Run-ons and run-ins

March 2008 - Posts

• How close is digital to usurping offset?

  So, Kyocera has developed an inkjet head capable of producing 1,000 full-colour A4 pages a minute. I admit, I almost did a cartoon-like double take when I saw the story and had to check that I hadn’t misread it. (As I’m sure a number of printweek.com readers did, for example perhaps those employed, oh I don’t know, say by German or Japanese press firms.) Essentially, what this breakthrough means is that there is a digital technology now commercially available that can produce 60,000 A4 pages per hour - in other words an inkjet head capable of giving a 15,000 sheets per hour B2 press a serious run for its money. Of course, offset still has the edge in the quality stakes, certainly to my mind - the Kyocera head  for example only offers a maximum of 600dpi. However, with inkjet technology advancing at a seemingly exponential rate, I wonder how long it will be before it matches or even, dare I say, overtakes offset in the quality stakes? Posted Mar 26 2008, 04:04 AM by Darryl Danielli with 2 comment(s)

• Print's Polish friends - here today but maybe gone tomorrow?

  I saw a fascinating documentary on BBC Two last night on the influx of workers from Eastern Europe and it got me thinking about their impact on the print industry. From talking to various printers over the past couple of years, it seems economic migrants are making up an ever-increasing percentage of the print workforces in a number of areas (primarily the south east from my conversations). And I’ve got to be honest they’re being welcomed with open arms, primarily because (as was highlighted on the programme, “The Poles are Coming”) their fantastic work ethic. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever heard a bad word said about them. The bulk of the Eastern European print workers seem to be based in relatively low-skilled sectors, although I’m sure there are a fair few Polish press minders too, but by and large their biggest impact seems to be in the hand finishing packing departments. These are clearly the lower paid jobs in print, and in many cases, I suspect that without these more than willing workers, many print firms would struggle to fill the roles. (In the TV show, one business owner spoke of the possible impact of his foreign workers leaving, and he said, only half jokingly, “I would probably have to shut down”.) So if what I'm beginning to hear is true – namely that an increasing number of Eastern European  print workers that have already been here a couple of years are now looking to return home – by the sounds of it, that could be an unmitigated disaster for many print firms. Posted Mar 12 2008, 03:57 AM by Darryl Danielli with no comments