chennai printer does india proud · printing circles in chennai, multivista is a name that has...

A Journal of the Press Institute of India - Research Institute for Newspaper Development

April 2012 | Volume 33 | Issue 4 | Rs 40www.rindsurvey.com

CHENNAI PRINTER DOES INDIA PROUD

The sparkling shop floor and the versatile Kolbus perfect binder symbolise in many ways the quality of operations at Multivista, Chennai.

HP accelerates analogue-to-digital •change

Is treated water essential for •offset printing?

Benefits a mailroom inserting system •offers

First printers’ association in India •is 60 years old

1April 2012 SurveyRIND

FROM THE EDITOR

Hard work pays… a printer shows how

Most success stories have humble beginnings. It is no different with Multivista Global. In printing circles in Chennai, Multivista is a name that has top-of-the-mind recall, and when you talk about Multivista, R. Jayaraman’s name can’t be far behind. That Jayaraman, in charge of marketing for years, is the company’s public face is another matter. In many ways, the company owes its existence and success to his hard work and determination. For Jayaraman, it was a tough fight against the odds in the early years. When his father’s business crumbled, the family’s finances were literally wiped out. Jayaraman had to discontinue college studies; his mother had hardly enough money to buy rice for the family. For most people, it might have signalled the end of the road, but Jayaraman did not give up. Of course, destiny or luck plays a part. Jayaraman was fortunate because he had a few good friends, including A. Sivasailam of the Amalgamations Group, who supported and guided him. It must have been nerve-racking, unemployed at a young age, no family business to fall back on, and pushed to the brink with no money to spare.

Jayaraman’s lessons in marketing must have started in those early days, when he took up the challenge of getting orders for his friend who ran a printing press. The 350 rupees he was paid must have come in handy for the family. But hard work backed by determination and honesty pays. Perhaps even Jayaraman might not have known how the orders came, but they did, fast and strong. So much so that his friend could not cater to his needs and Jayaraman began feeding other presses. Those were the days of the letterpress. It needs courage and enterprise to set up a business and Jayaraman had oodles of both. When a printer suggested that he establish his own press, Jayaraman jumped at the idea and found 350 sq ft space in a corner of Mount Road, where today stands the Hyundai showroom. From Mount Road to Velchery and then on to Kelambakkam, it’s been almost a fairytale, but that fairytale would not have happened without Jayaraman’s commitment to completing orders on time, even delivering magazines and journals at the customer’s in the dead of the night. He never complained; rather, he enjoyed it all. His passion for printing is evident even today. As the business grew, Jayaraman’s brothers also played an active role, and in the new millennium the next generation came in, flush with new ideas and aspirations. For a family-owned business, expansion is sometimes a constraint. And now, there are new challenges in the digital age. Shortage of power, infrastructural bottlenecks at the port are major problems that Multivista is currently facing and for an export-oriented unit it can mean trouble. It will be interesting to see how the company, with a young team gradually taking over the reins, steers itself, hoping for a fair wind.

In this issue, Manoj Mathew comes up with an analytical piece on the use of treated water for offset printing. We take a peep into the mailroom, thanks to P.T. Bhasi of Mathrubhumi who throws some light on mailroom inserting systems from the perspective of decision and implementation of projects. The Madras Printers’ and Lithographers’ Association, the first such body in India, is 60 years old. It recently kicked of its diamond jubilee celebrations, with K. Balaji, managing director of The Hindu, and S. Muthiah, veteran printer and journalist, in attendance. A point both of them stressed was the need to ensure the survival of the small printer and to focus on quality.

P.K. Roy, former chairman of the Press Trust of India, died on March 24th. Roy was president of the Indian Newspaper Society and the Audit Bureau of Circulation for several terms but more than all that he was a source of inspiration to an entire generation of newspaper professionals. We at PII-RIND offer condolences to his family.

Sashi Nair [email protected]

2 April 2012SurveyRIND

C o

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t sApril 2012 | Volume 33 | Issue 4SurveyRIND

A binding commitment to printing excellence

At Multivista, Chennai, every print assignment is taken as a challenge and an effort is made to better set standards. Equipped with sophisticated printing and binding machines, the company specialises in manufacturing educational books as well as story books for children.


SurveyRINDFrom the Editor 1

A binding commitment to printing excellence 4

When enterprise bested the odds 12

Is treated water essential for offset printing? 16

Benefits a mailroom inserting system offers 24

More flexible digital solutions from HP 26

First printers’ body in India is 60 years old 30

Industry Updates 33

General News 52

Calendar 58


A binding commitment to printing excellence

At Multivista, Chennai, every print assignment is taken as a challenge and an effort is made to better set standards. Equipped with sophisticated printing and binding machines, the company specialises in manufacturing educational books as well as story books for children. The growth from a small letterpress unit in 1974 to Multivista Global in 1995 was slow and steady. It is today a fully integrated print house, complete with machines from Heidelberg, Kolbus and Muller Martini. A closely held public limited company, a major chunk of the group’s business, however, comes from trading activity not related to print. Sashi Nair reports on the group’s printing business

Oxford University Press, Pearson, Cambridge University Press,

Usborne, Ratna Sagar, I-Discovery… these are some of the top publishers that Multivista Global does work for. Today, about 65 per cent of educational books printed at the company’s facility in Kelambakkam gets shipped out of Chennai to the world markets. “Apart from Oxford and Pearson in the UK, we do reasonably high volumes for Nigeria and Ghana. All in the educational books spectrum, from as early as first grade, also pre-school books. Even vocational or higher education,

or medical-related projects funded by the World Bank. We also co-publish with leading publishers, and do work for various ministries in Africa,” explains Rajesh Jayaraman, vice-president, Marketing.

Earlier, the focus was more on technical books (such as on the Java code) for publishers such as Pearson. “There has been a spate of engineering colleges and institutes in Tamil Nadu, and most of the books were needed to be distributed here. So that was one reason. The publishing industry in India is based out of Delhi. We are happy to be far away from the clutter there. The biggest deliberation while moving from Velachery to here (Kelambakkam) was ‘are we doing the right thing’,” says Rajesh. But with more focus now going to exports, it seems to have been the right decision.

In printing circles in India, Multivista is a name to reckon with. About two or three container loads of educational books printed in Kelambakkam are shipped out of Chennai every week, on average. More than 10 million books a year are printed overall, for the domestic and export markets. “The transit time for books to the UK or Europe is

The Heidelberg Speedmaster at the Multivista facility.

Photo

s: SN

/Mult

ivista


about 25 days. We need to manage the local educational cycle and the international cycle. We necessarily have to look at newer markets if we have to expand. If catering to the UK makes me busy for three months only, I have to fill in the other nine months with two or three other markets that continuously give me orders. We must find new markets. In printing it is a challenge. The cyclical thing is a tricky thing for investment,” says Rajesh.

May to July, which is the period usually when educational books are sold, is a time when printers cannot hope to get fresh orders. “Engaging 300 people on the shop floor, keeping high-speed machines running etc will pull us back on the balance sheet. We are trying to plan and find ways of handling such situations. It is different with higher education, printing of a dictionary, for example. It is a two-colour job while most of our machines are four-colour. Engaging multi-colour machines is a challenge,” adds R. Jayaraman, Rajesh’s father, who founded the business.

Multivista tries not to accept orders from competing firms. “If a particular publisher is able to give me a certain volume, it is fine. Similar orders from competing firms are difficult because we have limited capacity, so why engage too many publishers and promise the sky?” says Rajesh. “It gives the publisher we work for a bit of confidence, because if it is a new book there is no way anybody is likely to know before it gets printed. It is a sensitive issue and we restrict ourselves to one or two publishers in all the markets where we are and try to grow with them rather than catering to 50 customers in a particular market. We have a very high loyalty factor even with machines – most of our machines come from the Heidelberg stable, and they have stood by us in bad times. Likewise, we don’t go to 20 different paper mills. We have restricted our supplier base and made it simple,” he explains.

When R. Jayaraman established the business on Mount Road 38 years ago, he must have started with a turnover of probably Rs one lakh in the first year, or averaging Rs 10000 monthly. When the business moved to Velachery a few years later, turnover crossed Rs 160 million. For the year ending March 2012, Multivista’s Print Solutions division recorded a turnover of Rs 350 million. Yet, the breakeven point hasn’t been reached. For that, the division would have to touch the Rs 450 million mark, which Jayaraman is hopeful of accomplishing in the coming fiscal. Overall, the group’s turnover has crossed the Rs 1200 million mark, although the target was Rs 1500 million. Earlier, the company was in the manufacture of shoes as well, which accounted for about Rs 250 million. A few years ago, the company exited the business.

Rajesh and his team make it a point to visit the top book fairs such as the ones in Delhi, London and Frankfurt. “We meet our clients in London usually, as well as new clients. It is also a branding exercise. Most Indian printers seem to have a branding issue. We are ourselves 15-20 years late – there are infrastructure issues, we are all family owned which means we can’t grow as fast as some of our competitors. In London and in Frankfurt, significant populations come from other markets – from India, Africa, the US. It is easier to meet in one place. We do our market studies at such fairs. There are a lot of political issues in Africa, for instance, as a lot of projects are funded by the government, which we need to know. We need to walk the book fairs. We also see change in technology. Two years ago, I did not know what print-on-demand was. Today, we spend a considerable time talking about it. The number of titles has doubled but the

A shot of children’s books printed for the overseas market.

One of the first books printed by Multivista was Bruce Eckel’s Thinking in Java.

Oxford School Atlas covers kept ready for stitching and binding.


print runs have halved. We need to have our ears open because we need to know the kind of machines ewe need to have. There is no point buying large print format machines when print runs are getting smaller. So, these conversations have to happen at least three times a year. We also meet customers and follow up once we are back,” he says.“It is all a question of networking. We try and understand the kind of books publishers

like Oxford print. The fairs give us lot of exposure as to the kind of books top publishers are producing,” says Jayaraman. One of the significant changes has been the reduction in turnaround time. From four to five weeks turnaround time it has reduced to about 18 days today, almost half. “The faster you do, the chances of you growing faster are better. With print-on-demand as a technology that has come up, in two years turnaround time could come down to about two weeks or 15 days. We necessarily have to do it and already looking at fine-tuning our supply chain to get the books out in two weeks,” says Rajesh.

Multivsita runs on SAP as its ERP system; the facility has been certified for the ISO 9001-2000 Standard by TUV. Regular internal quality audits are held to verify compliance. “It makes sure we are following global standards. We are able to enter into rate contracts, don’t have to exchange quotes on a daily basis. We try to agree to certain formats that suit our machines, The pressure has thus reduced. We don’t try and say we can do everything under the roof. We stick to the agreed 10-15 formats,” says Rajesh. Every Saturday evening, an MIS report goes to all clients explaining the status of the job. “So they don’t have to chase us. Monday morning the anxiety level goes down.” The transparency has helped. The strain on the system in terms of communication, service levels has reduced. “Also, publishers tell us exactly what is expected and if it is a particular quality of paper we stick to it. We’ve learned it all. Working with overseas clients over the past 12 years has taught us how to do business,” says Rajesh.

However, there are some challenges ahead. For example, infrastructure is a big issue – especially power and port. Rajesh says the India brand took a big hit last year when there was a port strike for more than a month. Today, the Multivista facility in Kelambakkam is virtually powered by the generator unit. There is no electricity for anything between 12 and 16 hours a day, on average. “One black mark takes you back three years. It is not good for the industry. Also, we need to really keep a close watch on e-books. Fiction books are virtually out in the developed world with people turning to the iPad. Akash may be a failure but it is only a question of time. Technology is something we must be careful about. Otherwise, we are ready to change,” says Rajesh, exuding confidence despite the odds. “Cut-off sizes being different, we have not been able to come up with a standard size. So, perfection is another element we need to look at. Striving for ISO 14001 is also on the cards,” he adds.

Mutlivista has handled a number of turnkey projects too, printing books and offering warehousing and drop-shipping services. Its export-oriented unit (EOU) status facilitates delivery of books to Indian booksellers on behalf of foreign publishers. So, instead of importing directly from foreign publishers, those that are received from EOUs that print for overseas publishers have a substantial saving of freight on import of books.

Jayaraman is now looking at adding an eight-colour machine. With more automation, employees are not being added, but every existing employee is retained. Come September and a proposal is likely to be put to the board for expansion – installing more finishing lines, a hard cover line (the company has been a paperback book producer so far). But until the power situation improves a lot of the expansion plans may have to be put on hold. “Gone are the days when we were marketing for ourselves. We need to market India today more than anything else. We have a long way to go as far export is concerned,” says Rajesh. <


Bench-marking against the world’s best

Backed by the entry into the business of the new generation, the endeavour has been to benchmark the company against the world’s best in terms of quality, cost, delivery and customer service by continuously improving processes, products and the quality management system. The quality can be improved by investing in state-of-the-art machinery, procuring the highest quality material, conducting training programmes to enhance employee skills, ensuring a conducive and safe work environment, and implementing effective process controls at every stage of the production process, reads Multivista’s Quality Policy.

The facility is environment-friendly with provision for safe disposal of chemicals, rainwater harvesting, recycling of waste water, treatment of waste and the optimum use of natural light, and the use of eco-friendly air-conditioning and refrigerants. On the shop floor you will find a range of equipment – Proteck machines for plate-making; Heidelberg, Roland and Ryobi for printing; Stahl Heidelberg and Print Finish for folding; Kolbus for gathering, perfect-binding and trimming; and Muller Martini for saddle-stitching and sewing.

The big shift happened in 2002 with the arrival of the four-colour machines. It was in the following year that the next generation in the family entered the business. The top management team at Multivista Global includes R.S. Mani, executive chairman; R. Shankar, managing director; R. Jayaraman, director; R. Ravi, director; Deepak, vice-president, Distribution Division; Rajesh, vice-president (Marketing), Printing Division; Mahesh, vice-president, Distribution Division; and Karthik, vice-president (Production), Printing Division. <

The men who form the top management at Multivista: (seated) R. Jayaraman, R.S. Mani, R. Shankar, and R. Ravi; and standing (left to right): Mahesh, Deepak and Rajesh (missing in the picture is Karthik who can be seen in the group picture on page 2).


When enterprise bested the odds

S. Rajagopal, R. Jayaraman’s father, started his career as an automobile man in the 1950s. An aggressive and innovative person, he wanted to manufacture timing chains for cars in India, the chains were then being imported. While planning to set up

such a plant, he visited Germany but it did not prove fruitful. A friend took him to Italy where he met up with a manufacturer of heavy-duty chains used in tanks and defence vehicles. Rajagopal finalised a contract with the firm and returned to India. The volume of investment was much more than he had anticipated. But his friends helped, especially Goel of the Park Sheraton Group who (earlier traded in garments) eventually became a partner of the company that was named Track Industries and Components Ltd. And so began manufacturing (ancillary equipment for defence) in Ayyappanthangal near Porur, on 22 acres of land, with machines imported from abroad. Rajagopal did not succeed in marketing the product and failed as an industrialist. He was finally left with shares of the company after it closed down. He had stood as guarantor to quite a few people. His house had to be put up for auction. It led to the family getting into dire financial straits; even Jayaraman’s third year (Physics) college fee could not be paid and he had to discontinue studies.

Jayaraman would then spend time at a printing press run by a friend close to his house in R.A. Puram. Over cups of tea and coffee they would chat. “Even to buy a bag of rice, my mother used to find it difficult,” he says. His friend suggested that Jayaraman, banking on the goodwill of his father (Rajagopal), seek print orders for the firm. For his efforts (orders for printing vouchers, marriage invitations, business cards), Jayaraman was paid about Rs 300 a month. And so work went on for about nine months. Meanwhile, A. Sivasailam of the TAFE Group who knew Rajagopal, helped Jayaraman with orders from the company for a range printed documents. By then, Jayaraman’s friend was finding it difficult to

At the heart of the Multivista facility is the versatile Kolbus, a name that is synonymous with the bookbinding world. The machine here can gather, perfect-bind, saw and trim, book-finish, stack and convey.

Photo

s: SN

/Mult

ivista


execute the volume of work being fed. Jayaraman was now getting paid Rs 500 a month. The only option was to spread the jobs among a few other presses. It was akin to leasing out premises for business.

In 1974, following advice, Jayaraman established his own press – on 401 Mount Road, near to Saidapet. Close by was a press that catered to his needs, the reason he chose the place. The total area was 350 sq ft. Today, a tea shop is being run there. Sivasailam again provided guidance and support. For Jayaraman, the investment was Rs 25000, and the first press was a manually operated letterpress machine from Imperial Corporation. As business grew, Jayaraman bought four more letterpresses and rented another place opposite, about 1000 sq ft. A single-colour Heidelberg followed in 1982; he purchased a second-hand Heidelberg from a seller in Nungambakkam, moved over and bought 3000 sq ft space adjacent. A four-colour Dominant was soon added. There was no looking back now.

The first single-colour offset machine arrived and a full-fledged art department was set up when R. Ravi entered the business in 1983; three years later, arrived the Stahl folding machine and plate-processing machine to service commercial print requirements arrived. Thus began the infrastructure augmenting exercise that would continue over the years. By now, R.S. Mani and R. Shankar had joined the business.

Around the time, Jayaraman bought property in Velachery – all of seven grounds. Construction began and in 1986, the company moved its entire operations there, occupying 60000 sq ft on the ground and first floors. More second-hand machines and a scanner were added. Then came a five-colour Heidelberg machine that in time would pose one problem after another, but eventually Jayaraman managed to find a buyer for it. The work now was mainly in the area of brochures and annual reports and clients included British Council, the US Consulate General, Citibank, Ashok Leyland and Tamil Nadu Petrochemicals. Since annual reports were a seasonal business, Jayaraman decided to get into the printing of house magazines and PR material. His determination and hard work led to the entry of more clients – Neyveli Lignite Corporation, Lucas TVS, Madras Refineries, Cochin Refineries, Coil India, Vishakhapatnam Steel Plant, Salem Steel Plant. His enterprise saw him gathering information, getting a team of editors and designers and even carrying the finished copies to the client.

In the early 1990s, as the fresh winds of liberalisation began to blow across India, the public sector in India faced a sort of recession. The pressure was on many companies to cut short avoidable expenditure, and PR and communication was among the first hit. MRL, NLC, Salem Steel, and Vizag Steel stopped production of PR magazines. It was now time for Jayaraman to think of change. And that was how he approached Oxford University Press on Mount Road to print educational books. He was given a warm welcome at Oxford, and given orders for printing, complete with paper. Saying goodbye to printing magazines, Jayaraman decided to plunge into the world of educational books where there seemed opportunities galore. Happy with the results, Oxford, Madras provided Jayaraman more work. In 1995, Multivista Pvt

Although primarily a Heidelberg customer, you will find other manufacturers’ equipment at Multivsita, such as the Japanese Ryobi sheet-fed offset machine here.


Ltd was rechristened Multivista Global. The name change signified that the company was constantly looking at new vistas for growth, including the overseas market.

As folding and finishing equipment arrived one after the other, space in Velachery started becoming a constraint. A place close by was hired. Work went on for about four years, but transferring printed copies from the outsourced facility was creating problems. It was the time the company began making a foray into developed markets abroad. With the coming of overseas visitors, Jayaraman wished for further improvement. It led him in 2005 to buy five acres in Kelambakkam, construct a large facility (120000 sq ft), with adequate provision for expansion. Multivista operations shifted to the new premises in October 2007.

Oxford Universioty Press, Chennai has remained Jayaraman’s client for more than 18 years now. Multivista is now pitching for business in Europe, the US and Africa. “Predominantly it is educational books, but we also have children books which we publish for publishers based out the UK,” says Rajesh Jayaraman, who joined the business after completing his master’s in finance in Atlanta and has since settled down with international marketing.

Looking back on four decades of printing, which straddled vouchers, cards, magazines and books, R. Jayaraman says it is service that is the key. “I used to travel like crazy. Neyveli one day, Cochin the next, Calcutta the third, and then Vizag. Would meet different people, including the heads of various companies for producing house magazines. There was little scope for error. Some of them had to be produced in different languages too – in Hindi and Tamil. Unless we had capacity we were unable to cater to demand. Also, we were hardly given lead time for jobs. It was like working at the eleventh hour. I was interested in the work, never thought of myself as a delivery boy when I carried magazines to companies, some times even past midnight. But I enjoyed all that.”

Consumables such as ink are stored neatly on the shop floor.

<


Is treated water essential for offset printing ?

The influence of dampening solutions on printing quality is often underestimated. It plays a crucial role alongside the printing plate, blanket and ink. Only after all the components work in perfect harmony can optimum results be achieved. Due care should therefore be exercised when ‘brewing’ dampening solutions

During the past 30 years offset printing has developed to become the most important printing process. The key for

the success has been the high productivity and quality as well as the relatively easy production of the printing forme. While typography, gravure printing and screen printing are based on physical principles, Senefelder defined his printing procedure – lithography (the precursor of offset printing) – as a “chemical printing process”. Printing and non-printing areas are not separated by differences in height, but by varying wetting behaviours of the printing forme towards water and oil. The non-printing areas are hydrophilic, the printing areas are oleophilic. Figure 1 shows the typical structure of an offset printing plate.Following the principle, the printing process does not only require ink, but also water. The water must show certain properties, which are reached by water treatment and special fountain solution additives, if necessary.

What kind of water quality is required for offset printing?

Depending on its origin, water may feature different qualities and components. The assessment of a water quality with ‘good’ or ‘bad’ can possibly vary very much, because it is influenced not only by its components, but also by the intended use. Therefore, drinking water should be free of odour and taste, low in germs and relatively low in natrium chloride content, ... cooling water should be free of corrosive salts ... washing water should be soft with respect to the needed detergents.

So what are the properties required of water used in the preparation of a fountain solution? Mostly drinking water is used, only few companies have their own fountain. The regulation for drinking water leaves a large scope, which means that water qualities can be very different. Below (the typical components), the components relevant for printing are marked with *:Salts/cations: Natrium, potassium, calcium*, magnesium* and traces of iron, manganese, zinc and aluminiumSalts/anions: Hydrogen carbonate*, chloride*, sulphate*, nitrate*, phosphate and silicateGases: Oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide and organic combinations and microorganisms

Ingredients Recommended concentration

Hardness formerCalciumMagnesium

ca. 8°-12° dH

Hydrogen carbonate Chloride corrosion Nitrate corrosion Sulphate corrosion

100-200 mg/l25 ppm20 ppm50 ppm

Figure 2: Typical components of tap water (drinking water) and their limits for offset printing.

(The writer is assistant general

manager-technical, The New Indian

Express, Chennai. After graduating

in Engineering (Printing Technology)

from the College of Engineering and Technology, Pune

University, he went on to obtain a post-

graduate degree in Management from the Indira

Gandhi National Open University

(IGNOU), New Delhi. He’s had an

earlier stint with TNIE (1996 to

2004), after which he headed Production/

Operations at Versatile Card

Technology-India (2004-09). He

has worked for the Eenadu Newspaper Group, Hyderabad;

Thomson Press (India) Ltd.,

Faridabad/Okhla, New Delhi; and The Printers House Ltd.)

Manoj Mathew

Figure 1: Structure of an offset printing plate, screen dot on non-printing aluminium oxide.


(drinking water < 100 germs/ml)The influence of the components on the printing process as well as the recommended limits can be seen in Figure 2. If the water quality significantly differs from the nominal values, water treatment is recommended.

Water softeningDuring the process, hardness-causing components

calcium and magnesium are replaced by indifferent ions (natrium) via a cation exchanger. The principle is shown in Figure 3. The salt content remains unchanged or is slightly increased. Corrosive anions and the undesired portion of hydrogen carbonate in high concentrations are not removed. Possible variations in the water quality remain. According to the restrictions, the softening is only conditionally suitable for the preparation of the fountain solution. Ion exchangers have to be regenerated with a natrium chloride solution after a certain period of operation. The retained calcium and magnesium is Figure 3, again replaced by natrium, and the process can start again. Residues of natrium chloride have to be removed (washed out) before the system can be used again.

Complete demineralisationComplete demineralisation works on the principle of an

ion exchanger. During the process, all ions (cations and anions) are replaced by the components of the water, and hydrogen ions and hydroxyl ions become water. The result is completely demineralised water, which, for example, is used in car batteries.Figure 4 shows the principle of complete demineralisation. Completely demineralised water is not suitable for offset print (see ‘Treatment of demineralised water’).

The ion exchangers of complete demineralisation must be regenerated with acid and lye. The waste water has to be neutralised before it is introduced into the sewage system.

Reverse osmosisReverse osmosis is comparable with a filtration, in this case the ‘filter’ is a membrane. The

membrane is only permeable for small water molecules, but not for salts, microorganisms and other components. If water is directed under pressure past a membrane, the stream divides into two part-streams:

Figure 3: Principle of water softening.

Figure. 4: Principle of demineralisation.

Figure 5: The principle of process water treatment using the example of reverse osmosis.


an almost salt-free water quality, which comes through the membrane and•the very salty waste water, which is directed past the membrane•

Very hard water qualities have to be softened prior to the osmosis. RO water also has to be treated for preparation of the fountain solution (Figure 5).

Treatment of demineralised waterPractical experiences show that water without hardness-causing components is not

very suitable for offset printing. This particularly applies if no re-hardening is done by the paper (see ‘Interactions of alkaline papers with acid fountain solutions’). Hardness-causing components have a positive effect on the ink/water balance. Therefore, such components have to be added to soft or treated water. The hardness should be in the range of 8- 12°dH (dH - German hardness). In this context, two possibilities have to be discussed:

1. Mixture with tap waterThe inexpensive solution can be used whenever the water quality is constant and no

disturbing salts, e.g. corrosive chlorides, are available.

2. Rehardening with AQUATREAT:A special additive, which, in addition to natural hardness-causing components, also

contains preservatives. Suitable water quality is one of the preconditions to guarantee an unproblematic printing process. In addition, it is absolutely necessary that the fountain solution additive has been adjusted to the application. Nowadays, modern fountain solution additives comply with a variety of requirements:

Stabilisation of pH value in a favourable range for printing•Protection against corrosion of printing plate•Protection against formation of odour and slime in fountain solution circuit•Specific setting of surface tension to improve wetting and control emulsification•Prevention of insoluble calcium salts (stripping)•Reduction of piling on blanket•Protection against corrosion (printing press)•

In addition to the level of hardness, the pH value of process water is also significant. If the water is too acidic, the drying process is protracted. If it is too alkaline, it can have an adverse effect on the clean running of the plate. That can be counteracted by using dampening solution additives. When used correctly, it ensures a constant pH value of between 4.8 and 5.3.

Where does the term ‘pH value’ come from?

There are different explanations for the derivation of the term ‘pH’, e.g. (Latin) potentia hydrogenii or pondus hydrogenii. They all have in common the reference to hydrogen. The exact scientific definition - negative logarithm of hydrogen ion concentration (activity) is very abstract. Figure 6 intends to show the correlations in a graph: The pH value is a measure for the acid concentration. Pure water, for example, has a pH value of 7,

which means that acids and bases are ‘in balance’. For pH values smaller than 7, the acid concentration is increasing and the bases concentration is decreasing. Correspondingly pH values higher than 7 mean a higher base concentration and a lower acid concentration. Taking into consideration the definition for ‘common logarithm’, a pH value change of

Figure 6: Correlation between acid concentration and pH value.


one unit, e.g. pH = 5 to pH = 4 means a tenfold higher acid concentration. Consequently, small changes in pH value may have a big influence. Figure 7 shows typical pH values of various solutions.

Importance for offset printingThe acid concentration in the fountainsolution

influences a variety of properties during the printing process (Figure 8): running clean of printing plate, water take-up / emulsification of printing ink, oxidative drying of printing ink, durability of press materials and reaction of fountain solution with paper.Taking all influences into consideration, a pH range of 4.8 to 5.3, Inks, fountain solutions and plates have been adjusted to the range, a fundamental change of the pH range requires a completely new adjustment of all components.

Stabilisation of pH valueTo set and stabilise the pH value, fountain

solution additives contain buffer systems, which consist of blendings from acids and bases. They only change the pH value minimally, if small quantities of acid or alkaline impurities are added and thus guarantee a constant pH value, even with exterior influences such as paper or ink components in the water. The quality of a buffer system is characterised by its buffer capacity (Figure 9). The buffer capacity provides a measure for the quantity of other substances, e.g. calcium carbonate from paper coating, can be added, without considerably changing the pH value. Buffer systems show characteristic behaviours. The concentration of the buffer (fountain solution additive) and the pH value are in no direct (linear) correlation. That is, the pH value

cannot be used to examine the added quantity of fountain solution additive. Such a measure is only possible by measuring the conductivity.

Measurement of pH valueThe pH value can be measured with electronic devices or with test strips. The common

test strips show an accuracy of ca. +/- 0.5 pH units, i.e. a ‘measured value’ of 4.8 can also be reached by a fountain solution with a pH value of 4.3. Due to such inaccuracies, the measurement with an electronic device should be preferred.

The devices show, depending on their purchasing price, an accuracy of +/- 0.1 to +/- 0.01 pH units. A calibration of the used devices should be possible. In addition to pH value and temperature, the devices often measure the conductivity, which provides information on impurities, etc.

Figure 7: Typical pH values of various solutions.

Solution pH value

gastric liquid 0.9 - 2.3

lemon juice 2.2 - 2.3

vinegar 3.0 - 3.1

fountain solution 4.8 - 5.3

milk 6.4 - 6.7

water, pure 7.0

blood 7.38

sea water 7.8 - 8.2

soap 8.2 - 8.7

limewater 12.3

Figure 8: The influence of pH value on printing properties.

Figure 9: Stabilisation of pH value by good buffer capacity.


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What is ‘conductivity’? Conductivity is a measure of the ability to

conduct electric current. In solutions, it is caused by breaking down salts in electrically loaded particles, so-called ions. The higher the salt concentration, the higher the conductivity. The conductivity is determined by the water quality and the used fountain solution additive. Conductivity is not relevant for the printability, i.e. unlike for the pH value there is no favourable range for printing, above or below

which printability problems occur. Despite it, we recommend not to exceed a conductivity of ca. 1500 μS for freshly mixed fountain solutions. The recommendation is based on the correlation between conductivity and salt concentration: Higher conductivities (= higher salt concentrations) may cause corrosion in printing presses.

Conductivity and quantity of fountain solution additiveConductivity is a direct (linear) measure for the concentration of the fountain solution

additive and with restrictions can be used to determine the exactness of the dosage. In this context, it has to be considered that tap water already has a conductivity which may influence the measuring result. Only demineralised water has (almost) no conductivity. The conductivity is strongly influenced by the fount concentration as well as by impurities from ink and paper components. Therefore, a determination of the concentration is only possible with freshly mixed fountain solutions and a constant fount concentration. On the other hand, regular measurement of conductivity allows conclusions regarding the pollution level of the fountain solution, because conductivity increases with increasing pollution.

Figure 10: Behaviour of pH and conductivity on different fount solutions.

QuadTech to launch water control capabilityQuadTech will introduce an enhanced version

of its Color Control and Web Inspection System with AccuCam, adding automated, on-the-fly water control management at drupa (Hall 17/ A10). The new water control feature reduces the occurrence of common newspaper printing problems such as scumming and fan-out, by automatically adjusting ink and water levels. Traditionally, maintaining the right balance of ink and plate dampening in offset printing has been a time-consuming, labour-intensive task. AccuCam’s high sensitivity to water-balance deviations ensures the actions are fulfilled at full press speed, freeing the press operator to use time more economically.

Says QuadTech product manager Greg Wuenstel: “AccuCam with water control provides a single solution for ensuring reliable image-based color control and water balance. This development will not only ensure optimum quality throughout the print run, but will also further reduce labor, and

help printers realise ink savings.” Accurate ink and water balance is critical in order to prevent defects such as scumming, and to ensure optimal ink yields. Automating this process ensures consistency and eliminates the probability of human error, which can lead to overcompensation of ink or water settings and overuse of ink.

QuadTech’s Color Control and Web Inspection System with AccuCam is an automated, image-based, closed-loop color control system that provides accuracy and consistency, detecting real-time defects across the entire printed web. The AccuCam system utilises a proprietary 6-channel spectral sensor for CIELAB image-based color control. Analysing the entire image, AccuCam automatically compares the data to target aim point values from a high resolution prepress file, eliminating the need for colorbars or graybars. The system makes automatic ink key adjustments for consistent high color quality and accuracy.

WHAT TO EXPECT AT DRUPA


Benefits a mailroom inserting system offers

At the WAN-IFRA Conference 2011, P.T. Bhasi, in charge of maintenance and production at Mathrubhumi, spoke about the considerations before installing a mailroom inserting system as well as possible revenue opportunities that could be created to justify the decision to opt for one. Whether for a quality product or for enhanced revenue, the inserter was the answer, he said. Sashi Nair reports

P.T. Bhasi, deputy general manager, Maintenance & Production, Mathrubhumi (started in 1823 as a bi-weekly), is a mechanical engineer who joined the maintenance section in the company in 1987 and has been holding the responsibility of production since 1997. At the WAN-IFRA Conference 2011, he threw some light on mailroom inserting systems from the perspective of decision and implementation of projects. “Over the past few years, the newspaper production industry has been aligning itself into categorising its operations into pre-press, press and post-press activities. Mailroom is part of post-press; when the mailroom started developing, print finishing also began evolving, making the product better, and value-addition thus became a part of the whole process,” he explained.

The mailroom, Bhasi said, could be defined as post-press minus print finish; it prepared copies ready for dispatch – to the reader, distributor or advertiser. Explaining the process, he said the press, which ran the hot-run products, pre-prints and supplements, sent the hot-run products into the inserter where pre-prints, received material or samples were bundled into the main jacket and sent downstream, to the stack-pack where bundling and addressing took place. “The mailroom comprises transport of printed material to the stack-pack, inserter or buffer stock; collects materiel, groups and bundles them before designating them for proper dispatch.”

Why is a mailroom necessary? “The days when our press speeds were comfortably low – up to 30000 copies per hour – copies could be handled manually, collected, counted and dispatched. With press speeds ranging high nowadays – up to 100000 copies an hour

– it has become practically impossible for manual handling,” he said, adding that there was also the element of ‘degree of quality demand’. “No reader, advertiser or customer will like a copy that is badly handled or folded, with finger marks. So, such demand makes it necessary to think of mailrooms. From the distribution side, if there are many supplements or inserts, it becomes a difficult proposition especially having to handle

P.T.Bhasi during his presentation at the conference.


them early morning. In Kerala, agents have begun resisting putting the copies together,” he pointed out.

Bhasi also raised the point about what would happen if newspaper bundles reached the distributors late. “The easiest way for the distributor is to skip a few of the supplements. Which means copies will not be properly distributed, and if you are looking for ‘perfectly zoned’ distribution, a mailroom is necessary.”

Outlining the selection criteria for mailroom and inserting systems, Bhasi said it depended first on the products – the format (tabloid or broadsheet), product size, number of pages, the paper substrate used, and specifications of inserts which influenced the performance and throughput of the mailroom inserting systems. In addition, the hot-print stream should be of good quality, with well managed spacing, good folds, and proper laps as specified by the mailroom supplier. “These are things we have to consider even before buying the mailroom or even the printing machine as such. Fortunately, there is provision to accommodate a few of the deficiencies which may be there with existing machinery,” he said, and showed a video of a sample stream, where there was even spacing, with the angles or parallelism of the edges maintained according to the standards specified by common mailroom suppliers.

Bhasi said it was natural to have points of dispute even while installing a single press or a single mailroom system. He recommended two IFRA Special Reports – 3.16.3: Acceptance Testing of Newspaper Press, and 4.11.2: Acceptance Testing of Mailroom. “They indicate how the streams should be, what characteristics press and mailroom systems should have to enable the system to work in tandem with requirements. Also, while considering purchase, it could be a totally new project or an existing plant. An existing plant definitely puts some limitations to your imagination. The level of experience and advice from mailroom manufacturers enable us to manage even with existing plants,” he said.

Whether an existing or new pant, the possibility for expansion is an important consideration. “What you thought of as enough yesterday is insufficient today,” said Bhasi. “Thankfully, mailroom and inserting systems have an in-built facility for expansion, almost all suppliers offer modular expansion possibilities.” He showed clippings of certain products supplied by Muller Martini, Ferag and Schur to indicate the use of technology. The ability to handle higher volumes, speeds, and ensuring delivery of all the material to the reader, as well as quality, were the benefits of having a mailroom. “However, depending on the latest technology, the investment cost will certainly be more.

You need a good stream to take advantage of a mailroom. A bad newspaper cannot be changed into good by a downstream machine. Preprints have to be kept in a proper manner. The more and more complex the number of variety of inserts, reduced performance can result and the production window may have to be advanced to earlier time slots. Also, there are limitations on inserting – everything is not possible, and there are threats of automation failure. Then there is the socio-economic issue involved – the more the automation, more people lose jobs,” Bhasi explained.

What were the revenue opportunities a mailroom system offered? Well, seasonal fluctuation in print content (more during festival time, for example), additional pull-outs and supplements, delivered promotional material, and sampling or zoning, each brought possibilities. The inserting systems could be expanded by stitching, gluing, trimming or having a memo flag or stick, Bhasi said, and it all added to the revenue. <


HP has announced new digital press solutions that offer greater flexibility and higher productivity to help print service providers and publishers meet growing market demand for customised, shorter-run and personalised publications

Technology developments highlight print's important, evolving role in the publishing industry transformation. As e-books and tablet-edition magazines reduce demand for hardcopy volumes, digital printing is becoming a mainstream solution for cost-

effective publishing applications. Publishers increasingly use digital printing to extend the number of backlist titles they can profitably offer in print. Plus, digital printing meets growing demand for personalised and niche publications, such as personalised children's books ordered online. “The publishing industry is undergoing an undeniable transition, accelerated by continued innovation in digital print quality, productivity and breadth of capabilities,” says Christopher Morgan, senior vice president, Graphics Solutions Business, HP. “The companies thriving in this changing market are finding new ways to add value for their customers - from reducing print and supply chain costs to creating new business models.”

The solutions, which HP will showcase May 3-16 at the drupa tradeshow, Düsseldorf, Germany, include:

HP T360 and T410 Color Inkjet Web Presses, offering faster monochrome speeds (244 metres/800 feet per minute), and an HP T230 Color Inkjet Web Press offering faster colour speeds (122 metres/400 feet per minute), for higher-volume book manufacturing; the HP Indigo W7250 Digital Press, a high-volume, roll-fed device offering 33 per cent faster throughput for one-off and short- to medium-run production of high-end colour textbooks, journals, manuals and trade books; the HP Indigo 10000 Digital Press - the

More flexible digital solutions from HP

The HP T360 Color Inkjet Web Press.



first offset-quality digital press in a B2 size format (750 x 530 millimetres [mm] / 29.5 x 20.9 inches) suitable for printing a very broad range of publishing applications, including book signatures; and the HP Indigo 7600 Digital Press, a sheet-fed press offering greater versatility and productivity, improved automation and exclusive special effects for book cover printing.

HP's installed base of more than 60 inkjet web presses worldwide includes top book manufacturers, such as Courier Corp. in North Chelmsford, Mass.; CPI Group in France; and Webcom in Toronto, use multiple HP Inkjet Web Presses to help their publishing customers increase profitability. With their faster, 244 metres (800 feet) per minute monochrome printing speeds, the 762-mm (30-inch) HP T360 and 1,066-mm (42-inch) HP T410 Color Inkjet Web Presses help book manufacturers shrink their turnaround times and reduce unit costs without sacrificing quality. “Turning up the speed of mono printing to 244 metres per minute makes inkjet printing even more compelling for book manufacturers,” says industry analyst Noel Ward, president of Brimstone Hill Associates.

“It's all about productivity and controlling costs and the added mono speed is a welcome addition for these machines.”

The HP T230 Color Inkjet Web Press brings new productivity and cost advantages to colour publishing in 558-mm (22-inch) production environments. Compared to the HP T200, the HP T230 model offers a 100-per cent speed increase to 122 metres (400 feet) per minute in monochrome and colour printing, with the same high quality the HP T200 model offers in its standard imaging mode. The new features of the HP T230, T360 and T410 presses will become available as optional upgrades to existing HP T200, T300, T350 and T400 Color Inkjet Web Press customers later this year. HP Inkjet Web Presses also have new media options, including100-per cent post-consumer recycled coated paper from Arjowiggins and Utopia Inkjet Gloss from Appleton Coated.

In addition, paper suppliers Metsä Board/M-Real and Arjowiggins announced they are working with HP to develop papers that deliver superior performance on HP Color Inkjet Web Presses. HP also announced an expansion in the range of inkjet web press media using ColorPRO Technologies to now include coated papers as well as uncoated. New finishing equipment includes the Epic WebCoat 350 from Epic Products International, which provides in-line UV or aqueous coating on HP T300 and T350 production lines for durability and excellent appearance in publishing applications. Expanding the range of finishing solutions available to customers, Muller Martini - a global leader in print finishing systems - has developed a new, 1,066-mm (42-inch) SigmaLine in-line digital book production system offering a faster operating speed to match the higher throughput of the HP T410.

In 2011, the publishing market became HP Indigo's fastest growing vertical segment as leading printers and publishers worldwide capitalised on the numerous advantages the presses offer. Traditional publishers increased the amount of HP Indigo-printed books they order, and online providers of unique and custom books, including industry leaders such as Blurb and Lulu, continued to see expansion in demand for Indigo-printed, full-colour self-published books printed on demand.

The HP Indigo W7200 Digital Press, which has an installed base in excess of 60 units worldwide, is the primary driver of rapid HP Indigo publishing page growth. The majority of HP Indigo W7200 customers use their presses exclusively for publishing applications, including colour-intensive cookbooks, children's books, textbooks, teachers' editions, and scientific, technical and medical journals.

HP has updated this top-performing platform in an HP Indigo W7250 Digital Press that uses an Enhanced Productivity Mode (EPM) feature to boost colour throughput by 33 per cent. Available in June, the press’s higher full-colour speed reduces the cost per page while increasing the number of pages produced per shift, factors that accelerate the offset-to-digital transformation in book printing by growing the number of high-quality colour titles print service providers can economically produce on a digital press.


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The new, 340-mm (13.4-inch) wide HP Indigo W7250 model is designed for printing up to 10 million full-colour, A4 or letter-size pages per month and offers the exceptional quality and productivity needed for dedicated, high-volume publishing applications. Like the HP Indigo W7200, the HP Indigo W7250 model includes an in-line media primer that ensures compatibility with virtually any standard uncoated or coated offset stock. HP Indigo W7200 users can add the new press’s EPM feature and other HP Indigo W7250-model advancements through an optional upgrade that will be available this summer.

Available in early 2013, the sheet-fed HP Indigo 10000 Digital Press brings HP Indigo's true offset-quality printing advantages to a B2 press size format that supports nearly every type of publishing print job. The HP Indigo 10000 prints 3,450 four-colour sheets per hour in its standard production mode, and can provide 33 per cent faster throughput of 4,600 colour sheets per hour using EPM. In addition to printing signatures or larger, multipage impositions for standard-size books, the press, with its B2 sheet size, accommodates efficient production of layflat books, coffee table books and large dust jackets.

The B2 format of the press also helps PSPs efficiently adopt "long grain" printing and binding of standard-format books to meet many publishers' binding quality expectations. The HP Indigo 10000's ability to support eight- and 16-page signature layouts also makes it compatible with the signature bookbinding methods many PSPs already use with offset-printed sheets.

HP also announced two in- or near-line finishing options for the HP Indigo 10000. One, a signature folder from MBO, helps PSPs eliminate the finishing make-ready spoilage typically required in bookbinding work and offers fully automated set-up for signature-fold work. The folder also gives PSPs a continuous productivity advantage by automatically reconfiguring to handle the different format of successive jobs printed.

Building on the success of the HP Indigo 7000-series sheet-fed solutions, HP is launching the HP Indigo 7600 Digital Press. Featuring higher productivity, increased automation and increased flexibility, the HP Indigo 7600 prints 120 A4/letter-size pages per minute in its standard production mode, and provides 33 per cent faster throughput of 160 pages per minute using EPM. The HP Indigo 7600, which will be commercially available at drupa 2012, also helps PSPs create premium-quality book covers using new special effects.

Spain’s Radona uses HP inkjet web pressHewlett Packard has announced that Rodona, of Pamplona, Navarre,

Spain, is using digital printing technology to produce books with Spain's first HP T300 Color Inkjet Web Press dedicated to print publishing. A subsidiary of ONA Industria Gráfica, Rodona was created through ONA’s acquisition of the printing arm of a Spanish legal publisher, for which the company provides book production and supply and picking services. Before the acquisition of the HP T300, the company only printed black and white books on a rotary offset press, and outsourced all other activities. According to ONA Industria Gráfica’s managing director, Alberto Senosiain, Rodona’s HP T300 is one of the most productive publishing presses in Europe. With the ability to adapt production to demand, the company has been able to virtually eliminate faulty products, storage needs and printed product obsolescence. “With today's book market demanding smaller print runs and ever more titles,

we decided, with our customer, to explore other opportunities and other forms of printing,” says Senosiain.Rodona has expanded into printing customised or standard books and magazines in black and white or colour, which it can produce in small or in gradually increasing print runs, with reduced storage requirements. Digital printing technology has also played a crucial role in Rodona's ability to offer improved solutions to its customers. Products are finished using the Muller Martini bookbinding system.

Rodona is using digital printing technology to produce books with Spain's first HP T300 Color Inkjet Web Press dedicated to print publishing.



First printers’ body in India is 60 years old

The printers of Chennai have begun a year-long celebration of the diamond jubilee of the country’s first printers’ association – the Madras Printers’ and Lithographers’ Association, which was founded on July 28, 1952. At the inaugural of a seminar held recently to mark the occasion, K. Balaji, managing director, The Hindu Group of publications, congratulated members of the MPLA and said it had served its members and the industry with distinction. Sashi Nair reports

Until a few decades ago, despite radio and television, print really had no competition, said K. Balaji, managing

director, The Hindu Group of publications, after inaugurating a seminar to mark the start of the diamond jubilee celebrations of India’s first printers’ association – the Madras Printers’ and Lithographers’ Association. “TV has taken a dominant position and together with the various other forms of digital communication threatens to send print to the background. In the newspaper world, digital media has brought about disastrous consequences. The newspaper industry in the US is an example of how many casualties it has suffered. What are the implications as we move towards greater use of digital media? The consumer of information has an abundance of choices; he has moved from scarcity to abundance. This has consequences for the business. The result is considerable fragmentation; the once monolithic information market has become sliced into smaller segments, each with its own characteristics,” he said.

Balaji wondered how many players each of the small segments could support. “Print is not dying, not yet even in the mature markets. One of the most obvious requirements to ensure the survival and growth of print is quality,” he stressed. He hoped the seminar would provide some answers to the challenges digital media posed to the printer.

Speaking on the occasion, veteran journalist, author and printer S. Muthiah, chairman of the diamond jubilee celebrations committee, recalled the contribution of G. Kasturi (Balaji’s father), a non-technician, yet one of the most knowledgeable about printing. “If today The Hindu is the best printed paper, Business Line equally well printed, and Frontline the most colourful of all magazines, it is because of the technology The Hindu has introduced under Mr Kasturi and Balaji... Not only has The Hindu looked at technology and quality, their labour management has been superb. There is no newspaper I know that has had such a good relationship with labour over the years, and as a result of it there has been a worker’s pride in producing a newspaper,” he said.

How it all beganThe MPLA was formed by a group of people who were passionate about printing in the

good old days – the days of the letterpress, with offset just about making an entry. The first

K.Balaji lights the kuthuvilakku to signal the start of the diamond jubilee celebrations.


president of the organisation was the manager of the oldest surviving press in India, V.M. Phillip. The Diocesan Press, now the CLS Press, had its roots in a printing press started in 1761 as the Vepery Press (with one treadle machine and some type which the French had imported to Pondicherry and which the British had captured) by Rev Johann P. Fabricius (belonging to the Lutheran Mission), and which became the SPCK Press in 1798. Rev Fabricius played a significant role in many ways, such as in introducing the Tamil dictionary (printed at the Vepery Press).“We are what we are today because of the efforts of a few men, who we have all forgotten

and the young generation needs to remember,” said Muthiah while naming the founding office bearers and committee members of the MPLA (besides Phillip): N. Ramarathnam, Madras Law Journal Press and M.R. Appadurai, Premier Art Press (vice presidents); S. Viswanathan, Central Art Press (secretary); F.T. Pithavadian, Fenn Thomson & Co (treasurer); and S. Shanmugham, Artisan Press (Pashupati, his descendent, was present at the function); S.P. Naidu, Modern Printers; B. Madhava Rao, Ananda Press; S. Sriraman, Commercial Printing & Publishing House; G. Umapathy, Uma Printers; A.F. Byramshaw, Aspy Litho Works; K. Sambamurthy, Jupiter Press; R. Venkateswaran, United Printers & Syndicate; K. Krishnamurthy, Photo Litho Press; and M.E. Subramanian, Amra Press. “Only three or four of those presses are going strong,” Muthiah pointed out. “Most of

the children and grandchildren are out of the printing business. How do we make printing presses survive – it is a question that needs to be discussed. Most students are going to the IT industry. When printing engineering was set up, there was hardly any technology worth the name. That we are missing printing engineers is sad. Printing has to be looked at in a much wider sense, as a profession that will continue through and not something that will be closed down in a space of 50 years,” he said.

A 300th anniversary as wellAccording to Muthiah, 2012 was significant – it was the 300th anniversary of the re-birth

of printing in India, or the birth of modern printing. Printing in India had its beginnings in Goa in 1556, when the Portuguese Jesuits established a printing press there. By 1577, the first language types – Malabar as it was called, but actually a variation in name for Tamil – had been cast and used for printing. But by the late 17th Century, printing in India had died out completely and all printed material was imported.

It was Bartholomaeus Zieganbalg and Heinrich Plutschau, the first Protestants to establish a mission in India, who brought about the revival. The two Germans who came out to Danish Tranquebar to establish the Tranquebar Mission in 1706 had been strongly influenced by Rev August Hermann Francke, one of the founders of the Pietist Movement which valued knowledge and scholarly enlightenment. “It was an amazing mission in terms of gathering Indian knowledge. The first Indological information went into Europe with Zieganbalg and his mission. The dissemination of knowledge required a printing press. Which duly arrived in Madras in 1712, together with some English type and a quantity of paper and was transported to Tranquebar. That was the rebirth of printing in India and ever since, printing has flourished in the country,” Muthiah explained.

Printing also spread thanks to another Danish colony, Serampore in Bengal. Zieganbalg’s only son, Gottlieb Ernst Zieganbalg, was governor of Serampore when William Carey and two other Baptist missionaries, expelled from Calcutta, sought refuge there. It was from Serampore that Carey and his colleagues spread the gospel of printing throughout India. “But without Zieganbalg and Tranquebar there would have been no Serampore and Carey,” Muthiah said. He hoped the MPLA would conduct a printers’ quality conference on printed material and recognise the several small printers with Zieganbalg Awards. <

Prrinters are all ears as S. Muthiah talks about the history of printing.


Industry updates

Sinapse to organise Print Productivity ContestThe final round of the global print simulator-based productivity contest will be a ‘face-to-face’ showdown at

drupa in Düsseldorf, Germany (May 3-16). More than 150 students from Asia, Europe and North American have been remotely competing from simulators at their technical schools. UPM is sponsoring the travel of the international finalists to Dusseldorf to participate in the finals. The final round of this contest will be held on May 7 at 3pm at the Sinapse Print Stand (E64 in Hall 6, close to the UPM stand).

The competition is based on solving a series of simulated printing problems in a limited time. The winner will be determined after five 10-minute heats, depending on who solves the problems with the highest quality and the lowest production cost. The SHOTS Heard Round the World productivity contest encourages skills improvement of printing students globally. The event is co-sponsored by UPM, Printing Industries of America (PIA) and Sinapse. Contestants will operate the SHOTS sheetfed simulator from Sinapse — winner of the PIA Intertech Award and used in the recent WorldSkills Competition. Simulators allow the user to ‘see’ the results of process adjustments on the simulated print copy and the related production cost. For more information contact [email protected].

InkZone, Preproofer at ColorBarInkZone technology breathes new life into old presses. With InkZone, a legacy printing press can function

competitively with today’s newest multi-million dollar presses at just a fraction of the cost of a new machine, extending the value of an existing press for many years. The InkZone suite consists of components for online ink-presets, closed-loop colour control, and the connection of scanning measurement devices from Techkon and X-Rite allowing for real-time on-screen visualisation of target and actual values. To date, there are more than 2000 installations of the InkZone solution on printing presses by all established manufacturers in countries around the globe.

InkZone Instrument Flight represents a significant enhancement to InkZone’s already comprehensive list of functionalities by giving print facilities the choice to regulate color control according to ISO12647/PSO, G7, or System Brunner’s Globalstandard, which gives priority to gray/color balance. Another enhancement to the InkZone family of products is the all new InkZone Report. This quality control tool protocols all relevant measured values and shows to what extent the print run adheres to the media standard used.

Several hundred Digital Information Preproofers for the 4up and 8up formats are now in operation around the world. The system is continually developing and evolving through regular use of the latest Epson technology. One of the Preproofer’s strongest advantages is the high registration precision between recto and verso. Output precision of the latest model is assured by a patented control system using a high-definition video camera integrated into both printers. Speed is another strong point. Beyond the original scope of operational purpose for the Preproofer – double-sided proof printing – the Preproofer has become more and more a productive system for short run printing.

The Digital Information stand at drupa is B02 in the new hall 8B. The ColorBar will be run in partnership with Just Normlicht and Tecco.


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Industry Updates

April 2012SurveyRIND

The Magnum platform, from GossWith the market for single-width presses maintaining pace and

evolving, particularly in Asia, the Middle East and Africa, Goss International has expanded its successful Community/Magnum press range with an entirely new platform that delivers higher speeds and lower cost-per-page printing. A printing tower will be featured at the Goss stand at drupa. The new Magnum HPS press has a two-page across, single-around format and is available at speeds up to 70000 copies per hour. Modifications of the standard Magnum platform included such improvements as an ergonomically designed H-frame configuration to dramatically improve plating access and hence job changeover, and the latest design of printing cylinders with triple race bearings, through bearers and narrow gap, reel-rod lock-ups. Other performance-enhancing technical features include optimum web tension control with synchronized shaftless drives for infeed and outfeed as well as on the printing towers; and centralised control of all essential press operations such as adjustment to ink keys, spray bars and registration. The Magnum HPS press will initially be available with 546mm, 560mm and 578mm cut-offs and two jaw folder options – J1:3:3 suitable for production speeds up to 50,000 copies per hour and J2:3:3 for the highest speed production. Both folders have the usual array of advanced features and quarter folder or double parallel options.

Building on the proven quality, reliability and value of the Goss Magnum press platform, the high-performance Magnum HPS model merges the versatility of a one-plate-around format with productivity levels associated with two-plate-around formats.

Dallas Morning News places press retrofit order with ABB

ABB, one of the leading suppliers of automation solutions for the newspaper production industry, has announced a further major press retrofit order for a Wifag OF370 press. The new order comes from the Dallas Morning News in Plano, Texas. The scope of the order includes new APOS positioning systems for two printing towers, new ABB ACSM1 drives for the same two towers, plus hardware and software upgrades for the five MPS Control Consoles in use on the press.

Bill May, vice president, Production, at the Dallas Morning News, explains the move as follows: “We have identified areas of obsolescence on our Wifag press equipment that must be addressed for both The Dallas Morning News publications and our commercial customers.” The decision for ABB was clear, says May, “ABB has consistently engineered alternative solutions which extend the life cycle of our TKS and Wifag presses.” Jeff Gelfand, head of Sales for ABB Printing in North America, adds “this is the first US order for ABB’s APOS positioning system, which uses standard industrial components to replace the obsolete proprietary system previously in use”. The new systems will be commissioned in November of this year.


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Industry Updates

April 2012 SurveyRIND

Goss to showcase flexible Colorliner CPS

The Colorliner CPS (Compact Printing System) press joins the Goss FPS (Flexible Printing System) press in the Goss family of ‘true compact' newspaper press solutions. Derived from the latest-generation Colorliner press model, it incorporates FPS technology features modified into a more conventional ‘non-split' four-high tower arrangement. The Colorliner CPS press is a true workhorse for higher-volume production and product versatility, while delivering the key quality and practical benefits of low profile (4.5 m high) towers and speeds up to 90,000 copies per hour. The new tower on display at drupa will feature the ergonomic Goss Autoplate fully automatic plate-changing technology. Additional design high points, such as uniquely low heat generation within its units, will offer publishers operational advantages through reduced energy consumption and lower costs. drupa will mark the first global presentation of a new Goss Magnum HPS single-width, one-around high-speed press, capable of up

to 70000 copies per hour. Designed for heatset, coldset or combined production, the press offers extended capabilities for producing a mix of magazine and newspaper work with the flexibility of a single-width format and productivity levels associated with double-width production.

The Goss Colorliner CPS joins the Colorliner FPS, providing customers with two versions of compact press platform. The CPS press incorporates many of the FPS design features, but in a smaller footprint, enabling it to be installed on existing press bridge structures. Shaftless drives, with one-motor per printing level, and cylinders with bearer-to-bearer design, as typically seen on commercial presses, provide proven print quality. Users can select press configurations offering double- and triple-wide output, depending on their publishing requirements.

A host of modern features create a highly automated production environment including the Goss Autoplate fully automatic plate-changing technology and automatic blanket washing. Autoplate enables re-plating operations to be completed within minutes for fast edition or job changes, and caters to variable page widths. Combined with the optional Goss DigiRail digital inking system, a number of additional automated features include ink and damp train wash-up, start-up and run-down sequences, automatic pre-inking and roller adjustment (optional feature). Cut-off options range from 45cm to 60cm, and a choice of web widths up to 1905 mm (on the triple-width format) enables a variety of print formats to be produced for newspaper and semi-commercial work.

The press comes with split-arm, reel tension pasters, closed-loop in-feeds and an efficient automatic web lead system. A versatile 2:5:5 jaw folder with twin or triple formers enables products to be produced with up to 96 broadsheet pages.

The Goss Colorliner CPS press is a compact printing system that combines tried-and-tested technologies with innovative engineering design to deliver new efficiencies for newspaper and semi-commercial production.


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Industry Updates


The Next-Gen Goss M-600 pressThe latest-generation M-600 web press, which

Goss International will feature at drupa 2012, introduces new improvements to the legacy of this 16-page model. Advances in automation, operability and integration are delivering industry leading short-run efficiencies that are in step with modern market requirements.

Says Goss International product manager Jean-Pierre Moioli. “We have chosen to display a new unit at drupa to showcase the extremely progressive automation, integration and ease-of-use features we have added to this press platform and the reasons web printers continue to turn to the M-600 model for the most advanced print quality, flexibility and makeready features available from a 16-page press.”

The once-standard four-pages-across by two-pages-around format remains the best choice for many applications, markets and operations, according to Moioli. “There is no doubt that wider, faster presses have radically improved the value proposition of web offset, even in short-run applications, but these presses are for a dedicated medium- to high-volume segment. The market requires a wide range of products,

starting with multiple fold possibilities, high-quality printed pieces in five to eight colours, varnish and inline perforations, plow-fold. Product possibilities as well as compatibility with existing presses and infrastructures are factors that continue to steer printers to the 16-page format. Operator experience, capital investment capabilities and the competitive landscape in some regions are also important considerations.”

Goss DigiRail digital inking is a new option for M-600 presses, and advanced workflow, presetting and ‘smart’ inker technology have been enhanced in the latest model. The features complement Autoplate technology and give the press additional advantages in the race towards faster make-readies and lower waste. The M-600 also offers an automated job change sequence option that allows job or edition changes to be completed without stopping the press. Using this facility, some M-600 press users are printing several jobs per day with an average of 35 - 45 full-colour forms.

The Goss M-600 folder provides full presetting, up to 18 product formats and automatic folder change. High output is achieved with the double-chopper JF-70 or with the JF-65 high-speed single chopper design. Both folders feature automatic fold change, automatic nip roller and chopper adjustments that combine high output, simpler use and less operator intervention to achieve fast and efficient job changes. In combination with the folders, the Goss PFF module produces four- and eight-page sections with up to 150 gsm paper. The latest Goss Contiweb splicers and dryers complete the M-600 press system. Seamless integration of the auxiliary components optimises web dynamics throughout the production process.

The latest-generation M-600 web press, which Goss International will feature at drupa 2012, introduces several new improvements.


Screen to launch automated web-to-delivery workflow

At Hall 9, Stand A40, Screen will launch the complete EQUIOS universal workflow and demonstrate the latest enhancements to its highly flexible and successful Truepress Jet520 digital web press. The digital sheet-fed Truepress JetSX, previewed at Ipex 2010, receives its commercial launch at the event along with several enhancements. The company will also reveal new products at the show for wide-format inkjet and the label industry that further extends its POD offerings.

Says Katsuhiko Aoki, president of Dainippon Screen’s Media & Precision Technology Company.

“Our strategy of evolving into a digital print company to meet the changing needs of the graphics market began in 2006 and at drupa this year we present a range of powerful digital print on demand solutions. Today we are proud to be the world’s leading manufacturer of both high-volume web-fed inkjet printers and CTP devices.”

At drupa, Screen will launch its EQUIOS Universal workflow that has been designed for conventional and personalised printing environments. The single workflow with a single interface drives streamlined production from web to print to the delivery of the finished item automatically. With EQUIOS, users don’t need to operate different device-dependent workflows, each with a different way of handling imposition and colour management, to drive their

variety of Screen and third party CTP, toner and inkjet devices. EQUIOS provides integrated job management with consistent colour management across different output devices. Communication with a variety of third-party finishing systems is automated via EQUIOS JDF. The EQUIOS Autoflow function, which will be shown for the first time at drupa, will allow users to define print workflows according to the product type selected. This can be integrated into any web2print interface so that web ordering automatically generates a print queue and associated finishing instructions.

Colour management is another key strength of EQUIOS that advances what was already available in Screen’s Trueflow prepress workflow. The ability to handle text, graphics and images independently ensures the highest quality results. A world first for Screen at drupa 2012 will be the introduction of a cloud-based variable data application that simplifies the production of variable jobs and gives printers an investment-free entry into the fastest growing area of printing. Designers and data owners can collaborate on projects via a standard web browser before the finished file is sent to the print provider (EQUIOS user). This service will be launched within the next twelve months and demonstrated on the stand at drupa.

ABB focus on modular retrofit solutionsABB, one of the leading suppliers of automation solutions for the newspaper industry, will use drupa (Hall

6, Stand 6E18) to focus on its newest modular retrofit solutions for newspaper and commercial presses. The modular concepts allow, depending on the press model, a partial or complete replacement of obsolete press controls, the replacement of drives and the introduction of new, ergonomic control consoles and state-of-the-art production management systems. ABB will also be presenting some press-specific solutions for Wifag presses, in particular the APOS positioning system as a replacement for existing, obsolete systems. An extension to MPS PlateWorkflow, ABB’s system for the management and automation of the plate production process, will also be presented. The new Press Register module automatically repositions the images on the plates to compensate for any misalignment of the press. The latest releases of ABB’s other production planning and management systems will also be on show. They include MPS InsertManager for the comprehensive management of inserts and direct advertising with complete integration of the commercial and production systems, MPS Cockpit for the order-oriented resource management and planning of the entire production process, and the production management systems for newspaper presses, MPS Production.

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Industry Updates



New offering for high-speed coating, from TRESUDanish flexo press and printing ancillary product manufacturer TRESU

Group has unveiled an in-line, pressure-controlled varnishing concept for high-speed, sheet-fed and web offset printing presses. Suitable for UV- and water-based varnishes, the TRESU Offset Coating Concept will be the highlight at its drupa stand (A62) in Hall 10. Based on TRESU Ancillary´s flexo technology, this new self-regulating concept comprises the TRESU UniPrint Combi chamber doctor blade E-line and TRESU Coating Circulator and a TRESU Coating Conditioner. The system will enable sheet-fed and web offset printers to coat printed products at faster speeds, without the risk of micro-foaming and blisters in the coated surface caused by the transfer of air into the coating from the anilox roll cells.

A key feature of the concept is the company's Pressure Control Technology, which ensures a sufficient pressure so that a constant barrier is maintained between the chamber doctor blade and the rotating open anilox cells, preventing air-bubbles from entering. The UniPrint Combi chamber doctor blade features TRESU's patented Seal System. Rubber seals form a perfect, airtight closure, eliminating leakage at speeds of up to 18000 sheets an hour. It also comes with the patented E-Line doctor blade changing system for safe blade change within one minute. Furthermore, the streamlined and compact designed chamber allows fast, effortless changeover by sliding and locking into position with ease. This minimises coating agitation and optimises productivity.

TRESU’s Uniprint Combi Chamber Doctor Blade E-Line; part of the new varnishing concept for sheet/web offset printing situations.

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Industry Updates


PrintCity Alliance to focus on Lean & GreenAt drupa, a

shared networking environment will be created under the headline, Lean & Green, by PrintCity Alliance members and partners with ‘hot topic’ visitor attractions located

in the centre of Hall 6. The focus will be on the inter-relationship between

lean manufacturing concepts and the latest thinking on environment good practice. Used together, they increase profitability and ensure printers, publishers and packaging professionals stay ahead of the competition.

PrintCity members at drupa are Baumüller, Cofely, Eltosch, Kurz, manroland, MEGTEC,

Merck, M-real, Océ, Procemex, Sappi, Sun Chemical, Tolerans, Trelleborg, UPM, Weilburger Graphics and Westland. Partners offering technology, market reach and other benefits include Finest Fog, Fujifilm, Metrics, PrintGraph and Sonoco Alcore. PrintCity is also working with ClimateCalc, Media Mundo, PEFC, Vision in Print and WPCF (World Print & Communication Forum) on a number of Lean & Green activities at drupa, including a one-day conference.The ‘hot topic’ attractions include:

Digital & Offset Printing – The Best of Both Worlds

Tune-Up Your Web Press – Extending Web Printing Performance

Lean & Green Opportunities – Improving Economic & Environmental Performance

An image of the PrintCity stall at drupa.


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Industry Updates


QI Press Controls launches depth-detection camera

At drupa, Stand A24 – Hall 17, QI Press Controls, a manufacturer of advanced quality control technology, will reveal its recent development for web offset presses: the mRC-3D detection camera. The mRC-3D detection camera has now been equipped with double sensors and automatic self-cleaning. This means an extra gain in efficiency for users. Heat-set and cold-set rotary printing are high-speed processes in which quality and customer satisfaction come down to nanoseconds; misregister and/or colour deviations are no longer accepted in the battle for the reader/consumer. In order to achieve this and meet the need for the highest efficiency, QI Press Controls’ engineers have developed the new generation of automated detection.

The double-sensor technology not only doubles the possibilities but can also cope more effectively with depth; which is the reason for the 3D designation for mRC’s latest detection camera. This concept proves its great added value particularly well in case of unsteady paper web routings and/or surfaces. Since detection cameras in production processes can become obscured, this would usually require printing personnel to carry out cleaning. Now, this is no longer needed. The Automatic Ink Mist Shield (AIMS) clicked into place in front of the camera rolls a new antistatic crystal-clear section of film in front of the sensors and, after fully automated calibration, the precision measurements resume undisturbed. And this without any action on the part of printing personnel, in only a few seconds, at any location on the rotary press.

GMG to present spot-colour technology

Understanding the need among package printers, GMG has been working on the new development of spot-colour simulation. The new technology will see its worldwide release during drupa. Stand B25 in Hall 4, GMG will present its impressive breakthrough in the calculation of profiles for simulating the combined printing of spot and process colours. Building on its reputation as a world leader in proofing, GMG will also be unveiling its intelligent response to various soft-proofing issues. The company has developed a completely new cloud-based tool and will be targeting organisations across the entire publishing supply chain, from advertising agencies, photographers and repro studios, to printers and publishers, through to the brand owners themselves. The new GMG collaboration solution has a highly flexible and clear interface with intelligent tools for central management and control of all correction and approval procedures. The product portfolio will include online colour conversions, allowing users to apply colour correction without in-depth expert knowledge or time-consuming local software installations. Managing profiles for various printing standards has never been easier or clearer. Furthermore, since only hard proofs guarantee absolute colour accuracy, users will be able to take advantage of the integrated

remote proofing function, or even local output, to view ‘contract colour’ results at any time, practically at the push of a button.

GMG ProductionSuite – With its new Wide Format solution, GMG is setting its sights on repeatable perfection.


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Industry Updates


At drupa, Kodak (Hall 5, F09-1) will unveil ten new digital solutions and more than 30 industry partners that enable printers to offer customers new applications and improve operational efficiencies. “The industry has undergone dramatic change since the last drupa in 2008, and we’ve listened carefully to understand our customers’ challenges. Today, Kodak is delivering digital your way, solutions tailored to help them deliver specifically what their clients need,” says Chris Payne, Kodak’s director and vice president, Marketing, Commercial Business.Highlights of Kodak’s presence at drupa:

New 1000 fpm KODAK PROSPER 6000XL Press, a four-colour press that delivers monthly print •volumes of up to 160 million A4 pages.New 3000 fpm KODAK PROSPER S30 Imprinting System, which has the highest speed in the industry •for hybrid printing applications.Developed as part of Kodak’s Inkjet Technology Partnerships program, the TIMSONS T-Press delivers •outstanding productivity, functionality and cost-effectiveness for fully digital book printing, improving business models for book printers and publishers.New Paper Rating Program and optional Image Optimizer Station, giving printers the freedom to print •inkjet on any substrate.New Gold, Pearlescent and Neon Pink printing effects will be shown using Fifth Imaging Unit Solutions •on the KODAK NEXPRESS Press, and new enhancements to the NEXPRESS SX Platform including inline UV coating and long-sheet delivery unit.New KODAK FLEXCEL Direct System, which introduces innovative, energy-efficient, high-power •direct laser engraving for flexographic sleeve production.New KODAK ACHIEVE All-in-One CTP System, which makes it easy for printers in emerging markets •to affordably transition to CTP with Kodak’s state-of-the-art thermal imaging and plate technologies.New suite of workflow production tools, including KODAK PRINERGY 6 Software, KODAK INSITE •Prepress Portal Software and App for iPad Devices, and new versions of KODAK COLORFLOW Software and KODAK PREPS Imposition Software.New KODAK SONORA XP Process Free Plates provide mainstream quality and print capability without •a processor or chemistry, offering streamlined platemaking, removal of operational costs, and a reduced environmental footprint. New KODAK Intelligent Prepress Manager 2.0, the next generation of connected proactive services •that enable printers to harness more productivity and achieve peak quality and efficiency from their prepress systems.

Kodak to unveil high-value image solutions

A first for MGE IndiaFor the first time, MGE Graphic Systems India will have a presence at drupa (Hall 16,Stand A45-3). There

will be units from the PressMate range of dampening, dosing and filtration equipment; technical staff will be available to discuss various other types of ancillary equipment that MGE offers in India – ink pumps and distribution systems, online and offline coaters, and UV and IR drying systems. The company will offer its full range of installation and support services.


Lenstar Lenticular Print Award II kicks offThe second edition of the Lenstar Lenticular Print Award has kicked off and is open for entries. Organised

in the context of the drupa Messe, with the support of drupa innovation park and drupa print media fair 2012, the Lenstar Lenticular Print Award has specifically been created to reward and encourage companies and individuals in the development and use of lenticular printing throughout the marketing and communication mix. It is a good opportunity for the graphic arts community to recognise the growing importance of lenticular imaging as a product differentiator and a mechanism for ensuring that promotional efforts stand out from the crowd. The award is an initiative of DP Lenticular and www.lenstar.org, an organisation committed to bringing the latest information on lenticular and new direct-to-lens lenticular printing technologies. This year’s edition of the Lenstar Lenticular Print Award supported by drupa 2012 also benefits from the support of Fujifilm, Heidelberg and Océ.

The Lenstar Lenticular Print Award 2012 is open to any individual or corporate entity, active in the field of creation, preparation and printing of graphic material (photography, illustration) directly printed on the back of a lenticular sheet with the exception of the artistic project. Each participating individual or company is entitled to enter no more than a total of three pieces, and only one piece per category. All lenticular effects such as flips, animation, zoom, morphing and 3D effects qualify for the award, but must be printed (offset or digital) directly onto the back of lenticular sheets with the exception of the artistic project.

Each participating piece or item is submitted to an administration fee of €60.50 for all categories inclusive VAT. All applications and materials must arrive no later than April 16, 2012 to be eligible. The results of the Lenstar Lenticular Print Award supported by drupa 2012 will be announced on the second day of drupa (4 May 2012) at the drupa innovation park at 5 pm during the award ceremony. The announcement will also be made by way of a press release and the LLPA website http://www.lenstarlenticularprintaward.org. The winners for each of the six categories will receive an LLPA Trophy created by Dublin Crystal and an official certificate delivered by the president of the jury, and signed by all jury members.

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Industry Updates


Manugraph to catch eye with M360, Hiline ExpressManugraph will occupy a 241 sq mt booth in Hall 6 (Stall E 80, 1 and 2). The M360 tower of 36,000

cph and Hiline Express tower of 50,000 cph will be displayed. With Hiline Express, Manugraph offers a sophisticated product in the range of 4-page rotary presses, especially suitable for high-class quality printing of newspapers and semi-commercial products at an economic cost. What deserves special mention is its commercial type of ink train technology : a 10-roller ink train with 3 ink forme rollers of differing diameters and 3 water-cooled oscillators, complemented by a zone-wise controllable spray dampening system. The technology:

Maximises print contrast and solid density•Minimises dot gain and ghosting•Provides sharp dots and perfect dot reproduction on mid tones and highlights•

With UV or heatset package installed, Hiline Express becomes attractive for newspaper printers who also wish to do semi-commercial colour work on a wide range of substrates. Newspaper printers can thus produce colourful inserts, supplements, magazines and brochures; printing daily newspapers with hybrid printing is also possible.

The M360 is a single-width, single-circumference press and is the latest addition to the Manugraph stable. With an excellent price performance ratio, M360 meets the printing requirements of small and medium circulation newspapers and semi-commercial printers. The M360 is capable of printing broadsheet, tabloid, and quarter-fold products. Short web path ensures superior print quality and reduced waste. Pneumatics, brush dampening and motorised registration are standard features; it is also an excellent choice for add-on requirements.


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Industry Updates


Performance up, with Ferag’s EasySert inserting system

Merkur Zeitungsdruck AG, Langenthal (Switzerland), produces weekly titles and advertising freesheets ranging from Berlin newspaper format through tabloid to A4 and A5 for several local communities and regions. Weekly, that amounts to twelve local community titles in A5, ten local advertising freesheets in broadsheet, plus a number of periodicals in tabloid and A4 format. Because there’s been a rise in the number of supplements for insertion into the many weekly and local advertising titles with circulations ranging between 5000 and 40000 copies, and also because further newspaper titles have been added to the list, replacement of the aging inserting machine (max 9 000 cph) was becoming inevitable. Not only delivery deadlines in Härkingen, Swiss Post’s mail distribution centre, called for a higher performance installation in order to achieve and secure the production and delivery deadlines, but also the inserting process itself.

Merkur Zeitungsdruck opted for Ferag’s EasySert inserting system, which reaches an hourly output of 25000 copies. The offline system has been up and running since May 2011 and, thanks to the system’s dependability and ease of operation, it is a real winner. Started and controlled using the touch screen, it is fed via one main product hopper and four supplement hoppers, all of the JetFeeder type. Thanks to Intelligent Repair Control, incorrect or incomplete products have been reduced virtually to zero. Equipped with topsheets, the Merkur team pack the bundles into postal sacks and bins. With EasySert, Ferag is exceeding Merkur Zeitungsdruck AG’s target specifications several times over, so they’re now on the “safe side” as far as both performance and deadlines are concerned.

Bruno Witmer, production manager at Merkur Zeitungsdruck AG.

Ferag to be ready with innovationsAt drupa, Ferag will be ready with innovations and developments

for the production of newspapers, magazines and advertising titles. TapeFix is a new way to secure insert collections. So, processes in the production of advertising freesheets become simpler and less expensive. TapeFix takes the place of a wrapper, making sure that the collections stay together; it is also an inexpensive alternative for inserting supplements as part of the newspaper production process. In the area of polybagging, Polypacer now processes bundles in the DIN A4 to A5 range of formats. By offsetting the inkjet head, or attaching a second head, inline labeling is possible on packed or unpacked products.

MiniSert lets you take a straightforward, low-cost step from the manual to automatic inserting process. The modular inserting

line means that a modest capital outlay can bring inserting production to a new performance level with a low cost basis. In newspaper production, the trend is increasingly towards top performance – with the shortest production routes from the folder delivery to the loading docks. Everything points towards the online inserting process. Now, the Accraply application module can be integrated in front of the JobStack 90 compensating stacker inlet. The solution shows how the MemoStick advertising format can also be used on simple, inexpensive online configurations incorporating components from WRH Marketing AG’s JobFolio series.

At drupa, Ferag will be ready with developments for the production of magazines, newspapers and advertising free sheets.


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Industry Updates


Ilford Biomedia signs up for Ecoprint 2012EcoPrint, the global print industry’s first exhibition dedicated to sustainable printing, has announced that

ILFORD BioMedia is the latest to pledge its support. As well as exhibiting at the inaugural exhibition in Berlin, Ilford BioMedia will join its fellow founding partners on the EcoPrint Development Group, where it will play a major role in defining and refining the event. EcoPrint 2012, 26-27 September, will feature seminars, debates, discussions and advice for print businesses, creative agencies, marketeers and print buyers who are keen to successfully adopt an environment-friendly printing strategy. It will be the first exhibition devoted to driving forward the print industry’s definition of sustainable products and services for print production.

MGE Graphic Systems India has announced its agreement with Harris & Bruno to distribute and support the latter’s range of LithoCoat coating systems within India and associated Indian territories. Says Satish Chandna, managing director, MGE: “Following successful ongoing discussions initially started at the Printpack 2011 exhibition, we are very excited to be involved with Harris & Bruno and be able to offer such a great range of additional products to Indian Printers. Harris & Bruno are an established brand within the world market known for their innovative and reliable products and their wide selection of units fit very well with MGE’s strategy of offering our customers a complete range of premium ancillary products to enhance the performance of their Presses and the quality of their printing.” The agreement was signed at the Harris & Bruno offices in Roseville, California last month and will allow MGE to offer Harris & Bruno products on an exclusive basis direct to Indian OEM’s for fitting on new presses and also to end-user printers as retrofits on existing equipment. MGE will also provide installation and support services as well as supplying spare parts direct from its factory in Delhi.

MGE to offer Harris & Bruno coating systems in India

Evers-Frank Group new principal shareholderThe medium-sized Evers-Frank Group has taken over ppi Media GmbH together with the Bertsch

Innovation Group. Norbert Ohl and Martin Ruhle will continue as managing directors of ppi Media. “ppi Media will continue to provide its entire product portfolio to all of its customers in all of its markets, from software for newspaper planning to iPad apps. Furthermore, as a result of these new shareholders, we expect an exciting potential for development and expansion in the digital world,” says Norbert Ohl, COO, ppi Media. With the Evers-Frank Group as a shareholder, ppi Media will leave the corporate structure of its former parent company, manroland AG, profiting in future from the lean, flexible structures and short communication channels that a medium-sized, family-owned company has to offer. “For us, close cooperation with ppi Media is a further groundbreaking step towards an integrated and, in particular, cross-media print and media group,” says Kay Julius Evers, spokesman for the Board of Directors of the Evers-Frank Group.

ppi Media and the Bertsch Innovation Group merge classic print solutions and digital innovations into new cross-media products and services that go even beyond the media industry. ppi Media GmbH is the leading international workflow specialist for newspaper publishers and printers and the market leader in the field of automated newspaper production. Its product portfolio ranges from classic print solutions for planning, production and prepress to mobile applications and cross-media ad booking and editorial systems. Its head office is in Hamburg, and it has branches in Kiel, Germany, and Chicago, USA. The Evers-Frank Group is a holistic media production service provider with offers for the fields of print, online and mobile. The Bertsch Innovation Group is a dynamic corporate group that presently includes 20 companies from the fields of IT, publishing, agencies, sports, music and fashion.

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Industry Updates


CMG-Schawk tie-up to benefit print providersA partnership between MeasureColor, the Color Management Group and Schawk Inc now offers print

providers a simplified way to collect and deliver print and colour metrics through Schawk’s Enterprise Print Quality solution while delivering print providers immediate feedback on quality measures. The Schawk EPQ solution is a scalable enterprise-class print quality control system that captures data directly from print providers—from a single location or from multiple print locations globally—to improve print quality throughout the packaging supply chain. The customisable print quality communication platform offers tighter colour controls and simplifies the process of entering, presenting and delivering instrument and visual attributes. By standardising the variables, print providers can improve performance and help brand owners achieve greater brand consistency, improved print quality and faster time-to-market. The Schawk EPQ solution captures instrument and visual data from the print provider to monitor printer performance.

The Schawk EPQ solution enables brand owners to:Clearly communicate quantifiable standards to printersCreate a database of print provider informationAssure brand consistency by focusing on key print performance metricsDeliver predictable results with continual improvementsAllow printers to compare print quality at single or multi-facility operations worldwide

CMG was engaged by Schawk as a colour-critical partner to innovate a better data collection system using MeasureColor as a key component. CMG helped articulate and specify Schawk’s requirements to the MeasureColor engineering team that took certain visual metrics specifically designed for the Schawk EPQ solution into consideration. MeasureColor is a fully database-driven system where every user automatically works with common color standard information including references, spot colors, jobs, and tolerances. There are no separate files to load or save and no need to exchange data between multiple third-party applications. The customised version of MeasureColor designed to Schawk’s print quality standards, enables print providers to use one application to communicate directly with the measurement instrument, while also permitting operators to enter visual, non-measurable data, such as registration, opacity, and defects related to production and prepress.

The first SigmaLine in AsiaChina Translation & Printing Service Ltd in Dongguan is the first graphic arts business in Asia to install

a complete SigmaLine book production system from Muller Martini. CTPS is now able to cost-effectively produce softcover books, even in smaller print runs. Until recently, the minimum limit for soft-cover books produced in an offset printing process and with various binding methods was 1000 copies per print run.

“With our new SigmaLine, our objective is to have significantly smaller print runs,” underlines Gladys S. M. Lee, deputy general manager/System director, CTPS.

For John D. Currie, global business director, there have been clear signals from CTPS clients for some time now “that they would like to avoid unnecessary stock levels and therefore seek to enhance short-run production. With SigmaLine, we are able to respond to this trend and we expect this market segment to grow in the coming years.” Naturally, before investing in SigmaLine, Lee and Currie wanted to see the digital book production system from Muller Martini live in action. Therefore, the two of them traveled to Europe to observe how SigmaLine works in production. There is an old Chinese saying, explained Lee: “‘Seeing is believing’, and what we saw in Europe definitely convinced us.”

CTPS plans to use the new production system to produce three million books with print runs between 50 and 1000 copies per year – mostly school and text books for the regional market and only soft-cover books. For its hardcover book production, CTPS, founded in 1964 in Dongguan and currently using 26 printing presses to print roughly 12000 tons of paper each year, is implementing several Ventura thread sewing machines as well as two Diamant booklines from Muller Martini.

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Industry Updates


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46

Industry Updates


Hearst Magazines, US-based publisher of titles such as Esquire, Popular Mechanics and O, The Oprah Magazine, has selected WoodWing’s Enterprise system as their new multi-channel publishing platform in the US, replacing another solution.

Hearst, a legendary name in the world of publishing, will celebrate its 125th anniversary this year. Today, Hearst Magazines, a unit of Hearst Corporation, is one of the world's largest publishers of monthly magazines, with 20 U.S. titles and more than 300 international editions. The Company also publishes 19 magazines in the United Kingdom through its wholly owned subsidiary, Hearst Magazines UK.

Migrating to a multi-channel publishing solution allows Hearst’s publications to enjoy a streamlined production workflow, especially when it comes to creating multiple brands of editions that range from daily to weekly to monthly. Having the ability to manage a variety of media-rich content ensures the production schedule runs in a timely manner. It also significantly streamlines the editorial review and quality assurance process that is essential to each publication's daily workflow.“Building a streamlined and cost-effective approach for collecting, storing, creating, publishing,

distributing and archiving our vast array of content are our biggest challenges as we turn more of our brands into multi-channel publications that include print tablets, mobile and social media,” says Sean Keefe, director of publishing technology at Hearst Magazines. “Hearst’s reason for selecting the WoodWing Enterprise system is a strategic move to align each of our brands for the emerging mobile markets while still supporting our print editions. Because of the size of the implementation, involving over 800 seats, we’ve also looked closely to the total cost of ownership for our new solution.”

Visitors at the WoodWing stall in an exhibition.

Hearst Magazines opts for WoodWing Enterprise

Merv Griffin is sales, marketing chief at 5 fifteen5 fifteen, one of the leading UK software companies supplying dedicated software to publishers throughout

the world, has promoted Merv Griffin to sales and marketing director in order to further grow its expanding markets worldwide, coordinate sales efforts and generate new business opportunities. In particular Griffin will play a key role in extending 5 fifteen’s reach into the newspaper sector where it has seen recent success with a large order of its adDEPOT advertising booking system from Media Norge. He is also responsible for leading revenue growth from both new and existing client relationships.

Following the appointment of Alfred Rothlaender as head of the newly formed manroland sheetfed GmbH on 10 February, the company has confirmed the senior HQ management team as:

Alfred Rothlaender – president •Rafael Penuela Torres - vice president, Sales •Marco Faulhaber - vice president, Aftermarket •Peter Esch - head of Production •Stefan Finger - head of Engineering R&D •Ewa Lohmann - head of Finance •Thomas Heyn - head of Human Resources•

New team at manroland sheetfed GmbH

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Industry Updates


World's largest Quran printer invests in Muller Martini book lines

With an annual printed total of 10 million copies, the King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Quran is the world’s largest printer of the Koran. Starting this autumn, the holy Islamic text will be produced in the Saudi Arabian city of Medina on two Diamant MC 60 booklines from Muller Martini. Says Mohammad Salim Al-Oufi, general secretary at King Fahd Complex: “We strive to be unique when it comes to our books, so this is why we set high quality standards at all production levels. Each individual copy of the Quran is checked manually before it is delivered. Our client, the Ministry for Islamic Affairs, expects zero errors‚ so we must fulfill this requirement. It is for this reason that we also want to be unique when it comes to our production systems.”

King Fahd Complex has invested in two Diamant MC 60 booklines with the aim of enhancing the quality and productivity of its book production processes. The investment by the graphics company, which has its headquarters in Medina, a destination

for many pilgrims, represents the company’s first purchase of a Muller Martini finishing solution in its 27-year history. Al-Oufi explains the decision, saying: “Our technicians spoke in favour of the Diamant system following a detailed evaluation. We were also very impressed by the professional manner in which Muller Martini helped us to set up the Diamant project.” The two new booklines really are ideal for the needs of King Fahd Complex as the original edition of the Quran is not only printed in a range of different sizes (from pocket-size to oversized editions), but the translations are also produced in 58 different languages. The company also prints a whole host of other books relating to religious topics and a magazine that is published every six months.

The range of sizes requires both book lines at King Fahd Complex to be changed over frequently, and it's the flexibility to enable these changeovers that is the real strength of the new Diamant MC. Thanks to the innovative motion control concept, the Diamant MC provides the level of freedom required for optimum book production. The intelligent, mechatronic machine concept optimises product movement during the individual process steps, meaning flexibility and quality are increased, while changeover times are reduced.

The Muller Martini book lines at the King Fahd Complex feature the same configuration: In addition to the Diamant casing-in line, both machines comprise a Collibri gluing-off machine, a Ribbon bookmark ribboning machine, a Merit S three-knife trimmer and a BLSD 650 book stacker.

The King Fahd Complex uses the two identical Diamant MC 60 book lines to produce 10 million copies of the Quran.

ppi Media to expand digital productsThe takeover of ppi Media by the Evers-Frank Group and Bertsch Innovation Group is already showing

results. Together with its partners, ppi Media is entering its first new project – corporate publishing. Content-X, ppi Media’s editorial solution for dailies and small magazines, has already been piloted and successfully installed at a large number of customer sites. AdX, ppi Media’s solution for reserving ads and banners for the print media and web applications, will also benefit from the network for digital media products.

Jin Wan Bao, one of the ten largest newspapers in China with a circulation of 900000, is using Atex advertising to control its entire advertising operation, from ad order-entry to placement and billing. With Atex advertising, Jin Wan Bao has streamlined the operational workflow by eliminating manual processes involved with tracking duplicate bookings and consolidating data for advertising reports. As the system manages more of the advertising workflow, Jin Wan Bao has reallocated employees to concentrate on more demanding tasks. As a result, the company has decreased the amount of lost revenue by minimising mistakes in its billing and production process.“We are very pleased with the installation of our Atex advertising system, which has significantly simplified

the workflow in our advertising department,” says Zheng Wei, project manager for Jin Wan Bao. “Now with the new computerised system, many manual tasks have been cut and proofreading, which is done by the system, can now easily detect errors made in the manuscripts.” Atex Advertising has also improved Jin Wan Bao’s customer service operation by providing a single view of all customer information related to activity history, contract terms, relationships with multiple agencies and reports. Says Jerome Laredo, CEO, Atex Asia. “This is the first time Atex has installed an advertising system in a Chinese environment and both the Atex and Jin Wan Bao teams worked together to make this go-live a success.”

Published by the Jin Wan Newspaper Media Group located in China Tianjin, Jin Wan Bao is a Chinese evening newspaper. Its annual advertising revenue is among the top three evening newspapers in China, which comes to RMB 500 million.

Atex helps Jin Wan Bao increase efficiency

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Industry Updates


New Schur mailroom equipment for Avis Trykk Avis Trykk in Hamar is one of nine subsidiaries of Hamar Media,

one of the leading printing companies in Norway. Avis Trykk publishes along with other titles, Hamar Arbeiderblad, a daily newspaper with a long tradition. The Norwegian printing house has now decided to extend its existing Schur mailroom. The new mailroom equipment will contribute to a more economical and flexible post-press production. Thanks to a highly automated solution, less manual handling is required and production costs are reduced considerably. The two existing inserting systems will be replaced by one new A955 high-capacity inserter equipped

with five stations. Besides the delivery of the new A955 inserter the order consists of an A830 storage system for winding and unwinding of supplements. The storage system will automatically handle supplement feeding and contribute to high production speed with less manning.

Avis Trykk has also chosen to upgrade its stacking/packaging lines. Two new TS800 high capacity stackers and two BAL440 bundle addresser units will be integrated. Furthermore, two TM01-RT cross-strapping lines and one side-welding unit will prepare the bundles for further processing and distribution. One new HQF-20 quarter folder will handle parts of the production, both in inserting and direct production mode. Each copy can individually be addressed using the ink jet single addressing system. Avis Trykk’s mailroom will be managed by the new nova control and information system. Nova is equipped with several customised features that offer high functionality by easy operation. “Thanks to this automated and highly flexible mailroom solution we will achieve a higher output without

increasing the manning. This fact contributes significantly to a cost-saving production”, says Jon Hegge, managing director at Avis Trykk Hamar. The installation will start in July and the complete mailroom will be up and running in autumn.

The A955 high-capacity inserter is part of the new, highly automated mailroom solution at Avis Trykk in Hamar, Norway.

WoodWing Enterprise enhances digital publishing capability The launch of Woodwing Enterprise version 7.6 has helped publishers take full advantage of the high

resolution of the new iPad. Both for print and digital publishing, Enterprise 7.6 includes a number of new features. The update enables publishers to publish media-rich content even more efficiently to print, Web, social media, smartphones and tablets. With version 7.6 of Enterprise, WoodWing has extended the support of the folio format used by the Adobe DPS. Enterprise now enables designers to import and merge folio files, making it easy to re-use existing material or to handle digital advertisements. WoodWing’s Artboard feature, enabling publishers to effortlessly create content for multiple display sizes and aspect ratios, is now also available for the creation of .folio files. It saves time for publishers who wish to publish on the new Apple iPad with its double-resolution Retina display. The option to export background images as a PDF instead of a JPG is another helpful feature for the new iPad, resulting in a much smaller file size, optimising the download experience. The new digital publishing features include new and enhanced options to publish and manage content from Enterprise to the Adobe Distribution Service.

The multi-channel editor included in version 7.6 of WoodWing’s content management application Content Station now offers enhanced handling of tables. Designers can easily edit tables similar to a spreadsheet application and can copy-and-paste even complex tables within a document. Support for previewing facing pages directly within the multi-channel editor is another new feature. The new version offers an updated audio and video player.

Web Printing Machine For SaleFour Color Manugraph Citiline Express -Year 2005

in good conditionCut-off 560mm with four towers, four auto paster

2 Y units and a folder with Quadtech register control systemContact Mr. Cyriac Mathew @ +919819810076

Industry Updates

Chicago Tribune to add Goss Magnapak inserting system

The new Magnapak system with 42 positions will be equipped for address-specific selective inserting at up to 30000 copies per hour. Installation will take place this spring at the Tribune Direct facility in Northlake, Illinois, near Chicago. Chicago Tribune Company will also upgrade two existing Magnapak systems used for preprints at its Freedom Center facility in downtown Chicago, adding dual delivery capability to further increase inserting speeds and zoning capability for the Chicago Tribune and other daily publications.

“Our Magnapak systems provide exceptional quality and productivity, so the decision to add another to support our growing preprint business was an easy choice,” says Craig Sipich, director of Technology and Engineering.

In 2007 and 2008, Chicago Tribune Company installed six Magnapak systems with a total of 254 hopper stations along with Goss Omnicon II and Omnizone supervisory controls to achieve advanced microzoning and selective inserting capabilities. Five of the systems are used for daily newspaper inserting at the Freedom Center. The sixth at the Tribune Direct facility provides selective packaging of the company's total market coverage (TMC) product and several other products for its growing list of newspaper packaging customers.

Sandhills Publishing to add Goss Pacesetter saddlestitcher

Seeking added productivity and the advanced features of a system with servo-drive technology, Sandhills Publishing will add its first Goss saddlestitcher this spring at its facility in Lincoln, Nebraska. The Pacesetter 1600 saddlestitcher with 14 positions will stitch up to 16000 books per hour and accommodate a full range of product formats - from digest to tabloid size. The system will be equipped with horizontal hoppers and full-format hopper loaders. “We were impressed with how crews at other facilities operating Pacesetter stitchers routinely hit actual net productivity numbers that are very close to the full rated speed of the systems,” explains Chris Lee, purchasing manager. Sandhills Publishing installed an eight-unit Goss Sunday 2000 web press in 2007. The company prints a diverse range of consumer and trade publications for the construction, trucking, aircraft, agricultural and computer industries and also provides specialised electronic information services.

ADAM Software acquires Van GennepADAM Software, global marketing and media solutions provider, has acquired Van Gennep Media

Automation Consulting BV. Van Gennep is a specialist in editorial management and publishing workflows and produces one of Europe's leading publishing solutions. The acquisition of Van Gennep is the next step in ADAM Software's strategy to integrate industry-specific solutions such as publishing into its digital asset management (DAM) platform.

Says Pieter Casneuf, CEO at ADAM Software: "DAM systems are becoming a critical part of today's enterprise IT architecture. They are a tool for improving efficiency, controlling costs and measuring marketing effectiveness. Van Gennep's experience in editorial workflows and publishing will broaden the scope of our solutions for all enterprise-wide marketing activities from media management, campaign planning to off and online publishing at a time of growing demand."

ADAM Software and Van Gennep formed a strategic alliance in 2010 with the aim of integrating digital asset management with editorial workflows for an improved management of multi-channel publishing. ADAM Software's DAM and business process management system is used by companies such as Microsoft, LEGO and McCann Erickson. Van Gennep has a well-established position in the editorial market, supporting high profile customers such as Bauer Media Group (Germany, France and Spain) and Reader's Digest International (worldwide).

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On the basis of a Euro 15 million i n v e s t m e n t p a c k a g e , Herold Druck und Verlag AG, Vienna, is ready to handle major tasks. In the mailroom, a Ferag MSD-H

inserting drum operating in 2:1 mode is helping the company master large print runs and narrow time windows.“As a pure contract printer, we are confronted by

extremely variable demands that we try to meet with a flexible structure and innovative technology,” explains Herold Druck und Verlag AG directors Leopold Kurz and Thomas Unterberger. The company prints daily newspapers Die Presse, Wiener Zeitung and – for the last number of years – the freesheet Heute, which is experiencing fast growth. Rising circulation figures in the case of Heute and the potential for growth in the regional newspaper segment have moved Herold Druck to extend capacity and invest Euro 15 million in the facility. A Colorman XXL with Autoprint technology has been installed as part of that programme. For inserting into large print runs, Herold Druck has opted for an MSD-H inserting drum that can be used in combination with a RollStream pre-collecting system for zoning small runs. In 2:1 mode, Herold Druck processes 75000 copies an hour through one inserting drum, and is thus able to cope with large circulations and tight time frames, and also insert supplements.“We print the freesheet Heute on two machines in

4-up, so overall we can insert at three times the speed using the new and the existing inserting drums. Adding 560,000 products at a speed of 30,000 copies an hour is not going to happen in a reasonable time. So 2:1 production means we can look at much larger production runs while opening up new business opportunities for our customers,” is how Leopold Kurz sums up his experience.

Ferag helps Herold Druck master large print runs

The MSD-H inserting drum copes with large circulations and tight time frames.


General NewsGeneral News

Violence against Pakistani press condemned

The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers has called on Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari to end violence and intimidation against media professionals and take strong measures to end impunity in Pakistan, the world’s most dangerous country for journalists. “Twenty-nine journalists have been killed in

Pakistan in the past five years, many of them for carrying out their professional duties. Very few, if any, of the perpetrators have been brought to

justice,” the WAN-IFRA Board said in a resolution issued during its meeting on March 1st in Dubai. The resolution called for the government to ensure that state agencies carry out their duty to protect, not intimidate, journalists. It also called on President Ali Zardari to ensure media professionals can conduct their work without fear of violence or retribution.

World press calls for reform in Ecuador

The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers and the World Editors Forum have welcomed Ecuador President Rafael Correa’s decision to pardon the executives and former opinion editor of the El Universo newspaper, but said the charges and conviction should never have occurred in the first place. “We are delighted that President Correa has decided to issue a pardon, but the charges should never have been issued and the Ecuadorean courts should never have levied jail sentences and a US$40 million fine,” the global organisations said in a statement. “We are also pleased that the president has decided to withdraw a separate suit against Juan Carlos Calderón and Christian Zurita, two journalists who were ordered to pay US$2 million,” the statement said. “Jail sentences and excessive fines have a chilling effect on the press and violate all standards of freedom of expression. We call on the president to ensure that Ecuador reforms its libel laws to conform with international standards.”

Ecuador’s National Court of Justice earlier this month upheld a libel judgment, a 40 million dollar fine and 3-year prison sentences against El Universo and its directors Carlos, César and Nicolas Pérez. Two of them fled the country, while a third took refuge in the Panamanian Embassy in Quito. The origin of the claim was an article critical of the president entitled ‘Stop the lies’ of 6 February 2011 written by the newspaper’s former opinion editor, Emilio Palacio, who is currently exiled in the United States following his sentence of three years in prison in December 2011. In the separate case, a regional civil court sentenced journalists Juan Carlos Calderón and Christian Zurita on 6 February 2012 to pay 1 million dollars each in moral damages to the President, following the publication of an article on cases of

P.K. Roy passes awayP.K. Roy, former chairman of the Press Trust

of India, died on March 24th. He was 91. Roy was president of the Indian Newspaper Society and the Audit Bureau of Circulation for several terms. He began his career in journalism with The Times of India in 1953. He started the Bombay edition of Sakaal in the 1970s, returned to Kolkata in 1974 and joined the Amrita Bazar Patrika and Jugantar Group. He started the Bengali daily Aajkaal in the 1980s and retired as its editor-in-chief in 2004.

Roy did his MSc in Physics from the Benaras Hindu University and a course in printing technology from the United Kingdom. He was instrumental in starting 12 editions of The Times of India and was one of the youngest general managers of TOI at the age of 40. Roy wrote several books including Shukhadya Shubochon, Mahabhoj Raajbhoj, Deshe Bideshe and Podyopotre Jolobindu. He was responsible for introducing modern printing technology in Eastern India. He wrote articles on various topics and issues, and in particular, food and travel, in various newspapers and magazines.

The INS expressed deep shock and sorrow at the demise of Roy. A statement by INS said he would be remembered for his stellar contributions to the newspaper industry, his unflappable and personable temperament and his sagacity in resolving knotty issues that confronted the industry in an era of regulations and controls. Roy was a source of inspiration to an entire generation of newspaper professionals.

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official corruption and alleged knowledge of it by the president.

WAN-IFRA conducted a five-day mission to Ecuador in November and found “an increasing polarisation and climate of hostility amongst media professionals and society as a whole”. A report on the mission issued in January said the government was carrying out “a sophisticated strategy of marginalizing all voices independent of state power.”

Release of Saudi Arabian journalist sought

The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers and the World Editors Forum have called for the immediate release of Saudi Arabian journalist and blogger Hamza Kashgari, who was arrested on charges of apostasy after posting tweets about the Prophet Mohammed. In a letter to King Abdallah bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud, the global Mr Kashgari’s right to freedom of expression, as enshrined by Articles 18 and 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. “We urge you to ensure that in future your country fully respects internationally recognised rights to free expression and freedom of religious belief,” the letter said.

Mr Kashgari’s tweets were written in the form of a conversation with the Muslim prophet and were posted the day before the anniversary of the prophet’s birthday. After facing public outcry from the country’s rulers, Kashgari publicly apologised, but it failed to placate his critics. He fled to Malaysia on February 6, but was deported back to Saudi Arabia on February 12. He is awaiting trial in Saudi Arabia, a country in which apostasy is a crime that carries the maximum penalty of death. WAN-IFRA and WEF called on the King to ensure Mr Kashgari’s immediate release.”

Anabel Hernández gets Golden Pen of Freedom

Anabel Hernández, a Mexican journalist and writer known for her investigative reporting on corruption and the abuse of power in Mexican politics, has been awarded the 2012 Golden Pen of Freedom, the annual press freedom prize

of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers. Hernández, who has worked on national dailies including Reforma, Milenio, El Universal and its investigative supplement La Revista, currently contributes to the online news site Reporte Indigo. Her most recent book, Los Señores del Narco / The Drug Traffickers (2010), details the complicities between organised crime and high-level authorities, from government officials to the police, the military and the business community. She has received numerous death threats after the book’s publication.

In making the award, the WAN-IFRA Board, meeting in Dubai, said: “Mexico has become one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists, with violence and impunity remaining major challenges in terms of press freedom. In making this award, WAN-IFRA recognises the strong stance Ms Hernández has taken, at great personal risk, against drug cartels. Her actions help ensure the development of good, unrestricted investigative journalism in the region. The award also sends a clear message to the Mexican government that it is the duty of the state to provide an environment in which citizens are able to exercise their right to freedom of expression without fear of violence. The authorities clearly need to do more to ensure the protection of journalists and to end the impunity that surrounds those who believe killing journalists will silence the freedom of the press.”

In a 2011 interview she gave to Quien Resulte Responsable TV, Hernández said she was driven to focus on investigative journalism after the kidnapping and murder of her father in December 2000, in Mexico City. Police investigators told the family that they were only willing to investigate the crime if the family paid them. “Corruption grows through silence,” she has said. “If journalists of my generation keep silent, if we give up to our work for fear or complicity, journalists after us will be condemned to kneel to this corruption. I hope I will live and see that that never happens.”

The rise of the Mexican drug cartels and the subsequent war against them has plunged Mexico into one of the darkest periods of its contemporary history, with a wave of violence that has cost the lives of more than 50,000 people in just five years. The effects on the media have been equally devastating, with at least 30 media professionals killed since the start of the government’s offensive. A news

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blackout affects several regions in the north of the country as drug cartels - the de facto authority in many areas - rarely hesitate when it comes to physically silencing investigative reporters.

Strong growth for TOI, Hindu, HT

IRS 2011 Q4 results have brought much cheer to the top 10 English dailies camp with seven dailies seeing growth in their average issue readership. However, The Economic Times and The Tribune have slid in the rankings. The Times of India leads the list with an AIR of 7616000, up 2 per cent from the AIR of 7467000 in IRS 2011 Q3. The paper added 149000 readers during the quarter. Hindustan Times follows with an AIR of 3791000 in the quarter, up from an AIR of 3733000 in the previous quarter. The paper added 58000 readers, seeing a growth of 1.5 per cent. The Hindu, placed third, has seen 3.27 per cent growth in its AIR at 2240000 in Q4. The paper added 71,000 readers during the quarter. The Telegraph has seen a marginal growth in AIR from 1266000 in IRS 2011 Q3 to 1273000 in the quarter. Deccan Chronicle lost 60000 readers during the quarter. The paper’s Q4 AIR stands at 1034000, down from 1094000 in the previous quarter, down 5.48 per cent. DNA and Mumbai Mirror have seen growth in AIR numbers. DNA’s Q4 AIR stands at 897000, while Mumbai Mirror has recorded an AIR of 803000, a growth of 5.65 per cent, the highest among the top English dailies. Mumbai Mirror moves up a step to be ranked seventh amongst the top English dailies, in the process surpassing The Economic Times, which has seen a decline in its AIR. The only business daily in the list recorded an AIR of 790000 in IRS Q4, losing 22000 readers in the quarter, a decline of 2.7 per cent. The New Indian Express, which was ranked tenth in IRS 2011 Q3, has moved up a notch to No. 9 with an AIR of 637000, adding 44000 readers in the process. The Tribune has seen a marginal dip in its AIR at 585000 and has lost 14000 readers during the quarter.

Dainik Jagran is leading Hindi daily

Six of the top 10 Hindi dailies saw growth in IRS 2011 Q4. Rajasthan Patrika grew the fastest at

24.9 per cent; Dainik Bhaskar lost 274000 readers during the quarter. Dainik Jagran leads the list with an average issue readership of 16410000 in IRS 2011 Q4, down 0.29 per cent from previous quarter’s AIR of 16458000. The paper lost 48000 readers during the quarter. Dainik Bhaskar saw a decline of 1.84 per cent in its AIR, which stood at 14602000 in IRS 2011 Q4, as against 14876000 in the previous quarter. Hindustan saw a marginal rise in its AIR at 12045000 from 12033000 in Q3, adding 12000 readers. It was a marginal rise for Amar Ujala too, which added 6000 readers during the quarter, taking its AIR to 8842000 in Q4 as against 8836000 in IRS 2011 Q3. Rajasthan Patrika lost 71000 readers during the quarter taking its AIR down to 6847000 in IRS 2011 Q4. Punjab Kesari saw a marginal hike in AIR at 3330000 from 3326000 in Q3. Navbharat Times lost 8000 readers during the quarter and its AIR stood at 2573000 in IRS 2011 Q4. Prabhat Khabar saw a healthy growth of 6.01 per cent, registering an AIR of 2187000 in Q4 from 2063000 in the previous quarter. The paper added 124000 readers during the quarter. But the most impressive growth was recorded by Rajasthan Patrika, which added 357000 readers during the quarter taking its AIR to 1787,000 in IRS 2011 Q4 from 1,430,000 in the previous quarter. Nai Dunia, which slid to the tenth position, saw a slight growth in its AIR at 1649000 in Q4, as against 1630000 the previous quarter.

Growth for six top-10 language dailies

Six of the top 10 language dailies have seen growth as per the IRS 2011 Q4 results. Marathi dailies Lokmat and Daily Sakal have seen good growth, while Telugu daily Eenadu lost the most number of readers during the quarter. Malayala Manorama leads the language dailies’ list with an average issue readership of 9937000 in IRS 2011 Q4, up from an AIR of 9912000 in the previous quarter. The Malayalam daily added 25000 readers during the quarter. Lokmat registered a strong growth in IRS 2011 Q4, taking its AIR to 7562000 from 7438000 in Q3. Tamil daily Daily Thanthi, too, saw a hike in its Q4 AIR at 7503000 from 7447000 in the previous quarter. The paper added 56,000 readers during the quarter. Mathrubhumi, ranked fourth among language dailies has added 36000 readers during

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the quarter, registering an AIR of 6666000 from 6630000 in IRS 2011 Q3.At No. 5 is Ananda Bazar Patrika. The Bengali daily has seen a decline in its AIR at 6049000 from 6098000 in the previous quarter. The paper lost 49000 readers during the quarter. The steepest decline has been recorded by Eenadu. The Telugu daily lost 110 readers during the quarter taking its AIR down from 6101000 in Q3 to 5991000 in IRS 2011 Q4. However, it was growth for another Telugu daily, Sakshi, which recorded an AIR of 5303000 in Q3, as against 5219000 in the previous quarter. Both Dinakaran and Gujarat Samachar have seen decline in their Q4 AIR at 5227000 and 5169000, respectively. Marathi daily, placed tenth, Daily Sakal added the highest number of readers; it registered an AIR of 4,400,000 in the quarter, up from 4273000 in Q3.

HT Media shows growthAccording to IRS Q4 2011, Hindustan Times

continues to grow its readership adding nearly two lakh readers daily across the country. In Mumbai, HT consolidated its position as the No. 2 broadsheet English daily for the sixth time in a row, and is the only one to have grown in 13 out of the last 14 IRS surveys. HT grew by 27 per cent to gain daily readership of 7.81 lakh during the past year. In Delhi, HT continues to strengthen further, remaining the most-read newspaper for the eighth time in a row. HT also continues to be the most read newspaper of Delhi NCR with 22.25 lakh daily readers (average issue readership].

Hindustan, the group's Hindi daily, strengthened its No. 2 position among all newspapers in India with 3.81 crore total readership, which represents an addition of nearly 30 lakh readers in the past year. The gains are a result of an aggressive expansion spree which has seen Hindustan add nine new editions in UP and Uttarakhand in the past your years. Hindustan continues to dominate the markets of Bihar (83 per cent market share) and Jharkhand (68 per cent). It continues to be the second largest Hindi daily in the markets of Delhi-NCR, with a 23.99 lakh readership base.

Mint consolidates No. 2 position

Mint, HT Media’s business newspaper, has further consolidated its No. 2 position with 2.58 lakh daily readers. It has done so by growing its readership in Mumbai and Delhi-NCR. It continues to have the best reader profile among all business dailies, both in terms of metro skew (95 per cent from top metros) and SEC A proportion (71 per cent SEC A). Commenting on the results of all HT Media publications, Rajiv Verma, CEO of HT Media says,

“While Hindustan Times has for long been No. 1 in Delhi and No. 2 in Mumbai, and Hindustan and Mint have consolidated its positions in respective markets, as a group we are disappointed that these IRS numbers don’t reflect the full picture of our growth, and the reality of our investments and our efforts in the various markets of UP and Mumbai and for Mint, across the country.” “However, we will continue to invest in our various markets, to meet the needs of our readers and our advertisers, and hope that the readership growth will be fully captured going forward,” he adds.

English magazines do wellThe IRS report of the current quarter highlights

that the English magazine industry is seeing good growth. Eight of the top 10 magazines have seen growth in average issue readership, according to the IRS 2011 Q4 results. India Today leads the English magazine domain. However it has seen a decline of 1.53 per cent in AIR at 1611000 in Q4 as compared to 1636000 in the previous quarter. General Knowledge Today and Reader’s Digest are in the second and third place. General Knowledge Today has seen a slight growth of 0.46 per cent in AIR at 1092000 in Q4 as compared to 1087000 in the previous quarter. Reader’s Digest has seen an increase in readership by 6.1 per cent in AIR at 1058000 inQ4 as against 998000 in the previous quarter.

Monthly Competition Success Review at fourth position, has seen a growth in AIR of 6.09 per cent. Its readership stood at 697000 in Q4 as against 657000 in previous quarter. Outlook has clinched the fifth spot but in AIR it has shown tremendous growth of 9.68 per cent – 487000 in Q4 as against 444000 in the previous quarter. The Week is at the sixth position but has gained the top position for AIR with a growth of 13.18 per cent. It showed a jump

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from 387000 in Q3 to 438000 in Q4. Stardust has gained AIR of 4.68 per cent from previous quarter’s readership of 385000. It secured eighth position. Fortnightly Business Today and monthly Wisdom have got the ninth and tenth positions. Business Today saw an increase in AIR with 3.48 per cent from 345000 in previous quarter. Wisdom has increased AIR with 2.83 per cent at 327000 in Q4 as against 318000 in the previous quarter.

Top Hindi magazines show decline

Eight of the top 10 magazines have declined in average issue readership (AIR), according to IRS 2011 Q4 results. The new entrant, Samanya Gyan Darpan, has clinched the third position. Pratiyogita Darpan tops the Hindi magazines list, but has seen a decline of 1.19 per cent in AIR at 2001000 in Q4 as compared to 2025000 in the previous quarter. Saras Salil and Meri Saheli secure the second and fourth place. Saras Salil has seen a steep decline of 8.91 per cent in AIR at 1768000 in Q4 as against 1941000 in the previous quarter. In the fourth slot is Meri Saheli Cricket Samrat, a monthly magazine, has seen decline in AIR of 0.43 per cent from 1159000 in the previous quarter. India Today is in the sixth spot but its AIR has declined by 3.94 per cent from figure of 1116000 in Q4. Grahlakshmi is at the seventh position. Its AIR has decreased by 3.15 per cent with 952000 in Q4 as compared to 983000 in the previous quarter. Grih Shobha, in the eight position, has also declined by 3.94 per cent with AIR of 951000 in Q4. The fortnightly, Champak and quarterly Nirogdham were placed in the ninth and tenth positions. Champak has slightly declined in AIR with 0.70 per cent from Q3 figure of 859000. Nirogdham has decreased in AIR with 2.72 per cent with figure of 752000 in Q4 as against 773000 in the previous quarter.

Slide continues for language magazines

Seven of the top 10 language magazines have seen a decline, based on IRS 2011 Q4. The three publications that have seen growth are Bengali magazines. Five publications in the list are Malayalam magazines, while two are

Tamil publications. Vanitha leads among language publications, but has witnessed decline in its average issue readership at 2516000 in Q4, down 2.85 per cent from 2590000 in the previous quarter. Malayala Manorama too has seen a decline in its AIR, down 7.72 per cent from 1307000 in IRS 2011 Q3 to 1206000 in the quarter. Bengali weekly Karmakshetra has seen a 4.10 per cent increase in its AIR at 1090000 in Q4. Tamil weekly Kumudam has seen a decline in its AIR – down 5.24 per cent from 1030000 in Q3 to 976000 in Q4. Weeklies Karmasangsthaan (ranked fifth) and Saptahik Bartaman (ranked tenth) are the two other Bengali publications to witness growth in Q4. While Karmasangsthaan has seen a growth of 6.08 per cent in its AIR at 907000, Saptahik Bartaman has grown the fastest at 7.94 per cent, registering an AIR of 720000 in the quarter. In contrast, Malayalam publications Mathrubhumi Arogya Masika, Balarama and Mathrubhumi Thozhil Vartha have seen decline the quarter. Mathrubhumi Arogya Masika has seen a 6.98 per cent decline in its AIR at 892000, while Balarama’s AIR is down 5.52 per cent at 804000. Mathrubhumi Thozhil Vartha has seen the steepest decline of 8.56 per cent in its AIR, which stands at 758000 in IRS 2011 Q4. It is decline for Tamil weekly Ananda Vikatan as well; its Q4 AIR stands at 728000, down 6.78 per cent from 781000 in the previous quarter.

Condè Nast launches Architectural Digest India

Condè Nast India launched Architectural Digest India on March 9th. The Indian edition of the bi-monthly magazine is the ninth edition in the world and the second English language one. Architectural Digest will showcase beautiful homes through its still-life photo shoots, trend stories, profiles of architects and designers, and tips from experts.“Condè Nast entered the Indian market only five

years ago. In that time we have brought Vogue, GQ Conde Nast Traveller and our Digital platform to the Indian consumer. Architectural Digest is our fourth title,” says Alex Kuruvilla, managing director, Condè Nast India, while speaking to exchange4media. Priced at Rs 150, Architectural Digest is targeted at affluent Indian men and women belonging to the age group of 25 to 50 years. It is for people looking to create lush living spaces and willing to invest significant amount of money on their homes.

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Oona Dhabhar, marketing director, Condè Nast India says, “Our aim is to capture the attention of new home owners and renovators, architects and designers as well as design enthusiasts. The magazine will be available in general news stand, key book stores, airport bookstores and other non-conventional stores.” “Most of the stories will be produced specifically for the Indian audience. But Architectural Digest India is part of a network of nine editions around the world, which means we will use material on international homes, so that the magazine is rooted in India but has a global perspective,” says Manju Sara Rajan, editor. Architectural Digest is present in the United States, Italy, Germany, France, Mexico, Russia, Spain and China.

Awards for media journalists in Assam

In the presence of Bertil Lintner, eminent journalist from Bangkok, and Assam Chief Minister Traun Gogoi, more than 25 television journalists and media persons were felicitated on March 18 with the Electronic Media Forum Assam Media Awards at a glittering function held at the Ravindra Bhawan. Each of the award winners received a citation, a trophy and a cheque for Rs 10000.

The award winners were Frontier TV (Best Graphics), Khoj of Prime News (Best Programme), Bandhabi of Rang (Best Programme on Women’s Issues), News Time Assam (Best Sports Reporting), News Network (Best Upcoming Channel 2011) where the joint awards went to Anupam Bordoloi (NETV) and Atraye Dey (DY365) for Best Video Editors, Manoj Kumar Deka (Prag News) and Ranjit Rajak (News Live) for Best Reporting on Environment Issues, Pankaj Pratim Dutta with camera person Ainul Haque (DY365) and Mujibur Rahman (DY 365) for Reporting on Human Interest Stories, Nabajit Barthakur with camera person Gautam Talukder (DY365) for Reporting on Development Issues, Prasanta Mena with camera persons Sanjib and Sunit (NETV) for Reporting on Insurgency issues, Debajit Talukder with camera person Albert Brendo (News Live) for Reporting on Economic Issues and Agnib Gogoi with camera person Ramu Basfor (NETV) for Investigative Reporting. Individual awards were

received by Mousumi Bora (News Live) for Best Voiceover, Nabanita Kalita (Prime News) for Best Anchor (Female), Nituamani Saikia (News Live) for Best Anchor (Male), Gautam Hazarika (DY365) for Best Story/ Reporting and Mukut Medhi (CNN-IBN) as Best Camera Person of the year 2011.

The souvenir Taranga was released by journalist-author Bertil Lintner. Gogoi appealed to media persons to play a positive role in the growth of the society. In his welcome address, Nava Thakuria, president of EMFA, stressed that persons attached to the electronic media needed special security and care from both managements and civil society. Thakuria received the award as the editor of News Network. The event, organised by EMFA, was sponsored by the State Bank of India. The chief general manager, SBI-Northeast Circle, Ram Krishna Gargm was present.

Tehelka, The Week bag awardsThe International Press Institute, which will host

the India Award for Excellence in Journalism, will present the IPI India Award for Excellence in Journalism, 2011 jointly to Tehelka and The Week. Led by Tarun Tejpal, Tehelka is an Indian weekly political magazine known for its expose style of journalism while The Week is published by the Malayala Manorama Group. IPI-India is an active forum of editors, publishers and senior executives of newspapers, magazines and news agencies committed to promotion of free exchange of accurate and balanced news among nations.

Tinkle is best publication for children

Tinkle Holiday Special Magazine, produced by ACK Media, won the award for the best publication for children at the 2nd Comic Con India Awards 2011. The category included single issues of comic books, magazines and illustrated novels aimed at younger readers. The Jungle book, The Kashmiri Storyteller and Three Men in a Boat were the other nominees in the category in which Tinkle Holiday Special won the award. Tinkle Holiday Special was a special issue that had lot of fun activities and fascinating stories for children.


EVENTS CALENDAR

April

April 2-5, organised by Newspaper Association of America in Washington DC: NAA mediaXchange 2012, slated to be the largest annual gathering of industry executives in North America

April 11-14, organised by Ipex in Jakarta, Indonesia: Indoprint

April 10-12, organised by WAN-IFRA, in Bali, Indonesia: Publish Asia 2012. The conference will be supplemented by learning workshops and networking functions including a welcome reception and a golf tournament. The prestigious Asian Media Awards will be presented at the Gala Dinner. Contact: Gilles Demptos, director, Publications and Events | WAN-IFRA Asia Pacific | Singapore (+65-65628443

April 16-18, organised by WAN-IFRA, in London: Digital Media Europe 2012, will provide hands-on skills, ideas and methods for increasing efficiency and revenue in the ever-growing digital world. More details from Priel Manes, event manager |WAN-IFRA+49-17-22-666-219

April 19-20, organised by WAN-IFRA, in Chennai: Densitometry, a hands-on training programme for newspaper production and quality control personnel. In every publishing house, quality control tools such as densitometers, spectrophotometers and plate dot meters have become an indispensable part of the press room. Though the equipment are used every day, confusion still

exists on what are the right settings that has to be used to get repeatable measurements across different equipment. The training provides a comprehensive explanation of the concepts of measurement and the right settings to follow. The training will follow a hands-on approach. More details from Selva Prabhu, assistant manager, Training Services, WAN-IFRA South Asia)

April 20-22, organised by IPAMA at the Chennai Trade Centre, Chennai: Screen & Textile Printing Expo

April 23-27, organised by WAN-IFRA, in Sweden, UK, Germany and France: Study Tour - Advertising Sale Strategies; includes visits to the most innovative media houses and other high profile institutions to get unique insights and learn their strategies for their success. More details from Claudia Wilke, programme manager, Events

April 25-16, organised by WAN-IFRA, in Chile: WAN-IFRA America Latina; speakers will analyse the industry hottest topics and present the most interesting and groundbreaking cases in the publishing and multimedia world. More details from Raquel Gonzalez Benitez

April 25-27, in Bangkok, Thailand, organised by Ipex: Asian Paper

April 26-27, organised by WAN-IFRA, in Guwahati, India: Maximising Readership; the workshop will look at projects, insights, attitudes, examples both from India and abroad in order

to create knowledge, opportunities and tools to engage and increase readership of publications. More details from Selva Prabhu, assistant manager, Training Services, WAN-IFRA South Asia

April 27, organised by WAN-IFRA, in Stockholm, Sweden: Cloud Services for Media Companies; Media companies using cloud services without compromising on the property and digital rights management, can achieve many benefits, including: lower cost, higher quality, higher rate of development and less investment. But there may be reasons to be wary of such as informant protection and security for the news. More details from Annica Widlert, project manager, Events

April 27-30, organised by Ipex, in Hong Kong: Hong Kong Printing & Packaging Fairs

April 30-May 5, organised by WAN-IFRA, from Zurich to Dusseldorf: Printing Retrofit Study Tour - Extending the Life of Your Equipment; participants will find out how newspaper printers in Central Europe are benefiting from retrofit projects and gain insights into other aspects of production. More details from Sergio de Oliveira, programme manager, Events

May

May 3-16, in Dusseldorf, Germany: one world – one drupa.

May 9, in Hamburg, Germany: Pre-conference workshop: Creating


June

EVENTS CALENDAR

July

a Cross Platform Experience - Web, Online, Tablet. More details from Bettina Werner, manager, WAN-IFRA Academy, Publishing, Editorial and General Management (+49-6151-733737)

May 10-11, in Hamburg, Germany: 11th International Newsroom Summit, Smart Strategies for Tough Times’. More details from Claudia Wilke, programme manager Events

May 10-12, at Dallas, US: The NBM Show

May 20-24, organised by WAN-IFRA, in the UK, France and Germany: WEF Study Tour - Boost Digital in the Newsroom; pioneering newsrooms to see top examples of how old and new media are working together to create successful multiplatform publishing strategies, while maintaining a focus on high-quality journalism; More details from Federica Cherubini, speakers manager, World Editors Forum

May 24, organised by WAN-IFRA, in Madrid, Spain: Human Resources and Organisational Strategies in Media. Contact: Raquel González Benítez, Events and Training manager | WAN-IFRA Ibérica S.L. | Madrid, Spain (+34-91-7702454)

May 28-29, organised by WAN-IFRA, in New Delhi: Social Media Workshop; How social media is altering the landscape of communication, overview of the latest social media offerings with special relevance to publishers. More details from Selva Prabhu,

June 5-8, in Hanoi, Vietnam: Print & Label

June 11-15, organised by WAN-IFRA, in Chennai: Summer School – Newspaper Production; for students of Printing Technology, the programme will introduce the latest technologies and the concept of newspaper production to the participants and make them industry ready. More details from Anandaramakrishnan Srinivasan, research engineer, WAN-IFRA South Asia.

June 12-13, organised by WAN-IFRA, in Stuttgart, Germany: Zeitung Digital 2012 (in German); more details from Raquel Meikle, programme manager

June 15-17, at the Gujarat University Exhibition Hall, Ahmedabad, organised by IPAMA: India Print Expo

June 19-20, organised by WAN-IFRA, in Turin, Italy: WAN-IFRA Italia; the programme will focus both on the industrial as well as the publishing side - newsrooms, redesign, management. More details from Sergio de Oliveira,

programme manager, Events

June 22-24, in Chennai, organised by Ipex: Print Expo India

June 25-29, organised by WAN-IFRA, in London, Paris, Berlin: Key Lessons for Digital Growth. The study tour is for managers in charge of current business development as well as those responsible for future digital strategies. Contact: Valerie Arnould, senior editor

July 6-8, organised by IPAMA: Sign India, at the Chennai Trade and Convention Centre

July 10-11, organised by WAN-IFRA, in Bangkok, Thailand: Young Reader Summit Asia Pacific. The summit will look into successful, award-winning young reader initiatives of newspapers in Asia and abroad. It will provide insights into attracting young readers to newspapers. Contact: Gilles Demptos, director, Publications & Events, WAN IFRA Asia Pacific)

July 18-21, organised by Ipex in Sao Paulo, Brazil: Serigrafia 2012, covering screen printing, visual communication, digital signage

assistant manager, Training Services, WAN-IFRA South Asia ([email protected])

May 30, organised by WAN-IFRA, in Stockholm, Sweden: Nordic Local Media Conference. Contact: Annica Widlert, project manager-Events, WAN-IFRA Stockholm


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Yes, digital publishing is here to stay

Tablets might still be a niche market in India, but they are a rapidly growing and promising new media channel for newspaper publishers. Digital publishing to tablets is another step in the ongoing evolution of the media industry. This change forces publishers to define an effective multi-channel publishing strategy, enabling them to effortlessly address any channel and to monetise new channels such as tablets successfully. A special report by Stefan Horst >>> more

Dinamalar surges forward on the new media front

A 60-year-old newspaper has adapted and moved with the times, and moved quickly. Its Web site attracts more than two million unique visitors and more than 190 million page views a month; its iPhone, iPod and iPad applications have recorded a substantial number of downloads and page views, with various apps being made available on the Android platform as well. All run and managed by a small team that is highly focused on delivering value to users as well as clients, and it has paid off well. Sashi Nair reports on the Dinamalar new media success story

>>> more

Director V. Murali

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