ABP group installs two lines of
LS Jet 300 with
BlueFin processor from Krause
One of India’s largest media conglomerate ABP has recently installed two lines of LS Jet 300 CtP equipment and BlueFin processor from Krause (Germany) for their Kolkata plant. The equipment would cater to the group’s flourishing publication business.
The LS Jet enables publishers to push editorial deadlines and allow frequent format changes owing to its flexibility in plate handling. Krause’s renowned violet-technology guarantees high quality and reliability at the lowest possible operating costs. The machine is the fastest single optic CtP high performance violet platesetter with a single exposing head currently available on the market with an optimum speed of up to 350 plates per hour. The user friendly machine permits free access to all platesetter components and its integrated double media sensor with automatic plate eject system ensuring high product quality. Owing to the small spotsize of the Juwel-Optics, plate production is consistently of superior industrial standards. Additionally, the LS Jet also significantly reduces service costs through the remote service offered by Krause.
The LS Jet 300 at ABP is accentuated with the BlueFin, a superior plate processor ideally suited for high resolution and FM screening. It is also equipped with FlowControl, which guarantees a maximum degree of security. BlueFin is said to be one of the fastest processors currently available in the market with an optimum speed of up to 350 plates/h. The machine considerably reduces energy costs and maintenance.
The ABP Group, publisher of the revolutionary newspaper Anandabazar Patrika, has expanded into a mammoth media conglomerate over the years with eleven premier publications, three 24-hour national TV news channels, two leading book publishing businesses as well as mobile and internet properties in its portfolio. Started in the year 1922 as a four-page evening daily and a circulation of about 1,000 copies a day, the company’s flagship publication Anandabazar Patrika has now expanded to become the largest read Bengali daily reaching over seven million readers every day.
The ABP Group earns itself the tag of being the first media house in the east and one of the firsts in the country to initiate offset printing. The group has been constantly reinventing itself to provide its readers with contemporary media products that offer insightful content and opinions on global and national events. The group has always been on the forefront in adopting groundbreaking technologies in print and adapting them in their publications.
Shengtong orders for second Goss Sunday press
The Beijing Shengtong Printing Company (Shengtong) of northern China has ordered its second Goss Sunday 2000 press. Scheduled for shipment in May 2010, it will be installed in a new, state-of-the-art facility currently under makeover. The company’s existing Sunday press will be relocated alongside the new one. Shengtong became the first printer in northern China to install gapless Sunday web press technology in 2008. Almost identical to the initial system, the new four-unit, 24-page Sunday 2000 press features a 1450-mm (57-inch) web width, a PCF-1.2 pinless combination folder and Ecocool dryer.
According to Jia Chun Lin, president of Shengtong, the decision to install a second Sunday 2000 press proves the wisdom of the original choice: “The first Sunday investment was part of our company’s long-term strategy to build a business with 100-year longevity by acquiring world-famous brand technologies. Seeing the growth trend in the printing industry from southern China moving towards the north, we decided to follow our market judgment that gapless technology would become widely recognised and utilized in the northern market.”
Against competition from a number of 16-page presses in the region, the first 24-page Sunday 2000 press has been winning jobs through its efficiency, quality, capacity and productivity, according to Chun Lin. Printing at speeds up to 82,000 impressions per hour, the six-pages-across 24-page format produces fifty percent more pages per revolution and makeready, with no increase in crew size. With around two-thirds of revenue currently derived from web offset production, the latest investment provides welcome added capacity.
SPH selects Agfa Graphics
as digital pre-press partner
Agfa Graphics announced that it has signed an agreement with Singapore Press Holdings Ltd (SPH) to upgrade the complete pre-press production at SPH’s Print Centre in Singapore.
In the coming months, Agfa Graphics will install ten high-speed :Polaris XCV-S with automated Glünz & Jensen punch & benders and online central stacking system, making SPH Print Centre one of the largest single newspaper computer-to-plate sites in the world. The agreement also includes a two years’ supply of :N92v violet photopolymer plates. SPH Print Centre houses 4 lines of KBA commander presses and four lines of Colorliner presses in two separate press halls. The new CtP will replace the computer to film (CtF) plate making system in the two halls. With the new installation, SPH is set to become one of the largest single newspaper digital prepress sites in the world.
Donald Gustafson joins
Baldwin Graphic Systems as president
Baldwin Graphic Systems (BGS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Baldwin Technology Company announced that Donald Gustafson has joined BSG as its president effective November 30, 2009. In this role, Gustafson will direct and manage the marketing, sales and service responsibilities for the Americas marketplace and he will have full responsibility for the division’s P&L performance. Prior to joining Baldwin, Gustafson had been associated with Tensor Group and Goss International.
Goss M-600 press users earn industry awards
- Goss International customers win for high web offset print quality in Asia and Europe
Printers operating Goss M-600 presses swept the web offset categories at the recent seventh Asian Print Awards ceremony, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The accolades follow similar distinctions for M-600 press users in Ireland and the United Kingdom. In the ‘web offset - coated stock’ category, the gold award went to C&C Joint Printing Company (Shanghai), for In Style magazine, while silver was won by Times Printers of Singapore with the magazine, Her World. Both Goss customers also won the Gold and Silver awards in the category of ‘web offset – lightweight coated (LWC)’, in the case of C&C (Guangdong) for its printing of Mosby’s Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing and Health Professionals, and by Times Printers for Newsweek magazine.
Organised with the objective to raise the standard and promote the achievements in excellence of Asian printing, each entry in these awards was evaluated for print quality by an independent judging team consisting of ten international print professionals from Australia, Belgium, China, England, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia. The judges commented that the web offset category was “the hardest category to judge due to the overall excellence”.
“We are proud that all the web offset winners were Goss press users. This demonstrates that the M-600 press, in the hands of skilled operators, continues to deliver the highest level of offset print quality, commented Tim Mercy, vice president of commercial web sales for Goss International in Asia. The results at the Asian Print Awards followed similar recent successes in Europe where, among others, Boylan Print Group championed M-600 press capabilities. The company was named winner of ‘The Agfa Ireland Award for Magazines’ during the 2009 Irish Print Awards at the end of November. The achievement was for its print production of Click Magazine on a Goss M-600 press that was installed only a year ago.
Ninth International
Newsroom Summit 2010 in London
The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers will convene at the ninth International Newsroom Summit 2010 (April 21- 22) in London. The highlights of the event included: pre-conference workshop on editorial management and reorganization, guided tour to the Daily Telegraph newsroom, and post-conference workshop on editorial and publishing systems.
The agenda will provide an in-depth focus into the key issues affecting the publishing industry, such as: multi-title newsrooms and newsroom networks, paid content – quo vadis?, social media and audience engagement, location-based and data-supported editorial services, ‘finger-food’ content – publishing on smartphones, innovative story-telling and new audiences, and what can newspapers learn from magazines?
Tolerans joins PrintCity alliance
Expanding its opportunities for knowledge sharing and undertaking joint projects in all aspects of web offset printing and finishing, Sweden-based Tolerans AB has joined the PrintCity alliance for the year 2010. As a member of the PrintCity activity group ‘publishing, commercial & web’, Tolerans will be taking part in projects, events and exhibitions under the ‘Connection of competence’ headline shared by all alliance members.
In-line titching is a growing trend in the newspaper publishing and commercial print industry, in large part because stitching supports the increasingly popular compact format for newspapers. It makes them easy to navigate, extends lifetime, empowers portability and secures recycling. Stitching provides better packaging of supplements and increases value for readers and advertisers. Stitching has already become the norm in many places, and experts believe this paradigm shift is becoming the industry standard.
Tolerans’ stitching systems have proven to be the most reliable array of in-line stitchers on the market. Inspired by this success, the company recently introduced Speedliner 2.0 in-line stitching systems that are even easier to maintain and operate, reducing cost of maintenance and minimizing downtime. The company has also launched a revolutionary slim model, Speedliner S60 Compact that only requires half the space in the press. As such, the company has made significant efforts for the future growth of the in-line stitching market and shares similar interests and opportunities with other PrintCity members which provide worldwide expertise in the graphic industry.
“Being a rather small company on a global market, cooperating with other partners in the industry is essential. We believe by sharing knowledge and networking together we can grow the business more effectively,” indicated Jan Melin, CEO of Tolerans. “Every new member brings special knowledge and capabilities to PrintCity. We look forward to seeing them participate in many opportunities with us in 2010 and beyond,” added John Dangelmaier, president of the PrintCity alliance welcoming Tolerans to their special alliance of future-focused businesses.
Pressmart continues collaborating internationally
For delivering its publications up to wider audiences globally on web, mobile, e-reader and other digital channels, Sun Flower Media (SFM), the Vietnam’s largest magazine publishing house, partnered with Hyderabad-based Pressmart. With its cutting-edge technology and the ability to deliver publications on new age distribution channels, Pressmart helps publishers gain greater reach to outside consumers with no upfront investment.
Meanwhile, Higgs International Publishing Logistics (A DHL Company), the market leaders in the export of press products distributing over 200 million copies worldwide, announced it has signed a digital distribution partnership with Pressmart. Some of the leading titles that Higgs distributes include OK!, Vanity Fair and Reveal. With this agreement, Higgs will offer a very exciting and cost-effective global distribution service to its publishing clients looking to create a successful presence in the digital space, using the on-demand digital editions powered by Pressmart.
Eco-friendly newspaper production
with violet chemistry-free plate
Following a clear trend in China, Jiefang Daily plans to take up more social responsibilities eliminating even more chemical waste. Agfa Graphics announced that Jiefang Daily Printing Centre, located in Shanghai is the first newspaper printer in China to use Agfa Graphics’ N92-VCF printing plates. Due to Agfa’s violet chemistry-free plate technology, Jiefang Daily will make great progress in its aim for eco-friendly print production.
Jiefang Daily Printing Centre has four Agfa Polaris XTV platesetters. Together they produce about seventy percent of the newspaper’s printing plates. Now that the entire workflow management is automated, the next goal for Jiefang Daily is to realize full CtP production and reduce waste in the production cycle as a consequence. Switching to CtP technology has already allowed them to reduce fifty percent their chemical waste.
Tanzanian newspaper publisher
reaps advantages of Manugraph technology
Founded in late 1999 and commenced operations in 2000, Tanzania-based Mwananchi Communications Limited who publishes three newspapers has effectively been reaping the advantages of Manugraph technology.
“We acquired a 45,000 cph Hiline pressline from Manugraph, with five four–high towers, five automatic reel stands and two folders. The machine is thus capable of printing forty-page tabloid products. However, its two independent folders also offer us the flexibility of printing two different products simultaneously, but independently,” conveyed Sam Shollei, CEO and managing director, Mwananchi Communications.
“After completion of the first phase of installation in early September last year, the daily operations have been smooth and are assuring. We were more than satisfied with the quality of the Manugraph presses. This press has more advanced features than any other press in the country. We compared its features with those of other competitors and were convinced that comparatively Manugraph Hiline had superior features and despite its technical superiority its pricing was significantly better, a factor that was important in our decision making process,” he stated further, adding, “Now, we can print deadline oriented daily newspapers well in time in full colour. The quality of our products has also improved significantly and we have consequently been receiving more colour advertisements thereby increasing our revenues.”
“The publishing of papers is a fairly recent effort in Tanzania – private press was allowed from early 1990s. Readership of newspapers is not as widespread as in other countries but is expected to grow. As we see adequate potential in this arena, we do plan to start another daily paper and three weekly papers to our current bouquet as our vision is to become the publisher with the most authoritative source of news for Tanzania,” concluded Shollei, mentioning, “Our existing publications reach more than two million readers which is far higher than what any other media company provides in the country. Our flagship publication Mwananchi circulates 35,000 copies daily, while The Citizen circulates 10,000 copies, and Mwanaspoti, a bi-weekly sports paper, circulates an average of 70,000 copies.”
Three-quarters of adults in US read
newspapers, in print or online: Scarborough
As per te latest Integrated Newspaper Audience (INA) finding from Scarborough Research, the audience ratings measurement service for the newspaper industry, three-quarters (74 percent) of the US adults, or nearly 171 million people, read a newspaper - in print or online – in a week. INA is the percentage of adults in the market who have read the printed newspaper over five week days or on Sunday, or visited the newspaper’s website(s), or did both during the seven days.
The company examined newspaper readership in its recently released Scarborough USA+ Study, which captures media patterns and other consumer behaviours of adults across the country. The data analysis indicates that newspapers are still read in print or online by a critical mass of adults in the US on a daily and weekly basis.
“Given the fragmentation of media choices, printed newspapers are holding onto their audiences relatively well and that is refreshing news,” said Gary Meo, Scarborough Research’s senior vice president of print and digital media services.
The analysis of Scarborough audience data not only indicated that newspapers are being read by a majority of adults in print and online, but also that these Integrated Newspaper Audiences continue to attract educated, affluent readers. In an average week: 79 percent of adults employed in white collar positions read a newspaper in print or online; 82 percent of adults with household incomes of $100,000 or more read a printed newspaper in print or online; and 84 percent of adults who are college graduates or who have advanced degrees read a newspaper in print or online.
“Printed newspapers have been trusted sources of news and information for decades, and many newspapers have continued that tradition by successfully extending their brands into the digital space,” said Meo, adding “In doing so, they are attracting an audience that has even stronger socio-economic status – equally upscale with their print brethren, but younger.”
“The Scarborough news is noteworthy in the wake of the recent FAS-FAX report from the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC), which reported significant declines in weekday and Sunday printed newspaper circulation,” he said, “While Scarborough shows declines in printed newspaper readership, these have not been as severe as those reported in circulation. This is because circulation and audience do not always march in lockstep as they are two different measurements.”
Circulation, which is audited and reported by the ABC, refers to the number of printed newspaper copies sold. Audience, which is measured by Scarborough and accredited by the Media Rating Council (MRC), refers to the percentage or number of adults who actually read the newspaper.
“For media buyers, analysts and others who evaluate the health of newspapers and the value of our medium’s advertising, audience is a far more meaningful way to measure newspapers’ ability to attract a growing audience across multiple platforms,” said John F Sturm, president and CEO of the Newspaper Association of America. “This important data from Scarborough Research also provides further evidence that newspapers reach a highly educated, affluent audience.”
A joint venture between Arbitron Inc and The Nielsen Company, Scarborough Research measures the lifestyle and shopping patterns, media behaviours and demographics of American consumers, and is considered the authority on local market research.
Pierre Hame rejoins OneVision
Replacing Marcus Diwo who left OneVision for private reasons, Pierre Hame has re-joined OneVision as director international sales.
Pierre Hame, who already held this position at OneVision from January 2004 until March 2007, has twenty years experience in the graphic arts and publishing industry. Having worked several years in the commercial printing and agency business at the beginning of his career, Pierre has developed the cross media publishing software business of a multinational vendor in Middle East, India, Africa and South East Europe over the last three years.
“For more than fifteen years, OneVision has continuously expanded its regional presence worldwide to provide closer service to its customers in the printing and publishing industry. Last year, we pursued our activities particularly in the Middle East region, India and South East Asia. The opening of OneVision Software (Asia Pacific) in Singapore in October 2009 further emphasises our commitment to this region. In 2010, OneVision will continue to intensify its efforts to provide closer service and support to our international customers,” stated Hussein Khalil, CEO, OneVision Software.
ABB’s solutions mark significant growth
Despite the difficulties that newspaper industry has faced as a whole, ABB’s Center of Excellence for Printing increased its orders in 2009.
‘‘It is a tribute to the work done by our entire organisation that we have managed to increase our order intake in 2009 compared to the previous year and also extend our customer base,” said Christian Villiger, global manager of ABB’s Printing Center of Excellence, adding, “The difficult circumstances in the newspaper industry have been a challenge for all suppliers, but the combination of the innovative solutions that ABB offers and the expertise of its team have enabled it to extend its market share. We have seen significant increase in the areas of press retrofit and IT solutions for the production workflow. These have more than compensated for the slowdown in systems for new presses. This leaves ABB’s printing organisation in a very healthy state and ready to take on whatever challenges 2010 will throw at it.”
Xi’an Daily places another
order for Goss Newsliner
Further relying on Goss technologies, just two months after announcing an order for an eight-unit shaftless Goss Newsliner press, central China’s Xi’an Daily Printing Centre repeated purchase of eight-unit 4x2 press along with additional folder functionality specified for advertising impact. Part of a wider pressroom modernization plan, the press is scheduled for installation in July 2010.
Referencing large-scale increased circulations of flagship titles Xi’an Daily and Xi’an Evening News behind a requirement for greater colour capacity, the addition of this second press will provide further versatility in producing up to 32 full-colour broadsheet pages from either press in collect mode. Like the initial order, the new 75,000-copies-per-hour Newsliner press consists of two four-high printing towers, one 2:3:3 jaw folder and two load-bearing reel-stands. In addition, the folder configuration will include a panorama gatefold capability. By shifting the double-wide web sideways instead of slitting, this system enables full page-wide gatefolds on one or both edges that can be folded in or outwards. The capability is expected to draw advertisers looking for new wide display opportunities in the leading daily newspapers, including additional center-spreads and pull-out sections.
“We’re very confident in the quality and design of the Goss Newsliner press and we have been happy with our experience to date with Goss International – hence the decision to invest in another, almost identical configuration to further boost capacity. With the modified folder arrangement of this second press we will not only be able to offer our advertisers additional colour pages but also a whole new promotional concept, enabling to capture the attention of thousands of people who read our titles daily,” commented Hao Xiaoqi, president of Xi’an Daily.
Norwegian printer opts
Key Bundle System from Schur
In order to increase flexibility and productivity, Polaris Trykk Harstad AS has decided to purchase a mailroom system from Schur Packaging Systems including integration to existing Ferag inserter and Müller Martini stacker. The Schur mailroom system consists of one folder gripper conveyor PCC 903, single copy addressing and two high capacity stack/packaging lines including high speed stacker TS 800, on-line bundle addressing and a sorting and loading system.
Key bundles down to one single copy can be produced automatically at full press speed due to the short cycle time of the TS800 stacker. The complete mailroom process is controlled by Nova mailroom control and information system which provides powerful tools to operate the mailroom in an optimum way including dynamic production allocation. Nova is designed for a flexible production environment preparing and producing manifests ranging from bulk production of standard bundles to single copy addressed key bundle productions at the same time.
Polaris Trykk Harstad AS is part of Polaris Trykk AS, the second largest printing group in Norway. Located in the northern part of the country, the company is printing among other titles Harstad Tidende, a daily regional newspaper. As they produce and distribute newspapers to readers widely spread over the region, therefore handling of key bundles is an important part of the process in order to keep down the handling cost.
Jacques Navarre gets senior VP position at Goss
Goss International has promoted Jacques Navarre to the position of senior vice president of sales, marketing and product management. Navarre, who has more than thirty years of experience in the printing industry, most recently headed the Goss International sales organization in Europe. While Dick Schultz will continue to serve as senior vice president of global sales for the company and Jean Segura has succeeded Navarre as vice president of sales for Goss International in Europe.
Navarre began his professional career in the paper and board industry before joining Harris Marinoni in 1978. He has since held positions across a broad range of departments, including sales, service and product marketing. “Technical expertise, international experience and passion make Jacques an ideal leader for our integrated sales and marketing teams worldwide. He has worked collaboratively with printers and publishers for three decades and developed tremendous insight into how our organization can deliver the technology, value and support they need,” commented Jochen Meissner, CEO, Goss International.
“Our technology portfolio and global organizational structure can provide unique advantages, and I look forward to helping printers and publishers use them to create the high-value print production platforms of the future,” said Navarre.
Revolutionising image search
Aiming to enable publishers to save time and money searching and using images, Imprezzeo, the visual search software company, and WoodWing Software, the developer of cross-media publishing systems, have announced a technology partnership.
Agfa Graphics Asia to come into existence
Aiming to serve the growth markets in the region, Agfa Graphics and Shenzhen Brothers announced that they have signed an agreement under which they will combine their Greater China and ASEAN activities to create a joint venture, named Agfa Graphics Asia, which will be able to fully draw on the infrastructure, technology, manufacturing and distribution strength of its founding companies. It will also continue to have full access to the Agfa Graphics world class technology.
In its first full year of operations, the new company is expected to achieve sales of 200 million euro. Agfa Graphics will be the majority shareholder with a stake of 51 percent. Shenzhen Brothers will own 49 percent of the company. Chairman of the board will be Stefaan Vanhooren, president of Agfa Graphics, while Huang, CEO of Shenzhen Brothers, will become the CEO of the new company. The new company with operational headquarters in Shenzhen (Guangdong) is expected to go life no later than Q3 2010 subject to regulatory approval.
New initiative for marketing
- Divya Himachal’s ‘Miss Himachal Pageant 2010’ launched
In association with The Times of India group’s Pantaloons Femina Miss India 2010, Divya Himachal, one of the leading Hindi dailies from Himachal Pradesh, announced the launch of Miss Himachal Pageant 2010. Aiming to offer a titillating blend of talent and glamour, this unique event is the culmination of a series of events being held across the entire state of Himachal Pradesh to identify the famed beauty and talent of the state. The qualifying winners of Divya Himachal’s Miss Himachal Pageant will represent the state at the national stage of world-famous Pantaloons Femina Miss India.
After launching Himachal This Week last year, the Divya Himachal group embarks upon a confident journey with this pageant, to build a set of unique, state-wide events providing unmatched marketing vehicles for its customers. This along with Divya Himachal in Hindi and Himachal This Week in English, makes the Divya Himachal group the leader in both reach and diversity of marketing choices in the state of Himachal Pradesh.
WoodWing announces support for Apple’s iPad
Supplier of cross-media publishing solutions, WoodWing Software announced the development of tools allowing publishers to take full advantage of Apple’s new iPad. “Apple’s iPad is most certainly going to boost the success of media consumption through handheld devices,” said Hans Janssen, CEO of WoodWing Software. “This offers a host of possibilities for publishers to create new sources of income. It’s our task as a software supplier to provide them with the right tools for that job.”
WoodWing developments have been taking place in two main areas: first, to facilitate the workflow to create interactive digital publications using the Enterprise publishing system; second, a native iPad App to enable the consumer to enjoy the interactive content. “WoodWing’s Content Station - which already allows content creators to plan, create, and publish any type of content - has been extended to accommodate the extra functionality required to plan and produce this new kind of digital publications,” said Erik Schut, president of WoodWing Software, adding, “Together with our experience gained during the creation of the iPhone newsreader App, we created an iPad Reader App capable of displaying attractive-looking content containing a mixture of text, audio and video, along with an intuitive and easy navigation.”
Goss International introduces
new web offset press models
Setting up a new milestone, Goss International introduced new web offset press models with variable repeat capability for packaging printing. Now, the new Goss Sunday press models are available in narrow and wide web widths from 20 inches (510 mm) to 75 inches (1905 mm) for flexible packaging, label and folding carton applications. Featuring quick-change sleeve technology, they allow variable repeat settings. The advanced inking, dampening and process control systems used in Sunday presses for high-quality commercial offset printing have also been incorporated, along with Goss automation and workflow technologies to reduce makeready requirements and waste.
The new variable sleeve offset Sunday press models are available as complete production systems, including roll handling and converting components to meet various application requirements. Goss International has appointed PacSys Inc to assist in marketing new Goss press solutions for packaging applications in North America, including new Sunday web press models featuring variable repeat capabilities. The agreement with the Connecticut based agency headed by Klaus Dietel and Mike McGuinness follows the proven adaptation of Goss Sunday web press technology for packaging printing requirements.
According to Dietel, “Variable sleeve web offset technology is gaining momentum as a high-quality, cost-effective alternative to flexo, gravure, sheetfed offset and traditional cassette-style web offset for many packaging applications. By adapting proven Sunday press technologies to address the specialised requirements of this market, Goss International has created exciting new possibilities for packaging producers to cut costs and achieve higher productivity and quality.”
Graham Trevett, vice president of sales for Goss International in North America, says that packaging printers have expressed interest in this new Goss variable sleeve web offset press option due to the proven print quality, speed and low-waste efficiency. He notes that Goss International recently installed a Sunday web press in the United States that prints on packaging stocks and interfaces with an advanced in-line finishing system.
manroland opens
Print Technology Center in Augsburg
Together with customers, associates, and the trade press, Paul Steidle, executive board member webfed printing systems at manroland, officially opened the new Print Technology Center (PTC) in Augsburg. This advancement and development center for newspaper and commercial web offset printing offers linked training courses for all aspects of web offset. Concentrated know-how makes the PTC a think tank and catalyst for ideas that point the way forward. At this centre, printers today test the possibilities of tomorrow.
More than 1000 customers and partners come to Augsburg every year to participate in training courses, PraxisSeminars, and PraxisDialogs. In order to create optimal conditions for these activities, a time-honored hall on the Augsburg factory premises was converted over the past few months into a Print Technology Center. At the end of the 19th century, this hall housed the turning shop of the August Riedinger engineering works, a secret ammunition factory during the second World War. At the end of the war it was used as an assembly hall for Poly automatic presses and in more recent times as a testing site.
NewspaperDirect brings over
1,400 publications to Sony e-reader
Working with publishers to broaden their reach across a broad range of digital devices, NewspaperDirect Inc, the world leader in multi-channel newspaper and magazine content distribution, has made available their entire library of more than 1,400 publications from 93 countries in 44 languages for the entire line of Sony Reader digital books. With this initiative, Sony has joined a growing list of devices
already supported by PressDisplay.com, including PCs, Macs, smartphones, iPhones, iPod Touch and BlackBerry devices, IREX digital readers and, soon, Interead’s COOL-ER.
Now, PressDisplay.com users can enjoy the most intuitive and engaging newspaper and magazine reading experience on all Sony e-reading devices and download any of the local, national and international titles currently available on the world’s largest online newspaper and magazine kiosk. Some of the prestigious titles from around the world include The Washington Post, USA Today, Toronto Star, National Post, The Guardian, International Herald Tribune, Daily Mail, Irish Independent, L’Equipe, Il Giornale, Iltalehti, Bangkok Post, Kommersant, and De Volkskrant.
While other e-reading software uses simplified feeds to populate Sony readers with limited website content, PressDisplay’s PressReader application delivers the full content of printed editions to the device. PressReader provides: all original content (including photos and images) presented in a familiar newspaper layout; fully supported Sony’s touch-sensitive screen and gesture-driven interface; built-in additional intuitive navigation controls, including thumbnails and cross-linking within multi-page articles; tables of content supporting foreign-language publications; and scheduled downloads of titles available via USB.
PressReader’s unique content presentation technology is also an integral part of NewspaperDirect’s SmartEdition platform, which means the company’s publishing partners’ private-label newspapers and magazines, can immediately be offered to their subscribers on the hottest devices on the market, while increasing paid circulation revenues that come from being instantly available, everywhere their readers are.
“We are committed to provide customers the broadest selection of titles on the most popular reading devices on the market,” said Alex Kroogman, CEO of NewspaperDirect, adding, “The moment a title is published on our platform, it’s instantly available in print, online, on mobile devices, and on e-readers. Our customers always have access to their favorite publications on whatever screen they choose to use. At the same time, we are using a proven pay-per-view business model that has been benefiting our publisher customers since 2003.”
The first StreamFold
goes to Lehtisepät OY, Finland
Ferag has shipped the first StreamFold to Lehtisepät OY in Kuopio (Finland), for which an order was placed at Ifra Expo 09. It would enable the company to produce their own freesheets, plus other titles. In addition, Lehtisepät OY is creating a good start point for the acquisition of outside jobs.
In an initial phase, StreamFold will be operating offline with manual infeed through the JetFeeder hopper. Connection of the quarterfold machine to the existing Ferag system for online production is planned for the middle of the year.
Lehtisepät OY is a company owned by Finnish Media Group Keskisuomalainen OYJ. Other companies in the group include Savon Sanomat OY, publisher of the daily newspaper of the same name with approximately 65,000 copies.
StreamFold is the latest innovation from Ferag. After presentation of the new solution in September to media group, the line was celebrating its global launch at the Vienna show in front of a broad section of industry specialists.
Decade old relief initiative continues
The endeavour from Punjab Kesari group bringing solace to the migrants of J&K started on October 16, 1999 continues yet with 266th truck of relief material which was sent recently.
The Malaysian Reserve takes the lead
-becomes the first newspaper using
WoodWing’s full-service iPhone newsreader solution
WoodWing Software announced that The Malaysian Reserve has become the first newspaper to publish its news using WoodWing’s iPhone newsreader which provides publishers of all kinds a quick way to offer their audience online content through a company-branded iPhone application, supporting text, images and video both for editorial content and advertisements.
Adoption of the WoodWing app is part of a new push by The Malaysian Reserve to bring its concise, high-quality business news to new delivery channels, after having successfully established itself in print after its launch two years ago. “In Malaysia, the iPhone has been a great success, and we see it as a great opportunity to be the first newspaper in Malaysia to offer an iPhone app,” said Syed Fazilla, CEO of The Malaysian Reserve.
The Malaysian Reserve is published five days a week and is managed as a true independent business publication. It provides an insight into the Malaysian business scene offering essential local, regional, and international information. As a pro-business newspaper, it stresses balanced reporting, encompassing local and international news. The layout is uncluttered, consistent, and designed to facilitate ease and speed of reading. It offers the latest developments in the business world together with the most important non-business news items, making it an essential read for leaders who need to be kept informed and ahead in a fast and concise manner.
“Internationally, iPhone newsreader apps are among the most popular downloads from the Apple’s App Store and have proven to be great tools for publishers to extend their brand,” said Remco Koster, managing director of WoodWing Asia Pacific, adding, “We are happy and proud that The Malaysian Reserve is again proving itself to be a forward-looking newspaper. They are the first customer to adopt WoodWing’s branded iPhone Newsreader.”
“The analysts of Piper Jaffray expect Apple to sell about 36 million iPhones in 2010, after about 25 million last year,” said Erik Schut, president of WoodWing Software. “The iPhone has a proven record as the most important mobile publishing channel in the market, so publishers cannot afford to miss the opportunities an iPhone newsreader offers to their business. Nielsen, a leading marketing and media information company, reported that iPhone users are a very attractive target group both in terms of age and income.”
In the United States, the Audit Bureau of Circulation has allowed publishers to count their downloaded apps as part of their audited circulation. The Guardian in the United Kingdom and Bild, published by Axel Springer in Germany, have proven that iPhone users are even willing to pay a fee to download and install their application.
Publishers only have to provide WoodWing with their corporate design elements and can select their own colours and icons to use inside their app. WoodWing then creates the branded iPhone newsreader, takes care of the integration with the customer’s CMS, and makes the app available for download in Apple’s App Store. The iPhone app retrieves its content from a WoodWing server in the cloud. This server fetches the news from the publisher’s content management system, web site or RSS feed. Hosting and data traffic are also included in the service.
