A big printing machine makes a big visual statement so it's hardly surprising that wide format screen, digital and litho systems have a habit of dominating the news. However, as newsworthy as these systems are, they only represent one facet of the UK's diverse printing sector.

Two new brochures have been released by Robert Horne in a bid to help customers get the most out of its products.

Direct-on-garment printers and inks manufactured by Kornit Digital and available in the UK from Adelco, have been approved for digitally printing on babies' clothing by Oeko-Tex, the international association for research and testing in the field of textile ecology.

Pupils studying for a BTEC Art and Design qualification at Barnsley Academy visited printers in the Yorkshire area as part of a pilot scheme encouraging youngsters towards a career in the print industry. A total of 24 students took part in the initiative, which saw the youngsters tour Broadsword UK in Sheffield, Intoprint and South Yorkshire Printers in Rotherham and Johnston Press in Dinnington.

A working group of printers, print buyers and colour experts chaired by Paul Sherfield of The Missing Horse Consultancy is to develop a UK certification scheme for the ISO 12647/2 colour management standard.

Visitor's to Capital's redesigned website can now log in to a secure client area using a unique identifier to access on-line stock control and digital asset management. The marketing campaign solutions company expects the site to showcase its capability and credentials, including its environmental ethos. Following Capital's brand and image redesign last year, the website reflects its new corporate identity with additional information in the form of press releases and diary dates.

Hints, tips and helpful advice will be the star attraction of the Adobe Theatre, which returns to Sign and Digital UK this year as the first in a series of seminars, workshops and classes to be announced for the show. The theatre will repeat on each day of the show, from 22 to 24 April, ensuring that all visitors can attend.

HP has named City and West End Solutions as its 2007 large format printer reseller of the year, as well as confirming that the company has sold more HP Designjet Z-6100s in the UK than the rest of the channel put together.

Point of purchase and retail display specialists, SDI Display and Vivid Retail, both part of the AAC Group, have been merged into a single company operating as SDI Displays. Bringing together a range of skills and services targeted at retailers and sellers of branded goods, the new company claims to fulfil the complete supply chain for pop displays from concept to design, through prototyping to manufacture and volume roll out.

Independent technology and product development company, The Technology Partnership (TTP), has launched a range of digital printer electronics and software capable of driving all types of industrial inkjet printers to reduce the cost, complexity and time-to-market for new print systems.

Fespa is hosting its first directors forum this month in a bid to help ambitious and future-orientated screen and digital printers improve their overall performance, grow their business and increase profits. The event will feature practical workshops and presentations from industry thinkers, brands and image-makers including Print and Display's Christian Duckarts and chairman of the Simpson Group, Mark Simpson.

Christmas decorations at London's St Pancras station included a huge advent calendar, printed and installed by Service Graphics, the large format print and display arm of St Ives. The company used its NUR Expedia digital inkjet systems to print the calendar and a recently installed Vutek QS to produce the accompanying interior displays, creating a total of 2,685m2 of graphics.

An enhanced service program (ESP) has been launched by EFI to support customers using its Vutek line of super-wide dye sublimation, solvent and UV inkjet printers. The new program will offer three tiers of response time to better align service levels with customer requirements and geographic locations.

Nazdar is the latest ink manufacturer to become a Xaar approved ink partner, having achieved approved status for its Nazdar Lyson 7150F UV and 7340F UV curable flexible series digital imaging inks for use with Xaar 500/40 printheads.

The quantity of point of sale and outdoor advertising material deposited in UK landfill sites runs into tens of thousands of tons each year. Most illuminated billboards and banners will find their way to landfill.

Colourgen has announced a series of promotions. Until 31 March 2008, customers can claim a £400 discount on the new Epson Stylus Pro 7880 by trading in any A3 or wider printer. Customers can also claim a £150 discount if they prefer an Epson Stylus Pro 3800 and have an A3 or wider printer to trade-in. The company is also offering discounts on popular cut sheet and roll fed media, while continuing its half price deal on Epson's Coverplus three-year extended warranty.

As a specialist component printer, Kingsway Print identified a niche market for rapid turnaround of high-quality print on complex profiles. Today, the company's customer base is drawn from most industry sectors, including aircraft seating manufacture for some of the largest international airlines.

Hygiene requirements in the medical, food, cleanroom and pharmaceutical industries are extremely high. All surfaces and items which staff touch must be sterile. Surfaces of frequently used membrane keypads are potential breeding grounds for germs, bacteria and other microorganisms. However, this risk can be minimised by using antibacterial coatings.

Pad Printing has come a long way from the hand engraved copper plates and gelatine pads of Stoke-on-Trent in the 1960s. Then, you would expect that. To give you an idea of the process, a copper plate was hand engraved with the design. This was mounted on a printing machine featuring a large gelatine printing pad (often over 400mm diameter) that picked up the image from the plate and transferred it to the ceramic ware.

With more people taking the digital route, plus growth of the outdoor advertising market, superwide format digital printers are increasingly becoming a strategic investment. Regional sales manager, Europe North EFI Vutek, Emmanuel Swolfs, said: "We believe the future for superwide format, throughout 2008 and beyond, looks positive for the UK market. Healthy growth is being fuelled by the ever-rapid transition to digital. No longer viewed a risky market, more and more people are entering this mature marketplace, particularly as we see costs per square metre decreasing as a result of dropping ink prices and ever-increasing production speeds.

Fedrigoni has added to its portfolio with the Hi-Kard collection consisting of three product types, including a new range of smooth Sirio cards said to provide excellent thickness and toughness with a refined finish.

Atech is stocking a new mediaTech polycotton canvas suitable for all water-based inks and available in standard size rolls from 16 to 60in wide. It is ideal for the professional photographer using Epson, HP or Canon printers and is said to give a realistic canvas finish. Designed to offer a flexible alternative to pure cotton media, the 340gsm polycotton canvas can help reduce edge cracking, making it perfect for portrait and art reproductions where the image continues round the edge of the stretched frame.

Two new co-branded  Xerox/Epson printers have been launched to address high quality indoor graphics applications such as proofing and point of sale material. The wide format Xerox/Epson Stylus Pro 7880 and 9880 are said to combine the quality and reliability expected of Epson backed by a full service and support agreement from Xerox.

Graphics application is said to be simple with Avery Dennison's new MPI 1005 Easy Apply RS self-adhesive graphic arts film. Suitable for a variety of wide-format digital print uses, it is both repositionable and slideable, reducing waste and saving time in decal application and removal.

Designed to produce cost effective, high quality output for the photographic and fine art sectors, Canon UK has extended its 12-colour graphic art offering with the 44in imagePrograf iPF8100 and the 60in imagePrograf iPF9100 large format printers (LFP).

Summa's new SummaCut-R Series boasts refinements including OPOS X technology (used on the company's advanced S-Class cutting plotters) and a new drag-knife cutting head. The system can read registration marks for contour cutting on standard, reflective, holographic and mirror materials, plus laminates. The machine features algorithms to compensate for print deformation, using reliable sensor technology.

Now available from William Smith, 3M's new IJ380 Controltac Plus Graphic Film is designed to simplify the vehicle wrap process. The intelligent film is said to offer flexibility when applying large format graphics onto recessed and corrugated surfaces, with shape memory technology to ensure the film will not relax after application.

Formulated for use with the company's Jeti flatbed printers, Gandinnovations has launched a new range of Jeti Premium UV-curable inks designed to exhibit good flexibility and adhesion to polymeric substrates. The inks can be used with acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), coroplast, polycarbonate, polystyrene, different grades of PVC, polyolefins and polyesters, on roll stock or rigid substrates. Gandinnovations claims the ink will not peel, flake or chip when cut on automated dye cutter or router equipment.

We all wish Mike Turner the best after retiring as director of the Digital and Screen Printing Association and thank him for his contribution over the last 18-years. Be assured, the Association will go from strength-to-strength, built on the foundation Mike created.