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

March 2013 | Volume 34 | Issue 3 | Rs 40www.rindsurvey.com / www.pressinstitute.in

SurveyRIND

How you engage with audience •is the key

It’s quality that will finally speak•

Blankets – how they influence •print quality

In the offset lithographic process, one of the printing cylinders is usually covered with a layer of relatively soft material, and this often takes the form of a fabric/rubber laminate with a rubber face and is termed as the blanket. The purpose of using a blanket is to ‘even out' the pressure differences that would otherwise occur, due to inaccuracies in plate, paper and machine. It is the soul of the offset printing process and its influence on print quality is an important factor. Deformation of a printing blanket is seen in this figure (detailed article on page 12).

Wijeya Newspapers opts for •Goss Magnum

A centralised CCI AdDesk platform •for 23 titles

ProImage NewsWay for 158-year •newspaper

plate cylinder

rubber blanket cylinder

printing form

cover

microlayer

fabric: high-stretch

fabric: low-stretch

BLANKET INFLUENCE

1March 2013 SurveyRIND

FROM THE EDITOR

You must find out how to stay relevant to the reader

It’s rapid, constant change that characterises the news media today, from technology to consumer habits to advertising formats and new reporting and storytelling techniques. These are some of the subjects that publishers, editors and advertising heads will discuss when the 65th World Newspaper Congress, the 20th World Editors Forum and the 23rd Newspaper Advertising Forum get underway in Bangkok in June. The main thing is really what you should do to stay relevant to the reader. Marketing a newspaper today is not easy, especially in the face of stiff competition. Circulation, readership, segments catered to, reader response, quality of the paper and price, all matter, says Nandakumar, former technical head at The New Indian Express, in his article in this issue. So, do truth-telling ability and credibility, although in unseen measure. R. Sukumar, editor of Mint, says at the core of any effort you should have a good journalistic process – you should be ethical and have high integrity. How true! Sukumar’s point must be stressed over and over again. So, is self-regulation enough? Perhaps not. Do we require an independent body with a statutory underpinning to oversee the working of the media? Perhaps not. The Fourth Estate must always have independence and freedom. When social media has changed the contours of the media landscape in ways that were difficult to even imagine a decade or so ago, when television often continues to go for the overkill when sense and sensibility sometimes seems lost in the din of cacophony, where does responsible journalism turn to? Is there somebody who can provide a sense of direction?

***********************

The Indian Readership Survey (IRS) 2012 Q3 data leased by the Media Research Users Council just over a month ago shows most top dailies registering less than one per cent growth. The top three – Dainik Jagran, Dainik Bhaskar and Hindustan – were all growing at 0.3 per cent. Data for the quarter indicate that Dainik Jagran, Dainik Bhaskar, Hindustan, Malayala Manorama, The Times of India and Rajasthan Patrika saw a marginal rise in their average issue readership (readership is the number of people who read or have a look at an issue of a paper, on average). Amar Ujala, Daily Thanthi, Lokmat and Mathrubhumi recorded a decline. The Times of India continues to be the only English publication in the Top Ten list. Dainik Jagran continues to lead, with an average readership of 16474000, having added 45000 readers during the quarter. Dainik Bhaskar is quite some distance behind with a readership of 14491000; it added 43000 readers in the period. Hindustan added 37000 during the quarter, taking its readership to 12242000. Others who made gains were Malayala Manorama with a readership of 9752000, up 42000, and The Times of India taking its readership figure to 7653000, adding 10000 readers, and claiming No. 6 spot. Despite losing 72000 readers in the quarter, Amar Ujala registered a readership of 8536000. Seven of the top 10 magazines in India witnessed a decline in readership. Among the Hindi dailies, seven of the Top Ten registered growth in average readership, with the ranking order unchanged from the previous quarter.

What makes newspapers and magazines tick? I wonder whether enough research has been conducted on what readers nowadays are looking for. Meaningful studies will help editors plan pages better. For example, a resident editor in Pune may like to know if readers are happy with the number of pages devoted to city news. Local surveys usually help and produce far more clear findings/ results than discussions at world congresses and forums. Actually, findings from local surveys can make deliberations at world meets far more productive.

Sashi Nair [email protected]

2 March 2013SurveyRIND

C o

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t sMarch 2013 | Volume 34 | Issue 3SurveyRIND

How you engage with audience is the key


SurveyRINDFrom the editor 1

How you engage with audience is the key 4

It’s quality that will finally speak 8

Blankets – how they influence print quality 12

Wijeya Newspapers opts for Goss Magnum 24

A centralised CCI AdDesk platform for 23 titles 26

ProImage NewsWay for 158-year newspaper 28

A special resource feature on VAPoNnews 29

Industry Updates 31

General News 39

Calendar 43

Cover page image : K. Senthil Vadivu, Department of Printing Technology, Anna University.



In today’s world of Twitter journalism, breaking news does not wait till the following day. News is broken on social media as it develops. How do you use social media effectively? Speaking extempore (due to a technical glitch his original presentation was stuck in limbo) at the WAN-IFRA 2012 Conference in Pune, R. Sukumar, editor, Mint, described how it can be done. He was for all tweets to be elegantly written and being grammatically correct (“you can’t use abbreviations in a tweet coming from a newsroom”). Of course, using social media effectively is much more than that. As Sukumar said, any publication can use social media effectively to bolster what it is doing with its set of core stakeholders. Sashi Nair reports

It was like hitting the nail on its head right at the start. R. Sukumar, editor, Mint, did not mince words when he said lot of people in the media in India looked at the West and believed the same was going to happen in India as well. He called it a “questionable

assumption” and said he just didn’t think it would work for a variety of reasons. For one, Indian newspapers do not charge at cost price, like even those in Pakistan do. And for another, when news went online after the advent of the Internet in the West it led in 2007-08 and thereafter to some newspaper or the other there going out of print almost every other day. That did not happen in India. So much for similarities.

Also, India has a vast rural market, or semi-urban or small-town markets. Regional newspapers, no matter whether it is in Malayalam, Telugu or Hindi, are priced higher than most English newspapers. There is a vast readership in the vernacular and the “tipping point” or the time when digital would make gradual inroads may come some day when people in the rural areas have access to cheap tablets that will help them read news online. Of course, English is the language of business, it is widely spoken in India and many parents want their children to learn English. It provided an opportunity for the print media, Sukumar said, but it was not quite clear what context he was alluding to. He made it clear he was not referring to newspapers such as the Mint, whose readers he referred to as those with high IQ, most of whom had a curiosity about the world around them, who wanted more than just news, who wanted to be provoked, who wanted to know the history, the context, the perspective. Indeed, many of Mint’s readers go online and the newspaper caters typically to the well-held in India’s metros. Yet another kind was local websites such as Chennai Online and Bombay Central; they catered to another audience. So, imitating the West might not be the right thing to do, was the import of Sukumar’s statements. “News breaks in the morning, say at 9am. It’s on social media, it’s on electronic media, it’s

on the Internet. Your newspaper comes out tomorrow morning. How do you stay relevant? For editors, reporters, journalists, for the newsroom, the primary thing is to stay relevant. What have we done? We don’t define ourselves as a newspaper; we look at ourselves as a newsroom. The main thing is what you do. You have to stay relevant to the reader at every


one of the reader’s touch points. For instance, it may be the Internet. So, the minute news breaks you put out on your first take. After about 45 minutes, you put out the second take, which has a little bit of analysis, perspective. We are looking for considered opinion. We know the news – but we want someone to say something interesting about it. Having done all that you have to decide what to do with the print edition,” said Sukumar, explaining how challenging it could be for any editor. Giving an example of news treatment by the Mint, about an annual general meeting at a Vijay Mallya company, he pointed out that the print edition had to be strategically different from what other newspapers offered on the same day.

Yes, you need technology; software needs to be re-purposed or customised even as you improve your process and get more efficient. There is also the question of behaviour – how do you get print journalists who are used to filing one story a day to multi-task. Sukumar was convinced that it was the enduring desire for a reporter to stay relevant to his core group of readers – his sources, other journalists and a few top-end readers whose opinions matter

– that led him to adapt willy-nilly to the changing times. “There is something staring at you in the face and

you don’t realise it until one fine day you do, it’s like an epiphany that you’ve discovered the secret of life. One such thing we realised was that news on the Internet had pretty much become like TV news – on TV you switch from programme to programme. On the Internet, you don’t look at it as a newspaper in its entirety; you look at it as stories,” said Sukumar, describing how treatment of stories for each medium had to be different. “Budget Day is a big day for a business newspaper – an editor’s delight,” he added, and referred to one column on the Mint site on one Budget Day that went viral. Moral of the story: On the Internet, a part is greater than the whole. It turned out to be a “huge realisation” for Mint’s print editors.

Sukumar emphasised it was very important to look at the reader and how people consumed news. “The latency factor has gone down; many take decisions based on what is happening. They cannot wait till the next day. If you want to service such customers you have to be there and understand media habits. We looked at all this and realised we had to change. You can use social media in three or four different

ways. We are still not doing a great job of it; we are still learning. If you ask what newspapers can do in the digital space no one has any firm answer; all of us are just trying. There are little experiments that seem to work but we don’t know whether these can be scaled up.”

At Mint, anything the editors think is of interest to the reader is tweeted out immediately from its official account. Since people have reservations responding to company tweets, Mint has a group of individuals (in-house) who mange to create an extension of the corporate brand. A few of its senior editors have followers and they are used to amplify the relevant piece. “You need to

know who the multipliers are. You have to have a social media policy. Your presence on Twitter will only work if your people engage with those who are tweeting to them, respond to them. It has to be two-way. And then, you will have to make sure that these people follow certain rules. They should know what the newspaper stands for, what the newsroom will do and not, etc, what individuals stand for,” said Sukumar. At Mint, social media is used within the newsroom; tweets are aggregated, which helps getting in touch with sources. “The important thing is how you engage with your audience, how you amplify your messages. Many depend on Facebook and Twitter for links to news. Lots look at their timeline.”

Using social media effectively helps create a brand. Mint is an example. It has won many awards and has one of the best newsrooms in India. “Engaging with the audience… somewhere it will make a difference; it will translate to money,” said Sukumar, adding,

“You must have a very good idea of who you are. The Mint will never be a Huffington Post. At the core of any effort, you should have a good journalistic process – you should be ethical, have high integrity, you should not get taken in by the fact that others are breaking stories. I’d rather lose a story than get it wrong. Just because you are online or on Twitter, doesn’t change it.”

R. Sukumar, editor, Mint, says a good journalistic process must underpin social media.

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Photo

: WA

N-IF

RA


AS CHANGE PROCEEDS APACE

It’s quality that will finally speak

Change is the only permanent thing in the world and you have to look at it either as a threat or an opportunity. If you wish to survive, you have to be flexible and adaptable; if you wish to succeed, you have to be competitive and speedy. And, needless to say, quality counts

In the newspaper industry, change encompasses production, post-press, distribution and marketing. Production includes content (editorial) and print. Journalism in a sense is all about content (editorial and advertising) gathering, composition and transmission,

and assembly. To achieve this, you must communicate happenings, express popular view points, opiniate the public for a cause, be investigative, and guard against spreading rumour or sensationalising for the sake of entertainment. Content production includes composing and transmitting.

The source for newspapers are other newspapers, correspondents, contributors, stringers, ham radio and news agencies. From manuscripts and telegrams and telephone lines (in the late 19th Century), information has flowed into newsrooms from ham radio, telex and facsimile services, and digital devices, email and mobile phones today.

Similarly, production assembly progressed from moveable metal (in the mid-15th Century) to manual assemble and linotype in the later 19th Century. In 1960 arrived the photo typesetter; digital typesetting followed about 20 years later. On the photography side, there was photo etching in 1880 and the photo half-tone five years later. It was only a century later that we saw the advent of the electronic half-tone.

Print production began with the Gutenberg press, oil-based ink and metal types in 1454; much later came hand-operated and steam-powered presses (1834). The offset press arrived in 1875 and the web offset press in 1907. Succeeding generations witnessed improve-ments in chemistry, geometry, practices and concepts. Chemistry, of course, relates to plates, blankets, ink, paper, rubber and metallurgy; geometry to mono- to multi-colour, Y-type units, satellite tower units, shaftless, double-width, double-circumference presses, gutterless printing, variable cut-off frequency, and dampening systems.

(The writer super-annuated from The New Indian Express as vice president (technical) after having served the Express Group for 15 years. Earlier, he had an 18-year stint with The Printers House, a leading manufacturer and exporter of web offset printing machines. He is now principal trainer and senior associate, Vibes Academy, a training institution started by him. This article is based on a presentation he had made at the Press Institute of India-Research Institute for Newspaper Development, on Best Printing Practices.)

Nandakumar K.

A view of a well-maintained newspaper press, abroad.


Practices refer to waterless and heatset printing processes, heatset and coldset integration, UV

printing, UV coldset integration, digital web solutions (which is the future), and inkjet and coldset integration. The past years have seen many other changes, too: inkjet, dot matrix, dye sublimation, laser printing, digital and flexo.

The times have changed so much that today you have a ‛talking’ newspaper, a scented newspaper, a personalised paper, and of course we’ve all heard about free and neighbourhood papers. Today, you have post-press inserts that include additional sections, supplements, thin magazines, flyers, catalogues, freebies and stickers.

Marketing a newspaper is not easy, especially in the face of stiff competition. Circulation, readership, segments catered to, reader response, quality of the paper and price, all matter. Quality has become

important aspect in newspaper production; quality relates not only to machines and materials, but also to work force, maintenance and management. Is maintaining quality a costly affair? Perhaps not as what some may think. You improve quality, you decrease cost. Reason: there is less rework, fewer mistakes, fewer delays or snags, and better use of machine time and materials. Improved quality leads to increased productivity.

So, what it also means is: get rid of bad materials and obsolete machines, and there should be no room for lack of technology, supervision and knowledge. The content must appeal to the reader, must satisfy their intellectual curiosity; in other words there must be a good advertising and editorial mix. On-time delivery of the newspaper, attractive packaging, and a responsive customer complaint service are other must-haves. There is also an aesthetic need that needs

to be fulfilled: better use of font, colour, layout and graphics, and printing.

While talking about quality, you cannot ignore some of the top worldwide standards that help – TQM, ISO and Kaizen. You will need to create quality circles. Remember: quality differentiates; it is a mindset, it is also teamwork. When you improve quality, it leads to more ad revenue, more circulation and better cash flow.

Best Machines+

=Best Mater ials

+Best Men

+Best Maintenance

+Best Management

Improve Quality

Costs decrease because of less rework, fewer

mistakes, fewer delays or snags, and

better use of machine time and materials

Productivity

CASH CRUNCH

INADEQUATE REVENUE GENERATION

LOW

CIRCULATION

INADEQUATESTAFF

INADEQUATEBUDGET

OBSOLETETECHNOLOGY

BAD REPRODUCTION

ADVERTISEMENT

CIRCULATION

EDITORIAL

PRODUCTION

FINANCE

COMPANY

BADINPUT MATERIALS

READERS POOR RESPONSE

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Slides from Nandakumar's presentation (here and elsewhere on this page) that are self-explanatory.


Blankets – how they influence print quality

N. Sankaranarayanan

K. Senthil Vadivu

(K. Senthil Vadivu has a bachelor’s degree in Printing Technology, a master’s in Computer Science and Engineering, and a PhD in Printing Technology. She is associate professor in the Department of Printing Technology, College of Engineering, Anna University, Chennai. N.Sankara-narayanan has a PhD in Mechanical Engineering and was a professor in the same department).

The lithography process has over the years evolved to a design that produces quality print by offsetting. There are a number of demanding parameters that must be studied since they play an important role in achieving quality print. The physical conditions at the impression nip are dependent on the chemical and physical nature of the materials: the blanket, the substrate, and also the pressure-setting of the printing cylinders and the speed of the press. One of the objectives here is to make a detailed study on the mechanical characteristics of the blanket and also the influence of blanket characteristics on print quality

The printing cylinders are squeezed together so that an area of contact is established. The contact nip in the printing press is formed by the conjunction of a very hard metal cylinder with a relatively soft elastomeric-covered cylinder. The conditions

at the nip are based on variables such as the diameter of the printing cylinders, surface speed of the cylinders, modulus of elasticity and poisson's ratio of the plate and blanket material, load applied between the cylinders, and viscosity and density of the ink. If there is a change in the characteristic of the variables, then there will be a difference in strip width, fluid film thickness and fluid pressure throughout the nip. The physico-chemical and electrostatic characterisation of these variables have their influence in the quality of the printed product. A detailed description of the experimental procedures adopted for measuring the mechanical characteristics of the blanket and its influence on print quality are presented here.

BlanketIn the offset lithographic process,

one of the printing cylinders is usually covered with a layer of relatively soft material, and this often takes the form of a fabric/rubber laminate with a rubber face and is termed as the blanket (Figure 1). The purpose of using a blanket is to ‘even out' the pressure differences that would otherwise occur, due to inaccuracies in plate, paper and machine. It is the soul of the offset printing process and its influence on print quality is an important factor.

D1 = folding - resistance to shear; D2 = folding - tension of printing blanket; S1-3 = deformation shearing

Figure 1. Deformation of a printing blanket.


The print quality achieved through offsetting is accepted due to the ability of the compliant blanket to more closely conform to the uneven surface of paper. In the offset printing process, the print quality depends on physical conditions in the cylinder nips where ink transfer takes place between plate and blanket cylinder. The printing process of a sheetfed offset printing press is characterised by a rolling motion under the influence of normal force components. In the process, the plate and the blanket cylinders are squeezed together during rolling so that minimum pressure that is required for ink is developed. The slip between the plate-blanket nip in offset printing depends on the blanket construction, blanket indentation, printing speed, coefficient of friction between the printing surfaces and blanket tension. The contact area between the lithographic plate and blankets needs to be under sufficient pressure to transfer the ink properly. There exists a relationship between thickening and the hardness of the blanket, impression and printing speed.

Blanket characteristicsBlankets are sophisticated structures and are designed depending on the demands placed on them. They must

be ink-receptive in order to transfer the inked image. The blankets must possess a complex and conflicting set of mechanical properties. It must be compliant so that the necessary printing pressure will be developed with an amount of squeeze. The caliper or the thickness must be held to close tolerances, to insure that printing pressure is uniform in both the across- and around-the-cylinder directions. Blanket materials must be chemically resistant so as to be exposed to the inks, fountain solutions, papers and washup solvents.

When the plate cylinder is pressed against a blanket cylinder covered with an elastomeric material, a squeeze or penetration is produced and the blanket is deformed. The pressing of one cylinder against another establishes three properties of their common nip or conjunction which are stated as:

Squeeze or depth of penetration1. Width of the contact area, referred as strip width2. Load or force exerted by the cylinder pair on each other3.

The type of blanket plays an important role in the transfer of ink from one surface to another. The type depends on the nature and organisation of the plies, especially the top layer. Deformation or compression or conical depression produced at the contacting surfaces differs with different types of blankets. The contacting bodies are different in elastic moduli. The difference in elastic moduli of the contacting surfaces affects surface pressure components, which is parallel to the contact tangent plane. The dynamic behaviour of the blanket material differs significantly depending on the moduli of elasticity and Poisson's ratio of the blanket material. Release of paper after printing, returning of the blanket to its original thickness after the pressure on its surface has been removed, and fluid thickness in the contact area are mostly influenced by the characteristic of the blanket. In order to relate the behaviour of the blanket to printing condition, the characteristics of the blanket have to be studied. The determination of various characteristics of the blanket such as thickness, hardness, elasticity and poisson's ratio are discussed below.

Experiments were carried out to determine the characteristics of four different blankets: Blanket A, Blanket B, Blanket C and Blanket D. The thickness of the blanket samples were measured using a micrometer. The thickness of samples A, B, C and D are listed in Table 1.

Hardness is an important property of the compliant elastomer material, which provides an indication of deformation. The hardness of the blanket is measured using a durometer. The durometer is accomplished using a gauge that records the depth of penetration of the sample by a spring-loaded truncated cone, on a scale range of 0-100. The hardness of four blanket samples A, B, C and D which were measured using a durometer are listed in Table 1. The hardness is indicated in terms of shore hardness.


Table 1: Mechanical characteristics of blankets

Elasticity of the blanket plays a major role in the transfer of fluid from one medium to another, and hence in print quality. A universal tensile machine (Lloyds Instrument, UK) with a 486-computer-data acquisition system along with Dapmet & R control software was used to determine the elasticity of the samples. Four blanket samples, namely A, B, C and D, were selected. During operation, the strain values corresponding to the applied load were noted and computed using stress-strain graphs (Figure 2).

The operational procedure for determining the axial strain and lateral strain is the same as that of evaluation of elasticity, and the readings were noted. Figure 4 shows the variation of axial strain with the lateral strain for the blanket samples A, B, C and D, respectively. The Poisson’s ratio for different blanket samples was calculated from the graph (Figure 3) and is listed in Table 1.

Blanket characteristics such as elasticity, Poisson's ratio, thickness and hardness determined by the above procedure were further used in establishing the influence of various blankets with print quality. Quality parameters such as density, dot area and dot gain were measured from print, using a densitometer for different blankets. The relation between print parameters with different blanket characteristics were studied and are discussed below:

Figure 2. Elasticity curves for different blankets.

Figure 3. Poisson's ratio curves for different blankets.

Blanket type A B C DThickness (mm) 1.60 1.65 1.7 1.8Hardness (°Shore) 86 78 72 82Elasticity (N/mm2) 74.12 74.07 34.07 100.25Poisson's ratio 0.14 0.12 0.06 0.22


Print control

Control of the printing process is necessary to produce high quality work consistently. The pressman should be aware of the influence and press settings, materials, etc. The variable factor necessary to control and maintain consistent reproduction is ink density, dot area and dot gain. The test samples taken from printing on different inks, blankets, substrates and surface speed were considered and the density, dot area and dot gain were measured. These quality checking processes were carried out using a reflectance densitometer which is an X-Rite model and the readings are reproduced here (Tables 2 to 8).

Table 2: Measurement of density, dot area and dot gain of Blanket A and Ink A for different substrates and speed

Table 3: Measurement of density, dot area and dot gain of Blanket A and Ink A1 for different substrates and speed

Substrate Speed(IPH)

Force(N)

Density (D) Dot area (%) Dot gain (%)

25% 50% 75% 100% 25% 50% 75% 100% 25% 50% 75%A 2000 207 0.23 0.38 0.66 0.95 25 52 82 94 0 2 7

6000 237 0.25 0.46 0.81 0.95 30 63 93 99 5 13 18B 2000 204 0.30 0.56 0.89 1.07 39 72 93 99 14 22 18

6000 236 0.27 0.51 0.81 0.02 34 68 90 99 9 18 15C 2000 215 0.41 0.57 0.91 1.08 39 72 97 112 14 22 22

6000 222 0.38 0.54 0.8 1.04 35 72 100 110 10 22 25


Force(N)


25% 50% 75% 100% 25% 50% 75% 100% 25% 50% 75%A 2000 338 0.34 0.67 0.92 1.07 50 80 96 100 25 30 21

4000 370 0.31 0.60 0.88 1.02 48 78 94 99 23 28 196000 385 0.30 0.56 0.83 0.99 46 76 93 98 21 26 18

B 2000 372 0.36 0.65 1.01 1.13 57 85 102 106 32 35 274000 380 0.33 0.60 0.94 1.07 52 82 100 104 22 32 256000 460 0.29 0.51 0.77 1.00 43 70 89 97 18 20 15

C 2000 376 0.43 0.65 0.98 1.12 52 84 101 106 27 34 164000 422 0.38 0.61 0.93 1.09 49 81 99 104 19 31 246000 458 0.33 0.58 0.89 1.07 43 77 92 99 18 22 17


Table 4: Measurement of density, dot area and dot gain of Blanket A and Ink A2 for different substrates and speed

Table 5: Measurement of density, dot area and dot gain of Blanket A and Ink Bfor different substrates and speed


Force(N)


25% 50% 75% 100% 25% 50% 75% 100% 25% 50% 75%A 2000 376 0.39 0.62 0.81 1.1 55 82 101 106 30 32 26

4000 386 0.35 0.52 0.72 0.98 53 76 96 104 28 26 246000 400 0.27 0.47 0.68 0.9 46 72 91 102 21 22 16

B 2000 398 0.41 0.76 1.02 0.98 64 91 102 100 39 21 274000 408 0.38 0.71 0.95 1.05 62 89 99 100 37 39 246000 430 0.33 0.59 0.83 1.08 67 86 99 100 42 36 24

C 2000 378 0.45 0.84 1.08 1.16 55 87 101 103 30 37 264000 396 0.41 0.76 1.04 1.13 59 89 100 101 34 39 256000 424 0.39 0.71 0.99 1.09 61 91 100 100 36 41 25


Force(N)


25% 50% 75% 100% 25% 50% 75% 100% 25% 50% 75%A 2000 320 0.31 0.53 0.87 1.07 36 67 94 105 11 17 19

4000 362 0.27 0.45 0.74 0.97 32 63 91 106 7 13 166000 374 0.22 0.41 0.65 0.94 17 54 84 105 0 4 9

B 2000 294 0.23 0.43 0.77 1.06 25 57 88 100 0 7 134000 278 0.22 0.39 0.67 0.97 22 54 84 100 0 4 96000 320 0.2 0.27 0.62 0.9 19 52 82 99 0 2 7

C 2000 294 0.36 0.54 0.83 1.13 26 64 89 100 1 14 144000 320 0.35 0.50 0.79 1.06 25 62 87 101 0 12 126000 340 0.34 0.46 0.75 1.05 22 56 74 101 0 6 0


Table 6: Measurement of density, dot area and dot gain of Blanket A and Ink B1 for different substrates and speed

Table 7: Measurement of density, dot area and dot gain of Blanket A and Ink B2 for different substrates and speed


Force(N)


25% 50% 75% 100% 25% 50% 75% 100% 25% 50% 75%A 2000 340 0.24 0.46 0.80 1.05 32 68 94 115 7 18 19

4000 360 0.23 0.44 0.77 1.02 31 65 92 109 6 15 176000 370 0.22 0.42 0.75 0.96 29 62 84 107 4 12 9

B 2000 344 0.32 0.6 0.9 1.15 42 74 92 111 17 24 174000 352 0.3 0.54 0.83 1.05 38 68 88 109 13 18 136000 366 0.28 0.52 0.81 1.01 35 64 85 105 10 14 10

C 2000 324 0.35 0.48 0.72 0.91 32 64 89 121 7 14 144000 350 0.33 0.44 0.68 0.83 29 59 81 118 4 9 66000 378 0.31 0.40 0.62 0.78 24 53 75 115 2 3 2

p Speed(IPH)

Force(N)


25% 50% 75% 100% 25% 50% 75% 100% 25% 50% 75%A 2000 292 0.30 0.61 0.99 1.11 47 84 105 107 22 34 30

4000 316 0.27 0.52 0.86 1.02 37 76 100 106 12 26 256000 326 0.22 0.49 0.82 0.98 35 71 97 105 10 21 22

B 2000 266 0.22 0.51 0.79 0.97 43 78 100 100 18 28 254000 280 0.19 0.46 0.74 0.89 36 73 94 100 11 23 196000 292 0.17 0.39 0.68 0.84 25 65 93 100 10 15 17

C 2000 316 0.36 0.50 0.77 0.95 38 76 100 106 13 26 254000 326 0.34 0.47 0.72 0.92 32 71 96 102 7 21 216000 388 0.32 0.45 0.69 0.83 29 69 91 100 4 19 16


Table 8: Measurement of density, dot area and dot gain of Blanket B and Ink B for different substrates and speed

Results In a sheetfed offset printing machine, by varying

blanket material and machine parameters, prints were taken. Using a reflection densitometer, various print parameters such as the density, dot area and dot gain values were measured. The relation between various print parameters and the parameters such as Poisson’s ratio, elasticity, thickness and hardness of the blankets is discussed here.

Figure 4 shows the variation of force with Poisson’s ratio. It is observed that if the Poisson’s ratio of the blanket material is increased, the force existing between the plate and the blanket cylinder is also increased. This is due to the fact that increase in the poisson’s ratio of the blanket material makes the blanket stiffer. The force that exists between these cylinders will be high as both the contacting cylinders are hard. Thus, as the Poisson’s Ratio of the blanket material is changed, the force existing between the cylinders is also changed. To obtain a quality print, the forces existing between the cylinders have to be adjusted according to the Poisson’s Ratio of the blanket materials.

The force vs elasticity equation is shown in Figure 5. It is observed that if the elasticity of the blanket is increased, the force existing between the plate and the blanket cylinders is high. As the elasticity of the blanket material is increased, the blanket becomes stiffer; as a result the contact width between the cylinders is reduced. More pressure is exerted at the nip width due to the contact of the stiffer material with the plate cylinder.

Figure 4. Poisson’s ratio vs force.


Force(N)

Density (D) Dot area Dot gain

25% 50% 75% 100% 25% 50% 75% 100% 25% 50% 75%A 2000 269 0.59 0.79 1.03 1.30 41 69 91 101 16 19 16

6000 254 0.56 0.75 0.97 1.18 38 64 85 96 13 14 10B 2000 243 0.60 0.79 1.08 1.30 40 69 92 100 15 19 17

6000 268 0.55 0.75 1.02 1.24 38 67 90 100 13 17 15C 2000 258 0.57 0.75 1.01 1.28 37 65 87 111 12 15 12

6000 273 0.55 0.72 0.93 1.16 34 62 82 98 9 12 7

Figure 5. Elasticity vs force.


But less force is exerted at the nip when soft blanket material with low elasticity is used.

It is seen from Figure 6 that increase in the elasticity of the blanket material narrows the nip width between the contacting cylinders. Increase or decrease in the elasticity of the blanket material makes the contact width between the plate and the blanket cylinder less or more. For measuring the nip width between the plate and the blanket cylinder, the plate cylinder was fully inked and the impression lever was brought to ‘on’ position. In the static condition, the plate cylinder is made to contact with the blanket cylinder for a moment and the impression lever is set to ‘off ’ position. The width of ink transferred from the plate cylinder to the blanket cylinder is measured and it is taken as the nip width between the cylinders during contact.

The density variations of the print for different elasticity of the blanket at different dot percentages are shown in Figure 7. It is observed that as the modulus of the elasticity of the blanket material is higher, then the density value of the print is lower. The following observations are made from the figure. (i) When the modulus of elasticity of the blanket material is decreased, the blanket becomes softer. During contact with the plate cylinder, deformation of the blanket material at the contact width will be more. This will increase the blanket cylinder diameter, and hence slip occurs between plate and blanket cylinders. The amount of ink film thickness transferred from the plate cylinder to the blanket cylinder will be more and hence the density of the print will be high, resulting in poor quality print. (ii) When the modulus of the elasticity of the blanket material is increased, the blanket becomes stiffer and hence the contact width between the cylinders is narrowed. This will increase the pressure between the cylinders that reduces the ink transfer on the print with low ink film thickness and hence reduction in density in the print.

The variation of force for different blanket hardness is shown in Figure 8. It is observed that if the hardness of the blanket material is increased, the force existing between the cylinders is high. Figure 9 describes how increase in the hardness of blanket material lowers the density value in the print and also narrows the contact width between the plate and blanket cylinders. This will reduce the ink film thickness at the contact nip. Ink transfer from the plate cylinder to the blanket cylinder is also reduced and hence there is reduction in density in the print.

Figure 6. Elasticity vs nip width.

Figure 7. Elasticity vs density.

Figure 8. Blanket hardness vs force.


Figure 10 shows that if the blanket’s thickness is less, more force is required to bring the contact between the plate and blanket cylinder for effective transfer of ink. In practice, to bring the contact between cylinders, packing material is kept beneath the blanket so as to adjust the required squeeze. The ink transfer at various press speeds with respect to blanket thickness and packing is explained.

Figure 9. Blanket hardness vs density. Figure 10. Blanket thickness vs force.

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FOR WEEKEND EDITIONS

Wijeya Newspapers opts for Goss Magnum

Decision for advanced technology was driven by the growth of Sunday editions that require greater colour capacity and productivity, and quality-conscious readers

Leading Sri Lankan newspaper group, Wijeya Newspapers (WNL) will install a new six-tower Goss Magnum press to improve colour capacity in weekend titles and meet a growing demand for Sunday newspapers. The Goss press will be installed in April at

one of the publishers’ two print facilities in Sri Lanka’s commercial capital of Colombo. As a new customer to Goss International, WNL chose to invest in advanced technology as well as greater production capacity.

Totaling 24 units, configured as six four-high towers, six zero-speed reelstands and a 1:3:3 half-page jaw folder, the new 2x1 (single-width, single-circumference) Magnum press will feature a 546 mm cut-off and operate at speeds up to 45000 copies an hour. It will incorporate shaftless drive technology, as well as motorised ink keys and advanced spraybar dampening and blanket washer technology for improved quality and production versatility.

Production director at Wijeya Newspapers, P.S. Wijewardene, says the Goss Magnum press is expected to increase capacity by 30 per cent at the plant. “In addition to an increased demand for Sunday newspapers, our customers are becoming more quality conscious, so we were looking to upgrade our capabilities with advanced technology from Goss,” he explains. “Choosing the Goss Magnum press gives us the confidence that we can meet growing demands and improve quality of reproduction and colour capacity in our weekend products.”

According to Wijewardene, the investment is part of a company-wide quality improvement programme, representing a real opportunity for the publisher: “With political developments in the country, new reader regions have opened up to us in the last few years, meaning that run-lengths have increased and brought with them significant growth potential,” he says, adding, “As readers continue to become more discerning, the ability to maximise this potential in coming years will require versatile, multipurpose production systems incorporating a variety of progressive technologies. For this reason, we have decided the time is right

Wijeya Newspapers’ portfolio consists of many national independent newspapers, including the leading title, Daily Lankadeepa, a Sinhalese newspaper.

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to take a step up in capabilities with this latest press investment.”

Established in 1979 by chairman R.S. Wijewardene, Wijeya Newspapers claims the title of the foremost newspaper group in Sri Lanka with the highest recorded turnover. The company’s portfolio of publications consists of many national independent newspapers, including the leading title, Daily Lankadeepa, a Sinhalese newspaper. WNL’s Sunday Lankadeepa is described as the ‘crown jewels’ of the Wijeya Group, having achieved the highest number

‘Media must be part of the solution, not the problem’The Network of Women in Media, India,

celebrating its 10th anniversary at a national convention attended by about 80 media women from across the country, discussed various aspects of the theme, Women, Violence and the Media, over a weekend meeting in Mumbai (1-3 February 2013). A public meeting on 2 February 2013 focussed on how the news media can better report issues of women, violence and public space.

Taking note of the public outrage over, and media coverage of, the recent brutal gang-rape and murder of a 23-year-old woman in Delhi, the NWMI expresses grave concern over the increasing incidence of violence against girls and women all across India, in public as well as private spaces. As women journalists, we believe it is important to recognise that the Delhi case exposed only the tip of the iceberg of gender violence, much of which does not receive adequate media or public attention. We appreciate the fact that the media responded to the gang-rape in Delhi and the public outcry that followed with prominent and largely sympathetic coverage.

However, we recognise that media coverage is often a double-edged sword. On the positive side, it increases public awareness about such crimes and puts pressure on the authorities to take action. On the negative side, incessant coverage of certain cases, particularly sensationalised cases of sexual violence, can obscure the widespread prevalence of many different forms of daily violence against women all over the country. Unless it is balanced

and sensitively handled, such coverage can also be voyeuristic and titillating; it can increase the sense of vulnerability and insecurity among girls and women (including survivors of such violence), and lead to restrictions on their freedom and rights.

In addition, some of the media coverage in the immediate aftermath of the gang-rape in Delhi provoked and amplified strident calls for harsher punishments for such crimes – capital punishment, chemical castration, and so on – despite the fact that most women’s groups with long experience in dealing with gender violence have consistently cautioned against such knee-jerk reactions that could worsen the situation.

We recall the thousands of girls and women all over the country who have been physically, sexually, psychologically abused and injured or killed. As journalists, we urge the media to pay due attention to sexual violence perpetrated on Dalits and Adivasis, as well as women in militarised zones, where security forces are granted impunity by law. We renew our commitment to working towards ensuring that media coverage of violence against women is more sensitive and nuanced, enabling victims and survivors to get justice in an environment where women feel safe and can exercise their right to equal citizenship.

— Network of Women in Media.

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of copies sold of any Sri Lankan publication on record. Other daily titles include Daily Mirror, Daily FT and the Sunday Times, as well as Adha, a national Sinhalese daily paper, targeted at young people to encourage new readers. Weeklies and glossy magazines are also published in the three main languages of Sinhala, Tamil and English. WNL has achieved many national awards for editorial content, design, photo journalism and production across its many titles. <


WESTERN AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPERS CONSOLIDATES

A centralised CCI AdDesk platform for 23 titles

The objectives include added flexibility and cost-reduction in both hardware and services. With 23 regional titles produced at the same number of locations spanning about 2600000 km2 around regional Western Australia, consolidating ad operations is no easy task. West Australian Newspapers selected CCI to meet the challenge

“We found that the CCI sales and consultancy team were extremely flexible in their approach to meet our challenges and that problems were highlighted with solutions from the outset. Our experience from this and previous projects tells us that this

is a company that is certainly committed to our industry,” says Ian Jones, general manager, Regional Publications, West Australian Newspapers (WAN). WAN titles, The West Australian,

The Kalgoorlie Miner and Countryman have been running on a common CCI AdDesk system located in Perth since 2010, which according to Jones was an important factor when selecting a new ad solution for the regional newspapers.

“Implementing the 23 regional titles in one centralised CCI AdDesk data centre together with the other titles is a great opportunity to have our ad sales operation running on one common

platform,” he says. Among the 23 titles are South Western Times, Bunbury Herald, Albany Advertiser and the

Geraldton Guardian. Bringing the entire ad operation on to one platform gives WAN a number of benefits. “Consolidation of all our products on one platform provides future flexibility

West Australian Newspapers selected CCI AdDesk as the common ad operations platform for 23 regional titles. Darryl Treadgold (left), regional systems manager, and Ian Jones, general manager, Regional Publications, were instrumental in the selection process.

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for further centralisation and the ability to have staff covered from other locations within the state when emergencies arise plus ensures that support can be handled via one department thereby reducing costs in both hardware and services,” says Jones.

The CCI AdDesk system replaces two separate and different systems at the 23 regional newspapers. Four titles have so far been added to the CCI AdDesk system; the remaining 19 titles are to follow over the coming months. According to Jones, the selection of CCI has perspectives beyond the current project.

“The future development of the CCI system includes some exciting new concepts that we are sure will handle both our newspaper and digital requirements long into the future as we move towards being a true multimedia company.”

West Australian Newspapers is part of Seven West Media, which is the leading, listed national

multi-platform media business based in Australia. Seven West Media comprises Seven Television, the leading free-to-air capital city television network; Pacific Magazines, the country's second largest magazine group by readership; Yahoo!7 one of the nation’s most successful internet platforms; as well as Western Australia's leading newspaper The West Australian and associated WA regional newspapers and radio stations. Seven West Media was created through the acquisition of Seven Media Group by WAN Holdings as approved by WAN shareholders on 11 April 2011.

CCI is the leading provider of editorial and advertising solutions for multimedia news environments. Our CCI AdDesk, CCI NewsGate and CCI NewsDesk products are robust systems in the industry and are implemented in news organisations across five continents. <

Machines for Sale

Contact : IMPRINT TECH INDIA PVT.LTDMobile : 1. 94456 85318 2. 98409 09536

1.Muller Martini – Saddle StitchersType 300 With 8 stations with 3 knife Trimmer

Year 1986 and 1988 (2 Machines)(1 machine with Card Inserter and Card Gluer)

2. Muller Martini – Saddle StitcherType 235 with 8 Stations

with 3 Knife Trimmer (1 machine)Year 1983


ProImage NewsWay for 158-year newspaper

The oldest daily newspaper in Southern California becomes one of the most automated. While ProImage NewsWay provides integration and robust workflow management, OnColor ECO reduces both ink consumption and cost

New Proximate America, Inc has announced that yet another newspaper has installed its industry-leading workflow automation software. Publishing since 1855, the Santa Barbara News-Press is the oldest daily newspaper in Southern California. It is now

becoming one of the most automated.In addition to its daily paper (circulation 22000 – 25000), it produces roughly 25 special

sections each year plus several commercial products each week, as well as content for its successful online presence. This requires robust workflow management. To save time and automate its workflow, the Santa Barbara News-Press has implemented Proximate NewsWay workflow management software and ink optimisation solution.

Explains pre-press manager Sharon Moore: “NewsWay is Web-based and therefore allows staff to perform their tasks through a browser without hanging out at a common workstation. The planning feature will integrate our press and pre-press staff, providing a common language and process, and the tracking capabilities will show us where we are in the production cycle

at any time, from anywhere. In the past, we devoted far too much time to naming and saving files to our Web and archiving servers. NewsWay automates this too. Plus, it ability to customise the workflow to our operation is a big benefit.”

The NewsWay software will also provide integration management between DTI’s editorial and advertising pagination system, Kodak’s Trendsetter CTPs and the ink control system. The software will automatically provide soft proofing as well as route Tiff files to a Windows-compatible proofer before files are sent to the output device. There is a browser-based approval queue where thumbnails appear for approval after a page has been paired and before output. Saving time

and potential error, text and furniture is then burnt onto plates and the RIPs are automatically load-balanced, maximising throughput. Color pages are also routed to the ProImage OnColor ECO ink optimisation module where PDFs are returned containing considerable less colour ink, reducing ink consumption and cost. “In addition to the workflow efficiencies, I look forward to the real-time production

information available to see and resolve issues as they develop so we don’t loose valuable press time,” adds Moore.

Sharon Moore, pre-press manager, Santa Barbara News-Press, at her work station.

<


Hot air drying is the most commonly used value added newspaper process because of its flexibilityto print on all paper grades with improved ink gloss, low TVI and reduced marking. Heatset has thelowest total production cost compared to all other available added value technologies.

Hot air flotation dryers deliver unrestricted drying at speeds up to 18 m/s and can also be used atlow temperature to assist coldset ink drying. A range of oxidation technologies complies with cleanair regulations. The integration of an oxidiser into the dryer significantly reduces total energy costsbecause energy from solvent incineration is recycled back to the dryer.

Heatset is a mature, reliable and easy to operate process that is cost efficient and has been usedon newspaper presses since the late 1960s, and is the standard production technology on commer-cial web offset. Several hundred single-width newspaper presses use hot air dryers and they arenow increasingly being used on double-width presses. A partial explanation is the trend to smallerformats with reduced web widths that make many double-width presses only 30% wider thansingle-width, which simplifies fitting dryers.

A recent innovative press configuration developed byMAN Roland now allows newspaper printersto combine single and double-width presses into a single production system. Heatset webs are runsimultaneously on a single-width press directly into the double-width folder that integrates themwiththe coldset sections. This configuration allows unique advertising and editorial possibilities,including ROP heatset on coated paper for covers, sections and posters. Presses can be installedeither as a folder-to-folder inline layout or installed in parallel with a ‘bridge’ with 90° turner bars totransfer the webs into the double-width folder. Both presses can be run separately and the heatsetline can then be used for pre-printing and semi-commercial work.

New heatset user experienceVerlagsgruppe Passau publish their newspapers on coldset presses at 17 sites in Europe. Theyinstalled their first heatset press in 2006 and one of its first new jobs was to print part of the newAustrian daily ‘ÖSTERREICH’. Karlheinz Dürr, head of production, points out some changes in dailyoperation. “In heatset we have to be more meticulous than in coldset with regard to register and tomaintain the required ink density. Our experience shows that you cannot rely only on ISO standardsfor ink density, and you must not, because customers will keep arguing on the basis of their proofs.We are very happy to be commercial printers for ‘ÖSTERREICH’. However, we had to see that thepotential of the press could be optimised.We had to give up some traditions and train ourworkforceon the technology. This was quite a challenge for whichwe had the help of printers experienced inthe use of hybrid presses.Wewere supported by Athesia Druck in Italy, Delo Druck in Slovenia andHelsingin Sanomat in Finland.”

Ink changeover?Many users simply use heatset all of the time on all products to simplify and optimise production witha single ink type. Switching between heatset and coldset inks is relatively easy and the risk ofcontamination is low. Ideally inks should be completely purged when changed to prevent anycontamination that could effect drying, marking, and tack related properties. However, thecommonly used production techniques to minimise downtime and cost at ink changes are:

Heatset To Coldset: A small quantity of heatset ink mixed with coldset on newsprint is normallysuccessful.1. Purge as much of the ink as possible.2. Clean blankets thoroughly on changeover to reduce picking and web break risk on newsprint.3. A high ink take-off helps minimise risks.

Coldset To Heatset: Residual coldset ink can slow the drying of heatset ink, cause marking oncoated paper, and TVI issues.1. Purge as much of the ink as possible.2. Clean blankets thoroughly on changeover.

20 WEBLINE SPECIAL REPORT N°3 • VAPoN

Heatset

A special resource feature


Heatset-coldset press configurations

Horizontal heatset dryer mounted on a platform is the most common configuration for high speedsingle- and double-width presses because there is a wide range of dryer web widths and lengthsavailable with up-to-date technology. A vertical dryer mounted on a chill tower is available forslower speed single-width presses. Although hot air dryers are relatively bulky, practical installationsolutions exist for most press environments, including press extensions.

21WEBLINE SPECIAL REPORT N°3 • VAPoN

The world’s largest heatset double-width newspaper press is installed at Roularta, Belgium. Each of the four COLORMAN 4-high towers is equippedwith a horizontal MEGTEC dryer. The press has two quarterfolders to allow separate production of tabloid or broadsheet products. Source MAN Roland.

The single-width CROMOMAN installed atSharjah with 2 stacked MEGTEC heatset dryers.Source MAN Roland.

UNISET Heatset single-widthMAN Roland REGIOMAN Coldset double-width

The world’s first 2 + 1 press was started up last year at APN News & Media, Maroochydore, Australia. The four double-width REGIOMAN printingtowers are linked with a single-width UNISET 75 tower that can deliver heatset printed webs into the central folder. Two folders enable both coldsetand heatset lines to be run separately or combined into a single product. Source MAN Roland.

(Reproduced from the PrintCity Alliance Value Added Printing of Newspapers (VAPoN) Report. Readers can request a printed copy from www.printcity.de/shop at no cost. PrintCity Alliance seeks FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) for all print topics, including newspaper printing and publishing. For more details, visit: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Print_Packaging_FAQs.)


Industry updates

A JOURNAL OF THE PRESS INSTITUTE OF INDIAJULY - SEPTEMBER 2011

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 3 RS. 50

In a world buoyed by TRP ratings and trivia, QUALITY JOURNALISM IS THE CASUALTY

Responsible journalism in the age of the Internet UN Women: Promises to keep

Assam: Where justice has eluded journalists

The complex dynamics of rural communication

Your last line of defence

Measuring readability

Book reviews

Indian TV news must develop a sense of scepticism

Bringing humour to features

January-March 2013Volume 5 Issue 1 Rs 50

ISSN 0042-5303

CAST ADRIFT, SHE HAS TO FEND FOR HERSELF

Balance in reporting privacy and profitAn open letter to the new I&B MinisterIt’s media’s responsibility, not the market’sNewspapers were made for News FirstWhat is a newspaper?Confronting challenges, mastering change‘If readers don’t trust us, we don’t have a chance’An open letter to Justice J.S. VermaMindsets in the mediaWhen soaps froth violence

Who is responsible for violence?‘After this gang rape, India must take the lead’Ban the two-finger test in rape trialsA campaign against rapeGender, media and human rightsWomen provide lessons in managing disastersUse children sparingly in advertisements Folk media can play a role in developmentEvolution, imperatives of the regional press History of Gujarati Journalsim

Read the journal from the Press Institute of India

that covers issues pertinent to the media.

Yearly subscription only Rs 200.

MPS PlateWorkflow for Swiss paper

ABB, one of the leading suppliers of automation solutions for the newspaper industry, has announced a major order for its plate production management system, MPS PlateWorkflow. The order comes

from the Neue Zuercher Zeitung (NZZ), one of Switzerland’s best-known newspapers.

MPS PlateWorkflow replaces the existing solution at the NZZ’s print site in Schlieren, just outside Zurich.

“But this is not a simple one-to-one replacement,” says Boris Falk, head of sales at ABB Printing, “the new solution provides a wide range of new functionality that makes the prepress management easier not only for the NZZ but also for its customers”.

One of the new functions that helps NZZ serve its customers better is the ‘external control centre’. It gives customers of NZZ an online means to check and approve print products using the actual print data (ripped TIFFs). Authorised users can not only browse through the whole print product, but can also inspect and approve the individual pages and separations as well as the positioning of content within the print area. Another feature that Falk emphasises is the much tighter integration with the press management system, ABB’s MPS Production.

“This seamless integration means that every change in the planning of the print product is reflected immediately in the plate production,” says Falk. “The prioritisation and control of the plate production

in MPS PlateWorkflow has always been based on the production planning in MPS Production, but now we can go a large step further in the handling the dynamics in this process. One small example: if the plate production strategy is changed from forced panorama plates to normal broadsheet within a print job, then only those plates that have not yet been produced will be outputted in the new format.”

ABB will also supply the hardware for the new system. This means that ABB’s virtual machine concept based on Microsoft’s Hyper-V configuration can be used. “The architecture means that the best out of the traditional ‘physical’ world and the modern virtual world can be combined,” explains Stephan Merkli, senior software engineer at ABB and architect of the system. One physical server provides all the necessary performance for the productive MPS PlateWorkflow system. Two further high performance servers running with Microsoft’s Hyper-V provide a virtualised environment for the MPS PlateWorkflow backup system, the OnColorEco gray component replacement module and its backup, and also for the three RIPs. “This architecture means that there is complete

redundancy and the servers can be divided between two separate computer centers,” says Merkli. “It also simplifies the system management and means that the entire system can be completely virtualised very easily at a later date, for example in the Cloud.” The new system is expected to go into operation in August of this year.

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Checking of a print product in MPS PlateWorkflow.

32

Industry Updates

March 2013SurveyRIND

Sing Tao News orders Goss press

Sing Tao News Corporation has ordered a new six-tower Goss Community press for the Sing Tao Daily, Canadian eastern edition. The publisher’s experience with Goss equipment and personnel was crucial to the choice of supplier for its latest technology upgrade. The installation coincides with a relocation to a new printing plant in the city of Markham, within the Greater Toronto Area.

According to Peter Li, vice president, Operations, for Sing Tao Daily, Canadian eastern edition, there are a number of advantages to be gained from the installation: “Our objective is to improve production efficiency and reduce waste while also increasing colour capacity for daily editions and supplements. Goss is not unique in the ability to meet these needs but we have always used Goss equipment so we know it well, and confidence in the long-term support was also an important consideration.”

Founded in 1978, Sing Tao Daily is the largest Chinese-language daily newspaper in Canada. The press for Sing Tao Daily, Canadian eastern edition will consist of six four-high towers and two folders for printing the Toronto daily editions, as well as five weekly supplements and two independent weekly magazines. Comprising five broadsheet sections for each daily edition, the main eastern edition achieves readership figures in the region of 200000 copies per issue.“The competition for readership is stiff so we have

been employing a range of strategies in order to reinforce our ability to capture and retain the largest share of the print readership,” comments Li. “As well as increasing our number of titles we have also been devoting considerable energy and resources to improve content and print quality. This latest press acquisition is part of that process.”

New press at Times UnionIn December 2011, Hearst Corporation announced

its investment in a new newspaper press for the Albany facility in New York State. From the Spring of 2013, it will be replacing a letterpress machine that's more than 40 years old. 70000 copies (140000 on Sundays) of the Times Union newspaper plus other publications are set to come off the new production installations. To pick up and transfer the copies to bundling, a TTR conveyor system from Ferag will be connected to each of the two folder deliveries on the printing machines. Straight-run production means taking up a maximum 80000 copies per line and hour. At such peak performances, the Ferag technology will be running in 2:1 mode at half-chain speed.

Project manager Brad Calhoun says the company will continue to apply new advertising formats to the front page of the newspaper. Soon, the relatively slow application technology currently in use is set for an

upgrade with a high-speed Accraply labelling module, designed for application rates up to 80000 copies per hour. Future plans could see the integration of inline stitching and the three-side trim in order to utilise further added-value potential in the commercials market.

Conveyor technology from Ferag means that Times Union can be certain about the stable transfer of production to postpress processing at peak speeds of 80000 cph.

Peter Li, vice president of operations for Sing Tao Daily, Canadian eastern edition, on the installation of a new sixtower Goss Community press: “Our objective is to improve production efficiency and reduce waste while also increasing color capacity for daily editions and supplements.”

33

Industry Updates

March 2013 SurveyRIND

An upgrade for De Persgroep

In the Amstel Business Park printing centre, De Persgroep Printing produces four of the biggest newspapers in the Netherlands. Recently, nine new MultiStack units have brought the mailroom up to the state-of-the-art. Newspaper circulations totalling 930000 copies have been produced there on Ferag technology since 2001.

The system is connected to four folders. With each of the four lines, production can either be wound onto MultiDisc or sent directly to bundling, while the offline inserting process for two preprints or supplements and inserts is possible on each of the two MSD-M-series MultiSertDrums.

Between May 2011 and July 2012, the entire bundling sector was re-equipped with nine MultiStack units.

The acute phase of the upgrade came in the months between October 2011 and March 2012, when the existing stackers were replaced by state-of-the-art MultiStack technology as part of a flying change, so to speak. In no way was daily production to be impeded. Thanks to meticulous planning and perfect teamwork, punctual distribution of all newspapers was assured at all times.

At De Persgroep Printing, nine new MultiStack units have brought the mailroom up to the state-of-the-art.

Statement about ownership and other particulars about “RIND Survey” the English Monthly Newspaper, Chennai, as required to be published under Section 19-D Sub-Section (b) of the Press and Registration of Books Act read with the Rule 8 of the Registration of Newspapers (Central Rules) 1956

Form IV RIND Survey - Monthly

1. Place of publication : Chennai2. Periodicity of Publication : Monthly3. Printer’s Name : V.B.S. Mony Nationality : Indian Address No. 10/2 Second Loop Street Kottur Gardens Chennai 600 0854. Publisher’s Name : V. Murali Nationality : Indian Address

Plot No. 5 First Main Road, Rajalakshmi Nagar Madippakkam, Chennai 600 0915. Editor’s Name : Sashi Nair Nationality : Indian Address Gayathri Enclave Ground Floor 873-B, Ramaswami Salai

K.K. Nagar, Chennai 600 0786. Names and addresses of individuals who own the newspaper/magazine and partners or shareholders holding more than one per cent of the total capital: The Press Institute of India - Research Institute for Newspaper Development RIND Premises, Taramani, CPT Campus Chennai 600 113 Shareholding of more than one percent of the capital does not arise as the The Press Institute of India - Research Institute for Newspaper Development, is a non-profit society registered under the Societies Act No. XXI of 1860. I, V. Murali, hereby declare that the particulars given above are true to the best of my knowledge and belief. V. Murali Publisher

01.03.2013

34

Industry Updates


HP aids full-colour digital production

HP has announced that Centro Stampa Quotidiani Spa (CSQ) of Erbusco in Lombardy Northern Italy, has purchased an HP T230 Color Inkjet Web Press to take advantage of growing demand from newspaper publishers for full-colour digital production and localised inserts. CSQ prints newspapers and inserts for a local client base, but also prints a number of foreign newspapers during the summer months when the tourist season is at its peak. Outside the peak season, conventional print runs of the newspapers for the tourist areas of the Mediterranean are no longer economically viable.

CSQ will print the tourist titles conventionally from June to September and use the HP T230 press

for the rest of the year, with no variation in quality and using the same newsprint substrate. Another benefit is that the newspapers delivered will be that day's edition and not the previous day's, which was formerly the case. Says Dario De Cian, MD, CSQ, continued. "Now, thanks to the HP T230, we can print short runs digitally from 500 up to 2000 copies to localise sections of their publications and integrate them with conventionally printed sections." The new service can be used to insert information for a specific city or area, or produce variable editions of a property newspaper based on local distribution requirements.

Adds De Cian. "We chose this solution because it allows us to achieve a level of quality equivalent to traditional offset. Thanks to the HP Bonding Agent technology used in the web printing process, it is also the only solution on the market that completely eliminates the problem of show-through on the lightweight and porous papers of 45g/m2 typically used for newspapers. With the HP T230 we can use

the same paper as on the web offset presses and work to the same formats. The system is integrated with our other finishing equipment which will enable us to automatically combine offset and digital products ready for dispatch.”

The HP T230 Color Inkjet Web Press can print at speeds of up to 122 m a minute, with a scalable web width up to 558 mm and a print width of up to 520 mm. Designed for performance, the press can print up to 50 million mono and four-colour letter-sized equivalent images per month. CSQ was established in April 2000 to offer print production for daily newspapers, periodicals and single publications for both short and long runs. It is well known for high-quality print and sophisticated inline finishing capabilities including, stitching, inserts, laminating, three-sided trimming, single-copy addressing and single-copy cellophane wrapping.

A flyer for the HP T230 colour inkjet web press.

GMG sets sights on Ipex 2014

As momentum grows for Ipex 2014, GMG has announced its commitment and enhanced presence at the world’s largest English-speaking event dedicated to print media and communications. Showcasing its award-winning software solutions designed to simplify the challenge of accurate and repeatable colour output for a wide range of print and design applications, Ipex will play a key role in GMG’s event calendar for 2014. "A compelling presence at international trade events is an important element of GMG's marketing initiatives," says Michael Farkas, GMG’s marketing director. "Truly global trade fairs such as Ipex play a key role in print, publishing and communications as a whole, helping the industry interpret the changes in both technology and end-user habits in content consumption. We believe that its new London home will help IPEX attract even more visitors from new and emerging markets - a key focal point for GMG’s strategic growth plans in the near-term."

35

Industry Updates


An industry-first from Ricoh

Ricoh announced at Hunkeler Innovationdays the launch of its Critical Communications software and services portfolio. For the growing number of print jobs subject to regulation, where every element must be perfect, and output must be tracked and reported, Ricoh’s solutions will offer print service providers a wealth of applications and tools to help increase operational integrity and more quickly deliver compliance-driven output.

Shown for the first time at Hunkeler Innovationdays in Lucerne, Switzerland, from February 11-15, the track and trace capabilities of the industry-first suite will empower small to mid-sized printers with one streamlined package to bring the functionality of piece-level workflow into their operations – something that has never been offered before via one centralised solution. Initially leveraging the native PDF capabilities of Ricoh Process Director Express, the Critical Communications portfolio will offer precise tracking capabilities that will allow printers to easily pinpoint errors in jobs, jobs requiring manual intervention, or documents that need to be reprinted due to downstream finishing issues. As regulations continue to tighten, the Critical Communications portfolio will ease the pain felt by printers by providing solutions that were originally only available to large transactional printers.“Print providers are looking to expand their

businesses and take on more work from their customers but they may not have the necessary tools to meet compliance and print integrity requirements of such jobs as federal regulation letters, explanation of health benefits, or lottery tickets,” said Theresa Lang, vice president, solutions and services, Ricoh.

“They are all feeling the pressure to deliver perfect critical output and today there is simply not a proven, cost-effective solution available to help them. This new addition to the Ricoh portfolio will empower customers with the tools needed to address the ever-evolving requirements of critical output.”

Europe remains at the forefront of advanced personal communications technology and solutions, having pioneered the TransPromo concept. Ricoh’s Critical Communications solutions will enable our

clients to improve still further the performance and productivity of their critical print output.”

The first module to be shown is Track and Trace, a feature of DocEnhancer, which provides printers with a way to barcode and scan every printed piece, and create a report showing that every piece was produced correctly, while also allowing printers to control every other part of the entire production print process. Track and Trace is the first of a broad range of many new solutions that will comprise the modular Critical Communications portfolio – all designed to help small and medium-sized printersintegrate existing processes and begin transforming output processes to fit the shifting demand of their customers.

Delta display wins Inca Award

When NBC Universal wanted an innovative walk-through entrance for larger cinemas showing the Snow White film they turned to the Delta Group, UK. “The brief was to design and produce a large, dazzling, walk-through display which would introduce the characters to the audience and create the right atmosphere from the moment they walked into the cinema. The whole experience was enhanced with sounds and visual displays, including live action movie footage,” says Adrian York, senior structural designer, Structural Design, Delta Group.

The main challenge was the large size of the pieces to be printed and the structural 3-D design of the final display. The print registration was also critical in order to produce an accurate print of the original artwork, as was the quality of finish. Delta printed eight displays in total, each made up of around sixty different elements, onto corrugated board, FBB and clear PVC on its Inca Columbia Turbo 4-colour inkjet flatbed printer. The display won the 3D POS category award in the recent Inca Digital Excellence Awards.

An image of Delta Group’s winning entry.

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Industry Updates


Shen’s Art Printing bags award

The Shen’s Art Printing Co has been celebrating since recently winning a prestigious award for production of the Taiwanese edition of Elle magazine. In achieving its Gold Award at the 2012 Asian Print Awards, Shen’s Art is ranked among the very best quality printers in Asia. Utilising its Goss M-600 press, Shen’s Art won Gold for Elle magazine in the category of Web Offset on Coated Stock (70 gsm and above). According to Jeff Shen, vice general manager of Shen’s Art, the company was founded as and is predominantly a sheetfed printer, so the award is particularly pleasing as it signifies the company’s equal mastery over the art of web printing.“At Shen’s Art

we’re proud of our continuous efforts to innovate and develop our product offering and it was for this reason that we were the first printing company in Taiwan to install the 16-page Goss M-600 web press,” says Shen “But it has always been essential that we maintain the highest standards in every aspect of our service. This latest award underlines our efforts to fully live up to the founding principles of the company – namely to combine art and printing with a production goal of perfection, beauty, and fine quality.”

With the aim of improving and promoting print in Asia, each submission in the 10th Asian Print Awards was evaluated for quality by an independent judging team of print professionals with specialist knowledge in print design, prepress, substrates, inks, consumables and print finishing. Shen’s Art has been printing the Taiwan edition of Elle magazine on its Goss M-600 press for 15 years. The company, headquartered in New Taipei City, was founded in 1977 and today is one of the largest printing companies in Taiwan, servicing a variety of markets.

Jeff Shen, vice general manager of Shen’s Art [right] proudly holds the company’s Gold Award, with Tim Mercy, vice president of commercial web sales for Goss International in Asia.

Vinsak solution for book publishing

The Vinsak M400 inkjet press is a compact monochrome press that offers one-over-one

perfecting with a print web width up to 30.8" at speed of 150 meters per minute, making it one of the most productive and cost-effective inkjet web presses. An automated image enhancement system makes the Vinsak M400 capable of printing high quality output on a wide range of uncoated papers, which makes it an ideal workhorse for the service providers in the trade of mass market paperback and educational segments.

With its native resolution of 600 dpi and up to 4 grayscale level, the Vinsak M400 has excellent print quality that transforms conventional printing to digital printing at low cost, while achieving superior quality, productivity and profitability. High quality pigment inks print exceptional solid black, and with the use of grayscale inkjet technology, printing high quality images is also possible. The robust and high performance inkjet web press solution is also available in full-color to meet the needs of the higher education and professional segments, and helps customers differentiate themselves and improve profitability.

You can now look at improved quality and productivity with the VINSAK M400, high speed monochrome inkjet press.

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Industry Updates


Good start for KBA Latina in Mexico

KBA Latina SAPI de CV, with offices in Mexico City, is the latest subsidiary of Koenig & Bauer AG (KBA) in Latin America. KBA Latina got off to a flying start. Various project activities were already in full swing before the formal founding of the

company in August 2012, and prepared the ground for an impressive total of 47 printing units in the order books for the first business year alone. With a record-breaking result for Mexico, KBA Latina also stormed straight to the top of the charts for new installations in the important emerging market.

Not only well-known packaging printers, but also a number of leading commercial printers, for example Grupo Espinosa in Mexico City, signed up for fully equipped KBA presses in 2012. The Espinosa group companies Apolo and Ingramex have already started up production on their two new Rapida 106 presses (six and four colours). It was first and foremost the unique technical features of the Rapida 106 series, with speeds up to 18000 sph in perfecting mode and minimal makeready times thanks to fully automatic plate changing and the facility for flying job changes, which convinced the customer to abandon another

major German manufacturer in favour of KBA. “Our customers in Mexico must receive exactly

the same high quality of service as a KBA printer in Germany,” says service manager Sebastian Vogt. Adds sales director Mirko Straub, “The KBA philosophy is geared not simply to technology leadership, but equally to ultimate professionalism and customer proximity on each and every local market – true to the group motto: “KBA: People

& Print.” KBA Latina sees itself as a full-service provider to the print industry. In partnership with agencies for pre-press and finishing systems, it is able to supply tailored complete solutions for all relevant production fields. And the all-embracing advice offered to customers even covers the elaboration of financing concepts for new investments.

KBA Latina is managed by Stefan Deuster, who has been at home in the print industry in Latin America since 1985 and previously served as CEO of Ferrostaal Mexico and manroland Latina. From its base in Mexico, KBA Latina is also responsible for the markets Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. “We plan to become the number one print industry supplier in the whole region,” says Deuster.

Stefan Deuster (2nd right) and KBA executive vice-president for sheetfed sales Ralf Sammeck (extreme right) sealed the founding of the new sales and service subsidiary KBA Latina at drupa in May 2012. From its base in Mexico City, the new company will at the same time serve Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. Also seen are sales director Mirko Straub from KBA Latina (left) and the KBA sales director responsible for Latin America, Jan Drechsel (2nd left).

38

Industry Updates


Samhwa invests in Goss M-600 web press

Samhwa Printing of Seoul, South Korea has chosen to install a new 16-page Goss M-600 web press to introduce new efficiencies to its high-end print operation and to achieve a high level of

web offset print quality. Samhwa cited advanced automation and press controls as key reasons for the decision. Installation will begin in August.

Low waste levels delivered through Goss Autoplate plate changing and Omnicon press controls will give Samhwa a new competitive edge, says Son, Ran-soo, manager at Samhwa Printing. “Print quality standards continue to improve and the Korean market is now demanding the best quality with no additional cost implications. By investing in the most advanced system available we can guarantee this consistency without it requiring more time on press and more print waste. The M-600 press is the best on the market and will ensure that we can achieve highest quality with the shortest make-readies, and maintain that quality throughout the print run.”

As the world’s best-selling 16-page press, the Goss M-600 press has been incrementally enhanced and modified to ensure its continued position as the reference point for high-quality, low-waste print production. The latest generation M-600 press features enhanced Autoplate technology, optional DigiRail inking, advanced workflow, presetting and ‘smart’ inker technology all designed to minimize make-ready time and waste.

Serving a range of clients, from publishers and media companies to governmental agencies with products including top-quality consumer magazines, art catalogues, calendars and textbooks, Samhwa is skilled at selecting the right technology for purpose. Already operating five web presses and eleven sheetfed presses, its sixth web press will provide increased production capacity and cost savings, equipping Samhwa’s sales force with the ability to sell broader services to both existing and new clients, according to Son.

Samhwa, Korea, invests in Goss M-600 web press technology for premium print quality and improved production efficiencies.

Inca Digital adds Accelerator option

Following the launches of the Inca Onset S20i and S40i models, Inca Digital Printers has announced the availability of a new Accelerator option, delivering significantly increased productivity for the new range of Onset wide format UV flatbed inkjet printers. Developed and tested with Fujifilm, Inca’s exclusive global distribution partner, Inca Accelerator is an optional enhancement, which for the first time in the market, once deployed, increases overall production speed whilst maintaining the same outstanding level of print quality.

The increase in print throughput is dependent on the particular Onset model, and the number of print passes. The maximum throughput of the Onset S40i with automation has been increased from 470sqm/hr (94 beds/hr) to 560 sqm/hr (112 beds/hr). This equates to an additional 720 sqm (144 beds per shift) that can be printed within the same 8-hour shift, the equivalent to adding an extra mid-range printer. Accelerator has been thoroughly beta tested by Superior Creative Services in the UK on the Inca Onset S40i. “We have regularly achieved 110 sheets an hour on the floor since we started testing this, although it does depend on the substrate we are running. Having this on our machine had been pretty invaluable to us in peak times,” says Stewart Powell, production director, Superior.“As part of our continuing product development

initiatives, our teams identified a way to significantly increase print throughput across all of our Onset print engines,” says Heather Kendle, Director of Marketing at Inca Digital.


General NewsGeneral News

Bangkok set for summit conference

The annual summit meetings of the world’s newspapers and news publishers have a new look in 2013, as the World Newspaper Congress and World Editors Forum will be joined by the World Newspaper Advertising Forum, making Bangkok the centre of the publishing universe come June. The 65th World Newspaper Congress, 20th World Editors Forum and 23rd Newspaper Advertising Forum, to be held concurrently from 2 to 5 June, are expected to draw more than 1000 publishers, chief editors, CEOs, advertising directors and their guests to the vibrant city of Bangkok.

With a venue in the heart of Asia, the Congress, Editors Forum and Ad Forum will get a close look at the region’s vitality and productivity and booming media industry. What better place to meet and network than at the Bangkok Convention Centre, at the heart of one of the world’s most exciting and welcoming cities. Innovation, inspiration and interaction are the three themes of the events, organised by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA).

The three conference streams are designed to provide participants with strategic knowledge and ideas emerging from the rapid, constant change that characterises the news media today, from technology to consumer habits to advertising formats and new reporting and storytelling techniques.

The World Newspaper Congress primarily deals with management and business issues facing news media and will examine emerging new business models and revenue streams. The World Editors Forum provides newsroom personnel with an annual meeting place to examine innovations in journalism and newsrooms organisations, and to pick up new skills in data journalism, storytelling tools and techniques. The World Newspaper Advertising Forum is the annual venue for publishers and advertising executives to hear about successful strategies for increasing advertising revenues from both digital and print – and how to show advertisers the full value of your audience.

Determine trademark validity, says SC

In a notable development in the long-running legal stand-off between UK-based Pearson-owned daily Financial Times (FT) and Bennett, Coleman & Co’s Times Publishing House (TPH) over rights to the title ‘Financial Times’ in India, the Supreme Court recently passed a judgment stating that the validity of each party’s trademark be determined before a related trademark appeal in the High Court in Bangalore is heard.

It was the first time that India’s highest court had heard the title rights case between the two giant publishers. The judgment relates to an order by the Intellectual Property Appellate Board, India’s foremost IP court, in April 2012, which while cancelling the trademarks of both TPH and FT, also recognised and upheld that the trademark ‘Financial Times’ belongs to Financial Times Ltd and is associated in the minds of Indian readers with the UK newspaper of that name. Both parties had appealed against the IPAB order in a court in Delhi, which will be heard in April.

In a recent hearing at the SC, a bench headed by Chief Justice of India Justice Altmas Kabir considered a ‘special leave petition’ filed by FT to ensure that until the IPAB appeal is heard, and the validity of each party’s trademark determined, a related trademark appeal before the high court in Bangalore, is stayed. The SC decision is significant because it recognises the necessity of the trademark rights to the title ‘Financial Times’ being determined prior to other proceedings in this legal battle, and is viewed as a positive development for FT.

IRS 2012 Q3: Largely flat growth

The Indian Readership Survey (IRS) 2012 Q3 data, released by the Media Research Users Council on January 29 this year, shows most top publications registering sub one per cent growth, with top three publications – Dainik Jagran, Dainik Bhaskar and Hindustan – all growing at 0.3 per cent.

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General News


As per IRS data for the latest quarter, among the top 10 publications, Dainik Jagran, Dainik Bhaskar, Hindustan, Malayala Manorama, The Times of India and Rajasthan Patrika have seen marginal rise in their Average Issue Readership (AIR). On the other hand, Amar Ujala, Daily Thanthi, Lokmat and Mathrubhumi have seen decline in AIR.

Dainik Jagran continues to lead the top 10 publications list. The paper has registered an AIR of 16,474,000 in IRS 2012 Q3, adding 45,000 readers during the quarter. Dainik Bhaskar follows with an AIR of 14,491,000 from 14,448,000 in IRS 2012 Q2, an increase of 43,000 readers. Hindustan has added 37,000 readers during the quarter, taking its AIR up to 12,242,000 in Q3. Malayala Manorama has garnered an AIR of 9,752,000 in this quarter, up from 9,710,000 in Q2. Amar Ujala lost 72,000 readers during the quarter, taking its AIR down to 8,536,000 in IRS 2012 Q3. The Times of India is the only English publication in this list. The paper has added 10,000 readers during the quarter, taking its AIR to 7,653,000 in Q3.

Daily Thanthi, on the other hand, has sees a decline in AIR to 7,417,000 in Q3 from 7,431,000 in the previous quarter. Lokmat has seen the steepest fall in AIR of 98,000 readers during the quarter, taking its AIR down to 7,409,000 in Q3. Rajasthan Patrika has seen the highest growth in readership, notching an AIR of 6,818,000 in Q3. However, it’s decline for Mathrubhumi, which has registered an AIR of 6,415,000, losing 78,000 readers during the quarter.

Meanwhile, magazines continue to witness slide in AIR with seven of the top 10 magazines seeing a decline in readership in Q3. Hindi magazines Samanya Gyan Darpan and Meri Saheli and Bengali magazine Karmakshetra are the only three to have witnessed growth in AIR.

TOI, HT recover As compared to the Indian Readership Survey

(IRS) 2012 Q2 data, where six of the top 10 English dailies saw decline in Average Issue Readership (AIR), it was recovery time in IRS 2012 Q3. Seven of the top 10 English dailies have seen growth in AIR this quarter. Both The Times of India and Hindustan Times, which had seen decline in readership in the previous quarter, cover lost

ground in Q3. The Times of India has registered a marginal rise in Q3 AIR at 7,653,000, adding 10,000 readers during the quarter. Hindustan Times had added 19,000 in this quarter, garnering an AIR of 3,786,000 in IRS 2012 Q3. The Hindu, placed in the third spot, has seen the highest growth in readership among English dailies, adding 50,000 readers. The daily has recorded an AIR of 2,258,000 in Q3.

The other dailies that have seen growth this quarter are Deccan Chronicle, DNA, Mumbai Mirror, and The Tribune. Deccan Chronicle has registered an AIR of 1,051,000 in Q3, while DNA has recorded an AIR of 962,000. Mumbai Mirror’s Q3 AIR stands at 807,000, while The Tribune has garnered an AIR of 653,000. On the other hand, The Telegraph has seen a drop in AIR, from 1,275,000 in IRS 2012 Q2 to 1,254,000 this quarter. It’s decline for The Economic Times as well. The business daily lost 36,000 readers during the quarter, bringing down its AIR to 753,000 in Q3. The New Indian Express, too, has seen marginal decline in readership, recording an AIR of 664,000 in IRS 2012 Q3.

HT Media revenue up HT Media has reported a five per cent growth in

its Q3 FY13 total income at Rs 5,709 million, from Rs 5,429 million in the corresponding quarter of FY12. There was a marginal rise of two per cent in advertising revenues of print segment to Rs 4,149 million from Rs 4,073 million, primarily due to higher volumes. Circulation revenues were up 12 per cent at Rs 565 million from Rs 503 million in Q3 FY12, driven by higher circulation and realisation per copy. Radio revenues saw a growth of 26 per cent – from Rs 174 million to Rs 218 million in Q3 FY13. EBITDA was higher by 15 per cent at Rs 1,113 million from Rs 967 million, primarily driven by growth in circulation and advertising revenues. Profit after tax stood at Rs 536 million, a growth of 11 per cent as compared to Rs 482 million in Q3 FY12.

IRS 2012 Q3 2012 data reaffirmed the progress made by HT Media across all its publications. Hindustan Times readership grew to 3.79 million with over 2.3 million exclusive readers – a five per cent growth over IRS 2011 Q3. Hindustan continued to consolidate its position with an all India average readership of 12.24 million, a growth of two per

41

General News


cent over IRS 2011 Q3 figures. Mint maintained its No. 2 position in the business daily segment with a readership of 0.23 million and a readership share of 28 per cent in key markets of Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad put together. The digital business continued to report buoyant performance, with 18 per cent increase in revenues from the digital segment to Rs 138 million in Q3 FY13 from Rs 117 million in the corresponding quarter of the previous fiscal.

Hindi dailies improve performance

Seven of the top 10 Hindi dailies have registered growth in Average Issue Readership (AIR) as per the Indian Readership Survey data for 2012 Q3, released by the Media Research Users Council in January-end. The order of the dailies remains unchanged from the previous quarter. Dainik Jagran continues to lead the list with an increase in Q3 AIR at 16,474,000, adding 45,000 readers during the quarter. Dainik Bhaskar follows with an AIR of 14,491,000, up from 14,448,000 in Q2, adding 43,000 readers. Placed in third position, Hindustan, too, has seen growth this quarter, garnering an AIR of 12,242,000. However, Amar Ujala has seen a decline in its AIR from 8,608,000 in IRS 2012 Q2 to 8,536,000 in Q3.

On the other hand, it’s a growth story for Rajasthan Patrika, Punjab Kesari, Prabhat Khabar and Navbharat Times. While Rajasthan Patrika has added 62,000 readers this quarter, taking its AIR to 6,818,000, Punjab Kesari has registered an AIR of 3,364,000 in Q3, adding 17,000 readers. Prabhat Khabar has seen the steepest climb among Hindi dailies, garnering an AIR of 2,761,000 in Q3, up from 2,621,000 in Q2, adding 140,000 readers during the quarter. Navbharat Times, too, has seen growth, reporting an AIR of 2,639,000 in IRS 2012 Q3.

Both Patrika and Nai Dunia have seen decline in readership. Patrika lost 21,000 readers during the quarter, bringing its Q3 AIR down to 2,051,000. Nai Dunia’s Q3 AIR has dipped to 1,553,000. The paper lost 16,000 readers during the quarter. Both Patrika and Nai Dunia have seen decline in

readership. Patrika lost 21,000 readers during the quarter, bringing its Q3 AIR down to 2,051,000. Nai Dunia’s Q3 AIR has dipped to 1,553,000. The paper lost 16,000 readers during the quarter.

Vijayavani launches 10th printing centre

Kannada daily Vijayavani has flagged off its 10th printing centre in Karnataka. Vijayavani, published by VRL Media from the house of VRL Logistics, had recently created media frenzy by being the only Kannada newspaper in the state to launch nine editions within 90 days of its launch. The 10th printing centre was launched in Belgaum.

NaiDunia re-launches in DelhiNaiDunia, the Hindi daily that was acquired by

the Jagran Group in April 2012, was re-launched in New Delhi, featuring enhanced content. The 14-page newspaper has different sections that will carry local and national news. NaiDunia’s Delhi edition has a cover price of Rs 3. In a bid to target the readers in Delhi who belong to other states, the paper will also carry news related to states such as Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Gujarat. The Jagran Group has come out with several advertisements to announce the re-launch of NaiDunia in Dainik Jagran and other newspapers.

Discovery Channel Magazine to launch in India

Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific and the India Today Group have announced a partnership to launch the Discovery Channel Magazine in India. The magazine will have a contemporary design and feel and will stay true to the DNA of the Discovery brand. The editorial will deliver a compelling read, with strong injections of humour and emotion and will be published monthly. Mirroring the different genres featured on the Discovery Channel, the Discovery Channel Magazine will cover a wide spectrum of topics, including nature, adventure, marvels, sci-tech, history, the universe, forensics,

42

General News


seekers, survival, info-tech, psychology and the environment.

Live India’s magazine Hindi news channel Live India, owned by

Broadcast Initiatives, is all set to launch a magazine on current affairs. Also titled Live India, the Hindi magazine hits newsstands on February 13. The 72-page magazine has cover price of Rs 25 and will have an initial print run of 50,000 copies. Currently, the magazine is being launched as a monthly on a pan-India basis, but the organisation has plans to turn it into fortnightly and weekly going forward. Besides Live India channel, Broadcast Initiatives has Marathi entertainment channel Me Marathi and Marathi weekly newspaper Prajavichar in its bouquet.

National Duniya to enter Meerut

EssBee Media’s National Duniya is expanding its reach in Uttar Pradesh with the scheduled launch of the Hindi daily’s Meerut edition on March 30. National Duniya’s Meerut edition will have a cover price of Rs 2-Rs 3 and will have 16 pages in the main edition, besides four-page supplements throughout the week. An initial print run of around 45,000 copies has been planned. The group plans to cover entire UP market with more editions in the coming months. The average Hindi reader and students are the main target group of the newspaper.

National Geo Traveller India set to mark 125

ACK Media, publisher of National Geographic Traveller India, is all set to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the National Geographic magazine. The group is coming out with a holiday special issue in March to mark the occasion. The special issue will focus on destinations in India and around Asia with travel stories from Europe and North America as well. The anniversary edition will also highlight latest travel technology, road trips and adventure.

Employment News gets new logo

Minister for Information & Broadcasting Manish Tewari unveiled the new logo of the weekly Employment News. Tewari said that the motto ‘Opportunities for all’ is a manifestation of the commitment to reach out to job seekers, seeking to fulfill their aspirations and harness their skills and capabilities. The publication will now get a new brand identity and make it more attractive to the aspiring youth. An e-version of Rozgar Samachar in Urdu was also launched – the initiative reflected the use of technology in reaching out to the people in a form and language understood by them.

The new logo of Employment News was selected from among entries of an in-house competition of the College of Arts, New Delhi. The logo depicts the search for jobs through a lens. The holder showing a nib on one side and the wrench on the other signifies that Employment News caters to skilled and unskilled people. The hand symbolizes the human element.

With a circulation of over four lakh copies every week, Employment News has information related to job opportunities in Central and state government organizations. It is published in Hindi, English and Urdu.

National Duniya to enter Meerut

EssBee Media’s National Duniya is expanding its reach in Uttar Pradesh with the scheduled launch of the Hindi daily’s Meerut edition on March 30. National Duniya’s Meerut edition will have a cover price of Rs 2 or Rs 3 and will have 16 pages in the main edition, besides four-page supplements throughout the week. An initial print run of around 45000 copies has been planned. The group plans to cover the entire UP market with more editions in the coming months. Alok Mehta has been promoted as the editorial director of EssBee Media. He will look after the Meerut edition as well as all other forthcoming editions. The group plans to provide the daily a local flavour. There are plans to recruit local people from Meerut.


EVENTS CALENDAR

March

April

May

March 4, organised by WAN-IFRA, in Singapore: Mobile and the newsroom. More details from Sivakumaran Veerasamy ([email protected])

March 4-6, organised by Printing South China at China Import & Export Fair Complex, Guangzhou, PR China: 20th South China International Exhibition on Printing. More details at http://www.printingsouthchina.com

March 5-6, organised by WAN-IFRA, in Singapore: Change Management & Newsroom Organisation. Trainer: Randy Covington, director of the WAN-IFRA Newsplex at the University of South Carolina. More details from Sivakumaran Veerasamy ([email protected])

March 5-6, organised by WAN-IFRA, in Bengaluru: News Design. Workshop by Jans Peter Janisch, newspaper designer and consultant, at the Chancery Pavilion. More details from Selva Prabhu ([email protected])

March 5-6, organised by WAN-IFRA, in Singapore: Newspapers and Video Storytelling. Trainer: Randy Covington, director of the WAN-IFRA Newsplex at the University of South Carolina. More details from Sivakumaran Veerasamy ([email protected])

March 5-7, organised by Paperworld in Dubai: Paperworld Middle East. More details at http://www.paperworldme.com

March 8-10, at the Lahore Expo centre: 3P Pakistan 2013 (plastic,

print, packaging). More details at http://www.plasprintpack.com.pk

March 10-15, organised by WAN-IFRA, in the US: Study Tour: Strictly Digital. More details from Nick Tjaardstra ([email protected])

March 11, organised by Newspaper Association of America: Transformational Communities. More details from Mary Peskin ([email protected])

March 12-15, organised by Specilised Exhibitions, in Johannesburg, South Africa: ProPack Africa 2013. More details at http://www.printexpo.co.za

March 19-20, organised by WAN-IFRA, in Hamburg: Printing Summit 2013. Design, Digital, Energy and Innovation. More details from Sergio de Oliveira ([email protected])

April 8-11, organised by Ipex, In Dubai: Gulf Print & Pack at Dubai Airport Expo

April 14-17, organised by Newspaper Association of America, in Orlando, Fla: NAA mediaXchange 2013 at Hilton Bonnet Creek. More details at http://mediaxchange.naa.org

April 15-17, organised by Reed Exhibitions at Earls Court, London: London Book Fair. More details at http://www.londonbookfair.co.uk

April 15-17, organised by WAN-IFRA, in London: Digital Media Europe. More details from Nick Tjaardstra ([email protected])

April 16-17, organised by WAN-IFRA, in Chennai: Writing for Digital Media. More details from Selva Prabhu (selvaprabu.s@wan-

ifra.org)April 18-19, organised by

FireWorks Indonesia at the Jakarta International Expo: Second edition of Pulp & Paper Asia 2013. More details at http://www.pulppaperasia.com/

April 22-26, organised by WAN-IFRA, in Canada: Study Tour – Printing in Canada. More details from Kerstin Oestreicher, programme manager ([email protected])

April 24-29, organised by Kitab: Abu Dhabi International Book Fair. More details at http://www.adbookfair.com

May 13-17, organised by WAN-IFRA, in Stockholm, Helsinki, London: Study Tour: Innovation in Newsrooms. More details from Kerstin Oestreicher, programme manager ([email protected])

May 14-15, organised by WAN-IFRA, in Chennai: Newsprint, Ink and Waste Management. More details from Selva Prabhu ([email protected])

May 14-16, organised by Informa Exhibition, in the UK: North Print & Pack. More details at http://www.printandpack.co.uk

May 14-18, organised by China Print Show Company, in Beijing: China Print 2013 (The 8th Beijing International Printing Technology Exhibition) at New China International Exhibition Centre. More details at http://www.chinaprint.com.cn


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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

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Director V. Murali

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EditorSashi Nair

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Editorial AssistantR. Suseela

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ManagerN. Subramanian

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Assistant Manager / LibrarianR. Geetha

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Office StaffB. Rajendran

Printed by V.B.S. Moni and published by V. Murali on behalf of The Press Institute of India - Research Institute for Newspaper Development, from RIND premises, Second Main Road, Taramani CPT Campus, Chennai 600 113 and printed at Print Shop Private Limited, 4/310 Gandhi Street, Kottivakkam, Old Mahabalipuram Road, Chennai 600 096. Editor: Sashi Nair

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

March 2013 | Volume 34 | Issue 3 | Rs 40www.rindsurvey.com / www.pressinstitute.in

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It’s quality that will finally speak

Blankets – how they influence print quality

In the offset lithographic process, one of the printing cylinders is usually covered with a layer of relatively soft material, and this often takes the form of a fabric/rubber laminate with a rubber face and is termed as the blanket. The purpose of using a blanket is to ‘even out' the pressure differences that would otherwise occur, due to inaccuracies in plate, paper and machine. It is the soul of the offset printing process and its influence on print quality is an important factor. Deformation of a printing blanket is seen in this figure (detailed article on page 12).

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plate cylinder

rubber blanket cylinder

printing form

cover

microlayer

fabric: high-stretch

fabric: low-stretch

BLANKET INFLUENCE

rind survey - research institute for newspaper...

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