May 8, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

When someone apologizes, sometimes you just know they don't really mean it. Politicians are famous for uttering "non-apologetic" apologies. Lately, it's either Hillary Clinton "non-apologizing" for that story about sniper fire in Bosnia, or Barack Obama "non-apologizing" for his former minister's inflammatory comments...or both. So along those lines, I'm giving over this blog post to some (abridged) commentary of the late British humorist Miles Kington (courtesy of my friends at Packaging & Print Media in South Africa). Keep in mind, these comments are coming from a British point of view.

"We'd like the Japanese to say they're sorry for the cruelty that was practiced on POWs in World War II. The Japanese would like to say that what they're really sorry about it that they did not win World War II....Read More

May 4, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

I visited Williamson Printing in Dallas last week during the FTA's Info*Flex and got a tour of the 124-year-old, family-owned printer's operations from prepress to the pressroom. The largely commercial printer is breaking new ground in flexography with a full line of Kodak Flexcel digital-flexo prepress systems and its Heidelberg Speedmaster CD 102 sheetfed-offset press.

First off, a Kodak Trendsetter NX 830 imagesetter readies the thermal-imaging "film" in less than 7 mins, from loading to unloading, via SquareSpot technology. The finished image layer in a new 32 x 42 in. size, is then united to a .045 Flexcel NXH digital-flexo plate with a Flexcel NX Mid Laminator. That process takes less than 2 mins, is so fast as to allow no dust to r...Read More

Industries: Flexible Packaging, Label & Narrow Web

April 29, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

Info*Flex in Dallas was a pleasant change of pace for shows--really crowded aisles. And I mean, really crowded. It brought back memories of CMMs past and certainly any Pack Expo in Chicago. And I mean, any Pack Expo.

Chalk it up to the nearly 1,600 attendees for FFTA's Forum who get two uninterrupted afternoons of what admittedly is an event dedicated exclusively to "all things flexo." But it was actually nice to have trouble walking down the aisles with booth visitors overflowing the exhibits or just meeting up with colleagues to talk.

Here's some photographic proof:


Kodak demo'd its digital-flexo platemaking hardware and software.

...Read More

Industries: Flexible Packaging, Label & Narrow Web, Paperboard/Cartons

April 22, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (3)

Whether President Bush wants to call it a recession or not, the economic slowdown by whatever name is starting to affect your business. According to our Website poll, nearly two-thirds of you said that it's having a significant or moderate impact on your package-printing and/or converting business. And around one in eight said the effects are mild right now. 

On the other hand, about a quarter of you agreed with the statement, "What economic slowdown?" when given a choice of responses, basically saying "No impact."

So, beyond being just a kind of barometer for how things are going, our poll may show the early signs of a real recession. Because our business is far enough up the supply chain, if CPGs and other customers are cutting back now on packaging, they're forecasting primarily consumer purc...Read More
Industries: Flexible Packaging, Label & Narrow Web, Paperboard/Cartons

April 14, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

I met last week with Michael Hatton, group comm mgr for Labelexpo, and got a preview of this fall's Americas show in Rosemont. 

Now, granted, overall the event will be a day shorter than in the previous two editions, running Sept. 9-11 from 9 am to 5 pm each day. But show organizer Tarsus has some cool ideas to make what is arguable now our industry's biggest event (attendance and exhibitor-wise) even better.

1. The Digital Print Experience will occupy Hall F (that's to your right as you enter Rosemont's main lobby). Big-name exhibitors such as HP Indigo, Epson, EFI Jetrion, Xeikon and Kodak will be grouped together along with related suppliers (digital-print substrates, inks, laser diecutting, etc.) to make a...Read More

Industries: Label & Narrow Web, Printed Electronics/RFID