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Konica Minolta has suspended development, production and sales operations in China until at least February 9, 2020, as the coronavirus continues to spread beyond China. The outbreak has killed at least 360 people and infected 17,000 globally since being detected in the city of Wuhan in December.

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Kyocera says its second generation of inkjet printheads, designed for textiles, packaging, graphics and industrial markets, are the world’s fastest inkjet technology.  “By increasing the volume of each drop of ink ejected from the printheads and enhancing droplet-ejection consistency, the new series allows high-resolution printing on a wider variety of media.” A 600-dpi model, the KJ4B-EX 600, will be available in April 2020, with others to follow.

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Outdoor advertiser QMS Media says the New Zealand Overseas Investment Office has approved a proposal by BidCo - an entity controlled by Australian private equity firm Quadrant – to acquire QMS under a deal announced in October 2019. QMS Media specialises in digital and static billboards, street furniture, and sport, airport and transit media.

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FESPA has redesigned its World Wrap Masters competition with a new scoring system and a new logo and design developed by Ben Allen, a graffiti and pop artist who will present live graffiti art demonstrations at the event.  200+ wrappers compete every year in World Wrap Masters competitions presided over by an international panel of judges.

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Industry groups Visual Connections and the Australian Sign & Graphics Association (ASGA) will expand a pioneering sign industry careers initiative into other states and different industry sectors after a 2019 pilot program - rolled out with the help of the Australian Schools Industry Partnership (AusSIP) - saw sign & display apprenticeships jump by 21 percent in NSW.

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Roland DG has begun to schedule service runs to print and sign company customers in fire-affected regions across Australia. The inspection and assessment visits – part of Roland DG's Support Program announced earlier this month - will take place throughout February.  

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Print management information system (MIS) developer Tharstern has kicked off 2020 by launching three new features now available as add-ons to its software. “Companies who deliver Direct Mail services or Large Format print are set to benefit from these latest developments, as will printers who want to keep track of their Inventory on the shop floor using mobile devices." 

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Sadly, the APPPPexpo due to be held in Shanghai in March has been postponed due to the coronavirus situation. Our heartfelt good wishes go to the organisers and their families for a speedy containment of the outbreak.

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Outdoor advertising pioneer and oOh!media founder Brendon Cook will step down as managing director & CEO and from the company board during 2020. “I look forward to continuing to be a supportive, long term shareholder providing strategic advice to the company once transition to new leadership is complete.”

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Mimaki Engineering and OKI Group’s printer company OKI Data have signed a global sales deal that will see Mimaki selling OKI wide format inkjet ColorPainter printers, ink and other supplies through its international dealer network in 150 countries.

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Former OKI Data Australia sales director Tony Grima has been promoted to managing director of the print technology manufacturer’s Australia/New Zealand business, replacing Alex Kawamura, who's returning to Japan to take up a new role. OKI manufacturers a range of wide format inkjet printers for indoor and outdoor signage, POS, labelling and vehicle wraps.

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Registrations are now open for the industry’s leading sign, display, wide format print, engraving and textiles show, Visual Impact Gold Coast 2020. The expo will be held at the Gold Coast Exhibition and Convention Centre, a short stroll from popular Broadbeach, from 30 April until 2 May this year.

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HP says activist investor Carl Icahn is behind Xerox’s $33.5 billion proposal to take over its larger rival and warned: “His interests are not aligned with those of other HP shareholders.” Icahn – who owns 10.9% of Xerox and has a 4.2% stake in HP - has urged HP shareholders to accept the Xerox proposal.
- Andy McCourt takes a closer look at the proposed deal.

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Latest market trends and insights into future developments will again be the focus of the drupa Cube, the popular forum series at the global trade exhibition for the print industry in Düsseldorf, Germany (June 16-26).  A Print Futures section will be dedicated to relevant technology trends in print and packaging. “Our primary aim is to put as many ideas as possible out there that participants can successfully implement in their own companies,” says Sabine Geldermann, director drupa at Messe Düsseldorf.

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Australian Out of Home (OOH) industry media revenue increased by 1.5 percent for 2019, reporting $935.5 million, up from $921.6 million in 2018. Digital accounted for 55.8% of total revenue, up by 3.8 percent.

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Product process control - the final control point of a colour managed workflow - will become increasing important in the wide format printing market, says Paul Sherfield, FESPA's Colour Ambassador.  Sherfield has previewed this year's Colour L*A*B* at the FESPA Global Print Expo 2020 in Madrid (24th-27th March). 

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Xerox has named eleven “highly qualified” independent candidates it intends to nominate to replace HP’s board of directors at HP’s 2020 annual meeting of stockholders - the latest move in Xerox’s $33.5 billion bid to take control of its larger rival. It's an impressive list of eleven finance, accounting, law, banking, M&A, travel & hospitality, healthcare, insurance, telco and general business directors but none appear to have any experience running a company whose main profits come from PCs and print, like Enrique Lores and Dion Wiesler on the incumbent board.

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EFI’s Connect 2020 conference in Las Vegas (January 21-24) is showcasing new solutions for its print and packaging MIS/ERP technology portfolio, the worldwide debut of the new VUTEk D3r mid-volume, roll-to-roll superwide-format printer and new cloud-based solutions for digital print management.

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Avery Dennison and Mactac brands will be making the most of FESPA 2020 in Madrid, showcasing more than ten all-new innovations across automotive, architectural, interior decoration and retail applications, including recently added colours and finishes for the Supreme Wrapping Film range.

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With an increasing number of wide format printers looking to expand into the wall graphics market, Drytac’s Dave Newbery outlines how to avoid potential ‘minefields.’

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Idealliance, the global think tank, standards developer and certifying body for ISO, G7® colour specification and brand supply chain management programs and consulting, has appointed David Crowther of Colour Graphic Services to head its Australasian office, based in Sydney. Crowther is a certified G7® Expert.