Just as this issue of Screen Process and Digital Imaging was heading for print I did a rather unusual thing: I pulled it back to rewrite the leader. The reason why? Well as I listened to the morning news I heard that Marks and Spencer had just announced ‘Plan A’, a business-wide £200m eco-plan which is designed to impact every part of the company over the next five-years.

Changes to the pricing structure have boosted sales of Adelco's Jet Force production conveyor dryers and automatic quartz flash cure units. Reductions have been introduced as a result of establishing a new manufacturing facility in China with lower manufacturing costs.

Nearly 45 percent of speciality imagers print on plastics and/or vinyls, according to results of the Substrates and Specialties survey conducted on SGIA.org’s statistics website.

Vehicles throughout Antalis' logistics fleet have been wrapped with a new livery, set to highlight the company's environmental efforts. Designs emblazoned on the Sprinter vans will help raise awareness of the company's contribution to the environment, as well as its full range of environmentally friendly products.

Irish bookmaker, Paddy Power, has teamed up with Moving Print Distribution in a partnership that sees MPD delivering and installing a window merchandising campaign across all Paddy Power outlets in the UK and Ireland.

MacDermid Autotype has retired its 'autotype in a box' logo. All products will now branded under the MacDermid banner. The Autotype name, with its 138-year history, continues on all MacDermid Autotype's screen printing products.

Ink Technologies has continued to grow its team to keep pace with customer demand. The newest member is Dean Terry who has been appointed customer service executive. Dean has been with ITL for four-years and was previously responsible for national and worldwide dispatch.

One of the biggest benefits of visiting a show like Digital Expo is the opportunity to see new technology working live. Following industry research the organiser has introduced a new live digital print demonstration trail. Visitors can plan their route around the show, attending a variety of print, pre-press and finishing demonstrations.

Delegates attending this year's reformatted DCP Systems roadshow are encouraged to sign up in advance if they wish to attend any of the seminars running alongside the exhibition and display. Scheduled to run between March and June, the roadshows offer digital printers, photographers and artists the opportunity to explore DCP’s photographic and fine art print production processes with guest speakers on mastering Photoshop and digital photography.

Testament to its efforts to minimise environmental impact, substrate specialist, the McNaughton Group has been awarded ISO 14001 certification. This recognises the company's best practice in working towards a sustainable future with a reduced ecological footprint, including collaboration with mills that also adopt environmental best practice.

There is never a bad time to analyse what your business has achieved in the past year and setting objectives for the year ahead. With the changing face of the consumer market, there is no better time than now to review how your business delivers value to existing customers.

Print solutions company, NCS, has invested over £500k in refurbishing the demonstration centre at its Newcastle headquarters to better showcase its wide format expertise. The improvements are supported by a new distribution deal which sees NCS as the only UK-based supplier of the Durst Rho 600 flatbed UV inkjet printer.

A series of Screen open days are set to showcase the latest addition to the company's digital portfolio: the Inca Spyder 150 printer. Events will be held at Inca Digital's headquarters in Cambridge over the coming months in a bid to provide digital print customers with new opportunities.

As part of its membership package, the Shop and Display Equipment Association (SDEA) is offering retail display suppliers who join before 31 March a bonus listing in the latest SDEA directory 2007/2008.

Many organisations readily collect their waste paper, but too often regard this as their total recycling effort. Unfortunately, this is only half the story regarding environmental impact. They also need to buy recycled to complete the circle, iIncreasingly, more forward-thinking businesses are doing so.

Having fought off stiff competition from its peers, Simpson Group has once again been awarded the contract to supply travel operator, Thompson, with promotional display materials. The three-year agreement, worth an estimated £2 million, extends the two company's 20-year working relationship and will see Simpson Group supply materials to around 720 retail outlets throughout the UK.

Packaging software and hardware produced by Esko will now be available from Xerox, following the company's appointment as a European distributor. Esko products will be sold in all countries where Xerox Europe operates, with Esko providing post-sales service and support.

The Printwear & Promotion exhibition 2007 opens its doors on Sunday 4 March and runs to Tuesday 6 March in the NEC’s Hall 9. The organiser states a record number of exhibitors are expected, covering garment/promotional product supplies and product decoration technologies.

Colourgen reseller, The CAD Warehouse, has provided RDA Consulting with the latest Seiko II Infotech Teriostar integrated CAD printer and scanner designed to provide faster prints, improved workflow capabilities and weather resistant prints

The Awards promote best practice in keys areas including: print excellence; technical achievement; environmental best practice; service innovation; health & safety.

Capital Print & Display currently based in Stratford, London have never been shy of making major capital investments in order to be at the forefront of printing technology a philosophy adopted early on in the formation of the company by David Gill in 1980. Their plant list reads like a who’s who of the latest in technology, massive expansion plans are underway for 2007 during which time they will be moving to a completely new high tech purpose built factory in June.

Cucumbers and deep frozen inorganic materials are probably the most unusual substrates I have printed on in my career. Don’t ask about the cucumbers and I am sworn to secrecy regarding the inorganic materials.

Launched in 2006, DuPont’s first Cromaprint 22UV rigid/flexible large format digital printer has been installed at Nottingham-based Viva Imaging.

The Digital Print Centre of Industrial Collaboration has chosen to use two DuPont Cromalin Largo colour proofing systems for its Colour Master Courses, run jointly by The University of Leeds Department of Colour & Polymer Chemistry and Leeds College of Technology

Q: In terms of ‘building’ materials, how does large format media fit?

A: Legislation for materials testing is due to building safety and the legislative nature of developed countries. Building materials are subject to industry standards and accepted because we all live and work in buildings. It is the basis for understanding the nature of fire resistance. We must recognise that buildings and their materials have been around longer than graphics.

Fleet owners and brand managers looking to implement an outdoor advertising strategy can now utilise 3M's Fleet Advertising solution aimed at the commercial vehicle sector.

Foamboards from Alcan Composites have been redesigned with a polyurethane core technology, designed to offer improved flatness and rigidity despite exhibiting a lower density than previous extruded polystyrene boards.

An all new cast vinyl film with Hex’press adhesive technology has been introduced by Hexis to meet demand for vehicle wraps and fleet graphics.

Expand's Media Screen 2 is billed as the first retractable banner display with sufficient stability and durability for outdoor use. For year-round usage, the frame is manufactured from stainless materials combining matt and shiny finishes, such as aluminium, steel and chromed zinc.

Developed to offer a carbon fibre finish at minimal cost, Avery Dennison Graphics and Reflective Products division has introduced a new vinyl film for use with self-adhesive signcut signage. Available in black or transparent versions, Avery Carbon Films offer a simulated textured carbon-fibre finish that can be used as a background for all kinds of indoor and outdoor signage.

Close collaboration between pre-production packaging specialist, Esko, and vision-based workflow expert, Mikkelsen Graphic Engineering (MGE), has resulted in the release of i-cut version 6.2, a software update for the Kongsberg i-XE and i-XL cutting tables designed to provide better support for short run production of packaging and point of sale materials.

We told you we’d be back this year, and we are, with a vengeance!

The new Awards are designed to bring together the entire screen and digital printing industry and to promote best practice not only for printers, but for suppliers too, in key areas of manufacture and supply.