Printer News

NewPage Corporation, a leading producer of digital coated papers based in Miamisburg, Ohio, recently announced the addition of two new sheet sizes to its economy digital coated paper brand, Blazer Digital, specifically for HP Indigo 10000 digital presses.

Printing Industries of America (PIA), Sewickley, Pa., recently attended a White House event to announce major progress on a series of initiatives launched last year to combat "patent trolls" and abusive patent litigation. Michael Makin, president and CEO of PIA, accepted the invitation extended to the association by National Economic Council director Gene Sperling and secretary of commerce Penny Pritzker. Makin was represented at the event by Lisbeth A. Lyons, PIA's vice president of government affairs.

Just last year, Print+Promo's State of the Industry report addressed a big overhaul in marketplace realities. Suppliers and distributors alike finally tossed out traditional ink-on-paper models in favor of a service-based approach, creating a path for historic opportunities. Those opportunities, it turns out, came in the form of historic acquisitions.

3-D printer prices are steadily dropping in an attempt to woo hobbyists, but there's still a costly barrier to mainstream adoption: 3-D printer "ink."

Plastic filament, the standard material used by 3-D printers typically ranges in price from $25 to $45 for a kilogram depending on the quality and manufacturer.

That's a huge markup over the $2-per-kilogram cost of the plastic pellets used to make the filaments. Manufacturing and research and development account for some of the filament's added cost over the original materials.

RPI, a leading producer of private-label personalized photo books, has achieved certification by the Sustainable Green Printing Partnership (SGP). 

As the Obama administration pushes to do more business over the Internet, finally seeking to close the technology gap with the private sector, the digital makeover is running into a dogged opponent called Consumers for Paper Options.

The group is working the halls of Congress in closed-door meetings, underwriting research favorable to its position and slow the move away from printed checks, forms and other paper communication.

"The glitzy new thing is to be pro-technology," said John Runyan, Consumers for Paper Options' executive director.

In the study "Student Reading Practices in Print and Electronic Media," to be published in the journal College & Research Libraries in September 2014, researchers tracked the reading habits of juniors, seniors and graduate students at the College of New York. Although students used electronic media for non-academic reading, they relied on paper for academics. 

There are "a lot of misconceptions about millennials" as a digital generation, according to researcher Nancy Foasberg who led the study. The Chronicle of Higher Education reported on Foasberg's research: "Several students in Ms. Foasberg's study expressed a distaste for digital textbooks.

Amazon's recently released mobile app came with a new feature that's meant to make you buy your entire shopping list with as few clicks as possible. 

The new app for the iPhone (Amazon hasn't announced plans for any other devices yet) comes with an augmented-reality scanner. Dubbed Flow, it's the new iteration of a feature called "Snap It," which let users search for items—mostly things like books, video games and CDs—by taking a photo of them.

PaperWorks Industries Inc. will be closing its Phoenix-based folding carton plant in the coming months. Employees and customers affected by the closing have been notified as the company begins the process of transferring them to other folding carton plants in the US and Canada.

Masterpiece Graphix, Fenton, Mo., has four new digital materials certified by the Rochester Institute of Technology for the HP Indigo. The four materials are Revolution .010 White Rigid Matte/Matte Vinyl PVC, Revolution .010 Silver Matte/Matte Rigid PVC, Xquisite Platinum .010 White Synthetic Film, and Revolution .010 White Polyester.