The cover, printed on an HP Indigo 7900 on the 300gsm weight of the material, was designed by Gabriel Walsh of Capiche Design. The title poem depicts starlings as dull creatures until light shines upon them and they are transformed from starlings to birds of paradise. Mr Walsh spoke on the importance of a cover that best reflects the poems’ content stating, ‘The iridescent nature of the print substrate beautifully captures this notion, echoing the words of the poet while illustrating the beauty of the starling feathers.’

An Druideog was designed by Mr Walsh for Irish poet Ciarán MacAibhistín. It features a collection of poems which reflect the poet’s life as he approaches his twilight years.

Creative papers manager at Antalis Vicky Weatherington added, ‘Curious Metallics’ white gold was the perfect choice for the cover of An Druideog. It adds an extra dimension to the beautiful, abstract image of a starling that features on the cover. It’s a great example of how choosing the right substrate can help bring a project to life.’

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The book, created in collaboration with Wrexham AFC, HP and Nabu for World Book Day on 7 March 2024, was created to celebrate the richness of Welsh culture and language present in Wrexham, while promoting mother-tongue literacy among children aged 6-10. 

Peter Jolly, HP’s industrial UK and Ireland country manager, commented, ‘This project is a great example of how we’re effectively working with Wrexham AFC as their global tech partner, to enable and create meaningful impact for the local community.’

Isabel Sheinman, Nabu’s co-founder, stated, ‘Since 2020, we’ve partnered with HP to close the digital divide by accelerating literacy for children globally. Nabu provides children around the world with equal access to original, high-quality, mother-tongue, bilingual content for free via the low-bandwidth Nabu reading app and web reader.

‘We’re excited to collaborate with HP, Wrexham AFC, and Pureprint for the creation of The Lucky Dragon, our first Welsh-English book, which will further our mission while inspiring a generation to be the heroes of their own story.’

Mark Handford, CEO of Pureprint, added, ‘Working on The Lucky Dragon project exemplifies our capacity to expedite print runs and work with greater flexibility, all while advancing our sustainability aims.’

Using the HP Indigo 100K, Pureprint was able to create different samples and short trial run productions of the title before the final artwork and translation was complete. This allowed it to meet quick turnaround times and work through several iterations seamlessly. 

Pureprint’s HP printers and materials are also described as being carbon balanced, and by maximising imposition efficiencies, the company can reduce the number of sheets and impressions required per job, making processes more sustainable. Using sustainable materials doesn’t compromise the quality of print and has allowed Pureprint to further its sustainability goals by saving on print wastage.

Mr Jolly concluded, ‘We know that flexibility, productivity and sustainability are top-of-mind for Pureprint, and we’re excited to support on all three of these fronts with the implementation of our HP Indigo 100K digital press.’

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The VarioPrint 6000 line targets high volume markets and is capable of handling up to 10 million A4 prints per month. Catering to a wide variety of monochrome environments, the series comes in three versions, Standard, TPxp and MICR, which cover different customer market segments including general commercial, book, manual or in-house printing, transactional, and security printing. Each variant is available in multiple speed versions with a facility for temporary or permanent speed upgrades and a choice of paper input and finishing modules.

The Titan presses now run on the Mark 10 version of PrismaSync, Canon’s print server that processes jobs and monitors and controls printer functions. Offering up to eight hours of advanced production planning and scheduling, PrismaSync processes the real-time information to predict necessary operator interventions and allows the remote monitoring of one or multiple presses at a glance.

The TPxp models are designed specifically for direct mail and transactional applications and now benefit from a dedicated TPxp toner, which together with an optional Print Guard Module, provides a higher cohesive strength to increase the durability of prints, important to retain print quality when processed through heavy-duty near-line finishing systems.

All presses in the series are available with temporary or permanent speed licences of 182, 221, 272 and 328 A4 images per minute. Via its DFD interface, the VarioPrint Titan connects with a wide range of standard and heavy-duty finishing equipment, while an optional Light Weight Media kit enables printing on 45 gsm stock.

The VarioPrint 6000 Titan series will be shown on the Canon stand at drupa 2024.

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Hosted by graphic designer and book illustrator Anita Mangan, the awards showcased the best talent in British book production across 18 categories from cover design to sustainability, judged by a panel that comprised Michael Burman, Nancy Roberts, Max Lilley and Lucy Swanston.

This year’s competition saw Generation Press taking home  trophies in four different categories and Kingsbury Press winning three. The Book of the Year grand prize went to Hurtwood for Out in the Cold, a two-volume book showcasing Danie Ferreira’s photography, presented in a screen-printed box.

Guests had the chance to see, feel and flip through all the shortlisted books at the beginning of the evening. Once the winners had been revealed, each guest received a copy of the Book of the Night, designed by En-Te and printed by Halstan on high quality paper provided by Sappi, which this year followed the event’s theme of ‘storytellers’ with a striking die-cut cover by Diamond.

Meeka Walwyn-Lewis, head of marketing and operations at the BPIF, said, ‘The UK book production market continues to develop and grow, and this was majorly visible through the amazing entries at this year’s BBD&PAs. It is always great to celebrate the best in book production surrounded by so many representatives throughout book the supply chain, all there to celebrate and champion the sector, bringing creativity and production together. Well done to all the finalists and a massive to congratulations to all the winners.’

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The 60-plus year-old business specialises in high quality litho, personalised digital print and mailing. It runs two five-colour Heidelberg presses, and two Ricoh Pro C9210 digital colour presses.

Production manager Tony Clark explained, ‘We reviewed how much we were spending on perfect binding and believed, with the right machinery, we could keep a large percentage of it in house, drastically reducing the turnaround times and save on transportation costs. There was also the potential to win more business as we would be more competitive and quicker.

‘We already had a Horizon SPF-200L bookletmaker which has proven to be a great investment, speeding up production and completing a larger variety of finished book sizes. It is well built and reliable. We tested the BQ-270 at the IFS showroom and then visited the Horizon factory in Germany. I was able to network and meet other printers who had experience of using the BQ-270 and the feedback was largely positive. We also researched what else was on the market. We believed for our budget and requirements the BQ-270 was the best system available.’

Mr Clark said that he and his colleagues have been ‘extremely impressed’ with how easy the machine is to operate and the quality of product it can produce, and also praised the relationship with IFS.

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The event, which will be attended by Digital Printer, will showcase the best talent in British book production, across 18 categories. At the end of the evening the overall winner will be presented with the Book of the Year Award.

This year’s awards will be hosted by Illustrator and graphic designer Anita Mangan whose work includes illustration of over 85 books, homewares and stationery, art direction and animation. Guests will have the chance to see the all the shortlisted books in person in a display at the beginning of the evening, before enjoying a three-course meal and watching the ceremony.

General manager – BPIF books Simon Crump commented, ‘The Book Awards are the highlight of the book industry’s year. They are a chance to see all the really great book printing that is done in the industry and especially in the UK. The awards have expanded this year to include a new and highly topical category around sustainability, which is so important to us all. Books can lead the way in this area being a sustainable product and part of the circular economy. It is also a great evening to make new connections and celebrate all that is best in the industry.’

The BPIF further notes that, ‘the standard of entries this year has been, as always, outstanding, and these awards are a wonderful opportunity particularly for the many student entrants who can showcase their achievement of being shortlisted or winning as an impressive credential for future employment.’

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James Kinsella, co-CEO of Bluetree, noted that the group had installed the first perfecting Landa press in Europe in 2019 to bridge the gap between litho and digital print and had been using it for stitched and perfect-bound books. Since the 2021 acquisition of high quality book printer Kingsbury Press, the books business has been growing steadily and the plan is to use the new S10P, which will be a seven-colour model, to move more high-end book work to digital. The additional colour gamut of the new press will support both photographic reproduction and enable a move away from the use of spot colours in analogue print.

Mr Kinsella explained that Bluetree’s typical workload runs to some 125,000 jobs a week, ranging from 50 to 5000 copies and noted that the Landa presses will print on the same stocks and sizes as the litho ones, and therefore feed into the same finishing lines – Horizon for stitched booklets and Kolbus for book blocks to be perfect bound. ‘The area that the Landa is making the biggest impact is in booklet work, perfect bound books for example are printed as blocks and then run through our Kolbus KM600. The Landa has enabled much faster turnarounds as well as opening a wider range of materials that traditionally were only available on litho quantities,’ he said.

Bluetree’s second S10P, which will feature double delivery for improved operational efficiency, is scheduled to be installed early in 2024.

Landa executives also revealed further customer details including Model, a Swiss carton and corrugated converter, Bob Jones University of South Carolina in the USA and Wirtz Druck, a 135 year-old German direct mail specialist. Mark Schmidt, managing director of Wirtz, described the S10P as ‘a game-changer’ and said that the company would be transitioning work done under its MailingLiebe brand from mixed litho and digital print to fully digital on the Landa. Installation is currently underway with production planned to begin early in 2024.

Another customer with working experience of a Landa press is Jim Singer of Brodnax 21C Printers, a Dallas, Texas, USA-based commercial printer that has had its S10P in production for around two months and is using it to produce high quality books, 650,000-run direct mail campaigns and a ‘whole spectrum’ of print, including some jobs that were previously done on wide-format equipment. The Landa press here is also a seven-colour model whose colour Mr Singer described as ‘stunning’, saying that he had secured interest from a prospective new client based on the ability to reproduce a specific shade of blue that CMYK-only digital presses could not match. Mr Singer also praised the smoothness of the installation process and quality of Landa’s support.

In terms of Landa’s growth plans, Sharon Cohen, chief business officer, said that three years ago there were only 11 units installed but that number had grown quickly to 50, particularly in the last year. New CEO Gil Oren revealed that a third unnamed investor had joined Benny Landa and Susanne Klatten and that following significant growth in 2023, ‘We are expecting another big leap in 2024’, with the 100th sale expected to be achieved ‘quite soon’.

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Mercury has been a user of Kodak’s Prosper inkjet printing technology since 2011, producing up to 10 million pages per day. The firm will use the new 7000 Turbo Press for wide range of print jobs, including educational, trade and children’s books, personalised direct mail, marketing collateral and transactional documents, as well as short- to medium-run packaging requiring variable print.

John Place, CEO of Mercury Print Productions, commented, ‘Our primary goal with this investment is to enhance our production capabilities, improve efficiency and offer our customers a broader range of printing options. We aim to provide faster turnaround times, greater substrate flexibility and capabilities, and consistent print quality across various substrates. We needed another press as we have experienced a significant increase in demand for digitally-printed products as our customers continue to look for solutions that offer offset quality while allowing for the flexibility that inkjet provides. It enables our customers to order what they need, when they need it.’

Christian Schamberger, president, explained Mercury’s renewed decision in favour of Kodak: ‘The Prosper 7000 Turbo Press stood out for its exceptional speed, high-resolution capabilities and versatile substrate compatibility. It aligns perfectly with our commitment to providing our customers with the best possible print quality and options. What’s more, Kodak’s commitment to continuous improvement and investment in inkjet technology aligns with our long-term growth strategy.’

Capable of 410m/min in ‘Turbo mode (600 x 450dpi), equivalent to 5523 US Letter pages per minute, the Prosper 7000 Turbo will increase Mercury’s inkjet capacity by approximately 40-50%.

‘We thank our long-standing customer Mercury Print Productions for their continued confidence in Kodak’s technology and our commitment to innovation. With this latest investment, Mercury takes a major leap forward in digital capacity, production versatility and business opportunities,’ said Jim Continenza, executive chairman and CEO, Kodak. ‘The Prosper 7000 Turbo Press, with its unmatched speed and incredible application range, enables users in wide areas of the commercial and publishing printing markets to print a wide variety of jobs more productively and profitably than ever before.’

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The new Antaro perfect binder is available in two versions. It is described as a compact perfect binder platform that is suitable for highly flexible use. In on-demand applications, it can produce digitally-printed single books at up to 2000 cycles per hour, an output rate that Muller claims no other machine currently on the market can match, and with the lowest staffing levels. In the conventional version, it delivers up to 4000 cycles per hour.

The Antaro models enable digital nearline or inline production as well as conventional production, and so cater for a wide range of customer requirements. Muller says it also offers a high level of investment protection, because the system can be expanded and adapted on a modular basis.

Antaro Digital offers fully automated single-book production with manual feed or inline connection to the SigmaLine Compact digital book production system (see below). With six clamps, up to 2000 individual books can be produced per hour. The regular Antaro version can achieve 4000 cycles/hour in combination with a gathering machine and a three-knife trimmer.

The units’ compact design is said to reduce floorspace and to require fewer than half the number of operators of alternatives. A swing clamp system allows continuous production of books with automatic adjustment for up 20mm thickness variance from book to book. Both EVA and PUR glues are supported, and a newly designed drum cover feeder and cover buffer for the digital version plus barcode reading ensure matching of covers to inners.

Muller is also now shipping the SigmaLine Compact book block system for use with roll-fed digital presses. The unit has a variable configuration but occupies only 40sqm of floor space. Muller says it can change folding schemes – from three across to four across, for example – in 10 seconds, increasing productivity and reducing set-up and changeover times via the Connex workflow. Waste generated during format change is limited to a few metres, and as with the Antaro units, less operator supervision is required.

The SigmaLine Compact handles rolls up to 22.5in (571mm) wide and embodies Muller’s ‘air knife’ folding technology found in the larger SigmaLine III units. It is suitable for producing blocks for softcover, hardcover, thread sewed and saddle stitched products.

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The Two Sides Trend Tracker survey is one of the largest to examine consumer preferences and perceptions of print, paper and paper-based packaging. The research questioned more than 10,000 consumers across 16 countries globally, from South America and the US to South Africa and Europe, providing an assessment of consumer attitudes towards print and paper.

According to Jonathan Tame, managing director of Two Sides Europe, ‘The survey seeks to understand consumer perceptions across a wide range of topics relating to print, paper, paper packaging and tissue products. Having carried out the same research in 2017 and 2021, we are able to assess how these perceptions have changed over time, and have uncovered some interesting trends.’

At the height of the pandemic in 2021, many consumers had shifted from print on paper to the internet and read more on digital devices. This occurred across all categories of communications, including newspapers, magazines, books, catalogues, bills and statements. That trend has reversed, however, with consumer preference for print rising significantly over the past two years.

‘Despite the surge in online media and widespread withdrawal of printed communications during the pandemic, it’s clear that many consumers still value print on paper,’ remarked Mr Tame, adding, ‘especially when reading books and magazines.’

Crunching the numbers

The survey shows that the percentage of European consumers who prefer to read printed books has risen to 65%, up from 53% in 2021. The preference for printed magazines is now 51%, up from 35%. For newspapers and catalogues the upward trend is similar, with print preferences up five percentage points to 31 from 26, and to 33 from 21, respectively. The preference for paper bills rose significantly, doubling from 19% to 38%, and the preference for printed personal health information rose from 29% to 39%.

The survey also sought opinion on the advantages of reading in print. This revealed that more than half (52%) agreed or strongly agreed with the statement ‘I think children and students learn more when reading printed rather than digital books and course materials,’ compared to just 16% who disagreed or strongly disagreed. 45% agreed or strongly agreed with the statement ‘I get a better understanding of the story when reading news in print rather than online,’ compared to 28% who disagreed or strongly disagreed.

‘This survey reveals a number of fascinating facts about print and the many advantages it has for consumers,’ said Mr Tame. ‘As we complete our analysis of all topics covered by the study, including packaging and the environment, we’ll be sharing even more insights for the print and paper-based packaging industry.’

An executive summary of the Trend Tracker Survey 2023 will be published in June and available to industry stakeholders on request. The complete survey data broken down by country, age and gender is available to Two Sides members only or available to purchase.

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