional offset.”

Heidelberg hosts first Print Media Academy seminar
Heidelberg Canada hosted the first of three Print Media Academy seminars in May and June—“Understanding the Print Media Workflow”—was held on May 23 at their offices on Kenway Drive in Mississauga. Chris Kular of Ryerson University was the instructor, and his engaging manner, coupled with his theoretical and technical understanding of industry issues, made for an informative day. The information presented was at a fairly basic level, but was a boon to attendees looking for an overview of the print media workflows and for the understanding necessary to find new efficiencies and value-adds in their own workflows. The next two seminars take place on May 30 and June 6. Find out more at www.ca.heidelberg.com.

Toronto Photography Festival showcases creativity and Hewlett-Packard technology
The HP-sponsored, third-annual, month-long CONTACT Toronto Photography Festival, themed “The Constructed Image”, left no doubt in any observer’s mind that technology now plays a major role in the reproduction of art.

The May festival featured stunning images from a variety of artists that were reproduced on HP Scitex and HP Designjet 44-inch Z3100 and 40-inch 5500 printers. These colourful, often intriguing works of art were exhibited at transit shelters along Queen Street West, in the St.

Patrick Subway station, the CN Tower and the Drake Hotel, where the CONTACT wrap-up party was held May 29.
The focal point of the festival, however, was Photographic Culture, an exhibition produced in partnership with the Museum of Contemporary

Canadian Art, that showcased 10 artists from 9 countries. In total, over 500 artists participated in open exhibitions.
Photographers also had the opportunity to have their work reviewed by curators, photo editors, art dealers and other experts in a two-day, one-on-one Portfolio Reviews Program.

Interesting lectures included a fascinating look at inkjet printing technologies and print permanence by Henry Wilhelm of U.S.-based Wilhelm Imaging Research, Inc. His company conducts objective research on the stability and preservation of traditional and digital color photographs (and motion pictures), and publishes brand-name-specific permanence data for desktop and large-format inkjet printers and other digital printing devices.

One of his messages that came through loud and clear was that photographs reproduced by HP printing technologies using pigment-based (rather than dye-based) technology, added decades to a print’s life expectancy. The type and quality of paper used was also a major longevity factor. For more information and some eye-opening facts on printers, visit www.wilhelm-research.com.

Colour Measurement Leader X-Rite Continues to Support Ryerson’s School of Graphic Communications Management
X-Rite, a global leader in colour measurement technology solutions, has donated X-Rite ColorMaster QAII software to Ryerson’s School of

Graphic Communications Management, enhancing the School’s teaching and research capabilities.
“The X-Rite donation enables Ryerson University to train and educate students and researchers and to initiate industrial investigations for the printing industry in the area of colour measurement and colour control by using the latest colour differencing equations,” said Dr. Martin Habekost, Professor in the School of Graphic Communications Management.

X-Rite ColorMaster QAII software allows users to measure, analyze and control colour data. Multiple colour tolerances and project-specific tolerances are a few of the many functions. Custom Excel reporting and dot area/contrast ratio calculation are also possible. The ColorMaster QAII software has also the most important color differencing equations available to the user. The commercial value of X-Rite’s donation is US$ 3700.

MAN Roland entertains clients at Hockey Hall of Fame
Several hundred smiling faces gathered at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto April 30 as MAN Roland Canada celebrated another successful web and sheetfed conference with a fabulous wrap-up party.

As always, the event featured great food – the hors d’oeuvres were exotic and delicious, and there was a huge table of fresh jumbo shrimp that was a real hit.

“We always look forward to this annual event. It’s great fun and a great way to keep in touch,” said Dennis Low, President of Point One Graphics in Etobicoke. His company recently purchased a MAN Roland 16-page RotoMAN Web that, says Low, has been operating flawlessly.
Low’s feelings were echoed by virtually everyone who attended as the MAN Roland staff had looked after seemingly every detail. Even the entertainment was first-class, provided by the Charlie Finlay Jazz Trio with Charlie on sax, Joel Schwartz on guitar and Bret Higgins on bass.
But the undoubted highlight of the evening was the location itself, as MAN Roland staff and clients toured the Hall’s many exhibits and posed with the Stanley Cup. For many, it brought back memories of the Maple Leafs’ glory years in the 1960s, when they were a dominant force in the then six-team National Hockey League.

Having said that, as the cameras flashed and people posed with Lord Stanley’s hardware, an unnamed client was overheard commenting: “Do you know why the Hockey Hall of Fame is in Toronto? It’s the closest we’re ever going to get to the Stanley Cup!”
Ouch!