The return to the Lifetime Television's reality challenge show will see the company offering the participants latest HP touch-enabled PCs based on Intel processors throughout the season to conceptualise their designs.

Lance Still, executive vice president, Promotions and Integrated Marketing, The Weinstein Company, said: "The HP and Intel design challenge - where designers created custom fabric patterns for use in their final garments - was one of our most popular episodes for season seven.

"HP's touch-enabled computers are an exciting medium for the designers to work with, furthering the scope of what they can create. Stay tuned to see the inventive uses of technology in Project Runway season eight."

HP links with fashion date back to the unveiling of the HP Mini Vivienne Tam "digital clutch" notebook on the catwalk of the designer's 2008 fashion show at New York Fashion Week.

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Packpost Solutions told Printweek that the press had "answered all our questions" and was "essential" to help them move into new markets.

The Aylesbury-based firm, which has two other sites in the West Midlands, is going through a rapid period of growth at present and is keen to increase volume while keeping costs down.

Liam Crane, group business development manager, told the trade magazine that the 120 A4 ppm, 600dpi resolution printer was "essential to facilitate diversification into new markets."

He said: "We knew we could cut costs, increase volume and grow the business by investing in a new, future-proofed platform."

The printer, supplied by Xeretec, will also help them deliver on a key contract, for which which it will put together silk flyers.

"We're delighted with the results and are now poised to seize the vast range of new opportunities that the Xerox Nuvera presents to us," Crane added.

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Installed as a replacement for an older solvent machine, the new L25500 now allows large-format printing specialist Mtex to print on "anything and everything".

The Hamburg-based company has benefited not just from the machine's latex ink technology that provides superior quality photographic output, but also its simplified operation.

Since installing the HP machine, the firm has won new graphics and print orders including from Porsche and gallery Photohaus.

Mtex owner Heiko Goetz said: "We have not found anything that it can't print without stunning results. Anyone who runs more than a pure copyshop will love this machine."

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According to the firm, the new wireless printers will be suitable for people constantly on the move and who cannot afford the time taken searching for a device before printing documents. The company is yet to announce any further details about the new product.

Mr Thom Brown, from the competitive media intelligence and imaging group, said the latest technology makes use of both pigment and dye colours.

He said: "Wireless printing is the way forward. People should be able to make an e-print from their mobile phones. This will enable the printer to be used by many people at the same time."

HP includes a number for each type of cartridge, enabling customers to easily distinguish the different types.

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The company announced operating cash flow of $678 million and adjusted earnings per share of 24 cents, excluding 8 cents from restructuring charges and amortisation of intangibles, as well as acquisition-related and litigation costs.

There was strong demand for Xerox devices across all segments with overall install activity growing 45%. Sales of entry-level printers and multi-function machines rose 56%.

Revenues from technology, consisting of document systems sales, supply, technical servicing and product financing, increased 3-4% on constant currency.

Earnings from services, including business process, IT and document outsourcing, rose 1% on a pro-forma basis.

Ursula Burns, Xerox chairman and chief executive officer, said: "Our second-quarter results reflect strong across-the-board performance in driving revenue growth, generating cash and expanding earnings.

"Through the first half of the year, we've made excellent progress in scaling our services business and strengthening our leadership in the marketplace. We expect this progress will continue, positioning us well to increase our earnings expectations for the full year."

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The device bundles together a printer, a flatbed scanner and a copier, and can be set up on a home wireless network with the touch of a button.

Stored documents, web pages and content can be printed without the need for turning on the PC.

Photos can be printed directly from the camera's memory card with the help of an in-built card reader that displays the images on a 6.1cm colour screen.

Users can use touch controls on the screen to rotate, crop, adjust brightness levels and add colour effects, while the device automatically removes red-eye before printing the photographs.

The TouchSmart screen also enables simpler and quicker production of colour copies, photo reprints and enlargements.

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The company is now using the system, which is a combination of two Xerox 490 colour continuous feed print engines, at its facilities in Finland, Sweden and in Cornwall to produce full-colour print jobs.

Tony Plummer, operations director at Stralfors, said: "Everything we do in our business is tailored to the needs of our customers. Therefore, we always ensure that the print technology we install meets the customers' production and efficiency demands."

The new toner-based printer can print at 600dpi at speeds of 69m per minute, or 450 images per minute (ipm) in two-up, simplex operation, and 900ipm in the duplex configuration.

He added: "With the Xerox 980, we now have a machine that can deliver smart communications materials quickly and gives us the flexibility to expand our business in the future."

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The company, De La Rue, prints Bank of England notes as well as currency for 150 other countries. It said the quality of the paper delivered to its factory in Overton, Hampshire, was not up to standard, halting production at the site.

Shares in De La Rue were down to their lowest level in three years on Tuesday because the firm announced that its paper revenue will be "materially lower" than forecast. Its shares fell by 2% on Wednesday.

Some analysts believe the problems at the firm are likely to damage its reputation and its relationship with national banks.

De La Rue also produces security documents such as fiscal stamps, labels for authentication and passports, as well as supplying money-sorting equipment to central banks.

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The new printers, called the HP LaserJet Pro M1132 and M1212nf, are powered by the company's Smart Install technology.

With the help of the technology, users can easily take printouts in just two minutes, after connecting the printer to a netbook or laptop through the USB cable.

The multi-function printers also boast the HP Auto-On/Off technology, offering immediate first page out in all modes of the equipment.

This feature automatically adjusts the power settings and the printer mode to facilitate minimal power consumption, in the absence of work.

Meanwhile, the devices' advanced toner cartridge HP LaserJet allows them to save up to 35% energy than the previous models.

The LaserJet Pro M1212nf is specially equipped for use in firms that deal with a large number of documents and have small working groups of eight to 10 users.

Also, the Instant-on feature provides print speed of up to 18 ppm A4 c format, with first page out in 8.5 seconds after switching on.

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The new printer - which has a standard paper capacity of 550 sheets and maximum capacity of up to 1,050 sheets - allows standard duplex printing and a 50-page duplex automatic document feeder (ADF), and is suited for small to medium-sized businesses.

It uses a 14in platen glass, which allows manual scanning and copying of 8.5 x 14 in documents.

Its standard functions include colour scan, copy, fax forward to email, network scan, PC fax (send only), print, scan to email, scan to/print from USB and walkup fax.

The printer can also scan to email with LDAP, network scan to PC, scan to FTP and SMB sites, USB memory device, and direct scan to applications including optical character recognition.

The WorkCentre 3550 is available at $1,099 (£719).

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The new service is part of the Trafford-based printing hub's new Vision 2015 plan to help franchisees through difficult times and will be announced by chairman George Hardie at the company's AGM in Manchester on Friday.

Mr Hardie said: "We believe that by adding these systems, greater efficiencies can be realised, making the business model more robust and sustainable.

"We also believe that the template based solution will open up new markets, in particular larger businesses and multi-site operators. Incorporating these elements will add, we believe, to the appeal of the various Printing.com franchise formats."

The web-to-print service will be available during the second half of Printing.com's financial year to March 2011.

Mr Hardie said trading had continued to "undulate" since the company published its annual results in June, but conditions over the past six weeks had been "slightly softer" than in April and May.

He said: "Given the continued uncertainty about the economic situation, it remains appropriate to maintain a cautious stance in the short term."

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The new system prints at up to 100 pages per minute, which is 6,000 sheets an hour.

High-definition images can be achieved across many different paper specifications.

The additional clear dry ink station is optional and a feature exclusive to this device that intensifies full-colour jobs.

The clear dry ink allows for images and text to be highlighted for visual impact, or digital watermarks applied for artistic effect or security, and it is beneficial for variable data applications, such as when using Xerox's XMPie software, as it displays personalised content in more vivid ways.

Applying the clear dry ink (equivalent to toner) does not slow down the press, so rated speed productivity is maintained, resulting in a major advantage for this press.

"The image quality of applications coming off this new press is absolutely superb," says Frank Romano, professor emeritus, Rochester (New York) Institute of Technology. "Print providers want to increase the worth of every page they sell, and the clear, dry ink delivers. It adds vibrancy, quality and value to an application."

"This high-volume device, designed for commercial and in-plant print operations as well as marketing communication firms, is positioned between the Xerox DocuColour 8002 digital colour press and the flagship iGen4 press," says Paul Haglich, marketing manager, production systems group, Xerox division at Bytes Document Solutions, distributor of Xerox to 27 African countries.

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The company, which is based in West Sussex, believes the purchase will enable it to overcome problems associated with dwindling litho margins and branch out into the printing of personalised material.

Ray Pack, managing director at PPM, said: "Lithographic margins have been squeezed over the past few years which has led us to keep a close eye on the development of the digital production market.

"The ability of the Xerox equipment to use variable data, deliver short-run print jobs and produce a high-quality document has allowed us to win new business."

The technology, which features XMPie personalisation software, will operate alongside PPM's Heidelberg B2 and B3 litho set-up - a system already featuring a two-colour GTO press and a six-colour Speedmaster 74.

The combined power should allow the firm to bring digital print in-house, Mr Pack explained.

He said: "We have been looking at the digital print market for around four years. Previously, we would have sent some of that work out, but this investment will keep that in-house, which also offers cost and time savings."

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Xerox India will highlight how customers can adopt the right technologies, workflow and services to build profitable businesses in this complex business environment, as well as the wide range of digital equipments and photo printing applications.

"At Xerox, our strategy is always to make it easy for print service providers to drive revenue through the power of digital printing," said Mr. Vipin Tuteja, Executive Director, Marketing and Business Support, Xerox India Limited.

"Our customers are using technology and software to transform their clients' challenges into opportunities that pay off - and that's a winning combination in today's marketplace."

Sharing details of Xerox's participation at Print Expo, Tuteja further added, "We are delighted to participate in Print Expo 2010.

"South India is a very important market for us and we are witnessing an increased adoption rate for digital printing solutions here.

"This event provides us with an opportunity to interact with our partners and customers from Southern India and educate them about our products and solutions."

On display amongst the digital presses will be the Xerox 8860, Xerox DocuColor 242, Xerox Press 700, and the Xerox DocuColour 5000 AP.

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Mr Cushing was speaking at the group's worldwide user conference in Tucson, Arizona, which mainly featured integrated cross-media marketing techniques and the use of social media channels.

He said the next few years present the greatest opportunity of their careers, in which they need to shape and lead industry trends.

Mr Cushing said: "Globally, the traditional printing industry is in a state of rapid contraction and we have not been immune to that - our network sales are 20% below where we were three years ago.

"But Alphagraphics was also the only US brand in our industry to grow its number of locations in 2009."

The franchise has fewer than 270 centres worldwide, of which eight are in the UK.

Pindar chairman Andrew Pindar said it plans to increase the number of UK centres by "revisiting the structure and model".

The company, which posted overall network sales of $246 million (£162 million) last year, also plans to double its number of centres worldwide.

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The Xerox Print Advisor, which accompanies its ColorQube 9200 printer range, compiles reports on printing activity when it is installed on a company's network, allowing IT teams to track costs.

The information is monitored on a local network and tracks the use of printers of all makes and models.

But the real innovation comes with a pop-up dialogue box which suggests different options to the user, offering them alternatives which would use less paper and/or ink in the process.

If a user asked for several pages of material to be printed, the prompt can ask them whether they want to print it on both sides of the same piece of paper instead.

An advanced version allowing monitoring of people's individual printing usage as well as an overview of a company's output is expected to be ready by autumn.

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Pinstripe will become one of the largest independent printing groups in the Midlands on the strength of its new deal.

The group, which boasts clients including Mitchells & Butlers, Bentley and Birmingham University, said its focus would be on raising the combined turnover to £5.5 million over the next year.

Its managing director Nigel Lyon said: "Since founding Pinstripe 12 years ago, my key objective has always been for it to become the leading print solutions provider in the Midlands.

"The acquisition of Edward Fox is a good strategic fit for Pinstripe, which has a dedicated workforce who will help us to grow the business into a £2.5 million turnover venture by the end of 2011."

Stratford-based Edward Fox, which has clients such as The Royal Shakespeare Company and Paragon, traces its history back to 1860s.

The latest deal was supported by a £300,000 working capital facility from Absolute Invoice, a division of Aldermore.

Mr Lyon added: "I have used invoice finance for 20 years and firmly believe in the benefits it can bring to organisations like ours. The feedback from customers and staff throughout the acquisition has been very positive and the working capital facility from Absolute will enable us to maintain a healthy cash flow position during our anticipated growth."

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The company - which has a strong balance sheet and net debt better than management expectations - said the re-purpose plans of its Leeds Direct Mail business are on schedule.

It has managed to complete the removal of legacy printing equipment within budget.

Communisis said that it will be reporting its business in two segments - Intelligence Driven Communications (IDC) and Specialist Production and Sourcing (SPS) - to better reflect the company's strategy and demand drivers.

It said: "Costs previously described as 'central costs' which comprised marketing, IT infrastructure, group procurement and group sales have now been allocated between the two operating segments - IDC and SPS.

"We have retained an element of central cost now classified as corporate costs as these represent the cost of our head office, main board and other plc related costs."

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The firm managed to achieve the growth despite tough economic conditions, reflecting the strength of Xerox in the Saudi market.

The growth also boosted the company's plans to further expand its business in the Middle East region, in a bid to make more profits this year and beyond.

Ehab Guindi, general manager of Saudi Xerox, said: “The strong growth achieved in 2009 reflects our strength in providing proven and advanced printing and document management solutions to the local market in KSA. We are experiencing particular interest in Xerox solutions that are, environmentally friendly, cost efficient and innovative.”

Saudi Xerox Limited was also honoured with the Chief Operating Officer’s Special Recognition Award for its exceptional performance in 2009.

The company received accolades for its growth, balanced operational performance, strategic planning, employee development and overall brand representation in the Saudi market.

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In a report published by the OFT, it urged "far-reaching reforms".

The call follows a study that shows in nearly a third of administrations and liquidations, the system did "not work in the best interests of the creditor".

And it said the current regulatory system could not protect the interests of small creditors.

The OFT called for a number of changes to the industry, including a review of IP fees and actions, fines, and for creditors to be returned overcharged fees.

But to many in the printing industry, the reforms, although welcome, offer little.

Greg Nicholls, managing director at Response Envelopes, said the Government should have taken responsibility earlier.

He said: "Much of the damage for a business such as ours has happened already because we have to compete with companies that have ditched their debt and come back much stronger."

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Launched at the Fespa show, Brandmark is a solution based on Adobe InDesign Server - which delivers a print quality document from an InDesign template with content customised by the user.

The suite is boosted by a rendering adaptation facility that executes rules related to new positioning and size of every element in the artwork.

Thus in order to fit websites of different shapes and sizes, Brandmark can automatically resize graphics within guidelines.

The firm, which already has brand owners and retailers as its customers, now intends to attract print and media service providers with its new product.

The software is on offer on a licence model, while customers can also have it as software as a service (SaaS).

A customer at the show managed to produce as many as 10,000 unique graphic files automatically in half a day.

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Mr Pickles said councils should focus their time and attention on frontline services rather than free newspapers, which provide competition for an already beleaguered local press that is suffering from a downturn in circulation and advertising.

Speaking ahead of the launch of a consultation on how the rules for local council publications can be tightened, Mr Pickles said the papers amounted to nothing more than "propaganda" and were a waste of taxpayers' money during a period of time when public spending is facing severe cutbacks.

The communities secretary blamed the previous Labour government for allowing councils to actively compete with a local press whose job it was to keep councillors in check.

"The previous government's weakening of the rules on town hall publicity not only wasted taxpayers' money and added to the wave of junk mail, but has undermined a free press," he said.

"Councils should spend less time and money on weekly town hall Pravdas that end up in the bin, and focus more on frontline services like providing regular rubbish collections.

"In an internet age, commercial newspapers should expect less state advertising as more information is syndicated online for free. The flip side is our free press should not face state competition from propaganda on the rates dressed up as local reporting."

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The packaging firm - which employs 150 people - installed the new printing press after obtaining a £1.25 million funding package from Lombard, the asset finance arm of the Royal Bank of Scotland.

The new machine, which uses up to eight colours to produce printed reel plastics, is expected to help the company meet its customers' demands for a speedy, high-quality service.

Allan Ferguson, managing director of Learoyd Packaging, said: "As the business expands it is critical that we continue to provide customers with the product and service they are used to.

"To achieve this we have made significant investment in our production facilities during the last few years and we are confident this will support future business growth."

Helen Cutler, relationship manager from Lombard, said: "Learoyd is a well run business that is always looking to improve its performance by investing in new technology. This investment will undoubtedly strengthen its manufacturing process and help it maintain an edge in the market."

Learoyd Packaging - which has seen a rise in turnover from £10.5 million to £16.5 million over the past four years - works with a number of leading food manufacturers such as Cadbury's, Muller and North West bakers Warburtons.

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Vyomeh Joshi, the global head of HP's imaging and printing division, said in an interview in Hong Kong: "When the economy was doing great, we were shipping more and more units, probably we were not efficient.

"So when the economy went down and people were delaying buying decisions, we took a look and said we don't need all this."

However, he declined to name specific companies. He said cost savings derived from simplifying its supply chain had been used in research and expanding its sales team.

A series of web-enabled printers - which will allow printing from mobile devices such as an iPhone or a laptop PC - are to be launched in Asia, a move that would help the company achieve a double-digit percentage growth in the number of printer units sold this year.

Mr Joshi said: "What we need to do is to continue to capture all the pages - that's how we can continue to grow."

The imaging and printing division, with about 2,500 companies as its customers, is one of the most profitable businesses of HP. It accounts for about a fifth of the company's revenue but about a third of its operating profit.

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HP has launched a new campaign to market its multifunction Laserjet printers.

The Laserjet Pays You Back campaign is aimed at home office and small businesses users

HP claims businesses could save $2,500 (£1,700) by purchasing one of their new printers.

Ron Coughlin, HP's vice president of LaserJet and Enterprise Solutions, said: "Upgrading to an HP Colour LaserJet multi-function printer is like trading in your gas guzzler for a hybrid that pays for itself in gas savings and then continues to pay the owner after that.

"The campaign helps demonstrate how HP LaserJet printers are an investment that keeps giving back to your business."

Promoting the campaign in New York, businesswomen Ivanka Trump, said: "What seems like a small decision - like buying a printer - can have a big impact on your business. I'm a fan of creating value and I like to create efficiency - the HP LaserJet printers do both and can provide near and long-term return on investment."

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A mailing house from Liverpool has bought the assets of Stockport APG which was established in 1974, and in 2007 had a turnover of £2 million. Christopher Ratten and Jeremy Woodside of Tenon Recovery were appointed administrators on May 12.

Shortly afterwards Character Mailing Services bought the plant and machinery of the company.

It has been good news for the majority of staff formerly employed at the Stockport site, as 15 of the 18 have moved across to Character Mailing and Services.

Ratten said: "It is encouraging to see that the market for quality assets remains strong, especially at a time of such economic uncertainty."

The directors of Character Mailing Services are Mark Manville, Annette Leefe, John Leutton, Paula Studholme and Bret Leefe.

Data management and laser imaging is provided as well as print management, print and mailing.

Character Mailing Services could not be reached for comment, at the time of writing.

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Hewlett-Packard has announced that it has purchased Melodeo, a Seattle-based firm that offers cloud-based delivery systems for music and content across multiple devices.

The news of the takeover was revealed by HP spokesperson Mylene Mangalindan, together with Melodeo vice president Dave Dederer. Neither HP nor the music streaming company commented on the financial details of the acquisition.

Mangalindan said: "Melodeo is one of the only companies with technology to aggregate a consumer's digital media, manage it in the cloud and stream it to the user on any device, along with additional streams of content.

"HP is always on the lookout for interesting innovative technology, especially as it develops its cloud-based offerings."

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The HP Mini 100e Education Edition comes with applications including Microsoft Office 2010 suite, Microsoft Math and Security Essentials.

It features optional Wi-Fi and a built-in V.92 compatible modem which enables even users in remote areas to get web access through dial-up connections.

A clearly visible LED lights up when the computer is connected to the internet so teachers can easily monitor network access.

The Mini 100e has a sturdy casing and spill-resistant keyboard suitable for classroom use.

Dan Forlenza, the company's vice president and general manager for business notebooks said: "HP is committed to helping schools adapt to students' changing needs and to creating solutions that provide better interactivity, connectivity and learning.

"The HP Mini 100e is an affordable, feature-rich device that helps ensure every student has the tools needed for success in their academic endeavours."

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If you want to print up to 2,000 pages per month for a low price it's a great choice, and its scanning and copying features have been praised in reviews. The target market for the HP LaserJet Pro m1212nf is small businesses and home offices.

The multifunction monochrome laser printer has a similar internal paper path to the Dell 1133. Under the flatbed scanner at the top, it has an output tray and a 150-sheet paper tray.

On the fascia of the HP LaserJet Pro m1212nf there are a range of controls, including one-touch inputs for copying and scanning as well as the necessary number pad for inputting fax numbers (it has a 33.6Kbps fax).

The £65 RRP of each CE285A drum toner cartridge means ongoing costs are 4p per A4 sheet, and each cartridge has an expected average yield of 1,600 A4 pages.

Text as small as 6pt are free of any jagged edges or blurred characters and the HP LaserJet Pro m1212nf prints clear and legible text at 600 dpi.

Instant-on and instant-off technology is used by HP's latest business printers, including the HP LaserJet Pro m1212nf. It consumes only two Watts in power-saving (sleep) mode. This function means it does not have to be left running all day and it saves more power than if the printer were to remain in standby.

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It is introducing its high-speed production inkjet technology, which enables a printer to produce more than 2,000 colour images per minute.

The process also saves money for print providers and enables lower-weight paper to be used, saving an estimated 2,000 trees per year.

The device is driven by 56 print heads, with more than 49,000 nozzles producing almost two billion ink drops per second.

The technology enables each drop to hit the paper with precise pixel placement and can save up to 152.4m (500ft) per minute on lighter-weight papers.

Jim Hamilton, of InfoTrends' production hardware consulting services, said: "Xerox has long been recognised as a leader in toner-based technologies for graphic communications, and now it is investing in applying its significant cache of inkjet technologies and intellectual property to meet the needs of production users."

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