Kodak Newsmanager Workflow System and Kodak Trendsetter News 200 Thermal Platesetter complete a groundbreaking Dubai print plant. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is one of the world’s fastest developing countries and its competitive business environment offers big rewards to those who can keep up with its pace while delivering excellence.

The printing arm of Dubai’s Arab Media Group (AMG) is Masar Printing and Publishing and a perfect example of a company which has taken the opportunities, and reaped the benefits of UAE’s growing print industry. The company was already a major player in the country’s print market. In less than 12 months it supplied a significant portion of the UAE’s contractual newspaper and commercial print jobs due to its commitment to high standards and investment in machinery and manpower.

The company set out to complete an in-house commercial and newspaper printing arm comparable with the world’s best printers in terms of infrastructure and quality. In-depth research led the company to set up its new newspaper operations around Kodak’s turnkey prepress solutions which included the Kodak Trendsetter News 200 Thermal Platesetter – a pioneering choice for a region dominated by violet platesetting technology.

Delphax Technologies Inc. is a global provider of high-speed digital printing systems. They recently announced the placement of two CR Series roll-fed presses with new overseas customers. In July 2008, a CR2000 was installed at Kopie-Rite, a South African printer, for use in producing educational publications.

In September 2008, a CR1000 was installed at Digital Book Print, a new United Kingdom printing company, where it is being used to produce paperback books and legal documents. Delphax also sold a CR2000 in the UK to Good News Press in order for them to launch a digital book-printing strategy. The CR2000 installed at Kopie-Rite was a demonstration unit and was subsequently upgraded and reconfigured by Delphax. The CR1000 installed at Digital Book Print was previously operated under lease by another European printer.

All three of these placements are with companies focused on the development of business strategies based on the efficiencies of high-speed digital printing. These companies are demonstrating encouraging potential for strong volume growth. The established core of Delphax’s business is the security printing industry. The CR Series offers production speeds of up to 500 per minute – speed that can transform a roll of heavy or lightweight paper into books at the rate of one every three seconds.

Edwards Brothers is a fourth-generation publishing company founded in 1893. The company has survived the Great Depression and many technological advances that have changed the way books are made. For decades, it has specialized in what’s called “short-run” publishing – the average number of books it prints is approximately 2,500.

Edwards Brothers has printed books ranging from a large-type version of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows to Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle and from service manuals for Volkswagen and BMW to elementary school classroom workbooks. Since the 1950s, the company’s annual sales have increased almost every year. Since 1997, their annual sales have increased from $67.6 million to $81 million for the fiscal year.

The company employs about 450 at its 200,000-square-foot headquarters and printing plant in Ann Arbor and a total of more than 700 nationally. Edwards Brothers has survived because they’ve stuck to their core principals: resisting the temptation to grow too fast, and worked hard to foster employee loyalty by sharing financial information and performance data with its employees, and sharing profits with them twice a year. The company remains well-positioned to survive because no customer accounts for more than 8% of the sales.

In order to survive the current declining economy, long-established print companies should be joined under a single roof by an Internet portal for print products. Printello is not an active print provider, but instead markets print products. This portal operates fully independently of its parent company.

Some of the products can be printed by Printello’s parent company while some products are bought from external providers: products which the company is not in a position to offer. Printello has the potential to break out of the confines of traditional print business. They offer agency and industry customers classic print products via the Internet.

An essential difference between a traditional order for print products and Web-based marketing is that there is no face-to-face dialogue to offer advice to an Internet customer. Therefore, the website must be structured as simply as possible. An attractive appearance is a top priority for Printello because buying should be fun and the customer should feel happy with the transaction and this way customer loyalty can be built up via the Internet. Customers look for a portal with which to stay.

Frecklebox has expanded its ability to produce affordable, personalized books, posters and custom-made gifts for children with the addition of an HP Indigo 7000 Digital Press. The new press enhances the company’s existing portfolio of HP Indigo technology and allows Frecklebox to create high-quality output with double the productivity to address the increased demand expected during the upcoming holiday season.

Frecklebox is a Web-based company that takes product customization to a new level with image personalization, a process that uses almost any illustration to create a clip font. The company is a subsidiary to Progressive Solutions, a printing and distribution business that educates and entertains kids while exploring the possibilities of Web-based digital printing. Frecklebox can now exceed customer expectations for quick turnaround time and excellent quality on a range of personalized items with the HP Indigo 7000 Digital Press.

This company is an excellent example of how customers can use digital printing technologies to open new markets and achieve profitable growth. With the HP Indigo 7000 Digital Press, Frecklebox will have the scalability needed to boost productivity and fulfill each order in time for the holidays. They currently offer an array of books, coloring books, journals, posters, and placemats printed on HP Indigo technology.