Editor's Blog

It’s my first day back at my desk following the Fespa Global Summit in Munich at the end of last week and my inbox is full of product news etc., but we know that growth isn’t just about making the right equipment investment; it’s about strategic vision, clever development plans and good implementation. That was certainly one of the clear messages from the summit, but so few UK printers were there to hear it, and those that were no doubt already know it. What’s your take on that?

Are things turning a corner in Ireland’s print community? News of the installation of the first HP FB700 in Northern Ireland – at Belfast-based design and production company Minprint – has me wondering if investment is starting to percolate again and how much that has to do with the various election campaigns coming up in Northern Ireland this year; something that Minprint says will impact on its print orders.

"More and more, we will see printing based materials outside the corporate and retail world, permeate the domestic, institutional, and public spheres. In the public's mind, printing will need to detach itself definitively from paper, its flatness and its durability. As it has happened with the screen, printing needs to be democratised."

Do you have business continuity plans you can put in front of insurers getting increasingly demanding in the wake of recent flooding? It’s an issue that has come up in a few conversations I’ve had with printers in recent weeks. If you’ve been asked to show more detailed plans than ever before I’d be interested to know – and whether those doing the asking are just insurers, or customers too?

News of the PM opening Korean company InkTec's product demo suite in Oxfordshire actually got me thinking about export! We keep getting told that the UK needs to increase its export figures for significant long-term business growth. What are your thoughts on that in relation to the print sector?

In the spirit of our Think Bigger initiative I wanted to take the chance to flag up a new show that is worth getting in the diary early. 10–11 March 2015 will see the first Retail Design Expo at Olympia, London. If you want to get inspirational large-format retail applications in front of retailers, designers and brand owners this could be a good place to do it!

Why do you primarily go to trade shows these days? To see technology or to attend the seminars? You probably do a bit of both, but where do you think you gain the most value? Do you find yourself torn between walking the show floor and getting to the talks you want to hear? Just wondering given that so many trade events now offer fab seminar programmes, which are nevertheless sometimes disappointingly attended by those they set out to address — the printers.

As better/cheaper finishing solutions come onto the market, it’s not only possible but arguably economically viable to use wide-format digital inkjet printers to produce non-wide-format end product (such as decals etc.). I’d be interested to know if you are doing just that and, if so, how the economics stack up.

As floodwater encircles my office and I have the hassle of moving all my work paraphernalia to higher ground, it hit me that many of you will be facing nightmare times trying to keep business moving in badly affected regions. Let me know how you’re getting on, and if there are lessons we can learn about risk management.

What a great way of sparking the creative communities’ interest in large-format print. Let’s hope the winning work from this year’s ‘Who Are You?’ competition, run by the Arts University Bournemouth and backed by JC Decaux, really makes a ‘wow’ statement when it appears on billboards across the UK.

What is good for the printer vendor isn’t always what’s good for the print provider. How many of you have seen customers buying their own wide-format inkjet printers and taking the work in-house?

That commercial small-format printers are moving into digital wide-format is an oft mentioned trend, but how many large-format print providers are going the other way in a bid to offer a broader portfolio of services in-house? The Eyes Wide Digital move in that direction has me pondering the question once again, so This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you’re made such a directional change, via investment in kit, acquisition or merger. 

The champagne corks are a poppin’. Yes, it’s the New Year, and what’s more, it’s Image Reports’ 20th anniversary year. Which is why we have a bumper birthday issue landing desks! But it’s not all about size. We’re celebrating this publishing milestone by bringing you new editorial content, campaigns and special reports. As you will have noticed before you even reached this page, there’s also a new design. Plus we’ve increased the magazine’s staff, bringing on board Stephanie Sutton as staff writer with a remit to grow Image Reports’ online presence. And all this coincides with the magazines’ seventh annual Widthwise Survey of the UK/Ireland wide-format sector currently being conducted here.

I’ve just heard that the number of people taking part in the 2014 Widthwise Survey has already surpassed the number that did so in 2013, and we’ve still got three weeks to make this the biggest ever poll of the UK and Ireland wide-format printing community. So if you run a large-format digital inkjet printer for commercial purposes and haven’t already taken part, please do so – your data will be analysed (anonymously) and used to compile the seventh annual Widthwise Report, which will appear earlier than usual this year so that you have up to date state-of-the-market trends information before the major trade shows open their doors.