Moving forms online: Bring forms printing back to your shop with interactive PDFs

By Bob Atkinson

In GM's October 2013 issue we took a look at a specialty market that got away, and explored how you can bring it back to your shop. One market segment that’s been impacted less than others by the decade-long decline in business levels is forms printing. Each month, millions of print forms are used in Canada, whether simple one-part forms or multi-section/multi-copy forms.

That said, over the same decade we’ve seen a big move away from paper forms to electronic, designed to be completed and returned online. The shift started in the late ’90s when federal and provincial governments and big businesses (the largest users of forms) began adopting interactive PDFs or web-based forms. Many of the existing forms-printing companies moved to keep up, adding electronic form products and services, but much of the work disappeared into government and enterprise IT or fulfillment departments. >> continued

Security printing can be within your reach

By Bob Atkinson

In printing, as with any business, when the same products and services are offered by a lot of vendors the competition drives prices down over time. These offerings become commodities, sold on the lowest price and usually for the lowest profit. In a tight financial environment, it pays to offer products and services your competitors don’t. This time, let’s look at two types of specialty printing – one long-standing and one brand-new.

SECURITY PRINTING
Security printing, designed to verify authenticity and offer protection from tampering or forgery, dates back to the earliest days of printing when papermakers introduced subtle watermarks to identify their products. Today, there are dozens of security methods used in printing. For example,Canadian paper currency is printed on a combination of restricted cotton-fibre paper stock and clear polymer plastic and uses over a dozen printed security measures. >> continued

Ricoh unveils the Pro C700X series

Ricoh launched the Pro C700X series, a cutsheet device family that offers a fifth colour station. The new station supports either white or clear ink.  The C7100X prints at speeds of up to 80 ppm and the C7110x at speeds of up to 90 pp, both based upon A4.

They have a maximum sheet size of 13 x 19.2" and maximum monthly volume of 240,000 based on letter size. It prints at 1200x4800 dpi with VCSEL image quality on various substrates, from tree-based paper to synthetics and envelopes. The C7100X series can support paper weights of up to 360gsm in simplex and duplex.

The Ricoh Pro C700X series has a targeted availability of December 2014. >> continued

New from Ricoh: the Pro VC60000 inkjet press

The Ricoh Pro VC60000 is Ricoh's  latest inkjet continuous feed platform. It is capable of printing more than 100,000 letter images per hour and uses Ricoh’s next generation drop-on-demand print heads and high density pigment inks. The new print heads can produce a resolution of up to 1,200 x 1,200 dpi, resulting in near-offset quality documents. Ricoh provides an optional undercoat unit for use on various stocks and an optional inline protector coating unit for scratch and scruff resistance. >> continued

Onwards and upwards for Prodigy Graphics

Prodigy Graphics has donated $12,000 to Evangel Hall Mission (EHM) a charity group that helps homeless individuals get off the streets. The president of the trade shop, Gordon McCauley, presented the money to EHM on July 29.


(left to right) Bob Price, Drop-In Manager EHM; Gordon McCauley, President Prodigy Graphics; Joseph Taylor, Executive Director EHM; Jo Ann Hislop, Director of Programs EHM. >> continued

BL Litho's demise and rise

B.L. Litho, a sheetfed commercial print shop with a history going back decades, filed for bankruptcy on September 5, only to have the company bought and relaunched a few days later, PrintCAN has learned. 

New owner Stephane Marcil said B.L. Litho ran into  financial difficulty and was forced to shutter its doors and lay off its 45 employees. Marcil, whose brother-in-law works at B.L. Litho, came in and bought the company in its entirety, though he hasn't yet taken possession of all the equipment. He expects that to happen in a couple of weeks. "I was at the right place at the right time," said Marcil. "I approached [former owner] Richard Beaulieu, we talked and established a good relationship." >> continued

Job growth on the horizon for 4over Mississauga

Trade printer 4over displayed one of its latest pieces of machinery during an open house held Tuesday. According to 4over’s national press manager, German Ramirez, the 6-colour, 40" Komori Lithrone S40 press, was purchased for the Mississauga location with faster printing times and future job growth in mind.


 Left to right: CEO Zarik Megerdichian, plant manager Paul Kett >> continued

Intertainment Media completes sale of Magnum Printing

Intertainment Media has announced the final closing sale of assets of Magnum Fine Commercial Printing limited to 1337478 Ontario Inc., an entity controlled by Media-Vision— a company that specializes in print, web, direct mail, displays and packaging, and premium and incentives work.

The sale transaction closed on Sept. 2 and all Magnum printing assets and employees have been transferred to Media-Visions’ head office on Passmore Ave. where production is located, Media-Vision CEO John Popovski said. >> continued

Let's get the industry talking on #IPD14

In an effort to get people talking about the world of print, Print Media Centre has launched International Print Day. On Oct. 8, web-savvy members of the global print community are encouraged to share information about print and integrated marketing on social media using the hashtag #IPD14.
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Rhino and R.P. Graphics form strategic alliance

R.P. Graphics and Rhino Print Solutions have entered into strategic alliance, the two companies announced Monday. There's two components to the deal: R.P. will buy Rhino's Toronto location, and also establish an alliance with Rhino's locations in Vancouver and Calgary—which are not included in the purchase—to provide printing services to national accounts. The goal is to provide coast-to-coast distribute and print model. 


(left to right) David Allan, George Mazzaferro >> continued