This whole low-cost labour thing is starting to worry me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m in favour of printers using all available tactics to further their business. However, in my opinion, the Government’s open-door policy is more to do with short-term political gain than future economic stability. My preferred solution is automation.

East London-based Capital Print & Display is taking a second KBA Rapida 205 VLF offset press. The installation, which makes Capital the first European company to run two of these wide format presses, will provide service continuity during the company’s five-mile relocation which is part of the 2012 Olympic Games development.

Antimicrobial overlay film from MacDermid Autotype has been specified for use in the control panel of a new epilepsy alarm designed by Danish Care Technology.

As part of its efforts to transfer work from screen to digital technology, Shades Screenprint has invested in its third Spyder 320, which will be used primarily for printing on acrylic and glass.

Visitors who pre-register to attend the FESPA 2007 exhibition before the end of March 2007 will not only gain free entry to the exhibition itself, they could also win tickets to the event’s gala evening, taking place on 8 June at the Axel Springer-Passage entertainment venue in Berlin.

Cost margins, the economy and employment issues will all be tackled as part of the British Printing Industries Federation’s (BPIF) campaign for 2007.

Injecting a shot of energy and dynamism in any context, Pantone 19-1557 Chili Pepper has been selected by its provider as the colour of the year for 2007. Colour standards specialist, Pantone, suggests this deep, spicy red will prove popular as a means of reflecting confidence and personality in everything from mobile phone to web page design.

I was chatting to a leading exhibition market research company who had recently conducted research on exhibition visitors. The findings suggested typical show attendees are: ambitious, motivated, future orientated, open to learning, think outside the box, constantly looking for new ideas, and are usually in growing, successful companies. Fantastic! Research clearly proving the business value of exhibitions.

This year's Spring Fair saw Fujifilm UK showcase a selection of professional imaging equipment including Hewlett Packard and Epson large format printers and a range of high specification software and media.

Billed as the first UK conference dedicated to the large format printing channel, JB Marketing and Consultancy has launched the LFP Show, set to run for the first time at the De Vere Belfry Hotel in the Midlands on 16 June 2007.

Screen printers and engravers can now take advantage of a new trade service from GSM Graphic Arts designed to help them handle enquiries for labels, nameplates or fascias in materials, finishes or quantities that are outside their normal capacity.

Expanded content and technical resources have been added to Esko's website in a bid to deliver maximum support for customers of the packaging pre-production solutions provider.

Set to showcase the full range of HP large format printers, from the Designjet 500 all the way up to the new Designjet 10000 series, Perfect Colours has opened a new 3,000m2 showroom and demonstration suite in London.

Following the purchase of a new Advanced Jet AJ-1000 grand-format printer, Hull-based Greens 'The Signmaker' has been named as the site of Roland DG UK’s 2,000th printer installation.

Digital Expo’s free-to-attend Printing for Profit Masterclasses have been announced. Running run in association with Walsall College, they present a perfect opportunity to learn from the experts.

Consistent colour matching and direct-to-print performance are just two of the benefits boosting productivity at Creative Media, following the company's investment in a DuPont Cromaprint 22UV wide format flatbed and roll-to-roll digital printing system.

Despite predictions to the contrary, the festive season was successful for retailers across the UK, with more than three quarters reporting an increase in like-for-like sales over the Christmas period for 2006, according to a review of retail Christmas trading updates from financial and business adviser, Grant Thornton.

An expanded range of wide format Omnijet media is now available from Ilford, as showcased at the Paperworld 2007 exhibition, held in Frankfurt this January.

In addition to a wide range of PoP, PoS, banner and exhibition work, Wiesbaden-based wide format photo lab, Oschatz, specialises in museum artwork.

Recently I have been involved extensively in digital printing technology and I am concerned with what I see. Potential users do not understand their options and consequently can make uneducated buying decisions. Once installed machines become prey to a ‘push-button’ culture where the electronics will ‘sort it out’.

One of the first flatbed machines to be launched was Inca’s Eagle 44, in January 2001. It has subsequently become a name synonymous with quality, reliability and innovative piezo inkjet solutions for the graphic arts market. The range evolved rapidly with the introduction of the Eagle H and Columbia in 2002.

There is little doubt that environmental issues are gaining pace in the wide format printing industry. Big print customers, like high street retailers, are announcing demanding new environmental roadmaps, while equipment and consumable suppliers join the race with new products and services.

William Smith has introduced the new 3M Scotchcal series IJ25, a range of calendered short to medium term digital printing films designed for use on designated piezo inkjet printer platforms and suitable for application to flat surfaces.

Two new cutters have been added to the range of Neolt cutters and trimmers available from Laaco Laminates. Designed for use in the blue back market where fast cut out after printing can be labour intensive, the Neolt Sheeter offers an auto X cut and measured Y cut. Units are supplied in two sizes, 1.65m and 2.10m.

A review of Robert Horne's Revive family of environmentally friendly papers has resulted in a number of new additions to the range, which has also been re-structured to provide a one-stop choice for coated and uncoated recovered fibre and fibre accredited papers and boards.

Suitable for use with UV cure ink and on-demand digital printing processes, Jessup Manufacturing Company is aiming its GloBrite photoluminescent film squarely at the sign and safety industry.

January 2007 saw the publication of an important revision to the European health and safety regulations surrounding the use of phthalates in plastic toys. These chemical compounds, used as plasticisers to make rigid PVC flexible, can constitute a health risk, particularly in children and as such, they are now restricted for use in all toy and childcare articles via pan-European directive 2005/84/EC.

What has the newish year brought you so far? Reports to me at the beginning of February suggest that we are mostly off to a slow start! However, we have noticed a much higher level of activity with enquiries and quotations, which added to various guru predictions of some TV advertising going back ‘below the line’, could lead to quite a lot more work about in 2007.