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It’s not all doom and gloom in the printing industry as 2019 progresses. Steve Hall’s SunPrint, based just outside Noosa on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, has logged two stunning results for January and February.

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Gary Kelly was in his early twenties in 1968 when he set up a small shed in Corunna Bay at the foot of Napier Hill and drove around town in his Morris Minor armed with sign brushes offering ‘signs of quality’ to clients. More than 50 years later, Gary is still on the job but has handed over the heavy lifting at the family-owned business to his three sons.

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FESPA’s design exhibit Printeriors will this year highlight both interior and exterior decor applications at the FESPA Global Print Expo in Munich, Germany from 14 to 17 May.

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Printers could be coffin makers of the future - LifeArt, an Australian-founded global business that produces environmentally friendly, personalised cardboard coffins is looking to partner with UK wide format printing companies wanting an opportunity to diversify into “a huge new market.”

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Roland DG Corp launched its second generation TrueVIS VG2 Series 64" and 54" wide format eco-solvent inkjet printer cutters which expand the colour gamut with ‘mind resonating’ Orange ink.

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Austrian-based laser cutting specialist Trotec Laser has opened a new laser demonstration and training showroom in Brisbane and reported ‘unprecedented’ business growth across its Australian operation.

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MM Plastics Group has merged leading local distribution companies Australian Visual Solutions (AVS), Amari Plastics and Chief Media into a new entity called Amari Visual Solutions to offer an expanded product range and wider distribution network. “MM Plastics seems to be mopping up any viable distributor who will sell,” says an industry insider.

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The New Zealand Sign and Display Association (NZSDA) has opened a new entry website for its flagship Sign and Display awards event at the association’s annual conference to be held this year in June in the harbourside city of Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty.

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The paper company and wide format supplier has sold the 56-hectare site of its former Wesley Vale Paper Mill near Devonport as it prepares for a shareholder vote on the company’s proposed sale later this year to Japan-based global paper giant Kokusai Pulp & Paper (KPP). The sale “looks to have scuttled" the possibility of a new jail being built at the site.

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Roland DG’s VersaWorks: Beyond the Basics training courses will be held across the country again in 2019, aimed at improving users’ knowledge of VersaWorks software to increase efficiency and productivity.

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Orafol Australia has released ProSlide, a new adhesive technology which makes film repositioning easier for vehicle wrappers. “ProSlide is this year’s blockbuster,” says Orafol, one of the world's leading manufacturers of self-adhesive products and reflective materials.

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“Bringing everything in-house gave us the sort of control we need for the type of clients we work for - it’s tight deadlines, everything is custom made, nothing is off-the-shelf work,” says Dean Rowland, owner of Signwave Newtown in inner Sydney, where the machinery line-up includes HP Latex printers ranging from 1600mm to 2600mm in width and an HP FB500 Flatbed.

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Outdoor advertiser oOh!media posted double-digit revenue growth for 2018, after a strong fourth-quarter contribution from its Commute (formerly Adshel) business. Organic revenue increased by 10% to $416.8 million.

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The Print Make Wear fast fashion factory feature at FESPA Global Expo 2019 in Munich (14-17 May 2019) will double in size compared with its launch in 2018, say the organisers. HP, Mimaki and EFI are among those who will be demonstrating their latest technologies.

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Ovato, formerly PMP, recorded a 9.2% ($37 million) slump in revenue to $363 million in the first half year, “mostly due to a $31.7 million fall in revenues at Ovato Print Group Australia from lost customers and lower volumes with existing newspaper and magazine customers.” Net loss for the period was $10.9 million.

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A Manhattan federal judge has turned down Xerox Corp's application to dismiss a $US1 billion lawsuit filed by Fujifilm Holdings after the US company backed out of last year’s proposed $US6.1 billion merger deal. The judge described Xerox’s arguments as “plainly wrong” and “thoroughly unpersuasive.”

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After recent heavy investments in new automated printing technology, print and marketing group IVE recorded a 7.9% jump in profit to $20.8 million in the six months to 31 December 2018, with total revenue up 4.5% to $375.6 million.

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Kodak CEO Jeff Clarke has stepped down as head of the company and been replaced by chairman Jim Continenza – “effective immediately.” The surprise move was announced in a statement by the board of directors in New York:

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 Regardless of the sign and display applications, the goal is to ensure your customer captures the attention of their audience, writes Bobby Fosson of SAi, the US-based manufacturer of software for sign making and digital printing.

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Industry group Visual Connections has launched a campaign to support family-owned McDonald Signs & Print of Young, NSW, after owner Aaron McDonald's young daughter Madison was involved in a tragic accident last year.

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ASX-listed outdoor advertiser QMS Media extended its global reach with major new contracts including the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, SANZAAR Rugby Union, Sydney Cricket Ground, Netball Australia, the NRL’s Melbourne Storm and the South American club football competition CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores.